World Without Border

The Hackathon Is Almost Here. Come Root For Your Favorite Hackers This Sunday!

2011-05-20T09:41:00.001-07:00

The TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon is taking place in NYC this weekend and is shaping up to be our biggest and best yet. We’ll be hosting hundreds of hackers all weekend long. Come hang out with them. Signup now to watch their presentations in person at Pier94 in NYC on Sunday, May 22nd starting at 10:30 am! We’re thrilled to have Bradley Horowitz (Google), Amanda Peyton (MessageParty), Jeff Clavier (SoftTech), Christopher Poole (Canvas) and more helping us judge the event. Sign up for the Sunday Demos!

Over twice the number of hackers as last year have signed up to spend the weekend prototyping new products so they can blow you away. Due to the overwhelming demand we have had to close the hacker signup form. However, if you’re a potential hacker who didn’t get a confirmation email from us and still want to hack with us this weekend just show up at Pier94 on Saturday, May 21st starting at 12:30 pm. There’s limited availability for walkup signups but we’ll do our absolute best to make sure you get in. Or you can just come to the Sunday Demos and watch the awesomeness.

Hackathon Logistics

Pier 94

Registration opens 12:30 (come fed or bring your own lunch)

Hacking opens 1:30 pm (dinner, midnight snacks, sugar and caffeine will abound)

API workshops from facebook, twitter, foursquare and others throughout the afernoon – early evening

Hacking closes 9:30 am Sunday

Hackathon presentations 10:30 am – 3 pm (Open to the community, no registration required)

Quick stats

• Hit total registered NYC 2010 numbers in 12 hours (250)

• Hit total SF registered in 24 (350)

• Over 500 hackers currently registered to participate.

We hope to be able to accommodate another 100-150 hackers with onsite registration Saturday. Please come right @ 12:30 for onsite registration. We’ll take as many as capacity permits.

The TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon is being organized by Tarikh Korula and Daniel Raffel on behalf of TechCrunch.

Photo credit: Flickr/eva meszaros

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Angry Birds Tops 200 Million Downloads; More Than Double Its “Crazy” Forecast (TCTV)

2011-05-20T07:52:00.001-07:00

BERLIN– Yesterday at the Next 11 conference, I interviewed Rovio’s Mighty Eagle Peter Vesterbacka on stage. You may know him as the man who brings us all different versions of Angry Birds, Angry Birds toys, possibly an Angry Birds movie, and– as you’ll see in the clip below– an Angry Birds line of hoodies.

He has a big announcement: Angry Birds downloads have topped 200 million. To put that in perspective, another app store darling Foursquare recently reached 10 million downloads.

Of course, while the iPad and iPhone are responsible for much of Angry Birds’ success, the franchise has moved well beyond it. It has already hit five million Web downloads after last week’s Chrome announcement.

I really got an appreciation for how different Rovio thinks from other game studios yesterday. Most of us know that the team developed more than fifty games before hitting gold with the now famous birds and (as he describes them below) the somewhat misunderstood pigs. That’s often touted as an inspiration for entrepreneurs not to give up. But the flipside of it is Vesterbacka knows incredibly well how hard coming up with a blockbuster is, so he’s not committing to being in the serial blockbuster business.

Instead, he sees Angry Birds as a huge entertainment platform that is just getting started. This doesn’t just include merchandize and movies– he’s experimenting with Angry Birds oriented location based services and other schemes to blend the game’s footprint into the real world. See? That Foursquare user comparison I used at the beginning of the post wasn’t quite as random as it seemed.

We’ll be hearing a lot more from Vesterbacka this year, as his ambitious vision starts to play out. He’s particularly bullish about China– where he’s following the model of a Sanrio (ala Hello Kitty) to try to create an iconic $100 million cutesy brand in short order. Vesterbacka tentatively committed to joining the roster of global speakers at TechCrunch Disrupt in Beijing this fall, which will hopefully time up with some pretty interesting announcements for the company. Stay tuned.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 With TouchWiz Caught On Video (With Bonus Keyboard Dock)

2011-05-20T07:47:00.001-07:00

Samsung’s medium-size Galaxy Tab 8.9 is my favorite of the upcoming Android tablets, just based on its form factor and pixel density. And after seeing it on video, I’m more convinced than ever that it’s a decent machine, though I’ll have to hold it in my hands before I’m sold on the TouchWiz UI, which looks a little bit laggy in this video.

Also spotted was a new keyboard dock for the device, in shiny white and docking to the device in landscape mode:

Nobody seems to have any idea what these Russian guys are saying, but if it’s anything like our own commentary, you may as well watch it on mute and provide your own. The tablet is the star of the show, so glean what you can of the new UI and watch out for interesting things like the install of Flash 10.3 they do.

[via Tech Digest and Engadget]View Original Article

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Initial Thoughts On The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook

2011-05-17T05:32:00.001-07:00

Google has finally made good on their promise to deliver Chrome OS to the world this summer. Or they will, on June 15 when the first Chromebooks are available. Considering that I’m potentially the perfect type of user for such a machine — that is, nearly everything I do these days is in the browser — I’ve been very interested in the OS/product development. Last week, I got my hands on one of the first models for a bit, and I thought I’d post some initial thoughts.

Following the formal unveiling on day two of Google I/O, Samsung and Google held a joint event to further show off the hardware to a group of journalists and give us some hands-on time with one of the first Chromebooks, the Samsung Series 5. I got to play with one for about 20 minutes. And while this is far from a full review, my initial impression is that it’s good. Really good. Especially for a first crack at a product.

WD Launches 3 TB Hard Drive Despite PC’s 2.19-TB Barrier

2011-05-17T05:31:00.001-07:00

WD today announced the launch of its 2.5 TB and 3 TB AV-GP SATA hard drives, targeted towards AV professionals and hobbyists alike, and set to ship immediately. The 3.5-inch hard drives offer low power consumption and more storage than you’ll find on any other hard drive, which could come in handy for you AV geeks who use hard drives for storage-intensive purposes like the use of video recorders, video surveillance, single-drive media servers, and external multimedia storage.

As of now, these SATA hard drives from WD are actually too big for most computers, as drives larger than 2.19 TB are not supported by systems running Windows XP. Computers running 32-bit versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, on the other hand, categorize drives larger than 2.19 TB as secondary drives. Therefore, it’s pretty important that you engage in a little due diligence and check out WD’s whitepaper before making any purchases, just to confirm that the WD AV-GP drives will work with your system.

Just to add a little perspective, the 3 TB model can hold up to approximately 600,000 photos, 230 hours of video, and 750,000 songs, according to WD’s specs page. The 2.5 and 3TB WD drives are available now for $159.99 and $179.99 respectively, and come with a three-year limited warranty.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1: Hands-On

2011-05-17T05:30:00.001-07:00

Despite the fact that some specs have already been leaked, we got a chance to get hands-on with the latest Think product from Lenovo and thought it was only fair that you get the complete story, too. Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 was officially announced today, and if you’ve seen the “Perfect Marriage of Form and Function” commercial, I can honestly tell you that it’s no exaggeration of the truth. This is Lenovo’s thinnest laptop to date, and possibly its most rugged.

In terms of specs, the 13-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 comes in two processor models: 2.5 GHz second-generation Intel Core i5-2520M and 2.1 GHz second-generation Intel Core i3-2310M, and according to Lenovo’s release, the i7 will become an option soon, too. The laptop will run Windows 7 OS, and offer a choice between the Home Premium and Professional versions with 32-bit and 64-bit options. The ThinkPad X1 measures in at 13.3 inches across, 9.1 inches in length, and from front to back, .65 inches to .84 inches thin, weighing just 3.76 pounds. Along the side, the laptop offers support for HDMI output, USB 3.0 and 2.0, a 3.5 mm headphone/mic jack, and a 4-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, SDHC, SDXC).

And those are just the basics. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 can basically stand up to anything you put it through, within reason of course. Built from magnesium alloy with an interior roll cage, the ThinkPad X1 employs Corning Gorilla Glass, which was tested at the product launch event thrown by Lenovo. Think Product Group VP Dilip Bhatia whipped out his key chain and dragged a key across the laptop’s display, with no harm caused.

The ThinkPad X1’s keyboard is also pretty impressive. Not only did Lenovo improve the overall look and feel of this keyboard with the addition of an LED back-light, but the company also equipped it with some much-needed ruggedness. The redesigned keyboard sports a water-shedding design that keeps spills from frying the guts of your new laptop. Lenovo also got rid of the SysRq button in favor of dedicated multimedia and voice calling controls.

Lenovo has worked hard to make the ThinkPad X1 a more universal model than previous enterprise-focused products, and has done so with the addition of Dolby Home Theater v4 and a superbright high-def display. Entertainment may not be an integral part of a businessman’s day, but as Mr. Bahtia pointed out at the event, a movie always comes in handy on those long business trips.

The battery life on this bad boy isn’t all that special, offering just under 5 1/2 hours without the battery slice accessory. After popping in the slice, battery life extends to about 10 hours. But even though battery life may not be everything you’ve dreamed of, Lenovo is one step ahead, as the ThinkPad X1 features RapidCharge technology. This means that after just 30 minutes of charging, the laptop battery is charged up to 80 percent, and the user can get back to business.

All in all, this rugged little laptop will start out at $1,399, and go on sale tomorrow through Lenovo business partners or on Lenovo’s website.

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Chrome OS 12 — AKA: The Shipping Version — Hits Beta

2011-05-17T05:13:00.001-07:00

Last week, just prior to day one of Google I/O, we noted that some updates in the Chrome OS code and forums indicated that a formal unveiling was likely very close. Sure enough, on day two of I/O, Google unveiled the first Chromebooks, the first shipping products running Chrome OS. But Google also noted that the first orders wouldn’t start until June 15, about a month away. One reason: Chrome OS still needed a tiny bit more work. And an update today brings it very close.

Google has just updated the Chrome OS beta channel to R12, aka Chrome 12. The version, which has been in the dev channel for a couple of weeks, will now be further tested in beta for a couple of weeks before it becomes the first version of Chrome OS to go stable. Expect this to happen slightly before the June 15 date.

Following Google I/O, we got some hands-on time with the first Chromebook, the Samsung Series 5. Sure enough, it was running Chrome OS version 12 (though the dev version). Representatives from Google stated that this would eventually be the build (when complete) that ships with the first Chromebooks.

So what does Chrome OS R12 contain? Well, it’s essentially Chrome 12, the browser (which is also in beta), with a number of Chrome OS-specific features. Those include:

File browser

Shiny new look

Improvements to GSM support

Verizon activation improvements

New Flash player

Feedback link is now under the wrench menu (“Report an issue”)

3G connection to the carrier fixes

Wi-Fi connectivity/Out of the Box fixes

New trackpad and sensitivity setting adjusted

Auto update engine and debugging improvements

Power optimizations

GTalk video/chat optimizations

Improved on screen indicators: brightness, network status, update icon

I just updated my Cr-48 to the new build and it’s feeling pretty polished (though there are still some bugs — such as with Angry Birds). Notably, it makes the trackpad feel more stable than ever. So if you have a Cr-48 and want a glimpse of what the first Chromebooks will feel like, check it out.

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The Playstation Network Is Back

2011-05-16T02:03:00.001-07:00

According to Sony, the Playstation Network is back online in North America and the US. You will need to upgrade your firmware to 3.6.1 and change your password to play. Our long national nightmare is over.

Playstation Store features will be down until the end of the month. European and Asian networks are still down.

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Honeycomb Has A Fighting Chance Against The iPad

2011-05-16T02:02:00.001-07:00

If you’d asked me a week ago what I thought about Honeycomb, the tablet version of Android, I would have said that it was in very bad shape and that it would be several months before it could even hold a candle to the iPad 2. Because despite my excitement to see Android take on Apple’s ridiculously successful iPad, my experience with the Motorola Xoom — the first Honeycomb tablet — has been decidedly poor.

From day one things were off to a bad start. At first, Android Market would crash literally every time I opened it. The Android team fixed that pretty quickly, but the OS was still riddled with weird bugs: swiping between home screens is laggy, widgets go blank and need to refresh, and there are myriad other glitches that pop up at random. And even beyond the bugs, there are weird quirks in the OS that feel poorly thought out (seriously, why does the ‘Home’ button look like an Up arrow?). But now I’ve had some time to test out the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, the new tablet that was given to Google I/O attendees and will be available in stores beginning June 8. And after spending the last couple of days using it around my apartment, I’m much more optimistic. In fact, I’m guessing this device is going to do very well, and that it foreshadows a bright future ahead for Honeycomb.

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Blogger goes down, taking 30 hours - CNET News

2011-05-13T15:27:00.001-07:00

Google's Blogger service has been offline or unreliable for much of the day, with Blogger-hosted blogs changed to read-only mode, and posts and comments made after 7:37 a.m. PDT on May 11, 2011, removed.

In a post on the Blogger help forum, the product team said that it had rolled back a scheduled maintenance release from last night and that its "engineers are working hard to return Blogger to normal and restore your posts and comments."

Google's reply for a request for comment was, "The team is working on this." The company has posted some short updates to the Blogger Twitter account and Status blog, but hasn't yet explained what's happening, how widespread it is, or what will happen to users' content.

Blogger had started rolling out its first major redesign in years in April. The team said in a tweet that the outage was not related to launching the new design.

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Gingerbread Rolling Out To Galaxy Tabs?

2011-05-12T01:29:00.000-07:00

Samsung Italia is alive with the sound of Gingerbread! It seems that the country is among the first to get the Android 2.3.3 update for the original 7″ Galaxy Tab. It’s rolling out via KIES, Samsung’s useful device management tool, but naturally there’s no word of it here in the states yet. Remain vigilant!

You could load it yourself before now if you really wanted to, but this update should have support for Samsung’s custom widgets and app store, among the performance gains and other features.

[via Unwired View]

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Behold: The Chromebook (Samsung Series 5)

2011-05-12T01:23:00.000-07:00

More+

Here she is.

Earlier today, Google unveiled the first notebooks running Chrome OS. Or as they’re calling them, “Chromebooks”. The first two partners producing them will be Samsung and Acer. And at an event tonight in San Francisco, we got some extensive hands-on time with the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook.

Initial reaction? That’s still to come. For now, enjoy a bunch of pictures.

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CrunchBase Information

Google

Website:	google.com
Location:	Mountain View, California, United States
Founded:	September 7, 1998
IPO:	August 19, 2004

Google provides search and advertising services, which together aim to organize and monetize the world’s information. In addition to its dominant search engine, it offers a plethora of online tools and platforms including:… Learn More

Google Chrome

Company:	Google
Website:	google.com/chrome
Launch Date:	September 2, 2008

Google Chrome is an based on the open source web browser Chromium which is based on Webkit and powered by Google Gears.. It was… Learn More

Samsung Electronics

Website:	samsung.com
Location:	Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Founded:	1969

Samsung is one of the largest super-multinational companies in the world. It’s possibly best known for it’s subsidiary, Samsung Electronics, the largest electronics company in the world. Learn More

Information provided by CrunchBase

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Website:	google.com
Location:	Mountain View, California, United States
Founded:	September 7, 1998
IPO:	August 19, 2004

Company:	Google
Website:	google.com/chrome
Launch Date:	September 2, 2008

Google Chrome is an based on the open source web browser Chromium which is based on Webkit and powered by Google Gears.. It was… Learn More

Website:	samsung.com
Location:	Seoul, Korea, Republic of
Founded:	1969

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Xperia Play Games See Slow Uptake, But Sony-Ericsson Isn’t Worried

2011-05-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

The so-called Playstation Phone is out there internationally (May 26 is when it’s hitting the US), but sales haven’t been huge for its biggest feature: access to PSOne classic games via the Android Market. None of the games on sale has sold over a thousand copies, and most have sold far less. Sony Ericsson’s Dominic Neil-Dwyer said that they weren’t too worried just yet, however.

