Adobe announces Creative Suite 5.5, monthly software subscriptions

 

Adobe Systems announced an update to its Adobe Creative Suite 5 software, which for the first time will be available by way of monthly subscriptions.

Creative Suite 5.5, as the new refresh is called, features new tools that will enable users to more easily create content for smartphones and tablets and do more using HTML5.

The rollout of Creative Suite 5.5, which will take place in about a month, will be Adobe's first shot at a new software release schedule, with more incremental updates between fully new versions of its main product package.

"This launch marks a major change to Adobe's product release strategy for Creative Suite," the San Jose company said in a statement. "Adobe now plans to have milestone Creative Suite product introductions at 24-month intervals and -- starting with Creative Suite 5.5 -- significant mid-cycle releases designed to keep the worldwide creative community ahead of the latest advances in content authoring."

The Creative Suite subscription editions are new for Adobe too and will let customers try Adobe products by subscribing online without having to commit to spending hundreds or thousands of dollars to buy the software suites.

One of Adobe's most popular products, Photoshop, sits on the low end of the subscription model at a monthly price of $49, or $35 with a one-year subscription.

Adobe's Creative Suite 5.5 Design Premium package -- which includes InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash Professional and Adobe FlashCatalyst, Acrobat X Pro, Illustrator CS5, Adobe Photoshop CS5 Extended and Adobe Fireworks CS5 -- goes for $95 a month as part of a one-year plan or $139 month-to-month.

Adobe's top-of-the-line Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection can be subscribed to for $129 a month for a year or $195 month-to-month.

Creative Suite 5.5 is just a bit more expensive.

A traditional, non-subscription copy of Adobe's Creative Suite 5.5 Master Collection software will sell for $2,599, about $1,000 more than a one-year subscription to the software. The Design Premium package will sell for $1,899, or $759 more than a one-year subscription.

Source:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/04/adobe-creative-suite-subscription.html

Nokia launches new Symbian smartphones

By MATTI HUUHTANEN, Associated Press Matti Huuhtanen, Associated Press – Tue Apr 12, 12:26 pm ET

 

HELSINKI – Nokia Corp. on Tuesday launched its first smartphones to run on the updated Symbian software with new icons, enhancements and a faster browser.

Nokia said the two models — the E6 and X7 — have longer battery life, better text input and new Ovi Maps applications with improved search and public transport routes.

The Nokia E6, with a standard QWERTY keypad and high resolution touch display, is aimed at corporate customers, while the Nokia X7 is an entertainment-focused handset with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) display made for games.

The world's largest cellphone maker did not price the handsets.

Markets seemed unimpressed by the announcement, which comes as Nokia continues to struggle against stiff competition, especially from Apple Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd.

Nokia stock fell more than 3 percent to euro6.08 ($8.80) on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

More than 200 million phones, with 150 million more expected on the market, use Symbian technology, seen by some developers as clumsy and dated. At the end of last year, it was surpassed by Android as the world's No. 1 smart phone software.

Nokia said the new, faster Symbian software, known as Symbian Anna, will be available for previously released top models, including the N8, E7, C7 and C6-01 devices "in coming months."

In February, Nokia and Microsoft surprised the industry by announcing they were joining forces to challenge major rivals. Nokia said it will use Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Phone software as the main platform for its smartphones but will continue to develop and use the new Symbian software.

But they have a tough battle ahead.

The iPhone has set the standard for today's smartphones and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerrys have become the favorite of the corporate set. More recently, Google Inc.'s Android software has emerged as the choice for phone makers that want to challenge the iPhone.

A key challenge will be to produce quality devices with a hip factor that helps position Windows Phone as an attractive alternative in a market where image plays a central role.

Windows Phone 7, launched last year, has a lot of catching up to do both in the number of users and "apps" available for the phones.

Nokia, which claims 1.3 billion daily users of its devices, said it hopes the partnership with Microsoft will lead to capturing the next billion users to join the Internet in developing growth markets.

Last year, the Finnish firm retained its No.1 spot as the world's top mobile phone maker — a position it has held since 1998, selling 432 million devices — more than its three closest rivals combined. But market share has continued on a downward spiral — from a high of 41 percent in 2008 to 31 percent in the last quarter of 2010.

Also, its share in smartphones has plunged — to 30 percent at the end of 2010 from 40 percent a year earlier. And, at the end of last year Nokia and the Symbian platform was surpassed by Android as the world's No. 1 smartphone software, according to Canalys research firm.

