It's not due for release until the end of this year but we've had chance to take a look at the Beta release of Microsoft Office 2011 for Mac. Microsoft say they've been working on it since before the release of Office 2008 and first impressions are, it's a definite improvement on the latter with a much more tailored Mac interface and user friendly features.

Obviously, the big star is the introduction of Outlook which looks great:

You can import PST files and it supports Microsoft Information Right's management giving you control over what recipients can do with messages. You can also search for mail either within Outlook or by using Spotlight.

Do you suspect your Mac's hard drive is cluttered with duplicate files? It's amazing how much hard drive space can be taken-up by them and we've got just the tool for you: three free licenses worth $19.95 for the excellent Decloner to give away.

Decloner helps you recover lost disk space and eliminate duplicate files on your Mac. The developers guarantee a high degree of accuracy due to the use of the SHA-1 algorithm to determine if files are identical.

Using Decloner is easy. Simply browse to the file or directory that you want to scan for duplicates and click Scan.

Depending on the size of the folder, scanning can take a while but Decloner is very accurate at identifying which files are possible duplicates.

You can choose whether to keep the oldest or newest or Trash items manually. The good thing is that whatever you do, nothing is really lost. All removed files are moved to the Trash can so you can restore them, if the worst happens. You can use QuickLook to examine the contents of suspected duplicate files or folders just as you would in Finder. Decloner even works for external drives as well.

Leave a comment saying why you'd like a free copy of Decloner and the three best will receive a license for the full version.

There are probably few releases more eagerly anticipated on Mac this year than the release of games download manager Steam and final details of the Mac version have now emerged.

The bad news for Power PC Mac users is that it will only work on Intel Macs running OS X 10.5 or higher. In addition, the release date has now been pushed back slightly to May. According to The Unofficial Apple Weblog, among the more interesting details to emerge are:

Source games require 10.5.8 or 10.6.3 or higher, and are not supported on the X3100 or 900-series Intel chipsets (the integrated graphics chipsets in older MacBooks) You will not be required to purchase separate versions of Windows and Mac games. One purchase will work on multiple platforms Steam and Source will run natively in OS X - no emulation whatsoever Source will run on OpenGL Mac and Windows users will play on the same servers and join the same lobbies

It's going to be interesting to see whether or not Steam works well on Mac but if it does, it could finally dispel all the myths that Macs aren't suitable for gaming. Applications such as Crossover Games that allow Mac users to play Windows games on their Mac may become a thing of the past.

If you want to know what Steam is all about, then check out our review of the Windows version.

[image from Wired]

After many years of relatively problem free Adium use, in recent months I've been plagued by random contact requests and messages. It seems barely a day goes by now when a new spam contact requests permission to be added to my list when I open Adium or a spam conversation dialog suddenly opens.

Fortunately, the solution to this problem is very simple although you might need to go beyond Adium to fix it.

Firstly, check your Adium privacy settings by going to Adium then Privacy Settings in your top menu bar. Make sure that All Accounts is selected along with Allow only contacts on my contact list.

This should stop the majority of spam messages but if you're finding that they're still getting through, you'll need to access the privacy settings in Microsoft Messenger for Mac and block all other users and deselect alerts from other senders.

If you're a Windows XP user and have been having trouble installing the latest Microsoft security update, then it's probably because you're infected with the Alureon rootkit. As a result, Microsoft have stopped issuing the update to XP users infected with the rootkit because trying to apply it results in endless crashes for the user according to the BBC.

However, it's very important that XP users install the security updates because the latest ones, released on 16 April, address some major security issues in the core kernal of Windows. That's not to mention the fact that the Alureon rootkit steals private information such as user names, passwords and credit card numbers.

If you're using an anti-virus package then you should be OK but if you're unsure, or would rather be safe than sorry, then the good thing it's easy to remove by performing a boot-scan using Avast! or by scanning your system using Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool.

If you're one of the unlucky users who has experienced the security update trying to install and the rootkit is preventing your PC starting properly, then the best thing to do is perform a System Restore. To do this you'll need to start in Safe Mode with Command Prompt and perform a System Restore which will roll-back your system to an earlier state which worked properly.

