Keyboard to Screen

When it comes to budgeting and managing your finances on your iPad there are several apps to choose from, but very few compare to Checkbook by iBear LLC. This newly released app has everything you could want or even ask for when it comes to both style and functionality. Easily keep track of your mortgage, [...]

NVIDIA
ORACLE
POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICELINE.COM
QIMONDA

Yesterday during Apple’s annual Special Music Event Steve Jobs announced that the iPod touch was more popular than both Nintendo’s DS and Sony’s PSP… combined. Jobs also said more than 1.5 billion games and entertainment apps have been downloaded by iPod touch devices to date.

However, as every gadget and gaming blog has since pointed out, [...]Steve Jobs: iPod touch more popular than Nintendo DS and Sony PSP combined is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
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It’s easier than ever to record cheesy videos of your vacation or embarrassing moments on the fly now that even basic point-n-shoot cameras come with the ability to shoot video, so it only makes sense that digital photo frames get on the same page. Thanks to Sony, they now have. Sony this week announced three new S-Frame digital photo frames — DPF-XR100, DPF-VR100, and DPF-D830 — equipped to bombard dinner party guests with both photo and video playback. “Our new digital photo frames offer consumers a variety

CISCO SYSTEMS
COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
COMCAST
COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS

Filed under: Utilities, Blogging, web 2.0
NewsBlur is a very beautiful feed reader that’s laden with tons of JavaScript, but it utterly lacks any form of documentation.
It’s an open source project by the talented Samuel Clay, who has been working on it for 15 months now. He’s currently working on an iPhone version, but the regular version is very impressive in itself.
The sources are hosted over on GitHub, and the project uses the Django Web framework for Python. This means that you can probably install it on your own server and break free from the big G. But unlike Fever, which is another server-based reader, NewsBlur has built-in multi-user support, and it’s free. So, you don’t have to install it on your own server to use it; you can just go to the NewsBlur site and open an account.
NewsBlur lets you import your current feeds from Google Reader. It lets you vote articles up and down, and it uses your input to figure out what you might like to read in the future. It then marks articles appropriately so that you can (hopefully) read just the stuff that you’re interested in out of the sea of RSS feeds that you’ve been reading.
To really see if the intelligence works, you have to use it for a while, which is something I haven’t done. This is a very impressive project, but I feel that the lack of documentation (not even an About page) is holding it back. I would have given you a complete screenshot tour of it, but it’s very difficult when you don’t know what anything does.
Share TweetNewsBlur is a slick, impressive, undocumented RSS reader originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS

Filed under: Developer, web 2.0, Web
In a nutshell: Rails 3 is now officially out!
This is a pretty big deal for the Rails community, and it’s a release that will reverberate all across the web in many subtle forms. Lots of high-profile sites are Rails-based (think Twitter and Github), and version 3.0 is a massive update.
Searching through O’Reilly’s Safari Books Online I was unable to find a Rails 3 book – I guess these things take time. But now that the new version is finalized and stable, I’m sure there are books in the works. In fact, the post says Agile Web Development with Rails 4th Ed is almost ready.
The official blog post also says this release has seen “thousands of commits”, and highlights just a smattering of technical-sounding features. I won’t bore you with the details, since it’s all coder-speak (read: I don’t know enough Rails to make sense of the changes), but one notable change is that cross-site scripting protection is on by default, so that should improve security for all sites using Rails. Another neat change is that Ruby now handles character encoding intelligently, and you should never see a ? character (resulting from bad encoding) ever again.
My own tinkering is limited to Ruby itself at this point – I am learning to use the core language before I step up to Rails. It’s a very neat scripting language in itself, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a simple way to develop custom scripts for yourself.
Share TweetRails 3.0 is finally out, with a ton of updates originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY
EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.

Americans are turning away from home phone lines and toward mobile, but a federal program continues to pour $8 billion a year into phone service for rural homes and businesses. Last year in Chelan, Wash., for instance, the fund paid an average of $17,763 each for 17 residents to get phone lines.

United States – Business – Law – Services – Government

COMPAL ELECTRONICS
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.
D-LINK
DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP

It’s easier than ever to record cheesy videos of your vacation or embarrassing moments on the fly now that even basic point-n-shoot cameras come with the ability to shoot video, so it only makes sense that digital photo frames get on the same page. Thanks to Sony, they now have. Sony this week announced three new S-Frame digital photo frames — DPF-XR100, DPF-VR100, and DPF-D830 — equipped to bombard dinner party guests with both photo and video playback. “Our new digital photo frames offer consumers a variety

GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER

HP’s Pavilion dv6 line targets mobile-PC buyers who have an interest in rich media content. The line ships in various configurations; the dv6-3013 reviewed here is the entry-level version. Unlike pricier members of the dv6 family–which are based on Intel CPUs–the dv6-3013 ships with a triple core…

HP Pavilion – Hewlett-Packard – HP – HP 3000 – Operating system

FAIR ISAAC
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS
F5 NETWORKS
EPICOR SOFTWARE
EMULEX

Filed under: Games, P2P
I bring you news that won’t shock but will surely delight! Just over 40% of Steam users have a BitTorrent client installed — and 75% of those are using uTorrent. Mainline is second with about 10%, with Vuze and BitComet coming in third and fourth place respectively.

These delicious statistics have emerged thanks to Steam’s hardware and software survey which now includes a breakdown of installed applications on each user’s computer. With up to 25 million users being polled in the survey, the accuracy is really second to none — at least when it comes to gamer-specific trends! It’s worth noting that the survey is completely automated too — Steam scans your hard disk and hardware configuration to produce these figures.

In non-BitTorrent-related news, Firefox is by far the most popular browser amongst gamers with 63% of Steam users having it installed (Chrome is almost at the bottom with only 11.5%). Almost everyone has Adobe Flash, 73% have Acrobat Reader, and a rather large 57% have Microsoft Office installed. I wonder how many of those Office installations were downloaded via BitTorrent… Perhaps Steam gamers spend so much money on games that they don’t have enough left to spend on Microsoft Office…?

Incidentally, these figures are only for Windows installations. Here’s something for the Mac crusaders, though: iTunes is actually installed on more computers than uTorrent (but only just), and QuickTime is installed on 44% of computers!

(Note: the above image is snipped, or I would never have fit it all in!)
Share TweetMore than 40% Valve’s Steam user base are also avid users of BitTorrent originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS FAIR ISAAC

Don’t blink — if you do, you may miss IBM’s new processor. The company is boldly claiming that the chip within IBM’s new zEnterprise clocks in at 5.2GHz, making it the world’s fastest microprocessor. We’re sure this claim could be challenged on multiple fronts, namely by hardcore overclockers who have seen their own chips operate at much higher speeds with the help of liquid nitrogen. But IBM’s new silicon doesn’t require any complicated cooling; it’s just blisteringly fast. Of course, this 5.2GHz chip won’t

MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR
MOBILE TELESYSTEMS
NANYA TECHNOLOGY
NII HOLDINGS

ACCENTURE
ACER
ADOBE SYSTEMS
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS

Little-known SmartPhone Technologies files lawsuits against Apple, AT&T, Research In Motion, Samsung, Sanyo, LG Electronics and Motorola accusing them of violating patents owned by the company. – The smartphone patent lawsuit derby continues with a company named
SmartPhone Technologies suing Apple, AT amp;T, Research In Motion, Samsung,
Sanyo, LG Electronics and Motorola, accusing them of violating patents owned by
the company. Filed in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of T…

MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR
MOBILE TELESYSTEMS
NANYA TECHNOLOGY
NII HOLDINGS

Filed under: Browsers
It’s the beginning of the month again, and that means it’s time for the big analytics guns to release their browsing snapshots once again. While there’s not a lot of movement to report on for August of 2010, Google is no doubt pleased with the way things played out.

Android made a fairly major jump last month, climbing more than a full point — from 7.91 to 9.22%. That gain came mostly at the expense of iOS and Symbian, both of which slid about half a point. Blackberry OS also continued to rise, finishing August up .5%.

On the desktop, Google surged ahead almost a full point to finish at 10.76%. That’s nearly three times Chrome’s user base from this time last year, and it’s the first time Chrome has crossed the 10% mark.

And yes, Internet Explorer slipped yet again. IE is still dominant, yet it’s also now dangerously close to slipping below 50% share for the first time ever. Perhaps the IE9 beta will help stem the tide — it’s due to arrive in less than two weeks.
Share TweetAugust browser stats show Android, Chrome on the rise originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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AMAZON.COM
AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL

Filed under: Internet, Social Software
The new version of Digg, after a couple of months of beta testing, has today been released to the public.

If you missed my preview of it back in July, here’s the basic gist of new Digg: by virtue of a streamlined UI that requires less clicks, it’s faster; you now ‘follow’ news sources (and friends), which generates a personalised ‘My News’ page; and… well, that’s about it, really.

The new Digg is, mostly, about removing its one-page-to-rule-them-all focus. Digg wants to be your social news aggregator, rather than the plaything of power Digger demagogues. The ‘Top News’ section is still there, but the idea is that you can now tailor your own page to show sites and articles that come from your favourite news sources, or from your friends. Digg, which has had a flat growth graph for a while, is trying to attract a new, classier, social clientele.

It is, in essence, a Facebook-and-Twitter amalgam, but without the critical mass of users that has made both aforementioned services so damn useful. Digg has always been a bit of a knackered one-trick pony, and by watering down the efficacy of its front page traffic hose, I just wonder if Digg has enough clout to stand proud amongst the heavyweights.New version of Digg released; face-lifted, faster, but is it too little too late? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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NINTENDO
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Filed under: Google, Browsers
I’ve asked about this before, and I’ll pose the question one more time: if you’re not going to put Chrome themes where the other Chrome themes go, shouldn’t you at least create a category, Google?

Google has introduced half a dozen new official Chrome themes, but you won’t find them if you click the get themes link on your Personal Stuff menu. No, like the scores of user-created themes out there these new themes from Google have been dropped into the Extensions Gallery.

I’m sure the plan is to list everything in the Gallery at some point (possibly once it’s re-branded as the Web Store?), but it really shouldn’t be hard to give themes their own section on the existing Gallery. Or, you know, post them on the page Chrome takes you to when you click get themes.

The new themes are called Modern, Adaptive, Vibrant, Inventive, Fresh, and Orkut_Hudson. They’re artist-created, and generally not for those of you who like Chrome’s interface to be as unobtrusive as possible — some are downright loud.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course — tell us what you think of the new themes in the comments.Google adds more official themes for Chrome — to the Extensions Gallery? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

ECLIPSYS
EASTMAN KODAK CO
EARTHLINK
DST SYSTEMS
DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES

The United Arab Emirates said Sunday it will suspend BlackBerry services because the device doesn’t comply with local telecom regulations. But advocates of global Internet freedom said the move appears to be an attempt to crack open and monitor communications technology as the use of mobile phone…

United Arab Emirates – BlackBerry – Smartphone – Handhelds – Research In Motion

HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES

EASTMAN KODAK CO
EARTHLINK
DST SYSTEMS
DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DIODES INORATED

During his 2010 Apple special music event numbers breakdown, Steve Jobs said that Apple is activating 230,000 iOS devices a day. He made sure to point out those were new activations and said some of their “friends” (read: Google) are counting upgrades in their numbers (200,000 Android activations a day).

“If we counted upgrades [...]Apple says iOS activations are 230,000 a day, more than Android. Google disagrees. is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.
D-LINK

Competition is stiff in the category of big-screen all-in-one PCs . TV tuners and large hard drives are becoming standard features, as manufacturers attempt to displace televisions in dorm rooms and cramped bedrooms with high-definition-capable, multitouch displays. HP’s TouchSmart line is an…

Hewlett-Packard – HP 3000 – HP – Hardware – Operating system

COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.
D-LINK
DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY

Across the spectrum of athletics from youth soccer to the National Football League , concussions are one of the most worrisome of injuries: hard to diagnose and even harder to know when an athlete has recovered. Now, in an unusual combination of real sports and their digital imitators, a handful of…

Video game – Games – Shopping – Toys and Games – Console

LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS

Editor’s note: An editing error mischaracterized how to test IPv6 capability from a network. We have removed that reference, and we regret the error.

IPv6 – Protocols – IP – Facebook – American Registry for Internet Numbers

COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
COMCAST
COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS

The packaging for the Apricorn Aegis NetDock docking station ($89, as of 7/6/2010) only implies that there’s an optical drive on board. But don’t be fooled: Not only is there one–an 8X TEAC DV-W28S-V DVD burner in this case–but four USB 2.0 ports as well. Two of these ports remain powered even…

Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – Universal Serial Bus – Cases and Accessories – Solid-state drive

D-LINK
DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY
EMC

Lenovo’s Mini Wireless Keyboard N5901 crams a keyboard and mouse into a svelte shell, offering a compact way to improve your home theater PC experience.

Couch potato – Business – Utilities – Windows – Shareware

GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER

As graphics chips and CPUs become more capable, laptops start to offer gaming experiences that may not be quite as robust as dedicated desktop gaming PCs–but they can come close. AVADirect’s Clevo W860CU tries to walk the line between the massive gaming laptops that are really luggable desktop…

Nvidia – Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – AVADirect – GeForce

HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
INVENTEC
KDDI

Battery Optimizer ($30, feature-limited demo) is a small application designed to perform various tasks that improve battery life on a laptop PC. The first thing it does when you start it up is provide a nice big graphic detailing battery life in percentage and time. It calculates battery life its…

Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – Business – Cases and Accessories – Batteries

KLA-TENCOR
KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON

MPEG LA, famous for nothing other than a portfolio of pretentiously pathetic patents, has finally taken a swing at the rapidly gaining popularity of its free-as-in-matted-beard competitor, WebM. Rather than running out in 2016, the license to stream H.264 will remain free forever.

This is a reactionary move to battle the rallying of Mozilla, Google and Opera behind the WebM video standard. As it stands, both Firefox 4 and Opera 10.6 only support WebM for HTML5 video — with this licensing change, MPEG LA is obviously angling for H.264 support to find a place in both Firefox and Opera before their next stable release. Chrome, incidentally, supports both H.264 and WebM, and I expect it will continue to do so. IE9 supports H.264, but will include WebM support by the time it is released.

Despite the licensing changes, I can’t imagine Mozilla leaping at the chance of including closed-source and patent-riddled code in its browser. At the end of the day, it will be services like YouTube and Hulu that actually decide the fate of the HTML5 video wars: if YouTube only provides WebM-encoded video, you can be damn sure that WebM will become the video standard!

Incidentally, if you want something disgusting to look at, check out the MPEG LA website. Not only does it look kind-of-90s-and-pseudo-NASA, but it also explains the dire, creativity-crippling concept of ‘Patent Pools’. “Together, with the power of pooled patents, we can stamp out start-ups and create billions of dollars in the process! Mu ha ha!”

Someone pass me a bucket.

[via NewTeeVee]MPEG LA chases its tail, says H.264 streaming will be free forever originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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ASML HOLDING
ASUSTEK COMPUTER
AT&T

So my dad was griping that his Acer Aspire 9300 laptop takes forever to boot. I inspected it for spyware, excessive startup programs, and the other usual suspects, but everything checked out.

Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – Laptop – Cases and Accessories – Repair

COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.
D-LINK
DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS

Filed under: Windows, Productivity, Browsers
Erez loves crunching data in Excel. And he loves making sure he’s not getting off track and being unproductive in his browser when there’s work to do. I haven’t asked, but I’m thinking Historian would be right up his alley.

