If you have an older computer and wish to install Adobe's popular Creative Suite on it, you can now do so for free; the catch is the version available is Adobe's older CS2.

Adobe's CS has been developed way beyond the capabilities of the initial versions of the software; however, the older versions of the programs are still very powerful image-manipulation and content-creation tools. Still, they are no longer supported by the company and could cause problems or fail to run when installed on computers running the latest versions of OS X or Windows.

Related stories

• Adobe Creative Suite 4
• Make your own Adobe CS3 for free
• Adobe Creative Suite 3

Nevertheless, if you have an older computer or have virtual-machine software configured with an older operating system compatible with CS2, then you should be able to get CS2 running. Unfortunately for Mac users, CS2 is a PowerPC application, so it will require the use of either an Intel Mac running OS X 10.4 through 10.6 with the Rosetta translator installed, or the use of an older PowerPC Mac.

The only versions of the OS X client that Apple supports in virtualization are those that do not include the Rosetta translator (OS X 10.7 and higher) whic... [Read more]

Lenovo's Idea line will be shipping soon with BlueStacks' Android app player as one of its pre-installed programs.

LAS VEGAS--PC and phone maker Lenovo announced a deal today with BlueStacks, the Android app player that lets Android apps run on Windows and Mac.

Lenovo joins a growing list of hardware manufacturers looking to the Silicon Valley startup to solve the problem of getting popular Android apps onto desktops and laptops. Although anybody can download BlueStacks, Lenovo will be shipping it on its consumer-focused Idea line starting in April.

Related stories:

• BlueStacks for Mac quietly moves to beta
• BlueStacks deals in Android with AMD
• BlueStacks ports Android apps to Mac
• Asus to bring Android to Windows with BlueStacks
• Latest BlueStacks ARMs your PC

BlueStacks' appeal may be partially one of perception, where mobile apps get a lot of consumer attention because of their connection to smartphone o... [Read more]

Microsoft's current Windows RT-based Surface tablet.

Microsoft's Windows RT can apparently run unsigned desktops app with a little bit of hacking.

In a blog posted yesterday, a hacker dubbed clrokr described how he was able to change a value in the Windows RT kernel to bypass certain restrictions set up by Microsoft. The blog details how clrokr tracked down the right value to open up the types of apps that RT can run. And it includes his code for other enterprising hackers.

The specific value can't be permanently altered on devices enabled with Secure Boot, but it can be changed in memory. As a result, the value would have to be tweaked each time a PC boots up.

Related stories

• Just what is Windows RT, anyway? (FAQ)
• 7 reasons why Windows RT works
• Top 10 biggest drawbacks of Windows RT
• ... [Read more]
  
  

Apple's App Store has reached a new milestone in total app downloads.

The iPhone maker announced today that there have been 40 billion unique application downloads in its App Store since the marketplace launched in 2008. Apple's unique download tally excludes redownloads and updates. Of the 40 billion apps downloaded so far, nearly 20 billion were downloaded in 2012, the company said.

Apple's App Store now has over 500 million active accounts, and 2 billion apps were downloaded in December alone, making it the best month in the marketplace's history. The App Store has 775,000 apps available for iOS devices.

Developers, of course, have benefited from the App Store's growth. According to Apple senior vice president of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, over $7 billion has been paid out to iOS developers.

Related stories

• iPad to woo more corporate customers this year, says analyst
• Ideo's David Kelley talks design, Steve Jobs
• HTC Q4 profit, sales plunge amid holiday crush
• ... [Read more]