Bienvenue, OnSoftware France!

Today sees the arrival of another edition of Softonic’s software blog, OnSoftware. That’s right: onsoftware.softonic.fr has launched!

We’re very pleased to welcome our French colleagues to the blogosphere. They’re all experienced software journalists with Softonic.fr already… and they’ve really been chomping at the bit to get their blog online.

blog-fr.png

As you’ll expect, they’ll be providing the very best software coverage, tips, tricks, advice and more… just in French! So whether you’re a French speaker or you’re still learning, check out onsoftware.softonic.fr and let the guys know what you think!

Point-and-Click: The genre that didn’t die

Once 3D took hold of gaming, one of the early Nineties most popular types of game, the
point-and-click adventure, started to disappear. In some ways, that’s hardly surprising. The games were generally dialog driven stories with puzzles in them, and just the occasional action point – all of these things can be found in newer adventure games, which usually have much more action in them.

Nevertheless, the relaxed, quirky point and clicks were never forgotten, and the rise of downloadable and indie games on all platforms has seen a resurgence. And that’s fantastic: point-and-click is the ideal choice for the casual gamer who wants a deeper experience. They don’t require dexterity or learning complicated controls – if you can use a computer at all you can play these adventures. Currently, there’s a great mix of updated classics and new games available to play, and here are a few ways to get started.

Machinarium: One of last year’s prettiest games, the puzzle element is pushed to the fore in Machinarium, but even when it gets hard it’s cute enough to keep you motivated. There are demos available for Windows and Mac.

LucasArts Adventure Pack: This collection of four classic games from the early Nineties may look outdated, but they are fantastic. There are two Indiana Jones titles, plus LOOM and The Dig – The Indiana Jones adventures have held up especially well, with excellent writing, puzzles and humor. Windows only.

Zombie Cow Studios: This is a two man team, who’ve created two excellent adventures – Ben There, Dan That and sequel Time Gentlemen, please! They are full of jokes, definitely not for children or the easily startled, and the stories are excellently off the wall. The first game is free, too so check it out!

Broken Sword/Beneath a Steel Sky: Touchscreens are ideal for point-and-click games, which is good news for iPhone users. Two of the greatest ever adventures, from Revolution Software, have been remastered and updated with a brilliant control scheme. Both are gripping stories, and Broken Sword looks especially fantastic. You can still play the original Beneath a Steel Sky on your Windows PC.

Telltale Games: This team have brought back both the Sam & Max and Monkey Island franchises in 3D to great success in episodic content, and continued with new series featuring Strong Bad and Wallace and Grommit. These are all excellent adventures, and they bring high production values back to point-and-click games – great if you can’t stand lo-fi retro graphics!

10 handy bookmarklets for daily use

I have to say I started using bookmarklets only a few months ago, but since then they’ve saved me a lot of time and certainly hundreds of clicks. Now, what exactly is a bookmarklet? In plain English, it could be defined as a small application stored as a bookmark on your web browser. When clicked, a bookmarklet can perform a variety of actions, usually involving the website you’re currently visiting and the service the bookmarklet is linked to.

What’s a bookmarklet?

There are literally dozens of bookmarklets available on the Web. Most online tools, web apps and social networks nowadays include a bookmarklet to make them easier and faster to use. I’ve created a list with the most popular and useful bookmarklets I’ve come across, but feel free to add more in comments!

  • Convert any web page to PDF with PDFmyURL
  • Share interesting links more easily on Delicious

iPhone essentials: Super Bowl Survival kit

It’s amazing how quickly Super Bowl Sunday seems to come around. This weekend sees the Colts take on the Saints in a game which could be one of the most exciting ever given the offensive nature of both teams. Super Bowl night is always special, but to make it even more enjoyable, why not grab a hold of some football apps for your iPhone? Here are some choices that will help make this Super Bowl Sunday the best ever, regardless of what happens in the match. Note that many of these apps are only available on the US App Store.

Experience the magic with Madden NFL 10

MaddenEA’s John Madden series is one of the longest running in the history of sports games. For seven dollars you can experience the thrills and spills of an NFL season on your iPhone. With great graphics and real teams, players and stadiums, this is the most realistic football game you’ll find. The in-depth gameplay includes almost 300 different plays, and an Action Time Control slo-mo mode to help you perfect the.

Get closer to the action with NFL 2010

NFL2010Although it lacks the ability to trade players like you can do in Madden, Gameloft’s NFL 2010 is an altogether more polished game. The 3D graphics are slicker than those in Madden, and the fact that there are three difficulty levels means that it’s a lot tougher. It’s also pretty addictive, so make sure you keep NFL 2010 well away from you during the game, or you’ll end up missing the whole thing!

Order food with the Pizza Hut app

Pizza HutPizza is a key ingredient in the recipe for a good Super Bowl Sunday. Don’t even think about getting up out of your chair to get one though. Just install the Pizza Hut app on your iPhone and you’ll be able to order food from your local Pizza Hut without even speaking to anyone! Choosing what to order is as simple as spinning a wheel and tapping the item you want.

Get some virtual booze down you with iBeer

iBeerDrinking beer on Super Bowl night is great fun. However, drinking a virtual beer from your iPhone will make you look cooler. So, grab hold of iBeer, tilt back your phone and watch as the succulent amber nectar froths and disappears slowly just like a real beer. There are five drinks to choose from, and you can refill your glass as many times as you like – all for just 99 cents. How many bars offer a promotion like that?

Learn your trivia with Super Bowl Winners

Super Bowl WinnersNow it’s time to bone up on your Super Bowl trivia. Install Super Bowl Winners, and you’ll have an at-a-glance reference to the outcome of every final, since Super Bowl I in 1967. Besides listing the winners, the app arms you with enough stats and data to be impressing your buddies all night with your “knowledge” of this great competition.

