Michael Arrington has grown tired (as have MANY others) of AT&Ts terrible service, and Apples stuck up behavior towards Google Voice. You can read the whole article here.
TechSmith is offering their Snag-It software (version 7.2.5) for free. Head on over here and enter a small amount of information, and you will receive your CD Key by email. Hit this site to download the software and you're ready to capture some crazy screen action!
[Via Slickdeals]
My only question is, what the hell took them so long?! Now we just have to wait for them to announce the iPhone, and the Touch Diamond2/Touch Pro2. Anyone wanna start a rumor?
[Via]
In case you haven't been on the internet in the past few days (where the hell were you?!), Wolfram Alpha has been getting a lot of attention. Well, tonight, it finally went live! Check it out here.
Gizmodo has posted one of their more interesting articles detailing a new bra that will increase the cleavage of the wearer as it senses the desire for intercourse. It does this by starting at, err...monitoring her temperature and then pushing her funbags together, showing off the newly created cleavage.
Though many of you have danced (and not everyone does it well; you know who you are!), I would feel safe betting that most of you have done that dancing here in the US of A. A while back, Matt Harding decided that he was going to travel the world, and instead of keychains or shot glasses, he would dance on film for his momento. Enter Wherethehellismatt.com. He's made several videos now, and even has a corporate sponsor!
If you're running Windows Mobile on your cell phone, you may have noticed that unless you have very few options as far as Facebook apps go. Well no more! Microsoft has released a new app for Windows Mobile 6, though I was actually able to get it to run on my old WM5 phone. Quoting Microsoft, you are able to:
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WiGig is looking to really shake things up in the wireless world. They have developed a wireless technology that has gigabit transfer speeds. And, since most of the people that aren't working on a desktop computer are using wireless, this is obviously a big deal. Wired has the details.
CollegeHumor is doing their second annual All Nighter to celebrate your stupid college exams! Live video and chat from 9pm to 9am. Have fun!
Link Here
There isn't a whole lot more to say here. Its been rumored forever,and now its finally here. They are leaving it available to the public through July, and there is an unlimited number of product keys, so you can use this on several machines if you wanted to. The keys are good for one year, at which point, your computer will sink into the black hole known as Microsoft Licensing.
In what could be the biggest change to the Internet since Al Gore created it, Dr Stephen Wolfram has created a machine named the Wolfram Alpha that will push the line of artificial intelligence forward beyond anything we've seen. As read in The Independent:
The real innovation, however, is in its ability to work things out "on the fly", according to its British inventor, Dr Stephen Wolfram. If you ask it to compare the height of Mount Everest to the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, it will tell you. Or ask what the weather was like in London on the day John F Kennedy was assassinated, it will cross-check and provide the answer. Ask it about D sharp major, it will play the scale. Type in "10 flips for four heads" and it will guess that you need to know the probability of coin-tossing. If you want to know when the next solar eclipse over Chicago is, or the exact current location of the International Space Station, it can work it out.
Ever been curious as to how McDonalds is able to make enough beef and sausage patties to feed the millions of people that order their food every day? Well, here you go! The video walks you through the entire process from cow to cheeseburger, and shows you how its done and how clean they (say they) are.
As reports of Apple and Verizon talks hit the wires, so too did reports that Microsoft was tasting the idea of developing an iPhone killer for the Verizon network. Ars Technica has the details (and so did Giz!), but I think that I speak for all of us when I say that anything better than the iPhone is something I would really like to see!
Apparantly, somebody has the Touch Pro2 out in the wilderness. PocketNow has the details, but all you really need to know is that its got the American T-Mobile logo on it.
Lifehacker has thrown up a neat article where they list 6 ways you should be using your Twitter Account. Definitely worth a read.
[Via]
If you're on Twitter (and you freaking should be!), you are probably familiar with programs like Tweetdeck, and Twhirl. Most people though, for some reason unknown to me, have not heard of HootSuite. HootSuite is an awesome tool for Twitter with some powerful features. Of the more useful is the ability for multiple admins to manage a single Twitter account. This is really nice for companys big and small that want to use Twitter, but keep the original account secure. You can also use as many Twitter accounts as you want, and use the built in tools to track the views and comments on your tweets. See all the features here, and try it out!
