VIA Artigo A1100: A Tiny Tyke for a Tiny Niche

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

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MSI X420: A Stylish Notebook for Those Who Want Occasional 3D Graphics Support

The MSI X420 packs a decently powerful punch into a slim, sexy ultraportable chassis. The laptop features a CULV (Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage) Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a discrete graphics card, along with an easy two-button system of switching between the discrete and the integrated graphics…

Micro-Star International – Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – System Management – Installers

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Garmin Announces New PNDs For Every Lifestyle & Budget

Garmin introduced new personal navigation devices designed to suit a variety of lifestyles and budgets. The nüvi 2200 and nüvi 2300 families feature multi-stop route planning, route previews, and nüRoute technology with trafficTrends and myTrends. In addition to these new models, the PND manufacturer also introduced the nüLink! 1695 which is designed to give users accurate, up-to-the-minute information via a number of connected features. The nüvi 2200 series features a 3.5-inch touchscreen.

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Apple Tablet Seen as Great for Gaming

News Analysis: There is consensus building that the Apple tablet will be a gaming device geared to support basic social gaming applications of the type people use on Facebook, as well as multiplayer games. Jeff Scott, founder and publisher of the 148Apps blog, says publications that cover the gaming arena have been invited to the upcoming special Apple event. He also says a screen resolution of at least 640 by 800 and a stronger processor than the one powering Apple’s iPhone 3GS will make the tablet well suited for games. – Apple executives will take the stage at Yerba Buena Gardens in San
Francisco Jan. 27, and are expected to unveil the
anticipated Apple tablet computer.
There is a lot of information seeping through the reality distortion field
around the device, the official name of which (iSlate? iPad? iTablet…

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Micro Express Microflex 88B: Not the Best, but the Most Connected

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…

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Lenovo Mini Wireless Keyboard N5901: Couch Potatoes, Your Keyboard-Mouse Is Here

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

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Star Walk Goes To New Heights In Version 4.4

Astrology fans worldwide are going to love what Vito Technology has done with their latest Star Walk v4.4 update. They have taken their highly popular and award winning Star Walk app for the iPad and iPhone and made it even better. So let’s get down to business, what’s new in Star Walk 4.4? Arrow Guides [...]

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Apple Special Music Event 2010 round-up

Once again Steve Jobs put sneaker to stage and at the Apple Special Music Event 2010 wowed the crowed with new gorgeous new hardware, stunning new software, and… services of a sort. The big stories were iOS 4.1 and iOS 4.2, the new iPod touch, iPod nano, and Apple TV, and iTunes 10 with its [...]Apple Special Music Event 2010 round-up 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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VistaSwitcher is a beautiful Alt-Tab replacement

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Productivity
VistaSwitcher is a beautiful Alt-Tab replacement. It’s aimed mainly at Windows Vista and 7, but it also works under Windows XP.
You get a huge thumbnail of the destination window; it’s far larger than the one that comes with the “stock” Alt-Tab. Another neat feature lets you Alt-Tab between the windows of just one application. It’s kind of like pressing Win+[number] in Windows 7, but you don’t have to look at the taskbar and count the icons in order to see what the number is for the application that you want to switch to. That’s done using Alt+` (backtick) by default, but it’s configurable.
VistaSwitcher also introduces one feature that I’ve never seen before: Alt-Tabbing between the windows on the current monitor only. I use two monitors, but I’m not convinced that this is a handy feature. Still, it’s certainly innovative and can help split your desktop into two distinct workspaces.
One thing that bugs me about VistaSwitcher is that it looks very similar (visually) to another Alt-Tab replacement that I saw a long time ago (but, for some reason, I can’t find it now). I’m not saying it’s a clone; it certainly innovates on its own, and it seems to be a very interesting application. It definitely looks like another application, though. Help me out in the comments.VistaSwitcher is a beautiful Alt-Tab replacement originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Windows Phone 7 goes RTM

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows Mobile
Sure, Apple’s been stealing most of the blog headlines this afternoon, but Microsoft has some pretty big news of their own. Today, Windows Phone 7 was officially released to manufacturing — and the boys in Redmond are pretty stoked about it.

Microsoft’s Terry Myerson certainly sounds pumped in the official blog post. “We’ve had thousands of independent software vendors and early adopters testing our software and giving us great feedback. We are ready.”

As the Engadget crew points out, devices are unquestionably on their way — but we’re more interested in seeing some kick-butt apps and games… Which are also no doubt just around the corner.Windows Phone 7 goes RTM originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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What You Need to Know about IPv6

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

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Atari 2600 Teardown: What?s Inside Your Old Console?

When the Atari 2600 came out in 1977, it revolutionized gaming by popularizing the use of game cartridges and microprocessor-based hardware. No longer were all of a console?s games built into the system–you could now buy third-party games on ROM chips housed in cartridges and play more than just…

Atari 2600 – Video game – Games – Atari – Console Platforms

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FilerFrog adds loads of useful actions to your Windows context menu

Filed under: Utilities, Windows
Want a way to put dozens of handy commands within two-click reach? Download FilerFrog and bolt it on to your context menu, and you’ll have a wide array of new tools available via your right mouse button as you browse your files and folders in Explorer.

Unlike some context menu multi-tools, FilerFrog installs only a single item on the top level of the context menu — everything else is tucked neatly into submenus. So what can FillerFrog do?

print directory contents
extract, split, and join files
move files up one level or to a recently accessed folder
copy the current path to the clipboard
resize images and swap formats
encrypt and decrypt files
quickly jump to favorite folders
perform bulk file renames

It’s a nice assortment of tools in a single package, and it’s not cluttering up my context menu the way some apps I’ve tested do. While I don’t need most of these commands on a regular basis, I do like knowing that they’re easy to get at when I do need them.

FilerFrog installers are available for both 32 and 64-bit Windows versions of Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

[via gHacks]FilerFrog adds loads of useful actions to your Windows context menu originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Facebook adds ‘Places’ check-in feature

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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Firefox Friday, a weekly round-up: Beta 4, Beta 5, Panorama, breaking add-ons and our Private Browsing habits analyzed

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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Star Walk Goes To New Heights In Version 4.4

Astrology fans worldwide are going to love what Vito Technology has done with their latest Star Walk v4.4 update. They have taken their highly popular and award winning Star Walk app for the iPad and iPhone and made it even better. So let’s get down to business, what’s new in Star Walk 4.4? Arrow Guides [...]

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iPhone 4, Android phones, wi-fi in Europe, more fun with IE6 and more in Personal Tech Live with Rob Pegoraro

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

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eWEEK Newsbreak Video April 7 2010

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.

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LucidLogix Promises Multi-Vendor, Multi-GPU Nirvana to a Desktop Near You

Remember LucidLogix Technologies? They’re the ones intent on removing any and all potential roadblocks to configuring a multi-GPU system. You know, those little annoyances like picking the right chipset for your graphics hardware (SLI or CrossFire-X) and only pairing same make/model cards with one another. LucidLogix sidestepped these challenges with its HydraLogix 200 processor, a wonder chip that motherboard vendors could slap onto their boards that would allow system builders to mix and match videocards from

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Facebook adds ‘Places’ check-in feature

Facebook – Social network – Online Communities – iPhone – Geolocation

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Apple Buys Quattro Wireless to Battle Google in Mobile Ads

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…

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AVADirect Clevo W860CU 3D Gaming Laptop Review

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

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Samsung Vibrant: A Standout Multimedia Phone

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

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Toshiba Satellite T235-S1345: Sturdy, Portable–but Not for the Heavy Typer

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

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Digital Storm Black Ops Assassin: Killer Style and Speed

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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Reforms urged in federal funding for phone lines

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

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Lenovo ThinkPad L412: A Price-Conscious, Eco-Friendly Laptop for Business

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

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Rounds provides fun and intimate video chat via Facebook

Filed under: Fun, Social Software
This morning, I had the pleasure of chatting to a charming British expatriate currently living in Israel. We started with Skype but quickly moved to Rounds’ new Facebook video chat app. It took all of 60 seconds to be won over by Rounds and the cute, intimate conversations that it catalyses. In a single sentence, Rounds is video chat with a bunch of buttons that you can push to make things more friendly.

With that said, I don’t much care for the interface — it really feels quite cramped inside Facebook’s mega-narrow center column — but it’s easy enough to use with a bit of trial and error. Almost the entire UI changes as you mouse-over things, which is probably quite handy after you get used to it, but it’s confusing at first.

Back to the topic of friendliness: I have to admit, I was pretty dubious at first. Rounds is a Flash app, and my only prior experience with Flash-based video chat was a brief stint as an anonymous phallus on Chatroulette. But I needn’t have worried; the entire service seems to be about bringing people closer together, but without the massive spam of dribbly man bits.
But how does Rounds bring people together? How does it make standard video chat more friendly? By simply providing interactive buttons. Push one button and your video stream will become all fiery, or on the other hand, smattered in snowflakes. Another button turns your face into a Warholesque piece of art. There are masks and overlays, too, like the halo, cloud, and sunbeams that you can see above. The image in the background is a ’skin,’ which either chat participant can change at any time.

And that’s the key to Rounds: you’re encouraged to mess around. You can mess with your own face, or you can mess with your friend’s — either way, you’ll both see each other’s reactions in real time. In the photo above, Natasha had no idea that I was about to beatify her with a halo — and the glowing grin that I received positively filled my heart with joy!

I’ve only touched on the video chat aspect of Rounds, but there’s a lot more. Like MSN Live Messenger, there are games like Checkers and Backgammon — or even Spin the Bottle (with built-in questions and dares!). One of the coolest features is the ability to ’share’ a website; you can open up Facebook or Flickr and share the mouse, navigating this way and that. (What a great way to share a photo album with friends and family online!) There are also some FarmVille/Facebook’ish aspects like Coins and Gifts, but I haven’t played with them yet.

In conclusion, Rounds converted me from mature-and-serious into a wobbly pile of giggles. That’s not bad for a Flash app and a five minute conversation.
Share TweetRounds provides fun and intimate video chat via Facebook originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Fairfax County schools to try out online textbooks for a year

Fairfax County public schools might be moving toward online textbooks, beginning with a pilot program this fall.

United States – Virginia – Counties – Fairfax – Education

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Use VPN On Your iPad To Protect Privacy | Plus Special Giveaway Inside

When it comes to online privacy while using your iPad you need all the protection you can get. Luckily Golden Frog provides a service called VyprVPN that keeps your data safe. You may not be aware but your surfing as well as other online activities are constantly being tracked and recorded by your ISP and [...]

