Software Industry Announcements and News
Photo Collage Creator: Impressive Scrapbooks and Collages for Any Occasion
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 11.29.09 under Desktop Publishing, Home & Hobby
AMS Software has announced the release of a new version of Photo Collage Creator. This solution enables the user to create photo collages and original greeting cards in a quick and convenient way. It is possible to make each composition original and impressive due to numerous templates, frames, clipart images and advanced effects such as halo effect and perspective correction. Photo Collage Creator also features fully automatic collage creation, which can prove useful if there is not enough time to make an elaborate composition.
Photo Collage Creator is just the right tool for digital scrapbooking: it allows creating original greeting cards for any occasion, posters, collages and scrapbook pages. The key words in the description would be Quickness, Convenience and Quality. Why?
The program allows to create collages really quickly, as there are a lot of pre-designed templates of all imaginable kinds. All the user should do is to choose the composition template, set the size of the canvas and load photos. It would not take more than a couple of minutes. Moreover, fully automatic collage creation allows getting nice compositions almost instantly.
If the collage needs some adjustments, the user can move, rotate and resize photos very conveniently thanks to advanced layering technology – just click-and-drag. The supported photo effects such as Noise, Invert, Mosaic, Wave, etc. can be previewed and applied via Effects Browser. To the right there is a window with tabs of properties (background, color and opacity), advanced effects (mask effects, perspective correction, atmosphere correction) and clipart images. It is also easy to add appropriate captions. To cut a long story short, everything is conveniently arranged for the user to express his ideas freely and creatively.
Photo Collage Creator offers a wide range of tools and effects for creation of peculiar, remarkable and high quality compositions. When a collage is finished, it can be saved in any standard image format, such as JPG, BMP, and TIF, or as an editable project.
The favorable price together with a great number of features makes Photo Collage Maker an optimal solution for creative self-expression. It does not require long training, as its intuitive interface will never cause any troubles even for a novice user.
Features:
- Pre-designed collage patterns (including Scattered Photos)
- Perspective and atmosphere correction
- Ancient photo effect
- Captions and ornaments, more than 50 frames
- Simple positioning, resizing and rotating of collage pieces
- Advanced layering technology
- Convenient printing out
Pricing and Availability
Photo Collage Creator costs 29.00 USD. Further information about the product, as well as its free trial edition, is available at http://ams-photo-software.com/products/product_6.html
About AMS Software
Founded in 2003, AMS Software specializes in photo enhancement software. Among its major products are Frame Maker Pro, Photo Effects Studio, Media Show Pro, Beauty Studio and Auto Collage Studio. The products by AMS Software have got various awards from the Internet’s most respectable software download sites. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://ams-photo-software.com/
FTC Lodges Contempt Charge Against BlueHippo
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 11.28.09 under Government News
Company Pocketed More Than $15 Million From Consumers Last Year, But Almost None Received a Computer
The Federal Trade Commission has asked a federal court to issue a contempt order against BlueHippo, a company that collected more than $15 million from consumers based on claims that it would finance their purchases of new computers, but delivered neither the financing nor the financed computers, in violation of a 2008 court order. The FTC alleged that less than one percent of consumers who signed up with BlueHippo received the financed computers they applied for, and undisclosed conditions to redeem “store credits” were rigged to discourage consumers from using them.
In a contempt motion lodged with the court today, the FTC charged that BlueHippo has flouted a settlement reached with the agency last year, continuing to deceive thousands of financially strapped consumers with phony promises that it would help them purchase a computer even if they have credit problems. The FTC also is asking the court to order BlueHippo to compensate injured consumers and bar BlueHippo from similar conduct in the future.
“Years of broken promises by BlueHippo have left consumers seeing red,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “We’re putting companies like this on notice: If you mistreat consumers and thumb your nose at the courts, we will hold you accountable.”
The FTC reached a settlement with Baltimore-based BlueHippo in April 2008 that required the company to pay $3.5 million for consumer redress and barred the defendants from further deceiving customers. According to the FTC’s 2008 complaint, BlueHippo Funding, LLC and affiliate BlueHippo Capital, LLC offered to extend credit to consumers to finance purchases of personal computers and other consumer electronics with down payments of $99 to $124, and a year of weekly or bi-weekly payments ranging from $36 to $88. BlueHippo promised to deliver the product once the consumer made 13 weekly payments. But most consumers did not receive the computers they ordered in the time promised, even after they had made 13 weeks of payments, the Commission alleged. The Commission charged that BlueHippo’s marketing tactics were deceptive, and violated the FTC Act and other federal credit statutes.