Verizon Wireless has taken what I believe to be a good step toward user input on pricing of phones by allowing people to write their own reviews of the phones Verizon offers. Its pretty much your standard review form, with Pros, Cons, and Comments fields, and another that can be super important; the Location field. This is a good piece of information because of the speed and coverage differences people will receive in different parts of the world.
The catch? Of course there has to be one! Verizon employees screen every review. Now, this could be just to make sure the nutters stay out. But I think we all know that there are negative reviews getting "lost" in the fray.
Head on over to Verizon's website and check it out. Write some reviews, and let the world know just how stupid it is that Verizon's version of the Diamond has less RAM than the Sprint alternative...just for example...
If you watch any amount of TV or visit any news website, you have undoubtedly noticed the over-coverage of the Twitter 'story.' Well, with the awesome parts of Twitter now covered, we are surely going to start seeing the attacks roll in, and information on how Twitter is ruining our children. Let the Twitter bashing begin.
If you like eating out, but don't like spending a ton of money, listen up! Restaurant.com is offering $25 coupons for $3 with coupon code FEAST through 4/20. Grab it while its hot! (Pun intended).
[Via Slickdeals]
For the first How It Works post here at 3007hq, we'll be doing a double feature; cloud computer and virus removal!
The term "cloud computing" is being thrown around a lot these days. And so are Google and Apple's name when its mentioned. But most people have only a very basic idea of what is really going to be involved, and what the benefits are. HowStuffWorks has a great article explaining what cloud computing is, how it works, why Google and Apple are always mentioned, and why you should care!
Next, in the spirit of the conficker worm, here is a very helpful article (again from HowStuffWorks), detailing the differences between viruses, worms, and trojans, and how to remove them from your system. And, since 1 in 5 machines is still vulnerable to the conficker worm, chances are that some of you will end up needing this info very soon.
Google Latitude is a sweet new service that allows your phone to post your location to the internet where your friends and family can log in and find you. Very cool. They've also secured the site that that only people you want to find you can look up your location.
Microsoft has released yet another Mac-bashing ad, this time with a mom and her son. Of course, they end up buying a Windows Lappy (Sony Vaio), and Mac ends up getting the shaft.
FriendFeed has been hard at work creating a sweet new interface for users braving the beta waters. And the work has definitely paid off.
For those of you who haven't caught the cool bug yet, FriendFeed basically rolls all your social apps into one. And when I say all, I mean it. From Facebook, to Digg, to Twitter, to Flickr, its all there. And the new interface shows this off like never before by integrating all of the feeds from each service into an easy to follow time step similar to the one Twitter uses. The only problem they face now, is that people are seemingly stepping away from the service. TechCrunch reports that the numbers are possibly lower now than those of last October. We can only hope FriendFeed bounces back with this sweet new beta, and continues on to greatness.
You can find the beta here.
Its been all over the web today, from Twitter to Digg itself; the Digg team has improved their search! Not much else to say. If you Digg, (pun intended) go check it out! If you're not on Digg, what are you freakin' waiting for?!
Buy.com has a universal cellular charger right now for $10, with free shipping. Even if you haven't lost your charger yet, this is a great idea. Makes a great travel charger, and its probably cheaper than buying one that only charges your phone. And since this charges all kinds of phones, you could have a cell phone charging sleep over with all your friends and sit and...charge things...
[Via Dealnews]
Microsoft has released yet another so-called 'Laptop Hunter' commercial, this time with a $1,500 limit for the lucky "consumer." Both people ended up buying an HP I notice, but either way, they may be bringing up some good points about Macs. As an avid computer person (I spend at least 10 hours a day on them), I have found Macs to be nothing but frustrating; with the exception of movie/picture editing, which Mac has clearly thought about. I tend to feel the same way about linux, with the lack of support, user friendliness, and completely empty driver base typically chasing me away from some neat and potentially cool features. Either way, this commercial is surely going to push Apple into some counter advertising, as long as Microsoft keeps Seinfeld away...
Ars has it that Verizon is going to be offering full 4G coverage to areas of the US that previously only had access to dial-up or satellite internet. So all of you poor souls who think DSL would be heaven, get ready for something not quite as good!
