Stories by Preston Gralla

Ballmer Sells $1.3 Billion of Microsoft Stock

Steve Ballmer has sold more than 49 million shares of Microsoft stock worth $1.3 billion in the past several days, and plans to sell a total of 75 million shares by year's end. Does he know something we don't?

Windows Live Mail 2011 gets lassoed by the ribbon

If you're looking for an excellent, free mail client, you'll do well to install Windows Live Mail 2011. This newest version of Microsoft's free e-mail client has been significantly upgraded over the previous version, and now includes a host of new features, including a calendar pane and Microsoft Office's Ribbon interface. It doesn't include all the bells and whistles of Microsoft Outlook, such as tasks and a full-blown calendar, but given that it's free, Windows Live Mail is well worth the download.

Admirable apps for Android and beyond

As Android's popularity continues to mushroom, the number of Android apps available has surpassed 100,000. That's good news because there are so many possibilities to choose from, but bad news because the sheer volume of options is becoming overwhelming and it's hard to know which ones are worth downloading. And if you using a different phone OS, you may suffer from serious Android envy.

Wikidroid for Wikipedia

Want access to the world's most popular encyclopedia -- wherever you are? Then get Wikidroid (free), which does an excellent job of putting the power of Wikipedia on your Android phone. You'll get full Wikipedia content, including live links and graphics, so you won't be giving up anything when you access it this way.

Should Microsoft be carved up?

A recent Goldman Sachs report that downgraded Microsoft stock from Buy to Neutral also made this startling suggestion: Microsoft should be carved up, with its consumer division severed from its enterprise business.

AVG Internet Security 2011

AVG Internet Security 2011, which shipped on Tuesday, offers the full complement of tools you'd expect in an all-in-one security suite, packaged in a simple-to-use interface and offering integration with popular browsers and Outlook. But the software is marred by annoying attempts to upsell you to other products, and a scanning engine that may slow down your system.

Internet Explorer 9 beta strips down for speed

Those who have written off IE as being slow and old-looking are in for a surprise. The just-released Internet Explorer 9 beta is dramatically faster than its predecessor, sports an elegant, stripped-down interface and adds some useful new features.

10 great digital photography downloads

Have a digital camera and plenty of photos? Want some help with editing and managing them all? We've rounded up ten downloads that will let you take control of your photos. Whether you're looking for a top-of-the-line photo editor, a great photo manager, or nifty utilities to handle tasks such as finding duplicates, we have just the thing. And every program is free--not only to download but also to use.

Cloudmark DesktopOne Basic stops spam

Tired of getting e-mail from Nigerian strangers offering to help you claim several million dollars? Don't want your inbox littered with offers to enlarge private body parts? Try Cloudmark DesktopOne Basic (free), which does an excellent job of killing spam before you ever read it. Even if you have a spam filter on your e-mail software, you'll find it useful.

5 ways to make Android 2.1 work like Froyo

Still waiting for Android 2.2? Given the slow pace of Froyo's rollout to Android phones, sometimes it feels like waiting for Godot. And if you're especially unlucky, the new version of the operating system won't even make it to your phone.

6 useful Wi-Fi tools for Windows

We live in a mobile world; if you have a laptop (and who doesn't?), that means constantly connecting to the Internet via Wi-Fi. You most likely use Wi-Fi not just when you're on the road at cafés, airports or hotels, but to connect to your home network too. You might even connect to a wireless network at the office.

Is IT dead?

The latest news from HP should be chilling to IT employees: The company is eliminating 9,000 IT positions.

Acronis Drive Monitor Is S.M.A.R.T. about hard drives

Your hard disk is a time bomb, waiting to go off. If you're lucky, like most people, it will never detonate. But if you're unlucky, like some people, you could lose all of your files, works, and applications, with no warning when your hard disk crashes. Acronis Drive Monitor (free) promises to give you warning before that crash, so that you can take action before you're hit with disaster.

The best Windows 7 downloads

Not quite happy with the way Windows 7 works, or looking to get more out of the operating system? You've come to the right place. We're big fans of Microsoft's latest OS, but we're also big fans of making Windows better. In this article, we've rounded up the best Windows 7 downloads. They'll let you customize it in any way possible, give it features that Microsoft removed or neglected to include, and more. So get ready to download--you're about to take Windows 7 to a new level.

Safari 5 in depth: Has it sped past Chrome?

The just-released Safari 5 ups the ante in the browser wars, with two major improvements: a performance boost to rival speed king Chrome, the highly useful Safari Reader, which makes it much easier to read multi-page Web articles.

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