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Gateway ID49C07u: Sleek, Sexy, and Silver, but Lacking in Performance

The Gateway ID49C07u is a slim, eye-catching 14-inch laptop with a pretty good price–just under $580 at the time of this review. The ID49C07u (a Best Buy exclusive model) has a 2.28GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of memory, a 500GB hard drive, a DVD-rewritable drive, a 14-inch screen, a built-in…

Silver – Precious metal – Business – Shopping – Jewelry

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Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync

Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers
“Tab Candy” has finally come into its own in this most recent iteration of Firefox, Beta 4. The feature is now called “Panorama”. Not all of Raskin’s envisioned features made it, but it’s still pretty dang cool.
Panorama now lets you group tabs and optionally name the groups. You can resize the groups, and when you shrink a group down to its smallest size, it becomes a “pile” and you can zoom into it by clicking a button next to it.
Another major addition is Firefox Sync. It works with its own accounts, “Firefox Sync accounts.” Interestingly, it prompts you for a pass phrase in addition to a password. It’s a service which syncs your history, open tabs, bookmarks, Awesomebar, etc. Sounds identical to what Google already does with Chrome, but now Firefox has it, too.
These are the two new major features in the Beta 4. The inclusion of Panorama is a big deal – it’s Firefox’s most innovative UI feature by far, and I think it signifies the release cycle rapidly moving to maturity for this version. You should definitely go give it a try, even if it’s not ready yet for use as a full-time browser (due to lack of add-ons).Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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OhLife helps you maintain a personal diary over e-mail

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

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AutoCAD coming to iPhone, iPad

As part of their grand re-introduction to Mac, AutoDesk has announced that they’ll also be bringing AutoCAD to iPhone and iPad:

The Mac version will cost $3,995, the same as the PC version, and will be released in October. AutoDesk will soon introduce a free mobile version of the software that will run on [...]AutoCAD coming to iPhone, iPad 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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Help file: Be careful with security certificate warnings

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

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HP employees ready to add 500 apps to webOS Catalog

Filed under: webOSThe webOS App Catalog isn’t quite as much of a bustling hive of activity as Apple’s App Store, but it’s about to get a big boost from Palm’s new in-laws at HP. According to HP CTO Phil McKinney, employees have responded to the developer challenge with more gusto than anticipated — flooding his inbox with around 500 new apps.

There are around 3,400 apps in the Catalog right now, so these newly-developed offerings from HP will comprise a significant chunk once added. That’s excellent news for webOS users, and a pretty clear sign that HP is excited about the platform.

With more users now running webOS 1.4.5 and PDK-based apps and games (like Need for Speed Underground and Assassin’s Creed) appearing, Pre and Pixi users should have a nice crop of new apps to choose from in the coming weeks.

That million bucks for hot apps isn’t going to hurt, either…

[via PreCentral]HP employees ready to add 500 apps to webOS Catalog originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Navigation devices, PC vs. Mac, Blackberry vs. iPhone, eReaders, Starbucks WiFi fail and more on Personal Tech Live with Rob Pegoraro

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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Mozila Makes Mobile Firefox (Fennec) Alpha Available To Download

It’s sort of amazing where we have come with mobile Browsing, really. Just think back in the year 2000. When people were ringing in the New Year, no one had a smartphone capable of Browsing the Web in a way that was even close to as comfortable as with a PC. It simply wasn’t a reality. Today, smartphones are canned and immediately overlooked if they cannot Browse the Web in a respectable manner, with Apple’s iPhone arguably setting the original benchmark. Google’s Android also has a remarkable Browser, but now

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Dell Studio XPS 7100: A Versatile PC in a Pretty Package

Priced at just over $1500 (as of August 1, 2010, as configured), the Dell Studio XPS 7100 is a mainstream desktop targeted at shoppers who want a PC that has enough muscle to tackle modern games and CPU-intensive tasks such as photo editing or light video editing, but that doesn’t scare off…

Dell Studio – Dell – Hardware – Apple – Windows

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Loudoun restaurateur sentenced to 12 years in $71 million loan scam on 8 banks

A Loudoun County man who rose from a teenage employee at a Sterling deli to own a string of area restaurants, and who by his own account fraudulently borrowed more than $71 million from eight banks, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison.

Virginia – United States – Loudoun – Counties – Fraud

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Va. teacher Kevin Ricks charged in federal court with child-porn possession

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.

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Apple Tablet Is Coming, Whether We Need It or Not

Internet detectives are dredging up details around Apple’s tablet computer. The Wall Street Journal noted the device aims to change the personal computing experience. Meanwhile, blogger Joe Wilcox argued that the world does not need another tablet, at least not one when the world has smartphones such as Apple’s iPhone. He was quickly eviscerated in digital ink by TechCrunch blogger and Apple devotee MG Siegler and blogger/pundit Robert Scoble. If this Apple tablet proposes to dramatically alter the computing experience as we know it and ends up costing $500 or less someday, I will reconsider buying it or something of its ilk. – News Analysis: Just as blogger sleuths gradually unearthed the fine
points surrounding Google’s Nexus One smartphone, Internet detectives are dredging up
details of Apple’s tablet computer.
The Wall Street Journal reported (paywall) that the tablet will ship in
March, quoting sources briefed by …

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Does Apple Belong in the Enterprise?

My Apple journey started as a test of whether and when Apple hardware and software had a place in a mostly-Windows corporate world. In the year since, I’ve come to appreciate computer systems that just work, and my switchover has been eased by products such as Parallels Desktop Switch to Mac Edition. With that said, however, Mac desktop and notebook systems are still a departmental, not an enterprise, concern for IT managers. – 2010 will start my second year as a daily Mac user in a Windows-oriented
world. I think my aluminum-skinned charges will thrive in the coming year
despite clinging to a fat-client model I associate more with the past than the
future.
Apple’s style, design and functionality are big inducements f…

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Is Mozilla making a huge mistake by breaking add-ons so badly on Firefox 4?

Filed under: Mozilla, Browsers, Op-Ed
I’m stoked about Firefox 4; I think many of us are. It’s a beautiful browser, and with the addition of Tab Candy (now “Panorama”), it’s even cooler.
Whenever Mozilla release a new version of Firefox, add-ons break. It’s become routine, so nobody’s overly worked up about it by now. The Mozilla add-ons site is littered with yesteryear’s great extensions, including such crowd pleasers as Hit-a-Hint, which has not been updated since 2007.
Okay, … so with every iteration, some add-ons get left behind, and some are updated by their creators and live on. That’s just how the system works, right?
In the past, whenever a new Firefox version came out, the blogosphere was soon full of posts showing how to disable the add-on compatibility check. You just make Firefox stop checking for compatibility, and all of your add-ons work again. Great!
But with Firefox 4, something has changed: Mozilla has made bold, significant, lasting changes that may drastically impact the amount of work the average coder needs to put into their extension to make it compatible with Firefox again.
That’s a gutsy move. I mean, when you see a blog post aimed at developers that includes language such as “The nsIExtensionManager interface is no more, along with its RDF backend,” you can tell they’re not taking any prisoners in their quest for modernizing the aging browser, which now seems kind of sluggish when compared to Chrome (and even Opera 10.61).
You can see it in the adoption rate, too. I have 22 add-ons on my own system, including massively popular ones like Read it Later, Greasemonkey, Adblock Plus, Delicious Bookmarks, … you get the picture. Firefox is now in its 4th Beta, and none of these extensions are compatible yet (at least on my system.
That’s definitely an indication, at least to me. And that’s a change as compared to past release cycles, where add-on compatibility updates were much swifter (and easier).
Right now, Firefox 4 is kind of like Opera. It’s very neat, very sexy, and completely lacking in add-ons. Chrome definitely has the upper hand on Firefox 4 right now in terms of “working extensions.”
It seems like Mozilla is taking a large step back in hopes of taking an even bigger one forward. I hope this dance move works.Is Mozilla making a huge mistake by breaking add-ons so badly on Firefox 4? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Filler 2 is a bubble popping Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Filler 2 is a simple time-waster. You click and hold the mouse to start creating a bubble. While your bubble inflates, it may not touch any of the red bubbles that are floating around the screen. As soon as you let go of the mouse button, your bubble becomes solid and floats down the screen; the red bubbles can no longer harm it.
Your goal is to fill two-thirds of the screen space with your bubbles. You can only make so many bubbles before you strike out. You’re allowed to make more and more bubbles on each new level (so they can be smaller), but there are more and more red bubbles floating around the screen, too (so you have to make your bubbles smaller).
If all of this sounds a bit too soothing, there are also challenges that you can take. There are five challenge types: timed challenges (where you need to complete a level before the timer runs out), bubble-size challenges (where you must make a bubble of a certain size), perfection challenges (where you must finish the level without popping any balls), and quantity challenges (where you get fewer bubbles than normal to finish a level). There’s also a “meta” challenge mode, where “everything is a challenge.” I failed horribly with any and all challenges; they’re simply too tough for me. I like the normal mode, though. It’s kind of soothing, and that’s just the way I like my time-wasters.Filler 2 is a bubble popping Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Yet more iPod touch 4, iPod nano 6 case and screen protector leaks

I love the smell of a iPod touch 4 and iPod nano 6 accessory leaks in the morning. Once again we’ve got cases from China, this time with a side of screen protectors for good measure.

How informed are the device mockups? We’ll find out for certain at Apple’s special music event this Wednesday but until [...]Yet more iPod touch 4, iPod nano 6 case and screen protector leaks 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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Intel Buys Infineon’s Wireless Unit For $1.4 Billion; Plans To Integrate Into Notebooks And Smartphones

It was a deal rumored to go down a few days ago, and now that a week has begun fresh, Intel and Infineon are officially tying the knot. Infineon isn’t a name that’s unheard of, but many in the consumer space are probably unaware of what kind of technology they build behind-the-scenes. They’re probably best known for their memory endeavors, but Intel’s more interested in their Wireless Solutions Business. Really interested, in fact. Interested enough to spend $1.4 billion in order to buy it, with the deal expected

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The FCC and the bandwidth wars

As a general rule, whenever you hear special-interest groups using near-hysterical language to warn that some proposal will destroy jobs, snuff out innovation and end free-market capitalism as we know it, you can generally assume that progress is being made.

FCC – Federal Communications Commission – Recreation – Data Communications – Testing and Tools

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Reforms urged in federal funding for phone lines

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.

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Toshiba’s Satellite M645-4055: For the Mainstream Gamer

If you’re looking for a mainstream, all-purpose laptop with above-average gaming capabilities, the 6-pound Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 is a worthy, albeit pricey, contender for your computing dollars. It has top-notch input ergonomics, snappy performance, excellent sound, some nice usability…

Television – Satellite – Toshiba – Technology – Business

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Adobe updates Photoshop.com, releases Express Editor, Organizer and Android app

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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Dell Studio 17 (Model 1747): A Solid Design That Comes in a Wide Variety of Configurations

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…

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Gateway FX6803: PC With a Fast Foundation Needs a Little Interior Decorating

As has become a sort of tradition on the performance desktop charts, Gateway has brought another iteration of its FX-series desktops to the market, and–surprise–the machine is a fairly competent piece of hardware. We don’t always expect to see mainstream vendors dishing out systems that beat…

Home Improvement – Decorating – Home – Design – United States

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Genius Intros Navigator 905BT Bluetooth Mouse With “Flying Scroll” Technology

Looking for a travel mouse, anyone? With the school season in full swing, there’s a good chance you’ll be needing a mouse to tote around to class, and if you use your notebook as your main workhorse, you certainly don’t want to rely solely on the trackpad when back at your dorm room. Genius has a new mousing device out now with a rather unique twist; there’s a bundled Stick-and-Go mount that allows users to easily affix the mouse to a laptop, and the “Flying Scroll” technology allows users to whisk through web

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Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4 (artistic version) ? review

The Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4, this version with beautiful artistic print finish, is an extremely affordable way to both protect and personalize your iPhone 4. Ally already looked at the solid color versions, and these are the same except for the artistic prints:

Contempo Tree, with colorful leaves on a white background
Midnight [...]Talon Hard Shell Case for iPhone 4 (artistic version) – review 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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Want an Epic hands on a few days early? Check your local Best Buy

 They isn’t the real deal, and they surely aren’t activated, but if you have a hankering to get your mitts on an Epic 4G to see what all the fuss is about, try hitting your local Best Buy.  Thats where these lovely dummy units were spotted, just hanging out on their leash for anyone to fondle.  Our roving ninja Keith, (an Epic junkie if there ever was) says the dummy units feel pretty close to the real deal, minus the area around the space key, so you’d have a pretty good idea what the next two years year will feel like as you talk, text and play those 3D games.  If you’re out and about, take a look and see if your local Best Buy has the Epic on display, and let us know in the comments!  Look after the jump to see another pic, with all of Best Buy’s pricing information.
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Gateway NV5933u: Great for Blu-ray Movies, but Not for Games

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,…

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Loudoun restaurateur sentenced to 12 years in $71 million loan scam on 8 banks

A Loudoun County man who rose from a teenage employee at a Sterling deli to own a string of area restaurants, and who by his own account fraudulently borrowed more than $71 million from eight banks, was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison.

