Software : After iOS 6 snub, Google dramatically slashes price of Google Maps API |
- After iOS 6 snub, Google dramatically slashes price of Google Maps API
- Mozilla promises 'something big' ahead of Google I/O
- In Depth: 8 top tune-up utilities to speed up your PC
- Facebook's Instagram buyout subject to OFT probe
| After iOS 6 snub, Google dramatically slashes price of Google Maps API Posted:  Google has cut the cost of its Maps API for high-volume users by an astonishing 88 per cent, following Apple's recent decision to drop the platform for its own mapping solution. Ahead of the developer-focused I/O conference next week, the company has responded to Apple's iOS 6 snub and a number of defections, including Foursquare, to the open source OpenStreetMaps service. The Google Maps API will remain free for the vast majority of users, but Google began charging for high-volume, profit making websites and mobile apps that make use of the service. Now, instead of charing $4 for every 1,000 page loads for apps and services, Google will now offer the same service for 50 cents. 'Listening to feedback'"We've been listening carefully to feedback, and today we're happy to announce that we're lowering API usage fees and simplifying limits," wrote Thor Mitchell, the product manager for Google Maps API, on the company's geo developer blog. "We're beginning to monitor Maps API usage starting today, and, based on current usage, fees will only apply to the top 0.35% of sites regularly exceeding the published limits of 25,000 map loads every day for 90 consecutive days." |
| Mozilla promises 'something big' ahead of Google I/O Posted:  The Firefox mobile browser for Android may be about to get a whole lot better, judging by a tweet from its maker Mozilla. The company took to the social network on Friday evening to tease a major announcement next week, most likely coinciding with Google's I/O conference. Mozilla posted: "#Firefox for #Android. Something BIG is coming your way next week. mzl.la/KqFX3n." The link leads to a teaser image (above), which states: "Fast. Smart. Safe." Chrome-envyWith Google possibly announcing that Chrome will become the default Android browser within Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, it'll be interesting to see what Mozilla has in store. Mozilla is also likely to release the recently-announced native version of Firefox for iPad, known as Firefox Junior, alongside the Android improvements. |
| In Depth: 8 top tune-up utilities to speed up your PC Posted:  Optimise your PC: 1-4Whether you're running a small business and don't have a dedicated IT support team, or are a home user without the time or patience to tweak your PC to ensure it runs smoothly, optimisation applications can seem incredibly attractive. In theory, these pieces of software will locate missing Registry entries, delete temporary and unwanted files, and generally give everything a spruce up. However, in practice they can negatively affect performance by running in the background and loading at start-up, so there appears to be a fine line between optimisation and diminution. Of course, tuning software becomes something of an irrelevance if you've bought an SSD, which accelerates Windows far beyond what's achievable by merely tidying the Registry or buying more RAM. But in some cases this isn't practical or affordable. With this in mind, we've tested eight of the most popular pieces of PC optimisation software. We made a clone of a standard Windows installation with plenty of programs installed, and performed a series of tests to see what difference each piece of software made. We ran a series of practical and theoretical benchmarks, like timing how long it took to load programs and games using a stopwatch and the ever-useful Apptimer. We also ran Futuremark's browser benchmark Peacekeeper to evaluate the impact the tuning software had on browsing. Products testedTuneUp Utilities 2012 - £14 Magix PC Check & Tuning - £26 Ashampoo Winoptimizer 9 - £24 Norton Utilities - £20 Fix-It Utilities 12 - £27 Advanced System Optimizer 3 - $40 Iolo System Mechanic 10.7 - $40 Piriform CCleaner - Free 1. Free TuneUp Utilities 2012Is this good looking software in tune or off key?