Scope out the teams with Pro Football Indianapolis/New Orleans Fan

Colts and SaintsThe Colts and Saints versions of Pro Football’s series of fan apps for iPhone are perfect for brushing up on your knowledge of the finalists. They do cost two dollars a piece, but they provide so much information that they’re worth downloading even if you don’t support either team. You get all the latest news, player profiles, stadium plans, standings, plus detailed team histories.

Follow the action with Pro Football Live

Pro Football LiveOnce all the hype is over and the game has started, you can follow all the action with Pro Football Live. The free app will provide live coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, offering end-zone to end-zone updates and impressive game time visuals. It’s packed with social networking elements too, so you can interact with other fans.

Listen live with ESPN Radio

ESPN RadioOf course, you’ll almost certainly be watching the game on TV, but what happens if you need to go to the toilet or dash out for more popcorn? Well, just make sure you’ve got the ESPN Radio app installed and you won’t miss a second of the action. The station will be offering live commentary of the Colts v Saints, and the only costs three dollars then it’s yours forever.

Make some noise with Air Horn

Air HornThe atmosphere is sure to be exciting in Miami come 7pm E.S.T. You can bring a taste of this excitement into to your home by installing Air Horn. Press down the horn and it will release a sound from your iPhone that’s just like the real thing. It’s guaranteed to provide endless amusement during the course of the game. Either that, or it will annoy the hell out of your buddies.

Make your point with 3D Foam Finger

3D Foam FingerIf you forgot to buy the most crucial Super Bowl accessory of them all – the foam finger – then stop fretting because, naturally, there’s an app for that too. 3D Foam Finger places a giant hand on your screen which you can wave around to show your support. You can even change the color! It does cost 99 cents, but I guess you can’t put a price on fun.

How to: Configure Asian languages on Windows XP

I’m planning to visit Japan this year, and as part of my preparations for the trip I’d like to learn a bit of Japanese – at least some basic words and sentences to move around the country. Before starting with vocabulary though, you must learn the two Japanese alphabets, hiragana and katakana; luckily there are dozens of online resources that can help you with this task. The only thing you need to do is configuring your computer to display Japanese characters, and you’ll be ready to go!

Setting up Windows XP to display Japanese – and other Asian languages – properly involves a bit of tweaking, and requires the Windows XP CD as well. Simply follow these steps:

1. Open the Control Panel (Start menu > Control Panel)

2. Click the Regional and Language Options icon and go to the Languages tab. Tick the Install files for East Asian Languages option and hit OK. Follow on-screen instructions and insert the Windows XP CD when prompted.

Configure Asian languages on Windows XP

3. Once the installation is finished, and after the correspondent system restart, go back to the same dialog window mentioned before and in the Languages tab, click the Details button. Continue reading “How to: Configure Asian languages on Windows XP”

The iPad – major achievement or giant letdown?

ipad.pngWell, Apple launched their long-awaited iPad last week and reactions were mixed – to say the least! Some people think it’s the slickest, most beautiful device they’ve ever laid eyes on, while others think it’s a world-class let down. Personally, I was underwhelmed by the news. I couldn’t figure out what the target market was, or who Apple thought would want to buy it.

Since it’s been out, though, I’ve read articles and considered lots of opinions and I think I’m beginning to change my mind. The iPad is probably never going to cut it for the more technically-oriented, but for people who just want to check their emails and watch a few movies (all while looking super-cool) the iPad is perfect. Not everybody agrees, however, so let’s take a look at what some of the other Softonic editors have to say….

Say what you want about the iPad, but…”simone_photo1.jpg
Say what you want about the iPad, but the bottom line is that Apple is so cool it can afford to do things the other way around. I mean, traditional producers went from big and ugly devices to small ones, while Apple has gone from a small one to a big one! Apple is Apple and there’ll always be people to buy its products, even if this one does look like a giant iPhone!

Simone Gerevini (it.png Softonic IT)

I’m not sure if I can justify owning one, but I can’t rule it out…”jon_photo.jpg
So: No flash, no camera and no USB ports. And it sounds like it’ll be just as closed as the iPhone. Not a geek’s dream then, but I’m sure it’ll be difficult to hate once we’ve had it in our hands. I didn’t want an iPhone at all until I picked one up – now I can barely put mine down. Like all Apple products, it’ll no doubt work beautifully. It’s not a NetBook, but I bet it’ll turn on a million times faster, and such a big touchscreen will make it incredibly easy to use. Having seen how well the iPhone’s little screen has been used by app developers, I’m sure there’ll be some incredible stuff for the iPad. I’m not sure if I can justify owning one, between my MacBook and iPhone, but I can’t rule it out…”

Jon Riggall (gb.png Softonic EN)

Continue reading “The iPad – major achievement or giant letdown?”

Today’s downloads for Windows, Mac and Mobile

Windows: Tumblr is a cool micro blogging site, where you can quickly and easily share all sorts of content, from simple text to rich media like video and audio. Tumblr Post is a fantastic Firefox add-on that sticks a little icon in the system tray of your browser. All you have to do to post blogs in Tumblr is drag things over the icon. Text, YouTube links, image and audio files can all just be dropped in and blogged automatically. It’s a great way to get into Tumblr!

NeoOfficeMac: NeoOffice is a welcome open source alternative to the pricier Microsoft Office and iWork’08 office suites. The application carries with it all the applications that you’d expect: word processing, spreadsheet, presentations, database and drawing. You’ll find the interface of NeoOffice and the range of tools in the office suite very similar to what you’d find in Microsoft Office but without the price tag.