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Netgear Introduces NeoTV 550 And 350 Media Players, New Powerline Gear

Sony just recently jumped into the Media Player sector with a new N100 network box, and now an industry mainstay is coming out with another rival: Netgear just debuted the NeoTV 550 and NeoTV 350 HD Media Players. Both of these players play back multi-media stored locally at up to 1080p, with the 550 offering support for files stored on SD cards, USB hard drives and even files on Blu-ray. It supports 7.1 channel audio, but there’s no internal storage space to speak of. The 350 is mostly the same but without

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Help File: Windows 7’s ’snap’ window tricks; real-world DSL speeds

Q: How do I stop Windows 7 from shoving windows against the edge of the screen if I drag them too close?

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Apple Predictions for 2010: iPhone on Multiple Carriers, iSlate, Beatles

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…

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Adobe updates Photoshop.com, releases Express Editor, Organizer and Android app

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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NewsBlur is a slick, impressive, undocumented RSS reader

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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Microsoft LifeCam HD-6000: A Great High-Def Webcam for Laptop Use

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

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Google Chrome dev channel hits v7 — get ready for native code in Web apps!

Filed under: Google, Browsers
Those of you who have been waiting patiently to see what Google’s Native Client is all about shouldn’t have to wonder much longer. With yesterday’s bump to version 7, Google Chrome dev now comes with the NaCl plug-in enabled by default — and as we’ve seen countless times before, once a feature is turned on it doesn’t take long for Chrome developers to pounce on it.

So, what is Native Client all about? It’s Google open source tech which allows native code (the kind of code which powers your favorite desktop apps) to run inside your browser. Assuming that browser is Google Chrome, of course, because no one else sports NaCl support yet. Native code in the browser should mean the arrival of Web apps that truly compete with desktop apps in terms of performance — which could be a big boost to things like online media converters and photo editors. At the very least, you’ll be able to play Quake in Chrome.

If you want to see Native Client in action, Google has a gallery of NaCl demo ports you can check out — or at least you’re meant to be able to check them out. Both Chrome dev and Canary responded with a “missing plug-in” message when i tried to load them, even though Native Client was enabled (as you can see in my screenshot).

The dev channel update was actually quite a major one, though it mostly contained bugfixes and cleaned up code. The full log of revisions is available here.

update: as reported in the comments, you need to add the –enable-nacl flag to your shortcut. I’ve done that, and the demos still don’t load, however. The missing plug-in message did disappear at least…
Share TweetGoogle Chrome dev channel hits v7 — get ready for native code in Web apps! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Did Microsoft Russia leak the new Internet Explorer 9 user interface?

Filed under: Microsoft, Beta, Browsers
This time the leaked Internet Explorer 9 image we’re looking at is a bit more trustworthy than the mock-up we received back on April 1st. As Mary Jo Foley reports, the image above was posted by Microsoft’s Russian PR site, though the post has since been pulled from the server and now returns a 404 error.

If this is the new interface, it’s certainly been simplified from the IE8 incarnation. A few things look odd to me, however. First, there’s the way the back button is cut off by the Bing Web page — it seems like the UI element should float on top rather than being cropped by the content below. I’m also not convinced that placing the tabs next to the address bar is a good move — the bar will be quite cramped when multiple tabs are open.

I do like the look of the favorites, home, and history(?) button on the far-right side and the introduction of a unified address/search box. Too often I’ve had a circular conversation while trying to instruct users to type into the address bar and not the search box in IE. This is one change I’d be really happy to see.

It’s only two and a half more weeks until we find out if this is our first look at the IE9 beta interface. Even then, it’ll be a beta version — and could very well change before the final version ships early next year.Did Microsoft Russia leak the new Internet Explorer 9 user interface? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Sony soups up PlayStation 3 with bigger hard drives

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

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Samsung Outs New Line of LCD Monitors with HDTV Tuners

If something walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then it’s probably a duck. But what if it also barks like a dog – what would you call it then? Figure that one out and you’ll know what to call Samsung’s new 90 and 30 series LED-backlit LCD displays, which you can use as a PC monitor or an HDTV. “People are looking to do more in smaller areas and multi-function monitors are a great way to maximize the functionality of a single device,” said Young Bae, director of display marketing Samsung Enterprise Business

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Outside the U.S. ? Don’t try to upgrade Voice in Gmail

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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DLS Review: IDriveSync is a cheaper, more powerful, Dropbox competitor for Windows

Filed under: Utilities, Features, Productivity, web 2.0
I’m an avid Dropbox fan. I’ve been using it for a long time now, and it’s one of a handful of applications that I think of as “mission critical” on my system.
But there are a couple of things that have always irked me about Dropbox. First and foremost, there are the rates. It’s US$9.99/month for 50GB. Really? With online backup solutions such as Backblaze and Mozy offering unlimited storage for just $5/month, Dropbox’s price tag seems quite steep.
True, it’s not a backup solution, but space is space. I understand that Dropbox may experience more traffic than a normal backup provider (which is usually upload only), but I really don’t think it justifies twice the price.
That’s one thing. The other thing is more subjective: Dropbox is very simple. In most scenarios, that’s a very positive thing. In fact, I’m sure that, had it been more complex, less people would be using it. It’s elegant, simple, and slick. But when someone uploads a 500MB video file onto a shared folder, while your boss is putting a 70KB DOC file onto another shared folder, and then they wonder why you aren’t getting it, Dropbox’s simplicity gets in the way of productivity.
Enter IDriveSync. This is pretty much the antithesis of Dropbox. It’s only for PC (as compared to Dropbox’s multitude of supported platforms). It doesn’t have an API, and it doesn’t have 10 percent of Dropbox’s sex appeal.
But it does offer fine-grained control and status information, and it lets you easily (if not elegantly) sync files that are outside of its folder. And best of all, $4.95/month will get you unlimited sync space. That’s just the way it should be.
I took IDriveSync for an extensive spin, and I have started using it alongside Dropbox for some of the heavier lifting (video files, etc.). To see the tour, keep on reading after the fold.First of all, let’s talk about the status window. If a file is syncing, you can see exactly what the file’s name is, if it’s uploading or downloading, what the transfer rate is, and the time estimation (which you get on Dropbox, too). The “Switch to IDriveSync Explorer” button kind of looks like an in-program banner, but it’s not; it’s a button that opens up Windows Explorer within your IDriveSync folder (C:\IDriveSync by default – a bit of an odd location).

Moving on, we see the built-in Bandwidth Upload Test. You also get a Download Test. That’s a nice touch. I think they work directly against IDriveSync’s own servers, so you get a good estimation of how fast or slow program operation would actually be (as opposed to using a third-party bandwidth test with another server).

This is the main program window. They call it “Classic” for some reason. Perhaps that’s because it’s based on IDrive’s existing PC backup solution. It’s a simple, technical-looking interface, where you can see all of your files and their status.

Here’s a view of the file list itself (while a file is uploading). You can see exactly what file is uploading, its current progress, and the queue. I’m not sure if you can modify the queue, though (i.e., push things up or down).

Again, just like Dropbox, you get versioning support. IDriveSync keeps 30 versions of each file, and you can easily restore them from within the program (unlike Dropbox, which forces you to use the Web interface).

Here’s a Session Log window. Again, there are no frills, and it’s very technical. Each transaction is a “session,” and you can see when it happened, what it was, and view session details. It’s very transparent and easy to dig into.

This “Browse My Computer” dialog lets you select any folder for syncing. The way it works isn’t elegant, though. It simply creates a symlink to that folder within your IDriveSync folder; it’s just like what you can do with Dropbox. Here it’s integrated into the program, but it still feels clunky.

This is a young product, and it does have its quirks. I encountered one bug where the Classic interface told me my files weren’t in sync, but they actually were (per the logs and Status window). It also doesn’t have Explorer overlay icons, which let you see what files are in sync.
It will never be as sexy as Dropbox, and I don’t think it will ever be multi-platform or have Dropbox’s wide API support. I am certainly not dumping Dropbox for IDriveSync, but as a second solution, it is very, very good. Also, if these guys can provide unlimited storage for $5/month, why can’t Dropbox do it? They are certainly at least as successful.DLS Review: IDriveSync is a cheaper, more powerful, Dropbox competitor for Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Nokia’s E73: A Low-Priced Alternative for the BlackBerry Crowd

Nokia?s E73 Mode smartphone doesn?t differ radically from its predecessor (the E71), but it has one great advantage: The new phone sells for just $70 when purchased through T-Mobile (along with a two-year contract), making its price tag far more appealing to consumers than the $500 that an unlocked…

BlackBerry – Nokia – Smartphone – Handhelds – Wallpapers and Themes

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HELP FILE: AT&T hangs up on old unlimited wireless-data plans

Q: I’ve had an unlimited-use data plan with AT&T for years, but now the company is telling me I’ve gone over a 5-gigabyte usage cap.

AT&T – Wireless – Business – Telecommunication – Services

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10 Things You Need to Know Before Buying an HDTV

High-definition TVs have come a long way in the past two years. In 2008, a 1080p HDTV set was still a high-end item; today, it’s pretty much the norm (as it should be for optimal Blu-ray Disc playback ). LED-backlit sets were just starting to appear then, and their price tags were astronomical–Sony…

Television – High-definition television – 1080p – Shopping – Consumer Electronics

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Canon Intros EOS 60D DSLR: 1080p Movie Mode, 18MP, Vari-Angle LCD

Watch out, Nikon! Canon has a new mid-range DSLR out today, and the specifications look super impressive. The 50D is being replaced today by the EOS 60D, which is a new prosumer DSLR camera that features an 18MP sensor, a flexible rear LCD, in-camera RAW processing and plenty of other specs to make the budding photographer think twice about replacing their current body. The new 60D is full of firsts; there’s a 3″ Vari-Angle LCD on the rear, which is a rarity on DSLR cameras these days. There’s also the all-new

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Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync

Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers
“Tab Candy” has finally come into its own in this most recent iteration of Firefox, Beta 4. The feature is now called “Panorama”. Not all of Raskin’s envisioned features made it, but it’s still pretty dang cool.
Panorama now lets you group tabs and optionally name the groups. You can resize the groups, and when you shrink a group down to its smallest size, it becomes a “pile” and you can zoom into it by clicking a button next to it.
Another major addition is Firefox Sync. It works with its own accounts, “Firefox Sync accounts.” Interestingly, it prompts you for a pass phrase in addition to a password. It’s a service which syncs your history, open tabs, bookmarks, Awesomebar, etc. Sounds identical to what Google already does with Chrome, but now Firefox has it, too.
These are the two new major features in the Beta 4. The inclusion of Panorama is a big deal – it’s Firefox’s most innovative UI feature by far, and I think it signifies the release cycle rapidly moving to maturity for this version. You should definitely go give it a try, even if it’s not ready yet for use as a full-time browser (due to lack of add-ons).Firefox 4 Beta 4 is out, with Panorama and Sync originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Help File: Facebook ‘Places’ privacy settings

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

Facebook – Privacy – Security – Social network – Protocols

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Dell Vostro 3300: A Sleek and Compact Small-Business Laptop

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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Google Turns Gmail Into a Phone

We know that Google is constantly experimenting with new ideas, and rolling them out as they come to fruition. Thus, on Wednesday, we saw another feature come to Gmail, which Google seems to be focusing on as a communications center. While you have been able voice chat to other Gmail users through Gtalk for some time, how about this: voice calls from Gmail? It would seem to be a natural extension of the voice chat functionality, and Google Voice as well. While you can use Google Voice to make a call, it doesn’t

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Google Chrome to get Gmail Labs-like experimental features

Filed under: Google, Browsers
Many of our readers have been frustrated by having to add command line switches to Google Chrome in order to try out a new feature. In truth, it’s really not a difficult procedure (though Windows and Linux users have it far easier than those on Mac) — but wouldn’t it be cool if you could just click something to turn them on?