It’s a free, portable tool for Windows which can export history data from all the major web browsers to delimited text file. Once saved, you’re free to open the file in your favorite spreadsheet or database app so that you can go over it with a fine-toothed comb.

One important note for non-German speakers: when you first launch the app, head to extras > sprache and select English (or Japanese, if needed).Historian exports your browser history to .CSV for easy analysis originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

BT GROUP
CANON
CDW
CHINA MOBILE
CISCO SYSTEMS

EMS TECHNOLOGIES
EMC
ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING
ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS
ELECTRONIC ARTS

Every iPad owner understands the importance of keeping their device both protected and clean. It takes very little time for oil from your hands to build up on the iPad’s screen, leaving plenty of unwanted smudges. There is an affordable solution though thanks to the iShine Microfiber iPad Sleeve. The iShine Sleeve is a must [...]

GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER

Filed under: Utilities, Productivity
Dear diary,
Today I found OhLife. It’s an interesting service for maintaining a private journal. It aims to do the same thing Penzu does, but offers a different take on things to help people journal more consistently: Writing is done over email.
Once you sign up, you get a nightly email, asking how did your day go. You simply reply and jot down whatever it is you have to say about the day. OhLife receives your email and files today’s entry into your private archive.
This is not very different from setting up a daily reminder and using a Gmail label as a journal. But what’s nice about OhLife is that it includes a random “blast from the past” with every email you receive. Meaning, you get prompted to write what’s new today, but you also see a random entry from some time in the past, and so are instantly reminded of the value of maintaining a diary. After all, today’s routine becomes tomorrow’s memory.
I think this is a brilliant way to maintain a personal diary. It’s simple, it’s free, and you don’t even have to log on to the site to write.
The site itself is a study in simplicity. Beautiful design, bold text, and an overall welcoming vibe. If I ever want to maintain a journal, this will certainly be one candidate.
Share TweetOhLife helps you maintain a personal diary over e-mail originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.

If you’ve lusted after Acer’s TimelineX 1830T ultraportable but don’t have $700, you can get much the same experience from the company’s $430 (as of 8/25/2010) Aspire One 721 netbook. The two units are outwardly identical, but the 721 substitutes a far cheaper AMD Athlon II Neo CPU for the 1830T’s…

Acer – Netbook – Plantae – Magnoliopsida – Magnoliophyta

COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
COMCAST
COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS

The Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000 ($60 as of August 5, 2010) delivers great video at a fantastic price–and its smart design makes it perfect for use with laptops.

LifeCam – Microsoft – Webcam – Microsoft LifeCam – Monopolies and Oligopolies

FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.
FISERV
GOOGLE
GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS

Filed under: Utilities, Blogging, web 2.0
NewsBlur is a very beautiful feed reader that’s laden with tons of JavaScript, but it utterly lacks any form of documentation.
It’s an open source project by the talented Samuel Clay, who has been working on it for 15 months now. He’s currently working on an iPhone version, but the regular version is very impressive in itself.
The sources are hosted over on GitHub, and the project uses the Django Web framework for Python. This means that you can probably install it on your own server and break free from the big G. But unlike Fever, which is another server-based reader, NewsBlur has built-in multi-user support, and it’s free. So, you don’t have to install it on your own server to use it; you can just go to the NewsBlur site and open an account.
NewsBlur lets you import your current feeds from Google Reader. It lets you vote articles up and down, and it uses your input to figure out what you might like to read in the future. It then marks articles appropriately so that you can (hopefully) read just the stuff that you’re interested in out of the sea of RSS feeds that you’ve been reading.
To really see if the intelligence works, you have to use it for a while, which is something I haven’t done. This is a very impressive project, but I feel that the lack of documentation (not even an About page) is holding it back. I would have given you a complete screenshot tour of it, but it’s very difficult when you don’t know what anything does.
Share TweetNewsBlur is a slick, impressive, undocumented RSS reader originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

AMAZON.COM
AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL

Every iPad owner understands the importance of keeping their device both protected and clean. It takes very little time for oil from your hands to build up on the iPad’s screen, leaving plenty of unwanted smudges. There is an affordable solution though thanks to the iShine Microfiber iPad Sleeve. The iShine Sleeve is a must [...]

ACCENTURE
ACER
ADOBE SYSTEMS
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS

News Analysis: Although Gizmodo editor Jason Chen may not have done the most ethical thing by paying $5,000 for an AWOL prototype of the next iPhone, the California task force that forced open his door in apparent violation of the terms of its search warrant (to say nothing of state law) just turned his case into a test of journalistic freedoms. – Legend has it that one of the first things taught in journalism school is
that an honest journalist never pays for a story. I suppose that’s true, but
you see, I never went to j-school. Does that let me off the hook?
I can argue either side of whether checkbook journalism is ethical, or if
techn…

COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.
D-LINK
DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS

Lenovo’s new L-Series ThinkPads –of which the L412 is one–are attractively priced, business-oriented laptops with a green twist: They’re made with up to 30 percent post-consumer waste and shipped in almost 100 percent recycled packaging. The professional-looking L412 has a decent screen and…

ThinkPad – Laptop – Lenovo – Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops

FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.
FISERV
GOOGLE
GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS

Filed under: Video
It looks like Google isn’t stopping at free phone calls to the U.S. and Canada In their never-ending quest to win new fans. They’re also going to let you watch all the free, full-length movies you can handle over on YouTube! That’s good.

The selection, however, doesn’t include current releases and there aren’t a lot of big-name films. That’s bad. But you can watch loads of classic horror films, Three Stooges, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Hitchcock, and a nice selection of Bollywood titles and documentaries. That’s good!

It also comes with a free frogurt! No, not really. I was just having a Treehouse of Horror flashback.

Speaking of terror, why not go watch The Brain That Wouldn’t Die!?
YouTube adds free, full-length movies originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

APPLIED MATERIALS
ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT
ARROW ELECTRONICS
ASML HOLDING
ASUSTEK COMPUTER

eWEEK Labs Technical Director Cameron Sturdevant’s year of using and covering Apple products in the enterprise has come to an end with a newfound respect for Mac hardware and the resistance of Mac OS X 10.6.3, code-named Snow Leopard, to hacks and viruses. For executives and high-value creative content users he sees Apple’s appeal. But as we enter the cloud computing age, Sturdevant is less enamored of fat clients of any variety for routine office workers. – For just over a year I’ve used a variety of Apple
devices from the Xserve and Mac Pro to the iPhone and MacBook Pro and even a Mac
Mini as my primary work systems in a Windows-oriented IT shop.
I made the switch because Apple PCs and iPhones and now
iPads are coming into the enterprise. I wanted…

PRICELINE.COM
QIMONDA
QUALCOMM
QUANTA COMPUTER
RESEARCH IN MOTION

This week has produced some fantastic Firefox news. That’s a good thing, but because we covered it all on Download Squad in a timely fashion, it leaves me with a bit of a problem: there’s no new news to share with you. I’ve been left with producing a round-up for this week’s Firefox column. I’ve never done a round-up before, but I’m sure it’ll be good.

I think I’m meant to take each nibble of news and provide a refreshing, opinionated point of view that throws it into a new light. Let’s start with one that got a lot more interest than we anticipated:

1. Firefox 4 Beta 5 will feature a two-column main menu

I think I actually told Lee that this one wasn’t worth posting…, how wrong I was!
“It’s like one of those Google-search-box-grows-by-18-pixels stories.” Personally, I hate Chrome’s unified wrench menu, and I’m disheartened to see it make an appearance in Firefox.

This is the next stage of the Web Revolution; where the browser was once your trusty portal to the Web, it will now become a svelte platform for other Web apps. Think of the new Firefox menu as a Windows Start menu, and you’ll see what I mean. In fact, I wonder if we’ll ever see a browser menu at the bottom of the window, rather than the top…

At least, with Firefox, you can keep the full menu bar — with Chrome, you’re stuck with that damn one-button wrench wonder!

2. Tab Candy, Tab Sets, PANORAMA is confirmed as a new feature of Firefox 4

The brainchild of maniacal, Mountain View-based Aza Raskin has a new name, a new look, and even an introductory video on the Firefox Beta site! It sounds like it’s being narrated by someone that’s seeking entrance to the Movie Trailer Voice Over Society, but it’s well worth watching.

Panorama, if you missed our introductory posts on its predecessor Tab Candy, introduces a whole new paradigm in tab management and, thus, browser-based workflow! Using the “out of sight, out of mind” tenet, Aza hopes that Panorama will greatly improve both productivity and the joy of surfing the Internet. (He pontificates on Pover on his blog, if you want to find out more!)

Of course, if you’re an Opera fan, you’ll know all about tab grouping, and you won’t need me to tell you of its benefits…
3. Erez thinks that Firefox 4.0’s extensive changes to its add-on framework are too much too soon

You’d be surprised, but one of the biggest changes in Firefox 4 is also one of the least-advertised: add-ons, and how they hook into Firefox, are changing in a big way with the release of 4.0.

There’s always a bit of compatibility pain when a new version of Firefox is released — usually it’s just a matter of developers changing a few numbers in the code — but with Firefox 4.0 there are so many changes that many popular add-ons might simply not work.

I don’t have any hard and fast numbers (nor does Erez) as to how many add-ons will be incompatible come FF4’s release, so it’s hard to gauge just how big an issue this is. I’m pretty sure this is a case of “it’ll get worse before it gets better,” with these changes designed to make the transition to Jetpack (in Firefox 5?) smoother. Firefox 4 currently supports both Jetpack and the old-style XUL add-ons that we’ve all been using for years — but these changes represent the beginning of the end for XUL, I’m afraid.

4. A Test Pilot study shows when we use Private Browsing, and for how long (read: porn surfers unite!)

The facts are simple: we use Private Browsing for 10 minutes at a time, and we use it during four main time slots. The late-night and after-work spikes are obvious (porn), but that lunch-hour spike has caused a lot of discussion by the community.

I think people are masturbating at work, but then the puritan Adam Pash (of Lifehacker fame) thinks there are plenty of non-porny uses of Private Browsing. I’m not convinced; yes there are plenty of reasons for using Private Browsing but they don’t explain why 75% of all private sessions are close to 10 minutes in length. Perhaps people are doing multiple 10-minute activities, but why would you close the browser in between checking your bank statement and Facebook?

I just hope the next Test Pilot study also (anonymously!) captures what sites are looked at in those 10 glorious minutes.

5. Firefox 4 won’t support your ancient PowerPC G4 Apple iBook

I’m struggling to find anything interesting to add to Jay’s commentary of the issue. The facts of the matter are thus: the G4 iBook probably represents only a few thousand installations world wide. In fact, the iBook is only still used because of Carrie from Sex and the City. Mozilla, in its infinite wisdom, has decided that it isn’t a valid use of its time to make its new technology work with 11-year-old CPUs.

Anyway, Jay’s advice is to get a new Mac. My advice is to get a Windows 7 PC.

* * *Firefox Friday, a weekly round-up: Beta 4, Beta 5, Panorama, breaking add-ons and our Private Browsing habits analyzed originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Rob Pegoraro answers your questions on recent gadget reviews, technology news and provides personal tech buying and fixing advice.

iPhone – Smartphone – Handhelds – Blackberry – Wi-Fi

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Microsoft unveiled its Bing search app for Android today. But if you want to get in on the action, you’re going to have to have a Verizon phone, as it’s exclusive to the carrier’s section of the Android Market. (Place your bets  on how quickly it leaks out, though.) The app features a daily featured image, just like Bing on the desktop. And you can swipe through seven days’ worth of images. There’s an endless scrolling search, and you can swipe through image previews straight to the host site. Microsoft’s own voice search works with Android’s speech-to-text function, and you can use Bing Maps to find your way around, too. Is the app a threat to Google’s native services on Android? We’ll have to see, though it’s doubtful, just because of the integration factor. and then there’s the issue of it only being available on Verizon, for now, anyway. [Bing]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Have Google and Verizon got a deal for you! The nation’s leading Web firm and one of its biggest telecom firms teamed up two weeks ago to offer a joint proposal to end a prolonged debate over “network neutrality.” In that document, the firms suggested that the government impose net-neutrality reg…

NET – Programming – Component Frameworks – Google – Network neutrality

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APPLE COMPUTER
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If Microsoft Bing looks a trifle different this morning, it’s because the search engine’s design team says it wants to make finding safe, dependable casual games and sleuthing for mainstream video game cheats and tips easier. I took the refinements for a test-drive, and after poking around the new…

Bing – Video game – Games – Microsoft – Search

KDDI
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LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL

Dell’s Vostro 3300 inherits its svelte design and thin esthetic from the original Dell Adamo design, though the 3300 isn’t quite as skinny or light as the Adamo. Even so, Dell’s new small-business laptop offers combination of hardware and support options well tuned to its target market. With Dell’s…

DellVostro – Small business – Business – Laptop – Hardware

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APPLE COMPUTER

Reader Gerald spotted an iLuv case with camera cutout in the center in a local Marshall’s clothing store:

[The case] was labeled as an iPod Touch 2nd Generation hard shell case made by a company called iLuv. The reason i liked this case so much was because it had a spot for a rear [...]iLuv case with camera cutout in the center? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

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You know the drill. Come time, we’ll be talking about everything iPad. We’d love to talk with you, so come by, chat, and share you views.

We’ll be joined by special guest Craig Johnston of CrackBerry.com podcast fame, so spread the word!

6pm PT/9pm ET/2am BST

We’re back on:

http://www.tipb.com/live/

So click on through, we start setting up 15 min. [...]iPad live tonight! 6pm PT/9pm ET/2am BST is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

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Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Onslaught is a fairly simple “defence” style game, but it’s very fast-paced and lots of fun. You’re a blocky Viking-looking dude in a dungeon. Waves of enemies enter, and you have to kill them all with a variety of weapons.
You use the arrows to move, and Space to shoot. You can just keep Space pressed down permanently, too. You can use Z and X to switch weapons, and you don’t have to stop firing to make the switch. That’s pretty neat.
As your enemies die, they leave all sorts of fun bonuses. My favorite weapon so far is the “fireballs.” You get a whole bunch of fireballs that provide 360 degree fire all around you; they provide perfect coverage.
Some of the levels have “bosses” that fire at you. (The other enemies only come at you; they don’t have any projectile weapons.) One of those bosses is what killed me and ended the game that you see in the screenshot. It’s quite a neat little distraction!Onslaught is a fast-paced, HTML5 Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Have Google and Verizon got a deal for you! The nation’s leading Web firm and one of its biggest telecom firms teamed up two weeks ago to offer a joint proposal to end a prolonged debate over “network neutrality.” In that document, the firms suggested that the government impose net-neutrality reg…

NET – Programming – Component Frameworks – Google – Network neutrality

QUALCOMM
QUANTA COMPUTER
RESEARCH IN MOTION
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS
SAIC

A while back, I ran down a list of 7 tweaking apps for Windows 7. One more worth knowing about is AeroTweak, a fully-portable Windows tweaking app which allows you to modify and disable a wide range of features.

AeroTweak lets you painless flip the switch on things like AeroShake, taskbar thumbnails, and low disk space notifications. It also provides one-click disabling of autoruns on all your drives, which is a nice way to enhance your system’s security (what with all those worms spreading from infected USB flash drives).

It’s also a bit like a gpedit.msc (the policy editor included in professional versions) replacement for Windows 7 home edition systems — which means those of you who want to quickly lock down things like Task Manager, Control Panel, and registry editing can use AeroTweak to do it quickly via a neatly-organized gui.

