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View this newsletter online | Newsletter Services | More Newsletters » Follow @pcworld on Twitter January 2, 2012 PCWorld.com Weekly Brief

Top Story: Laptop Reliability and Satisfaction: MacBooks Rule There's nothing quite like a MacBook, according to PCWorld readers who participated in our survey on their satisfaction with the performance of their laptops. Share: News Verizon's $2 Bill Payment Fee Sparks Outrage Online Verizon's convenience fee has inspired customers to consider canceling their contracts and others to sign an online petition demanding the carrier reverse its plan. Share: Hackers Said to be Planning to Launch Own Satellites to Combat Censorship The news comes as the tech world is up in arms about proposed legislation that many feel would threaten online freedom. Share: Tech Trends You'll See in 2012 From data-only cell phone plans to HTML 5, these ten advancements are ready to go mainstream in the year to come. Share: How-To 7 Quick Windows 7 Fixes These tips and tricks can improve how you work in Windows. Share: Work Smarter in Office Your Windows PC may be running smoothly, but if Microsoft Office is acting up it can still ruin your day. Here are a few popular Office fixes. Share: Quick Windows Networking Fixes Even in Windows 7, many networking issues aren't easily resolved. Find some help here. Share: Downloads PCWorld's Favorite Downloads of 2011 All year long, we PCWorld reviewers immerse ourselves in desktop programs and Web software. After evaluating a program, often we uninstall itbut several of this year's finds earned places in our workflows and/or our hearts. These programs and services are the ones we reviewed for PCWorld Downloads and also kept using for our own productivity and enjoyment. Perhaps you started using them this year, too&and if not, well, a shiny new year is right around the corner. Corel Painter The quest to use a computer to emulate natural artistic media is not a new one, and Corel Painter 12 ($429) brings this dream closer than ever before. Painter 12 is one of the most inspiring and striking applications I've come across in recent memory. Carrara Carrara ($150) is a powerful and fun-to-use application for creating detailed 3D imagesand animations. It breaks the various stages of the modeling and creation process into rooms, each allowing you to focus on a different task with its own custom tools. The Future of 3D Gaming Read the latest updates on the gaming revolution. Read more. Most Popular Searches Android Tablet Windows 8 Samsung Buying guides Product Reviews Canon PowerShot S100 88 Pros Excellent image quality; 1080p and superslow-motion video modes; Full manual controls and RAW shooting; Superb feature set for any level of photographer Cons Sluggish RAW shooting and flash-recycling times; Short battery life, especially when GPS is used Read Complete Review » Top 10 Compact Point-and-Shoot Cameras » Top 10 Point-and-Shoot Cameras With Manual Controls » Best In-Camera GPS Features » Point-and-Shoot Cameras With the Best Image Quality » Best Point-and-Shoot Cameras for Shooting Video » Canon PowerShot S100 88 Pros Excellent image quality; 1080p and superslow-motion video modes; Full manual controls and RAW shooting; Superb feature set for any level of photographer Cons Sluggish RAW shooting and flash-recycling times; Short battery life, especially when GPS is used Read Complete Review » Top 10 Compact Point-and-Shoot Cameras » Top 10 Point-and-Shoot Cameras With Manual Controls » Best In-Camera GPS Features » Point-and-Shoot Cameras With the Best Image Quality » Best Point-and-Shoot Cameras for Shooting Video » Casio Exilim EX-H20G 81 Pros Excellent in-camera GPS and mapping; Ultra-wide-angle 24mm lens with 10X optical zoom; Phenomenal battery life; Green-screen-like Dynamic Photo feature; Very good image quality in well-lit situations; 360-degree Slide Panorama mode Cons No manual controls; Mediocre macro mode; Digital zoom only in video mode; No burst mode Read Complete Review » Point-and-Shoot Cameras With the Best Image Quality » Best In-Camera GPS Features » 100 Best Products of 2011 » Top 10 Pocket Megazooms » Get Big Savings When you Shop at PCWorld.com Shop online at PCWorld.com, where you can compare product information, read trusted reviews, and find the best prices on consumer electronics. Coolpix S8200 Silver Digital Camera Price: $246.95 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Coolpix S8200 Black Digital Camera Price: $227.95 No User Ratings Yet Be the first to review Browse more Best Prices on Digital Cameras, Flash Memory, Graphics & Publishing Software, Lenses, Bags & Cases Top News on PCWorld.com Microsoft: 5 Smart and 5 Dumb Moves the Company Made in 2011 Love it or hate it, Microsoft is a company that brings out strong emotions in just about every IT professional. With 2011 over, it's time for our picks. Share: 4 Facebook Security Tips to Stay Safe in 2012 As hackers up the ante with attacks, Facebook users need to take extra precautions and exercise better judgment to ensure their accounts--and their personal information--stay safe. Here are four ways to do so. Share: Top Reviews on PCWorld.com Camera and Camera-Phone Trends to Expect in 2012 Both smartphone cameras and stand-alone cameras will become much more versatile next year, and it should be fun to watch. Here are the major photography trends to expect in 2012. Share: RIP Technology: 10 Products and Services That Died in 2011 From the Flip to Google Health, these tech losers showed promise--just not enough to keep them alive. Share: Hide and Secure Data With Folder Lock Folder Lock includes as complete set of security tools as you'll find, and it's as secure as your passwords. Share: Ultrabooks: Laptops as Light as Air Ultrabooks--from Acer, Asus, Lenovo, and Toshiba--promise to deliver enough power to satisfy your needs in a thinner, lighter package than previous Windows laptops could offer. We took the first Ultrabooks for a spin in the PCWorld Labs. Share: Downloads: Editor's Collection PCWorld's Favorite Downloads of 2011All year long, we PCWorld reviewers immerse ourselves in desktop programs and Web software. After evaluating a program, often we uninstall itbut several of this year's finds earned places in our workflows and/or our hearts. These programs and services are the ones we reviewed for PCWorld Downloads and also kept using for our own productivity and enjoyment. Perhaps you started using them this year, too&and if not, well, a shiny new year is right around the corner. Browse DownloadsAntivirus & Security • Design & Multimedia • Utilities • Games • Chat, Email, & the Web • Sponsored Downloads Odin Blu-ray to HD ConverterRip and convert your blu-ray videos so you can have a backup, or play them on something other than your Blu-Ray player. Even convert them to a customizable file size, trim and crop and combine multiple chapters into a single file. (Compatibility: Windows 95/98/ME,Windows XP/Vista/Win 7) Use discount code ODIN-L0B2 to get 60% off for PCWorld newsletters subscribers! Remo Recover [Windows] - Media EditionRecover deleted or lost RAW digital image files, even those that have bypassed the Windows recycle bin. Even recovery media files from reformatted partitions! Works with hard drives, flash memory cards and USB/Firewire external drives. (Compatibility: Windows XP,Windows Vista,Windows 7) PCWorld newsletters subscribers use discount code REMO-X98D to get 20% off!

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