Starting soon, you just might be able to do that. Google OS spotted a new addition to the Chromium browser: an about:labs page. Load it up, and you’ll see experimental browser features which you can enable — like side tabs on Windows and tab expose on Mac.

At least, very soon you’ll be able to turn the features on via this page. Right now, it’s not functional. Clicking enable on tabs on the left didn’t actually activate the feature for me — I still had to add the –enable-vertical-tabs switch to my shortcut.

The addition of about:labs is a nice touch, and will allow more users to kick the tires on cutting-edge features. That, of course, is a good thing for Google. A larger group of testers should allow them to tackle bugs more quickly and push features from the dev and canary builds to the beta and stable channels even more quickly.Google Chrome to get Gmail Labs-like experimental features originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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The Lenovo IdeaPad Y460: Plenty of Gaming Muscle, but All Business When Needed

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y460 laptop is probably the closest thing to a Transformer I’ll ever have my hands on. As tested, the Core i5-520M processor, 4 gigs of RAM, and the 64-bit version of Windows 7 together provide plenty of power — the vehicle form, so to speak, of the Y460. But flick a switch up…

Lenovo – IdeaPad – Intel Core – Manufacturers – Personal computer

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Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special event

It’s still that guitar, it still has no text, it still just sits there, taunting us, a clue with indecipherable meaning, and now Apple is splashing it in grand, glorious form at Yerba Buena center in preparation for it’s annual special music event coming September 1.

[@Wired via 9to5Mac]
Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special [...]Apple unveils posters for Sept. 1 iPod/iTunes special event 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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Garmin Voluntarily Recalls 1.25 Million Navigation Devices

Don’t you just hate it when you’re driving down the highway and then, BAM, your GPS burst into flames, turning your Honda into a rolling fireball? That hasn’t actually happened to us — or anyone, for that matter — and probably never will, but according to Garmin, some of its Nuvi Personal Navigation Devices contain potentially faulty batteries that could overheat, and in some rare instances, catch on fire. Garmin says less than 10 cases total have so far been identified, none of which have caused any “significant

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Apple Predictions for 2010: iPhone on Multiple Carriers, iSlate, Beatles

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…

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Nokia Introduces Bargain 5250 Smartphone With 2.8″ Touch Screen

Nokia still has some ways to go before they can reasonably compete with the iPhone 4 and the many other Android 2.x smartphones that are shipping today, but one area where no one has really considered the competition going is price. Pricing hasn’t been a huge focal point for smartphones in America; most are just assumed to start at around $200 on contract. But that means these phones are upwards of $500 in terms of non-contract pricing. Nokia is about to change the expectations with the touch screen-based 5250.

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Gateway DX4831-03: A Great General-Purpose Mainstream PC

You don’t have much room to upgrade the Gateway DX4831-03, but you probably won’t need to. Aside from its indifferent gaming performance, this midsize tower desktop PC–the first in Gateway’s DX line that we’ve reviewed since last year’s DX-4200-11 –does an excellent job of delivering a good mix of…

Personal computer – Universal Serial Bus – YouTube – Facebook – Flickr

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Garmin Voluntarily Recalls 1.25 Million Navigation Devices

Don’t you just hate it when you’re driving down the highway and then, BAM, your GPS burst into flames, turning your Honda into a rolling fireball? That hasn’t actually happened to us — or anyone, for that matter — and probably never will, but according to Garmin, some of its Nuvi Personal Navigation Devices contain potentially faulty batteries that could overheat, and in some rare instances, catch on fire. Garmin says less than 10 cases total have so far been identified, none of which have caused any “significant

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Hotmail to gain ActiveSync support for iPhone and iPad. Finally.

CNET is reporting that Microsoft’s Hotmail will finally gain support for… Microsoft’s Exchange ActiveSync protocol. Sure, even Google’s had that for a while now, but better embarrassingly late than embarrassingly never, right?

So Hotmail users, very soon you’ll be able to type in your username and password as an Exchange account and enjoy full push support [...]Hotmail to gain ActiveSync support for iPhone and iPad. Finally. 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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Logitech Debuts Z623 2.1 Channel PC Speaker System

In need of new speakers? Logitech has you covered. Whether you’re looking for new PC speakers, new TV speakers, or a new set for your studio apartment in general, the new Z623 system could fit the bill. It’s a mid-sized 2.1 setup, complete with a small pair of satellites and a robust ported subwoofer. Together, the kit offers 200 watts (RMS) of power, which is plenty for the back to school kid in your life or the bedroom you’ve needed to fill with sound. These speakers are pretty simple. Logitech designed them

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HP TouchSmart 600 Quad: Mediacentric All-in-One Delivers Great Performance and Stellar Sound

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

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Dear Logitech … Your Revue Google TV ads are kinda creepy

Sincerely, Palm. (That said, my dog does the same thing. Check out the video after the break. Or don’t. Up to you. Thanks to everyone who sent this in.)
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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New version of Digg released; face-lifted, faster, but is it too little too late?

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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AVADirect Clevo W860CU 3D Gaming Laptop Review

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

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Toshiba Satellite L645D: Modest Price, Modest Performance

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

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Google Turns Gmail Into a Phone

We know that Google is constantly experimenting with new ideas, and rolling them out as they come to fruition. Thus, on Wednesday, we saw another feature come to Gmail, which Google seems to be focusing on as a communications center. While you have been able voice chat to other Gmail users through Gtalk for some time, how about this: voice calls from Gmail? It would seem to be a natural extension of the voice chat functionality, and Google Voice as well. While you can use Google Voice to make a call, it doesn’t

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Move to a New Hard Drive

Joseph Blough Jr. plans to upgrade his hard drive. How does he move Windows, his applications, and his files to their new, larger home?

Movies – Theaters – Drive-In Theaters – Arts – United States

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The Lenovo IdeaPad Y460: Plenty of Gaming Muscle, but All Business When Needed

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y460 laptop is probably the closest thing to a Transformer I’ll ever have my hands on. As tested, the Core i5-520M processor, 4 gigs of RAM, and the 64-bit version of Windows 7 together provide plenty of power — the vehicle form, so to speak, of the Y460. But flick a switch up…

Lenovo – IdeaPad – Intel Core – Manufacturers – Personal computer

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Google Docs Drawing tool removes any reason to use MS Paint ever again

Filed under: Utilities, Google, web 2.0
Today I had a quick play with the Google Docs drawing tool. It’s awesome, but yet there’s a strong chance that you didn’t even know it existed! Just head over to docs.google.com > Create New > Drawing and give it a go. Don’t forget to Insert > Image — a whole wealth of Google Images await your artistic meddling! Poke around with the tools; they’re very easy to use.

OK, drawn something fun? Now I can tell you about cool bits that I really didn’t expect to see in a browser-based drawing tool. Hit Ctrl-Z to undo your last action — Ctrl-Y to redo works as well. Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V are available for copying and pasting. Because it’s vector-based, you can click anything you’ve scribbled and grab a corner to stretch or scale it.

There’s more! The Drawing tool has a complete set of flow chart symbols (and other shapes) that you can drag and drop into place — and because this is Google Docs, you can collaboratively work on the same chart or diagram! I’m sure there’s a plethora of potential organizey-businessy applications for that kind of functionality.

Finally, there’s a ton of ways in which you can export your Google Drawings. There’s a new ‘Web Clipboard’, which lets you select your image and then paste into another Google Doc. This clipboard is associated with your Google account, so you can store something there and retrieve it from any Web-attached computer if you desire. You can also download your finished image as a JPEG, PNG, SVG or PDF file.

I told you it was awesome! Die, MS Paint, die.
Share TweetGoogle Docs Drawing tool removes any reason to use MS Paint ever again originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Sad Steve is a minimalistic, easy-to-use MP3 search engine

Filed under: Utilities, Productivity, web 2.0
Sad Steve is a single-purpose search engine with a fairly familiar mascot. It is completely devoid of advertising, and it makes no money at the moment (according to the informatively-titled What? page).
It’s run by a guy named Joe Huttner, and it does just what it says on the tin. You feed it with the name of a band or a song that you like and it comes up with an MP3 of said song (usually, a bunch of MP3s). Then, you can listen to the song or download it.
Sad Steve also features some indie-looking bands, and it even has profile pages for them (check out Halo Stereo). It’s no Muxtape or Bandcamp, but for some bands I suppose the format works. If you have an account on Sad Steve, you can pledge money for bands that are listed on the site (I suspect that “pledging” is probably not the same as actually paying, but I’m not sure).
All in all, I’ve seen more polished efforts in the online music/search/indie band page space, but Sad Steve combined all three functions and it’s been around for a while. It’s certainly handy as an occasional search engine, but if you don’t have a problem with Flash, I would go for an app like Grooveshark.Sad Steve is a minimalistic, easy-to-use MP3 search engine originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Onslaught is a fast-paced, HTML5 Time-Waster

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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Gateway NV5933u: Great for Blu-ray Movies, but Not for Games

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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Polywell Poly 890FX: Speedy Performance PC Stumbles on Design

It’s common knowledge that when PC makers use an AMD processor in a system–especially in the performance PC category –they do so to reduce the overall cost while building a desktop that can still compete against models carrying the best that Intel has to offer. With that in mind, you might find…

Hardware – Shopping – Asia – Business and Economy – United States

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JVC To Ship PICSIO GC-WP10 And GC-FM2 HD Pocket Camcorders

At this point, it’s becoming difficult to keep track of all of the pocket camcorder options out there. The trend that Pure Digital started with the Flip Video is still going strong, and JVC has just debuted the PICSIO GC-WP10 and GC-FM2 in order to join the crowds. Both of these units are highly similar, arriving in a few color options and easily slipping into a coat or pant pocket. These also record Full HD (1080p) content, with the main difference being the waterproof casing that wraps around the GC-WP10.

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Toshiba Portégé R700: Super Slim, Super Fast, Super Hot

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

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Casper Suite 7.2 Keeps Enterprise Macs in Line

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…

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Help File: Some hardware and software are easy to break from; others will try to trap you

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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Gateway NV5933u: Great for Blu-ray Movies, but Not for Games

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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Add RAM to a Laptop

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.