TuneUp's interface is one of the simplest in our group test, giving a complete overview of the status of your system, with a progress bar at the bottom to show you how far into the process of tuning up your PC you are. Although working through each of the options takes a while, you never feel lost among the wealth of options and settings. One-Click Maintenance works through all the most basic tweaks automatically, cleaning and defragmenting the Registry, removing broken shortcuts and temporary files, and optimising start-up and shutdown. However, we saw slight increases in startup and shutdown times. TuneUp was the only tool in our test that recommended turning off visual effects in Windows 7 to improve performance - something that didn't even occur to us. The result was that Windows 7's sleek aquatic default theme was replaced by Windows 2000-era greyness, but it did feel slightly more responsive. Users of low-power netbooks might find this handy, but the necessary controls are tucked away in Windows 7 anyway. Statistically, TuneUp sat on the fence, providing no great leaps in performance and only a slight improvement over Windows 7's native settings. LibreOffice loaded quickly, as did Half-Life 2, but the results weren't astounding. TuneUp corrected 149 Registry entries, but this failed to provide a real boost in performance. TuneUp's problem-finding is divisive. Some users will find it intrusive, but less experienced users might like to know about the issues it flags up. One of the first things we do when we install Windows is turn off User Account Control - we don't need TuneUp to remind us of the fact. On the other hand, it did let us know that Windows Media Player was broadcasting our computer's ID, which is something paranoid media consumers might want to turn off. Verdict: 3/5 2. Ashampoo WinOptimizer 9Ashampoo promises to clean and condition
Memories of John Cleese slapping his Spanish waiter spring to mind when a piece of software asks whether you want to activate your internet connection 'Automatically' or 'Manuel'. It's one of a many mistranslations or misspellings in Ashampoo WinOptimizer 9, and it's pretty indicative of the design. The software's cramped interface includes a handy summary of your system's hardware and settings, along with maintenance categories, plus CPU and RAM speedometers. Optional settings like Live-Tuner and Hibernation File can be switched on and off from here, but WinOptimizer offers no explanation as to what these toggles actually do. Fire up the Tuning Assistant and you're presented with a bewildering number of questions, as if you're filling in a job application form. People who know their way around Windows will find this survey easy to answer, but novice users are likely to find questions like, 'Do you use the hibernation status of Windows?' and 'Is Windows installed on an SSD hard drive?' utterly confounding. WinOptimizer applies fixes based on your answers, and it was here that we found the one of the program's saving graces: an option to adjust USB polling. Windows checks for new USB connections every millisecond, but this can be reduced to every five milliseconds to save power. WinOptimizer 9 did make a difference to the way our system ran, though. It came third in terms of Windows boot times, and although Half-Life 2 didn't boot that quickly, LibreOffice's times were among the best. It feels like a piece of software that will benefit office and internet users more than it will gamers, and a decent Peacekeeper score backs this up. It may look a bit Fawlty Towers, but it's quite handy once you get past its shabby exterior. Verdict: 3/5 3. Fix-It Utilities 12Hands-off repair with a muddled interface
Fix-It Utilities certainly has the best looking initial interface of all the software in this test. Boot it up and you're presented with three battery-style columns representing the optimisation, security and maintenance status of your PC, with a simple 'Analyse now' button. The application then finds every problem and, with a single click, fixes them. Unfortunately, scratching beneath Fix-It's glossy surface reveals that there's not a huge amount to it. It includes all the standard features like a Registry optimiser and a start-up program killer, but nothing more. It feels as if developer Avanquest has invested a lot of time and thought in the interface, but forgotten to include anything but the most rudimentary of optimisation settings. To make matters worse, it all becomes hugely confusing and poorly laid out once you get into the options. 'Active programs' reveals 46 running services, like Windows NT Session Manager and DcomLaunch, but fails to indicate what these are, other than 'Necessary'. Novice PC users will probably be bewildered, and run the risk of stopping essential services. Fix-It performed poorly across all our tests, too. Our Windows boot time was slowed by a minute over the best-performing piece of software, and it was the lowest scoring in our Half-Life 2 and LibreOffice timed tests. Every result showed a substantial decrease over Windows 7's native performance. There is one small piece of wheat among the chaff in the form of a file shredder, which permanently deletes files to 'US Department of Defense Standards' - although even this functionality is available in free software like File Shredder. Much like a kit car, Fix-it initially looks the business, but taking it for a test run reveals its numerous flaws. Verdict: 2/5 4. Iolo System Mechanic 10.7Can optimisation specialist Iolo still woo us?