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Samsung Gives First 5000 Galaxy Tab 10.1s To Developers At Google I/O

2011-05-11T01:57:00.001-07:00

The giveaways at Google I/O have become one of the most-publicized features of the conference; after all, the new features and frameworks matter to developers, but Oprah Moments^TM tend to resonate on the internet. Previously it was handsets being given away, but this year, with Android handset numbers blocking out the sun and tablets underdeveloped, it was Honeycomb that ended up in developers’ laps. Specifically, Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.

Yep, 5000 of them are being distributed to Google’s dev base. This is pretty cool, since Samsung was previously a bit gun-shy about its new tablet, even publicly saying they had some work to do after the iPad launch. But the relaunch in March had them confident again, though the release was distant enough that we thought they might still have some work to do. I guess the developers at I/O will be able to tell us whether that’s true.

If you’re looking to get your own, check eBay in a couple hours, or else wait until June 8, the planned release date for the 10.1. Personally I’m thinking about that 8.9 — a little smaller, but with mostly the same specs. The 10.1s given out at I/O won’t ship with Android 3.1, but will be getting it soon.

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HP TouchPad, HP Pre 3 To Hit Shelves In June

2011-05-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

It’s looking like the HP TouchPad and HP Pre 3 aren’t too far away from release. Back at the Think Beyond event in February, the devices were promised to appear this “summer,” and since then, a more specific time frame has been laid out. According to multiple statements made by HP CEO Leo Apotheker, the HP TouchPad should show up in June.

The HP Pre 3 is a bit more of a mystery, with no hard-and-fast leads about its availability dates, as of yet. However, when asked about the Pre 3’s forthcoming launch date, HP VP of developer relations Richard Kerris (who owns a Pre 3, by the way), said it’s TouchPad and then the Pre 3. With Touch-to-Share being one of the core features on the TouchPad, we’d have expected to see the Pre 3 show up sooner than the webOS-powered tablet.

In any case, June’s only 21 days away, so if your patience has already been sufficiently tested waiting on the arrival of either of these devices, now is the time to start crossing fingers and buying rabbits’ feet.

[via Pre-Central]

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Android And Chrome: Anywhere And Everywhere

2011-05-10T20:43:00.001-07:00

Google is approaching a watershed moment in its internal platform wars. The time is nearly at hand when they will have to decide once and for all what Android is, what Chrome OS is, and where they are both going. This is not to say it has not been internally decided and even worked out to the decimal for some years ahead — but they’re going to have to break it to the world sooner or later, and today’s I/O event may have been a powerful hint.

The hint is in two announcements today: one expected and more or less standard for Google (Music), the other a surprise (Open Accessory Toolkit). Google is laying the groundwork for a two-pronged OS assault a little ways down the road: Chrome OS everywhere, and Android anywhere.

Why does it matter that Google has put out a little widget that will let people control fans and LEDs using Android? It matters because Google is positioning Android not as a phone OS, but as an all-purpose low-ceiling OS scalable at the very maximum to tablets (I doubt it will evolve much past what we see in Honeycomb, though it will certainly be made better), and at the very minimum to — what do you think? Anything. Microwaves, vehicles, media players, robots, watches, toys, tools, microscopes, x-ray machines, set-top boxes, cameras… you name it. Google wants it to be in any device that requires some kind of CPU and interface. Oh, and they’ll all talk to each other, in Googlese. Do you want to control Pandora from your fridge? Neither do I. But there are a hundred million people who do.

Android could fork one more time, creating a version that’s as much smaller than “vanilla” Android as Honeycomb is larger. Reduce dependencies, buff up legacy and basic (maybe even Basic) code libraries, and fortify it against being chopped into little pieces to fit in 4MB of RAM and a 25MHz processor. It’ll blow up in embedded and invisible computing as quickly as it has blown up in mobile. Why? Because it’s well-documented, cheap (free, technically, but you have to make up the difference to fit it to your device), versatile, and will be built to work with all the off-the-shelf parts you’re already using. And you get to

This little accessory testbed is a great way for Google to put a foot in the door and start working out the kinks. Rope in a powerful and well-loved hacking partner (Arduino) and you buy yourself not only a healthy platform but a healthy community. Rubin may have said they don’t develop via the community, but it doesn’t matter when the community only needs to provide the last mile. And besides, if you give the community the right tools, sometimes what they can create is almost beyond belief. Kinect is a good example of this.

Meanwhile, Chrome OS is nearing a stable release, but it’s more like Android 1.0 “stable” than anything else. It won’t crash, but it’ll need a year or two before it shines. And what happens in a year or two? Google hopes that there will be some eighty to a hundred million tablets in active use, and while the mix of iOS, webOS, Android, Chrome OS, and to be announced can be argued all day long, the one thing they’ll all have in common is a powerful, HTML 5-compliant browser.

Sure, you could get a Chrome OS machine, if you’re feeling daffy and want to limit yourself to just a browser. Or you could get any tablet at all, and still have access to 95% of Google’s services. They don’t care whether Chrome OS picks up or not — it’s a stable, low-profile OS that may or may not get a little traction in low-cost devices. But Chrome OS and Chrome the browser are going to share so many parts that to the end user, they may soon be indistinguishable. No matter your platform, every question will be answered with “in the browser.” Where’s your music? In the browser. How do I rent movies? In the browser. Where are my photos? Browser. Email? Browser. It’s the simplest way to create all the arrows in this little graphic:

Such an ecosystem sounds a bit far out for consumers today, which is why Google is launching at I/O with no partners instead of at a Los Angeles Gala with musical guest Ke$ha. They’re looking down the road, past App Country and into Browserland.

At least, that’s what I saw in a vision after hearing about the Arduino board. But it makes sense, I think, mostly because it pokes Apple in both eyes. Weak in the cloud and outside of mobile and apps (where they’re more or less unassailable, for good reason), they’re vulnerable to attack — first by competing in a category Apple can’t possibly get into (hackery and embedded computing), and second, by ensuring that every unit Apple sells is a potential platform for Google to invade. This Hannibal-esque pincer move will assail Apple on their services and product diversity flanks, while healthy growth of Android will prevent any upset on the central mobile front.

How they’ll sell it to consumers is another matter. It’ll take time and Google isn’t the best at marketing — and their enemies won’t be standing still. Clearly Chrome OS isn’t ready to be the universal platform they want it to be just yet; but in a year Android will have solidified on the high end and spread out on the low end. The tablet wars will have heated up, and cloud services will be approaching the mainstream. There will be an iPhone 5, a Nexus X (or something), NFC, and a hundred other events and techs I can’t possibly foresee.

In fact, and this is really the most likely outcome, so many crazy things will happen between now and then that this article will be rendered null. At the very least, though, it seems a plausible theory for the real intentions of these two chameleonic platforms. Google’s timing plan for Chrome just turned out to be a little optimistic.

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Microsoft Transforms A Random Person’s Home Into A PC Store For Latest Video Ad Spot

2011-05-10T10:02:00.001-07:00

Microsoft PC video adverts are back! Hurry for us!

What would you do if Microsoft “built” a PC Store in your house? What would MG do? Well, that’s the premise behind the latest round of Microsoft video spots as they attempt to show that Windows 7 has enough nifty features to upgrade from presumable XP or Vista while giving a little glimpse of a PC Store. This ad is aimed squarely at current PC users rather than fighting for crazed Mac zealots.

And why not? The Windows install base is massive and dwarfs OS X’s. It’s easier to sell to those that either are happy with Windows or aren’t aware of anything different. Still, as fun as these ads look to be, I’m not entirely sure they accomplish their intent. “There are new features. *building fancy story* Look, a touchscreen. Bye!” More are sure to come so maybe they’ll get to showing the new features eventually.

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Done Deal! Big Deal. Smart Deal? Microsoft Buys Skype For $8.5 Billion In Cash

2011-05-10T09:46:00.001-07:00

The deal is done. Microsoft is buying Skype for $8.5 billion in cash in its first sizeable acquisition since August 2008, when the Redmond software giant spent $486 million on Greenfield Online.

In fact, this is Microsoft’s biggest financial bet to date in terms of M&A, trumping its $6 billion+ purchase of aQuantive, which dates back to May 2007, in size.

The $8.5 billion question: did Microsoft overpay for Skype?

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Without The Labels, Google’s Music Locker Service Will Look Like Apple’s Ugly Sibling. Again.

2011-05-09T22:29:00.001-07:00

Flashback: Moscone Center, San Francisco. Google’s Vic Gundotra is pacing the stage, rolling off one new awesome Android feature after another. There’s Fro Yo, the new version of Android that does laps (literally) around iOS. And then for a real a-ha moment: a sneak peek at Google Music, a service that would let you purchase songs from your desktop and ‘push’ them to your phone wirelessly, among other things. It was billed as a preview and no firm date was given, but nobody guessed we’d be waiting for a full year. But there were delays, deals didn’t get worked out, and Google was beaten to the punch by Amazon’s Cloud Drive, which launched in March.

This evening the WSJ reported that after a year of (failed) discussions with the labels Google will finally be launching a music service tomorrow at Google I/O — and it’s very similar to Amazon’s, which also doesn’t have approval from the labels. I spoke with Google’s Jamie Rosenberg, head of digital content and strategy for Android, who confirmed the news. And while he says that Google will improve on Amazon’s offering in many ways, one month from now I’m guessing it will look significantly less impressive.

First, the basics.

As with Amazon Cloud Drive, Google’s music service will work by uploading your music library to servers, then streaming that music to whatever PC or Android device you’d like, giving you instant access to your library whenever you have an Internet connection. Uploads will be handled by a small downloadable client available for both PC and Mac. There will be a Flash-based web player (which will work with ChromeOS), and the music service is baked into the Music application on Android versions 2.2 and higher, which can also store songs locally. It’s invite only for now — Google I/O attendees will get an invite, as will users with the Verizon version of the Xoom. Google isn’t talking pricing, but the initial test will store up to 20,000 songs for free (Rosenberg says the limit is based on number of songs, not gigabytes).

It sounds good on paper, but there are a few hurdles. The biggest is the upload process: after signing up and installing the native app, you’ll be prompted to start uploading your music library. Nobody likes having to upload gigabytes of content. It may not be difficult — Google’s client will actually upload the songs you’re most likely to listen to first to minimize the pain — but there’s still the mental hurdle of letting the upload run for a full day or two.

And, unlike Amazon, you won’t actually be able to purchase any music through Google’s service. This will not be a huge deal (if you leave Google’s desktop client running in the background it will automatically upload any new songs to the cloud) but it’s still frustrating.

I think Android users will be happy to start using the service that launches tomorrow. It will be good, and significantly better than Amazon’s Cloud Drive because of the native Android integration and some tweaks to the user experience (the phone will intelligently cache songs it thinks you’ll listen to, for example). But Apple is rumored to be announcing its competing cloud service at WWDC in June, likely with full cooperation from the labels — which could make all the difference.

Instead of having to upload your thousands of MP3s, iTunes may be able to simply check your (much smaller) database file and recreate it online using a central repository of music (in other words, no huge uploads). The technology wouldn’t be new — Lala, which Apple acquired in 2009, was doing that years ago. It’s just a matter of hammering out the deals with the labels. And really, I can’t imagine Apple launching a service that tells its users to sit back and wait a couple of days. Instead, you’ll fire up the new version of iTunes, check a box saying you want your iPhone and iPad to have access to all of your content, and bam — users won’t have to learn what an online locker is, their stuff will just be where they want it.

Will this have a negative impact on Android sales? No — aside from third-party apps like DoubleTwist, Android has never offered an easy way to manage your music, so this is a step up. But for anyone who is on the fence choosing between the two operating systems, it’s another win in the iOS column.

For what it’s worth, Rosenberg says that Google looks forward to launching additional functionality in Google Music. But the centralized database of content that would enable near-instant library uploads is something that the labels need to sign off on. And something tells me they aren’t going to be very pleased with tomorrow’s launch.

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Android

Google

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Microsoft issues first Windows Phone security update - Computerworld

2011-05-07T15:38:00.001-07:00

Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)

Microsoft issues first Windows Phone security update
Computerworld
Computerworld - Microsoft on Tuesday released the first security update for Windows Phone 7, replicating for smartphone users a patch the company gave Windows desktop users six weeks ago. When the update will actually reach users is ...
Win Phone 7 owners told to stick to official updatesCNET
Windows Phone 7 'NoDo' Update Rolling Out to HTC SurroundPC Magazine
Microsoft - The Rodney Dangerfield of Tech Stock? Hardly!San Francisco Chronicle
PCWorld -Inquirer -FM.co.za
all 223 news articles »

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Soon, AOL’s AIM Won’t Require A Separate Login To Chat With Contacts In Gmail

2011-05-07T15:36:00.001-07:00

Since 2007, you’ve been able to sign in to your AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) account to chat with your AIM contacts directly from Gmail. You simply login with your AIM account in Gmail and your contacts will populate your gChat list, allowing you to chat with them just like you would your Google Talk contatcs.

From this notice, it looks like changes may be afoot to this feature. From AIM’s notice, In the next few days, Google and AOL are working together to change the way you connect to AIM buddies within Gmail. After this change, Gmail and AIM users can talk directly to each other without having to log into both services (you will no longer be able to log into AIM within Gmail’s “Chat” section).

It’s unclear what technology Google and AOL are working on that will allow users to integrate both services with Gmail; but AOL says it is working on an importer to add AIM contacts to your Gmail contacts list. AOL says in the notice: You’ll be able to IM them directly from your Gmail username, but your AIM Username will not show your online status.

AOL says the change will take place in the next few days, but you can sign up to receive a notice when new importer is available.

But honestly, who uses AIM anymore?

Disclosure: TechCrunch is owned by AOL.

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iPad 2 Gets A Big Launch In Beijing

2011-05-07T09:57:00.001-07:00

MIC Gadgets has taken some great pictures of the iPad 2 launch at the Beijing Apple store. My favorite part? The official scalping area, where people who bought up all the stock can sit and wait for disappointed buyers to come out and buy for a markup.

I have to say, though, for a city as big and dense as Beijing, I kind of expected even more people than this. Regardless, Apple’s hot little tablet sold out in a few hours. Maybe because they let scalpers buy like 20 each?!

[via SlashGear]

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Weekend Giveaway: A 16GB BlackBerry Playbook

2011-05-07T09:54:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we gave away a BlackBerry Playbook and, much to your disappointment, you didn’t win. In order to right that wrong, we present The Return Of The Attack Of The 16GB BlackBerry Playbook, Part II featuring a brand new BlackBerry Playbook with your name on it.

How do you win? I think you know.

Comment below. Comment once. Include your email address. I will pick one person at random on Monday at noon Eastern.

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The First 48 Hours of Mozilla Firefox 4

2011-05-07T09:02:00.001-07:00

The response to Mozilla Firefox 4 has been astounding! The team here pulled together the following infographic to share some cool stats about the first 48 hours following the launch.