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NVIDIA and HH Just Cause 2 Giveaway, Just Cuz

Thanks to our friends at NVIDIA, we’ve got 20 copies of the excellent game Just Cause 2 to giveaway to our loyal HotHardware fans. They are digital distributable versions available via Steam, so winners can immediately begin enjoying their hot new game, as soon as we send over the download key! As we’ve done with previous contest here at HotHardware, we’ll be giving away these Just Cause 2 keys to randomly selected contributors to our various on-line discussion systems, but like many previous contests,

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Chip Showdown: A Guide to the Best CPUs

Illustration by Harry Campbell > When you’re shopping for a new PC, don’t meekly settle for the default processor recommended by the configurator. Picking the right CPU is a personal decision that you shouldn’t enter into lightly. And with so many options to choose from, you need to know what you’re…

Hardware – Components – Processors – Intel Corporation – Central processing unit

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Chrome extensions with right-click context menus coming soon! And your chance to win a Chrome hoodie…

Filed under: Developer, Google, BrowsersIn a move that is surely an effort to keep pace with Firefox’s helter-skelter development of Jetpack, Chrome Beta now has a context menu API!

There’s also a bunch of other new APIs, the most exciting being the Omnibox API. Imagine Chrome’s built-in search engines (type ‘Amazon’, then a space, and then a book name — it searches Amazon!), but with extension access. Type the name of an extension into the Omnibox, and then any further input is redirected to the extension. Actually, having said this is an exciting addition, I’m really not sure what an extension would do with it… Perhaps something Ubiquity-esque?

The new Infobar API might be of interest, too. You know that blue bar that appears when Chrome asks you whether you want a page to be translated? Well, extensions can now pop those up for you. I can see security and privacy extensions like LastPass making use of them, or an extension that alerts you when a page you’re visiting has an ‘official Chrome extension’ (you know, instead of that awful JavaScript hack…).

Oh, and if you make an extension (featuring the new APIs? It’s not clear), let Google know and they might send you a free Chrome hoodie! Hooray.Chrome extensions with right-click context menus coming soon! And your chance to win a Chrome hoodie… originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Cellphone industry attacks San Francisco’s ruling on radiation

San Francisco, a city that banned the plastic bag, now has waded into the muddy territory of cellphone radiation, setting off a call to arms in the $153 billion wireless industry.

San Francisco – Mobile phone – Law – Environmental Health – Health Physics and Radiological Health

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Apple Buys Quattro Wireless to Battle Google in Mobile Ads

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…

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Garminfone Skillfully Integrates Navigation Into an Android Phone

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…

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From Google and Verizon, a path to an open Internet

Our blueprint for an open Internet that fosters investment and innovation to aid consumers.

Google – Searching – Search Engines – Companies – Verizon

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HP ProBook 4520s: A Sturdy, Multitalented Machine for Small Businesses With Style

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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Google finally updates Gmail’s search — and lets you search your Docs too!

Filed under: E-mail, Google, Search
Google, in its infinite wisdom, has finally upgraded Gmail’s advent-of-the-Web-what-is-semantics? search engine to something a little more snazzy. You can now search your Google Docs from within Gmail, and there’s also a ‘did you mean?’ subtitle if you typo a search query.

Despite the update, searching is still slower than a three-legged tortoise. At least the Google Docs results come in asynchronously — so if you’re just searching your email, you won’t see any speed degradation.

To enable the new feature, click the green ‘beaker’ in the top right of Gmail and scroll down to Apps Search > Enable. Save your changes and enjoy your new ‘Search Mail and Docs’ button!
Share TweetGoogle finally updates Gmail’s search — and lets you search your Docs too! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Gizmodo Scoop Feels Dirty, but Home Search Crossed Line

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…

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More than 40% Valve’s Steam user base are also avid users of BitTorrent

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!)More 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

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FoxySpider is a Web crawler for image and video enthusiasts

Filed under: Utilities, Mozilla, BrowsersI still remember the day fondly. I was 16 and I had just got my first broadband connection. 512 kilobits of pure DOWNLOAD! Ten times the bandwidth of my dial-up modem! Unlimited traffic! To this day I’m still amazed at how quickly I filled my 20GB hard drive with porn. But that’s beyond the point — back then, you had to either painstakingly Right Click > Save As on every image and video, or rely on a bunch of really crap standalone Web crawlers.

Fast forward to today and collecting porn image galleries is a lot easier. Not only do we have terabytes of hard disk space and megabit Internet connections, but you can use peer-to-peer services like BitTorrent to download entire archives at the click of a button. But if you still want to crawl sites and make your own archives, you can’t go wrong with the Firefox add-on FoxySpider.

FoxySpider is marketed as a porn crawler. Out of the box it will crawl all images and videos on the page you’re currently viewing, but it has tons of options. You can change the crawl depth, make it ignore files without thumbnails and change how many files are concurrently downloaded. You have complete control over the file types that are downloaded, so if you want to crawl music files, documents or indeed any file extension, FoxySpider also has you covered.

The output galleries are configurable too — thumbnail size, background color and so on. There’s no option to automatically save the galleries you create, however!FoxySpider is a Web crawler for image and video enthusiasts originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Grooveshark yanked from App Store, pandas everywhere made sad

Filed under: Audio, Apple, iPhoneSome people (including our own Victor Agreda Jr.) didn’t understand why I was so shocked that Grooveshark’s app had finally received Apple’s blessing and showed up in the App Store. They had a pending lawsuit from one of the major record companies, after all. No matter, said Vic — Apple doesn’t concern itself with that stuff. It’s up to the app developers to sort out those issues.

… Or is it?

When that legal issue includes someone who pumps a lot of music content into iTunes, it’s a horse of a different color. Universal UK decided to raise a stink with Apple over the Grooveshark approval and the app has now been pulled from the store.

“We are not sleeping until we find some way to fix this,” says the official Grooveshark blog.

Of course, the blog also states “This is an absolute surprise to us,” which translates to “We’re really not surprised at all that a record company who is suing us would cry to Apple about getting us removed from the App Store because they don’t like our app.”

Who knows when Grooveshark will reappear on iTunes. With label pressure on Apple, it seems highly likely that the app might be dead in the water until Grooveshark’s lawyers can work out something with Universal.

I guess those of us who managed to download should feel lucky that they’re not using a remote kill switch to banish the app from our devices, right?Grooveshark yanked from App Store, pandas everywhere made sad originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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HP ProBook 4520s: A Sturdy, Multitalented Machine for Small Businesses With Style

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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ZTE Brings First Phone To Verizon: More To Come?

It’s not that this phone in particular will make you dump your iPhone and come running, but it’s yet another newcomer that can add some needed competition to the handset space in America. ZTE is a huge, well known company in Asia, and they do have some business here in North America as well. But up until now, it has been pretty impossible to find a ZTE mobile phone on a U.S. carrier. Verizon Wireless has just announced that they’ll be bringing a ZTE handset to their airwaves for the first time, and now that

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Apple Tablet Seen as Great for Gaming

News Analysis: There is consensus building that the Apple tablet will be a gaming device geared to support basic social gaming applications of the type people use on Facebook, as well as multiplayer games. Jeff Scott, founder and publisher of the 148Apps blog, says publications that cover the gaming arena have been invited to the upcoming special Apple event. He also says a screen resolution of at least 640 by 800 and a stronger processor than the one powering Apple’s iPhone 3GS will make the tablet well suited for games. – Apple executives will take the stage at Yerba Buena Gardens in San
Francisco Jan. 27, and are expected to unveil the
anticipated Apple tablet computer.
There is a lot of information seeping through the reality distortion field
around the device, the official name of which (iSlate? iPad? iTablet…

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Intel buys McAfee for nearly $8 billion

Filed under: Security
Holy acquisitions, Batman!

While most of the IT guys I know aren’t fans of McAfee — especially after that teensy little definition screwup which resulted in thousands of unwanted desktop support hours — Intel is obviously a fan. In a press release this morning, the IT behemoth has announced that they’re swallowing up McAfee for the princely sum of $7.7 billion dollars.

Whether guys like you or I like it or not, McAfee still has a lot going for it. It’s preinstalled on loads of OEM PCs and gets plenty of subscription buys as a result. It’s a force to be reckoned with in the enterprise, and they’re one of the most widely-recognized names in antivirus.

Maybe this is a bad time to point out that McAffee 2010 posted the worst repair mark out of the 19 apps tested by AV-Test labs this quarter… Heck, it didn’t even manage the 12 points required for certification.

(awesome Horatio generator hosted here)Intel buys McAfee for nearly $8 billion originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Apple, Other Smartphone Makers Hit with Infringement Suits

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…

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iPhones and Macs, Custom SMS tones, NAVIGON promo code give away, Battery management ? From the Forums

The TiPb forums are naturally a great place to talk, commiserate, celebrate, get help, and offer advice to your fellow iPhone users. In order to create a new thread of your own or reply to any of the existing threads, you must be a registered member. Becoming a member is easy and free so if [...]iPhones and Macs, Custom SMS tones, NAVIGON promo code give away, Battery management – From the Forums 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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Gateway NV5933u: Great for Blu-ray Movies, but Not for Games

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,…

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10+ extensions for better back-to-school browsing with Google Chrome

Filed under: Features, Google, Browsers, Lists
digg_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/08/16/10-extensions-students-school-google-chrome’;
It’s just about that time of year again — time for millions of students to put their noses to the grindstone and head back to school for another year of academic excitement!

Few learning tools are as versatile as your trusty laptop or desktop computer — and your Web browser is likely one of the most-used programs on it. If Google Chrome is your browser of choice, there are loads of useful add-on enhancements in the Extensions Gallery which can turn Chrome into a powerful tool for staying focused and productive while tackling your coursework.

Take the jump and have a look at thirteen Chrome extensions I’ve found useful… and be sure to share your own picks in the comments!

Clip to Evernote
Evernote is a fantastic research and productivity tool — and it’s made even better when you plug the Chrome extension into your browser. Clip, tag, and describe just about any content you stumble across as you browse and retrieve it later from the Evernote desktop app or the equally handy (and far more pocketable) mobile version.

Wikipedia Companion
Sure, you can just open another tab or window when you want to look up something on Wikipedia, but you don’t have to. The Wikipedia Companion extension lets you do it in a pop-up without having to leave the page you’re currently browsing. It’s very useful for doing things like looking up some background info about Peter Forsberg while you’re browsing TSN instead of finishing an important blog post.

Ultimate Google Docs Viewer
Recent versions of Chrome have a built-in viewer for PDF documents, but the Google Docs Previewer can also handle Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files. Ultimate Docs Viewer keeps an eye out for supported files and zips you over to the online previewer for a fast, lightweight to peruse them.

FastestChrome
Want a single extension which adds a whole slew of efficiency-boosting features to Chrome? Check out FastestChrome. It provides useful enhancements like auto-loading the next page in multi-page articles, “linkifying” plain-text URLs, providing pop-up definitions for words you highlight, adding related articles to Wikipedia pages, and a whole lot more. There’s a good reason more than 300,000 Chrome users have the FastestChrome extension installed: it’s pretty dang useful.