Established in 1998 with the grand vision of optimising every PC on the planet, Iolo is the granddaddy of system improvement software. It estimates that it sells 85 per cent of optimisation programs in the US, and it pretty much created the genre. With facts like those, you'd hope System Mechanic would be good. We weren't disappointed. The tool delivered astounding results in almost all of our tests, with Half-Life 2 and LibreOffice opening snappily, a best-ever Peacekeeper browser benchmark and a low Windows shutdown time. Windows 7's start-up time increased slightly, but not markedly. It also detected a staggering 260 Registry problems in our system - almost four times as many as some of its competitors. Iolo has clearly invested a lot of time and money in ensuring a fluid, aesthetically-pleasing experience from its software. Boot it up and a set of meters estimates your PC's current health, with a nice big 'Analyse now' button to begin the optimisation process. From here you're presented with a summary of issues on your PC, with the option to repair them one at a time or all at once. It also provides a suite of tools for ongoing optimisation to ensure that future problems are nipped in the bud. Each automation, like start-up configuration and detection of low memory problems, can be toggled on and off, and clear descriptions mean new users won't feel out of their depth. Further tools provide more tweaks, like acceleration and Registry revitalisation, and none of these feel tacked-on. System Mechanic is certainly the best all-in-one product in our test, and it spruced up our beleaguered operating system to levels far above its original installation. Our only complaint is the desktop widget that installed alongside System Mechanic, but fortunately this can be turned off quickly and easily. Verdict: 4/5 Optimise your PC: 5-85. Magix PC Check & TuningCasting a spell on our netbooks and Registries
German software company Magix is best known in the UK for its powerful (if clunky) video and music software, so its venture into system optimisation feels somewhat at odds with what's gone before. Further doubts were cast when we opened the box and came across a huge printed manual. In this age of intuitive software, physical instruction booklets seem like a bit of a novelty. Our uncertainties were set aside once we'd installed the software. Although it's not the handsomest of programs, everything's nicely laid out, with a traffic light system displaying your system's status - red for current problems, green for resolved problems and yellow for things that have not yet been investigated. It's perfect for beginners, provided they haven't been put off by the huge manual. The hand-holding continues throughout the software. Each option comes with a clear description so you know what it's going to do to your PC. There are some nice additions to the Registry cleaners and performance boosts too. A netbook-specific section deactivates certain visual effects and maximises your workspace, and Magix has included its own efficient power management plans on top of the Windows defaults. The impact on our machine wasn't spectacular, with average results in our Half-Life 2 and LibreOffice tests. It found more Registry problems that most, but any advantages this had at boot up were assuaged by PC Check & Tuning taking time to load itself into Windows. Internet tuning is welcome, but doesn't support Chrome, which may explain the slight increase in our Peacekeeper benchmark. Our hopes for Magix weren't high, but we were pleasantly surprised by its clean layout and simple operation. It may not have performed quite as well as others in our group test, but it's a great debut. Verdict: 4/5 6. Norton UtilitiesThe big boys enter the optimisation arena
Norton's reputation for antivirus software makes it a name people trust, so its venture into PC optimisation should fit like a glove. PC users rely on its software to keep all sorts of viruses and trojans at bay, so it makes sense that they should let it tinker with the way their machines run. Resplendent in Norton's trademark honey-yellow hues, Utilities includes the de facto optimisers - and nothing more. You'll find a Registry cleaner, service management, defragmentation tools and start-up tool. A complete optimisation involves clicking through a series of soulless web-page-like menus and applying the fixes Norton recommends. One nice touch is that Norton can apply fixes instantly without a system reboot thanks to a Refresh Windows setting. The level of control here is all or nothing. Norton provides a pair of service managers with just two options - Recommended or Minimal. Choose either and you are presented with a huge list of running services to customise, but little in the way of description or explanation. Check boxes turn them on or off, but most users will simply go with what Norton reckons is best. It seems like an extravagantly over-complicated approach to something that could be quite simple. Utilities failed to provide a substantial performance boost too, increasing our boot time and giving mediocre results in Half-Life 2 and LibreOffice timed benchmarks. It found 114 Registry problems, which again places it at the lower end of the scale. Anyone wanting a significant improvement will be disappointed. Norton may make the most popular antivirus software on the planet, but Utilities feels like an attempt to exploit the brand, by sticking yet another essential Norton product on the shelves. Unfortunately, it doesn't reach the heights that other Norton products do. Verdict: 3/5 7. Advanced System Optimizer 3Two-in-one system optimiser and antivirus
Advanced System Optimiser scans your PC for security vulnerabilities and Registry issues, then presents them all in a dramatic red box inviting you to 'Register now'. It found 1,206 issues on our machine, which is somewhat surprising given that no other piece of optimisation software on test reported so many. Once we'd registered, Advanced System Optimiser ran a full scan of our machine and fixed these problems. It also dumped folder upon folder of HTML report files on our desktop, closed Chrome and restarted our PC. With such intrusive and poorly designed programming, you'd hope that ASO would offer serious improvements in performance, but the results were only slightly above average: Windows boot time increased by nine seconds, LibreOffice ran fairly quickly, and it came second in our Peacekeeper browser benchmark league. Where it did offer a surprising boost was our Half-Life 2 test, where it gave better results than any other optimisation tool. There are a couple of added benefits too. ASO comes with System Protector, which is essentially a stripped back antivirus program. This isn't an antivirus group test, so we won't detail its intricacies, and we certainly wouldn't trust it alone to defend our PCs. It does make Advanced System Optimizer feel a little more substantial, though. Its other benefit is a gaming mode, and ASO is the only optimisation tool to offer this. Any game you specify is run in a virtual desktop, so you can switch between it and your real desktop quickly. It also smooths out sound levels so your eardrums aren't burst by virtual gunfire, and allows key remapping. It's a handy feature, but it's not quite enough to save Advanced System Optimizer from its heavy-handed interface and intrusive operation. Verdict: 4/5 8. Piriform CCleanerCan this free software take on its paid-for rivals?