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Ultimate iPad 2 case roundup | Crave - CNET

2011-05-06T10:36:00.001-07:00

Ultimate iPad 2 case roundup | Crave - CNET

Editors' note: Updated May 6 with six new cases.

We know that a lot of people who buy the
iPad 2 are also going to buy Apple's new innovative folding cover.
But then again plenty of folks prefer to shop for non-Apple
alternatives, and we've got more than 30 iPad 2 covers and stands to
show you. Some are adaptations of previous models made for the original
iPad and some are fresh designs.

Of course, this roundup only represents a fraction of the cases
and stands available for the iPad 2, and many sleeves that were
available for the original iPad will also work just fine with the iPad
2. Some of the following cases are available now and some will be
arriving later this month and in May. As we get these in-house, we'll
offer more substantial write-ups of each product and put together a
list of top iPad 2 covers as we did for the original iPad.

If you think we missed a good cover--or just have a favorite among the
ones shown--feel free to post a comment. We'll update the list to
include more covers and stands as they become available (we've added
over 20 new covers in last month).

Click on any slide to begin the slideshow. Cases are listed alphabetically.

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Hitpad for iPad [App Of The Day]

2011-05-06T10:12:00.001-07:00

Have you ever looked at Twitter trending topics or Google Trends and wondered who the heck is that or what in the world are these people talking about? I do that every single day! HitPad explains those trending topics by giving you the relevant news, tweets, videos, pictures and web links about them. Don't ever feel left out again. More »

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Fly Or Die: The BlackBerry Playbook Vs. The Color Nook

2011-05-06T10:10:00.001-07:00

Tablets and electronic book readers are on a collision course. In this episode of Fly or Die , ChrunchGear editor John Biggs and I discuss the pros and cons of the new BlackBerry Playbook and the Color Nook from Barnes & Noble. The PlayBook is fast and a solid effort from our much-beleaguered Canadian friends. But is it too little, too late?

If you are a BackBerry user and want a tablet that syncs to your phone, this could be for you. (In the video, Biggs keeps saying Android, but he means BlackBerry—too many Four Lokos before the taping). I actually like the PlayBook better than most Android tablets. But if it’s incredible apps that you want, the PlayBook’s choices are still pretty limited.

The Color Nook is a different story. It’s primary purpose is as a digital book reader and it’s main competition is the Kindle. But it is also a fully functioning color Android tablet. And just recently it added support for Android apps. So you can read books—including animated ones for your kids—browse the Web, and check out apps like Pulse and Pandora. Not bad for $250. Watch the video above to find out more, and check out past episodes here.

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|MG| Vista Codec Package 5.8.9 Final Download

2011-01-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

|MG| Vista Codec Package 5.8.9 Final Download

Author: Shark007
Date: 2011-01-04
Size: 21.7 MB
License: Freeware
Requires: NT/200x/XP/Vista
Downloaded: 2108251 Times

Download here:

Screenshot:

Codecs have been a problem for most users at one time or another. This is because there has never been an 'out of the box' working solution that the average computer user could install and just have everything work properly from the beginning. There are several decent codec package solutions out there, but none of them did everything I wanted. I was always in need of a tweak, adjustment, or even a re-installation just to get the codecs I needed/wanted and most of the time, the file still didn't play properly. I've never claimed to be a media guru. My media experience prior to creating these packages was to double-click a file I downloaded and hope that it played.

The installer will automatically remove most other popular codec packs from your computer before installing this concise yet comprehensive windows media center setup package. You won't need to make any adjustments or tweaks to enjoy your windows media center content immediately. Windows Media Player and Vista Media Center will instantly recognize all your files as playable.

It does not contain a media player and it does not associate file-types. With the vista codec package installed you will be able to use any media player, limited only by the players' capabilities, to play all movies and video clips. Streaming video is supported in several formats in all popular web browsers. Users of Windows Vista Codec Package have the ability to choose what is installed and where to install it using the public redistributable. After installation you can select to remove specific portions without removing the entire codec package. You can also re-add the removed items at any time.

Changelog:
update ffdshow 3717
fix aac to ac3 encoding

My MSN Tech News: 2010 State Of The Blogosphere: Facebook And Twitter Drive The Most Traffic (Slides)

2010-11-03T17:29:00.001-07:00

Earlier today, Technorati CEO Richard Jalichandra gave his annual State of The Blogosphere presentation at the ad:tech conference. Technorati will be blogging about the findings over the next few days, which is based on a survey of 7,200 bloggers. But we have the full slide presentation below.

More News Here

My MSN Tech News: Malaysians win global Internet popularity contest

2010-11-01T15:26:00.001-07:00

Malaysians are the most popular people on the Internet, while Japanese are the least, according to a global survey which shows how national cultures are reflected in online behaviour.

Malaysians win global Internet popularity contest

Malaysians won the Internet popularity contest with an average of 233 friends in their social network, compared to 68 in China and just 29 in Japan, according to the Digital Life study by global research firm TNS.

The findings are no surprise in a gregarious, multicultural nation which has a tradition of "open house" parties where the doors are literally thrown open to all, and where new acquaintances are eagerly made.

"The Malaysian way is just to invite everyone you know," said Chacko Vadaketh, a Malaysian actor and writer with an impressive 1,010 friends on his Facebook account.

[Read More]+

My MSN Sci-Tech News: Hackers shut down Saudi education ministry website

2010-11-01T04:12:00.001-07:00

By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 11/1/2010

The Saudi education ministry's website was shut down on Monday after hackers posted pictures of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a youth wielding a syringe.

Hackers shut down Saudi education ministry website

Hackers calling themselves the "True Promise Team" posted Nasrallah's picture and blasted Saudi treatment of the kingdom's minority Shiites in the first hack, according to a cached version of the page published on the Sabq.org news website.

They signed it with the name of Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric.

Saudi Arabia is predominantly Sunni Muslim.

The first page was subsequently replaced by another hack, carrying a photo of a syringe-wielding young man or woman, the cache of which could be accessed through Google.

That page appeared to give the pseudonyms of several hackers.

MyGeeksToGo News: IE9 – The Beauty of the Web

2010-10-27T19:19:00.001-07:00

On September 15 2010, Microsoft announced a public beta version of their web browser Internet Explorer (IE). Microsoft claims that this new version, IE9, is going to be a more secure, stable and faster browsing experience. Being a little skeptical toward Internet Explorer, I wanted to see this for myself, so I set out to get my copy of IE9 over at The Beauty of the Web.

Quoting The Beauty of the Web; “As amazing as the web is, its potential is immeasurably greater. Internet Explorer 9 was designed to let that potential shine through. Click below to see how developers and designers are creating a more beautiful web using HTML5 and advancements in Internet Explorer 9.”

“As amazing as the web is, its potential is immeasurably greater. Internet Explorer 9 was designed to let that potential shine through. Click below to see how developers and designers are creating a more beautiful web using HTML5 and advancements in Internet Explorer 9.”

I myself am a big fan of Google Chrome. I love the speed it offers and the minimalistic UI it offers, therefore I won’t only be comparing IE9 to IE8, but I will also write about my experience in the difference between the two different browsers. Now I am just hoping that Internet Explorer can live up to the expectations I have as a frequent web user.

Read the rest of this entry »

del.icio.us Tags: IE9,Microsoft,Internet Explorer,Geeks To Go,Windows 7

TechCrunch: Facebook’s ‘Download Your Information’ Feature Has A Memory Lapse

2010-10-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, Facebook announced the launch of a new feature called “Download Your Information”. The feature is fairly self-explanatory: hit a button, and Facebook will compile an archive of all the data you’ve ever uploaded to the site — photos, videos, messages, and more — which you can download in a handy Zip file for archival purposes. Given how much content people are storing on Facebook these days this is great news, but it’s got one catch: your archive will be missing anything that appeared on your Facebook Wall prior to mid-2006.

The Wall has long been one of Facebook’s most popular features, allowing friends to leave each other brief notes and links in a semi-public area, and in the days before News Feed it was the main way people interacted with each other on the site. I’d looked forward to reliving (or at least, skimming) the birthday greetings, lewd jokes, and awkward invites left on my profile in days of yore, so I was a bit miffed when my stroll down memory lane was cut short.

But most people on Facebook won’t care. While the site currently has over 500 million users, in summer 2006 the total was more like 10 million, so this only affects, at most, around 2% of the current userbase. And the Wall is the only feature that’s affected — your messages and photos are all intact regardless of when they were posted.

So why is Facebook cutting off Wall content posted before summer 2006? The feature is relatively ancient by Facebook standards, launching back in September 2004 when the site was still restricted to college students. It comes as little surprise that the Wall has been re-architected multiple times through the years, and it apparently isn’t trivial for the site to access content posted prior to summer 2006 (you’ll notice that even if you manually scroll down your Wall instead of relying on the ‘Download Your Information’ archive, it will still cut off around this time).

A Facebook spokesperson says that the company will “continue to evaluate this as we get more usage and feedback”, which makes me think that if enough people complain they could do the legwork to offer your entire Wall. Given that few people seem to have noticed the omission so far though, I’m doubting that’s going to happen.

My comment: I’m isn’t know at all about the function, is it relatively? My only hope is that Facebook wil come up with a theme that user’s can choose what they want their facebook look likes. :)

Four new themes

2009-09-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Posted by Jake Knapp, UI Designer and Manu Cornet, Software Engineer

Manu: Hey Jake, you still using that same old theme?
Jake: Well, yeah. I mean, I like it -- but I don't know... I guess it just doesn't feel as new as it used to.
Manu: I hear ya. Well, good news! Today four new themes are out there for everybody. Just go to the Themes tab under Settings...and ta da!
Jake: (click, click) There we go!
Manu: Should we tell people about why we created these four themes?
Jake: We should.
Manu: Assuming they're still reading.
Jake: Right. Okay, well, Gmail themes have been out since November, and I know we were ready for some new ones.
Manu: And we heard some of you asking for new ones too. So we thought about what we wanted to stare at all day long, since we work on Gmail.
Jake: I've been living in Zurich for the last year, and I missed Washington State, where I grew up. The Orcas Island theme definitely takes away a little bit of that homesickness with a new image each day of the week.

Manu: Homesickness eh? What about timesickness?
Jake: There's such a thing?
Manu: Totally. Sometimes I find myself timesick.
Jake: For when?
Manu: For a simpler time. For a time when processors weren't too fast. When graphics weren't too realistic.
Jake: Sounds like a real bummer. Too bad there's no cure for timesickness.
Manu: That's where you're dead wrong, my friend. Take a look at High Score. It's like being in a time machine isn't it?

Jake: (click, click) Aren't these colors a little bright?
Manu: Aren't you supposed to be a designer?
Jake: We'll have to agree to disagree, my friend. This one just isn't for me. I need something soothing. Something like laying face down in the grass.
Manu: I suppose you're talking about Turf now. What's the story behind that one?

Jake: Well, who doesn't like the color green?
Manu: And it doesn't change every day, so it was easier for us to make.
Jake: Are you suggesting we're lazy?
Manu: Prove that we're not.
Jake: We just made four new themes. How about that?
Manu: It took us ten months. And the fourth theme (Random) merely cycles through all the others.
Jake: Well, enjoy these themes for now. And, of course, let us know what you think. Maybe we'll have some more for you in the next ten months ;)

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Nokia outs the XpressMusic X6 and X3

2009-09-04T09:46:00.001-07:00

I like the XpressMusic line. I really do. It is fun to watch Nokia try something different and these two new models are no exception. The X6 has 32MB storage and Comes With Music unlimited downloads. It will cost about $650.

The X3 looks like a cousin to the Motorola RAZR and has a 3.2-megapixel camera, FM radio, and takes MicroSD cards. It will be $160.

No word on US availability but don’t hold your breath.

via Giz

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Hackers target Xbox Live players

2009-02-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

Halo 3 players are a popular target for the Xbox attack

**BBC News**

Xbox Live is being targeted by malicious hackers selling services that kick players off the network.

The booting services are proving popular with players who want a way to get revenge on those who beat them in an Xbox Live game.

The attackers are employing data flooding tools that have been used against websites for many years.

Microsoft is "investigating" the use of the tools and said those caught using them would be banned from Xbox Live.

"There's been a definite increase in the amount of people talking about and distributing these things over the last three to four weeks," said Chris Boyd, director of malware research at Facetime Communications.

Attack tool

"The smart thing about these Xbox tools is that they do not attack the Xbox Live network itself," he said.

He said the tools work by exploiting the way that the Xbox Live network is set up. Game consoles connecting to the Xbox network send data via the net, and for that it needs an IP address.

Even better, said Mr Boyd, games played via Xbox Live are not hosted on private servers.

The tools mean anyone with a few dollars can boot rivals off Xbox Live

"Instead," he said, "a lot of games on Xbox Live are hosted by players."

If hackers can discover the IP address of whoever is hosting a game they can employ many of the attacks that have been used for years against websites, said Mr Boyd.

One of the most popular for the Xbox Live specialists is the Denial of Service attack which floods an IP address with vast amounts of data.

The flood of data is generated by a group of hijacked home computers, a botnet, that have fallen under the control of a malicious hacking group.

When turned against a website this flood of traffic can overwhelm it or make it unresponsive to legitimate visitors.

When turned against an Xbox owner, it can mean they cannot connect to the Live network and effectively throws them out of the game.

"They get your IP address, put it in the booter tool and they attempt to flood the port that uses Xbox traffic," said Mr Boyd. "Flooding that port prevents any traffic getting out."

Skill set

The hard part, he said, was discovering a particular gamer's IP address but many malicious hackers had honed the skills needed to find them.

Some interconnect their PC and Xbox and use packet sniffing software to hunt through the traffic flowing in and out of the console for IP addresses.

The hackers target the way Xbox consoles connect to the net

Others simply use con tricks to get the target to reveal their net address.

The technical knowledge needed to hunt down IP addresses was quite high, said Mr Boyd, but many of those who had the skills were selling their expertise to those keen to hit back at their rivals on the Xbox Live network.

For $20 (£13) some Xbox Live hackers will remotely access a customer's PC and set up the whole system so it can be run any time they need it.

Some offer low rates to add compromised machines to a botnet and increase the amount of data flooding a particular IP address.

Defending against the attack could be tricky, said Mr Boyd: "There's no real easy solution to this one."

Although IP addresses regularly change, people could find it takes hours or days for their ISP to move them on to a new one.

In response to the rise in attacks, Microsoft said: "We are investigating reports involving the use of malicious software tools that an attacker could use to try and disrupt an Xbox LIVE player's internet connection."

It added: "This problem is not related to the Xbox Live service, but to the player's internet connection. The attacker could also attempt [to] disrupt other internet activities, such as streaming video or web browsing, using the same tools.

In its statement Microsoft warned: "This malicious activity violates the Xbox Live Terms of Use, and will result in a ban from Xbox Live and other appropriate action.

It urged anyone falling victim to such an attack to contact their ISP to report it and get help fixing it.

In January 2009 Microsoft announced that Xbox Live had more than 17m members.

Xoopit Marries Facebook Status Updates With Gmail

2009-02-14T17:58:00.001-08:00

Xoopit, a social networking email enhancement that allows users to locate files, images and videos in their inbox, has launched a new feature that lets Gmail users immediately see and set Facebook status messages and view profile photos of their Facebook friends while reading emails off a Gmail account.