[via IntoWindows]AeroTweak is an option-filled tweaking app for Windows 7 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday called off its closed-door meetings with big Internet companies aimed at reaching agreement on protecting consumer access to the Web, after drawing criticism for attempting to broker a deal with limited public input.

Network neutrality – Google – Telecommunication – Business – Verizon

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Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Rotate and Roll is a game about balls. However, it can rapidly turn into a game about balls plummeting towards inevitable doom, unless you play it wisely.
The balls in question are on a plank. Sometimes it’s just one lonely ball per level, and sometimes there are as many as four. When you press the arrow keys, the entire level rotates. Obviously, the board tilts, and the ball starts rolling.
If it rolls off the screen, you’re out. You’re trying to get it to roll into that large ball that you see at the bottom of the screenshot. When it gets there, you win, and you get to go on to the next level.
Sometimes your ball needs to collect something before it can go on to the next level. For instance, you may need to pick up that coin-like thing, which you can see toward the upper right corner of the screenshot (on the right plank). So, you’d have to rotate the level to the right, collect the coin, gently tilt back to the left until your ball falls onto the lower plank, and go from there to the big ball.
Of course, this being a physics game, velocity matters. You don’t want to rotate too quickly, but you can do some neat tricks by rotating very fast and “bouncing” the balls off of level elements.
The atmosphere is pretty soothing; there’s nice acoustic guitar in the background, and the whole thing is pretty serene. It’s quite a fun little game!Rotate and Roll is a liquid physics Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Utilities, Blogging, web 2.0
NewsBlur is a very beautiful feed reader that’s laden with tons of JavaScript, but it utterly lacks any form of documentation.
It’s an open source project by the talented Samuel Clay, who has been working on it for 15 months now. He’s currently working on an iPhone version, but the regular version is very impressive in itself.
The sources are hosted over on GitHub, and the project uses the Django Web framework for Python. This means that you can probably install it on your own server and break free from the big G. But unlike Fever, which is another server-based reader, NewsBlur has built-in multi-user support, and it’s free. So, you don’t have to install it on your own server to use it; you can just go to the NewsBlur site and open an account.
NewsBlur lets you import your current feeds from Google Reader. It lets you vote articles up and down, and it uses your input to figure out what you might like to read in the future. It then marks articles appropriately so that you can (hopefully) read just the stuff that you’re interested in out of the sea of RSS feeds that you’ve been reading.
To really see if the intelligence works, you have to use it for a while, which is something I haven’t done. This is a very impressive project, but I feel that the lack of documentation (not even an About page) is holding it back. I would have given you a complete screenshot tour of it, but it’s very difficult when you don’t know what anything does.
Share TweetNewsBlur is a slick, impressive, undocumented RSS reader originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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From power strips that spy on you, to ballpoint pens that double as document scanners, here are 12 snoopy gadgets that capture voice, video, or data, and can track you down surreptitiously.

scanner – Hardware – Peripherals – Document – Shopping

SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS FAIR ISAAC
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS

Filed under: Video
It looks like Google isn’t stopping at free phone calls to the U.S. and Canada In their never-ending quest to win new fans. They’re also going to let you watch all the free, full-length movies you can handle over on YouTube! That’s good.

The selection, however, doesn’t include current releases and there aren’t a lot of big-name films. That’s bad. But you can watch loads of classic horror films, Three Stooges, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Hitchcock, and a nice selection of Bollywood titles and documentaries. That’s good!

It also comes with a free frogurt! No, not really. I was just having a Treehouse of Horror flashback.

Speaking of terror, why not go watch The Brain That Wouldn’t Die!?
YouTube adds free, full-length movies originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Google, Browsers
I’ve asked about this before, and I’ll pose the question one more time: if you’re not going to put Chrome themes where the other Chrome themes go, shouldn’t you at least create a category, Google?

Google has introduced half a dozen new official Chrome themes, but you won’t find them if you click the get themes link on your Personal Stuff menu. No, like the scores of user-created themes out there these new themes from Google have been dropped into the Extensions Gallery.

I’m sure the plan is to list everything in the Gallery at some point (possibly once it’s re-branded as the Web Store?), but it really shouldn’t be hard to give themes their own section on the existing Gallery. Or, you know, post them on the page Chrome takes you to when you click get themes.

The new themes are called Modern, Adaptive, Vibrant, Inventive, Fresh, and Orkut_Hudson. They’re artist-created, and generally not for those of you who like Chrome’s interface to be as unobtrusive as possible — some are downright loud.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder of course — tell us what you think of the new themes in the comments.Google adds more official themes for Chrome — to the Extensions Gallery? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Security, Google, Browsers
When Google began working on a built-in Flash plug-in for Chrome, they cited a handful of key motivations. They wanted a more hassle-free web experience for end users, more modern alternative to the aging NPAPI architecture, better security, and an easier way to deliver updates.

According to the SecBrowsing blog, their update aspirations have been a smashing success.

The traditional Flash updater is easy enough to avoid — I often work on end users systems and see the beleaguered Flash updater crying out for attention from the system tray. Sadly, its cries often go ignored. Chrome’s internal updater, however, can’t be ignored. When there’s a update to the browser or an internal plug-in, by Odin’s beard, you’re going to get it!

Within just two days of the most recent Flash update, fewer than 30% of SecBrowsing visitors were running an out-of-date version. That’s compared to 14 days with the previous release — a substantial improvement.

No comparisons to other browsers are given, but I’ve got to think that Chrome users are well ahead of the curve here.SecBrowsing: Chrome’s bundled Flash is making out-of-date plug-ins history originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.
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Former Manassas teacher Kevin Ricks was charged in federal court Wednesday on child pornography counts in what officials said was an effort to ensure he stays in jail after a plea hearing Thursday on state charges.

Child pornography – Crime – Sex Offenses – United States – Law

KDDI
KLA-TENCOR
KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL

Filed under: Google, Browsers
In general, I prefer Chrome extensions which don’t try to do too much. Do one thing, and do it well is a good general rule, after all. However, once in a while a Swiss-knife extension crops up which is filled to overflowing with useful features and just begs to be installed.

Enter Chrome Pig. Yes, it’s weirdly named. Yes, it includes a somewhat random mish-mosh of features, but dang, are they handy ones. Chrome Pig can:

Screenshot an entire page, the viewable portion, or a selected region
Check Gmail for unread messages (you must be signed in)
Open supported files types in the Google Docs previewer
Edit a page’s CSS to your liking
Re-enable right click on sites which disable it
Search the site you’re currently browsing
Open the current page in IE
Set a clipboard image to your desktop wallpaper

I’ve put the last one in bold because it’s a feature which you would think should be included by default in a Web browser. Firefox, Opera, and IE can all do this, but Chrome can’t? Why? At any rate, problem solved! With Chrome Pig installed, just right click and copy an image, click its browser action button, and set the clipboard image to your wallpaper — it will even resize, center, or tile.

Some of Chrome Pig’s features — lyric search, form fill, and translate, for example — I can do without. The configuration page offers checkboxes to disable unwanted items, though they still appeared in the drop-down after multiple disable/enable attempt and a browser restart. Hopefully the developer will address this issue in a coming update.

That shortcoming aside, I’m happily adding Chrome Pig to my extensions — it’ll replace two other and add a couple additional features which will come in handy.Chrome Pig extension checks Gmail, takes screenshots — and lets you set clipboard images as wallpaper! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

KONINKLIJKE KPN
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LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL

The Toshiba Satellite T235-S1345 is a lightweight ultraportable notebook with a good screen and an attractive, shiny red cover. Our review model, priced at $600, features an AMD Turion II Dual-Core K625 Processor, a 320GB hard drive, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4225 integrated graphics engine, 4GB of…

Satellite – Business – Telecommunications – Wireless – Portable

DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DIODES INORATED
DIEBOLD
DELL
CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR

Filed under: Design
Drips is a fun Flash application that was inspired by the art of legendary American artist Jackson Pollock.
Its functionality is very basic — you splash random colors on the canvas and that’s about it. You can select a specific color or allow Drips to randomly rotate colors every time you let go of the mouse. You can also change the background color (again, either randomly or by selection).
There’s no undo, of course, but I take that to be in the spirit of Pollock himself. One feature that is missing is control over brush size. I’m pretty sure that Pollock would have approved of such a feature.
I don’t think it’s a tool for creating masterpieces, but I like its lack of features. It captures some of the raw fun of just painting (or doodling), without messing about with too many features, brushes, toolbars, etc. I also like the strong, bold, random colors.Drips is a Flash-based painting app that lets you pretend you’re Jackson Pollock originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Fun, Google
From the same news agency that produced that fantastic iPhone ‘Antennagate’ video comes a brief one-minute synopsis of Google’s apparent abandonment of its don’t be evil mantra. If you haven’t been following the news (we haven’t really covered it here on Download Squad), Google is coming to terms with having to be a little more ruthless to maintain its market lead. In turn, this has sparked a lot of commentary about Google being evil.

I don’t think this is as funny as the iPhone video — and it could certainly do with some English subtitles — but it does feature, rather succinctly, all of the pertinent facts. I only really laughed out loud at the dead girl (see image after the break), which pays homage to a British news story from last week. I guess it’s pretty awesome that these guys can pump animations out in just a few days!

[via Gizmodo]
Those crazy Taiwanese have done it again: ‘Google Does Evil’ (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Sometimes you just need a basic laptop that won’t hurt your wallet or your back. Toshiba’s Satellite L645D-S4036 ($550 as of August 16, 2010) strives to fulfill that role. But while all low-cost laptops make some compromises, the L645D sacrifices some usability to achieve its target price.

Toshiba – Laptop – Satellite – Operating Systems – Linux

FAIR ISAAC
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS
F5 NETWORKS
EPICOR SOFTWARE
EMULEX

The MSI GT660, with its powerful nVidia GPU and forceful looks, is aimed squarely at gamers, but it’s also a surprisingly competent desktop replacement laptop. Look past the slightly over-the-top styling, and you’ll find great performance, outstanding input devices, and state-of-the-art…

Games – video game – Gambling – Equipment – United States

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Filed under: Photo, Utilities, web 2.0
When Adobe released an updated Photoshop app for iOS devices, I was more than a little green with envy. I own an Android phone, y’see — and I wanted in on the action! I needn’t have worried though, because as of today, Adobe has released an updated and shiny Photoshop Express for Android app. I’ll review it later today.

Also released on Photoshop.com today are the redesigned Express Editor, Organizer and Uploader. As you can see from the screenshot above, the Editor is both beautiful and full of functionality. The Organizer is very neat, allowing you to sort all of your uploaded photos into albums — plus you can also connect it to Facebook, Flickr, Photobucket and Picasa! The Uploader is a desktop AIR app that basically replicates the Organizer’s uploading capabilities, but it lets you drag-and-drop images into its window. Apparently it also lets you upload PSD files, though I haven’t tried that yet.

I’ve only touched on the features provided by these new tools, and obviously I need to investigate further. If you have a go with them, report your findings in the comments!
Share TweetAdobe updates Photoshop.com, releases Express Editor, Organizer and Android app originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR
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Former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller contends student-athletes should be paid for use of their likenesses.

Video game – Sport – Games – NCAA Games – American Football

QUALCOMM
QUANTA COMPUTER
RESEARCH IN MOTION
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS
SAIC

Facebook is following in the footsteps of younger social-networking sites by adding a “Places” feature that lets you share your real-world location with online friends.

Facebook – Social network – Online Communities – IPhone – Geolocation

DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DIODES INORATED
DIEBOLD
DELL
CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR

Rob Pegoraro answers your questions on recent gadget reviews, technology news and provides personal tech buying and fixing advice.

Washington Post – United States – Rob Pegoraro – Companies – Business

NOKIA
NVIDIA
ORACLE
POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICELINE.COM

Filed under: Utilities, Browser Tips
Historious tries to fill an incredibly tiny niche in the world of online bookmarking, archiving, and saving text for later perusal.
It’s a browser bookmarklet, and its claim to fame is that it involves just a single click. There’s no tagging or anything like that. Once you click the bookmarklet, Historious adds the site to your “personal history.” You can then search your personal history for anything in the text of the article that you wanted to read. The search engine that’s used seems to be a rebranded version of Google Custom Search.
Let’s say that you’ve read an article about honey bees, and months later, you think to yourself, Hmm, where was that article about the bees? You can just go to Historious, search for bees, and voila – there’s your article.
The reason that I feel Historious has a very slim chance of making it big time is that they want money. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with wanting some money, but their business model makes it a paid service.
Delicious, Diigo, Read It Later, Instapaper and, Google Web History are all services that could be used for doing much the same thing; they provide richer functionality and are completely free. Most of these won’t let you search the entire text of the page, though (with the exception of Web History, which is a bit creepy in its own way). But, that aside, I am just not convinced that being able to save my pages without tagging them first is worth US$19.85 per year (they do offer a free option, but it’s just up to 1,000 links).Historious lets you easily recall where you browsed, but the price tag is a killer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.
FISERV
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GRUPO IUSACELL

Apple will host a launch event for its "latest creation" in San Francisco on Jan. 27, in what many media and analysts expect will be the rollout for the long-rumored tablet PC. At the same time, several media outlets are reporting Apple in negotiations with HarperCollins Publishers, and possibly other publishing houses, to port content onto the hypothetical device. Although Apple has refused to officially confirm it is working on a tablet PC, months of rumors and analyst conjecture have driven chatter that the company is indeed developing something big. – Apple will debut its quot;latest creation quot; in San
Francisco on Jan. 27, according to an official invite
sent to media and analysts, who widely expect the device in question to be a
tablet PC.

In typical Apple fashion, the invitation itself is short on details and
big on style, featurin…

HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES

Your PC is a video store–and it’s killing off brick-and-mortar video stores even as we speak. Your computer can give you prime-time TV at any time of the day or night, too. It’s also a source of shows you love on cable TV, minus the cable bill.

Personal computer – Games – Video Games – News and Reviews – Awards

BT GROUP
CANON
CDW
CHINA MOBILE
CISCO SYSTEMS

Filed under: Microsoft, Retrocomputing
Today marks an important date in Windows history: the release of Windows 95.

Yes, 15 years ago I was in my university dorm ogling a friend’s just-purchased copy of the 95 Upgrade, wondering how awesome my DX2/66 would be once I had replaced my factory-original Windows 3.11. Similarly fond-but-geeky memories of playing Doom deathmatches over our null modem cable also come rushing back…

It’s actually pretty impressive (or depressing, perhaps?) that the Windows interface introduced in 95 remained pretty much the same all the way up until the release of Vista. Windows 95 also marked a big leap forward for PCs as a gaming platform, heralded the introduction of USB support, and also spawned a generation of BSOD-related headaches.

Ahh, memories! Share your Windows 95-related ones in the comments!

[Seb's note: I just checked the Doom Wiki page, and this is what it says: "In late 1995, Doom was estimated to be installed on more computers worldwide than Microsoft's new operating system Windows 95, despite million-dollar advertising" campaigns for the latter."]

