software

Microsoft may owe Denmark $1B in back taxes, report says

Microsoft may be in a bit of tax trouble in Denmark over an acquisition it made more than a decade ago.

Denmark-based news outlet DR is reporting today that officials in that country are investigating whether Microsoft used certain techniques to save itself billions in taxes. According to the report, after Microsoft acquired financial software company Navision in 2002 for $1.3 billion, it sold off its enterprise resource planning and accounting divisions to an Ireland-based Microsoft subsidiary. That subsidiary is apparently owned by other Microsoft companies in Caribbean tax havens, effectively allowing it to shift Navavision's profits overseas … Read more

Q&A: MacFixIt Answers

MacFixIt Answers is a feature in which I answer Mac-related questions e-mailed in by our readers.

This week, readers wrote in with questions on how to best manage software updates for many computers on a network, the options for using the right-click in OS X, and concerns about the feasibility of corrupting a system through apparently normal use. I welcome views from readers, so if you have any suggestions or alternative approaches to these problems, please post them in the comments!

Question: Managing software updates for many computers on a network MacFixIt reader Beth asks:

I've read several articles … Read more

Tips for increasing the longevity of your Mac

Regardless of whether you purchase it new, refurbished, or used, your Mac is likely a sizable investment that you might wish to keep running for as long as possible, not only because of the cost factor but also because of the time and effort it would take to migrate your data and workflow to a new system (even though Apple has made the latter quite easy if you have proper backups).

There are many ways your Mac can get damaged, become outdated, or otherwise experience greater wear and tear from use that can shorten its lifespan. In most cases these … Read more

Exclusive free giveaway of a popular weather app, YoWindow

UPDATE: 12:20pm PT, March 4, 2013 Due to popular demand, I was able to secure more license keys for CNET members from the developer of this software and am extending this free giveaway until 11:59pm PT, Tuesday, March 5, 2013. If you forgot to grab one, now is your chance. Enjoy!

What's not to like about a weather app that actually shows you what the weather is going to be like? Whether that be your hometown or a city that you are traveling to, YoWindow will get you as prepared as you can be for your trip … Read more

BlackBerry 10 users, here's your first software update

BlackBerry 10 users are already being treated to their first update to the new operating system.

Handset maker BlackBerry today announced that its update, which will be delivered over the air, improves the performance of third-party applications, ensuring that they run a bit faster and smoother. In addition, the update addresses some problems users are finding with Gmail calendar support and importing contacts from online sources.

BlackBerry launched its new OS software at the end of January, introducing as well the touch-screen BlackBerry Z10 smartphone and the keyboard-equipped Q10. The Z10 is so far available in the U.K., Canada, … Read more

How to identify nameless music tracks in your iTunes library

Commercial MP3s and other digital music files provide a wealth of information about the songs in addition to the audio-playback itself. This metadata makes it easy to display the track name, artist, album, and other facts about the songs in your playback device or program.

When you use an application such as the free Audacity audio-editing utility to convert music from LPs, cassettes, or another analog source, the only metadata accompanying the tracks is whatever information you provide when you create the digital file. There's the rub.

In July 2011 I described how to use Audacity to convert LPs and audio cassettes to digital. … Read more

Leap Motion controllers to ship in mid-May for $80

Leap Motion, which has developed an innovative motion-control system that's accurate to the hundredth of a millimeter, said today that it will begin shipping its controller on May 13.

The controller, which gives users the ability to control what's on their computers with touch-free pinch-to-zoom gestures, will sell for $80 -- though customers who have already pre-ordered it will pay $70 -- and will ship to pre-order customers on May 13, and be available to everyone else on May 19.

The device will be available in the U.S. only through Leap Motion's Web site, and at … Read more

Opera overhaul: WebKit-based Android browser due Q2

BARCELONA, Spain--Opera Software has dropped the new engine into its browser and now has begun revving it up.

At the Mobile World Congress show here, the company began showing for the first time its new WebKit-based version of Opera for Android. That browser is the first product from a completely overhauled product line and technology strategy for the company based in Oslo, Norway.

Opera is changing the browser engine at the core of its software, dumping its own Presto for the open-source WebKit used in Chrome and Safari. It's a radical change in many ways: many engineers are changing … Read more

Microsoft addresses confusion over Office 2013 licensing

Can Office 2013 users transfer their license from one PC to another? Well, it depends.

Microsoft recently created some confusion and controversy when it revealed that Office 2013 would be restricted to one PC. People who need to install the software on another PC are out of luck, or so it seems. Ed Bott of CNET sister site ZDNet illuminated the licensing changes in the new suite.

You can't buy Office 2013 on DVD or other media. Instead, you have to purchase a key card, which allows you to download the software. But the real kicker is that Office … Read more