Users can also quickly see other information such as birthdays and mobile phone numbers. After downloading the feature, a user can easily update their own status directly from a Gmail account using Facebook Connect. Xoopit’s new feature is pretty neat and gives users the ability to bounce between Facebook and Gmail accounts seamlessly. And Facebook’s status message feature is one that most users check most frequently, so its particularly useful to the average Facebook user.

The marriage of social networking and email is not a new concept. Yahoo and Google are both pretty open to incorporating social networking into their email applications, with Yahoo even potentially creating a social network around its email product (Yahoo mail has around 254 million users worldwide, Gmail has around 80 million users).

It doesn’t appear that the Xoopit-Facebook feature is available to Yahoo Mail users but the Yahoo and Xoopit may not be far away from developing a Gmail-like relationship with Yahoo, as we wrote about late last year.

The plug-in was a bit buggy when I downloaded it but I think its a nifty tool as a whole. It certainly saves me the time in switching back to Facebook to check status updates or update my own status. Now if only we could stream the news feed feature into Gmail.

Here’s another screenshot of the new feature:

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Microsoft: Bounty on Conficker worm creator

2009-02-14T17:56:00.001-08:00

Microsoft has announced today that it is offering a reward of $250,000 to anyone who can provide information that can help arrest the creator of the Conficker worm. They stated that this worm is a criminal attack and that citizens from any country can receive the bounty.

Conficker, also known as Downandup, has infected millions of computers around the world since last year. It is difficult to stop because spreads through USB thumb drives or the internet and takes advantage of Windows machines that are missing newer security patches. Once it infects a computer, it can halt automatic updates and security scans, block access to security-related websites and even lock users out of their accounts.

Microsoft has experience with fighting large virus outbreaks like this. Back in 2004, they offered $250,000 for information about the Sasser worm. They later paid out the reward in 2005. They said that this time they are teaming up with security companies, and internet companies like AOL to stop the outbreak. Better late than never, I guess.

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Watch videos right in Gmail chat

2009-01-29T16:49:00.001-08:00

Posted by Jessan Hutchison-Quillian, Software Engineer

My friends always hate it when I multi-task in other tabs while chatting with them (they can tell because of my obviously delayed reactions...). But sometimes it's not my fault: if they send me a link to a YouTube video, I have to open another tab in order to watch it. To help with this, we've just added a new feature to Gmail chat: YouTube and Google Video previews. If you receive (or send) a link to a video in a chat message, you'll see a preview of the video right in your chat window.

Click the preview, and the video will play right there. Just remember to say something every once in a while or your friends will probably catch on that you're enjoying the dramatic chipmunk more than their conversation...

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3D formula racing game free racing mobile game download

2009-01-25T16:27:00.001-08:00

3D Formula Racing is one of the best 3D race game of Formula 1 races. The game presents a big number of actually existing racing circuits from all over the world.

Choose from three different racecars with different characteristics and controls! Try to win a championship or take part in a single race! Realistic graphics of the game resemble most closely reality. There are several vision modes in the game, such as view from the cockpit or view from behind of the car. Racing cars reach the speed of more than 300 km/h, the car control is as close to reality as possible.In case of crash with another car or dash out off the track your car will be

correspondingly damaged. In the championship mode you will have several rivals at the same time.

Features:

- Incredible graphics

- Full 3D space

- Damage system to racing cars

- Actually existing racing circuits

- Variable camera views

- Accompanying sound

Do you like this 3D F1 racing game? If you like it, dont forget to leave your mobile games reviews, and we will try our best to get you more and more free mobile games!

Please choose the right downloadable file to fit your mobile phone and download to your PC, then transmit the jar file to your cell phone via USB Cable or Bluetooth.

Download 3D Formula racing Here

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Major Pain - Free Shooting RPG Mobile Game Download free for all mobiles

2009-01-25T16:26:00.001-08:00

At 2030 IST a meteorite rich in a unique radioactive isotope has fallen in an isolated island controlled by a militant group known by the name of “The Paradigm”. This group is known for its fanaticism and will do anything to get their hands on the isotope. Scientists believe that with the help of this meteorite, they would be able to attain Nuclear Fusion at room temperature. Such power in wrong hands would be catastrophic. You, Major Pain, are therefore deputed on this stealth mission to retrieve the isotope from the militants. Since the island is heavily protected by S.A.M.s, your insertion will be conducted by an AH 64D Apache helicopter. These machines cannot carry a large team, so you’re going to be all alone out there. Make your way through the forest, secure the isotope and turn off all the enemy Radars. You’re the best we’ve got, make us proud. Good Hunting Soldier!!!

Do you like this shooting rpg mobile game? Please write some mobile phone games reviews in the bottom commentform and we will try to get more and more free mobile games for you!

Please choose the right downloadable file to fit your mobile phone and download to your PC, then transmit the jar file to your cell phone via USB Cable or Bluetooth.

Download For All Handsets

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[24.1.2009] ~ Awesome Theme ^_^! ~ Levi's by DzungKTS (240x320) & (320x240)

2009-01-24T10:32:00.001-08:00

Theme ~ Full SVG Theme + Icon Levi's Button slyte + 3rd Icons, High quality Background Image (480 x 640 pixel) ... Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD

Code:

http://www.mediafire.com/?1jlzzmtaiq4 http://rapidshare.com/files/188718001/Levi_s_by_DzungKTS.rar

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Flock, MySpace, Vidoop Debut OpenID for Flock

2009-01-17T18:03:00.001-08:00

Ever since Flock was founded, we have envisioned the role of the browser to be much greater than an application that simply lets you view your favorite websites. Throughout the many versions of Flock released to the public to date, we have focused on key innovations that help you stay connected with your favorite sites, people, media and content so that you can be a happier, more informed and plugged-in person.

OpenID is an open standard for shared authentication across many sites. Simply, it’s your free, single digital identity that you can use to sign up for and log into many sites without dealing with all the paperwork. This idea has been around for a while, but only until recently has there been a broad enough adoption of both OpenID providers as well as sites supporting OpenID.

Although there has been quiet momentum and support building across the web for OpenID for some time, it was the folks at Vidoop that identified the need for the browser to play a critical role as the common denominator to best serve as the broker between a user’s OpenIDs and the increasing number of sites that support this standard for authentication. Vidoop also founded the Identity In Browser open source project (IDIB) and championed the vision for a browser that could help users discover and manage OpenID’s easily from the comfort of their own browser view.

Flock was introduced to Vidoop by the good folks at MySpace, and without a moments delay a meeting between the three parties was put together at our offices in Victoria, B.C. Our engineers all agreed on the critical role that Flock could play in aiding the adoption and management of OpenID and the result of the brainstorm was an extension we’re calling “OpenID for Flock”. This extension is a reference design for better Discovery, and Management of Identity in the browser and is Flock’s flagship contribution to the IDIB project.

The OpenID for Flock extension is available on our own extension site, as well as on the IDIB group page. We encourage everyone to watch the video above, download Flock 2.0, and install the extension to experience how gratifying it is to traverse the web and log-in to sites seamlessly with the assistance of the OpenID standard.

We’ve enjoyed our collaboration with the MySpace and Vidoop team on this project, and look forward to hearing about your thoughts and interest in getting involved with this project.

Once you’ve had a chance to experience OpenID in Flock, we’d appreciate it if you would help spread the word about Flock and OpenID. The more sites that support the OpenID standard, the better the web becomes for all of us.

-Cheers

Dan Burkhart

VP of Marketing at Flock

Get Flock and Meet Your New Favorite Browser

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Tags: openid, flock, browser, myspace, vidoop, identity in browser, idib, open source, extension

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New in Labs: Turn an email into a Google doc

2009-01-16T09:09:00.001-08:00

Posted by Jeremie Lenfant-Engelmann, Software Engineer

More than once, I've had a conversation over email and later realized that the information contained in the messages would make a great starting point for a document. So I built an experimental feature for Gmail Labs that does just that: with one simple click, "Create a document" converts an email into a Google Docs document.

No more copying and pasting the text from your email -- just open the message you wish to convert, click the "Create a document" link on the right side of the page, and voila, you have a brand new document which you can then modify and share!

Even if you're not interested in converting any of your current messages into documents, you can easily open up a blank doc by hitting g and then w (just make sure you have keyboard shortcuts on).

To turn on this feature, go to the Gmail Labs tab under Settings, select "Enable" next to "Create a document" and hit "Save Changes" at the bottom. Though we're temporarily missing the "Send feedback" link for this feature on the Labs page (oops!), we're still anxious to hear what you think.

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Say hello to Gmail voice and video chat

2008-11-16T04:12:00.001-08:00

Posted by Justin Uberti, Software Engineer

I'm a big user of Gmail chat. Being able to switch from email to chat as needed, all within the same app, is really great for productivity. But people can only type so fast, and even with our new emoticons, there are still some things that just can't be expressed in a chat message.

That's why today we're launching voice and video chat -- right inside Gmail. We've tried to make this an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and video -- all for free. All you have to do is download and install the voice and video plugin and we take care of the rest. And in the spirit of open communications, we designed this feature using Internet standards such as XMPP, RTP, and H.264, which means that third-party applications and networks can choose to interoperate with Gmail voice and video chat.

Once you install the plugin, to start a video chat, just click on the "Video & more" menu at the bottom of your Gmail chat window, and choose "Start video chat." You'll have a few seconds to make sure you look presentable while it's ringing, and then you'll see and hear your friend live, right from within Gmail. You can click the "pop-out" iconto make the video larger, or click the fullscreen iconin the upper left-hand corner for a fully immersive experience. See this all in action in the video below:

Our team is spread between Google offices in the US and Sweden, and video has really changed the way we work. Collaborating across continents and timezones is a fact of life for us, and it sure is easier (and greener) to click "Start video chat" than to get on a plane! And when I do have to visit another Google office, I can use Gmail voice and video chat to check in with my family.

We've just started to roll out Gmail voice and video chat for both PCs and Macs, so if you don't see it right away, don't worry -- it could take a day or so for this feature to be available in all Gmail and Google Apps accounts. If you want to download the plugin right away, visit http://gmail.com/videochat. And if you need a webcam, there are a few models with special discounts through November 30th (I use the QuickCam Pro 9000 myself).

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Update On Google iPhone Voice Recognition App: Look For It On Monday

2008-11-16T04:10:00.001-08:00

Google’s voice recognition search application for the iPhone, originally set for launch on Friday, will likely go live sometime Monday, we’ve heard from a source with knowledge of the situation.

Google was under the impression that the application would be live on the App Store on Friday (obviously, since they pushed all significant press attention to it). Sometime Friday they found out Apple wouldn’t be pushing it, despite the fact that Google submitted it for review earlier in the week and got a thumbs up for Friday. One source says they’ve had little direct contact with Apple during the review, instead getting their updates via the standard iPhone developer tool, which has said “in review” for the last few days.

Who knows why Apple delayed the application, or why they tend to treat every application developer equally poorly.

But in this case Apple really screwed up in our opinion.

If the application is half as good as the demo video shows, Google has done something pretty amazing with voice recognition and mobile platforms. This application will, quite simply, sell iPhones. Lots of them.

Google faced a decision on which mobile platform to first launch the application - the iPhone or their own Android. The fact that they decided to launch first on the iPhone shows a willingness to embrace what’s right for the user, and it’s something that few other companies would have done. Google could have launched for the Android first and pushed sales of phones on their platform. They didn’t, and Apple should have embraced them for that.

Next time I expect Google won’t be so trusting. And I don’t blame them.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Seaside

2008-11-02T16:29:00.001-08:00

3rd Edition FP1 Theme in 240x320px with changed Icons

Seaside_yI.zip = 3rd Edition (240x320px) changed Icons

cliff_lighthouse_animation.zip = Screensaver

Downloadversion with default Icons:

http://www.imserba.com/forum/showpost.php?p=894771&postcount=885

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Disney's Wizards

2008-11-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

A turn-based strategy. The player plays for a team of magic beginners- Mickey Mouse, Donald and Goofy which must win different battles against other magic teams. The game follows the plot of the first series of comic book Wizards of Mickey. The team must win the Great tournament to reform an ancient Great crown and also find a way to free Mickey’s master Nereus who has been captured by evil Black Phantom who wants to reform the Great crown himself to rule the world.

Game Features: Sound, Help, Save Option, Suspend/Resume, Bus/Tube Friendly,

Mirrors

176x220

http://www.ziddu.com/download/255858...6x208.zip.html

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download...s60176x208.zip

240x320

http://www.ziddu.com/download/255850...0x320.zip.html

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download...S60240x320.zip

320x240

http://www.ziddu.com/download/255850...0x240.zip.html

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download...S60320x240.zip

352x416

http://www.ziddu.com/download/255850...2x416.zip.html

http://www.uploadjockey.com/download...S60352x416.zip

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Introducing the Flocktography Photo Challenge!

2008-11-02T16:26:00.001-08:00

Flock isn't about technology. Flock is about a feeling.

While the technology powers Flock, the reason you and I love this browser is because it makes the web fun and easy again. Using Flock gets me excited about going online, keeps me in better contact with my friends, and makes my day easier.

With the new look of Flock's homepage and tour, we're fully embracing this feeling. We scoured Flickr for days finding the perfect images that represented the fun, freedom, and ease of Flock. We've been all smiles viewing these pages day after day as we prepped them for launch.

Of course, nothing is permanent on the web and we're going to want to keep our homepage fresh with some new images in a few months. Which brings us to...

The Flocktography Photo Challenge!

We want to take this fun, relaxed feeling even farther and put YOUR photos on the homepage! Nobody knows the joy that is Flock better than you, and we're sure that you've got tons of photos of you and your friends that will shine on our homepage.

All you have to do is submit your photos. We'll choose the finalists, and your fellow Flockstars will vote on who will be the winners!

The winner of the Flocktography Photo Challenge will have their photo featured on our homepage, and will also receive a collection of awesome Flock swag!

Entering the Challenge

Each Flockstar can submit up to 3 photos to our Flocktography group on Flickr.

Photos must be at least 917px wide by 385px tall.

Any person prominently featured in these photos should have given verbal or signed approval to be featured on flock.com...which means you shouldn't include a celebrity or musician photo unless you can get their approval.

Winning the Challenge

A group of qualified folks at Flock will choose the finalists for the Flocktography photo challenge. Finalists will be called out in a discussion thread on the Flocktography Flickr Group. At that point we'll let you know how YOU can vote for the winners.

Obviously the rules are a little loose for this first contest as we feel it out, but we fully hope to do this again...hopefully with more organization, more submissions, and bigger prizes!

Please spread the word about this contest to all your awesome photographer friends (who, of course, you've already turned into Flockstars) so we can have a really awesome set of submissions.

We can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Flock'n'roll,

Evan Hamilton

Community Ambassador

evan at flock dot com

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Tags: flock, browser, photography, contest, challenge, homepage, flocktography, flickr

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DirectTV May Enter Online TV War With “Web On Demand” Service

2008-11-02T16:25:00.001-08:00

We’ve received a couple of anonymous tips that DirectTV, a $24 billion satellite TV provider, may be entering the online TV wars with a new site called DirectTV Web On Demand. The site would compete with startups like Hulu, Joost, Fancast, Sling.com, etc.

We don’t know much about the service, or even if it’s real. One of the tipsters says they’ve worked on the project and supplied us with the mockup screen shot above, which could quite possibly be real. On the other hand, we’ve spoken with industry insiders and they say they’ve heard nothing about the project.