[via TechRadar]
Share TweetHappy 15th, Windows 95! originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.
D-LINK

At this point, there’s no difficulty in finding a media player for your HDTV. You’ve got plenty of options, from Roku to Popcorn Hour to everywhere in between. But up until this point, Sony has managed to stay mostly out of this up and coming sector. But the company that has spent the majority of their time lately pushing 3D is finally moving forward with their own set-top box, the Netbox SMP-N100. It’s a networked media player, which means that it can pull content from local USB sources as well as network hard

CDW
CHINA MOBILE
CISCO SYSTEMS
COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
COMCAST

Garmin is known for its stand-alone GPS navigation devices , but not for its phone design. Now the company is stepping into the phone market with its Garminfone ($200 with a two-year T-Mobile contract, as of August 9, 2010), a device that distinguishes itself not in its physical design but in the…

Android – T-Mobile – Garmin – Handhelds – Smartphone

INVENTEC
KDDI
KLA-TENCOR
KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH

Filed under: Utilities, Windows
When Microsoft revealed the first beta version of Windows Live Essentials, a number of Live Mesh users were a little miffed. In addition to dropping the name, Microsoft dialed back the free storage space from 5GB to 2GB.

Today, however, they’ve announced that they’re going to take a mulligan and un-re-name Live Sync. It’s going to be called Live Mesh after all, and more importantly you’re also going to get that extra 3GB of space back.

Mesh probably makes more sense anyway, what with Sync including the desktop remote functionality. But hey, who gives a rat’s patoot about the name when you can now cram in more than double the digital crud? Who knows, maybe some day they’ll open the floodgates and let us have Mesh access to the whole 25GB SkyDrive theoretically offers…Windows Live Sync dies, zombie Live Mesh is reborn originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SIEMENS FAIR ISAAC
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Transmedia has introduced the new Glide OS 4.0, a cloud-based operating system that is ad-free, full of great productivity apps and best of all is compatible with the Apple iPad. It has great syncing capabilities and runs right from your iPad’s browser. It operates like an online mobile desktop. With Glide OS you can share [...]

LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS

Q: What are the right privacy settings for Facebook’s “Places” feature?

Facebook – Privacy – Security – Social network – Protocols

ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS
SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS

Rob Pegoraro answers your questions on recent gadget reviews, technology news and provides personal tech buying and fixing advice.

IPhone – Apple – Smartphone – Handhelds – iPhone 4

DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY
EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.

Apple will host a launch event for its "latest creation" in San Francisco on Jan. 27, in what many media and analysts expect will be the rollout for the long-rumored tablet PC. At the same time, several media outlets are reporting Apple in negotiations with HarperCollins Publishers, and possibly other publishing houses, to port content onto the hypothetical device. Although Apple has refused to officially confirm it is working on a tablet PC, months of rumors and analyst conjecture have driven chatter that the company is indeed developing something big. – Apple will debut its quot;latest creation quot; in San
Francisco on Jan. 27, according to an official invite
sent to media and analysts, who widely expect the device in question to be a
tablet PC.

In typical Apple fashion, the invitation itself is short on details and
big on style, featurin…

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Filed under: Fun, Google
From the same news agency that produced that fantastic iPhone ‘Antennagate’ video comes a brief one-minute synopsis of Google’s apparent abandonment of its don’t be evil mantra. If you haven’t been following the news (we haven’t really covered it here on Download Squad), Google is coming to terms with having to be a little more ruthless to maintain its market lead. In turn, this has sparked a lot of commentary about Google being evil.

I don’t think this is as funny as the iPhone video — and it could certainly do with some English subtitles — but it does feature, rather succinctly, all of the pertinent facts. I only really laughed out loud at the dead girl (see image after the break), which pays homage to a British news story from last week. I guess it’s pretty awesome that these guys can pump animations out in just a few days!

[via Gizmodo]
Those crazy Taiwanese have done it again: ‘Google Does Evil’ (video) originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Transmedia has introduced the new Glide OS 4.0, a cloud-based operating system that is ad-free, full of great productivity apps and best of all is compatible with the Apple iPad. It has great syncing capabilities and runs right from your iPad’s browser. It operates like an online mobile desktop. With Glide OS you can share [...]

SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS

Filed under: Google, VoIP
Now that I — like a number of our international readers — have the voice calling feature in my Gmail inbox, I fully intend to use it at least occasionally. Which is why I’m thankful this handy tip was posted over at Google OS this morning.

If you’re outside the U.S. do not click the upgrade your account button. As you can see, the results are less than thrilling — you’ll lose access to the feature.

Hopefully Google will hide the button from non-U.S. users in the near future, but for now just resist the temptation to click and you should be OK!
Outside the U.S. ? Don’t try to upgrade Voice in Gmail originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Short Description: 

The Droid Incredible's on the verge of Android 2.2, the original Droid gets Flash, more hardware news than we know what to do with, and more of your e-mails and voicemails.

Podcast MP3 URL: 

http://media.libsyn.com/media/androidcentral/acpc27.mp3

Top o’ the news – OS updates galore Droid Incredible’s Sept. 1 Froyo rumor a bust, but  the RUU is out there already (Updated with screen shots, root link)Droid Incredible Froyo update: Benchmark, full details, screenshots (Update: Plus, a possible OTA date)Verizon announces it’s pushing Droid update to enable FlashThe Android Central Interview – Adobe’s Ryan StewartFroyo update for the Evo 4G is now rootableHands-on with Android 2.2 on the Droid XMotorola Droid 2 gets minor OTA updateMotorola Droid 2 rootedDevour won’t be getting Android 2.1; Motorola updates other time linesVodafone UK’s HTC Desire starts Froyo rollout Hardware news Sept. 9 a possible launch date for the Verizon Fascinate, tie-in with MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12Samsung Galaxy S and Gorilla Glass combine powersSamsung Galaxy S Gorilla Glass demo — Korean styleEpic 4G user manual now availableSamsung Vibrant, Captivate SIM unlock codes are hidden on the phonesSlew of Verizon phones may see end of life in March 2011HTC Legend hits end of life on BellMotorola Droid 2 reviewDroid Pro is a Droid 2 with global support; LG enV2 Touch to be Android-poweredHTC Desire review (U.S. Cellular version)LG Optimus Z ReviewMotorola MB520 Kobe breaks cover, may be codenamed ‘Diablo’Motorola Quench XT5 specs revealed, not quenching your thirst for FroyoT-Mobile’s G2 spotted in the wildT-Mobile G2 testing ROM leakedG2 confirmed to use MSM7×30 CPU; other new devices rumored to as wellT-Mobile HTC G2 (or maybe the Glacier) visits the FCCNexus One too popular even with devs, is now on backorderDell Thunder Android protoype gets a thorough hands onMotorola Flipout shows off itself in a demo videoT-Mobile Charm available todayKyocera Zio now available on CricketDell Aero available today from Dell for $99, later from AT&TSamsung releases official teaser for the Galaxy Tab coming Sept. 2 in BerlinSamsung Galaxy Tab caught on video again, this time for a close-upGalaxy Tab video preview shows up in KoreaSamsung Galaxy Tab can’t keep itself secret, shows up in more picturesSamsung Galaxy Tab supposedly spotted in the wild App news Developer: Android is a viable revenue stream, posts numbers to prove itGoogle responds to app piracy primerAndroid’s Amazon MP3 app updated to allow for gift/promo codesAndroid App Review: Galcon [video]Taking Android back to school — apps every student should haveLookout — a full security solution for your Android phoneAndroid Quick App: Zune Home launcherAndroid Quick App: WorldmateGoogle Earth updated to 1.1, brings the exploration of the oceansGoogle Finance cleans up for AndroidTwitter for Android updated to 1.0.3Samsung Media Hub ‘coming soon’ Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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If Microsoft Bing looks a trifle different this morning, it’s because the search engine’s design team says it wants to make finding safe, dependable casual games and sleuthing for mainstream video game cheats and tips easier. I took the refinements for a test-drive, and after poking around the new…

Bing – Video game – Games – Microsoft – Search

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CANON
CDW

Transmedia has introduced the new Glide OS 4.0, a cloud-based operating system that is ad-free, full of great productivity apps and best of all is compatible with the Apple iPad. It has great syncing capabilities and runs right from your iPad’s browser. It operates like an online mobile desktop. With Glide OS you can share [...]

LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR
MOBILE TELESYSTEMS

Lenovo generally means business. The company’s ThinkPad laptop line (introduced by IBM in 1992) is an industry standard, outfitting countless road warriors with characteristically somber black boxes. But the IdeaCentre B500 ($1400, as configured) is anything but plain.

Lenovo – Shopping – Business – SlashGear – Performance and Capacity

HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.

Battery Optimizer ($30, feature-limited demo) is a small application designed to perform various tasks that improve battery life on a laptop PC. The first thing it does when you start it up is provide a nice big graphic detailing battery life in percentage and time. It calculates battery life its…

Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – Business – Cases and Accessories – Batteries

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AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING
AVNET
BHARTI AIRTEL
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Facebook is following in the footsteps of younger social-networking sites by adding a “Places” feature that lets you share your real-world location with online friends.

Facebook – Social network – Online Communities – IPhone – Geolocation

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AT&T
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AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING

Facebook – Social network – Online Communities – iPhone – Geolocation

DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY
EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.

We had no reason to think that Virgin Mobile USA was kidding around with their new Broadband2Go teaser on the company’s Facebook page, but now it’s official. And it may very well up-end the mobile broadband industry. With post-paid carriers looking more and more these days like money hungry pipes, the pre-paid options are looking more and more suitable. And if you’re in need of a new mobile Internet source, Virgin Mobile has the best deal going. The new Broadband2Go plan has added a $40/month option that doesn’t

AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL
APPLE COMPUTER
APPLIED MATERIALS

Q: I just upgraded from a TiVo Series 2 to a high-definition TiVo. How do I transfer my old recordings to the new box?

TiVo – Digital video recorder – Hardware – Set-Top Boxes – United States

APPLIED MATERIALS
ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT
ARROW ELECTRONICS
ASML HOLDING
ASUSTEK COMPUTER

In my review of the original Alienware M11x , I called the system a revelation for gamers: Finally, here was an ultraportable laptop with enough muscle to play the latest games at good quality and performance levels and without worrying about anemic battery life. Recently, Alienware updated the M11x…

Alienware – Dell – Hardware – Business – Personal computer

LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR
MOBILE TELESYSTEMS

No matter where you are in the world you can easily monitor your security cameras from anywhere with your iPad using the uNetCams Multiple IP Camera Viewer app. This app streams MJPEG video feeds from your IP network cameras in real-time and has many useful features. Whether you have just one camera or hundreds of [...]

PRICELINE.COM
QIMONDA
QUALCOMM
QUANTA COMPUTER
RESEARCH IN MOTION

The United Arab Emirates said Sunday it will suspend BlackBerry services because the device doesn’t comply with local telecom regulations. But advocates of global Internet freedom said the move appears to be an attempt to crack open and monitor communications technology as the use of mobile phone…

United Arab Emirates – BlackBerry – Smartphone – Handhelds – Research In Motion

FISERV
GOOGLE
GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES

Apple bought mobile ad network Quattro Wireless. Quattro confirmed the purchase, which AllThingsDigital said was worth $275 million. The deal could accelerate the growing war between Apple and Google, friends quickly turned enemies in the pitched battle for the mobile Web. Chris Dixon, co-founder of decision engine Hunch and an investor in multiple properties, argued that Apple’s interest in Quattro must be about ads in mobile apps. –

Apple has acquired mobile ad network Quattro Wireless in
a deal worth a reported $275 million, or roughly one third of what Google bid
to buy mobile ad provider AdMob.
Andy Miller, formerly Quattro CEO and co-founder but now
Apple’s vice president of mobile advertising, confirmed t…

INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
INVENTEC
KDDI
KLA-TENCOR

Can we call it the PlayStation 3.5 now? Yet another version of Sony’s PlayStation 3 video-game console/Blu-ray player is on the way, bringing more storage and a new wireless controller akin to Nintendo’s Wiimote.

PlayStation 3 – Hardware – Storage – Sony – Video Games

ASUSTEK COMPUTER
AT&T
AUTODESK
AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING
AVNET

Apple released the all new Apple iPad April 3rd. Already over 300,000 have been sold, with lines forming around the country. Apples pitch is that its the best way to experience the web, email, photos and video. The thin, and light iPad (its only 1.5 pounds) features a 9.7 inch high resolution screen that enables users to watch HD movies, TV shows, podcasts and music videos. It also features a vivid LED-backlit IPS display, ideal for photo slideshows or Keynote presentations. You can surf the web, listen to music or even read a book with it. The iPad also has built-in 802.11n wireless capabilities and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, which lets you connect to devices like wireless headphones or the Apple Wireless Keyboard. So well take a in depth look at it. Evaluate its pros and cons and let in on what the reviewers are saying from across the web. – Video Content.

EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.
FISERV
GOOGLE
GRUPO IUSACELL

Filed under: Games, Linux
Well, so much for hints, Linux users. While it initially looked as though Valve’s gaming behemoth was headed your way when the Mac client arrived, that may not actually be the case.

In an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, Valve’s VP of Marketing Doug Lombardi has bad news for Linux gamers: “There’s no Linux version that we’re working on right now.”

Sorry to take the Steam out of your locomotives. But hey, look on the bright side — Lombardi didn’t say they weren’t going to work on it in the future or that they had never worked on a Linux version. If you like reading into things, his phrasing leaves plenty of room for speculation.

[via Web Upd8]Valve VP: We’re not working on Steam for Linux originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

ALLTEL
AMAZON.COM
AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Rotate and Roll is a game about balls. However, it can rapidly turn into a game about balls plummeting towards inevitable doom, unless you play it wisely.
The balls in question are on a plank. Sometimes it’s just one lonely ball per level, and sometimes there are as many as four. When you press the arrow keys, the entire level rotates. Obviously, the board tilts, and the ball starts rolling.
If it rolls off the screen, you’re out. You’re trying to get it to roll into that large ball that you see at the bottom of the screenshot. When it gets there, you win, and you get to go on to the next level.
Sometimes your ball needs to collect something before it can go on to the next level. For instance, you may need to pick up that coin-like thing, which you can see toward the upper right corner of the screenshot (on the right plank). So, you’d have to rotate the level to the right, collect the coin, gently tilt back to the left until your ball falls onto the lower plank, and go from there to the big ball.
Of course, this being a physics game, velocity matters. You don’t want to rotate too quickly, but you can do some neat tricks by rotating very fast and “bouncing” the balls off of level elements.
The atmosphere is pretty soothing; there’s nice acoustic guitar in the background, and the whole thing is pretty serene. It’s quite a fun little game!Rotate and Roll is a liquid physics Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES

Looking to beef up your storage potential? Who isn’t, right? Buffalo is one of the bigger names in the dedicated storage business, and today they are refreshing their DriveStation family. That’s a pretty robust family, with the DriveStation Duo and DriveStation Quad (formerly Quattro) seeing updates. The new multi-drive external units ship with NovaBACKUP Business Essentials, and if you aren’t in need of multiple drives just yet, the newly announced DriveStation Axis should be perfect given its single-drive

NANYA TECHNOLOGY
NII HOLDINGS
NIKON
NINTENDO
NOKIA

Filed under: Design, Google, Imaging Tips
Picasa 3.8 was unleashed upon the world a couple of days ago. It brings with it several major features, such as Batch Upload, something called “Face Movie,” which creates an animation out of a series of images of the same person, and last but certainly not least, Picnik photo editing.
That’s right – Picasa can now upload your photo seamlessly to Picnik, and it allows you to edit it there, then you can download it back when you’re done. Google says Picnik is “photo-editing awesomeness that lives in the cloud.” I had to see how awesome it really was for myself, so I took the feature for an extensive spin with a photo of a fluffly white poodle. To see the results, keep reading after the fold.So, as you’ve seen in the screenshot heading this post, the first thing that happens when you click the Edit in Picnik button is that you get this prompt. This is but one of a series of prompts and progress bars that you’ll get to enjoy before being able to actually edit your photo, as you shall soon see. Fortunately, this one can optionally be switched off using that little checkbox at the bottom.

