fm ipod transmitter

Picasa Web Albums Uploader 1.2 adds video

2008-10-13T12:55:00.003-07:00

Google has released a new version of its Picasa Web Albums Uploader for the Mac, which is now at version 1.2. The update allows for the sharing of both still images and video clips, from iPhoto '08 via the Picasa exporter, or else using the standalone direct uploader. Once submitted, content can be shared with family and friends via the web....

MacBreak 18: DVD Studio Pro

2008-10-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

MacBreak 18: DVD Studio Pro
Brent Bye from Boxwrench.net shows us the full power of Apple's DVD Studio Pro.

MDI's "AirCar" officially becomes the FlowAIR

2008-10-11T00:16:00.001-07:00

Filed under: Transportation

MDI's compressed air vehicle has been unofficially known as the AirCar for years now, but it looks like the company is now finally putting a stop to that, and officially bestowing the decidedly less catchy "FlowAIR" name on the car. What's more, it's also gotten official with no less than four different vehicles based on the technology, including the One FlowAIR open-top model, the Mini FlowAIR three-seater (pictured above), the City FlowAIR truck-type vehicle, and the Multi FlowAIR urban public transportation concept, all of which have been making the rounds under various guises for some time now. From the looks of it, the One FlowAIR will be the first out of the gate in 2009 (in France, at least), with the rest to follow over the next few years.

[Via AutoblogGreen]

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MacBreak 160: MacBreak: Foldit

2008-10-09T16:53:00.007-07:00

MacBreak 160: MacBreak: Foldit
iJustine and Dr. Kiki fold proteins and aim for the nobel prize with Foldit.

Sony adds video podcast support to PSP

2008-10-09T16:53:00.005-07:00

Sony adds video podcast support to PSP
The Sony PSP is definitely moving way beyond video games these days. Then again, I suppose there are number of people thinking that it had to happen thanks to the Apple iPod’s success. Video podcast support is coming to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) thanks to a firmware update Sony Computer Entertainment has published. The update takes [...]

The Sony PSP is definitely moving way beyond video games these days. Then again, I suppose there are number of people thinking that it had to happen thanks to the Apple iPod’s success.

Video podcast support is coming to the PlayStation Portable (PSP) thanks to a firmware update Sony Computer Entertainment has published.

The update takes the PSP firmware to version 2.8. It allows the PSP to receive video clips through RSS (really simple syndication) feeds from blogs and other websites. Sony first added RSS and podcast support in November 2005 and expanded it in April this year.

Additionally the firmware update adds compatibility for the “.3gp” audio format used by some mobile phones, and greater access to content stored on Memory Stick memory cards…. Source: MacWorld

Poll: Which RSS reader do you use?

2008-10-09T16:53:00.003-07:00

We'd like to hear which RSS readers you use to read RSS and Atom feeds. So we're running a poll that asks that very question. Please select all the readers that you use on a daily basis. If your reader isn't specifically in the list, feel free to tell us about it in the comments (along with an URL, if possible, so others can check it out).

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Which RSS reader do you use?
	Bloglines
	Newsgator
	FeedDemon
	NetNewsWire
	Yahoo
	Google
	Other software reader
	Other online reader
	I don't read RSS feeds.
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Ads in RSS: Obnoxious Works

2008-10-09T16:53:00.001-07:00

Don't get me wrong; I'm all for ads in RSS, and have said so for months. I have intuitively felt that inconspicuous ads would probably work best, if only because they would piss off readers less than big, loud ads. However, a study from Pheedo indicates the reverse is true, and it's two layers of bad news. First, ads run as separate RSS feed items are far more successful (generating about eight times the clickthroughs) as ads embedded in RSS items. Then, it turns out that blitzing the feed with ads in every other item is the most successful tactic of all. Of course, you might lose most of your readers, but the remaining ones will be clicking your ads.

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GBTV #380 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-10-09T16:52:00.011-07:00

GBTV #380 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
Based on what I've seen so far, Spy Pens haven't surpassed novelty quality. OhGizmo.com pointed us toward a new one called the DVR Pen Recorder that stores up 30 hours of audio and video, but only at a resolution of 352x288.

Sony's HDR-CX12 Memory Stick Handycam camcorder uses "smile shutter technology" to automatically take photos of people when they smile.

SpotCrime recently got TechCrunched. It's a google map mashup that gives you a graphical representation of crime activity in a particular area on the map.

Psystar is tempting fate again by selling an OSX rack server.

iRetroPhone is a rotary dial for iPhone.

PortableApps.com is a source for downloading small applications that run from a flash drive, including Firefox 3.

MacBreak 51 Macworld 2007: The Omni Group

2008-10-09T16:52:00.009-07:00

Merlin chats with Ken Case from the Omni Group about their products and the application development possibilities for the iPhone. Read more

Apple to bring iPhone Tech Talks on tour

2008-10-09T16:52:00.007-07:00

Apple has scheduled a worldwide series of Tech Talk events for the iPhone, according to an announcement. Called the iPhone Tech Talk World Tour, the aim is intended to improve iPhone application development through expert help in optimizing code and interface design. Events are set to begin October 22nd in San Francisco and Paris, but will spread to a number of other major cities, such as London...

China Blocks FeedBurner RSS Feeds

2008-10-09T16:52:00.005-07:00

China Blocks FeedBurner RSS Feeds
Wow, perhaps China is feeling a little paranoid here? I mean, what else would be the reason for blocking FeedBurner? FeedBurner, which powers hundreds of thousands of blog, podcast and mainstream news feeds (including this one), is apparently being blocked by Chinese authorities. Here is a Yoda-esque loose English language translation of William Long’s original post. [...]

Wow, perhaps China is feeling a little paranoid here? I mean, what else would be the reason for blocking FeedBurner?

FeedBurner, which powers hundreds of thousands of blog, podcast and mainstream news feeds (including this one), is apparently being blocked by Chinese authorities. Here is a Yoda-esque loose English language translation of William Long’s original post. William even used a proxy server to verify that the issue is with the Chinese, not FeedBurner. His subscriber count dropped from over a thousand readers to zero overnight.

I have nothing but respect for Dick Costolo and the FeedBurner crew. They have been extremely helpful in troubleshooting various issues on my blog and others. I am sure they are doing everything in their power to remedy as best they can. This issue goes way beyond FeedbBurner…. Source: Micro Persuasion

Turn Your IM Program Into A Productivity Tool Using Imified

2008-10-09T16:52:00.003-07:00

Turn Your IM Program Into A Productivity Tool Using Imified
Most people would associate an Instant Messaging (IM) program with chatting idly to friends all day long but in actual fact a lot of companies have been developing chat bots which enable you to use your IM program to make you more productive. The best one (in my opinion) is Imified. I use it on [...]

Most people would associate an Instant Messaging (IM) program with chatting idly to friends all day long but in actual fact a lot of companies have been developing chat bots which enable you to use your IM program to make you more productive. The best one (in my opinion) is Imified. I use it on a daily basis and I can’t say enough good things about it. I’d like to show you today some of the things it can do to help you.

Imified basically allows you to connect with online services using your chat program. Whether you are a user of Google Talk, AIM, Windows Live or Jabber, information from these online services is securely passed back and forth, allowing you to do everything from your desktop. This can be anything from updating your Twitter stream to checking an IP address. One thing is for certain. Imified is going to be the most valuable friend on your IM contact list.

So the first step to setting up Imified is to get the bot onto your contact list. This is extremely simple. All you have to do is pick your chat service, take the associated email address and add it to your contact list :

AIM: IMified

MSN (Windows Live Messenger) : imified@imified.com

Google Talk: imified@imified.com

Jabber: imified@imified.com

Once it is on your contact list, send the Imified bot a message to wake it up. It should then be approved and brought online either right away or after a short period.

The first thing you will get is an activation link to the Imified website and a very small menu, one of which will say “My Account”. Ignore that for the moment. First, click on the activation link as this will activate your account and get you into the Imified website.

Once you are in, you will see 3 pages of widgets which you can add to your IM client :

All you need to do is just go through the lists, choose the ones you want and add them to your IM client.

How do you add them? It’s very easy. See those green plus signs in the top left hand corner of each widget? Just click on the green plus sign for the widget you want to install. That opens it up. You’ll be asked to give it a preferred name and depending on the app, you may also be asked for a username and password. Then click “enter” and suddenly your IM program will update!