Even after this settlement order was entered by the court, BlueHippo continued to deceive consumers, according to the FTC. The company aggressively marketed itself as a computer finance company and spent the rest of 2008 signing up customers and taking their money, but failing to provide them with financed computers. The FTC’s contempt motion alleges that between April and December of 2008, more than 35,000 customers contracted for BlueHippo’s computer financing deal. But the company provided, at most, a single financed computer, failing to provide financed computers even for 2,477 customers who managed to meet the companies’ conditions. Complaints about the company poured into the Better Business Bureau. On top of all that, BlueHippo failed to submit a report to the FTC showing how it was complying with the settlement, as required by the order.
Finally, in April, 2009, after the FTC notified the court that BlueHippo was violating the settlement, the company began ordering thousands of computers. Even so, the FTC alleges that BlueHippo failed to order computers for 1,015 of the 2,477 consumers who had qualified for financing by making 13 consecutive payments and completing the required paperwork. For the 1,462 consumers who finally received a computer, BlueHippo did not even order – let alone ship – the computers within the three- to four-week time frame the company had advertised. On average, it took about six months between the time these consumers qualified for their computers and the time BlueHippo ordered the machines, according to the FTC’s contempt motion.
The FTC’s contempt motion also charged that BlueHippo failed to disclose key aspects of its refund policy. In particular, the company promised that while consumers who canceled their order after seven days could not obtain cash refunds, they could get “store credit,” which could be used to buy desktop computers, laptops, monitors, software, and televisions. But it failed to tell consumers that they would have to send a money order to cover undisclosed shipping and handling fees, as well as taxes, even if they had more than enough store credit to cover these costs – and that they could only order one item at a time.
The contempt motion against defendants BlueHippo Funding, LLC; BlueHippo Capital, LLC; and Joseph Rensin was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,700 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.
Corel Corporation Directors Approve U.S.$4.00 per Share Tender Offer
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 11.28.09 under Business, Desktop Publishing
OTTAWA & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Corel Corporation (NASDAQ:CREL; TSX:CRE) and Corel Holdings, L.P. (“CHLP”), a limited partnership controlled by an affiliate of Vector Capital, today jointly announced that the directors mandated by the Board of Directors of Corel Corporation (the “Company”) to act as the Board have unanimously determined to recommend, on behalf of the Company, that shareholders tender their shares pursuant to the CHLP tender offer.
The Company announced that the directors mandated to act on behalf of the Board have carefully reviewed the CHLP tender offer with the assistance of their financial and legal advisors. In addition, the Company announced that based on that review, the directors have unanimously determined that the U.S. $4.00 per share price offered by CHLP in its tender offer is fair to the minority shareholders and to recommend, on behalf of the Company, that shareholders tender their shares pursuant to the CHLP tender offer.
“We are delighted that the directors have resolved to support the tender offer” said Amish Mehta, partner at Vector Capital. “We have arrived at an outcome that will provide the minority shareholders with a significant premium for their shares and allow Corel to benefit from being an private company.”
The tender offer is scheduled to expire at midnight, New York City time on Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
The offer is conditioned upon, among other things, there being validly tendered and not withdrawn on or prior to the expiration of the offer a number of common shares of Corel Corporation representing at least a majority of the aggregate number of the outstanding common shares (calculated on a fully-diluted basis as of the date the shares are accepted for payment pursuant to the offer), excluding the common shares beneficially owned by CHLP and its affiliates, and the votes attaching to which shall be qualified to be included as votes in favor of any Subsequent Acquisition Transaction (as defined in the offer to purchase relating to the offer) in determining whether minority approval (as construed under applicable Canadian securities law) has been obtained in respect thereof (the “Majority of the Minority Condition”). The Majority of the Minority Condition is not waivable. The offer is not subject to a financing condition.
If the tender offer is successfully completed, CHLP will take steps as necessary to acquire all common shares not tendered in the offer at the same price per share as it paid in the offer, to de-register Corel as a public company and to thereby cause Corel to become a private company owned by CHLP.
Advisors
The Board has retained Genuity Capital Markets as its financial advisor and Bennett Jones LLP and Kaye Scholer LLP as its legal advisors. The Company has retained Woodside Counsel, P.C. as U.S. counsel, and Bennett Jones LLP, as Canadian legal counsel.
Innisfree M&A Incorporated is serving as information agent for the tender offer. Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP are acting as legal counsel to Vector Capital and CHLP.
About Corel
Corel is one of the world’s top software companies with more than 100 million active users in over 75 countries. We develop software that helps people express their ideas and share their stories in more exciting, creative and persuasive ways. Through the years, we’ve built a reputation for delivering innovative, trusted products that are easy to learn and use, helping people achieve new levels of productivity. The industry has responded with hundreds of awards for software innovation, design and value.