Postponer Adder and Manager
Postponer is a pair of unofficial ReadItLater extensions for Google Chrome. The adder allows you to submit new URLs to your ReadItLater queue while the manager provides a searchable, sortable pop-up display of both unread and read items. It’s a nice way to stash pages you want or need to read when you’re short on time.

ChromeMilk / Unofficial Google Tasks / ToodleChrome
Google Tasks, Remember the Milk, and Toodledo are all excellent task management apps. Whichever you choose to help you get things done, there’s a Chrome extension which helps you stay on top of your tasks while you browse.

DayHiker
If you use Google Calendar to keep your schedule in order, DayHiker deserves a spot in your browser. It provides a slick heads-up display of your upcoming appointments. DayHiker can also display your Google Tasks, has a handy pop-out alarm clock function, and it works with both standard Google accounts as well as Apps accounts.

StayFocusd
Staying on task isn’t always an easy thing — especially in your Web browser, where there are so many awesome sites out there where you could be enjoying yourself while you slack off. StayFocusd is here to help! Add sites to your block list and set up time restrictions and StayFocusd will make sure you don’t fritter away more than your allotted amount for the day. Once the timer hits your magic number, the site is blocked until the following day.

Lazarus
As stable as Google Chrome might be, there’s always the chance you might be victimized by an untimely browser crash. If one happens while you’re filling out a form, it’s a pain in the butt to have to start from scratch after you re-launch Chrome. That’s where Lazarus comes in — it keeps tabs on forms while you fill them out and saves the data temporarily. If Chrome should happen to crash, Lazarus pops your previously entered data back in. It can be a real frustration preventer.

After the Deadline
Chrome has a built-in spellchecker, but you can bolt on a full-featured virtual proofreader by installing After the Deadline. ATD checks for grammar, syntax, and even common stylistic mistakes and it works just about anywhere you can type in some text (even things like Facebook wall posts). ATD is like having your own private proofreader/editor right inside Google Chrome.
Share tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/08/16/10-extensions-students-school-google-chrome’; tweetmeme_source=’DownloadSquad’; tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; 10+ extensions for better back-to-school browsing with Google Chrome originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Sony Ericsson to release PSP-like Android smartphone (it has a slide-out game pad!!)

Filed under: Games, Mobile, Android
Forget emulation, gentlemen, because Sony Ericsson is finally bringing us a PlayStation phone! Engadget has the scoop, and Sir Topolsky seems confident that this is more than just a rumor — we might even see this portable-gaming-cum-smartphone as soon as October!

If you hadn’t realised yet, the image above is a mock-up of what Engadget thinks the phone will look like. We know that it will have a slide-out hardware controller, and that it will feature gaming controls rather than a QWERTY keyboard (I wonder if you’ll be able to type SMSes with the Square, Triangle, Circle and Cross…) There won’t be an analogue joystick (boo!), but there will be shoulder buttons. Other than the game pad, the hardware is nothing special: a big screen, a 5-megapixel camera and a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU. I wonder if it will emulate PlayStation and PSP games, or whether it will have some juicy Sony-developed co-processors to run things natively?

Now the only bit that everyone really cares about: the games. Considering the mediocrity of Android’s gaming scene, a big blob of love from Sony would be huge news. (Aside: Did you see how chummy Google and Sony CEOs looked during the announcement of Google TV? I wonder if Google courted this development from Sony Ericsson…)

Anyway, there will be a new category on the Android Market, just for for these new PlayStation-esque games. As to what games will be made available, who knows! The Engadget article is short on details in that regard, so we’ll have to speculate. Will it leverage the PSP’s excellent library of games? Or is this new phone merely intended to court the cautious game developers that are paddling in Apple’s warm, cerulean waters? ‘Pssst! We have hardware buttons! Come make some games!’

We’ll have to wait until later this year to find out.
Share tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/08/11/sony-ericsson-to-release-psp-like-android-smartphone-slide-out-gamepad’; tweetmeme_source=’DownloadSquad’; tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; Sony Ericsson to release PSP-like Android smartphone (it has a slide-out game pad!!) originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Apple’s iPad security breach reveals vulnerability of mobile devices

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.

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Apple Predictions for 2010: iPhone on Multiple Carriers, iSlate, Beatles

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…

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Microsoft’s Direct Experience Platform could bring instant-on to Windows 8

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

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AutoPagerize is a must-have Greasemonkey script for multi-page search results

Filed under: Utilities, Productivity, Browsers
While Lee already mentioned AutoPagerize as one item in a round-up of Chrome Userscripts, it’s such a handy userscript that I decided it warrants its own post.
Lee wrote about AutoPagerize back in September 2009. Now, almost one year later, the userscript is still going strong. It was updated in March of this year, and it now has a dedicated version for Chrome.
Its function is as simple as it is useful; it loads the next page of results in Google without you having to click anything. Just continue scrolling down the page, and the new results will show up. It’s magic!
It works that same type of magic on numerous other sites, too (Download Squad included). Ever since I installed it, I haven’t felt the need to press the Next button even once (well, except in Gmail). It’s very, very convenient.
There are a ton of dedicated browser extensions that do this (as well as a few other userscripts). Personally, I prefer a userscript to an extension because it’s just a leaner solution (in terms of lower memory consumption and general overhead). I can honestly say that it has transformed my Google experience. And more than half a million installations would seem to concur.
Share TweetAutoPagerize is a must-have Greasemonkey script for multi-page search results originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Move to a New Hard Drive

Joseph Blough Jr. plans to upgrade his hard drive. How does he move Windows, his applications, and his files to their new, larger home?

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Open a new tab and forget what you were about to do? Brain-stimulating skull electrodes may be the solution

Filed under: FunIn recent months I’ve been losing my mind. I don’t know if I actually have something wrong upstairs, but I have been finding it increasingly hard to keep things — ideas, snippets, variables — in short-term memory. I think, though, that it’s just a symptom of Information Overload. I sit here, hour after hour, day upon day, scanning RSS feeds, IRC rooms and forums. The amount of new data, videos and funny cat photos is simply overwhelming; I can’t keep it all in my head! I guess it’s inevitable that some things spill over the edge.

But it turns out that there might be some help on the horizon for Information Brokers like myself. With the help of brain-stimulating skull electrodes — or, more succinctly, a thinking cap — both the capacity and accuracy of your visual short-term memory can be doubled.

I’ll try and break down the complex biotechnological stuff. We have two anterior temporal lobes (ATL) in our brain, by our left and right temples. The left ATL is for context processing (where have I seen that face or heard that sound before?), while the right ATL is where a lot of visual memory takes place. It’s already been found that those with damaged left ATLs (weaker context processing) have better visual memories (very similar to autists), so the researchers decided to stimulate the right ATL to see if a similar effect could be achieved, without the need to damage the brain!

Sure enough, during testing, stimulating the right ATL improved visual memory by an astonishing 110%! To put it another way, by running a weak non-invasive electrical current across a part of the brain, the participants of this test were granted something similar to photographic memory.

Of course, I don’t know whether memorising shapes (faces, objects, tools) without their context is particularly useful. But I’m interested in the short-term capabilities of such technology. When you forget what you were going to search for in the time it takes to switch to Firefox and open a new browser tab… well… I’ll take what I can get!Open a new tab and forget what you were about to do? Brain-stimulating skull electrodes may be the solution originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Help File: Facebook ‘Places’ privacy settings

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

Facebook – Privacy – Security – Social network – Protocols

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Bill seeks to make electronics accessible to blind, deaf

Blind and deaf consumers, who have fought to make home phones and television more accessible, say they are being left behind on the Web and many mobile devices. Touch-based smartphone screens confound blind people who rely on buttons and raised type. Web video means little to the deaf without…

Disability – Travel – Accessibility – Web Design and Development – FAQs Help and Tutorials

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MSI X420: A Stylish Notebook for Those Who Want Occasional 3D Graphics Support

The MSI X420 packs a decently powerful punch into a slim, sexy ultraportable chassis. The laptop features a CULV (Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage) Intel Core 2 Duo processor and a discrete graphics card, along with an easy two-button system of switching between the discrete and the integrated graphics…

Micro-Star International – Hardware – Notebooks and Laptops – System Management – Installers

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Broadband Half as Fast as Advertised: FCC

High-speed Internet service is only half as fast as advertised, according to an FCC report released this week. It is already bad enough that the U.S. trails a significant number of countries in terms of broadband speed, despite having invented the Internet. It is possibly because ISPs offer speeds of “up to” X Mbps that this difference exists. In terms of those “up to” claims, the FCC report said that ISPs advertised an average of “up to” 6.7 Mbps (download) in 2009. What consumers received instead,

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Pandigital Launches Second eReader

In May, we learned of Pandigital’s entry into the eReader market. Now, Pandigital is now offering its second Pandigital Novel eReader. The latest Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader (model PRD07T20WBL1) comes with integrated Barnes & Noble eBookstore. It also has a high-gloss black bezel and a matte touchscreen display for easy navigation. The Pandigital Novel 7-inch Color Multimedia eReader weighs 11.8 ounces and has 2GB of internal memory for storing books, periodicals, movies, music, and

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Help File: Whether to be wary of the latest spyware lurking on Macs

Q: I saw there’s some new Mac spyware circulating. What’s the answer to protect your Mac?

Security – Malicious Software – Spyware and Adware – Detection and Removal Tools – Spyware

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Verizon Field Test Shows Near-Gigabit Internet Transmissions

Verizon’s FiOS fiber network has always been impressive. It has always been promising compared to standard coax networks, and the mere thought of having fiber ran directly to one’s home has been quite appealing to many. But a few months ago, Verizon reportedly decided to pause, or halt altogether, their roll out of more FiOS locales. We’re unsure if their plans are shifting, but it’s clear that they still care about FiOS, and they’re still taking to time to brag about the network they have created. With all

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MonitorServerUptime is a monitoring solution for small websites

Filed under: Developer, Web services
Large websites (like DownloadSquad or any other major blog/site) have full-time sysadmins, dedicated hosting facilities, and a ton of fail-safe mechanisms to ensure that they’re always up and available.
However, if you have a small site that’s running off of a shared host you may sometimes be surprised to discover that it’s down. That rarely happens, but when it does happen you usually discover it yourself — or a friend tells you. By then, there’s no telling how many visitors you may have lost (dozens, usually, but that’s a lot of visitors for a small, personal site).
MonitorServerUptime is an inexpensive service (US $3 per URL/server per month) that promises to send you an email or SMS alert (worldwide) whenever your site goes down.
What you do from there is really up to you. When you’re using a shared server and need to rely on your host’s support services, though, there’s often not much that you can do (outside of sending an email and hoping for a quick and effective reply). But still, being one of the first to know that your own website is down does help.

Know of a similar service which you think is a better deal? Tell us!MonitorServerUptime is a monitoring solution for small websites originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Help File: Whether to be wary of the latest spyware lurking on Macs

Q: I saw there’s some new Mac spyware circulating. What’s the answer to protect your Mac?