It’s a bit hard to explain here. It’s one of those things where it’s easier if you just do it.

OK now this is basically what my Imified menu looks like on Google Talk. I’m sure I’ll add more later but right now, I’ve confined myself to these five apps.

If at any time I want to access my Imified account, all I have to do is hit “6″ and Imified will create an unique URL for me to get into the website.

Let’s take a look at some of the things on my menu to demonstrate how useful Imified is :

NetLookup :

By using certain commands, you can find out all kinds of information about a domain.

ping ********.com - Pings the given hostname five times and outputs results.
traceroute ********.com - Outputs a traceroute (originating in Munich, Germany) to the given domain.
alexa *******.com - Prints Alexa Web Information about the given domain name.
whois ********.com - Looks up information about the domain name in the WHOIS database.
enum +1-604-958-1212 - Looks up ENUM entries for a phone number at multiple ENUM registries.

Post to Delicious

We all know about Delicious, the bookmarking site. Well, using Imified, you can send bookmarks straight to Delicious. You can even add descriptions and tags. There’s a slight delay before the bookmark gets added to your profile though so don’t expect an instantaneous addition. But it DOES work!

Post to Twitter / Jaiku

I’ll lump these two together since Twitter and Jaiku are essentially both microblogging services and do the same thing.

No delay with this one! My Twitter feed is updated instantly!

There are LOTS of widgets you can add to your Imified bot which can help you do things faster. Which ones do you like?

(By) Mark O'Neill is a blogger, professional freelance writer and the editor of Make Use Of. Check out his personal blog at BetterThanTherapy.net

New subscriber? Get your freebies at MakeUseOf Downloads. Enjoy!

Tags:bookmarks, bots, chat, chat bot, Cool Web Apps, IM, productivity, widgets

TUAW Review: WunderRadio

2008-10-09T16:52:00.001-07:00

TUAW Review: WunderRadio

Filed under: Audio, Software, iPhone, App Store

The geniuses at Weather Underground have done it again! Now they've capitalized on their insight into weather radio to bring the iPhone world WunderRadio. Available in the App Store (click opens iTunes) for US$5.99, WunderRadio provides NOAA Weather streams based on your current location.

But there's a lot more to WunderRadio than NOAA Weather. Weather Underground has joined with RadioTime.com to provide thousands of radio streams from around the world. Once again, based on your current location, WunderRadio provides a listing of nearby stations to provide you with local AM, FM, and Internet radio streams.

Enthusiasts of live police, fire, and EMS scanners get a bonus in the form of scanner feeds from ScanAmerica.us. With all of this content, who needs iTunes? Of course, the app has to do a good job of capturing the audio stream on the iPhone.

"The initial impetus behind this application was to provide iPhone users with instant access to local weather radio streams," said Alan Steremberg, President of Weather Underground. "During development, we decided to extend the scope of radio stations offered by working with RadioTime - the result is an easy to use portal to over 60,000 of the best talk, music and sports radio stations around the globe."

Read on for a quick review of WunderRadio.

Continue reading TUAW Review: WunderRadio

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MacBreak 138: NAB: Lite Panels

2008-10-07T11:05:00.007-07:00

Alex stops by the Lite Panel booth. Read more

MacBreak 17: Quicksilver Tips

2008-10-07T11:05:00.005-07:00

Merlin Mann's back sharing more productivity tips with Leo using Quicksilver. Read more

Sanyo's laser could bring 12x Blu-ray burners and 100GB discs

2008-10-07T11:05:00.003-07:00

Sanyo's laser could bring 12x Blu-ray burners and 100GB discs

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Storage

While Sony and others compete with Blu-ray burners of a paltry 8x, Sanyo's looking ahead with a new laser that could enable write speeds of up to 12x. More impressively, the 450 milliwatt diode (twice that of current burners) could read and write through four 25GB layers. If you're not so good at math (it's okay, we had to break out the calculator) that means discs of up to 100GB burned in 10 minutes or less! But don't go running down to your local Blu-ray emporium looking for double-digit speed drives just yet; new standards will be needed for discs that big and drives that fast, which could mean a year or two before production begins. If speculation of Blu-ray's impending demise is to be believed, that may be cutting things a bit close.

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MacBreak 38: Path Finder

2008-10-07T11:05:00.001-07:00

Merlin Mann is back to talk about Path Finder, a feature-rich alternative to OS X's Finder. Read more

MacBreak 63: TextExpander

2008-10-07T11:04:00.001-07:00

Leo and Merlin discuss TextExpander, which saves you keystrokes with customized abbreviations for frequently used text. Read more

MacBreak 51 Macworld 2007: The Omni Group

2008-10-06T10:01:00.001-07:00

MacBreak 51 Macworld 2007: The Omni Group
Merlin chats with Ken Case from the Omni Group about their products and the application development possibilities for the iPhone.

InfoCenter vs. iTunes: The Battle of the Podcatchers?

2008-10-06T10:00:00.015-07:00

The battle of or for the podcatchers? Based on what this piece below is saying, Microsoft is attempting to bring “order” to the world of podcasting. Would more people subscribe to RSS feeds and podcasts if they were easier to capture and manage? That’s the perception of Marc Mercuri, an architect evangelist on the Microsoft developer and [...]

The battle of or for the podcatchers? Based on what this piece below is saying, Microsoft is attempting to bring “order” to the world of podcasting.

Would more people subscribe to RSS feeds and podcasts if they were easier to capture and manage?

That’s the perception of Marc Mercuri, an architect evangelist on the Microsoft developer and platform evangelism team, who has developed in his free time an information-aggregator he has coined Information Center, or InfoCenter.

Carl Franklin, the CEO of Pwop Productions, who has had a chance to see the product, described InfoCenter as “an RSS aggregator/podcast-enclosure downloader on steroids.”

Mercuri showed off a prototype of InfoCenter to a handful of individuals at Microsoft’s TechEd conference in June. In July, he unveiled InfoCenter to a broader group, via the “.Net Rocks” radio show. Mercuri is expecting to release for download the latest InfoCenter bits, complete with a newly redesigned interface, around August 9.

When asked whether he had discussed with any division at Microsoft the possibility of InfoCenter becoming a Microsoft-branded ware, Mercuri said that “there have been absolutely no talks about this becoming a product…. Source: Microsoft Watch

Apple TV 2.2 fixes security, adds Genius support

2008-10-06T10:00:00.013-07:00

Apple TV 2.2 fixes security, adds Genius support
Apple has released an Apple TV 2.2 update to address security issues with the company's set-top box and media player as well as add a few new features to keep pace with iTunes 8, released last month. Specifically, the update fixes two separate issues where a maliciously crafted movie file could lead to either an unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution. According to Apple, th...

Wipeout HD: A speedy trippy experience

2008-10-06T10:00:00.011-07:00

Wipeout HD: A speedy trippy experience
Some games never die. Wipeout, an arcade racer and Sony hit since 1995 and the early days of the original PlayStation has just been reborn in striking 1080p HD visuals, 60 frames a second and in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound as...

Yahoo! Mail Beta Adds RSS

2008-10-06T10:00:00.009-07:00

Yahoo! again demonstrates its facility with RSS by adding feeds to the beta Mail which is still in restricted distribution. (Original review of it here.) Yahoo! Mail takes advantage of the Outlook-styled interface to create an intuitive RSS package. It's preloaded with selected feeds, and, remarkably, that selection appears personalized. I'm waiting for confimration of this, but it seems that the preset feeds are taken from profile information and personal-interest choices in Yahoo! 360. Naturally, that information wouldn't be available for every user in a wide rollout of the new Yahoo! Mail, but millions of people have Yahoo! IDs that contain a bit of profiling, so perhaps Yahoo! plans to mine every bit if personalizable information it can get. I'm all for it. This level of integration makes for a satisfying experience from the first click.

Of course, you can add feeds. Yahoo! provides a recommended list of about 25 feeds, asnd users can specify an RSS address. NOTE: Users should be able to paste in a Web-page address also, and the feed reader should have the smarts to find the feed; Yahoo! has started a tradition of RSS invisiblity in My Yahoo!, and it should be carried over into Mail.