The screen shot shows Heroes, which is an NBC show. The only way for Fox and NBC shows to be syndicated on the web is via a deal with Hulu. For CBS shows, they have to go through the CBS Audience Network.

That means it’s either very, very early in the development process or it doesn’t exist at all. We have an email in to DirectTV for comment.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Google Launches Its Own Memetracker

2008-10-01T18:37:00.003-07:00

Google has just launched a new homepage for its blog search that bears a strong resemblance to Techmeme, Memeorandum and their “memetracker” counterparts. The site displays a listing of the top stories from across a variety of topics including business, politics, technology, and entertainment.

Memetrackers identify emerging trends on the web, especially across blogs. They are often the best way to learn about breaking news stories, as they can automatically monitor hundreds (or more) news sources at once. Major news outlets and user-submitted content sites like Digg often trail memetrackers by days.

Google may well be able to leverage some of the technology it has developed for Google News, which identifies emerging news stories across thousands of sites run by newspapers, television stations, and other media sites. But at this point it’s too early to tell if Google Blogsearch will be more useful than any of the other memetrackers (or if its even in the same league). Much of its utility will lie in how often the listings are updated, how many sources it pays attention to, and how it assesses a blog’s credibility - a memetracker is only as good as the stories it presents.

Google may be able to create a useful tool, but that may not be enough to overcome the established leaders in this space. In 2007 the New York Times launched its own TechMeme killer, which has largely been ignored. There’s something about TechMeme which keeps bringing people back to it.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

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Apple responds to toxic Mac Pro claims

2008-10-01T18:37:00.001-07:00

Apple just responded to the report claiming Mac Pros produced before 2008 can give off leukemia-causing benzene by stating through a spokesman spin-doctor to Macworld the following:

We have not found anything that supports this claim, but continue to investigate it for the customer.

While we would love to give Apple the green light on this, what company would openly admit that they products could literally kill you? Independent reports will no doubt populate quickly as the Mac Pros in question more than likely power the labs that test for these types of toxins anyway. How hard would it be for a lab rat to point his atmosphere sniffing thingie at the computer he works on all day. Don’t expect this story to go away any time soon.

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Samsung i900 Omnia debuts In India

2008-09-30T21:16:00.001-07:00

Samsung is launching its much awaited Samsung i900 Omnia today in India. It brings together high performance business content, top of the range style and a fun, dynamic multi-media experience, to ensure consumers are always connected both at home and at work.

OMNIA word means ‘everything’ in Latin and ‘wish’ in Arabic.

The Samsung OMNIA is an great example of Samsung’s leadership in design. With maxi-phone capabilities, it boasts a slender, chic form, so users can step out in style. It features an ultra-slim 12.5-mm profile and a platinum-look. check details here

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Mobile Theme : Tanjung Rhu

2008-09-30T21:15:00.001-07:00

3rd Edition Theme in 240x320px with changed Icons

Downloadversion with default Icons:

http://www.imserba.com/forum/showpost.php?p=873991&postcount=831

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Tip: Set Gmail as your default email client in Firefox 3

2008-08-19T05:31:00.001-07:00

Posted by Robby Stein, Associate Product Marketing Manager

For those of you using newly released Firefox 3, or willing to give it a try, you can take advantage of a new feature that lets you set Gmail as the default for all email links -- those that contain "mailto:" in them. If you're like me and don't have a default email client set up, then clicking these links typically launches an installation wizard for a destkop mail client, or opens some email software that you don't actually use.

Now you can configure Firefox to launch Gmail when you click on email address links and avoid the hassle. The folks over at Lifehacker published these tips on how to set it up:

1) Go to Gmail and sign in.

2) While in Gmail, copy and paste the following into your browser's address bar and hit enter.

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler("mailto","https://
mail.google.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s","Gmail")

Google Apps users can use this code (but be sure to replace yourdomain.com with your Google Apps domain name):

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler("mailto","https://
mail.google.com/a/yourdomain.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s","Gmail")

3) Click "Add Application" when you are prompted¹. Congrats, you just added Gmail to your browser's list of mail clients.

4) To set Gmail as your default, click on this link and you will be prompted with a dialog box listing available email applications. By selecting Gmail and checking "Remember my choice for mailto links" you won't have to tell your browser again. (You don't actually need to send an email after you click that link.)

You can always change this setting by going into "Tools" > "Options" (or "Firefox" > "Preferences," for Mac users) selecting "Applications" and going to the "mailto" option. There's a drop down next to the option that lets you change your default. Clicking "Application details" will take you to a settings page where you can completely remove Gmail or other mail apps.

¹If nothing happens when you type in the code, double check that you copied the entire snippet correctly, and if nothing happens, you probably changed an advanced setting (maybe without even knowing) and need to set it back to default. To do it, type about:config into your browser and make sure that network.protocol-handler.external.mailto is on the default setting: true.

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Chat with your Gmail contacts on the iPhone

2008-08-19T05:28:00.001-07:00

Posted by Marc Wilson, Software Engineer, Google mobile team

Last week, we launched a new version of Google Talk designed specifically for the iPhone. It works right in your Safari browser, so there's no need to download or install anything -- just go to talk.google.com and sign in.*

Because this version of Talk is designed to run in your browser, you'll be automatically signed out of Talk when you navigate to a different browser window or iPhone app. So while it's not a traditional "always-on" instant message client, it's useful for changing your status message on the go or checking in to see if someone's online and sending them a quick chat. It's equally nice for killing time at the airport.

*Google Apps users: visit http://talkgadget.google.com/a/your-domain.com/talkgadget/m from your iPhone's browser, but be sure to replace 'your-domain.com' with your actual domain name.

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Convert DVD to iPhone

2008-08-18T16:10:00.001-07:00

iSkysoft DVD to iPhone Converter is a professional Windows DVD to iPhone conversion program. Converting your DVDs to iPhone with this easy used software is just a few simple steps:

Step 1: Add DVD Movie

Click the Load DVD button, browse your computer, find the DVD folder of the movie you want to add from your hard disc or DVD-ROM, open your DVD folder, select the VIDEO_TS folder and click OK.

Or, click the Load IFO button, browse your computer, find the DVD folder of the movie you want to add from your hard disc or DVD-ROM, open your DVD folder, open the VIDEO_TS folder, select all the IFO files and click OK.

After you add your movie, you can choose any titles or chapters that you want to convert by ticking the check boxes before them.

Step 2: Output Settings

At the bottom of the main window, you can name the output file for the current title/chapter, and select a subtitle to put on your movie, select an audio track. Then finish all the settings including selecting an output format, clicking the Settings button to set the video and audio encoding settings, choose if to merge the selected titles or chapters into one file, and set an output directory to save the output files.

Step 3: Start Conversion

After setting the output settings, you can just click the Convert button to start converting your Movie. You can choose to shut down your computer or open the output folder after conversion so you don’t have to sit before your computer waiting for the conversion to finish.

Advanced Options

If you want to edit your movie before converting it, iSkysoft DVD to MP4 Converter for Mac provides your with various powerful functions including:

1. Trim DVD Title or Chapter

If you want to capture a clip from the current title/chapter, you can click the Trim button to open the Trim window and trim the current title or chapter by dragging the Start Time slider to set the start time, and dragging the End Time slider to set the finish time.

2. Crop DVD Video

If you want to remove the black edges or just convert an area from your movie video, you can click the Crop button to crop the video of the current title or chapter. You can specify an area

either by dragging the frame around the video or setting the crop values: Top, Button, Left and Right.

3. Video Effect

If you want to adjust the video effect of your movie, you can click the Effect button and drag each effect adjustment slider to set the video brightness, contrast, saturation and video volume. You can also choose a special effect from the Effect drop-down list to apply to your movie.

DVD to iPhone

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Great Review Site For iPhone Apps

2008-08-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

I came across AppVee this evening, a new site that is creating written and video reviews of iPhone apps. We continue to write about iPhone applications that we find interesting and include them in Crunchbase, but we aren’t doing the kind of in-depth, categorized reviews that AppVee is taking the time to create.

AppVee rates each application based on a variety of factors depending on the type of app. For entertainment applications, for example, apps are rated on ease of use, features, frequency of use, interface and usefulness. User ratings are also collected and placed alongside the official AppVee review.

The most useful part of the site are the overview videos, which allow you to get an idea of what the app is before you download it. If you’re an iPhone fanatic, bookmark the site, you’ll use it.

See AppStoreApps as well.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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Flock and the New Facebook

2008-08-16T06:59:00.001-07:00

Hi Folks,

As many of you Facebook users may know, Facebook is in the process of rolling out some pretty dramatic changes to their website. They have been kind enough to make most of their changes available prior to

release for testing, but of course some things change along the way. Fortunately, to make your experience with transitioning to the new pages as seamless as possible, we've been able to make several updates to Flock before the new design is even generally available.

Nevertheless, we know of two issues with the new Facebook that we're still actively working to address. The first is that you can't update your Facebook status through Flock's people sidebar when using the new Facebook. Secondly, we're in the process of tweaking how Flock's drag-n-drop works with Facebook's overhaul of their Wall feature.

We hope to have fixes rolled out in the next week or so. Thanks in advance for your patience and keep on Flocking!

Mike

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Flock 2 with Firefox 3 inside = WOW!

2008-06-22T07:15:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

With all of the attention around the imminent release of Mozilla’s Firefox 3 technology, we’ve been beaming with enthusiasm about what’s in store for Flock fans. Last night, we pushed our public beta (one) of Flock 2 live. Flock 2 incorporates all of the latest features found in Flock’s recent public release, but it runs on the latest and greatest Firefox 3 technology from Mozilla. So now you don’t have to abandon your love affair with your new favorite browser to check out the latest performance, security and feature enhancements from Mozilla. We’ve got them all right here for you!

Flock 2 is FAST. Manages memory better, and is more secure, thanks to Mozilla’s Firefox 3 technology.

As with all beta software, you might experience some imperfections. We’ve all been running the Flock 2 beta internally for several months, gathering our notes and fixing these imperfections as they arise, but now we could really use your assistance to make Flock 2 the only choice for those that refuse to stand still, and refuse to accept a world in which their browser just browses for them.

The Flock 2 beta marks a very important watershed moment for us. And we have some amazing things planned for the remainder of the year, so please help us refine this product by running Flock 2 beta (one), and logging imperfections by using the ‘bug icon’ in the upper right of your browser.

We will make the full migration to an official release of Flock 2 as soon as possible, pending your feedback.

We’ve got fuel in our tanks, and we’re here to show the world how much they’ve been missing by using plain browsers. Get on board, and help us out by sending your comments, love, enthusiasm, and of course…by telling your friends about Flock!

Our mission is all about you!

-Dan Burkhart

VP of Marketing

dan at flock dot com

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Tags: flock2, flock, browser, firefox3, firefox 3, mozilla, beta

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EURO 2008 theme

2008-06-22T06:58:00.001-07:00

Found under: euro, 2008, football

Submitted: 2008-06-13

Summary: EURO 2008 inspired theme for your Symbian s60 device

Download EURO 2008 theme

Mobile friendly download

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Super Bluetooth Hack 1.08 - New Working version

2008-06-22T06:49:00.001-07:00

What`s new features on Super Bluetooth Hack v1.8: with Language Patch

1.Connect via BT/Irda

2.Changing time/alarms

Once connected to a another phone via bluetooth,

Other features include:

- read his messages

- read his contacts

- change profile

- play his ringtone even if phone is on silent

- play his songs(in his phone)

- restart the phone

- switch off the phone

- restore factory settings

- change ringing volume

- And here comes the best,you can make call from his phone

Minimal requirements :

MIDP 2.0

CLDC 1.0

JSR-82 Bluetooth

For full funcionality :

JSR-75 FileConnection

Port - IR0

Languages in 1.08(Supplier)

Slovenčina

Čeština - R@PTOR

English

German - MR.5UP3R801L3R

Russian - Zhurik

Greek - Darky

MOST OF THE FEATURES ARE WORKING

hxxp://rapidshare.com/files/113390171/Super_Bluetooth_Hack_v1.08.rar

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Leaning Into the Blogging Dip

2008-06-08T05:36:00.001-07:00

Do you sometimes feel like you couldn’t possibly write another blog post, even if it was a case of life or death? Does the constant grind of writing to a schedule feel like it’s wearing you down? Take heart: it’s perfectly normal! It’s called a Dip.

Many bloggers go through Dips and in this post Mark Dykeman from Broadcasting Brain shares what we need to do to take advantage of this opportunity.

By “Dip”, I’m referring to the term used by Seth Godin in the book The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick).

The Dip, to paraphrase Godin, represents all of the challenges involved from going from apprentice to master: going from OK to good to great to the best in your field. The Dip represents the time, the effort, the obstacles, and the hard parts of becoming a master.

People like Seth Godin and Darren Rowse honed their skills and mastered their fields by:

trial and error

making smart decisions based on their results and feedback

some luck

putting an enormous amount of effort into being the best that they could be.

Blogging can be very hard work and working through a Dip can seem like climbing a mountain. However, by being smarter and mentally tougher than a lot of people, people like Seth and Darren and many others climbed up their Dips and achieved great things. The same is true for athletes, business leaders, scientists, lawyers, public speakers: you name it.

Godin says that the fastest way to get through a Dip is to push straight through it or “lean into it”. In his view, there is no such thing as a short cut through the work because it either:

a) Doesn’t get you to the right destination

b) Takes more time and effort to get to the right destination rather than “leaning into the Dip”

c) Gets you to the destination without being ready to fully exploit it. We all need time and experience to be ready for the next challenge when we get through a Dip. (Oh yes, there can be more than one)

MY DIP

It’s very likely that I’ll be working through a Dip when you are reading this article. My Dip is the effort involved in growing my blog to be the best it can be and to reach as many people as possible. Perhaps it feels the same to you?

I know the basics of writing good blog posts and the basics of writing in general. I’ve written some good posts and gotten some positive feedback.

However, it’s not enough.

Why?

It sounds cheesy, but it’s true: practice makes perfect. There’s a practical experience factor to mastering a craft that can’t be bought with money or with short cuts. My research and my experience to date both tell me that I still have plenty of growing to do as a writer:

Darren Rowse has said that making a good and successful blog takes years, maybe even five years. I doubt that it take less time for me and it will likely take longer.

I’ve been blogging since July 2007. I’ve only started to really get an idea of how to write better and more consistently since January 2008.

I’m learning a lot and (hopefully) getting better with each post.

But there’s a long road ahead. It’s well worn from the footsteps of the people who have come before and it’s packed with people today, although the numbers seem to thin out as we continue onward, much like a marathon.

HOW DO I (AND YOU) GET THROUGH THE DIP?

I need to be consistent. I need to continually learn, improve, and innovate. I need to network more with other bloggers. I need to further develop my own distinctive voice.

Most of all, I need to write. I need to write a lot. That’s the way that I’m going to push through the Dip.

I need to write when I don’t think I’ve got anything new to say.

I’ve got to write when I’ve got too much to say.

I’ve got to write when I learn something new so I can share it with my readers.

I’ve got to write when I find something “old” that’s valuable and convince my readers that it’s worth examining.

I’ve got to write when I feel confident and relaxed.

I’ve got to write when every word that comes out seems like crap.

And I’ve got to write during all of the times in between.

