The latest iteration of Adobe’s venerable PDF software focuses on integration with cloud services and Microsoft software, plus a ‘touch-friendly’ user interface.
Due to ship by the end of the month, Acrobat XI allows the editing of text, images and other objects within PDF files, and allows selected content from one or more files to be saved into a new file.

PDF files or parts of documents can be saved for use in Excel, PowerPoint or Word formats allowing reuse without retyping.

Conversely, the new release also provides better protection of PDFs created from those same programs to help prevent unauthorised copying, editing or printing.

Adobe Acrobat XI comes in Pro and Standard editions. There is also a corresponding Adobe Reader XI.

Reader is also available as an app for iPad and Android tablets, allowing the Adobe product to be used across a wider range of devices – something that is particularly important in this BYOD era.

The mobile versions provide for forms to be completed, signed and saved.

Also from an enterprise perspective, Acrobat XI and Reader XI can be deployed as centrally-managed applications via Microsoft App-V and Citrix XenApp. Adobe also offers free tools for configuration and installation.

Cloud services supported by Acrobat XI include Adobe’s EchoSign (electronic signing) and FormsCentral (form distribution plus data collection and analysis).

“To help keep Australian businesses globally competitive, we see our customers focusing on boosting collaboration, extending infrastructure so employees can be just as productive on tablets and smartphones as they are on laptops,” said Paul Robson, managing director at Adobe Australia.

“They are investing to make their business secure in an increasingly digital and complex environment.
“Acrobat has been a trusted desktop solution for leading organisations across Australia for many years, and the release of Acrobat XI will continue to help address productivity challenges and boost organisational efficiency.”

Expected prices are $709 for Pro and $467 for Standard. Reader XI continues to be a free program.

ustralians love their GPS and mobile location apps, but do they understand what’s happening as they go from A to B? And who might know where they are?
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has released new research that indicates that while more than 80% of Australians have used a location service to get directions, there is a general lack of awareness about how information and personal data may be shared when using these services.

“Many consumers lack the ability to choose appropriate protection options,” says ACMA Chairman, Chris Chapman. “While the take-up of location services is growing, ACMA’s research shows that consumers have a limited understanding of how their personal information may be shared, used, stored and controlled. Almost half of users surveyed did not even know it was possible to turn off location services.”

The report, “Here, there and everywhere—Consumer behaviour and location services”, also found that 72% of consumers surveyed used a location service via their mobile at least once a week. And more than a third (38%) use location services related to social interactions at least twice a day.

But the sale and ownership of information and risks associated with disclosure were key concerns for the majority of users, with 71% worried about information being sold to a third party and 58% concerned about the lack of details on where the data goes and who owns it. According to the report, the most common uses of these services are to:

• get directions (95%)
• check in and share your location with friends (76%)
• get local weather (74%)
• find local entertainment and dining options (47%)
• find ATMs, petrol stations and other services (47%).

Users meanwhile identified a number of concerns:

• consumer consent and information – the need for information about the collection, storage, sharing and security of personal information by location services and the seeking of explicit consent for these activities.
• managing personal risk – the awareness and ability for consumers to manage the implications of linking personal information and location identifiers where the information may result in an unwanted disclosure of their location.
• managing privacy – consumers’ awareness and ability to manage the collection, and sharing of their personal information with other entities, both by themselves and location service providers.

“Consumers can take effective steps to protect themselves and their information, which was a key rationale behind conducting this research. They need to empower themselves,” Chapman said.

What you can do to ensure people cannot track you:

• check security and information collection settings for location services you use.
• set appropriate privacy settings to control who sees your information.
• check-in just before leaving a location, to tell others where you have been rather than where you are.
• give serious consideration to opting-out of location services, and use do-not-track options on smartphones and browsers where available
• don’t share details – if you’re not sure whether you’re posting too much information, then don’t post it.
• turn-off location services on your device when you are not using them.

They know where you are!

Custom Built Solid State Computers Running Linux for Business Applications

CPU Solutions is a computer company based in Middleton, Wisconsin that specializes in producing custom built computer systems for home, office and business applications. CPU Solutions was ranked as one of the top 30 computer builders in the United States by CRN magazine in 2007.

The appeal of custom built systems that cater to business needs has not gone unnoticed as more and more businesses are having systems built to their specifications for unique applications. One example of this is the latest system that CPU Solutions has been building for clients, an affordable solid state computer with no moving parts.

While the idea of solid state computing has been around for many years, the price point has always been a deciding factor in a company’s purchase of the technology. At the request of a client, CPU Solutions set about designing a cost effective solution that would meet the requirements that the system have no moving parts.