Somewhat oddly, Yahoo! presents the feed in a three-pane view: feed list on the left, feed items in the middle ... and nothing in the right-hand vertical pane. I expected the source page for the feed item to appear in that pane, and was disappointed to see Yahoo! opening a new browser window to display that page. that system works best on some monitors and resolutions, granted. I'd like to have a view choice. Put the source page in the same window as the feed item, and you're really starting to emulate a desktop newsreader. Since Yahoo! mail (beta) emulates a desktop mail program, this would make sense.

Good start! Excellent start. Yahoo! is going to have one rowdy, boat-rocking launch when the new Mail emerges from beta.

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Special TUAW reader pricing for iPhoneLive Conference

2008-10-06T10:00:00.007-07:00

Special TUAW reader pricing for iPhoneLive Conference

Filed under: Software, Other Events, Developer, iPhone

We posted early last month about the O'Reilly iPhoneLive Conference, scheduled for November 18th in San Jose, CA. Now TUAW readers can get a 20% discount on the conference registration by using a special code -- ip08gd20 -- at checkout.

This is in addition to the $125 discount for signing up for the conference before October 14th, so be sure to get your registration in soon. Erica Sadun will be a presenter at iPhoneLive, and I'll be providing coverage of the event.

iPhoneLive is a one-day event highlighting iPhone development, the emerging iPhone market, and how businesses can capitalize on the success of the platform.

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MacBreak 118: Macworld 2008: BlueMic

2008-10-06T10:00:00.005-07:00

MacBreak 118: Macworld 2008: BlueMic
Cali Lewis investigates the Snowball by Bluemic.

World's largest computing grid lives to go live

2008-10-06T10:00:00.003-07:00

Filed under: Desktops, Misc. Gadgets

Contrary to popular belief, the world as we know it didn't implode after the Large Hadron Collider was flipped on. Sure -- someone, somewhere is growing a ninth arm and trying desperately to land a cameo on Fringe, but the planet at large is still humming along just fine. Now, the world's most ginormous computing grid (the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, or WLCG) has gone live, and the gurus behind it are celebrating the beginning of its momentous data challenge: to analyze and manage over 15 million gigabytes of data each year. The Grid combines the IT power of over 140 computer centers, 100,000 processors and the collaborative efforts of 33 countries. Unfortunately, there's no word on when the official WLCG-based Call of Duty 4 server will be green-lit for action, but we hear it's pretty high on the priorities list.

[Via China View]

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GBTV #426 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-10-06T10:00:00.001-07:00

GBTV #426 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
We saw the Microsoft ad for a laser free mouse last week. Now we have the details. Three mice have been introduced using BlueTrack. They're the Explorer, the Sidewinder and a mini Explorer.

Ion Audio releases a large range of analog to digital converters. If you're looking for a turntable for those old records, take a look at the Ion LP2 FLASH.

RIM and TiVo announced a partnership, allowing Blackberry users to program their TiVos remotely.

Advanced Windows users running the .NET framework might enjoy an alpha CircleDock, a tool for launching applications quickly.

Today I posted on BigTrip.TV about how we're rethinking the type of bus we might buy for the trip. Then we saw the Tabbert Paganini and fell in love.

MacBreak 76: Studio: Motion 3 Paint

2008-10-06T09:59:00.001-07:00

MacBreak 76: Studio: Motion 3 Paint
Mark Spencer returns to show us the new paint features in Motion 3.

GBTV #433 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-10-02T18:28:00.005-07:00

GBTV #433 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
Fitbit is a small device that monitors your fitness activity and your sleep at night, and automatically uploads information to the website for you to see how you're doing.

There have been several crowdsourcing ventures that haven't made it, but let's hope FairSoftware does. It was a TechCrunch50 finalist.

MagHound takes the idea of Netflix and applies it to magazines. Switch around the titles you receive each month, or keep receiving the same ones. Up to you.

CRAY intends to make supercomputers available to everyone, although I'm not sure they're there just yet at $25,000 a pop. The AOC V17 is a very inexpensive HD monitor. It's 17" and cost $200.

GBTV #360 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-10-02T18:28:00.003-07:00

GBTV #360 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
On Saturday, I hung out at the My Home 2.0 studio, a technology makeover show. I got to see some really cool D.I.Y. projects, but I'm not allowed to show you those just yet. On Brief #360, I talk to one of the three gurus, Alison Lewis about how her interest in integrating technology into fashion. She gets her fashion cred from Parsons, and her tech cred from creating and installing interactive exhibits in children's and science museums.

EMI case aganst MP3tunes owner dismissed

2008-10-02T18:28:00.001-07:00

MP3Tunes announced on Thursday that the Recording Industry Association of America�s copyright infringement lawsuit against its CEO, Michael Robertson, was dismissed by New York District Judge William H. Pauley III. The lawsuit against MP3Tunes will proceed as planned, however. The lawsuit, headed up by EMI Music and 14 other music RIAA-supporting labels alleges that MP3Tunes infringed on copyright...

AMD demos Mobility Radeon HD 4000 chip

2008-10-02T18:27:00.013-07:00

AMD is tipping its hand early at the CEATEC technology show by showing a pre-production version of a Mobility Radeon HD 4000 chipset. Although AMD has yet to publicly discuss the hardware, the company's booth at the Japanese expo contains a clearly identified test bed with the notebook-oriented chipset demonstrating its full hardware Blu-ray video decoding....

GBTV #0397 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-10-02T18:27:00.011-07:00

I'm continually impressed with research coming out of Georgia Tech. The latest accomplishment is a project by Dr. Maysam Ghovanloo and his students. It's called Tongue Drive System and it allows people who have been paralyzed to control their wheelchair or a computer by a magnet on their tongue.

Fmc%2Fvideos%2Fscripts%2FmplayerXML2.php%3Fguid=ff0c75c9716bfae7c9259167cb7627da" allowscriptaccess="always" quality="best" flashvars="playerMode=embedded" height="300" width="400" />

Google Maps released Walking Directions to get you from point A to point B on foot.

Lifehacker pointed me to a great work around for using Google to search all cities in Craigslist. When you're looking for an item, sometimes it just doesn't matter where you find it. Take a bus, for example.

Westfalia announced they'll be making a new VW bus-inspired camper called the Verdier Solar Power.

WordPress for iPhone was released today. It allows you to create, edit and post to a Wordpress blog from an iPhone or iPod Touch. Read more

MacBreak 39 Macworld 2007: Keynote Rundown

2008-10-02T18:27:00.009-07:00

MacBreak 39 Macworld 2007: Keynote Rundown
Leo, Alex and Merlin discuss the Macworld 2007 Keynote announcements.

Official iPhone app for Obama '08 now in App Store

2008-10-02T18:27:00.007-07:00

Filed under: iPhone, App Store

We're officially a nonpartisan bunch here at TUAW (actually, quite partisan, but only for the Mac) but the announcement of an official iPhone application from the Obama campaign is still worthy of mention. Several high-profile iPhone devs & designers were involved in the project, including formerly-of-Tapulous Mike Lee, Louie Mantia and Tristan O'Tierney. Raven Zachary led the team that included Jonathan Wight and more, all volunteering to rush the app to completion.

In addition to the obvious-but-cool features of the app (download news from the campaign, watch YouTube videos of speeches and endorsements), there is quite a bit of iPhone special sauce. Location awareness means you can see local events or find your nearest campaign office; a 'Call Friends' tool sorts your address book by priority, putting your contacts living in battleground states at the top of the list and letting you reach out to them with a single tap. Very sleek!

Even though there isn't an official McCain campaign application for the iPhone, the App Store has plenty of election-themed apps for voters of either the red or blue persuasion. However you plan to make your voice heard this year, let us give you a gentle reminder that if you're an American citizen over 18, you need to make certain that you're registered to vote.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

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WordPress 2

2008-10-02T18:27:00.005-07:00

After rumors met silence from the WordPress.org site, an official announcement has finally been posted: WordPress 2.0 has been released. I haven't yet tested it (though I trust WordPress, I wouldn't dare upgrade before backing up my databases and WP folders), but I haven't seen (substantial) reports of migration problems. WordPress 2 is named "Duke," and documented upgrades include a WYSIWYG entry-writing interface (it's about time!) and inline image uploading (it's asbout time!). There is also some kind of Ajaxy-sounding drag-and-drop of interface elements. WordPress has done amazingly well to date, thanks largely to its (relative) ease of installation and operationsl quickness--both selling points when compared to Movable Type, in particular. The program's geekiness, while appealing to many users, probably holds it back from more widespread use. The new WP2 features make it sound ready to rock in a bigger arena. Here is the announcement and download page.