To be a successful blogger (and writer), I need to keep pushing forward. That doesn’t mean I can’t occasionally rest and regain some energy. Sometimes that’s crucial to staying healthy. I just need to get back up afterward and get writing again because the Dip will still be there.

The thing that keeps me going, and might keep you going, is the belief that I can do this; I can communicate successfully to a growing audience of friends and strangers. I can cover new ground and old ground and do both well because I can present my thoughts in a way that no one else can. I think I have enough talent and smarts to make it work.

As for motivation and determination, I’m on a journey of self-actualization. I’m trying to improve myself and see what more I can do in this life. I’d love to make a living by writing, but if I can reach another person and make a positive difference in their life, even if it’s fleeting, then it’s important to me to do so.

Oh, and one other thing: blogging is fun, even during the darkest times!

PUT YOUR SHOULDER INTO IT AND LEAN!

The central idea in this post isn’t new. It’s been restated over and over again in many ways. However, if you can take this image of “the Dip” that Seth Godin created for us and realize that it’s a perfectly natural process, you’ll be better prepared for the long journey ahead that lies between you and achieving a goal.

If you really, really want to achieve that goal, like being the best blogger that you can possibly be, then blog. And keep blogging.

Read other blogs and learn from their strengths and weaknesses. Examine what you are doing and learn from your experiences. Keep going.

Lean into the Dip. As Seth Godin tells us, it’s the shortest path to success. And it feels pretty darned good to get to the top of a mountain. It makes you want to tackle the next one. And the next one. And so on.

Mark Dykeman broadcasts from his brain about communications and social media several times per week at Broadcasting Brain. He enjoys participating in several social media sites, including Twitter and StumbleUpon.

Google News now available on your iPhone and iPod Touch

2008-06-06T21:20:00.001-07:00

Posted by Håvard Kvålen, Robert Leland and Amund Tveit, Software Engineers

As we sat in our offices in Trondheim staring off at the fjord -- we're Norwegians, that's what we do -- a thought occurred to us: wouldn't it be nice to make Google News accessible to readers on their iPod Touch or iPhone? The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, we're happy to announce that Google News is now available to iPhone and iPod Touch users in over 30 countries. This means that you'll see a full-fledged version of Google News on these devices, improved Google News results and, where available, relevant YouTube videos embedded with news stories.

There are a few ways to get to Google News using your iPhone or iPod Touch:

Go to www.google.com, click on the "more" tab and follow the link to Google News
Go to www.google.com and do a search, then click on the News link at the top of the screen
Go directly to Google News at http://news.google.com in your browser

We hope you enjoy this new feature. We haven't been able to take our eyes off it yet, not even to look at the fjord!

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Exclusive: Leaked pics of the iPhone 2! Thinner design? Check! Different colors? Check! Video chatting? Check and check!

2008-06-06T20:57:00.001-07:00

It wasn’t long ago that my inbox was full of screen caps from an image editing program of a new iPod, it was a fat yet small iPod that we now know as the 3rd gen Nano. We posted the photos and were later told by Apple’s legal team to take them down.

A similar tipster tonight has very generously given us these pics of the iPhone 2, or iPhone 3G as some are calling it. Like the Fat Nano from last summer, the images come from Apple or AT&T promotional material that shows not just the new iPhone, but also gives away a couple secrets.

It’s thinner than the current model, for sure, with a more MacBook Air-like bezeling. It’s got stereo speakers on the back and what appears to be the same screen as the current generation. But the real news here isn’t the Exchange support, but the front facing camera for iChat AV.

Oh yes, it’s there. Not only is the new iPhone smaller and more capable, but it also comes in red as part of the Product (Red) campaign, like many iPods do.

Buy a 3G, video-chatting iPhone and fight AIDS. We like it. Hit the jump for the rest of the pics.

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Three’s Company Or Three’s A Crowd? Google To Launch “Friend Connect” On Monday

2008-05-17T02:27:00.001-07:00

Don’t they say good things come in threes? Well, regardless, we’ve heard from multiple sources that Google will launch a new product on Monday called “Friend Connect,” which will be a set of APIs for Open Social participants to pull profile information from social networks into third party websites.

MySpace launched Data Availability on Thursday, a competing product. Yesterday, in a suspiciously timed pre-release announcement, we heard about Facebook Connect, another similar product (with a nearly identical name to Google’s Friend Connect).

Like Data Availability and Facebook Connect, Google’s Friend Connect will be a way to securely send personal profile data, including friend lists, presence/status information, etc., to third party applications, say our sources. The primary benefit of these services is to allow users to maintain a single friends list and to coordinate social activities across different sites that perform different services. See my post on the Centralized Me for more of my thoughts on this.

The reason these companies are are rushing to get products out the door is because whoever is a player in this space is likely to control user data over the long run. If users don’t have to put profile and friend information into multiple sites, they will gravitate towards one site that they identify with, and then allow other sites to access that data. The desire to own user identities over the long run is also causing the big Internet companies, in my opinion, to rush to become OpenID issuers (but not relying parties).

If what we hear is correct, Google’s offering may not be as attractive as MySpace’s and Facebook’s. Google may be keeping a tighter reign on data, requiring third parties to show it directly from Google’s servers in an iframe. By contract, MySpace and Facebook are sending data via an API and trusting third parties not to abuse it (with strict terms of service in case they violate that trust). That flexibility also allows those third parties to do more with the data, including combining it with their own data before displaying it.

We’ll have to wait until Monday for the exact details, though. But what’s clear is that Google wants to get in between social networks and the web sites that want to access their data. By controlling the flow through Open Social and the new Friend Connect product, they can effectively become a huge social network without actually having a, well, social network (unless you count Orkut).

Google’s been scrambling for partners to announce on Monday as well. So far our understanding is they have their own Orkut and Plaxo. Compare that to MySpace (Yahoo, eBay and Twitter, plus their own PhotoBucket) and Facebook, which announced Digg as an early partner.

Another limiting factor with Google’s product is that, unlike Facebook and MySpace, they do not already control user profiles for tens of millions of active users. That means they’ll quickly need to get big partners on board as well. Will MySpace help them? They may - MySpace is already part of Open Social and said on Thursday that they will adopt Open Social initiatives in this space once they are defined. We’ll see.

More details as they come in.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Flock Wins a Webby Award for Best in Social Networking

2008-05-08T21:23:00.001-07:00

Wow. We honestly didn't prepare a speech for this event...

A few weeks back, Flock was humbled to have been nominated amongst such esteemed heavyweights as Facebook, Bebo, Ning and ChangeEverything.ca for the annual Webby Awards in the Social Networking category. Late last night, we were alerted that Flock won the Webby Award for this incredibly competitive category. For a 40 person company, filled with passionate individuals who have been working late nights and straight through weekends, this is a very pleasant, unexpected, and flattering surprise!

This year marked the 12th annual Webby Awards ceremony. They received over 10,000 nominations from 60+ countries worldwide. The Webbys have long been recognized as a very special acknowledgement of the companies that are leading in key areas of excellence and innovation. Past Webby Award winners have included: Amazon.com, eBay, Yahoo!, iTunes, Google, NPR, Salon Magazine, Evite, Meetup, Wikipedia, Flickr, PBS, and The Onion.

We are delighted about receiving this prestigious award, and would also like to congratulate Facebook for winning the People's Voice award within the same category. We're very close with the good folks over at Facebook and always appreciate what good partners they have been to Flock.

As always, we continue to be grateful to the millions of users around the world who have downloaded Flock, and to those that continue to champion Flock as a fun, fresh and innovative alternative to conventional browsers.

Thanks to the Judges of the Webby Awards, as well as our own Community of Flockstars for making the first third of 2008 a wild success.

-Cheers!

Dan Burkhart

Vice President, Marketing

dan at flock dot com

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Tags: flock, webby, award, winner, browser, webbyawards, 2008, mozilla, "social networking"

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Free content from NBC on the iPhone

2008-05-08T21:18:00.001-07:00

NBC is giving away free episodes of hit shows on the iPhone (and Touch). All you have to do is go to NBC.com on an iPhone and you will get the invite to watch full episodes.

This doesn’t make sense to me. Yesterday, we find out that they will sell their shows on the Zune for the same price as Apple. Then, they turn around and give it away for free to iPhone users. If NBC was trying to stick it to Apple this seems counterproductive. But wait…there’s more.

People are saying that the quality of the video is almost unwatchable.

Apparently the iPhone froze twice while trying to watch one episode. Is NBC trying to use the Trojan horse method to slap Apple again? Sabotaging the platform would be a great way to do that.

People may think that it’s the iPhone’s fault for the poor quality, but it’s really that NBC used the crappy 3gp codec. Since this is an iPhone-only feature on their site; you would think they would use a native iPhone codec.

I guess we will have to wait and see what happens next. I wonder if this will make Steve rethink his decision to not embrace the Mobile Flash player.

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Exclusive: Destro from the new G.I. Joe film sucks

2008-05-08T21:17:00.001-07:00

You may recall a couple of weeks ago we posted leaked images of the cast of the forthcoming G.I. Joe film in their ridiculous costumes. Today, we have another. The same tipster who sent us the originals gave us this image of Destro.

I’m am so disappointed.

The only thing good about this movie is that it’s getting made, so that when it’s done they can hopefully do a reboot as they did for the Hulk franchise.

Hit the jump to see how the old man looks. Get a hanky.

Didn’t he have a metal mask on at all times? Yes, he did.

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Microsoft Tells Its Alternate Yahoo Board Members It Won’t Be Needing Them

2008-05-08T21:14:00.001-07:00

Microsoft is taking one of its options off the table in its on-again, off-again pursuit of Yahoo. It has told members of the alternate board of directors it had lined up for a possible hostile proxy battle over Yahoo that it won’t be needing their services. The news was delivered to each alternate in a short e-mail this morning from Microsoft’s law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell, according to the Wall Street Journal

Yahoo’s shares have been rising most of this week, after taking an initial hit on Monday. The relative strength in the shares have been partly fueled by hopes for renewed negotiations between Yahoo and Microsoft.

This action represents an important new data point in the battle of wills between the two companies. Is Microsoft really no longer interested in acquiring Yahoo, or is it just trying to signal that it has lost interest to drive down Yahoo’s shares and thus strengthen its negotiating position?

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Share Your Links With Mento; We’ve Got 500 Invites

2008-05-08T21:13:00.001-07:00

The tagging and link-sharing market has no shortage of competition, but that doesn’t seem to be deterring many developers. Mento, which has just launched in an invite-only beta, is the latest to arrive on the scene, sporting a very well designed site and a number of options that make sharing links a breeze.

Beyond the features typically found on tagging sites, Mento strives to simplify sharing links with friends by allowing users to import and interact with their Facebook contacts. The site also differentiates itself by keeping track of how many times a link you’ve shared has been clicked, and which members have clicked it.

Mento can be used either with bookmarklets in your browser’s toolbar or as an extension that appears as a button (available for both Firefox and IE). The extension isn’t intrusive, but it doesn’t seem to offer much extra functionality over the bookmarklet at this point (though this will likely change in the future).

Mento’s main goal is to provide a lightweight solution for easy sharing, bookmarking, and tagging. After clicking on the bookmarklet, a small browser window pops up, asking if you’d like to Send, Save, or comment on a page. The Send form features a handy autocomplete for your contacts, though you can manually enter email addresses. The Save form leaves a bookmark and description of the page on your Mento profile page for future reference.

Mento facilitates link sharing by allowing you to publish links to del.icio.us, FriendFeed, Magnolia, Tumblr, and Twitter. There’s also a Facebook app that allows friends to view and comment on links without having to install the application themselves (a rarity these days).

Mento’s CEO Gregor Hochmuth is quick to acknowledge the obvious comparison to del.icio.us, explaining that Mento takes the del.icio.us model and improves on it by including robust sharing support. In practice, the sharing functionality does work well, especially when you’ve imported your friends from Facebook. But a number of other sites, such as Zigtag and Yoono, have very similar offerings. Only time will tell if Mento will melt under the pressure, or if it’ll stay fresh, cool, and full of life.

You can get one of the 500 invites here.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Googolopoly

2008-04-15T20:23:00.001-07:00

Earlier today I wrote about my eagerness for Google GDrive, a cloud-based file management service that has been rumored for years now.

The idea that Google could swoop in and dominate the online storage market certainly doesn’t help the founders of several startups sleep better at night. But they aren’t without their arguments for why a Google solution would be bad for consumers.

Box.net has come up with the following clever response to the idea that Google should control all of our information, including our files (click for a bigger view).

As the company describes it:

The goal of the game is to use Google shares to buy as many properties as you can without landing in the deadpool and losing your stock. As with any great board game, there’s a very real metaphor to what’s going on…. What happens when the Google monster gobbles up all that is left in the web world, is present on your cell phone, desktop, and even controls your health information? For all their product excellence, the threat of amassing this much data is too serious to ignore.

So the real question is, does placing Box.net on the board (between none other than LinkedIn and Facebook) mean the company sees itself as Google acquisition bait? And how do fellow startups Loopt and Scribd feel about being placed on Mediterranean and Baltic?

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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New iPhones rumors a-swirlin: iPhone shuffle?

2008-04-15T20:22:00.001-07:00

What’s the most ridiculous thing you can imagine? An “iPhone Shuffle” with no video playback? Funny, that’s what I was thinking too! That is why this rumor is, at least partially, completely ridiculous. The thicker, 3G iPhone with a super-battery is much more likely, though it would be the first time Apple made their flagship product bigger.

But an iPhone Shuffle, half the thickness of a regular iPhone but with the same screen, with 4GB of memory and (it bears repeating)no video playback? Does it come with a manticore?

Hit the “more” for the full details from hot tipper Doug.

Just as the iPod lineup developed and branched out, so does Apple have plans for the iPhone lineup. Here’s some of what is being considered:

A “Pro” or “Max” model, that is noticeably thicker than current model (over 15mm, versus 11.6mm for existing iPhone), to incorporate a battery with almost triple the duration of the existing iPhone. This model is also the 3G model. It is targeted for power users and enterprise, meaning people who may use their phone 2-3 days in a row (on a business trip) without accessing a PC or having the time or opportunity to charge it.

Existing iPhone stays the same, along with no 3G, just Edge.

Also being considered, and with engineering and development basically done, is a new entry model, that is slimmer than the iPod Touch (an amazing 6.2mm versus iPod Touch’s already amazing 8mm), and slightly less wide (58.6mm versus 61.8mm for iPod Touch). Screen size is the same; this width reduction comes from the casing. It does not offer video playback and has only 4GB. Could be as low as $159. Name to be determined, internally referred to as iPhone Shuffle, definitely not the final name. Edge, of course.

-”Doug”

They say he’s “faithful,” but that’s a long way from being right.

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Making harmonious use of Webmaster Tools and Analytics

2008-04-15T09:52:00.001-07:00

Written by Reid Yokoyama, Search Quality Team

Occasionally in the discussion group, webmasters ask, "Should I be using Google Webmaster Tools or Google Analytics?" Our answer is: use both! Here are three scenarios that really highlight the power of both tools.

1. Make the most of your impressions
One of my favorite features of Webmaster Tools is that it will show you the Top 20 search queries your site appeared for along with the Top 20 clicked queries. The data from the Top Search Queries allows you to quickly pinpoint what searches your site appears for and which of those searches are resulting in clicks. Let's look at last week's data for www.google.com/webmasters as an example.