To do this:

1. Press the F8 key as Windows starts

2. Select Safe Mode with Command Prompt the arrow keys

3. At the command prompt type: %systemroot%\System32\restore\rstrui.exe

4. System Restore will now open and you can choose a restore point

Note that any files, folders or programs installed after the date of this restore point will be removed. When the restore is complete, you should then perform a boot scan with Avast! or run the Microsoft Malicious Software Removal Tool as mentioned earlier.

If the security update doesn't apply automatically for any reason, you can find it here at the Microsoft Download Center.

Have you ever been in a situation where you have a DVD but it doesn't have the subtitles that you need? This can be a particular problem if the DVD was released in a certain region of the world as they usually only include subtitles for that region. However, what you can do is backup the DVD to your hard drive and then burn the subtitles for the language of your choice onto it. Here is how in three easy steps:

1. Rip the DVD to your hard drive

I recommend MPEG Streamclip for this task. It's free, easy to use and converts to a huge number of formats although I always choose to convert to AVI for this kind of task.

2. Find the subtitles you want at OpenSubtitles.org

OpenSubtitles is one of the biggest databases of subtitles on the net and all can be downloaded for free. You don't have to register, the range of languages is huge and they even have HD subtitles.

3. Download and install ffmpegx

This neat free tool allows you to perform all kinds of encoding tasks. It may look a bit intimidating at first but adding subtitles is simple. First you need to browse the the AVI file you ripped to your hard drive by clicking Open at the top of the interface. Go to the Filters tab and check the box VOB Subtitles. Click Load Subs and browse to the subtitle file you downloaded. To preview how the subtitles look, click Play in the top right of the interface. Don't worry if the subtitles flicker on the screen - this is just due to the preview rendering and it looks fine when they are burned. If you don't like the position of the subtitles, change the Pos value in the subtitles box - the higher the number, the lower the subtitles are on the screen.

When you're ready, click Encode in the bottom right corner. You'll notice an encoding process dialog tell you how long it will take.

It should take around 10-15 minutes for a standard AVI film file. When you're done, you should see your subtitles burned onto the film when you open it in any media player.

Firefox is notorious for memory leaks - the problem whereby it suddenly starts consuming all of your computer's resources and either freezes or crashes. Usually, this is not down to Firefox itself, but the many hundreds of extensions that can be installed on it. The problem has improved vastly from the early days of Firefox but this week, things got so bad for me that I almost ditched it for good and switched to Safari instead.

The only thing that stopped me was that it took me twice as long to do any work because I was so used to the layout of my bookmarks in Firefox, the extensions I had installed, the way it handles RSS feeds and the way it works with certain sites compared to Safari proving just how worryingly dependent on Firefox I've become!

Firefox literally became unusable for me. I was having flashbacks to the bad old days of using Internet Explorer because it would randomly freeze, consuming 100% of my CPU resulting in the spinning wheel of death and ultimately leaving me with no choice but to Force Quit. Sometimes, this would even happen as soon as Firefox opened. I wasn't sure exactly what the problem was because I recently performed a thorough clean of my Mac using the excellent MacKeeper and the problems seemed to start afterwards. However, even before then, I was getting tired of Firefox constantly whirring my Mac's temperature fans into action because it was consuming so many resources.

I tried the obvious - reinstalling Firefox plus my extensions but to no avail - the problem persisted. I noticed that it usually seemed to happen when I tried to access any of the bookmarks in my Bookmarks Toolbar. I therefore decided to disable the Google Toolbar and hey presto, I haven't had any problems since! In fact, Firefox has never worked so well, so quietly and with such a small footprint as it does now.

After doing some research, I learned that I'm not alone either. Many users have reported similar problems, especially in the more recent releases of Firefox. I'm not sure if it affects both Mac and Windows users but I'm suspecting that it may be more of a problem on Mac.

It's not often that I find a Google product actually makes life harder rather than easier but Google's Toolbar will be remaining permanently disabled on my Mac until Mozilla and Google have addressed this issue.