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Start to publish RSS feeds smarter

2008-10-02T18:27:00.003-07:00

Start to publish RSS feeds smarter
Are we need of smarter RSS publishing? According to this, I might seem that it would be a good idea… Publishers of RSS feeds: please, please, please let me read your content. Stop creating hurdles for your readers. One of the biggest mistakes I’m seeing today is the amount of content provided (or the lack thereof) [...]

Are we need of smarter RSS publishing? According to this, I might seem that it would be a good idea…

Publishers of RSS feeds: please, please, please let me read your content. Stop creating hurdles for your readers. One of the biggest mistakes I’m seeing today is the amount of content provided (or the lack thereof) in RSS feeds. I understand the argument against putting full content into feeds. I understand publishers want to drive readers to their website as that’s where the money is made. But if a publisher is going to provide just the summary content, at least give me enough to know what the post is about. It’s incredibly annoying to have to click on every single feed item just to get an idea of what the post’s subject. One of the biggest benefits for a subscriber of RSS feeds is how much time they can save. Time savings with RSS is gained by allowing the subscriber to only read what they want when they want. If I have to to skim every single webpage this defeats this purpose of feeds. Titles almost never tell enough, so I need a summary. I’m sure I’m not alone in this complaint. If you only subscribe to a few feeds, this may not seem like an issue but when you have hundreds of feeds this becomes a big nuisance…. Source: tmarkiewicz.com

Sony intros new Reader with touch gestures

2008-10-02T18:27:00.001-07:00

Sony tonight fulfilled expectations with the launch of a new, high-end Reader. The PRS-700 is one of the first and few devices to mix the use of an e-ink display with a touchscreen interface and is said to make interacting with books more natural; users make swiping gestures with their fingers to turn pages and use a stylus to select text, run a search or make notes with an on-screen keyboard. S...

Audi A4 Driving Challenge 2.0 adds cars, graphics

2008-10-01T13:46:00.001-07:00

Audi A4 Driving Challenge 2.0 adds cars, graphics
Audi of America has announced the latest version of its iPhone game, Audi A4 Driving Challenge 2.0. The new release adds unlockable cars including the A4 3.2L V6 and R8 sports car. The app also features improved graphics and game play. Users control the vehicle steering with the iPhone accelerometer, tilting the screen to turn left or right. The brake and accelerator are represented with buttons o...

Boris FX to offer free plug-in updates for CS4

2008-10-01T13:45:00.011-07:00

With Adobe Creative Suite 4 launching next month, Boris FX says it will offer free updates to compatible plug-ins for Boris Continuum customers. The full list includes Boris Continuum Complete 5 AE, Final Effects Complete 5 AE, Boris RED 4.x, Boris FX 9.x, Boris Graffiti 5.x, Boris Blue 2.5, or any Boris Continuum Unit. The company specializes in 3D compositing and vector graphic products for broa...

WiMAX tested in Reno, doesn't work in cars

2008-10-01T13:45:00.009-07:00

WiMAX tested in Reno, doesn't work in cars

Filed under: Wireless

Sprint may have just launched the XOHM WiMAX network in Baltimore, but would-be merger partner Clearwire has been running its version of the mobile broadband service in Reno for a while, and InfoWorld went down to test it out and give us a taste of what to expect. Performance was good while not in motion, with downloads speeds around 1.5 to 2.0 Mbps and uploads hitting 275 to 325Kbps, but actually getting mobile broadband seems to be out of the question -- the system simply couldn't connect to a laptop moving in a car or on a train. That seems like a dealbreaker to us, but we'll give it a pass for now since it's so early in the game -- we'll see if Sprint can do better.

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MacBreak 113: Macworld 2008: Google iPhone Apps

2008-10-01T13:45:00.007-07:00

MacBreak 113: Macworld 2008: Google iPhone Apps
Kendra Arimoto discovers new and upgraded iPhone web applications from Google

MacBreak 68: NAB 2007: Adobe

2008-10-01T13:45:00.005-07:00

Alex and Craig discuss Adobe's new releases with Brian Maffitt from Total Training. Read more

Tech.Life.Blogged - Send me voice mail for free and how to get yours

2008-10-01T13:45:00.003-07:00

Tech.Life.Blogged - Send me voice mail for free and how to get yours
So since when did Odeo decide to branch out from the RSS syndication business and into the voicemail racket? It must of been pretty recently because this is the first that I have heard of it. I’ve added a new link to the template (upper right) that lets you send me a voice mail. All you [...]

So since when did Odeo decide to branch out from the RSS syndication business and into the voicemail racket? It must of been pretty recently because this is the first that I have heard of it.

I’ve added a new link to the template (upper right) that lets you send me a voice mail. All you need is a microphone on your pc and the standard flash plug-in for your browser.
The service is provided through Odeo.When you leave a message I’ll get an email that lets me know there is new audio in my Odeo account and I can go retrieve it. Or I can subscribe to my Odeo in-box via RSS and find it that way.
If you are interested in this for your blog/website go to: Get you own voice mail on Odeo and they will walk you through what you need to do. Source: Scott Kingery/Tech.Life.Blogged

Sony said to be hanging onto Cell processor for PlayStation 4

2008-10-01T13:45:00.001-07:00

Filed under: Gaming

As should be clear by now, any talk of a successor to a still relatively new game console should be taken with a hefty grain of salt but, if word from Japan's Impress is to be believed, it looks like we could possibly be getting a clearer indication of what might be under the PlayStation 4's non-existent hood. Apparently, unlike the massive shift from the PS2 to PS3, the eventually PS4 will be a decidedly smaller leap, with it relying on a slightly speedier (and, likely, 45nm) Cell processor but not a completely new architecture. That would let Sony keep the cost down considerably while also easing development for the console since, by then, developers should finally have a handle on the PS3's hardware. To further cut costs, Sony is also said to be considering a switch from the speedy Rambus XDR memory to more traditional DDR3 memory, which could apparently be tied directly to the processor to cut down on latency. Or the PS4 could be powered by a pink slime that feeds on negative energy, you never know.

[Via Electronista]

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MacBreak 86: Studio: 2D Tracking in Motion

2008-10-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

Mark Spencer shows us how to use the new tracking features in Motion 3. Read more

Apple moves to limit reviews, browsing at App Store

2008-09-29T20:29:00.015-07:00

Apple moves to limit reviews, browsing at App Store
Apple has made important changes to how iTunes users can use the App Store, investigation shows. Whereas visitors were previously able to browse in broad categories, covering free, iPhone- or iPod touch-only apps, users can now only filter by conventional criteria, such as genre. The change could significantly affect the App Store, as free software -- like Last.fm -- has proven to be extremely p...

Wal-Mart to shut down DRM servers Oct. 9

2008-09-29T20:29:00.013-07:00

Wal-Mart is following the actions of Microsoft, Yahoo and Virgin, shutting down its DRM (Digital Rights Management) servers on October 9. The move will render any Wal-Mart-purchased, copy protected WMA music files inert if not burned to CD prior to the server shutdown. Boing Boing is reporting that Wal-Mart has emailed customers warning them of the impending server shutdown and its effect on thei...

Internet scammers target Kiwibank

2008-09-29T20:29:00.011-07:00

Internet scammers target Kiwibank
Kiwibank customers have become the latest New Zealanders targeted by internet scammers trying to get their account information. A fake email has been sent out claiming $20,000 dollars has been deposited into a Kiwibank account. The...

Start to publish RSS feeds smarter

2008-09-29T20:29:00.009-07:00

Are we need of smarter RSS publishing? According to this, I might seem that it would be a good idea…

Publishers of RSS feeds: please, please, please let me read your content. Stop creating hurdles for your readers. One of the biggest mistakes I’m seeing today is the amount of content provided (or the lack thereof) in RSS feeds. I understand the argument against putting full content into feeds. I understand publishers want to drive readers to their website as that’s where the money is made. But if a publisher is going to provide just the summary content, at least give me enough to know what the post is about. It’s incredibly annoying to have to click on every single feed item just to get an idea of what the post’s subject. One of the biggest benefits for a subscriber of RSS feeds is how much time they can save. Time savings with RSS is gained by allowing the subscriber to only read what they want when they want. If I have to to skim every single webpage this defeats this purpose of feeds. Titles almost never tell enough, so I need a summary. I’m sure I’m not alone in this complaint. If you only subscribe to a few feeds, this may not seem like an issue but when you have hundreds of feeds this becomes a big nuisance…. Source: tmarkiewicz.com

China Blocks FeedBurner RSS Feeds

2008-09-29T20:29:00.007-07:00

Wow, perhaps China is feeling a little paranoid here? I mean, what else would be the reason for blocking FeedBurner?

