TechByter Worldwide (formerly Technology Corner) with Bill Blinn

There's a lot of new magic from Adobe. The just-released versions of Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Photoshop for 2020 were highlights at Adobe Max in Los Angeles. Although several new applications made their first appearance, today we'll stick to the photo applications, including the appearance of Photoshop on IPads. In Short Circuits: It's annoying when something goes wrong with Windows or a Microsoft application, and even worse when Microsoft support seems to be clueless. There are alternatives. • The software updates described in this week's main section about Adobe's photo apps are good examples of what's called the agile development method, so we'll look at what that means. In Spare Parts (only on the website): A feature update for Windows that was released in mid Noveber as version 1909 has a useful new function: Now you can add items to your calendar directly from the Task Bar. • PayPal says it will acquire Honey Science Corporation for about $4 billion. It's a service that claims to help consumers find the best prices online. • Twenty years ago: I wrote about a system to ensure absolute computer security. The process still works, but I'll bet you won't want to use it.

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The 2020 version of On1 Photo Raw has some surprising features but hasn't entirely eliminated performance problems that I found last year. In Short Circuits: Windows 10 has a silly annoyance that I've been trying to fix for far too long. Now I've found a partial solution that at least reduces the frustration. • Development continues on the Chromium-based version of Microsoft's Edge browser and a beta version that's sufficiently stable for those who want to see how it works is available. • In Spare Parts (only on the website): Too many companies are still transferring files that often contain proprietary information insecurely. • If you find that you're locked out of your smart phone, PhoneRescue might be what you need to get back to normal. • Twenty years ago: I wrote about disk drives that were "so small you might misplace them." Compared to today's disk drives, they were physically larger, far more expensive, and able to store only a tiny fraction of what today's drives hold.

About the time you think you're aware of every possible photo application, one you've never heard of pops up. That's the case with the Movavi Photo Editor from Siberia. Yes, Siberia in Russia. In Short Circuits: An article on CNet claimed to describe how professional photos can be taken with phone-based cameras. Let's explore that thought. • If you have one or more external USB disk drives attached to your computer and find that they power down at inconvenient times, there's a quick and easy fix. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Adobe Max 2019 attracted nearly 20,000 attendees to Los Angeles this week as the company released some new applications and updates for most existing applications. • That email that seems to be from someone you know might be a fraud. Look closely because the fraudsters are getting better. • Twenty years ago: I was worrying about people who didn't routinely back up their computers. Things are better now, but only marginally.

Adobe has designed Photoshop Elements for people they call "Memory Keepers" and the just released 2020 version of the application brings lots of improvements and several new features. In Short Circuits: If you'd like to refresh your ability to read, write, and speak a foreign language or learn an entirely new language, Duolingo is a good place to start, and it's free. • You've probably heard about malware being planted on websites. Nothing absolutely guarantees safety, but SiteLock's monitoring service is used on many sites, including TechByter Worldwide, to even the playing field. In Spare Parts (only on the website): Several actions are important if you want to avoid being "doxed" by someone who is seeking to ridicule you. • Do you still write checks? If so, security expert Frank Abagnale says you should re-think the practice. • Twenty years ago: The world was becoming increasingly concerned with January first 2000, expecting a Y2K disaster. But there were some voices of reason.

Consider what happens if some creep impersonates your Facebook or Instagram account. It's nowhere near as bad or as serious as having your identity stolen, but it's still a major annoyance. Reducing risk and avoiding the problem is best, but be prepared just in case you become a victim. In Short Circuits: If you're having a problem with Windows, the Feedback Hub (once available only to those in the Windows Insider program) might help with a repair. Microsoft's Office Lens puts a scanner in your pocket. I've been looking at some TechByter programs from 20 years ago and a lot of websites that were cutting edge back then no longer exist. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities' October newsletter contains suggestions for avoiding online fraud. We'll take a look and there's a link to the newsletter. • Support for Windows 7 ends in January and about one third of all Windows computers are still running that version. • Twenty years ago: We were just beginning to see the advent of phones that could surf the web and even send and receive emails.

The just-released verson of Acronis True-Image backup adds what the company calls "dual protection" to ensure that you'll always have a backup of your backup. In Short Circuits: Adobe's Elements applications, Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements, continue to add features that are powered by the company's Sensai artificial intelligence engine. Facts are important and they seem to be in short supply these days. Snopes.com isn't the only fact-checking operation so let's take a look at some of the others. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The first rule of the internet still applies: Trust nobody. • Jam Audio has just released water-resistant ear buds that look like they'll be perfect for a workout in the gym or a walk in the rain. • Twenty years ago: IBM was boasting about the performance of its new Power4 line of CPUs.

The newly released Exposure X5 gives users powerful new ways to control distortion, vignetting, color fringing, and chromatic aberration -- problems that can damage the look of an otherwise good photograph. In Short Circuits: Microsoft has added some new controls for the mouse cursor. There's now a range of 15 sizes for the pointer and, even better, you can set the color of the mouse cursor to make it more visible. More than 100 utilities are available on the NirSoft website. Most are provided without charge and they can help users see what's happening in normally hidden areas. In Spare Parts (only on the website): If you're still running Windows 7, you're running a risk. Too many computers are still using that long-outdated operating system. • The American Library Association and the Overdrive ebook management system from Rakuten are making select copies of new ebooks available without delay. • Twenty years ago: While preparing for the January 2000 version of the Consumer Electronics Show, I was impressed that devices were becoming so small.

When cameras used film, we didn't have much control. Pros and serious amateurs had darkrooms or used professional labs, but most of us couldn't even crop an image without using scissors to cut the print. Now everyone can do what only the pros used to be able to do and much more that pros never dreamed of being able to do. In Short Circuits: Lynda.com can be your key to becoming a better photographer, or a C++ programmer, or a sound engineer. All it takes is a library card from one of the libraries that offers the content for free. If you're thinking about buying a new smart phone or you're looking around at mobile phone services, Google Fi is becoming a serious contender. In Spare Parts (only on the website): The most dangerous application on your computer is still the email program. • The FDA says some medical devices can be exploited by crooks who could change how the devices work. • Twenty years ago: After returning from PC Expo in New York City, I wrote that we seemed to be turning into the Jetsons. Some of what I mentioned came to be but some didn't.

You know the hard drive in your computer will fail someday, so you've been making regular backups. But what if you can't restore files from the backup when disaster strikes? Preparing for recovery is the step that's all too easy to miss. In Short Circuits: Suddenly your computer starts acting like it's full of congealed tar balls and who's to blame? Sometimes it's not malware or Microsoft. Every computer user who does anything on the internet is using Linux, so why is Linux installed on so few home computers? In Spare Parts (only on the website): Exposure Software (known as Alien Skin until recently) has just released Exposure X5. I'll have a full review in a couple of weeks, but let's take a quick first look. • If you've ever wanted a jukebox that plays 45 RPM records, you can now buy one -- but only if you have $10,000 or so lying around. • Twenty years ago: The top search engines were Yahoo and AltaVista, but a newcomer had arrived and was building a reputation for itself.