So you’ve clicked OK, now here comes the first progress bar. This one is actually a throbber, if you want to get technical about it, but it does have a percentage count. It immediately jumped to 100% and stayed there for a while, then I got to see the next progress bar.

Yes! Progress is being made, indeed! We’re done with the first bar, and now we get to experience Picnik’s humorous progress bar, including such indicators as “Warming breeze” and “Laying blankets.” Aren’t progress bars fun?

Okay, we’re done with that progress bar, too! Here comes the next one. This one is all business; it says “Loading” and has cogwheels, and the percentage is moving quite rapidly on my 10Mbps connection. It’s all very … progressive.

Okay, that was the last of the progress bars. They will be missed, I’m sure. Now we’re finally in Picnik with our photo. This is pretty neat because it doesn’t open in an external window; it’s gracefully embedded right into Picasa.

By default, Picnik loads with the “Edit” tab. This is a bit of a UI design oversight, I think. As you can see, you can Auto-fix, Rotate, Crop, Resize, adjust Exposure, etc. (everything Picasa already lets you do). In other words, after all of these progress bars, the first functionality you see is what you’ve had on your own computer just a couple of moments ago.

So, I switched tabs and went to Create. While there isn’t a screenshot of the bar itself, you get a nice strip of effects down the left side of the image. Most effects have a couple of settings, and the image is adjusted on the fly (kind of like a preview in Photoshop). If you have sharp eyes, you’ll see a subtly-labeled “premium” feature tucked in there and mixed in with the other functions.

You’d have to be sharper-eyed than I am, though. I just clicked that button, and I got this massive banner in my face. Get more with Picnik Premium. Okay, … this begs a couple of questions: (1) Why are the Premium features mixed so randomly into the “regular” features? (2) As a Picasa user, I obviously like my photo management software free (otherwise I’d go for Lightroom). So, … why can’t I just opt out of it altogether?

Here’s my image after applying one effect to it. I must say, the effects are very neat and impressive. I was very happy with this result.

Ah, yet another premium annoyance. You get the banner only for the first time, but then, whenever you click a Premium feature, you get this strip overlaid on the lower left corner of your image. I get it, Picnik — we all need to make money. But why mix those features in like that?

And another close-up of a Premium-labeled effect button.

In a previous screenshot, I’ve shown you the result of a full-image effect, or in other words, a “filter.” But there are also effects that come with a brush; this is one of them (a smudge tool).

Here comes another annoyance! There I was, editing my photo for several minutes, when suddenly a massive pop-up is shown on the lower right corner. It exclaimed “That’s a huge photo!” Uh, … why tell me now? I’ve been working with it for a while now, and things were going fine. Possibly, it’s because Picnik felt that it made “things run slowly,” but honestly (and to Picnik’s credit), I felt that it was very responsive all throughout. There was no real need for this pop-up, and I found the style a bit too bold.

Okay, I’m all done editing my photo, and now I want to retrieve it from “the cloud.” Picasa/Picnik thoughtfully asks me whether I’d like to replace the photo or save a new copy. I opted to save a new copy, and this function worked perfectly. It was very nice and very smooth.

Oh, I forget, … it took a while, though. It was busy “Processing.”

And here’s the result! It’s the same poodle, but it’s very artsy.

And here’s a side-by-side of the original and the modified photo. I love what Picnik let me do to this photo! That’s really cool.

The good:

Tightly integrated with Picasa
Beautiful effects
Fast and responsive

The bad:

Premium features randomly sprinkled all over the place
Integration with the cloud involves a ton of progress bars, even with a fast connection
First tab you see lets you do all the stuff you can already do in Picasa anyway

Bottom line: If you have a progress-bar fetish, you’re going to love the Picasa/Picnik combo. Otherwise, … meh. I mean, the resulting image is very nice, but the experience is marred by annoyances that could probably be avoided.DLS Review: Picasa 3.8 released, now with Picnik editor originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Design
Drips is a fun Flash application that was inspired by the art of legendary American artist Jackson Pollock.
Its functionality is very basic — you splash random colors on the canvas and that’s about it. You can select a specific color or allow Drips to randomly rotate colors every time you let go of the mouse. You can also change the background color (again, either randomly or by selection).
There’s no undo, of course, but I take that to be in the spirit of Pollock himself. One feature that is missing is control over brush size. I’m pretty sure that Pollock would have approved of such a feature.
I don’t think it’s a tool for creating masterpieces, but I like its lack of features. It captures some of the raw fun of just painting (or doodling), without messing about with too many features, brushes, toolbars, etc. I also like the strong, bold, random colors.Drips is a Flash-based painting app that lets you pretend you’re Jackson Pollock originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Security, Google, Browsers
When Google began working on a built-in Flash plug-in for Chrome, they cited a handful of key motivations. They wanted a more hassle-free web experience for end users, more modern alternative to the aging NPAPI architecture, better security, and an easier way to deliver updates.

According to the SecBrowsing blog, their update aspirations have been a smashing success.

The traditional Flash updater is easy enough to avoid — I often work on end users systems and see the beleaguered Flash updater crying out for attention from the system tray. Sadly, its cries often go ignored. Chrome’s internal updater, however, can’t be ignored. When there’s a update to the browser or an internal plug-in, by Odin’s beard, you’re going to get it!

Within just two days of the most recent Flash update, fewer than 30% of SecBrowsing visitors were running an out-of-date version. That’s compared to 14 days with the previous release — a substantial improvement.

No comparisons to other browsers are given, but I’ve got to think that Chrome users are well ahead of the curve here.SecBrowsing: Chrome’s bundled Flash is making out-of-date plug-ins history originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
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To pay tribute to the hot, lazy days of summer, we’re giving away some equally HOT new hardware in conjunction with our friends at MSI! This time around, you could win a pair of MSI N460GTX Cyclone 1GB GeForce GTX 460 cards for some SLI action and an awesome MSI Big Bang-XPower motherboard. In addition, for the duration of the contest, we’ll also be giving away 10 copies of the DX11 and PhysX-enabled game Metro 2033! As we’ve done with previous sweepstakes, we’ll be giving this prize package away to a

SIEMENS FAIR ISAAC
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS
F5 NETWORKS
EPICOR SOFTWARE

Twice this year, I’ve had a chance to review the Phone of the Month, then failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Smartphone – Nokia – Home – Apple – Market share

FISERV
GOOGLE
GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES

Apple has rejected an update to the “Read It Later” iPhone app. It appears the reason is a strange one: the app requires a pre-registered account to function. Read It Later (both Pro and Free) allows users to bookmark and save pages for offline reading, and to sync your reading list between your iPhone, iPad, computers, and browsers. In a blog post, the developer (Nate Weiner) notes that the latest version 2.2, was rejected for a confusing set of reasons (emphasis his): “Hello Nathan, Thank you for submitting

ACER
ADOBE SYSTEMS
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS
ALLTEL

You work from home and there’s no power. You work from an office and there’s no power. You are a worker without a work station.

Photography – Business – Shopping – Arts – Cameras and Camcorders

AUTODESK
AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING
AVNET
BHARTI AIRTEL
BT GROUP

You have to take care of your stuff–all of it. Like your car and your house, your electronic gadgets big and small need to stay clean and protected from accidents.

High-definition television – Camera – Business – Arts and Entertainment – Television

COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
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Filed under: Design
Drips is a fun Flash application that was inspired by the art of legendary American artist Jackson Pollock.
Its functionality is very basic — you splash random colors on the canvas and that’s about it. You can select a specific color or allow Drips to randomly rotate colors every time you let go of the mouse. You can also change the background color (again, either randomly or by selection).
There’s no undo, of course, but I take that to be in the spirit of Pollock himself. One feature that is missing is control over brush size. I’m pretty sure that Pollock would have approved of such a feature.
I don’t think it’s a tool for creating masterpieces, but I like its lack of features. It captures some of the raw fun of just painting (or doodling), without messing about with too many features, brushes, toolbars, etc. I also like the strong, bold, random colors.Drips is a Flash-based painting app that lets you pretend you’re Jackson Pollock originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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APPLE COMPUTER
APPLIED MATERIALS
ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT
ARROW ELECTRONICS
ASML HOLDING

At Hot Chips 22 today, AMD will be discussing new details of its Bobcat and Bulldozer processors—but don’t be surprised if some of the new information sounds familiar. With the exception of a few tidbits on Bobcat’s architecture and a new Bulldozer block diagram, much of what the company discussed with us recently was revealed last November at the company’s Analyst Day. For those of you who might not keep up with the company’s roadmap, here’s the current situation. Llano, the 32nm

DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY
EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.
FISERV

A patent application doesn’t necessarily mean such an idea will ever see the light of day, but iPhone jailbreakers should take note of this news, anyway. Apple has reportedly applied for patent for methodology of not just detecting jailbroken or unlocked iPhones, but also killing them, if necessary. It’s true that if you read carefully through this patent application, it seems a lot of it is focused on security: detecting unauthorized users through various means, and sending an alert to a device or restricting

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LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON

DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
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Tweet Most people around the globe have heard of the iPad by now, even in areas where it’s not yet being sold. The iPad no longer needs an introduction but it will become available in 9 more countries this Friday. Apple’s trend setting gadget, tablet computer, or whatever you’d like to refer to it as, [...]

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Filed under: Utilities, Features, Op-Ed
What the Zuk is a (very) occasional feature, in which I review software that I have been using for many years, and which is instrumental for my work. These are the first tools I install on every new system, the reliable work-horse applications I turn to for every need. In every installment I will try to explain what makes this particular program special, and why I find it so vital for my computing experience.
Today’s What the Zuk is about Stickies, which is an utterly fantastic sticky note program which has been an essential part of my workflow for years. So, here we go:
Remember the Milk, Google Tasks, GQueues, Toodledo … I could go on. The number of ways I have tried to keep track of my sprawling to-do list over the years is truly massive. After all, trying to figure out what’s the best way to manage one’s tasks is an advanced form of procrastination. So I’ve ended up trying just about any task management system I was able to lay my hands on – some for just an hour or two, and some for weeks or even months.
And somehow, I always find myself going back to the cluttered simplicity of sticky notes. I don’t know – maybe it’s just me, but there’s something about the visual nature of sticky notes which works very well for me.
I have a dual-monitor setup. My secondary monitor usually carries at least 4-5 sticky notes, if not more. If a note becomes urgent, I can make the font larger. If I have a ton of notes and I want to make one stick out, I can change its color.
There’s something deceptive about a to-do list, for me. Sometimes the mere act of putting an item on a to-do list is almost like doing it. I mean, the list is so nice and orderly, and now that the item is there, it is “no longer bugging me”. It can rest in peace in the cozy nest of the list, until it’s completely forgotten.Conversely, there is something irritating about a sticky note taking up precious wallpaper space. It’s always right there, in front of me. I don’t have to look at the to-do list to see that it’s there – the task is calling out to me, “come on, get this over with already!”
After all, I usually don’t need reminders for the stuff I feel like doing. The tricky things are those I don’t really feel like doing, but have to do anyway. Hiding them in some to-do list which I have to actively look at is really not workable for me.
Okay, but so far I have only touched upon the concept of sticky notes and why use them. But there are numerous sticky notes programs on the market, some of them free. Why go for Stickies?
In a nutshell, this is an absolutely incredible sticky-note program. It does everything I could possibly wish for (save for just one thing — at the end of this post), and is very graceful. I won’t list all of its numerous features, just list those I personally use time and again, and find invaluable.

Lightweight and fast: Stickies is super-fast, despite being powerful. It never lags on me, no matter what I do. Creating a sticky note is instantaneous – I can create it just as soon as I think of it. Very responsive.
System-wide hotkeys: Again, speed is key in catching fleeting ideas or even jotting down tasks. Thanks to Stickies’ system-wide hotkeys, it’s so convenient to use I never want to switch to any other solution. Win+S creates a new sticky note in the middle of the primary monitor, no matter what window is currently active. So I just hit Win+S, type whatever I want, and I’m done with it. And if the screen is too cluttered and I want some peace and quiet, Win+Shift+S hides all of the stickies instantly. There are several other hotkeys, all configurable, but these are the two I use.
Sticky-specific hotkeys: Ctrl-D closes a sticky; Ctrl-Shift-A sets a reminder for later. Ctrl-T sets it to always-on-top … there are many others, but you get the picture. You almost never need the mouse. Again, the whole thing is optimized for speed.
Reminders: Ah, the cornerstone of my personal time management system. You can set a reminder as soon as you create the sticky, and optionally set the sticky to sleep until the time comes. It then vanishes from view, only to pop up right when you need it, with a very irritating (and effective) “vibrating” effect that simply cannot be ignored. Once it has popped up, you can right-click it and “snooze” it for ten minutes (configurable). You can set the reminders to a specific date and time, or set them for a certain interval (“in 10 minutes”). It even supports recurring reminders!
Keeps closed stickies: This is a very handy feature. When I close a sticky (Ctrl-D), it’s not gone for good. For quite some time after I closed it (30 days, I think, or more), I can still go into the Manage Stickies window and search for it. It’s all right there, and I can easily restore it. It keeps its original position, size, and formatting.
Sticky storage: This is a fairly rare use, but sometimes there’s a tidbit of information I just need to have on hand. Maybe it’s a tracking number I will need in a week, or anything else I just need to have handy but I don’t want cluttering my workspace. I can create a sticky note and then store it in any number of categories. Stored notes are never deleted, and are always searchable and accessible from the Manage Stickies window.
Rich Text and RTL support: RTL means Right-to-Left, the way Hebrew and Arabic go. Stickies handles Hebrew without a hitch, which is a nice bonus for me. Also, its support for rich text means I can make any text bold, italic, underlined etc. and play with font sizes so as to create the exact visual impact I wish to convey. It’s like making a bumper sticker for myself.
Support for Hyperlinks: Related, but somewhat different, is the fact Stickies support Web links. It makes them clickable. You can’t link to other Stickies like you do with Tomboy notes on Linux, but still, it’s a very handy feature.
Image Stickies: A few weeks ago, I had to remember a small range of cells in an Excel sheet. The whole table was the result of a calculation, and I wanted to keep it for a week or two. I just copied it, hit Win+S to create a new sticky, and pasted it. What got pasted was a screenshot of that range of cells in Excel! Beautiful, elegant and smart. Rather than messing about with OLE or trying to link into the Excel sheet, I just got a screenshot. Of course, when I copy/paste from Word or from the Web I get editable text. But it’s very handy to be able to paste an image right into a sticky.
Sticky titles: You can easily (Ctrl-Shift-T) set the title for any sticky you’re working with. Then you can double-click the sticky’s title bar to collapse it, and you’re left with just the title. The visual reminder is still there, but it’s not as obtrusive.
Sticky styles: What if I always mark my “urgent” stickies with a red background and a large font size, and my “personal” stickies with a light blue background? No problem! Stickies supports up to 9 visual styles, each with its own hotkey (1-9, I believe).

There’s a ton of other features I haven’t touched on, such as text highlighting (changing the background of just part of the text), other hotkeys (Ctrl + or Ctrl – to change font size), custom skins, setting per-sticky opacity … really, this is a powerhouse. But still, there was one feature I really needed, which was missing:

I work in several distinct “contexts” using the same machine. There’s the day job, there’s Download Squad, there are my own projects … so at any given time, at least several stickies taking up space on my monitor were reminding me to do things which are not relevant – things which I actually should not do right this minute.