Security – Malicious Software – Spyware and Adware – Detection and Removal Tools – Spyware

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Nikon’s New Camera Doubles As A Projector For Your PC

Nikon recently added two new compact cameras to its lineup. The new COOLPIX S1100pj broadens your ability to share photos, documents, and more with its built-in projector and ability to connect to your computer via USB. When connected to a PC, the camera can project anything that is displayed on the computer screen or JPEG images saved on the camera’s memory card or internal memory. The projector in the COOLPIX S1100pj is 40 percent brighter than its predecessor. This 14-lumen internal projector works with the

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Apple Tablet Seen as Great for Gaming

News Analysis: There is consensus building that the Apple tablet will be a gaming device geared to support basic social gaming applications of the type people use on Facebook, as well as multiplayer games. Jeff Scott, founder and publisher of the 148Apps blog, says publications that cover the gaming arena have been invited to the upcoming special Apple event. He also says a screen resolution of at least 640 by 800 and a stronger processor than the one powering Apple’s iPhone 3GS will make the tablet well suited for games. – Apple executives will take the stage at Yerba Buena Gardens in San
Francisco Jan. 27, and are expected to unveil the
anticipated Apple tablet computer.
There is a lot of information seeping through the reality distortion field
around the device, the official name of which (iSlate? iPad? iTablet…

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HP TouchSmart 600 Quad: Mediacentric All-in-One Delivers Great Performance and Stellar Sound

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

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Zotac GTX 480 Amp Edition Video Card Review

Zotac’s GeForce GTX 480 Amp! Edition was designed to address some of the issues found in NVIDIA’s reference design. One look and it’s easy to see that this is an extreme graphics card, made for hardcore enthusiasts. What makes us say that? With a core frequency of 756MHz, 1512MHz shaders, and 950MHz memory, this is the fastest GTX 480 on the market currently. And the preinstalled, triple slot Zalman VF3000 cooler also makes it one of the largest cards you can buy. Nevertheless, it’s obvious to us

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Help File: Forget about the mythical ‘Verizon iPhone’ already

Q: Is there any chance Verizon Wireless will have the iPhone anytime soon?

IPhone – Smartphone – Handhelds – Apple – Wallpapers and Themes

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USGA concept app for Windows Phone 7 is a golfer’s techgasm

Filed under: Windows Mobile
What kind of sexy demo apps does your new mobile platform need if you want it to make some noise? Apps which resonate with people who you really, really want using your phones. Executive types, perhaps — the kind of people with some business clout. People who… enjoy a good round of golf during their downtime? Sure, why not.

Long Zheng has shared loads of images of a conceptual Windows Phone 7 app developed by Microsoft. USGA Shot Tracker is connected, social mobile app for golfers (obviously). It’s stunning, and it’s one of the most refined WP7 apps I’ve seen pictured on the web so far.

Tracker lets you search for courses, create and manage groups of golfers, follow your friends, and track your performance. It probably wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that tee time bookings aren’t far off, which would make Tracker even more attractive to serious players.

Want to see USGA Shot Tracker in action? Take the jump and check out a brief YouTube video!

While I don’t golf often (read: once every four or five years), I’d certainly much rather use this ultra-snazzy app instead of a crappy little pencil nub and flimsy paper scoresheet from the pro shop. Who wouldn’t want to be able to visual their ball strikes, am I right?

USGA concept app for Windows Phone 7 is a golfer’s techgasm originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Fluid Water Simulation is a lovely Java toy – Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Time-Wasters
Fluid Water Simulation is like one of those executive desk toys. There are no levels, there’s no goal, and you can’t win.
What you can do, though, is control approximately 5,500 particles of water, oil, or foam. You can draw walls, sketch air emitters (which create turbulence in the water), or draw very powerful “wind” with your mouse. What you see on the screenshot is wind blowing in from the right side and causing a ton of water to splash over the barrier and into the other side of the board.
While the graphics are simplistic, the particle motion is incredibly real and lifelike. It’s just like playing with water and sand, but it’s a lot more fun and less of a gritty mess.
Speaking of sand, this is a different take on the old “sand” game where endless particles would come down from the top of the screen, and you would get to layer them, etc. This is different because the particles here are not static; they all keep moving and rolling about, even after they’ve dropped into the level. It’s pretty sweet!Fluid Water Simulation is a lovely Java toy – Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Sports concussions researchers turn to video games for help

One of the great unknowns in treating athletes who have suffered a concussion is determining when they are ready to resume playing their sport. The University of Maryland has turned to a popular video game for help.

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

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Help File: Forget about the mythical ‘Verizon iPhone’ already

Q: Is there any chance Verizon Wireless will have the iPhone anytime soon?

IPhone – Smartphone – Handhelds – Apple – Wallpapers and Themes

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iPhone mappiness App to Map U.K. Happiness

On Monday, the London School of Economics launched a project designed to “map happiness” in the U.K. Indeed, we are not kidding. The iPhone application called “mappiness” will be used to help researchers map “happiness across space in the U.K.” After installing and setting up the free app, users will receive a notification on their iPhone automatically, between one and five times a day (as set by the user). The timing will be random, and during hours set by the user. Additionally, the user can manually enter

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HP ProBook 4520s: A Sturdy, Multitalented Machine for Small Businesses With Style

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

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HBO coming to iPad

Great news for HBO fans! In an interview with Mossberg, HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said that HBO subscribers will be seeing HBO Go on their iPad’s soon.

In six months, HBO Go will be available to the channel?s paying subscribers at no additional cost through all major cable systems, on Apple Inc.?s iPad, on mobile devices [...]HBO coming to iPad 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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Apricorn Aegis NetDock: An Affordable, Convenient Laptop Companion

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

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Help File: Some hardware and software are easy to break from; others will try to trap you

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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Lenovo ThinkPad L412: A Price-Conscious, Eco-Friendly Laptop for Business

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

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WordPress for Android is the smoothest and most functional smartphone app I’ve ever used

Filed under: Blogging, AndroidI had actually intended to try out TweetDeck for Android today, but it turns out it only works on smartphones sporting Android 2.0 or newer. Thus, with my weak, little Android 1.6 phone I’ve been left out in the cold, tweetless and lonely. But hey, it ain’t all bad: I’ve been playing with the official WordPress app instead, and damn it’s good!

First things first, though: you’d have to be an utter buffoon to compose a proper, longer-than-140-character blog post using your mobile phone. That’s not to say that the WordPress app doesn’t feature a great New Post editor, but I can only recommend you use it if you’re a masochist with tungsten carbide fingertips and precision-engineered reinforced tendons.

Fortunately the WordPress app offers a lot more than just the New Post editor. You can moderate and reply to comments, check your stats and even upload photos and videos straight from your camera!

In short, if you use use self-hosted WordPress.org installation, or a free blog available from WordPress.com, and you have an Android phone, you want this app.

If you still need convincing, read on!
After installing, the first thing you need to do is add a WordPress blog that you want to manage. Both the free WordPress.com and self-hosted WordPress.org blogs can be added — just type in your name and password. You can add more than one blog, too.

Each blog has a Preferences page, as you can see above. Actually, rather counter-intuitively, each blog has two separate pages; I have no idea why. The one you see above configures comment notifications, and the other lets your configure the size of your image uploads. Sadly I am Little Timmy No-Friends and no one left a comment on my blog today, so I couldn’t test Notifications, but I’m sure they work!

Once you’re added a blog, you can look at Comments, your Posts and Pages, and even the blog’s Stats! Comments can be moderated, edited and replied to — you can even ‘mass moderate’ using checkboxes (check the screenshot). To make a new post you click the ‘+’ in the bottom left corner of the Posts tab. I don’t know why it doesn’t say ‘New Post’… were the app developers trying to be cool? You can also edit and create static Pages, though you’re probably not going to do that while on the move.

Finally we have the Stats tab! It looks just like the Web-based stats that you will have already seen many times on both WordPress.com and your self-hosted blog. Again, I can’t see why you’d want to look at your stats while on the move — to show at job interviews, perhaps? Incidentally, that high point on the graph was just after I joined Download Squad…

All in all, the Android WordPress app is excellent! The only issue I had was uploading photos directly from my phone’s camera. It simply caused the app to crash — and of course I lost my torturously-typed blog post in the process! Perhaps the photos were too big, or maybe it’s a known bug. I’m sure it’ll be fixed in due course.

WordPress for Android Tech Specs

Installed Size — 1.3MB, but that could grow if you add more blogs
Speed/Responsiveness — The app itself is very responsive. Posts, comments and pages take a while to download the first time you view them — but they’re a lot faster after that (Android 1.6 @ 600 MHz, LG GT 540 Swift)
User Interface — The interface is probably the best I’ve ever had the pleasure of using, at least on smartphone. Bravo!
Configurability & Extensibility — The app doesn’t actually do a whole lot, so there isn’t much to configure. I can’t see any way in which the app can be extended, either
License — Free and open-source, just like the blogging platform itself — coders, get involved with the next version of the app!
WordPress for Android is the smoothest and most functional smartphone app I’ve ever used originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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NDrive and Android Central giving away 20 NDrive licenses [contest]

We all love Google’s turn by turn navigation system, but many times we’re looking for a solution that works off-line.  Enter NDrive — the world navigation system that stores map data on-device, ready to work with no data or WiFi connection.  But off-line maps is only a small portion of what NDrive offers — wait until you see the video after the jump!The good people at NDrive have reached out and are offering full license and USA maps to 20 lucky Android Central forum members (a $500 total value).  To enter, see the rules and official contest thread in the forums HERE, and after the break is that video overview of NDrive that we promised, check it out!
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Eurocom Cracks The 3TB Barrier In Notebooks

Thanks to Seagate hard drives which have reduced in size from 12.5 mm to 9.5 mm, Eurocom has been able to crack the 3TB 7200rpm barrier in its Mobile Servers and Mobile Workstations. With these smaller drives, Eurocom has been able to put up to four hard drives in its D900F Panther, X8100 Leopard, and the upcoming EUROCOM X7200 Panther 2.0. By putting these drives in these notebooks, Eurocom has increased the processing power, speed, and storage of its products. To achieve the maximum performance and storage

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Holy sh**, Grooveshark iPhone app now available in the App Store!

Filed under: Audio, iPhoneIt’s no secret that there was a little bad blood last time Grooveshark submitted their iPhone app to the Cupertino Crew. The app was denied, and Grooveshark didn’t fell they had to take the rejection lying down… So they decided to release it to jailbroken iPhones and iPods via Cydia.

Yesterday, however, Grooveshark announced that Apple had approved the app. Yep, it’s in the app store right now and you can download it for free. Correct me if I’m wrong here, but I can’t think of another app which has made the jump from Cydia to the actual App Store (I have been thoroughly corrected — thanks, commenters!).

Now, we Canadians aren’t blessed with the same number of choices as those of you in the U.S. or U.K. when it comes to all-you-can-eat music apps — but even if I could use another service I’d probably stick with Grooveshark. The iPhone app lets you search Grooveshark’s massive library, it can pull up your saved playlists and favorites, and songs can be downloaded for offline play.

If you like, you can even switch to Offline Mode, which replaces the search button on your toolbar with offline songs — a particularly nice feature for iPod touch users like me who aren’t constantly around WIFI.

Don’t forget, Grooveshark VIP access is only $3 a month. That’s dirt cheap for a music service as good as this, and you even get two months free when you sign up for a year.

If you haven’t seen the app before, check out my gallery — or better still, just install it on your iPhone [App Store link] and try it out!

Thanks for the heads up, Mobiputing!
Gallery: Grooveshark iPhone appHoly sh**, Grooveshark iPhone app now available in the App Store! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Fast Forward: Clear gives broadband users another option

In much of the United States, ordering broadband Internet access is a binary decision.