FeedBurner, which powers hundreds of thousands of blog, podcast and mainstream news feeds (including this one), is apparently being blocked by Chinese authorities. Here is a Yoda-esque loose English language translation of William Long’s original post. William even used a proxy server to verify that the issue is with the Chinese, not FeedBurner. His subscriber count dropped from over a thousand readers to zero overnight.

I have nothing but respect for Dick Costolo and the FeedBurner crew. They have been extremely helpful in troubleshooting various issues on my blog and others. I am sure they are doing everything in their power to remedy as best they can. This issue goes way beyond FeedbBurner…. Source: Micro Persuasion

GBTV #0411 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-29T20:29:00.005-07:00

GBTV Innovation Week continues and Brief 411 is all about HID. Human Interface Design is all about improving how people interact with machines.

Mice and keyboards have been useful Human Interface Devices, but there seems to be a common longing for something more natural. When we saw Tom Cruise moving images around with gestures in the movie Minority Report, lots of us wanted to be able to do the same thing. At the TED conference in 2006, Jeff Han showed us we could. Multi-touch is now accessible in iPhones and kind of accessible, depending on where you live, in the Microsoft Surface.

We want electronic devices to understand speech. It's a massive challenge and researchers have moved us a long way, but not nearly close enough. Dealing with speech recognition engines via customer service 800 numbers works a lot of the time, but it's the frustrating times that stand out in my memory.

Air touch is my term for multi-touch-like navigation that uses cameras or sensors to monitor gestures rather than contact with a screen. HRP.com wowed us a while back with a Web site that uses a visitor's Web cam for navigation. It isn't perfect, but it's a start.

Cam Trax Technologies is writing software to take advantage of Web cams for navigation in games and other applications.

The ultimate goal in Human Interface Design has to be brain control. We want to be able to think something and watch it happen on the screen. The first company that will bring a mass-market way to do it is Emotiv. Their Emotiv EPOC headset reads brain waves and translates them into action on a computer. The headset will sell for under $300. Read more

US Cellular readying its own iPhone rival

2008-09-29T20:29:00.003-07:00

US Cellular readying its own iPhone rival
Relatively small national carrier US Cellular will have its own full touchscreen device by the end of the year, a leak stemming from BGR would suggest. The Samsung Delve would be cosmetically very similar to the Instinct at Sprint but would have physical call/answer buttons instead of touch-sensitive controls on the earlier phone; it would also carry Samsung's stock TouchWiz interface with widget...

Ink-free Dell portable printer spotted at FCC

2008-09-29T20:29:00.001-07:00

Ink-free Dell portable printer spotted at FCC
A recent FCC filing indicates Dell will soon launch a tiny portable printer that does not rely on ink to produce images, instead utilizing ZINK media. A USB port and PictBridge software support allows users to hook up digital cameras directly to the printer, while Bluetooth-enabled devices such as cellphones and computers can send photos to the printer, allowing for the quick creation of prints....

How To Set Up Your Own WampServer

2008-09-29T20:28:00.003-07:00

How To Set Up Your Own WampServer
There once was a great cat, named the WAMPUS cat. However, this article is not about that cat. This article is about a server. A great majority of websites are run by a trio of services - Apache, MySQL and PHP. Apache is the web server, which handles browser requests and sends the information across [...]

There once was a great cat, named the WAMPUS cat. However, this article is not about that cat. This article is about a server. A great majority of websites are run by a trio of services - Apache, MySQL and PHP. Apache is the web server, which handles browser requests and sends the information across the internet to your browser. PHP is the programming language that many sites are written in - this creates dynamic content which in turn is sent to Apache, which sends the data to your browser. And finally, MySQL is the database which stores the information for programs. PHP is used to access this database.

It is a tried and tested trio which works phenomenally well. Usually to gain access to this trifecta, you need to purchase hosting, and this hosting is usually run in a far away datacenter running on a Linux server. However, not many people know that it is available locally, and for Windows as well. You can use these services for running your own applications, and also for locally testing software you are writing, before uploading code to a production server.

WAMP stands for Windows Apache, MySQL and PHP. Compare this to LAMP, which is Apache, MySQL and PHP on Linux.

There are several ways to get these services running locally. Each service, by itself, has Windows installers. That being said - once the programs are installed, you need to know how to configure the services. That may not be simple unless you happen to be a system administrator.

We are going to focus on WampServer. In my experience, using WampServer is the fastest way to get up and running. Wikipedia has a nice list of all Wamp servers.

Step 1

Download the latest WampServer. As of the writing of this article, it includes Apache 2.2, PHP 5.2 and MySQL 5.0.

Step 2

Run the installer. It will warn you to uninstall WAMP5 1.x if you have installed that already. You can use the defaults and it should install without problem.

Step 3

Start the services. You will see a small icon in your taskbar. Left click on it (right clicking does not display the right menu) and select “go online”. The icon will then make a little animation, and your services will be online. You can view your homepage by going to http://localhost/.

Thats it! Wamp is now running. You are ready to install your application, or start learning some PHP! The public website directory is ‘c:\wamp\www\‘.

Any directory you create in this directory, shows up as a ‘project’ on the main index page.

Advanced Settings

PHP Customization

Depending on which type of program you want to install onto your server, you may require additional extensions that are not loaded by default. There are a whole variety of PHP extensions you can load that come built in, but disabled. Left-click on the Wamp menu, go to PHP->PHP Extensions and click off the extension you would like to reload.

You can also edit the configuration file, php.ini through the menu. Edit anything you need, and save this file. The most common edit is the memory_size, but there are many options you can tweak to your liking.

After making any changes to php, make sure you reload apache. I’ve learned the hard way that changes aren’t automatically pushed to the server, until it is reloaded.

Apache Customization

For you advanced tinkerers out there, you can tweak the apache configuration files to your heart’s content. Make sure after making any changes, to reload apache.

MySQL Customization

Depending on your project, you may need to create a database in MySQL. This can be done through phpMyAdmin, which is handily included within the WAMPServer install. By default they include no password on the root MySQL user, which is not the best thing for security reasons. I would recommend changing this password. phpMyAdmin can be reached via the Wamp Menu, or via the url http://localhost/phpmyadmin/

In Summary:

Don’t let the fun stop there. Install a blog and start experimenting with PHP and templates. Run your own Wiki. Run your own music server. The howtos on how to install some neat programs are coming in some future articles.

One of the greatest things about running a home apache server, is that you can use it in combination with a VPN (Hamachi) to access your server anywhere in the world, securely. You can even change your setup to host pages to the outside world, if you so desire.

There is no limit to what you can do! OK, maybe it won’t cook you breakfast in the morning - not yet anyway!

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or need help with the install!

Dave is an IT Manager by day and technology consultant by night. He is interested in all things internet, but especially interested in security, history, and networking. He lives near Philadelphia with his family. You can follow Dave on twitter.

New subscriber? Get your freebies at MakeUseOf Downloads. Enjoy!

Tags:apache, hamachi, How-To, lamp, mysql, php, server, VPN, wamp

MacBreak 142: NAB 2008: Tidbits Part 1

2008-09-29T20:28:00.001-07:00

MacBreak 142: NAB 2008: Tidbits Part 1
Alex checks out Koala Windsocks, Military Spec laptops, 18K lights, the RED Booth, Teleprompters, and Maxon.

