Posted 08/18/09 at 04:45:00 PM by Paul Lilly

Originally released in February 2009, Acclaim's MMORPG The Chronicles of Spellborn has gone into a redevelopment stage. This is expected to carry into 2010 and will include a bevy of enhancements and changes as the game morphs from a monthly subscription model into a free-to-play title supported by micro-transactions.

 In the meantime, Acclaim tells us it still has its servers running the original version and has decided to make Spellborn free to play.

"We felt like people missed out. They didn't get to see what Spellborn was really like. And we are going to fix that," David DeWald, Community Manager for Acclaim, wrote in an email.

While the original version remains 'frozen in time' and free to play, note that there will be no upgrades or patches.

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Posted 07/30/09 at 10:07:47 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Last week, Microsoft disappointed members of its invitation-only Windows 7 Technical Beta Program by announcing that they were not eligible for a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate. But it has now made amends by announcing a complimentary copy of Windows 7 Ultimate for each one of them.

Microsoft will allow them to download the final build of Windows 7 Ultimate along with a key, beginning August 6, 2009. Those eligible can also opt for a boxed copy, however, such boxed copies are said to be limited in number. The complimentary boxed copies will become available after October 22, 2009.

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Posted 07/07/09 at 04:47:52 PM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft recently made the Microsoft Security Essentials beta available for download. When Microsoft first announced that it had a free antivirus software in the works, Symantec and MacAfee shares immediately plunged. Both the antivirus developers are not ready to acknowledge MSE as a threat to their paid offerings.

David Hall, a regional product manager at Symantec, unleashed a diatribe against MSE while speaking to BLORGE. He believes MSE is not a consummate product and cannot fully protect users. “If you are only relying on free antivirus to offer you protection in this modern age, you are not getting the protection you need to be able to stay clean and have a reasonable chance of avoiding identity theft,” Hall said. He even ridiculed MSE as “a stripped down version of the OneCare product.”

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Posted 07/06/09 at 09:37:16 AM by Pulkit Chandna

The powers that be at Joost have once again pressed the reset button. The online video site is reportedly ready to start things anew with a revised business model and a new service. It will now license its online video technology to media companies and broadcasters, while still providing free movie and TV content through its own website.

Having remained in the shadows of the competing yoke of Youtube and Hulu for the entire span of its existence, and with revenues, or lack of it, rubbing salt into its yawning wounds, this fresh attempt to sneak out of those long shadows is understandable. 

Its current senior VP of engineering, Matt Zelesko, will replace Mike Volpi, though Volpi will continue to be chairman. The impact of the shakeup will pervade through its ranks as it plans to prune its staff.

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Posted 06/25/09 at 05:54:23 PM by Andy Salisbury

After a brief moment of availability this week, Microsoft’s free Security Essentials application has been pulled from the virtual shelves.

Microsoft claims that it now has enough users for the beta, stating on their website, “Thank you for your interest in joining the Microsoft Security Essentials Beta. We are not accepting additional participants at this time. Please check back at later a date for possible additional availability.”

So, if you were hoping to get in but weren’t among the fleets of people that did so yesterday, you’re out of luck! You’ll just have to wait for the full version, like everyone else (that is, unless you got actually in).

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Posted 06/24/09 at 09:12:38 AM by Pulkit Chandna

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen may not be as popularly synonymous with wealth as is his more illustrious peer Bill Gates, but he has been among the richest people of the world for many years on the trot. Now he has decided to use a modicum of his immense wealth for a fresh business venture.

He has launched Xiant, a software company, which will be developing “tools that make your time at the computer as productive as possible.” Its inaugural product called Xiant Filer is an email organizing software. The tool is compatible with Outlook Express and currently in beta.

Xiant Filer can automatically organize incoming mail messages by choosing the correct subfolder for depositing each message. According to Allen’s new company, the software becomes smarter the more you use it.

It appears to be meant for really popular people with mailboxes inundated with messages. However, anyone can try it for free as the beta version can be downloaded from Xiant’s website. 

No, Steve Ballmer's legendary tongue-dangling pic is not the most repugnant in tech history.

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Posted 05/17/09 at 01:55:16 AM by Nathan Grayson

When STALKER first came out, it was kinda buggy. For some, that’s a no-fly zone for the almighty wallet. Understandable. Then the game got patched, but, you know, $50 is still a pretty sizeable chunk of change. So you decided to skip out on it again. “Later,” you probably thought. That’s fine too.
 
Now, though, there are no excuses.
 
STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl – one of the most underrated open world shooters of recent years – is completely free. Go to Gametap, download, and enjoy. That’s roughly two mouse clicks between the haves and have-nots. Even your mother could do that. Do you want to be laughed at for being less computer-literate than your mother? Didn’t think so.
 
Ok. That’s the end of our spiel. Have at it.

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Posted 05/01/09 at 03:59:27 PM by Andy Salisbury

Sure, Friday is already a pretty great day of the week (some might argue, the best). But, thanks to Valve, it just got a bit better due to a 24-hour trial of Left 4 Dead! Looks like that whole “last day of the work week” nonsense is going to have to wait another week for its chance to shine.

If you haven’t given Left 4 Dead a try yet, there’s no better time to give it a chance. According to Steam, “Beginning Friday at 12:01 am GMT, the PC version of Left 4 Dead will be available for a free 24-hour trial via Steam. The free trial will include access to the recently released Survival Pack DLC, which introduces a new multiplayer game mode and two additional Versus campaigns. Those who wish to give L4D and the Survival Pack a try may now pre-load everything needed to play with no obligation to purchase.”

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal! If you decide to take Newell and company up on this offer, be sure to join the Maximum PC Steam Community group, and take full advantage of our servers. Don’t say we never gave you anything!

UPDATE: Well ladies and germs, it looks like the fantastic Left 4 Dead trial that Valve Software is offering for today just got extended! You can play everyone’s favorite zombie apocalypse simulator all the way until Saturday at 5 PM GMT. And, if over the course of this weekend you decide you like the game enough to buy it, you’ll get a whopping 40 percent off of the retail price. Not too bad!

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