The company opted for a solid state alternative to drive down the overall cost of their computers, by reducing the chance of failing parts. By taking moving parts out of the systems they have reduced the overall failure rates in the field which has saved the companies money in the long run.

“The computers we are producing are industrial quality builds that operate with low energy consumption” stated Carson Fulton, the founder of the company. “Without fans or moving parts we are increasing the lifespan of the systems. This will require less investment on behalf of the company as they will spend less to maintain their systems over time.”

He went on to state that recent price drops on flash memory, and solid state hard drives have contributed to an overall lower system cost. Because of the price drops, along with larger flash memory capacity and solid state storage the technology has become more practical for small businesses, allowing CPU Solutions to build very affordable solid state systems that can be scaled to any application.

The current model they are building is a “small form factor” PC (SFF) with an ITX motherboard that is designed to function under normal conditions without the need for fans. By replacing internal power supplies, hard drives and fans with emerging technologies CPU Solutions has designed an affordable solid state system for business.

“The systems are capable of running Windows or Linux, with Linux being the preferred operating system for our client. This creates even more useful applications for this type of low profile system because the customer can design their own software to run under Linux for applications like security monitoring, and remote management.”

The applications for these types of systems can range from kiosks, demo systems, building control units, and security systems to something as simple as a low noise media PC. Carson went on to mention “While the focus for this design was no moving parts, being a custom computer builder gives us the flexibility to design a system that meets any client’s needs. You ask for it and we will provide a solution to make it happen!”

Will solid state computers be the next big thing in computing? “It’s hard to say with the way the computer industry operates. We feel our systems showcase the potential for custom built computer solutions that will allow us to meet the client’s needs and budget. You are never limited to one configuration or use and that’s the great thing about white box computer systems.”

Whether or not solid state PCs are the next trend in computing, it is refreshing to see a company thinking outside the box. As technology evolves we find ourselves coming up with new ways to solve problems. As the name would imply, CPU Solutions seems to take this mantra to heart when designing computers for their customers.

Inexpensive Linux PC for Home Office and Business

You have probably been seeing a lot of the promotions out there lately for Linux systems under $300 dollars. It seems like a lot of businesses have been catching on to the latest trends in computers and are trying to create more offerings for their customers.

Companies like Walmart, and Sears are now offering cheap Linux desktops to appeal to families with smaller budgets, that can’t afford an expensive computer system just for home use.

Recently I came across two greatLinux PCs on CPU Solutions that offer amazing value and quality at a very competitive price. Both of these systems are SFF (Small Form Factor) PCs that utilize some of the best hardware for micro computing.

The systems were design around the Intel D945GCLF Mini ITX motherboard which comes integrated with the 45nm Intel ATOM Processor running a 1.6Ghz.

These energy efficient motherboards utilize the Intel 945GC Express Chipset to provide great video performance, high quality audio and 10/100 ethernet all onboard eliminating the need for expensive peripherals that should come standard with a computer system.

The computers also come configured with 512mb of DDR2 memory, and a SATA (Serial ATA) hard drive for high speed data access and storage.

Each system comes preconfigured with a low profile case that barely makes a foot print in work areas providing you with more desk space. Users are given a lot of options for customization on these systems and can configure different hardware setups to meet their exact specifications.

I recently had a chance to demo the “MITX Linux System” which is competitively priced at $299.99, and I was very impressed with the performance and quality on such an inexpensive system.

The first thing I would like to point out is how well these systems runKubuntu and different software applications for Linux. I was a bit skeptical with the ATOM processor before I had a chance to use it as I am mainly a Windows user and I am use to the high performance demands set by Microsoft.

The operating system loaded amazingly fast and seemed to respond instantly with any of the programs I was testing. The 512mb of DDR2 memory was more than enough for anything I was running on the system under Linux, and provided great performance for office and multimedia tasks. This is a major difference than the performance I experience with my home PC which is running Windows XP Pro.

The thing that was most impressive with the MITX Linux System was the quality of the 945GC Chipset when it came to onboard functions. I am a gamer at heart and love playing older titles and classic games. I decided to test the system with Mupen64, a Nintedo64 emulator for Linux to see if I could use the PC as a Linux Gaming System.

As soon as I had everything setup I loaded one of my all time favorite games for the Nintendo64… Zelda: The Ocarina of Time. It looked beautiful! This was truly a sub $300 Linux system that I could enjoy gaming on.

The system also performed exceptionally for basic functions like word processing, email, internet, music, and movies. Everything you would expect from a $600 dollar Windows system at half the price.

Overall I am highly impressed with what companies have been able to do by utilizing some of the latest computer hardware, and open source operating systems like Kubuntu and other flavors of Linux.

I think these two systems are great examples of computers that offer amazing value to families and business while keeping the end user in mind.