As you can see, Google Webmaster Central is receiving a great number of impressions for the query [gadgets] but may not be fully capitalizing on these impressions with user clicks. Click on [gadgets] to see how your site appears in our search results. Does your title and snippet look appealing to users? As my colleague Michael recently wrote, it might be time to do some "housekeeping" on your website -- it's a great, low-to-no-cost way to catch the attention of your users. For example, we could work to improve our snippet from:

To something more readable such as "Use gadgets to easily add cool, dynamic content to your site..." by adding a meta description to the URL.

And what are users doing when they visit your site? Are they browsing your content or bouncing off your site quickly? To find out, Google Analytics will calculate your site's "bounce rate," or the percentage of single-page visits (e.g. someone just visiting your homepage and then leaving). This can be a helpful measure of the quality of your site's landing page and the traffic your site receives. After all, once you've worked hard to get your users to visit your site, you want to keep them there! Check out the Analytics blog for further information about "bounce rate."

2. Perform smart geo-targeting
Let's imagine you have a .com that you want to target at a Japanese market. Webmaster Tools allows you to set a geographic target for your site, where you would probably pick Japan. But, doing so is not an immediate solution. You can confirm the location of your visitors using the map overlay of Analytics, right up to the city level. You can also discover what types of users are accessing your site - including their browser and connection speed. If users cannot access your website due to an incompatible browser or slower connection speeds, you may need to rethink your website's design. Doing so can go a long way toward achieving the level of relevant traffic you would like.

3. Control access to sensitive content
One day, you log into Analytics and look at your "Content by Title" data. You shockingly discover that users are visiting your /privatedata pages. Have no fear! Go into Webmaster Tools and use the URL removal tool to remove those pages from Google's search results. Modifying your robots.txt file will also block Googlebot from crawling that section of your site in the future.

For more tips and tricks on Analytics, check out the Analytics Help Center. If you have any more suggestions, feel free to comment below or in our Webmaster Help Group.

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Google’s Don’t Be Evil Not “Ordained Motto” Says Marissa Mayer

2008-04-15T09:30:00.001-07:00

Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” motto, first uttered by Googler Paul Buchheit (now founder of FriendFeed) in 2001, has long been the pillar of their self-imposed code of conduct. It was amended somewhat in 2006 when CEO Eric Schmidt, under fire for entering the Chinese market with censorship restrictions, said “We actually did an evil scale and decided not to serve at all was worse evil.” He turned it into a sort of evil minimization algorithm.

But the core motto is still displayed prominently on the Google Investor Relations site, and the company appears to be supporting it up 100%.

Not so, apparently. Last week, however, Google’s Marissa Mayer said “It really wasn’t like an elected, ordained motto” during an interview in Australia, adding “I think that ‘Don’t Be Evil’ is a very easy thing to point at when you see Google doing something that you personally don’t like; it’s a very easy thing to point out so it does get targeted a lot.”

There’s a certain disconnect between paragraph two above and what Marrissa says in paragraph 3.

This is most likely not a precursor to an official move away from the motto. I imagine it’s little more than a venting of a frustration that Google continues to be held to a promise made six years ago, when they were under significantly less scrutiny than they are today. Google can’t ditch the motto (the press would eat that up), and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to live up to it. What can they do? Not much. They made this bed. It’s too bad they couldn’t get Buchheit to take it with him when he left to found FriendFeed.

(Hat tip to reader Asher Moses for pointing this story out to us).

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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InstantAction and Cafe.com: Browser-Based Games Growing Up, Becoming More Social

2008-03-06T17:30:00.001-08:00

I’ve recently had the chance to preview two new websites that promise to significantly advance the quality of social gaming as delivered through the browser.

The first is a project led by GarageGames and backed by IAC called InstantAction that brings straight into the browser graphically complex games that appeal to competitive gamers.

The second is a site called Cafe.com by an international company called Boonty. It is intended more for casual gamers who want to use gaming more as a way to meet people and socialize online rather than compete.

InstantAction is going live today so anyone can go and check it out (they’ll have four games available to start and more coming soon). Cafe.com will remain in private beta for awhile longer, but the company has given us 10,000 invitations - just go here and enter “techcrunch” as your invitation code. You’ll also start off with 10,000 CafeCoins, the site’s virtual currency, which are worth about $10 and can be used to buy virtual goods.

InstantAction

With InstantAction, you can play games in-browser that look more like Xbox or PC games. To fully appreciate the quality improvements, you have to see them for yourself:

What’s especially impressive is that these games are not even based in Flash or Silverlight. Rather, they run on top of a cross-browser compatible, 150k custom plugin that only has to be downloaded once. The plugin, which has been developed for two and a half years, works with games that are programmed in pretty much any language (C++, Java, Python, etc.).

Right now the following four titles are available - Marble Blast, Screw Jumper, Think Tanks, and Cyclomite. The first two are actually popular Xbox games that have been ported over to InstantAction’s platform. While these games have single player versions, the focus is on competitive multiplayer games. And inviting your friends to the service is easy; you only have to give them a URL and they can join you quite quickly, even if your game has already begun.

The site does use a good deal of Flash and Ajax to manage game lobbies, friends lists, and chat. When playing games, you’ll always see a list of the people in your party and a chat room on the right-hand side of the screen. You can use this area to communicate with others and quickly switch over to new games while keeping the same group of people participating.

The games to be included on the site will come mostly from smaller game studios run by veterans of the bigger studios who have escaped their more corporate environments. These include Wideload Studios, run by the same guy who founded Bungee and came up with Halo.

Among the advantages of running games from the browser is the ability to make updates and fixes without imposing downloads on users. Producers can also make money from new revenue sources such as the sale of virtual goods, subscriptions, and tournament fees.

I suspect that over time we’ll see even more advanced games run through InstantAction; ones that appeal even more to hardcore gamers who just don’t have the time to buy, install, and learn new games anymore. The next game to be added - Fallen Empire: Legions - is particularly impressive and will certainly take the platform in that direction (see a sneak preview of the game here).

Cafe.com

Browser-based casual gaming is nothing new (see Kongregate, the gaming networks on Facebook, and the astronomical popularity of Scrabulous in particular). But Cafe.com is the most developed social networking-gaming hybrid that I’ve seen so far, both in terms of the integration of social features and the quality of gameplay.

In contrast to InstantAction, Cafe.com will appeal to a broader audience that includes housewives and females in general (who actually make up the primary audience for online casual games). CEO Roman Nouzareth says that the target demographic is Generation X, which consists of 25-40 year olds.

The design and functionality of the site reflects that it was designed for a less “gamer” audience in mind. The tone is lighthearted and only mildly competitive. Games include pictionary, chinese checkers, Sodoku, and billiards.

As with InstantAction, the focus is on multiplayer games that can be played instantly with friends (Cafe.com bases its games primarily in Flash and HTML). But Cafe.com has also been constructed with an emphasis on member reputations and personas. Users can build out profiles with highly customizable 3D avatars (called “MiniMes”) that will be loaded into games themselves to represent characters there. As with other social networks, you can make friends with other members and message them. Nouzareth says that he wants Cafe.com to be the place where people manage their online gaming personas, while they go elsewhere to manage their more generic personas.

Virtual currency and the purchase of so-called “boosts” are particularly central to Cafe.com’s ecosystem. Members can purchase CafeCoins using real money and then use them to buy three main types of goods: attacks, defenses, and social items like virtual flowers. Gaming-specific goods can be purchased outside of gameplay and added to one’s collection for use when the time comes during gameplay. CafeCoins can also be used to buy things like new clothes for your avatar.

Two APIs are being worked on for Cafe.com: one that allows for the integration of games into the site, and one that will allow for the exporting of data elsewhere. The former is already available and being used both by the company’s own developers and by the handful of outside developers that it has worked with so far. The idea with the latter API is that users eventually will be able to export their Cafe.com profile information elsewhere, for example, to display their gaming reputations other social networking profiles.

Nouzareth says in reference to Pogo.com, one of the biggest social gaming sites in the United States: if Pogo were to have a baby with Facebook, that baby would be named Cafe.com. Grab your invitation and CafeCoins (see above) to find out yourself how that comparison holds up. This will give you a taste:

CrunchBase Information

GarageGames

Cafe.com

InstantAction

Information provided by CrunchBase

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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Flock 1.1 Beta: Where are my feeds, favorites, etc? How do I get them back?

2008-03-06T17:12:00.001-08:00

The Flock 1.1d public beta (available at www.flock.com/beta/download) creates a unique profile folder, so as to protect your data from potential bugs in the beta.

This means that your favorites, feeds, passwords and more from 1.0.x will not appear in the 1.1d beta. This information is not deleted, it is simply not accessed. The 1.1 general release will return to using your 1.0.x profile folder.

If you would like to access your 1.0.x profile within the Flock 1.1d beta, follow these instructions.

On Windows Vista:

1. Shut down Flock

2. Go to C:\Users\[your login profile name]\AppData\Roaming\Flock

3. Make a copy of the “Browser” folder

4. Delete the “BrowserBeta” folder (this will delete any favorites, feeds, etc you’ve added in the 1.1 beta!)

5. Rename the copy of the “Browser” folder to be “BrowserBeta”

6. Open Flock

On Windows 2000 and XP:

1. Shut down Flock

2. Go to C:\Documents and Settings\[your login profile name]\Application Data\Flock

3. Make a copy of the “Browser” folder

4. Delete the “BrowserBeta” folder (this will delete any favorites, feeds, etc you’ve added in the 1.1 beta!)

5. Rename the copy of the “Browser” folder to be “BrowserBeta”

6. Open Flock

Mac OS X:

1. Shut down Flock

2. Go to (your home folder)>Library>Application Support

3. Make a copy of the "Flock" folder

4. Delete the "FlockBeta" folder (this will delete any favorites, feeds, etc you’ve added in the 1.1 beta!)

5. Rename the copy of the "Flock" folder to be “FlockBeta”

6. Open Flock

Linux:

1. Shut down Flock

2. Go to ~/.flock/

3. Make a copy of the “browser” folder

4. Delete the “browserbeta” folder (this will delete any favorites, feeds, etc you’ve added in the 1.1 beta!)

5. Rename the copy of the “browser” folder to be “browserbeta”

6. Open Flock

PLEASE NOTE: By doing this you are making a COPY of the profile that Flock 1.0.x uses. When the official release of Flock 1.1 is available, it will return to using the “Browser” folder. At this time, to retain information you’ve added while using the 1.1 public beta, you will have to rename the “BrowserBeta” folder to “Browser” once again.

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EU ponies up $22M for BitTorrent development, sees it as future of content distribution

2008-02-20T20:19:00.001-08:00

BitTorrent is getting more legitimate with each passing day. There’s word today that the European Union will put up $22 million, or €15 million, for the development of an open source BitTorrent client—P2P-Net—that supports live streaming. (Wow that sounds like a lot of money to spend for what amount to some kid’s summertime Google Code entry.) Of note is who’s partnering with the in-development service, namely the BBC, which will stream its TV shows using the application.

How long until CBS et al. embrace P2P technology, especially BitTorrent?

Ah, yes. Never.

EU Invests $22 Million in Next-Generation BitTorrent Client [TorrentFreak]

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(02/18)Budzik v1.0 - Wake up to music english version

2008-02-18T21:24:00.001-08:00

Budzik v1.0 - Wake up to music With this application, there are thousands of interesting use cases such as starting an application automatically at the morning

Budzik is a nifty little alarm-clock that can startup LCGJukebox or FIVNPlayer or VisualRadio at the set time so you could wakeup to your fav music/track in the morning.

Attached Files

Budzik v1.0.rar (28.6 KB)

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Sudoku Professional v1.00F[FULL] Retail SMPDA

2008-02-18T21:23:00.001-08:00

Sudoku Professional (Series 60)

by ZingMagic Limited

Sudoku is a simple yet highly addictive logic puzzle game. Simply complete the board ensuring that each row, each column and each sub-grid only contains one instance of each piece.

At the start of a game a number of pieces are placed on the board. These are known as ‘givens’. The remainder of the board contains blank squares for you to complete.

You will need to use all your powers of deductive reasoning to solve the unlimited supply of boards that Sudoku can generate. Sudoku supports the ability to mark each board square with possible moves to aid in the puzzle solving.

Sudoku includes a lightning fast puzzle solver able to solve any Sudoku puzzle. Simply enter any external Sudoku puzzle and request the solver to find a solution.

Sudoku includes a number of layouts and piece sets. Choose between the traditional number piece sets or for an alternative challenge why not try the letter or coloured gems piece set.

Features of the Series 60 version

* Supports all Series 60 devices

* Stunning graphics with choice of boards and piece sets.

* Choice of layouts including an analysis layout.

* Ability to mark squares with possible moves to aid in solving.

* Lightning fast solver able to solve any Sudoku puzzle.

* Check the validity of a board at any stage.

* Ability to generate an unlimited number of unique games.

* Complete flexibility in number of ‘given’s at a game start.

* Allows you to play an unlimited number of games simultaneously

* Enter any external puzzle and use the solver to generate a solution.

* Available in English.

* Sudoku is just one of our large collection of best of breed classic board, card and puzzle games available for a wide range of platforms.

Compatible Devices

Nokia 3230, Nokia 3600, Nokia 3620, Nokia 3620-AT&T, Nokia 3620-Cingular, Nokia 3620-TMobile, Nokia 3650, Nokia 3660, Nokia 3660-AT&T, Nokia 3660-Cingular, Nokia 3660-TMobile, Nokia 6260, Nokia 6600, Nokia 6620, Nokia 6630, Nokia 6670, Nokia 6680, Nokia 6681, Nokia 7610, Nokia 7650, Nokia N-Gage, Nokia N-Gage QD, Nokia N-Gage-AT&T, Nokia N-Gage-Cingular, Nokia N-Gage-TMobile, Nokia N70, Nokia N90, Nokia N91, Nokia Series 60, Panasonic X700, Panasonic X800, SendoX, Siemens SX1

Attached Files

Sudoku_Professional_v1.00F(001)_Retail_SMPDA.zip (92.7 KB)

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Ford Mustang [Shelby GT500 KR]

2008-02-18T21:21:00.001-08:00

3rd Edition theme in 240x320px with changed Icons

Downloadversion with default Icons:

http://www.imserba.com/forum/showpost.php?p=821155&postcount=666

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Make Your Own Comics With Comiqs

2008-02-18T21:12:00.001-08:00

Singapore based Comiqs gives users the ability to create their own comics with a rich web based editing suite.

Sites and services that provide comic generation aren’t new. Comic Life from Plasq (makers of Skitch) would be the best known in the field, and comes installed on new Macs. There’s also no shortage of “add speech bubble” style web editors available as well. Comiqs offers a similar feature set to Comic Life, but online and totally free.

Users can use Comiqs with photos uploaded from their computer or from a photo-sharing website like Flickr to create a comic. Tools include speech bubbles of different kinds and shapes, frames and fonts. The interface is drag and drop so the learning curve is next to zero. Comics can also be embedded on other sites in a custom viewer for multi-page productions.

Comiqs is currently securing investors to take the service to the next level, where they intend to “work closely with cartoon artists in a revenue sharing arrangement that open up new revenue streams for talented artists and position our site as a place to find talented cartoon artists.”

Comiqs completes with StripGenerator, PikiStrips and Toondoo.