I wrote Tom Revell, Stickies’ developer, and asked for his advice on this. Stickies has an open, powerful API, and I was looking for a way to only show a subset of stickies, appropriate for a given context.
In response, Tom released a great add-on called Scoop. It’s a utility which “scoops” stickies according to certain properties. As you can see on the screenshot, it lets you perform batch operations based on a number of sticky properties. It’s not just hide or show, either – you can roll them up or down, set their skin, etc. Want to hide all of your always-on-top stickies in one fell swoop? No problem!
When you run Scoop, one more thing happens: the context menu for each sticky gets a new entry, titled Set Category which does just that. There’s no category list or key-binding yet (remember, this is bleeding-edge stuff) but you can set a category and then hide/show all stickies in a given category, or do anything else you want to do with them. Beautiful!
Share TweetWhat the Zuk: Stickies is the best sticky-note application money can’t buy originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 23 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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It’s no secret that the customized design, features, and loadouts of performance PCs tend to get more unusual and awe-inspiring the higher up the price list one goes. That’s not to say that excellent inexpensive systems don’t exist; it’s just that the true Everests of the computing world demand a…

Meteorology – Storm Chasing – Earth Sciences – Atmospheric Sciences – United States

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EMC
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GOOGLE

The raw performance of the Micro Express Microflex 88B desktop is admirable, and the system’s price of $1299 price (as of June 7, 2010) is quite reasonable for the category. But competing systems on PCWorld’s Top 10 Performance Desktop PCs chart trump it on general performance and on gaming-test…

Business – Hardware – Transportation and Logistics – Powerwave Technologies – Pharmaceutical drug

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The Fourth of July should not be a day to stay indoors and fuss with computers, gadgets or any of the other things discussed here every week.

Hardware – Industry-Specific – Technical Evaluations and Product Reviews – Retailers – Shopping

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Updated 6/25/2010 to offer greater detail on our testing methodology and add sample video clips from each phone to the video comparison section .

IPhone – Android – Smartphone – Handhelds – Apple

NIKON
NINTENDO
NOKIA
NVIDIA
ORACLE

Q: When I tried to connect to a secure site, my browser displayed an error warning that “there is a problem with this site’s security certificate” that strongly advised me to back out. Was it not safe?

Security – Consultants – General and Freelance – United States – Business

NANYA TECHNOLOGY
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NIKON
NINTENDO
NOKIA

SAN FRANCISCO — The more phones that hit the market using Google’s Android operating software, the harder it is for each offering to stand out from the black-and-silver crowd.

Android – Consumer Electronics – Handhelds – Google – Shopping

HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
INVENTEC

 Mellisa Thompson, of Salford, England, has broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest texter, using Swype on a Samsung Galaxy S with a time of 25.94 seconds.  The previous record of 35.54 seconds, held by Franklin Page of the U.S. was also set using a Samsung phone (the Omnia II) using Swype.  We’re glad to see this one come to Android For all the aspiring record breakers out there, the "official" text used is:"The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."Punctuation and capitalization counts, so none of that ez txt spk.  Unfortunately, Swype is still in closed beta, so we can’t help you there.  If you have what it takes, fire up the camera and send in a video — we’ll see that it gets to the right place if you can beat the record!  [Google News]Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

APPLE COMPUTER
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ASML HOLDING

If you’re looking for a portable multimedia machine, the Gateway NV5933u–which features an Intel Core i3 processor and a Blu-ray Disc player–might be for you. This 15.6-inch all-purpose laptop multitasks with ease, and it even has a number pad next to its big, flat keyboard. Our review model,…

Movies – Arts – Home Video – Blu-ray and HD – Games

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DELL
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Filed under: Productivity, Google, Browsers
Stylebot is a Chrome add-on that provides a point-and-click interface for customizing the CSS on any page, and then it saves your customizations for next time — and if you have bookmark sync turned on, it even syncs them for you!
The way that it works is very simple. In Selection mode, each element on the page gets a highlighted frame when you hover over it. As soon as you get the element that you want, just click it. Any CSS declarations that you then specify are applied to that element.
“Specifying CSS declarations” sounds pretty technical, but it’s basically clicking a bunch of buttons. You need to know a bit of CSS to make good use of the add-on, but it’s also a very good way to learn. Of course, if you do know your CSS, you can just switch to Advanced mode and hand code it instead.
A few missing features:

Up/down keys do not work for incrementing/decrementing values. That’s a must-have Greasemonkey feature!

Existing font sizes (and other properties) are not displayed. This means that, if I want to increase the font size of an existing element, I need to start by guessing what the current size is. Then, I need to nudge it up by entering (say) 12, deleting, entering 13, deleting, entering 17, deleting, entering 15, etc. It rapidly gets annoying. Up/down keystroke support + showing the currently selected font size would go a long way towards alleviating this.

There’s no simple way to undo a single change. You can either reset everything you’ve done, or you can manually edit the CSS in order to remove the change (if your CSS chops are up to the task).

Other than those few things, it’s certainly a handy add-on for customizing the Web. I like that it saves your settings automatically and syncs them. I’ve embedded the add-on’s “intro video” after the break.Stylebot for Chrome lets you easily customize Web pages originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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CDW
CHINA MOBILE
CISCO SYSTEMS

Toshiba’s new Portégé R700 surprised me with its mature styling, serious muscle, and ridiculously light heft. Despite being a true ultraportable , this machine is quite powerful– Toshiba somehow even fit an optical drive on it! But a few unpleasant surprises make the whopping $1599 price tag less…

Toshiba – Laptop – Games – Business – Operating Systems

QIMONDA
QUALCOMM
QUANTA COMPUTER
RESEARCH IN MOTION
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS

The broadband revolution could be an education revolution with a little creativity.

United States – Online Media – Arts – Entertainment – Directories

SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES
SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS

It’s been some time since we’ve had any new HDTVs from Vizio to consider, but it looks like the company that’s fighting it out with Samsung for the #1 spot in America has a few new higher-end models for those back to school apartment shoppers. The company’s XVT series is expanding, with the new sets offering Full Array TruLED LCDs designed for deeper blacks and better off-angle viewing, and they also have increased zones of Smart Dimming for greater intelligent control plus the ability to reduce LED brightness

SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS FAIR ISAAC
FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS
F5 NETWORKS

Filed under: Utilities, Web services
A few days ago, I wrote about MonitorServerUptime, and I received a number of very interesting and informative comments that pointed at various alternatives.
I went through a number of options and finally found Mon.itor.us, which was recommended by commenter Nnyan. The site offers a basic site monitoring service, but it also has a Premium version (which is paid). The main thing that I liked about it, shallow as it may be, is that it looks good. Most other monitoring sites seem plain or dated, but Mon.itor.us seems quite snazzy.
It lets you monitor a website, email server, VoIP gateway, or any old network device/server. The latter lets you specify an FTP, TCP, or UDP port that the device should respond to, or just plain old ICMP ping. All of the other options let you monitor the services in a variety of ways — it’s not just “is port 80 alive?”
They claim to use FusionCharts for their reports, which is a pretty snazzy Flash charting solution. I was unable to test it, though, because I couldn’t find a demo account on the site (and I didn’t want to wait for two months, until I could accumulate enough data with my “real” account).Comment follow-up: Mon.itor.us provides free site uptime monitoring originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICELINE.COM
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QUALCOMM

With the average laptop , one sticky issue is the relatively small size of the display and keyboard–a necessary trade-off to keep users from suffering muscle strain while toting the notebook around. However, if you’re looking for a system that you can keep in one location the majority of the time…

Dell Studio – Shopping – Art – Crafts – Dell

KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL

JAMF Software’s changes to Casper Suite bring Mac systems under central control. The Mac management suite gives IT managers the ability to keep Mac systems up-to-date while also tracking inventory and license compliance. – IT managers looking to streamline Mac management should check out the new
polish JAMF Software has put on the latest version of its comprehensive Casper
tool suite. With modules ranging from inventory and imaging to patch management
and remote control, the Casper Suite brings legacy PC control to…

ORACLE
POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICELINE.COM
QIMONDA
QUALCOMM

Weighing in at just under 6 pounds sans power brick, the new HP ProBook 4520s feels solid and sturdy enough to bear the brunt of your daily commute. Improving on the plastic chassis from last year’s 4510s series, HP doesn’t aim this business laptop at the netbook crowd; with a 15.6-inch…

Business – HP 3000 – Business and Economy – Hewlett-Packard – Nasdaq Composite

ASUSTEK COMPUTER
AT&T
AUTODESK
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AVNET

Rob Pegoraro answers your questions on recent gadget reviews, technology news and provides personal tech buying and fixing advice.

iPhone – Apple – Smartphone – Handhelds – iPhone 4 Press Conference

ELECTRONIC ARTS
ECLIPSYS
EASTMAN KODAK CO
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DST SYSTEMS

Q: I just upgraded from a TiVo Series 2 to a high-definition TiVo. How do I transfer my old recordings to the new box?

TiVo – Digital video recorder – Hardware – Set-Top Boxes – United States

ARROW ELECTRONICS
ASML HOLDING
ASUSTEK COMPUTER
AT&T
AUTODESK

The FreeAgent GoFlex Pro is one model in Seagate’s refresh of its portable hard drive line (desktop versions are available, too). The new GoFlex system this drive is a part of encompasses drives of varying colors and capacities ($100 for 320GB in silver or black; $130 for 500GB in silver, black,…

hard-drive – Hardware – Storage – Arts – Movies

ARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT
ARROW ELECTRONICS
ASML HOLDING
ASUSTEK COMPUTER
AT&T

A Silicon Valley product development consulting firm called the Nielsen Norman Group (not to be confused with the Nielsen ratings company) published a study last week comparing reading performance with a book to reading with an e-reader. The results–which are suspect because there were only 24…

Business – Investing – Financial Services – Guides – Investment Services

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AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL
APPLE COMPUTER

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-390t, which sits atop the company’s performance PC lineup, delivers commanding speed and functionality without breaking the bank. It might not unseat the performance category’s leaders, but priced at a respectable $2050 (as of August 6, 2010), it brings six-core power and…

Video Games – Games – Elite Series – Space Combat – Action

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LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL
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The end of the week, already? What a slow week, under 10 devices announced and released, ugh. Okay, so seriously, the news just never ends, we are seeing new devices announced what feels daily, new applications hitting the market, and tons of great new Android development. Let’s take a look at what you may have missed this week.NewsHTC Bee and Lexikon specs begin to leak outA few more details emerge about Droid Pro, White Droid 2 and a Motorola tabletAdobe AIR coming to Android in Q4 2010Adobe Flash Player 10.1 now final for the Nexus OneWhy parents will love Google TVAdobe’s full Google TV demonstrationAndroid devices to surge past 55 million, Digitimes saysNewest Google apps bring welcome changes to GmailAsus Eee Pad scheduled for March ‘11 launchCongress to mandate FM radio recievers in all cell phones?After ‘Gingerbread,’ next Android version to be called ‘Honeycomb?’Google calendar sync now to support Outlook 2010Leaked Froyo for the Droid X emerges, we go hands-onMotorola Droid 2 reviewHands-on with the Sprint Epic 4GApplicationsAndroid App Review: G4 TVAndroid Quick App: Kids Finger PaintGetGlue releases Android applicationTrillian multi-client IM app now in open beta for AndroidAnother beta version of Tweetdeck for Android releasedPosted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

AMPHENOL
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APPLE COMPUTER
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Filed under: BlackBerry
Unlike iPhone and iPod touch users I know, BlackBerry owners tend to be plenty happy with the built-in array of apps RIM ships on their smartphones. That’s probably a good thing, because BlackBerry App World had some fairly big shortcomings when compared to the App Store.

RIM hopes the release of App World 2.0 brings the experience more in line with competitors — and at first glance, I’d say it does. For starters, App World is now fully searchable and categorized for easy browsing. Top 25 groupings have been added, as have options to filter free and paid apps.

Developers are also able to sell cheaper apps now, with sub-$2 price points available. One more big-time change is that users can now pay for those apps with a major credit card instead of PayPal, and some will even be able to post app purchases directly to their monthly cellular bill (depending on their carrier, of course).

With lower prices and better discovery options, App World 2.0 should encourage BlackBerry users to take the plunge and install some of the thousands of add-on apps available for their smartphones.BlackBerry App World gets a much-needed overhaul originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
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COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
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We’ve been asking where the iPad competition has been for a while now, and it seems like it’s slowly starting to pick up with LG, Palm, and Google/Verizon hitting the news this week.

We’ll take a look at a few of them, after the break.

Palm, recently acquired by HP, is full steam ahead on a webOS [...]LG, Verizon/Google, Palm preparing iPad competitors is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

LAM RESEARCH
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LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS

Weighing in at just under 6 pounds sans power brick, the new HP ProBook 4520s feels solid and sturdy enough to bear the brunt of your daily commute. Improving on the plastic chassis from last year’s 4510s series, HP doesn’t aim this business laptop at the netbook crowd; with a 15.6-inch…

Business – HP 3000 – Business and Economy – Hewlett-Packard – Nasdaq Composite

NANYA TECHNOLOGY
NII HOLDINGS

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft
Remember back when Windows 7 was first being talked about? We’d all gotten wind of that mysterious “MinWin” feature, which had scores of people thinking Microsoft was going to build in some sort of stripped-down instant-on computing option. That, of course, turned out not to be the case.

A new patent filing uncovered by Manan Kakkar seems to indicate that Windows 8 will, however, include instant-on capabilities. Dubbed the Direct Experience Platform (or DEX), the patent describes a system which closely resembles what you can already find today on a number of systems running Splashtop: press a button, see a splash screen, log in and check out your media.

The patent (and diagram above) also spells out that a sandbox mode will be part of DEX. Sandboxing is also a feature in the upcoming Windows Phone 7, so it’s not too surprising to see Microsoft incorporating its security-boosting potential for Windows 8.Microsoft’s Direct Experience Platform could bring instant-on to Windows 8 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS
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There’s a lot to love about the Acer Aspire TimelineX 1830T. At about $700, it’s extremely affordable for an ultraportable, offers great workaday performance, has excellent high-def video playback, and runs for over 6 hours on its battery. However, the 1830T also suffers some ergonomic quirks that…

Acer – Plantae – Magnoliopsida – Magnoliophyta – Flora and Fauna

ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS
ALLTEL
AMAZON.COM
AMERICA MOVIL

Apple experienced a strong 2009 despite the recession but may make substantial changes to its product lines and strategy in 2010 in order to counter direct competition from Google, Microsoft and other players. Those strategies could include opening the iPhone to multiple carriers, introducing an iPod Touch with a camera, expanding its retail footprint, releasing the long-rumored tablet PC, imposing increased regulation on the App Store, and even introducing the Beatles catalog to iTunes. – In contrast to many tech companies dampened down by the recession, Apple
experienced rising revenue and profits throughout 2009, buoyed by strong sales
of its various product lines. But those sorts of shareholder-heartening numbers
rely on a constant base of innovation, and Apple will likely need…

DIGITAL CHINA HOLDINGS
DIRECTV GROUP
ELPIDA MEMORY
EMC
FIDELITY NATIONAL INFORMATION SVCS.