There are hundreds of cleaning tools available for Mac but MacKeeper is one of the best I've ever tried. Effective, super-slick and ultra easy to use, MacKeeper is a new cleaning and maintenance tool that's saved me over 20GB of hard drive space that was being wasted by various files. It differs from some cleaners in that as well as offline cleaning, it also offers online help courtesy of a subscription only Geek on Demand service. MacKeeper's interface is clear and simple with all of the available features listed down the left hand side and details of each in the middle of the screen. I like the way that each time you open it, you have an instant overview of when your last maintenance task was, total disk space saved by MacKeeper etc:

You know a cleaning tool is good when it saves you over 20GB of hard drive space. That's exactly what MacKeeper did for me. To see if it can do the same for you, go to One-Click Scan and MacKeeper will begin to scan your system for files that are duplicated, cached and taking up space in other ways. The scan can take a while and you'll notice a small clock-face next to each feature showing you how much time is left before the task is complete. The time it takes to scan is one of the few drawbacks of MacKeeper but at least you know it's doing a proper job.

Many users have reported that after using P2P TV streaming app TVAnts for a while, they suddenly receive the message below informing them that the software has expired:

Uninstalling and reinstalling the application using Windows uninstaller doesn't work. The crucial thing to do is remove the registry entries which Windows frequently leaves behind when removing programs. You can do this manually but it's not advised since you can seriously mess-up your system if you remove something you shouldn't from the registry.

If you're a VLC Media Player fan like me then Lunettes is something you should definitely check out. With doubts circulating about the future development of VLC on Mac, Lunettes has arrived signaling that the future for VLC on Mac is very much alive.

Lunettes (French for spectacles) features a new interface for VLC that opens it up to design innovations from other users. Most importantly, it integrates with Cocoa, the native programming environment of OS X, meaning VLC will finally shrug-off its Windows heritage.

The functionality of Lunettes remains the same. It will still be able to play almost any format as all the codecs. The look however is much improved looking more like a Mac app with a touch of inspiration from QuickTime X.

Instead of opening the player directly like with VLC, Lunettes opens a Window which keeps a history of everything that you've watched and how much you've watched of it:

Lunettes also integrates automatically with all of the video content available on your Mac. You can access them all using the menu down the right-hand side:

There are three default skins included which are dark, transparent and one that makes Lunettes look like a Samsung TV. It is this ability to play with the look of Lunettes which really differentiates it from VLC Media Player.

If there's one thing Microsoft Messenger for Mac users have been waiting far too long for, it's video and audio support. Until now, Microsoft only allowed corporate users of Messenger for Mac to use audio and video. Finally, with the recent release of Microsoft Messenger 8 for Mac, they've opened it up to all users but the question is, does anyone really care anymore? In the many years that Microsoft have neglected Mac users, they've found alternatives that will allow them to chat with video in particular aMSN and Skype.

Those that have converted to Skype, I can't see Microsoft winning back. Skype provides an excellent video and audio chat platform that usually works for most people without problems and by now, most users will have convinced their essential buddies to open a Skype account. However in the case of aMSN (an unofficial modified version of Microsoft Messenger that has supported video for years), Microsoft might have more chance of winning back users.

The first advantage for Microsoft is that all aMSN users already have Windows Live accounts. The second, as this post proved, is that many users have struggled to get their webcam functioning with aMSN. The third, and perhaps most important, is that Microsoft have been very clever in changing the Audio/Video protocols for Microsoft Messenger in version 8.0. The result is that aMSN no longer supports Video or Audio clips at the moment and it's now in the balance whether they will ever be able to get it working again.

Therefore, if Microsoft Messenger for Mac can simply offer reliable webcam support with high quality audio then there is a good chance Mac users may give Microsoft Messenger a second chance. This is especially true for Mac users who still use Window Live Mail and still have lots of Windows Live contacts.

In the meantime, let's hope that the team behind Adium will follow suit and add video and audio support in the near future. That's something for Mac users to get really excited about.

I've never been able to touch-type but years of pounding a keyboard with my forefingers mean that I'm a pretty quick typist. Luckily, should I ever decide to learn touch typing, there are a lot more options than Mavis Beacon to learn from these days. These are some of the best you'll find on the Mac catering for a wide range of abilities, ages, and budgets.