Our award-winning product portfolio includes some of the world’s most widely recognized and popular software brands, including CorelDRAW(R) Graphics Suite, Corel(R) Painter(TM), Corel DESIGNER(R) Technical Suite, Corel(R) Paint Shop Pro(R) Photo, Corel(R) VideoStudio(R), Corel(R) WinDVD(R), Corel(R) WordPerfect(R) Office, WinZip(R), and the recently released Corel(R) Digital Studio(TM) 2010. Our global headquarters are in Ottawa, Canada, with major offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, Taiwan and Japan.
About Vector Capital
Vector Capital is a leading private equity firm specializing in spinouts, buyouts and recapitalizations of established technology businesses. Vector Capital identifies and pursues these complex investments in both the private and public markets. Vector Capital actively partners with management teams to devise and execute new financial and business strategies that materially improve the competitive standing of these businesses and enhance their value for employees, customers and shareholders. Among Vector Capital’s notable investments are LANDesk Software, Savi Technology, SafeNet, Precise Software Solutions, Printronix, Register.com, Tripos and Watchguard Technologies. For more information, visit www.vectorcapital.com.
SharewareJunkies.com reviews Blitware’s Driver Robot
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 11.28.09 under ASP Member Companies, System Utilities, Web Sites
I downloaded Driver Robot and installed it. Right after that I imaged my disk. It’s a good thing I did that too. I don’t think Dan was too impressed with Driver Robot.
To read the complete review go to www.sharewarejunkies.com/09awy10/driver_robot.htm.
Intuit Provides Help to Microsoft Accounting Customers
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 11.27.09 under ASP Member Companies, Business
Conversion Tool Allows Small Business to Seamlessly Switch to QuickBooks 2010
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) is extending a helping hand to small businesses affected by the discontinuation of Microsoft Office Accounting, which will no longer be distributed after today.
The QuickBooks maker is providing a free conversion tool that will help former Microsoft users seamlessly transfer their small business accounting data to QuickBooks products.
The free QuickBooks Conversion Tool easily imports business data, balances and transactions so customers can continue running their businesses without missing a beat. It converts data from Microsoft Small Business Accounting and Office Accounting products through the 2009 versions into QuickBooks Pro, Premier, and Enterprise Solutions editions.
It can also convert Microsoft Office Accounting Express to QuickBooks Simple Start 2010. The tool includes a short and straightforward setup process, moving all data into a newly created QuickBooks file, leaving existing data untouched.
“We are committed to helping small businesses be as successful as possible,” said Kiran Patel, executive vice president and general manager of Intuit’s Small Business Group. “We know that many Microsoft customers will soon be looking for new accounting software so they can keep on top of their finances. The QuickBooks team will take them through the transition and help them streamline critical accounting tasks and connect to new online services as soon as possible.”
Assistance in Making the Transition
Intuit representatives are available at 1-866-676-9668 to assist Microsoft customers in making the transition and to provide advice on which QuickBooks product will best support their business. Further information is also available at:
http://quickbooks.intuit.com/product/about-quickbooks/switch.jsp.
QuickBooks 2010 is part of a family of financial software and services from Intuit. For more information on Intuit solutions, visit:
* Intuit QuickBooks Pro.
* Intuit QuickBooks Premier.
* QuickBooks Online.
* Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise Solutions 10.0.
Resources:
* Intuit Press Room
* Intuit on Twitter
* QuickBooks Overview
About Intuit Inc.
Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit’s leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. The company’s financial institutions division, anchored by Digital Insight, provides on-demand banking services to help banks and credit unions serve businesses and consumers with innovative solutions.
Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.2 billion in its fiscal year 2009. The company has approximately 7,800 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.
Intuit, the Intuit logo and QuickBooks, among others, are registered trademarks and/or registered service marks of Intuit Inc. in the United States and other countries.
SharewareRadio.com interviews FutureGlue
[ Comments Off ] Posted on 11.26.09 under ASP Member Companies, Web Sites
SharewareRadio.com interviews FutureGlue
SharewareRadio.com interviews Peter Bruinsma
News Reports:
Google launches new music search feature
Google nav system shakes up GPS
Amazon tries to simplify Web buying with PayPhrase
Facebook woos developers with a roadmap
Intel’s next-gen memory closer to reality
The Kiss My Butt Award of the Week
This week it goes to Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear.
This week’s Interview
This week’s guest is Peter Bruinsma. Peter’s company is FutureGlue.
This interview was held in Berlin at ESWC 2008.