Fifty-four seconds. It's how long Amir Kahn stood in the ring at the WBO Intercontinental lightweight championship before being knocked out by Breidis Prescott in 2008. It's also the amount of time it took our Windows 7 PC to boot up after we'd installed CCleaner. For Kahn, it was a bad result. For us, it's very, very good. Unlike all the other products in our round-up, CCleaner is freeware, so you don't have to pay a penny for it. Rather than promising a complete system optimisation, it just cleans out all your various browsers' temporary files, tidies up the Registry and empties Windows' temporary storage areas and Recycle Bin. It doesn't hang around on your system, and it doesn't load when Windows starts, which may go some way in explaining that amazing boot up time. You might expect freeware to be poorly-presented and chock full of adverts, but CCleaner is marvellously refreshing in its simplicity. It simply says, 'Here's what we've found, you can click this button to get rid of it.' You can choose what's kept and what's not, but you can also set it to clean everything apart from those all-important persistent logins for webmail services like Gmail and Hotmail. In the rest of our tests, CCleaner didn't make a huge difference to native Windows performance. It scored second lowest in our Peacekeeper benchmark, and LibreOffi ce took its time loading. Half-Life 2 took slightly longer to load, but this could have been a result of CCleaner turfing out some of gaming client Steam's temporary files - something no other product did. These are slight misgivings compared to that all-important 54 second Windows boot time. CCleaner may not appeal to those who are looking for the all-singing, all-dancing optimisation software, but for us it's simply brilliant: a stripped-back piece of software that does exactly what it should. And it's free. Verdict: 5/5 Optimise your PC: VerdictThe award winnersOur group test told us what we already suspected: most optimisation software doesn't actually do a great deal. Of the eight we tested, only one was able to boost our Windows start times significantly. None gave us consistently good results across the board, either - they would boost Half-Life 2's start times, but let us down in the LibreOffice loading times, or vice-versa. That's not to say system optimisers aren't useful though. The majority did offer a selection of decent quality tools on top of the conventional Registry tidiers and disk defragmenters, like Ashampoo's ability to alter USB polling and Magix's netbook settings. CCleaner is our favourite because of its powerful operation and back-to-basics approach, but if you simply must part with cash we'd recommend Iolo for its multitude of features and impressive performance. Editors choice - Iolo System MechanicIolo's System Mechanic promises a lot, and despite our initial reservations it delivered on the majority of its features. It may cost a little more than other tune-up software, but there's bags of value here. Extra features includes the wittily-titled CRUDD scanner, which removes redundant programs, and whole family licensing so it can be installed on numerous PCs. It performed admirably too, delivering decent results in everything apart from system start-up time. Verdict: 4/5 Value award - Piriform CCleanerWe love CCleaner's nuts-and-bolts approach, and it's by far the best option when it comes to optimising your PC. It didn't drag our system down at all, and its run-once system feels a lot better than being constantly nagged and reminded that the software is there. It feels solid and reliable too, and because it's free to use, you don't have to invest anything to find out if it works. Do your PC a favour and try it. Verdict: 5/5 |
| Facebook's Instagram buyout subject to OFT probe Posted:  The Office of Fair Trading wants to know whether Facebook plans to use Instagram to restrict other photo sharing services, before it approves the deal. The government's competition regulator has asked both companies for comment in the next two weeks, amid worries that the $1 billion deal may result in a lockout for rival services like PicPlz and Camera+. Both sides will asked to submit their assurances to the OFT by July 5, with a verdict expected by August 23. If the commission cannot establish the possibility of negative effects then it will approve the deal, but otherwise it will be referred to the UK's Competition Commission. Double troubleThe investigation by the OFT follows a similar probe in the United States by the FTC, which may pose a larger problem for Facebook's ambitions. Facebook announced the deal in April this year and plans to integrate Instagram's technology and know-how, while keeping the popular iPhone and Android app as a standalone entity. Facebook agreed to pay a whopping $1 billion for the filter-friendly, retro-snapping start-up in cash and shares in one of the biggest tech buyouts of the year so far. |
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