Tux Typing Aimed mainly at kids - but the higher levels are challenging enough for most adults too - Tux Typing is by far the most fun typing tutor I've tried. Tux is the name of the Linux penguin and he's the star of this typing shoot-em-up as you try to prevent him over-facing himself on falling fish in the form of words falling from the sky. Type the words to make them disappear and thus stop them falling into his mouth! The range of languages supported by Tux Typing is outstanding too including Lithuanian, Swahili and even Nepalese!

aTypeTrainer A very straightforward typing tutor that's simple enough for both kids and adults. The aim of aTypeTrainer is simply to type letters in quick succession as dictated to you by the program. It supports a huge range of keyboard layouts such as Dvorak, Colemak or custom layouts built using Ukelele. It can get rather boring just typing random characters which is why its a good idea to spice it up with your own texts which you can import from documents or web browser. If aTypeTrainer is too complicated for you, there's also the predecessor TypeTrainer4Mac which is basically a stripped-down version of aTypeTrainer.

Last month I asked why three-and-a-half years after the release of the Kindle there was still no Kindle for Mac software from Amazon. Well, maybe they were listening because out of the blue they released Kindle for Mac yesterday and I've taken a look at it to see what it's like. The good news is there's no need to own an Amazon Kindle device to use Kindle for Mac. The bad news is that considering the amount of time it has taken, it's nothing to get too excited about. It's simple, does the job but that's about it.

Kindle for Mac is a very simple e-book reader which allows you to read and sync your library with your Kindle. You can purchase books online and have them directly delivered to Kindle for Mac and then sync it with your device. When you first install it you're required to enter in your Amazon account details or sign-up for one.

You can then either transfer books from your Kindle to Kindle for Mac by clicking the rather small synchronization symbol or go directly to the Amazon site by clicking Shop In Kindle Store.

After launching on the web a few weeks ago, I've finally received an invitation to use the new Voddler web client. Note that Voddler still only works in Scandinavia at the moment but a Europe-wide launch is expected by the end of the year. However, the new web client will certainly make it easier to reach a wider number of people and introduces some much improved navigability and features to Voddler.

Voddler started out as purely a desktop client but the company soon decided to integrate it with a web based service after numerous security breaches and complaints about usability from users. However, I'm still not sure if I buy the security breach excuse for taking it offline as films are still streamed into the Voddler desktop client from the web and therefore presumably can still be hacked. The reason you can't watch films directly in your browser is because the desktop client allows you to connect to the Voddler P2P network and therefore watch films in far higher quality than would be possible within your browser alone.

In the few weeks the service has been offline while developing the new web client, Voddler have been able to add far more movies and documentaries (and even TV shows) so the choice is definitely better.

The Voddler website has been expanded considerably. Now you can browse films directly on the website:

See the most popular films and the most recently added:

There are so many video formats out there that it's inevitable that one day, you'll end up stuck with a video file in a format that either won't play or that you can't work with. There's no need to give up though because there are several free and easy solutions on Mac that will convert video into the format of your choice for free.

MPEG Streamclip This is my converter of choice and it has never let me down. It's hard to believe that MPEG Streamclip is free to use, such is its power and range. It can convert just about anything from DV to AIFF and it even handles audio too. There are a lot of preferences for professionals but its straightforward enough for beginners to use too. I find it invaluable when needing to convert footage for editing.

HandBrake This is ideal for ripping and converting DVDs although it only outputs in MP4 and MKV format. HandBrake gives you control over which DVD chapters you want to rip, whether you want to keep subtitles and it even allows you preview video before you start it. Oh, ad it also supports audio AAC, CoreAudio (OS X Only), MP3, Vorbis, AC-3 pass-through and DTS pass-thorugh (MKV only).

ffmpegx If drag and drop is your thing, then ffmpegx is for you. Unlike MPEG Streamclip and HandBrake, ffmpegx doesn't allow you to see or preview video but it does support simple dragging and dropping of files into the interface for conversion. It couldn't be much easier. It is however very complicated if you beyond that and only experts will need many of the preferences it allows you to configure.