MacBreak 106: Macworld 2008: John Lennon Bus Part 1

2008-09-25T17:42:00.013-07:00

Justine Ezarik explores the John Lennon Bus in the first part of a two-part series. Read more

Simon Hendery: Govt helps IT exporters to reach out

2008-09-25T17:42:00.011-07:00

Auckland's "digital sector" has been talking up its potential to become a more significant export earner, and now it has $2 million of Government money to - hopefully - prove the point. Economic Development Minister Pete Hodgson... Read more

Judge tosses out RIAA win in Thomas case

2008-09-25T17:42:00.009-07:00

Judge tosses out RIAA win in Thomas case
Minnesota US District Judge Michael Davis today dismissed a Recording Industry Association of America victory in its controversial anti-piracy case against Jammie Thomas, declaring a mistrial. The move at least temporarily eliminates the $220,000 fine demanded by the music label representatives for claims that she pirated 24 songs by making them available through the KaZaA file sharing service. ...

China Blocks FeedBurner RSS Feeds

2008-09-25T17:42:00.007-07:00

Wow, perhaps China is feeling a little paranoid here? I mean, what else would be the reason for blocking FeedBurner?

FeedBurner, which powers hundreds of thousands of blog, podcast and mainstream news feeds (including this one), is apparently being blocked by Chinese authorities. Here is a Yoda-esque loose English language translation of William Long’s original post. William even used a proxy server to verify that the issue is with the Chinese, not FeedBurner. His subscriber count dropped from over a thousand readers to zero overnight.

I have nothing but respect for Dick Costolo and the FeedBurner crew. They have been extremely helpful in troubleshooting various issues on my blog and others. I am sure they are doing everything in their power to remedy as best they can. This issue goes way beyond FeedbBurner…. Source: Micro Persuasion

Sony Ericsson trying to not destroy Earth with "GreenHeart" concept

2008-09-25T17:42:00.005-07:00

Sony Ericsson trying to not destroy Earth with "GreenHeart" concept

Filed under: Cellphones

Perhaps a nod to Samsung's corny candybars and Nokia's wild Earth-friendly hardware, Sony Ericsson has unveiled its GreenHeart concept, a never-destined-for-production handset that incorporates a bunch of green technologies that it'd like to bring to market over the coming years. Most of the GreenHeart's ideas are totally logical and could be executed today -- online user manuals, bioplastic and recycled plastic materials, and a charger that draws just 3.5mW in trickle mode, just to name a few -- but the company is shopping around the whole lot of it to customers and "selected partners" to determine which eco-concepts should be implemented for production and in what order. Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson isn't seeing fit to show any pictures of the GreenHeart right now, which we take to mean it looks like a tree.

[Via Unwired View]

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Judge declares mistrial in RIAA filesharing case, sets aside $222,000 verdict

2008-09-25T17:42:00.003-07:00

Judge declares mistrial in RIAA filesharing case, sets aside $222,000 verdict

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

We always thought that the RIAA's first-ever filesharing trial victory against Jammie Thomas was a little suspect since the labels weren't required to prove that Thomas even had Kazaa installed on her machine or was the person using the account in question, and it looks like the court agrees -- it's just declared a mistrial and set aside the $222,000 judgment on the grounds that simply making copyrighted works available for download does not constitute copyright infringement. That's a huge decision -- the "making available" theory is the basis for most of the RIAA's legal arguments -- and it means that the RIAA will now have to prove the unauthorized transfer of each song it wants to collect damages on at the new trial. We'll see what effect this has in the broader sense -- we've got a feeling we're in for a slew of appellate decisions on both sides of the "making available" debate -- but for now it looks like the good guys are finally starting to score some points.

[Via ZDNet, thanks JagsLive]

Read - Wired article
Read - Decision [PDF]

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GBTV #426 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-25T17:42:00.001-07:00

We saw the Microsoft ad for a laser free mouse last week. Now we have the details. Three mice have been introduced using BlueTrack. They're the Explorer, the Sidewinder and a mini Explorer.

Ion Audio releases a large range of analog to digital converters. If you're looking for a turntable for those old records, take a look at the Ion LP2 FLASH.

RIM and TiVo announced a partnership, allowing Blackberry users to program their TiVos remotely.

Advanced Windows users running the .NET framework might enjoy an alpha CircleDock, a tool for launching applications quickly.

Today I posted on BigTrip.TV about how we're rethinking the type of bus we might buy for the trip. Then we saw the Tabbert Paganini and fell in love. Read more

Eye-Fi adds MobileMe support

2008-09-25T17:41:00.003-07:00

Eye-Fi adds MobileMe support

Filed under: Accessories, Peripherals, Internet Tools, MobileMe

Eye-Fi has announced that their eponymous SD memory card with built-in WiFi is getting faster and adding MobileMe support. The Eye-Fi allows you to automatically upload photos from your SD card compatible camera to your Mac or a variety of online services like Flickr, SmugMug, and now MobileMe. The update will be available on October 5 and is also backwards compatible to existing Eye-Fi cards with upgrade fees. Other additions include Eye-Fi's own web gallery, geotagging support (via a similar mechanism to the original iPhone), and Wayport / open hotspot support, each for additional annual fees.

The Eye-Fi cards come in three flavors: Home, Share, and Explore. Home ($79.99) is limited to uploads on your home WiFi network to your home computer; Share ($99.99) allows broader WiFi access and uploading to web galleries; Explore ($129.99) also adds geotagging.

[via Engadget]

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Big Bang on the backburner as LHC repairs drag

2008-09-25T17:41:00.001-07:00

Big Bang on the backburner as LHC repairs drag
GENEVA - Scientists will have to wait until next year to use the world's largest particle collider for groundbreaking research because previously announced repairs will run into the normal winter shutdown, the operators said. Experts...

RSS mashup: Amazon, eBay, Yahoo! product results

2008-09-23T19:41:00.017-07:00

A new RSS mashup site acts as a meta search engine reaching into Amazon, Google, eBay, Yahoo!, Flickr, YouTube, and Technorati. You cannot mash all the search results into one feed, but you can merge Amazon, eBay, and Yahoo! Shopping into a single product feed, which is damn convenient. The site is weak on design, but it works. Used to be called Longtail, but (according to a posted explanation) that term has been trademarked by its popularizer, Chris Anderson. The mashup site is now called BaeBo, and is operated by Fancis Shanahan. (BaeBo is the language spoken in the Solomon islands ... perhaps it has other meanings, too.)

Permalink�|�Email this�|�Linking�Blogs�|�Comments

Engadget HD reviews ZeeVee's ZvBox

2008-09-23T19:41:00.015-07:00

Engadget HD reviews ZeeVee's ZvBox

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Peripherals

If you've been looking for a way to stream any HD web content -- we do mean any: Hulu, mkv, Amazon -- to any HDTV in the house, without running any new wires, dealing with the woes of WiFi, or even needing yet another box hanging off your shiny new HDTV; you should head on over to Engadget HD and read all about ZeeVee's ZvBox. We take the $500 box and put it through the paces to see if broadcasting your own QAM HD channel is worth the price.

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GBTV #0372 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-23T19:41:00.013-07:00

GBTV #0372 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
It's not usually my nature to be snarky about a person, but on Brief 372, I make an exception.

Yesterday, Peter Ha from CruchGear posted a video from TheStreet.com, and I had to bring it to your attention. In the video, Gary Krakow, apparently an old-school tech journalist, is asked what Steve Jobs needs to do to get the iPhone competitive in a corporate environment. His answer is crazier than anything my favorite Mr. Cranky Pants, John C. Dvorak has ever said about Apple.

Windows 7 to drop e-mail, media editing apps

2008-09-23T19:41:00.011-07:00

Windows 7 to drop e-mail, media editing apps
Microsoft will make many of its previously standard bundled apps optional with the launch of Windows 7, the company said late Monday. While Vista came with copies of Windows Mail, Movie Maker and Photo Gallery regardless of the edition, the sequel operating system will now remove those entirely and make available only downloadable versions that can tap into Windows Live. The company argues that ...

Yahoo Searchmonkey expands with playable music tracks

2008-09-23T19:41:00.009-07:00

Back in June, I wrote about how Yahoo was attempting to turn the search engine concept on its head with its Searchmonkey platform. This involved giving the searcher more information on the page and making the results more relevant, accurate, user-friendly and visually appealing. Well now Yahoo is going one step further by [...]

Well now Yahoo is going one step further by introducing the ability for users to listen to full length music tracks inside Yahoo search results. Before you get all excited and sell your iPod on eBay, there is a limit though (as always). You can only listen to 25 free songs per month. Any more than that and you have to sign up for the Rhapsody Service which costs $12.99 a month.