We generally don’t review do-it-yourself kits here at PCWorld. Our reviews process is comprehensive, and weighing competing machines requires taking the entire package into account. Kits such as the VIA Artigo A1100 throw a wrench into the works. This bare-bones package offers a bit of VIA silicon…

Arts – Tiny Niche – Facebook – Shopping – Publishing

DELL
CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR
ACCENTURE
ACER
ADOBE SYSTEMS

Apple experienced a strong 2009 despite the recession but may make substantial changes to its product lines and strategy in 2010 in order to counter direct competition from Google, Microsoft and other players. Those strategies could include opening the iPhone to multiple carriers, introducing an iPod Touch with a camera, expanding its retail footprint, releasing the long-rumored tablet PC, imposing increased regulation on the App Store, and even introducing the Beatles catalog to iTunes. – In contrast to many tech companies dampened down by the recession, Apple
experienced rising revenue and profits throughout 2009, buoyed by strong sales
of its various product lines. But those sorts of shareholder-heartening numbers
rely on a constant base of innovation, and Apple will likely need…

INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
INVENTEC
KDDI
KLA-TENCOR

The Apple Online Store is down and while normally Wednesday night would trigger “it’s just maintenance” mode in me, there are announced products still awaiting “go live” status like the white iPhone 4! Seriously, though, that’s delayed until the end of the year but there’s still the 27″ LED display, and all sorts of rumors [...]Updated: Apple Store is down, start the speculation! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

ASUSTEK COMPUTER
AT&T
AUTODESK
AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING
AVNET

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday called off its closed-door meetings with big Internet companies aimed at reaching agreement on protecting consumer access to the Web, after drawing criticism for attempting to broker a deal with limited public input.

Network neutrality – Google – Telecommunication – Business – Verizon

CISCO SYSTEMS
COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
COMCAST
COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS

Night owls have a new wireless keyboard to swoon over, as do daytime warriors. It’s Logitech’s just-released “Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800″ (we’ll just call it the K800), a nifty plank sporting ambient light and motion sensors to help deliver just the right amount of backlight. That means you can expect the rechargeable battery to hold its own a little while longer since the backlight won’t be sucking up juice in the middle of the day (assuming you don’t live in a cave or an otherwise dark environment).

ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING
ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS
ELECTRONIC ARTS
ECLIPSYS
EASTMAN KODAK CO

Filed under: Browsers
An interesting report, titled ‘Are Opera Users the Most Valuable?’ has been making the rounds this week. The commentary has been opinionated and fiery and, truth be told, we’re still no closer to working out why Opera users click the most ads.

If you don’t want to click through, the basic gist is this: Opera users are 50% more likely to click ads than Chrome users. Internet Explorer are the next-most likely to click ads, followed by Firefox. Safari users actually click the least ads!

The difficulty comes from trying to analyse these figures. A nascent analysis, perhaps citing Internet Explorer, would state that the lack of ad-blocking is to blame. Both Chrome and Firefox have excellent ad-blocking extensions, that’s why their users click so few ads. But Opera has ad-blocking! And if it was only about blocking ads, wouldn’t Internet Explorer be at the top?

So, Opera has ad-blocking, yet its users still click the most ads. Curious. (Incidentally, is there a popular ad-blocking add-on for Safari? As in, one that even non-power users would know of?)

Perhaps it’s the users themselves. Are Opera users more inquisitive? This report uses in-line text ads as a sample set, so maybe… Opera users are more literate? Perhaps Safari and Chrome users merely scan text, rather than actually reading it? The problem with this argument is Internet Explorer — it’s right up the top with Opera! Can we really say that the average Opera user is comparable to an IE user? Surely they are at the opposite ends of the spectrum!

What’s the answer, then? I’m guessing that the sample set is from a biased set of websites — perhaps from a forum that’s frequented by a lot of Opera users? Internet Explorer should be at the top, with its lack of ad-blocking and its ‘newbie’ user base. Still, I’m going to suggest to my chief that we write more Opera news…Website owners: Opera users are the most valuable, in terms of ad clicks originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Apple bought mobile ad network Quattro Wireless. Quattro confirmed the purchase, which AllThingsDigital said was worth $275 million. The deal could accelerate the growing war between Apple and Google, friends quickly turned enemies in the pitched battle for the mobile Web. Chris Dixon, co-founder of decision engine Hunch and an investor in multiple properties, argued that Apple’s interest in Quattro must be about ads in mobile apps. –

Apple has acquired mobile ad network Quattro Wireless in
a deal worth a reported $275 million, or roughly one third of what Google bid
to buy mobile ad provider AdMob.
Andy Miller, formerly Quattro CEO and co-founder but now
Apple’s vice president of mobile advertising, confirmed t…

LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
MICROSOFT

 Google is in the midst of sending out a new round of beta invites for its Android App Inventor service. Invites have been scarce since the launch back in July, so make sure to check your Gmail inbox if you signed up for your own golden ticket. The program works by pairing a webapp accessed through your browser and a downloadable Java file and requires no coding experience to get up and running. The interface is drag-and-drop, and Google even provedes a couple tutorials to get you up and running. And to boot, we’re opening up the Android Central Forums to the Android App Inventor. Here, you can connect to other users of the program to discuss features, ask and answer questions, and even post your apps for other users to try out before releasing them onto the Android Market. Hit up the links to sign up for an App Inventor invite and then dive into the forums. See you there! [Android App Inventor | Android Central Forums] Thanks to @_JKK_  for confirming! Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
MICROSOFT

Vimeo has announced a new HTML5 universal player to finally bring Flash-free embedded videos to iPad and iPhone. How do you use it?

Starting today it is the new default embed code and is available via the embed button on any Vimeo video. Just copy and paste like any other embed code. This new [...]Vimeo adds HTML 5 universal player for iPad, iPhone is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store. TiPb – The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES

3D has conquered the cinema, it’s on the way to conquering 3D gaming on the PC, and after that, it’s planning on taking over your living room. But what if you have no real interest in watching 3D content? If you’re a gamer, there’s still a chance to hook you, and that’s Panasonic’s plans with their newest 3D HDTVs. The company, at CES 2010, introduced a number of large-screen 3D televisions, but none were small and cheap enough to be impulse buys. We can’t say that either of these two sets are cheap enough either,

EMS TECHNOLOGIES
EMC
ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING
ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS
ELECTRONIC ARTS

A Silicon Valley product development consulting firm called the Nielsen Norman Group (not to be confused with the Nielsen ratings company) published a study last week comparing reading performance with a book to reading with an e-reader. The results–which are suspect because there were only 24…

Business – Investing – Financial Services – Guides – Investment Services

HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES

The broadband revolution could be an education revolution with a little creativity.

United States – Online Media – Arts – Entertainment – Directories

COMCAST
COMMSCOPE
COMMUNICATIONS HOLDINGS
COMPAL ELECTRONICS
COSMOTE MOBILE TELECOM.

NEW YORK — Looking at getting a new PC for the fall semester? Here’s a jolt of cheer in these uncertain times: PCs are not only cheaper than ever, there’s real innovation going on, yielding interesting new choices.

Education – Games – Arts – Religion and Spirituality – K through 12

EASTMAN KODAK CO
EARTHLINK
DST SYSTEMS
DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DIODES INORATED

No Windows viruses. Free. Any questions? Of course. Start with this one: How can an operating system with those virtues, the open-source Linux, remain confined to a tiny minority of desktop and laptop computers at home? Linux may run TiVo video recorders and live inside Android phones, in additio…

Linux – Ubuntu – Operating system – Distributions – FAQs Help and Tutorials

KLA-TENCOR
KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL
LM ERICSSON

NEW YORK — Looking at getting a new PC for the fall semester? Here’s a jolt of cheer in these uncertain times: PCs are not only cheaper than ever, there’s real innovation going on, yielding interesting new choices.

Education – Games – Arts – Religion and Spirituality – K through 12

ORACLE
POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICELINE.COM
QIMONDA
QUALCOMM

The HP Pavilion Elite HPE-390t, which sits atop the company’s performance PC lineup, delivers commanding speed and functionality without breaking the bank. It might not unseat the performance category’s leaders, but priced at a respectable $2050 (as of August 6, 2010), it brings six-core power and…

Video Games – Games – Elite Series – Space Combat – Action

RESEARCH IN MOTION
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS
SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES
SES

The T-Mobile version of Samsung’s killer Galaxy S line of super Android phones, the Samsung Vibrant ($200 with a two-year contract, as of July 12, 2010) stands apart from its siblings due to the high-quality multimedia apps the carrier has preloaded on the phone. Stellar media features aside,…

Telecommunications – Android – Business – T-Mobile – Science and Technology

GRUPO IUSACELL
HARRIS
HCL TECHNOLOGIES
HEWLETT-PACKARD
HIGH TECH COMPUTER

The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday called off its closed-door meetings with big Internet companies aimed at reaching agreement on protecting consumer access to the Web, after drawing criticism for attempting to broker a deal with limited public input.

Network neutrality – Google – Telecommunication – Business – Verizon

CDW
CHINA MOBILE
CISCO SYSTEMS
COGNIZANT TECH. SOLUTIONS
COMCAST

Filed under: OS Updates, Apple, Microsoft
Microsoft, no doubt buoyed by its massive, continued success of Windows 7 and with a coquettish grin at the dwindling share of Mac OS X, has launched a new PC versus Mac website.

The site, as you can probably guess, details all of the ways that Windows out-strips Mac OS X. But, to be fair, the site’s primary purpose is to advertise the features of Windows 7 — first it compares and contrasts against XP and Vista, and then there’s a section on how it’s superior to Apple’s offering.

In which areas does Windows 7 beat out Mac OS X, then? Having Fun, Simplicity, Working Hard, Sharing, Compatibility and Choice. I don’t think there’ll be any arguments about the Compatibility and Choice claims, but I’m sure many Mac users think their platform is the definition of Simplicity. Having Fun obviously refers to the lack of games on Mac, and Sharing movies, music and photos with Windows 7 is definitely very easy.

But all this comes from a Microsoft-owned site aimed at marketing its new golden goose. It’s hardly going to extol the virtues of a competing operating system. Also, I don’t use Mac OS X, so I’m hardly in a position to counter Microsoft’s claims. So, Apple users (or indeed, anyone that’s used both Windows 7 and OS X), are Microsoft’s claims accurate?
Share tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/08/10/pc-vs-mac-microsoft-continues-the-war-with-a-new-website’; tweetmeme_source=’DownloadSquad’; tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; PC vs. Mac — Microsoft continues the war with a new website that compares Windows 7 to Mac OS X originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 06:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

DIEBOLD
DELL
CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR
ACCENTURE
ACER

When I unpacked the AVADirect Clevo X8100, I coined a new acronym: LINO, for “laptop in name only.”

Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – Cases and Accessories – Games – Laptop

ACER
ADOBE SYSTEMS
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS
ALLTEL

Mount Rainier’s Joe Brewer always has considered the old arcade video games — games such as Pac Man and Donkey Kong — to be a kind of art form.

Video game – Games – Arcade game – Coin-Op – History

ACER
ADOBE SYSTEMS
ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING
ALLIANCE DATA SYSTEMS
ALLTEL

It’s been discussed for years, so-called “BlackBerry Overtime.” It’s the concept of employees, saddled with BlackBerrys, working overtime because of responding to emails off-hours. Now a Chicago Police Sergeant is suing the city for overtime back pay. It’s true that nowadays workers seem to be required to check their email after hours, and even on the weekend, whether via their computer and VPN or a smartphone, hence the term “BlackBerry overtime,” although nowadays RIM is seeing its market share dissolve with

AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL
APPLE COMPUTER
APPLIED MATERIALS

With the average laptop , one sticky issue is the relatively small size of the display and keyboard–a necessary trade-off to keep users from suffering muscle strain while toting the notebook around. However, if you’re looking for a system that you can keep in one location the majority of the time…

Dell Studio – Shopping – Art – Crafts – Dell

LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR

Filed under: Games, OS Updates, Google
Right now, the jury’s out on Chrome Web Apps — but there seems to be more than a little confusion about what they are and how they’ll work. Sure, some of them will be little more than packaged versions of web apps you use right now like Gmail and Seesmic with support for some nifty Chrome features like notifications — but others will make use of Native Client, Pepper, and O3D… And that includes full-on games, baby!

We’re not just talking Plants vs. Zombies or Bejewelled here either (no offense intended). In the top right corner of 1Up’s screenshot you can clearly see FIFA 10 — and you’ve got to think that if EA is on board with one title, they’ll be bringing more to the table as well.

1Up’s post also shows Google demonstrating other in-browser games like the Quake demo their own devs released, Freeciv.net, Google Pac Man, and a Flash version of Lego Star Wars. The page for Plants vs. Zombies is also shown with a price of $3.99 — not to bad for one of the most addictive little games I’ve played in a long time. There’s also a ‘try it free’ button so you can count on being able to test drive at least some of the games and apps in the store prior to plunking down your cash.

I don’t know about you, but the more details that surface the more excited I’m getting about the Chrome Web Store opening its doors. Now, when am I going to get my hands on a shiny piece of Chrome OS hardware….?Games (including EA’s) to be front and center in Chrome Web Store originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

LM ERICSSON
LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL
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MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR

Filed under: Games, Social Software
First, watch the video. That should be more than enough to win you over. I start singing around the two minute mark; you have been warned. Skip to around 4:40 for an actual walkthrough of the game’s features.

Instant Jam comes from the clever guys at InstantAction. They have a technology that lets you play full PC games via a Java applet, a bit like OnLive — but having said that I’m pretty sure Instant Jam is just a normal in-the-browser Java game.

The game looks like FarmVille and utilizes the same social hooks and interface that we’ve all learned to love: there are gifts, wall posts, challenges, your friends at the bottom of the interface. But that’s where the similarities end: Instant Jam is an actual game. You can play almost any song in your music library for frak’s sake!

That’s the primary feature of Instant Jam: if you have a song in your music library, you can play along to it. Inexorably, not every song has been ‘mapped’ by the game’s creators, but ‘thousands of songs’ are promised for the launch — and when the ‘Recording Studio’ goes live, I’m sure that will soon become millions of songs. Incidentally, if you don’t own a song, you can buy it on iTunes or Amazon — or play along without the music. Genius!

Next, as I’m sure you noticed in the video: Instant Jam supports USB controllers. You can use your Guitar Hero and Rock Band guitars — or Wiimote, PS2 controller or Xbox game pad. Keyboard play is OK, but obviously you won’t look anywhere near as cool. (Sorry about my hairy leg in the video by the way, I’m aware that it makes me look anything but cool…)

As for the actual quality of the gameplay, I have no complaints. Just the fact that it automatically detects a USB controller is enough to make me squee with nerdy delight! The songs had accurate beats and felt as ‘natural’ as any Guitar Hero or Rock Band track. My whammy bar didn’t work, but I don’t know if that’s a problem with the game or with my guitar. I was worried that the game, being browser-based, wouldn’t feel responsive — but it was fine. I have a feeling Instant Jam might not work so well on older computers, though — if your computer struggles to run FarmVille, I doubt it will run this.