Nokia, an Espoo-based company, near Helsinki, employs 132,500 people.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110412/ap_on_hi_te/eu_finland_nokia_smartphones_3

Microsoft phone software adds multitasking, camera features

By Dina Bass

Bloomberg News

Posted: 04/13/2011 09:13:28 PM PDT

Microsoft unveiled a new version of its Windows Phone software that will let users run several programs at once and call up information about a place or item by looking at it through the handset's camera.

The company demonstrated the software at a developer conference Wednesday, laying the groundwork for the operating system to appear on phones later this year. Tools that let programmers create applications for the new software will be available in May, Microsoft said at the Las Vegas event.
Microsoft, which overhauled its Windows phone software last year, is counting on new features to regain market share lost to Apple's (AAPL) iPhone and Google's (GOOG) Android. The company also aims to entice more developers. At Wednesday's event, Microsoft demonstrated concept apps from companies such as Amazon.com, Skype Technologies and Spotify.
The new software, code-named "Mango," takes advantage of a technology called augmented reality. That means users can point the phone's camera at something and get additional information on screen. For example, they could scan a landmark and get details on the building and surrounding area.
The Amazon application lets customers scan barcodes to find products online. Microsoft also previewed an app that showed whether audience members viewed through the camera had sent certain messages on Twitter. Besides gaining access to the camera data, the new software will let developers use compasses and gyroscopes if the phone has them.
Many of the new features are similar to ones already available for Android and Apple's iOS, said Al Hilwa, an analyst at Framingham, Mass.-based research firm IDC. Still, the approach to multitasking may give Microsoft an edge, he said. The software is designed to download content in the background while other apps are running, making for a smoother experience. 


Source:
http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_17840416?source=rss&nclick_check=1

Apple Launches New Software for iPhone and iPad

Apple today launched iOS 4.3, the latest version of its operating system for iPhones and iPads, and it's playing some technological catch up with rivals. 

"The world's most advanced mobile operating system keeps getting better," Apple boasted on its iOS webpage.

In fact, far from being the most advanced, in some ways this latest version is merely catching up to the market leader Android. The headline feature is "Personal Hotspot," which turns the iPhone into a Wi-Fi hub for up to five nearby devices. Unusually, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is behind the market in bundling this feature: many smartphones running Google's Android operating system already offer it.

The new update arrives amidst great flux among mobile operating systems within the smartphone market. While iOS is doubtless the most mature and arguably the slickest smartphone OS available, it is no longer the numerical market leader. Apple's market share has long been constrained by its exclusivity deal with AT&T in the U.S., while Android found homes on handsets from multiple manufacturers across all carriers.

Apple is ready to make up for lost time with its expansion to Verizon, but Android has established a solid beachhead and continues to improve, with new versions appearing every four to six months.

If the rivals extend current trends, BlackBerry maker Research in Motion may cede even more market share to the Google mobile operating system.

Other updates for iOS 4.3 include its "Nitro" Javascript engine, which promises significantly faster web browsing. In addition, "AirPlay" now offers much more video output support; streams can come from the camera, third-party apps and the browser and it can stream photo slide shows, too.

"Home Sharing" on iTunes now lets users stream music and videos directly from a running computer.

The new version includes support for single-tap conference call dialing and more options are now configurable. For example, users can set the iPad's side switch to either mute or lock rotation. Most of these enhancements are already available on Verizon iPhones, which run iOS 4.2.6.

Apple unveiled the update just a day before the iPad 2 is set to go on sale. The update is for the iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad and for the third- and fourth-generation iPod Touch.

Source:

http://www.mobiledia.com/news/83732.html

Software update fixes MacBook Air-iTunes issue

Philip Michaels Philip Michaels – Wed Mar 30, 7:23 pm ET

 

Owners of last year’s MacBook Air models who’ve been running into problems with iTunes got some relief Wednesday in the form of an Apple software update. The catchily-named Mac OS X v10.6.7 Supplemental Update for 13” MacBook Air (Late 2010)—or “update” for short—tackles an issue where Apple’s ultra-thin laptop became unresponsive when using iTunes.

According to an Apple support forum discussion, the problem first cropped up after this month’s Mac OS X 10.6.7 update. iTunes would crash on launch after some 13-inch MacBook Air owners installed the updated operating system. (The problem didn’t affect all MacBook Air owners, according to Macworld Bugs & Fixes columnist Ted Landau, who uses a 13-inch MacBook Air and never ran into the issue.)

Apple recommends the 461KB update for anyone who’s got a 13-inch MacBook Air model from late 2010 that runs Mac OS X 10.6.7.

Source:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20110330/tc_macworld/softwareupdatefixesmacbookairitunesissue