But this is still very useful if you are doing search engine queries for a singer / band and you are wondering if you have the right person or the right song. Or if someone recommends a singer / band to you and you want to listen to a sample of their music. You can now listen to some songs inside the Yahoo search results. If you stay within that 25 songs per month limit, it won’t cost you a thing.

To try it out, just enter the name of a singer or a band into Yahoo. Being a newly introduced feature, it doesn’t have songs for everyone at the moment. They have songs for my favourite band, U2, but not for my girlfriend’s favourite, Runrig. But I entered some big names into the search engine - Tina Turner, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, and they had songs for them. But surprisingly, there was nothing for Eric Clapton. What a scandal! :-() But give Yahoo a bit of time and I’m sure they will eventually have songs for everyone.

If there are songs available, you’ll get a box identical to the one above. If you see the song you want to play, just click on it and a player will open at the bottom of the screen :

Click on the “play” button and the song will start. Easy.

I am constantly amazed at the developments of Search Monkey and at how fast Yahoo Search is developing. If Google doesn’t start changing and developing their search pages for the semantic web, they’re going to get seriously left behind! They should stop making internet browsers (which they’re not really that good at) and instead concentrate on developing their search engine (which they are REALLY good at). What do you think?

MacBreak 16: Black and White

2008-09-23T19:41:00.007-07:00

MacBreak 16: Black and White
Leo Laporte and guest Mikkel Aaland show you how to use Adobe Bridge to get fine control when converting images from color to black and white.

Podcaster dev can't provision any more licenses

2008-09-23T19:41:00.005-07:00

Podcaster dev can't provision any more licenses

Filed under: Developer, App Store, SDK

Developer Alex Sokirynsky wrote a blog post this morning saying Apple rescinded his authority to provision new ad-hoc licenses for his software, Podcaster.

The blog post has since been removed, possibly because it violated his developer NDA.

Sokirynsky believes that the licenses already provisioned will continue to work, and expressed disappointment -- but not surprise -- that Apple shut him down.

He also said he would continue updating Podcaster, even though it's unclear if he has a means to distribute it. Podcaster users can contact Sokirynsky if they have questions about their device's ad-hoc status.

Sokirynsky did not say how many devices he provisioned, though we do know it's at least 1,300.

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MacBreak 140: NAB 2008: Plug-in Pavilion

2008-09-23T19:41:00.003-07:00

Alex checks out what's going on at NAB's Plug-in Pavilion this year. Read more

MacBreak 108: Macworld 2008: The FastMac iV

2008-09-23T19:41:00.001-07:00

Cali Lewis checks out the FastMac iV iPhone External Battery Case at Macworld. Read more

G1 limits: data throttled, no earphone jack

2008-09-23T19:40:00.001-07:00

T-Mobile's heavily-touted G1 will carry multiple crucial limitations that may put it out of direct contention with the iPhone, a closer inspection of the Android phone shows. Notably, the company includes a disclaimer on its product page that warns T-Mobile's described unlimited plan only offers its full speed for the first 1GB of data transfered in one month. Service past this cap is throttled ...

MacBreak 27: SuperDuper!

2008-09-21T22:23:00.003-07:00

MacBreak 27: SuperDuper!
Leo Laporte and guest Jason Snell show you how to setup pain-free backups using SuperDuper!

GBTV #0378 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-21T22:23:00.001-07:00

Mozilla surpassed the goal. They got more than 8 Million downloads of Firefox 3. 15% of visitors to GeekBrief.TV have upgraded. 30% are still using Firefox 2. 22% are using Safari and 20% are using IE. The rest are using much, much older browsers.

Optoma is the first company to release a projector based on the Texas Instruments DLP Pico chipset. Their project is smaller than the average smartphone, but it won't be available in the U.S. until next year.

Texas Intruments is also working on an lamp-free projector. It combines a PhlatLight LED with a BrilliantColor chipset that will use 30 percent less power and deliever a much better picture.

The Panasonic HDC-HS100 is an HD consumer camera with 3 CMOS sensors the yeld unprecedented low-light performance.

Rick MacMerc alerted us to an amazing array of Bacon goods from Archie McPhee.

Apple is opening the first Australian Apple store Thursday. It's at 367 George Street, one block North of the Queen Victoria Building, if you're looking for directions.

Thanks to Beck's for taking a chance on a little show called GeekBrief.TV. On the rare occasions I have a beer, it will be a Beck's. Read more

Fake MacTablet Gallery

2008-09-19T12:27:00.011-07:00

Filed under: Rumors

Gallery: MacTablet Faux Gallery

We asked for fakes. You responded by sending us your favorite MacTablet mock-ups. So here at last is our gallery of fake Mac Tablet concept art, submitted by TUAW readers. Now once again it's your turn.

Take a peek through these pictures and tell us which one is your fave. (I suspect that #8 is going to win in a landslide.) Leave us a note in the comments to explain your choice and what you're really looking for in a touch-based tablet computer.

View Poll

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MacBreak 112: Macworld 2008: Modbook

2008-09-19T12:27:00.009-07:00

Kendra Arimoto learns about the latest Modbook Read more

GBTV #0406 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-19T12:27:00.007-07:00

A GeekBrief.TV viewer who traveled to China told me Geek Brief is banned there. I don't know if that's still true, but I've decided the Olympics being in Bejing is more of a good thing than a bad thing because the world is paying attention to Chinese restrictions of freedom. I also don't want to miss the girl's gymnastic competition.

This Brief is an interview with Mike Mann from Digital-Rapids.com. Digital Rapids is providing the streaming technology to NBC that will make live coverage of multiple Olympic games possible to an extent we've never seen before. Here's a quote from the Digital Rapids press release:

"Digital Rapids' DRC-Stream encoding and streaming solutions will enable NBC Olympics' unprecedented live and on-demand online coverage of the Beijing Olympics. 2200 hours of video will be streamed live on the Internet at NBCOlympics.com, primarily encoded from video feeds into web-friendly streams through the DRC-Stream systems. Streams will be encoded in the VC-1 compression format for a viewing experience powered by Microsoft Silverlight technology. The encoded live streams will also be archived for viewers to watch on-demand. Digital Rapids Transcode Manager, the enterprise-class solution for scalable, high-volume media file transcoding, will be used to convert affiliate-provided content between compression and file formats for U.S. domestic distribution."

By the way, when we shoot stuff like this, we put it in the experimental category. Skype is getting better and better, but it still isn't perfect. We also need to really evaluate the angles we're using for live interviews like this. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Chrome ported for Mac, Linux

2008-09-19T12:27:00.005-07:00

Although Google has not yet released a Mac or Linux version of its Chrome browser, software developer Codeweavers has made a ported version available. Called Chromium, the Windows-only browser uses Wine to run on the Mac, Linux... Read more

Audiovox finally ships Homebase Digital Message Center

2008-09-19T12:27:00.003-07:00

Audiovox finally ships Homebase Digital Message Center

Filed under: Displays, Household

Remember those way swank Digital Message Centers we peeked at CES this year? At long last, Audiovox has begun shipping the audio-only DPF710K ($149.99), which sticks upside your fridge and provides a 7-inch display, a dry erase board, digital clock, Post-it pad and a LED message indicator for good measure. If you haven't pieced it together, this thing seeks to simplify your family's lives by providing a base for leaving photos and messages, and we'll admit, it does have a smidgen of a Jetsons vibe to it. Those holding out for the video-capable DPF711K can lay down their $199.99 later this month. Nice hair, kiddo.

Gallery: Audiovox finally ships Homebase Digital Message Center

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China Blocks FeedBurner RSS Feeds

2008-09-19T12:27:00.001-07:00

Wow, perhaps China is feeling a little paranoid here? I mean, what else would be the reason for blocking FeedBurner?

FeedBurner, which powers hundreds of thousands of blog, podcast and mainstream news feeds (including this one), is apparently being blocked by Chinese authorities. Here is a Yoda-esque loose English language translation of William Long’s original post. William even used a proxy server to verify that the issue is with the Chinese, not FeedBurner. His subscriber count dropped from over a thousand readers to zero overnight.

