Science and Technology

New versions of Adobe's video software (Premiere, After Effects, etc.) come with many appealing new features and enhancements.

New 64-bit architecture provides many improvements in the leading Digital Audio Workstation, though some plug-ins and instruments won't work with it yet.

If you're willing to give up some quality in sound to gain quality in pure comfort and safety, these might be for you.

Maya 2014 is a very good upgrade that addresses past issues and adds improvements.

KOMPLETE 9 ULTIMATE provides a complete creative suite suitable for just about any kind of audio production.

For the most part this program is geared toward graphic designers, but it may benefit anyone who needs to enhance their work, even photographers.

If you want a simple and easy way to fix wide-angle lens problems, then I highly recommend DxO ViewPoint.

A large solar panel on the front cover gathers energy from the sun and indoor lighting using "patented trickle charge technology."

In this group, Illustrator is the clear winner with its major new tools and updates, but InDesign and Photoshop both have pretty good added features as well.

Some components have more substantial enhancements than others, but the suite is building up to being a pretty good update overall.