The demo video below shows one frame editing, but it should be noted that the tool can be used for traditional style (frame by frame) comics. You can also play with the service directly without the need to set up an account.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Twitxr - Like Twitter, With Pictures. Yeah, It’s Photoblogging.

2008-02-18T21:10:00.001-08:00

FON (better known for building a WiFi community) launched Twitxr today through their FON Labs group. Basically, it’s Twitter but allows picture uploads when sending a message (which makes it particularly useful for camera phones). FON founder Martin Varsavsky announced the product on his blog.

So, yeah, basically it’s a photoblog. You can easily set it up to automatically send your messages to Twitter and Facebook too, though, which is useful. My Twitxr account is here. Here’s an example of a message that was copied over to Twitter. Another feature I like is the fact that you tell it where you are, so location information is included.

Varsavsky says it’s specially designed for the iPhone, and they’ve created software that makes uploading text and a photo from the iPhone very easy. As a third party application, though, it isn’t officially available for the iPhone. You have to “jailbreak” the phone before you can install their application. It looks like you can’t simply grab a photo that you’ve taken normally from the iPhone, either. You have to initiate the photo through the Twitxr application. The application automatically adds location information to your photos and updates.

Twitxr is the upteenth variation of Twitter to appear (see Jaiku (acquired by Google), Pownce, etc. One clone has even gone to the deadpool. This isn’t even the first Twitter-variation to include photos - see Zannel . This is something Dave Winer has been working on with his FlickrtoTwitter project as well - which sends links of your new Flickr photos to your Twitter account. And photoblogging is nothing new. So as pretty as Twitxr is, perhaps FON should stick to wifi.

Update: I’m actually going to re-jailbreak my iphone to test the software - the fact that uploading is so easy and it adds location information is worth noting. If it works really well, this could actually be a reason for me to stop posting directly to Twitter.

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Yahoo Can’t Find the Pirate Bay

2008-02-18T20:59:00.001-08:00

A search for “pirate bay” on Yahoo no longer turns up a link to the controversial BitTorrent search engine. It appears that Yahoo has decided to filter the site from its search results. Clear references to the site appear in Yahoo’s drop-down search assistant, but when you click on those, you still don’t get the right result. (Update: At least this is my experience searching from New York City. Some readers in different locations are reporting in comments that the site comes up for them in Yahoo searches. If Yahoo would like to clear this up, they’ve got my e-mail).

Is Yahoo complying with a legal request from the media companies trying to shut down the Pirate Bay, or is its search engine just getting worse?

Google, Ask, and Windows Live Search had no trouble finding the Pirate Bay as their first result for the same term. But maybe their lawyers are taking the day off.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

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NOD32 Antivirus Business Edition 3.0.566 ( Free Download )

2008-02-18T20:54:00.001-08:00

The Business Edition of ESET NOD32 Antivirus is an incredibly scalable solution, accommodating businesses with anywhere from five to hundreds of thousands of seats.ESET NOD32 Antivirus System - Integrated, Real-Time Protection against viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, phishing, and hackers. Best detection, fastest performance & smallest.
Download here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/78291524/NOD32.AV.Bus.Edi.3.0.566.rar

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Desktop Calendar Reminder 1.61 - 03/01/08

2008-02-18T20:53:00.001-08:00

A simple, compact and easy to use desktop calendar Desktop Calendar Reminder is simple, compact and easy to use desktop calendar. It has digital clock, calendar and note’s area for every day. There are options for changing calendar colors, fonts, style, and more.
Download
http://www.softaddress.com/DesktopCalendarReminderSetup.exe
Addon / Info

Info

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Freeware: Mp3 Editor for S60 3rd Edition Phones

2008-02-13T18:56:00.001-08:00

Well it is not a fully feathered sound editor but it still allows you to edit mp3 songs right on your phone. Actually Mp3 Editor for S60 devices provide the very basic functionality and only allows cutting and joining the mp3 tracks.

I am pretty sure that your phone is full of cool songs that you would like to use as the ring tones but you can't because of the boring and long intro or not the very attractive beginning. In a matter of fact in most situations you would like to use just a refrain but you are just too lazy do it on PC or you don't have necessary tools.

With Mp3 Editor you'll not need a PC at all, you can extract refrain from the track and create music ring to... ..

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Anarchy 2087 ENG J2ME S40v2/v3

2008-02-13T18:55:00.001-08:00

Anarchy 2087 by Handy Games

In the year 2087, the severe consequences of global warming have caught humanity. Large areas of Europe have been swallowed by the great flood. Great Britain, the Netherlands, and parts of Scandinavia, France and Northern Germany are gone! Resources are extremely scarce, former frontiers don’t matter anymore and anarchy and chaos prevail on the new islands and in the mountains.

The newly formed emergency government ECT, the European Crisis Team, isn’t up to the waves of refugees and the increasing riots anymore. New groups like the Free Survivors fight for survival and their independence. The world as we know it is going to change rapidly! Be part of it, it’s time for a new leader! Direct your troops in the fight for Europe’s future!

Features:

- Action-packed realtime-strategy conquers your mobile phone!

- Choose between one of two factions!

- Lead tactical battles with 14 different types of units!

- Research modern weapon-systems!

- Sophisticated techtree with 15 types of buildings

- 2 diversified campaigns and up to 10 missions

- Story-mode with four heroes that fight for domination in Europe!

- Minimap for quick navigation

- Hotkeys for saving groups of units or buildings

- Formation-order for grouping troops

- Fog Of War

- Statistics at the end of missions

- Savegame

Code:

http://rapidshare.com/files/91629218/Anarchy_2087.rar

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Very Nice Anime Girls for Series 60 3rd Edition Theme

2008-02-13T18:52:00.001-08:00

Very Nice Anime Girls Themes

Please go to this thread

http://www.imserba.com/forum/showthread.php?t=107990

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Death Note, Volume One

2008-02-13T18:50:00.001-08:00

I’m not a vengeful person. I don’t ever feel the need to smite my enemies. I’m of the opinion that the noxious individuals in my life will figuratively hang themselves given enough rope, and they have. I have a very hands off approach to people I dislike who aren’t actively doing me harm.

But what about the violent people who also actively do me no harm? What about the criminals who shoot an innocent for their wallet and leave them to die? What about the child abusers and the mass murderers, some of which are still walking the streets and living their lives? If given the opportunity to cleanse the world of such distasteful people, would I be willing to kill them? What if I didn’t need to get my hands dirty to rid the planet of them, but only had to put pen to paper, could I do so then? What would the cost to me be? Would I be able to stop my hand there, or would I start knocking off the “little” people, like the guy at the gym who never wipes down the equipment?

Thankfully, I don’t need to answer these questions, but Light, the anti-hero of Death Note does, and he has answers in spades:

plot summary

Boredom can be deadly, at least that’s how it turns out when a shinigami decides he needs a little excitement in his life. The shinigami in question, Ryuk, casually drops his death note into the human world, with instructions on its use scrawled in English on the inside cover:

The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.

After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The human who picks up Ryuk’s death note, Light, also happens to be bored. Light, a gifted student, is bored with the way the world is and bored with the never changing rottenness he’s surrounded by. He sees the death note as his opportunity to change the world and make it a better place- and to rule it.

Light first puts the death note to the test, and then begins to cut down the world’s most violent criminals. These mass executions don’t go unnoticed and are making the police concerned. Who’s killing so many criminals and how?

The police call on “L“, a mysterious detective who always solves his case, to catch the mass murderer responsible for the recent deaths. L and Light face off in a battle of wits and both vow to find and dispose of the other if it’s the last thing they do!

review

Story

The story for Death Note progressed pretty quickly in this first volume. From the time Ryuk “lost” his death note, to the time Light decides upon and implements his program of “cleansing”, was only about forty pages. Volume One plows ahead from there, relentlessly developing an ever more convoluted plot and introducing L to readers in short order.

The pace is fast, but not overly so. Development in Volume One is speedy, yet is not too much to soak in at once. There are thoughtful breaks in the action, which makes for good flow, and let’s the reader soak in info before ramping the story back up to high gear.

The overall feel of Death Note has a heavy touch of realism. As in the realistic way Light scoffs at the scribbled words on the Death Note and believes it’s a joke. Realistic in the way the Japanese police are suspicious of L and realistic in how Light interacts with Ryuk. Given Light’s personality thus far, all his reactions to situations feel real to the world of Death Note.

The concept for Death Note is heavy with themes of right and wrong, good and evil; bored death god gives his power to twisted mortal and watches as twisted mortal commits mass murder to make the world a happy place. But there isn’t a tone of preachiness thus far. The mangaka, Tsugumi Ohba, doesn’t even let on what he thinks of Light’s rampage, he just tells the story.

It’s actually pretty creepy to have this squeaky clean teenager commit remote mass murder with a righteous smile on his face. But who can really be that squeaky clean when all it takes for them to go on a killing spree is a notebook and a pen?

Character Development

An amazing amount of information is freely given in the volume, about Light’s motives, his connection with the police, and his twisted sense of righteousness. L is still a mystery, but there’s enough given to keep up his interest as a character. Light’s interactions with his family are a nice touch and add an even more sinister feel to his doings. It’s made clear Light will do whatever it takes to make the world a place he deems worthy, no matter the cost. So what does Light really want? A world free of crime and wrong doing or a world where he can rule supreme? Where are his priorities in regards to human interaction and how did this kid get this overblown god-complex?

Those questions aren’t addressed this volume, but the promise of more background and further insight into Light’s personality has been readily made in how much this manga has given so far. If every volume follows in Volume One’s path, I can only wonder what will be left to explore in the next eleven manga.

Character Design

Ryuk is a really interesting critter. He looks like a rock star/biker demon with a perpetual clown grin inked on his bug-eyed face. Light is scary in his own right. Anyone who can grin as he talks to a death god, casually comment on killing people he’s never met, but still look like the man you’d take home to momma, is downright terrifying. The contrast of his true personality with his appearance is stark. Light’s facial expressions as he devises ways to stump L and execute criminals is disturbing to say the least. He’s dead inside the part which makes him human, and it shows in his design.

Everything else in the world of Death Note is designed with an eye to realism. The setting is in Japan and reflects that culture well, down to the policemen in business suits and the Japanese high schoolers’ uniforms.

Art

The art, by Takeshi Obata, is superb and clean. It’s an absolute perfect match for the feel of the story, which is realistic with a touch of fantasy. There aren’t many heavy lines in the manga, and the shading was done with a light touch as well; except for Ryuk. That guy walks around like an incarnated black hole.

Aside from the shinigami, the manga is airy and clean, and easy to read. There are some highly detailed panels, and there are plenty of moderately detailed pages as well. The panel layout is fairly standard for manga, and not many pages are devoted to a single scene.

Production

I’m a fan of well designed manga covers (they are the first page you see of a manga after all) and Death Note has a well designed cover. It’s all about the contrast of matte and glossy, dark and light and good use of color. Death Note, Volume One has a great balance of all three.

I was immediately drawn into the world of Death Note. The story is compelling and the characters elicit strong reactions, both positive and negative. I’m able to connect with a few already, and although I don’t agree with Light, I’m eager to see how far this kid gets in remaking the world.

Rating

Death Note, Volume One gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

Publisher: Viz Media LLC

Release Date: October 10, 2005

Retail Price: $7.99

Paperback: 200 pages

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1421501686

ISBN-13: 978-1421501680

Copyright © 2008 TheAnimeBlog.com
This site is owned and operated by TheAnimeBlog.com. The content of this Web site is copyright TheAnimeBlog.com. All rights reserved. All artwork, logos, characters, stories, information, names, and other elements associated thereto are the sole and exclusive property of TheAnimeBlog.com unless otherwise noted. Any use of any of the materials on this site other than for private, non-commercial viewing purposes is strictly prohibited. (digitalfingerprint: e98a3edfcaa2ad5d21f22bb30539f3d61138)

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Add a Blogroll to Blogger

2008-02-13T18:48:00.001-08:00

Blogger in Draft (a pre-release version of Blogger) added an interesting widget that lets you display the latest posts from your favorite blogs. It's an enhanced blogroll that displays the recently updated blogs and snippets from the most recent posts.

You can manually add the blogs by entering their URLs or you can select from your Google Reader subscriptions. To add the widget to a Blogger blog, you need to go to Blogger in Draft, click on the Layout section corresponding to the blog and add the "Blog List" page element. You can't add the widget for blogs that still use the classic templates, like this blog.

Google Reader already lets you create a blogroll from any public tag, but Blogger's widget is more customizable.

In other Blogger-related news, the comment page make it more obvious that you can sign in using an OpenID and Blogger enabled pagination for posts with more than 200 comments.

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Firefox 3 Beta 3 Released - Try It If You Dare

2008-02-13T18:40:00.001-08:00

The current production release of Firefox is version 2, but developer releases of version 3 have been available since November 2007. Today Firefox released the beta 3 version of Firefox 3. You can download it here.

I love version 3 of Firefox since most of the memory leak issues on Macs seem to have been fixed (I added it to my list of top applications in December based on that). But a lot of key plugins don’t work yet on Firefox 3, and a lot of sites break when viewed through it as well. Because of that, I’ve switched back to version 2 for now. A list of known issues is here.

Firefox currently has around 17% market share among browsers, second only to Internet Explorer.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

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Google Officially Hijacks 404 Pages, What Do You Think?

2008-02-13T18:34:00.001-08:00

Following our story yesterday on reports that the new beta version of Google’s Toolbar hijacks 404 pages, Google’s Matt Cutts confirmed the story.

Unsurprisingly Cutts suggested that the hijacking was a helpful measure and that it only takes place where the 404 page is under 512 bytes. I have to admit that it does sound warm and fuzzy, Google being helpful and all, but still, when Verisign started hijacking similar non page results, there was a mighty uproar.

I get Google’s argument, and the vast majority of web pages will not be affected by this, but it seems to be the thin edge of the wedge to me. Google hijacking any pages, no matter what the argument, is not a positive step forward. What do you think?

Do you support Google's stance in hijacking pages?

(image credit: TechRepublic)

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

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Freeware: pyRybka - Virtual aquarium for your phone

2008-01-20T21:44:00.001-08:00

My friend Damian is extremely productive lately, lot of the very cool accelerometer based applications. Applications like pyMoneta, pyPiwo, pyPoziomica, and it is really hard to say which one I like the most.

Incredible level of activity and effectiveness, and if he continues with releasing one application per week he will need a new keyboard soon for sure.

Anyway, pyRybka (I just like these cool Polish names) is the latest one and for those that aren't familiar with Poland language maybe is better to call it pyAquarium or pyFish to be precise. Same as all of Damian's other applications, pyRybka is developed in Python and require's the latest version for it to funct... .. .

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McLaren Formula 1 [MP4-23]

2008-01-20T21:41:00.001-08:00

3rd Edition Theme in 240x320px with changed Icons

Downloadversions with default Icons:

http://www.imserba.com/forum/showpost.php?p=809029&postcount=627

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Almond, Honey & Rose Body Scrub

2008-01-20T21:39:00.001-08:00

Salt is an excellent body scrub; almonds and honey help to Moisturize while smoothing skin.

1⁄2 cup finely ground almonds
1⁄2 cup sea salt
2 tablespoons Almond oil
2 tablespoons liquid honey
5 drops Frankincense essential oil
5 drops rose essential oil

Mix all ingredients together in a small unbreakable container. Wet your body in a warm shower, and apply the scrub [...]

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