I have nothing but respect for Dick Costolo and the FeedBurner crew. They have been extremely helpful in troubleshooting various issues on my blog and others. I am sure they are doing everything in their power to remedy as best they can. This issue goes way beyond FeedbBurner…. Source: Micro Persuasion

Stationery Pack 2 adds interactive designs

2008-09-19T12:26:00.005-07:00

Stationery Pack 2 adds interactive designs
Equinux has releases the latest version of its e-mail design software, Stationery Pack 2 for Leopard Mail. Users can choose from over 660 different designs from 122 templates, now with interactive options. Various themes are included, from invitations to holiday cards. Design elements can be changed just clicking on the feature, such as the background that will change color....

MacBreak 131: Macbreak Studio: Color

2008-09-19T12:26:00.003-07:00

Alex invites Steve Martin to show the basics of color correction using Apple's Color. Read more

GBTV #0409 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-19T12:26:00.001-07:00

GBTV #0409 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
The Discovery Channel has Shark Week. GBTV has Innovation Week. I frequently get asked to explain more about what we mean when we talk about things like Augmented Reality (AR) and Human Interface Design (HID). On Brief 409, I cover Augmented Reality.

Augmented Reality is all about added a layer (or multiple layers) of real-time data on top of what's happening all around us. You can look at a building or a car in front of you. With augmented reality, your phone (or another device) will have software that analyzes what you're looking at and provide information about it. You'll be able to look through your camera and learn everything you'd want to know about when a building was constructed, who designed it, what businesses are inside, etc.

Mac Funamizu is a designer who thinks about some of the ways devices will augment reality in the future. Microvision is adding augmenting reality for drivers by displaying information on car windshields. They're also working on Virtual Retinal Display technology that will project HD images and text onto the retina of a viewer's eye.

The guy in the blooper section is John P., President and CEO of Woopra.com. He wanted to read the teleprompter.

Plantronics intros dual-microphone Bluetooth headset

2008-09-19T00:23:00.009-07:00

Plantronics intros dual-microphone Bluetooth headset
Plantronics on Thursday introduced its newest Bluetooth headset, the Voyager 835, which uses dual microphones in conjunction with AudioIQ noise-canceling software to reduce ambient noise. What the company calls Windsmart technology reduces wind noise heard by parties on the other end. Meant for business users, the headset is capable of quickly pairing up with Bluetooth devices, and can keep two de...

GBTV #0336 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-19T00:23:00.007-07:00

GBTV #0336 (small) | GeekBrief.TV
Mix tapes are something we HAVE to make from time to time. Muxtape.com is a new way to do it. You upload up to 12 songs by different artists from different albums and then the mix is available at the click of a link.

Pixeloo is a blog created by an anonymous artist. It seems pretty new, but he's using photoshop magic to create human versions of some of the best geek characters like Homer Simpson and Mario.

MyFotoWall.com turns your photo in to wallpaper. Not wallpaper for your desktop...wallpaper for your wall! It's really pretty jaw dropping.

Dawn and Drew invited us to a 4th of July camp out. It turns out that it's really primitive, so we need a tent. The Treepee is an idea I can sleep in. It is a pyramid shaped tent that hangs from a tree limb.

On the episode, Shannon gets an answer to is question to Rachel. Wonder what she said?

Use promo code "CALI" to save $50 off a Drobo at DroboStore.com. More details are here.

MacBreak 97: Video Compressors

2008-09-19T00:23:00.005-07:00

Alex and Leo discuss video compression software for your Mac. Read more

MacBreak 145: NAB: RSR

2008-09-19T00:23:00.003-07:00

MacBreak 145: NAB: RSR
Alex drops by the RSR booth to check out CineSync and CineSpace.

Japanese Bravia TVs to get widgetized with new SDK

2008-09-19T00:23:00.001-07:00

Japanese Bravia TVs to get widgetized with new SDK

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Intel and Yahoo were making all kinds of noise about on-screen TV widgets back at IDF, but it looks like Sony's beating them to the punch -- select Japanese Bravia sets can already browse the web and run a few official widgets through the XMB interface, but now there's also an SDK for third-party developers. Sony's taking an Apple-like approach and requiring devs to submit them for approval before making them available to Bravia owners, but it's promising that validation won't be lengthy -- hopefully that means it won't be totally capricious in approving them and yanking them as well. The SDK and widgets are Japan-only for now, but there are hints we'll see them worldwide eventually -- the sooner the better, guys.

[Via Sony Insider]

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French magazine offers evidence of Leica D-LUX 4, C-LUX 3

2008-09-15T02:36:00.007-07:00

French magazine offers evidence of Leica D-LUX 4, C-LUX 3

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Sure, you can always save a few bucks and get the Panasonic equivalent to a Leica camera, but Leica fans are a pretty particular bunch, and they'll no doubt be pleased to see the company's new D-LUX 4 camera pictured above, which is apparently Leica's version of Panasonic's 10.1-megapixel LX3. What's more, if you look closely above, you'll also see a mention of a hereto unheard of C-LUX 3 model, which is supposedly Leica's take on Panasonic's compact FX37 camera, and an update to the its own C-LUX 2 model. Of course, none of this is quite official just yet, but it seems like we should be hearing more from Leica soon if it is, in fact, legit.

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MacBreak 140: NAB 2008: Plug-in Pavilion

2008-09-15T02:36:00.005-07:00

Alex checks out what's going on at NAB's Plug-in Pavilion this year. Read more

Icons: It?s Still Orange

2008-09-15T02:36:00.003-07:00

Icons: It?s Still Orange

I am glad to see that we can maintain some level of RSS icon standards between Mozilla and Microsoft. Wouldn’t be great if this level of cooperation could continue?
(more…)

MacBreak 122: Macworld 2008: 1Password

2008-09-15T02:36:00.001-07:00

MacBreak 122: Macworld 2008: 1Password
Merlin Mann chats with Agile Web Solutions about 1Password.

Faltering economy may slow Mac sales

2008-09-15T02:35:00.007-07:00

The severe economic situation may finally affect Apple as it heads into 2009, says Shaw Wu of American Technology Research. The analyst comments that while the number of Macs sold during the September quarter should prove to be healthy, thanks to the school season and Apple's free iPod deal, "low visibility" is predicted during the upcoming December and March quarters, which may affect Apple's ma...

French magazine offers evidence of Leica D-LUX 4, C-LUX 3

2008-09-15T02:35:00.005-07:00

French magazine offers evidence of Leica D-LUX 4, C-LUX 3

Filed under: Digital Cameras

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MacBreak 108: Macworld 2008: The FastMac iV

2008-09-15T02:35:00.003-07:00

MacBreak 108: Macworld 2008: The FastMac iV
Cali Lewis checks out the FastMac iV iPhone External Battery Case at Macworld.

GBTV #358 (small) | GeekBrief.TV

2008-09-15T02:35:00.001-07:00

I've been a little bus obsessed for the last couple of days. Our lease is up on May 21st. Our plan has been to downsize and move into a small apartment for the summer while we finish planning The Big Trip. Even though we won't be ready to hit the road, we're really anxious to get the bus and start geeking it out for the trip.

Times is an RSS feed reader for Mac that is beautiful. It creates a Newspaper-like context for news delivered via RSS. It isn't a static experience though. Times takes advantage of Core Animation to make reading the news an enchanting experience. When you click on a headline, the page folds down to reveal the text of the story. A featured called Shelf lets you organized stories into stacks. You can download it from here and try it for 14 days. It's the one newsreader I've found that's worth paying for.

The PC Decrapifier is a freeware application that removes all the trialware nonsense that comes pre-installed on a new PC.

Evernote is an extension of your brain. Clips from Web pages or photographs you take with your phone camera can be sent to your Evernote database where the information is searchable. It's very cool. Lycos Cinema is a social video viewing experience. You pick the video, invite up to 10 friends and the video is synced to everyone watching at almost the exact same time. A chatroom gives viewers a way to talk about what they're watching. The big downside, though is the very limited supply of interesting content.

The conversation about prerolls and Beck's Beer is on my blog, iCali.tv. Read more

iPhone's Korea launch delayed, no time frame set

2008-09-14T10:16:00.011-07:00

South Korean customers anticipating the iPhone launch in their country will be disappointed to hear that the popular device will be delayed, according to the Korea Times. Significant hurdles for the launch have been regulations designed to protect Korean produced handset manufacturers from foreign competition. Apple has been negotiating with KTF, the second largest wireless carrier there, regardin...

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