When it comes to protecting
your PC, installing the latest software updates is one of the most important
steps you can take. Software updates fix bugs, plug security holes, and
sometimes even add new features. Drivers can also solve problems and improve
performance, but many users prefer to install new drivers only when a device
isn't working properly. Here are the updates and drivers you should know about
this month.
NVIDIA GeForce290.53 BETA Driver
This driver supports systems
with GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9,100, 200, 300,400, and 500 series desktop graphics
cards, as well as those with ION graphics processors. NVIDIA has also fixed
some bugs that occur when the PC is set to use the default display resolution
with the 290.36 driver. Other improvements include additional support for
games, as well as additional game profiles for NVIDA's SLI and 3D Vision
technology. To install the download, visit www.geforce.com/drivers/beta and
select your video card and Windows edition from the drop-down menus.
Adobe Camera Raw 6.6
Owners of Adobe Creative
Suite 5 and Photoshop CSS should check out Adobe's Camera Raw 6.6 update
because it adds support for many of today's newest cameras. Just some of the
newly supported models include the Canon PowerShot S100, Nikon 1J1 and V1, and
Samsung NX5 and NX200. Adobe recommends that you download the update by
selecting Updates from the Help menu in your Adobe application.
iTunes 10.5.3
This update for iTunes
gives you the ability to sync interactive iBooks with your iPad. iBooks are
multi-touch textbooks that are available from the iBookstore, which can be
found on your iBooks 2 app for iPad. The digital textbooks can provide students
with immediate feedback through questionnaires at the end of chapters. Apple
also includes a variety of security patches with the 10.5.3 update. To download
the update, open iTunes, select Help, and click Check For Updates.
iTunes
10.5.3 lets you sync iBooks with your iPad.
Picasa 3.9
In version
3.9 of Picasa, Google has integrated the ability to upload images—at their original
size—to your Google+ account, so you can share the photos with your circles. Another
helpful upgrade is the ability to tag your Google+ friends in your photos, and when
you do so, Google+ will notify those friends that they have been tagged in a
photo. Picasa 3.9 also features a wide variety of new photo-editing effects,
just some of which include Infrared, Cinemascope, Sixties, Focal Zoom, and
Comic Book. To download the update, start Picasa, Help, and click Check For
Updates.
The
newest release of Picasa lets you upload photos and tag your Google+ friends.
ezPaycheck 2012
Halfpricesoft.com
released ezPaycheck 2012 with updates that reflect the latest tax table changes
for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and federal taxes. For example, many
states changed the withholding allowance for employees in 2012, and ezPaycheck
2012 can help you automatically calculate both pre-tax and post-tax deductions,
including for tips, commissions, Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment. To
update from the 2011 to 2012 version, you can visit www.halfpricesoft.com/index.asp and purchase the 2012
ezPayCheck Update Package for $59 (per year, per installation).
With
ezPaycheck 2012, you'll have support for the latest tax tables for all 50
states.
Yahoo! Messenger 11.5
The 11.5
update for Yahoo! Messenger delivers a number of features based on the feedback
and suggestions from users. For example, having a different tab for each
conversation was a highly requested feature that Yahoo! added to make it easy
for you to chat with multiple people at once. Yahoo! Messenger 11.5 also
simplifies contact management with a Recent Contacts list that populates with
the people you chat with the most. There are also new social games and the
ability to share a snapshot of your computer screen. You can download the
latest Yahoo! Messenger from messenger.yahoo.com.
Yahoo!
Messenger 11.5 lets you have a different tab for each conversation.