Instant Jam, then, is like Frets on Fire, but with deep Facebook ties. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I’ll let you decide. If anything, it lets me challenge my friends without having to pay the Guitar Hero Xbox Live subscription — and I can send them gifts! Instant Jam is going to be big.
Share TweetInstant Jam is a Guitar Hero clone on Facebook that uses your own music library (and it’s awesome!) originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR
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 The growth of Android has been remarkable; a few weeks ago, we reported on Android’s staggering Q2 numbers year-on-year.Now, a report from DigiTimes suggests that the total number of Android shipments worldwide will surpass 55 million, which would be a 561% growth from last year.Android’s share of the worldwide smartphone market has risen from less than 5% in 2009 to 13.8% in the first half of 2010 and is projected to reach 24.5% in the second half to become the second most popular smartphone platform, according to Lin.DigiTimes also provided some interesting statistics on worldwide smartphone growth. The total number of Android devices shipped this year is predicted to top 280 million, which is a 57% growth rate from 2009.Smartphones are only going to become more prevalent and continue their rapid growth rate. Android should see that growth continue too as manufacturers devote more resources to the OS. [DigiTimes] Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

ELECTRONIC ARTS
ECLIPSYS
EASTMAN KODAK CO
EARTHLINK
DST SYSTEMS

Little-known SmartPhone Technologies files lawsuits against Apple, AT&T, Research In Motion, Samsung, Sanyo, LG Electronics and Motorola accusing them of violating patents owned by the company. – The smartphone patent lawsuit derby continues with a company named
SmartPhone Technologies suing Apple, AT amp;T, Research In Motion, Samsung,
Sanyo, LG Electronics and Motorola, accusing them of violating patents owned by
the company. Filed in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of T…

EARTHLINK
DST SYSTEMS
DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DIODES INORATED
DIEBOLD

“The Facebook Effect” is a meticulously sourced book that too often succumbs to the author’s esteem for his subject matter. Perhaps Facebook’s story deserves such treatment. But then “the inside story” may just be less exhilarating than one might imagine.

Facebook – David Kirkpatrick – Social network – Facebook Effect – Online Communities

F5 NETWORKS
EPICOR SOFTWARE
EMULEX
EMS TECHNOLOGIES
EMC

Adapted from a recent online discussion: Hello, Carolyn: My sister and I are wondering about something and I said we should try to get your take. Our brother and his wife (and their two kids) are not hurting financially. They both work, live in a more expensive area than we do and send their kids…

Big Brother – Television – Video game – Arts – Games

ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS
ELECTRONIC ARTS
ECLIPSYS
EASTMAN KODAK CO
EARTHLINK

Like many of you, my wife and I have had too many old and broken gadgets collecting dust in various rooms. Like many of you, we could use some extra cash. Can we address both of these issues at once by selling these things to sites that buy old electronic junk?

Junk science – Environment – Opposing Views – Business – Activism

AUTODESK
AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING
AVNET
BHARTI AIRTEL
BT GROUP

HTC has struck gold again with the HTC EVO 4G ($200 with a two-year contract from Sprint), which is easily the best smartphone available on Sprint and is second to the HTC Droid Incredible (Verizon) as the best smartphone available today. The EVO 4G packs powerful specs and a lot of features in a…

Business and Economy – Business – GeForce – Nvidia – Intel Corporation

INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
INVENTEC
KDDI
KLA-TENCOR

It’s hard to say if this new report is worse for AT&T or for the Android smartphone platform. A report by market research firm Morplace indicates that more than half of current Verizon customers are at least “somewhat likely” to purchase a Verizon iPhone if such were to be offered. It makes sense that current Verizon customers would be the group most likely to buy a Verizon iPhone. After all, they wouldn’t have to change carriers which, although not that difficult to do, can be expensive for those with a

AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL
APPLE COMPUTER

Mobile devices are slick, powerful and convenient, but the news this week that AT&T suffered a data breach on thousands of iPads highlighted another quality: They’re vulnerable.

IPad – Apple – Security – Services – Consultants

KDDI
KLA-TENCOR
KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH
LIBERTY GLOBAL

Apple debuted a thinner iPhone with a sharper screen, high-definition moviemaking and video-chatting capability — but one that, in the United States, remains locked to AT&T Wireless.

iPhone 3G – IPhone – Smartphone – Handhelds – Apple

NINTENDO
NOKIA
NVIDIA
ORACLE
POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR

Filed under: Fun, Text, Weird Wednesday
Notologist is a simple idea that’s beautifully executed. Phil Zelnar leaves pretty paper notes lying around, each one containing a code and a handwritten question. Someone finds the note, goes to the site, enters the code, and writes their reply. The rest of the world gets to see the replies and enjoy the site’s beautiful design.
This is obviously a PR stunt, but it works. It’s a great way for Phil to show off his design chops and his understanding of the social nature of the Web. I think it’s much better than a portfolio or a plain bio. It’s also nice that Phil only put down a tiny link at the bottom of the page (rather than a huge logo plastered all over the place) and gave the project its own domain.

If you like Notologist, you might want to check out Phil’s other fun project, Your Favorite Letter. It collects votes for people’s favorite letters, and then it eventually makes a word. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s very simple to understand once you see the page. It’s also beautifully designed.
In fact, if every great Web designer would take some time to create a fun, compelling project, it would make the Web a whole lot funkier… and it might net them some great paid projects.

Kudos!Notologist leaves random notes lying around, publishes replies originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR
ACCENTURE
ACER
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Q: When I tried to connect to a secure site, my browser displayed an error warning that “there is a problem with this site’s security certificate” that strongly advised me to back out. Was it not safe?

Security – Consultants – General and Freelance – United States – Business

AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL
APPLE COMPUTER

  Adobe this morning at the Flash Summit in San Francisco let it be known that Adobe AIR 2.5 will be available in the foruth quarter of 2010. "The 2.x line has been about taking this broader," Adobe said. "AIR is about building applications." Adobe isn’t yet ready to announce how AIR will be distributed — whether it will be OTA updates, or preinstalled on devices, but announcements are very much possible at its upcoming MAX conference.Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

POWERCHIP SEMICONDUCTOR
PRICELINE.COM
QIMONDA
QUALCOMM
QUANTA COMPUTER

Ah, so now it all makes sense. Starbucks surprised us all by announcing that the Wi-Fi in all of their corporate stores would be switching from a paid access model to a 100% free access model earlier this year, but there seemed to be no catch at all. It was a curious move. Some suggested that this could be in order to attract more consumers into shops, but it seems like Starbucks has something else in mind as well. The coffee company has now made public a vision for enhancing in-store browsing with a digital

ALLTEL
AMAZON.COM
AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL

So my dad was griping that his Acer Aspire 9300 laptop takes forever to boot. I inspected it for spyware, excessive startup programs, and the other usual suspects, but everything checked out.

Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – Laptop – Cases and Accessories – Repair

QUANTA COMPUTER
RESEARCH IN MOTION
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS
SAIC
SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES

In the past week, we’ve seen high-profile executives from HP and Apple leave their companies. Now, we’ve gotten word that Sprint will also be losing one of its top product development veterans. Earlier this week, a spokeswoman from Sprint confirmed that Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product and technology development, will be leaving Sprint on August 16. Packingham has worked for Sprint since 1999. He is leaving Sprint to become the CEO of another venture which is based out of Kansas City, Mo. Further

BT GROUP
CANON
CDW
CHINA MOBILE
CISCO SYSTEMS

Rob Pegoraro answers your questions on recent gadget reviews, technology news and provides personal tech buying and fixing advice.

Washington Post – United States – Rob Pegoraro – Companies – Business

DISCOVER FINANCIAL SERVICES
DIODES INORATED
DIEBOLD
DELL
CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTOR

Bigfoot Networks has made a name for themselves in a very unique and rare market. There are only a finite number of hardcore gamers willing to pay extra for something like a souped up NIC card, but obviously more than a few are handing over their cash in order to have their ping times lowered. Any true gamer knows that ping times are the difference between survival and death, and the Killer 2100 network card has seen some rather positive reviews explaining that it actually does have reduce network ups and downs

MEMC ELECTRONIC MATERIALS
MICROSOFT
MILLICOM INTL. CELLULAR
MOBILE TELESYSTEMS
NANYA TECHNOLOGY

Most people around the globe have heard of the iPad by now, even in areas where it’s not yet being sold. The iPad no longer needs an introduction but it will become available in 9 more countries this Friday. Apple’s trend setting gadget, tablet computer, or whatever you’d like to refer to it as, is [...]

HIGH TECH COMPUTER
HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES

Filed under: Windows
Just about everyone customizes his or her Windows desktop somehow, but most probably don’t bother tinkering with the Welcome screen. After all, you really don’t see it that often unless you’re a stickler for security and always log off when you’re AFK (which is a good habit to get into, really).

If that’s how you roll, take a look at Windows 7 Logon Reworked. It’s available in three variations — the one you see above, another with the Windows logo embedded in the login box’s glass border, and one more which is completely logo-free. As with a lot of other shell modifications, installing Reworked requires a little bit of tinkering in your system folder. You’ll have to replace the stock Windows authui.dll in Safe Mode to do it — check the author’s instructions on DeviantArt if you need help and make sure you create a backup before making any changes!

Both 32 and 64-bit versions are available for all three styles, and there’s also a snazzy Aurora-inspired replacement background should you want to change that as well!Windows 7 Logon Reworked is a sexy welcome screen replacement originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 09 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
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ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL
APPLE COMPUTER
APPLIED MATERIALS

If you’re looking for a portable multimedia machine, the Gateway NV5933u–which features an Intel Core i3 processor and a Blu-ray Disc player–might be for you. This 15.6-inch all-purpose laptop multitasks with ease, and it even has a number pad next to its big, flat keyboard. Our review model,…

Movies – Arts – Home Video – Blu-ray and HD – Games

HON HAI PRECISION IND.
HYNIX SEMICONDUCTOR
INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES
INVENTEC

Filed under: Microsoft, Browsers
There’s only four weeks to go until the next IE9 developer preview, and it looks like Chinese leak site Cnbeta might have got its hands on the new build already.

I’m not quite sure what to make of the screenshots, nor the Google translation. The Developer Previews (Internet Explorer Test Drive) are not meant to have a user interface — they’re just there to show off the Trident rendering engine. That means we’re probably looking at the beta version of IE9 in these screenshots. Does that mean the private beta has begun — or are these simply fakes?

As you can see above, IE9 seems to gained a proper download manager. After the break there’s a couple more images — one of the very Chromeish ‘new tab page’, and one that hints at restartless add-on management.

Looking at the SunSpider performance graph, I’m not sure if these images are real — or whether this beta build sports the latest version of the Trident rendering engine. When I tested IE’s JavaScript performance last month, it was about the same speed as Firefox 3.6 — not some 10 times slower than Chrome.

[via Neowin]

Very Chromeish, eh?

‘Stay Fast’? Are these really from a beta build…?
tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/07/29/ie9-interface-leaked-images-download-manager’; tweetmeme_source=’DownloadSquad’; tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; Share Images of IE9’s interface leak, including Chrome-like ’start’ tab and download manager originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Apple experienced a strong 2009 despite the recession but may make substantial changes to its product lines and strategy in 2010 in order to counter direct competition from Google, Microsoft and other players. Those strategies could include opening the iPhone to multiple carriers, introducing an iPod Touch with a camera, expanding its retail footprint, releasing the long-rumored tablet PC, imposing increased regulation on the App Store, and even introducing the Beatles catalog to iTunes. – In contrast to many tech companies dampened down by the recession, Apple
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Weighing in at just under 6 pounds sans power brick, the new HP ProBook 4520s feels solid and sturdy enough to bear the brunt of your daily commute. Improving on the plastic chassis from last year’s 4510s series, HP doesn’t aim this business laptop at the netbook crowd; with a 15.6-inch…

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Filed under: Microsoft, Browsers
There’s only four weeks to go until the next IE9 developer preview, and it looks like Chinese leak site Cnbeta might have got its hands on the new build already.

I’m not quite sure what to make of the screenshots, nor the Google translation. The Developer Previews (Internet Explorer Test Drive) are not meant to have a user interface — they’re just there to show off the Trident rendering engine. That means we’re probably looking at the beta version of IE9 in these screenshots. Does that mean the private beta has begun — or are these simply fakes?

As you can see above, IE9 seems to gained a proper download manager. After the break there’s a couple more images — one of the very Chromeish ‘new tab page’, and one that hints at restartless add-on management.

Looking at the SunSpider performance graph, I’m not sure if these images are real — or whether this beta build sports the latest version of the Trident rendering engine. When I tested IE’s JavaScript performance last month, it was about the same speed as Firefox 3.6 — not some 10 times slower than Chrome.

[via Neowin]

Very Chromeish, eh?

‘Stay Fast’? Are these really from a beta build…?
tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/07/29/ie9-interface-leaked-images-download-manager’; tweetmeme_source=’DownloadSquad’; tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; Share Images of IE9’s interface leak, including Chrome-like ’start’ tab and download manager originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filed under: Web services, Browsers

Foreword: My dear American brethren and sistren, stop reading now: Spotify isn’t available in your country. Rdio should be out soon though!

Spotify Chrome Extension is a bit of a misnomer. It’s not an official extension, nor does it really utilize any of Spotify’s functionality, but it is a whole lot more useful than any other Chrome extension out there. Once it’s installed, you can select some text (an artist’s name), hit the new Spotify button on your browser chrome and BOOM! you’re rewarded with search results from Spotify’s extensive music database. Click a result and the song starts playing in Spotify. Neat.

The problem is, you can only search by artist. You can’t select the name of an album and search for that — neither can you do the same for record labels. Also, there’s no way to push the button and enter your own search string — you’re only given that option if a previous search returns no results.

So, it does one thing and it does it well; I just wish it did a bit more. It would be a few seconds’ work to add album searching. But hey, perhaps I’m being a little unfair: the extension is brand new. I just hope the developer hasn’t abandoned this neat little extension — it has promise!Spotify Chrome Extension is handy, but could certainly be a lot better originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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When I unpacked the AVADirect Clevo X8100, I coined a new acronym: LINO, for “laptop in name only.”

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Filed under: Mozilla, Beta, Browsers
It’s certainly been fun watching Firefox 4 take shape, and some significant improvements have been made since the early days as 3.7. Mozilla had slated today for the arrival of beta 3, and it looks like they’re right on schedule — an official announcement should come later this afternoon (tentatively at 3PM Pacific).

The download link on get.firefox.com still points to Firefox 4 beta 2, but you can grab beta 3 at Softpedia if you’d rather not wait for Mozilla to make the switch. According to Mozilla, beta 3 is “stable and safe to use for daily web browsing,” and my own experience with the browser bears that out.

So what’s new in beta 3? Perhaps the biggest addition is built-in support for multitouch on Windows 7. While that might not be a big deal right now (there aren’t a ton of users with multitouch displays on Windows 7 devices yet), tablets are on the way and should be arriving on retail shelves right around the time Firefox 4 is finalized.

Improvements have also been made to Firefox’s JavaScript engine which allow for faster number-crunching. That change, coupled with Firefox 4’s already awesome hardware acceleration support should make for even better graphical experiences in the browser.

It’s also worth noting that there are (at least) two more betas planned for Firefox 4. Monday, August 16th, marks the feature freeze for beta 4 and developers have slated the final Firefox 4 freeze for beta 5. After that, it’s on to the RCs and RTM!

ed. note: Mozilla would appreciate it if you didn’t use the direct FTP links, but instead wait for your existing beta to automatically update or for the beta to be updated on http://www.firefox.com/beta a little later this afternoon. They’re still putting the finishing touches on the Web-side changes required for this release.

[via Softpedia]Firefox 4 beta 3 arrives with Windows 7 touch support, two more betas coming originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Battery Optimizer ($30, feature-limited demo) is a small application designed to perform various tasks that improve battery life on a laptop PC. The first thing it does when you start it up is provide a nice big graphic detailing battery life in percentage and time. It calculates battery life its…

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