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First Look

Capture, record the screen with Jing 2.1: First Look

Its emphasis on getting screen captures and screencasts shot and shared makes the freemium application Jing extremely quick and easy to use for Mac and Windows users. I use its big brother, the professional capture app Snagit, at work (we take a lot of screenshots in these parts,) but I've often installed Jing on laptops and on other peoples' computers when I need something light and free.

The one irony for Windows users is that if you don't have the .NET framework installed, it adds a few more minutes of set-up time and a heftier footprint. The benefit … Read more

Corel Home Office 1.0: Netbook-friendly

Try it | Full review

This week, Corel came out with a brand-new suite of office applications for XP, Vista, and Windows 7 users. Corel Home Office ($69.99) bundles in three applications: Write, the word processor, Calculate, the spreadsheet maker, and Show, the presentations builder.

Corel Home Office differs from other Corel office suites in two ways. First, it's been written with a new code base, so it's not a perfect continuation of Corel WordPerfect Office. It doesn't hurt that the suite is the near-spitting image of Microsoft Office 2007 in layout and design.

Second, it has … Read more

Screen sharing in Skype 4.1 beta: First Look

Last week, Skype rolled out a beta update to version 4.0 of its Windows VoIP application. Its pinnacle is the screen-sharing functionality that's new to Skype 4.1 beta.

Screen sharing in Skype is by no means a finished product, but it is an interesting addition that gives the desktop communications software extra dimension and definition today. In future releases, it could even help Skype compete against the other mobile communicators in the market that have incorporated voice calling of their own. Watch how it works in this First Look video.

Also check out Roundup: Screen-sharing is caring.… Read more