Business and Economy – Computers and Internet – Internet Service Providers – Broadband Campaigns – United States

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On eve of latest NCAA Football video game release, athletes still look for recourse

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

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Yet another Android appearance on television

Well, well, well, what have we here? If you guessed an HTC Hero, you are correct! This week the venerable old device came out for a guest appearance on TNT’s series "Leverage." Lately it seems to be quite a growing trend, more and more Android devices appearing on television, now it’s time to spot some celebrities using an Android device! If you happen to get lucky and spot any more Android appearances, be sure to let us know all about it! Thanks, Sword_Chucks!Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Dell Studio 17 (Model 1747): A Solid Design That Comes in a Wide Variety of Configurations

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

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Starbucks Highlights New Content Portal: Free Material On Free Wi-Fi

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

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USGA concept app for Windows Phone 7 is a golfer’s techgasm

Filed under: Windows Mobile
What kind of sexy demo apps does your new mobile platform need if you want it to make some noise? Apps which resonate with people who you really, really want using your phones. Executive types, perhaps — the kind of people with some business clout. People who… enjoy a good round of golf during their downtime? Sure, why not.

Long Zheng has shared loads of images of a conceptual Windows Phone 7 app developed by Microsoft. USGA Shot Tracker is connected, social mobile app for golfers (obviously). It’s stunning, and it’s one of the most refined WP7 apps I’ve seen pictured on the web so far.

Tracker lets you search for courses, create and manage groups of golfers, follow your friends, and track your performance. It probably wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that tee time bookings aren’t far off, which would make Tracker even more attractive to serious players.

Want to see USGA Shot Tracker in action? Take the jump and check out a brief YouTube video!

While I don’t golf often (read: once every four or five years), I’d certainly much rather use this ultra-snazzy app instead of a crappy little pencil nub and flimsy paper scoresheet from the pro shop. Who wouldn’t want to be able to visual their ball strikes, am I right?

USGA concept app for Windows Phone 7 is a golfer’s techgasm originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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When storms zap power, digital nomads know where to get their work done

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

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Apple, Other Smartphone Makers Hit with Infringement Suits

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…

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The Lenovo IdeaPad Y460: Plenty of Gaming Muscle, but All Business When Needed

Lenovo’s IdeaPad Y460 laptop is probably the closest thing to a Transformer I’ll ever have my hands on. As tested, the Core i5-520M processor, 4 gigs of RAM, and the 64-bit version of Windows 7 together provide plenty of power — the vehicle form, so to speak, of the Y460. But flick a switch up…

Lenovo – IdeaPad – Intel Core – Manufacturers – Personal computer

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Apple hires mobile payments expert ? iPhone to replace your credit card?

Looks like Apple has gone and hired a NFC (near field communications) expert to be their new head mobile commerce. Benjamin Viger, formerly product manager for mobile wallet, payment, and NFC at mFoundry, NearFieldCommunicationsWorld rounds up a plethora of recent Apple patent filings he just may be helping bring to market:

An NFC-based mobile payments service [...]Apple hires mobile payments expert — iPhone to replace your credit card? 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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Review: New choices enliven back-to-school PCs

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

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Featured Advertiser Expedition Great White

Expedition Great WhiteA team of experts lands the ocean’s fiercest predators, studies them live on deck, and releases them unharmed. New Series Premieres Sunday at 9P on National Geographic Channel. Learn more at natgeotv.com/greatwhite
 

Ads by Pheedo

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Gateway DX4831-03: A Great General-Purpose Mainstream PC

You don’t have much room to upgrade the Gateway DX4831-03, but you probably won’t need to. Aside from its indifferent gaming performance, this midsize tower desktop PC–the first in Gateway’s DX line that we’ve reviewed since last year’s DX-4200-11 –does an excellent job of delivering a good mix of…

Personal computer – Universal Serial Bus – YouTube – Facebook – Flickr

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Coming soon in Web video: Googlers bearing gifts

SAN FRANCISCO Fellow journalists, it’s past time to retire the traditional description of Google: ” the Mountain View, Calif., Web-search firm .”

Google – Searching – Search Engines – Companies – Television

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The 800-pound gorillas are in secret meetings to provide premium ‘go-faster’ Internet service

Filed under: Internet, Web servicesIt’s been a long time since we’ve heard anything about the Net Neutrality Debate. The last thing we heard was that the FCC wants the Internet to remain neutral (or the American portion of it at least), but for the FCC to have authority over ISPs, and major players like Google and Amazon, the Internet would have to become more formalized. As it stands, the Internet is just an ‘information service’, and thus has very little regulation.

Fast forward to today and it seems like something big might be about to happen. The FCC is pushing for the Internet to become a ‘telecommunications service’, a double-edged classification that brings both more regulation and security for the end-users. It’s a tricky one: the FCC is in favor of net neutrality, but there’s so much pressure from content providers and ISPs that it seems like we (or at least the USA) are about to pay a lot more for high-quality Internet access. The New York Times provides an excellent analogy: it will be like paying for premium cable or satellite TV channels. For just $9.99 per month you can have faster YouTube access! For $19.99 you can get YouTube, Vimeo and CollegeHumor!

This isn’t, in essence, a bad thing. It’s just a natural progression. The FCC has realised, rather wisely, that it’s better to put some reins on the benevolent, capitalist beast before it turns on its rider. Today, Amazon or Comcast could simply ban an entire geographic (or demographic) zone from accessing its services. The FCC wants to make sure monetary concerns don’t override the importance of a free (in every sense of the word) Internet.

The problem is: the FCC deliberations are taking an awful long time — too long for antsy ISPs that want to get a bit more bang for their buck. There are only anonymous sources so far, but it seems like Google, in association with Verizon, might jump the gun and enact their own solution: tiered access to Google’s services. Want 3G or 4G access to YouTube on your Android phone? It’ll cost you a bit extra.

‘Freemium’ Internet here we come: fed up with poor-quality and constantly-dropping video calls? Pay for prioritized bandwidth! You want peer-to-peer access with other Internet users? That’ll cost you too!

I can hardly wait…

Update: Google has stated that they’re not in talks with Verizon. So… who knows what’s going on…
tweetmeme_url = ‘http://www.downloadsquad.com/2010/08/05/google-verizon-secret-meetings-to-provide-premium-internet’; tweetmeme_source=’DownloadSquad’; tweetmeme_style = ‘compact’; Share The 800-pound gorillas are in secret meetings to provide premium ‘go-faster’ Internet service originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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iPad live tonight! 6pm PT/9pm ET/2am BST

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.

6pm PT/9pm ET/2am BST

We’ll take over the front page 15 minutes before the show — chat with you soon!
iPad live tonight! 6pm PT/9pm ET/2am BST is a story by TiPb. [...]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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AOL Lifestream continues to evolve with release of Google Chrome Extension

Filed under: Google, Social Software, Browsers

Full disclosure: AOL is indeed our benevolent overlord. However, Download Squad bloggers are under no obligation to speak kindly of their products or applications.

AOL Lifestream is an excellent app — and it’s certainly a far cry from the clunky, over-designed browser and dial-up software you used to see given away on floppy disks. Ahh, the good old days — which are gone, and really weren’t that great if you’re comparing dial-up to DSL, cable, or fiber. Moving on!

Lifestream is a solid social networking aggregator. With support for key social sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Digg, Delicious, and now Foursquare, Lifestream presents a clean, simple way to keep tabs on all your friends’ activity in one centralized location. While Lifestream might be a bit underpowered for social superstars, It’s an excellent choice for average users — as well as savvy users who don’t need a more complex app.

Already available via the web and in the App Store, AOL has now added an extension for Google Chrome. While it’s not going to transform Chrome into the super-social browsing experience that Flock 3 presents, the Lifestream extension is still a very handy way to keep your entire stream within easy reach without being distracted by it.

Let’s start with my one gripe about the extension: it’s slow to load. Pretty much every other Google Chrome extension I’ve tried out appears instantly after I click its icon. Lifestream, on the other hand, takes between three to five seconds to appear. That needs to be addressed — users don’t like to wait, and they don’t like it when UI elements don’t respond the way they want them to.

Beyond that, the Lifestream extension is pretty slick. Your stream is presented in a scrollable window with filtering and sharing options. You can post multi-network updates and share URLs, view trending topics, and view your account settings. Currently there’s no support for files, so you can’t share pictures or videos via the extension — hopefully that will come later. Lifestream does allow you to comment on/reply to updates that appear in your stream, and retweeting is supported as well.

For users who are looking for a way to keep the conversation going on multiple networks and don’t require some of the heavyweight features you find on apps like Seesmic Web, Lifestream is a good option — I just hope they do something about the sluggish startup.AOL Lifestream continues to evolve with release of Google Chrome Extension originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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As smartphones flood the market, here’s how to avoid falling for the flavor of the month

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

AMAZON.COM
AMERICA MOVIL
AMKOR TECHNOLOGY
AMPHENOL
ANIXTER INTERNATIONAL

Sprint Loses Exec Leading 4G

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

LIBERTY GLOBAL
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Gateway DX4831-03: A Great General-Purpose Mainstream PC

You don’t have much room to upgrade the Gateway DX4831-03, but you probably won’t need to. Aside from its indifferent gaming performance, this midsize tower desktop PC–the first in Gateway’s DX line that we’ve reviewed since last year’s DX-4200-11 –does an excellent job of delivering a good mix of…

Personal computer – Universal Serial Bus – YouTube – Facebook – Flickr

MOBILE TELESYSTEMS
NANYA TECHNOLOGY
NII HOLDINGS
NIKON
NINTENDO

A new America through broadband

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

United States – Online Media – Arts – Entertainment – Directories

KDDI
KLA-TENCOR
KONINKLIJKE KPN
LAM RESEARCH
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10 Reasons You Need An iPad For College

So you’ve heard about the Apple iPad and you’re heading back to school soon. Chances are you’re probably wondering if it’s a smart choice to invest your money towards purchasing an iPad for college. In this article we’ll help explain a few of the many benefits there are for college students who own, or will [...]

COMPAL ELECTRONICS
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Help File: Forget about the mythical ‘Verizon iPhone’ already

Q: Is there any chance Verizon Wireless will have the iPhone anytime soon?

IPhone – Smartphone – Handhelds – Apple – Wallpapers and Themes

SHAW COMMUNICATIONS
SIEMENS FAIR ISAAC
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Pac-Man hits 30 without losing its way

The fact that Namco’s Pac-Man has been around for 30 years can make you feel ancient.

Business – United States – Weight loss – Physical exercise – Health

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Lenovo Mini Wireless Keyboard N5901: Couch Potatoes, Your Keyboard-Mouse Is Here

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

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Apple, Other Smartphone Makers Hit with Infringement Suits

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…

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Dell Studio 17 (Model 1747): A Solid Design That Comes in a Wide Variety of Configurations

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

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Support for broadband loses speed as nationwide growth slows

More than half of Americans generally disagree with federal government efforts to expand broadband connections around the nation, saying those projects are not important, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Pew Center.

United States – Computers and Internet – Business and Economy – African American – Internet service provider

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Net Neutrality Protest Planned for Noon at Google HQ

The Google – Verizon net neutrality policy proposal that was unveiled on Monday has been the subject of much criticism. As a follow-up, a number of groups have planned a protest at Google’s Mountain View HQ tomorrow at 12 noon, PDT. Although it is true that even the EFF found a few good points in the proposal, it found many negative and troubling aspects. Those include such items as the exclusion of wireless services, the mention of the ability to define the vague “additional online services” that could include

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NINTENDO
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