TechCrunch has it that Google is in talks to purchase the oh-so-publicized Twitter. Depending on who you're talking to, its early or late stages, but either way, this would undoubtedly add much more power to the Google empire. Twitter has already turned down an offer from Facebook for a half billion dollars, and with the new money making schemes twitter has been pumping out, their value has surely gone up.
Accstation has a mini screwdriver with 15 bits for $5. Use coupon code MINISDRIS to cut that down to $1 (one buck, in case you needed clarification). Plus, top this all off with free shipping.
[Via Slickdeals]
***UPDATE: Due to the demand of this deal, the price is now up to $4 ***
Do you have an enemy? I'm going to assume you do, because otherwise, you probably wouldn't be reading this post, laughing maniacally. And since you do have enemies, I'm sure you'd like to see them suffer, and what better way then to have a Google search for 'jerkface rotten-pants' come up with their picture at the very top of the list? Wired has put together a great walkthrough on how to accomplish this feat. Just remember, what you do to somebody else with this can be returned with interest, so play nice!
If you're a person who's been watching, or even using the neat things that Microsoft has been pumping out in their "Live" series, this app is going to tickle your socks! Install it on your Windows Mobile phone, and now you have instant access to all your favorite apps and services. You can sync up your contacts, access your Hotmail email, share your photos, and much more, right from your Windows Mobile Device. If none of those sound appealing, than maybe Live Mesh will. It is, in this writers humble opinion, the most useful app Microsoft has pushed out. It allows you to sync up folders across computers, and to folders online, and also allows secure remote access to all of the folders in your "Mesh." This is great for multiple machine homes, or for people with family that can't ever seem to find the "Any" key.
Wired has put together a list of the best and funniest April Fools pranks on the web. Enjoy them while they last!
The economy is getting the best of everyone. The car companies are no exception. Hyundai has been offering to help by making your payments for 3 months if you lose your job and are unable to make them. Ford, it seems, is trying to one up them by offering the same type of scenario-based deal, but upping the ante by doing this for a full year. The question now is whether this is a scary thing (using the thinking that they are so desperate to sell cars that they will take anybody), or whether its a good thing.
It just wouldn't be April Fools without Google. Every year they come out with something so outrageous that you have to believe it. This year is no exception. Introducing CADIE. A revolution is (apparently) in our hands.
Maximum PC has a great article listing the 10 most noteworth apps and add-ons you should have for Gmail. Some are user oriented, some are just plain handy. All are worth a look.
Dell is currently offering a 24 Inch HD widescreen monitor for $209. Use coupon code 1Z829VM32T983V to bring that price down to a cool $188. Oh, and get free shipping too!
[Via Slickdeals]
***UPDATE: Due to an apparently huge demand, Dell has ended this deal***
If you're using Gmail, and you're not using the 'Mark as Read' button, leave now, and go enable it and start using it! Now that you're all using it and up to speed, you'll be happy to know that Google is making a small, but very nice change to the already handy tool. Check it out.
I think we can all agree that while its funny to watch how awkward Bill Gates can be, the commercials he did with Jerry Seinfeld just didn't do it for many people.
Microsoft has been doing their homework though, and have pumped out this new video that actually works, and speaks to the thoughts of the average computer shopper.
Geico has always had a lot of fun with their commercials. From the cavemen, to the Celebs with real customers, to this new money clip guy, they have hooked us all on their zany clips. The latest series of clips have included a dance/techno song in the background that usually plays at the end. This song is very catchy, and I know I'm not the only one that now has it embedded in my brain stem.
They say the best way to get rid of a stuck song is to listen to it fully a couple of times. So, in the spirit of saving humanity (until they turn on the TV again), I have the link to the song, that you may go and cleanse your thumping eardrums.
Ah, technology. Its allowed us to do many good things, like the personal computer, or portable telephones. And speaking of that last one, did you know that these phones can have cameras built into them? And that, just like every other camera ever made, they will take pictures of anything you put in front of them? Did you also know that since the camera is built into a phone, you can send the pictures wirelessly to other people, and even websites? Are you sick of these run on questions? Me too, phew. Anyways, a new trend has emerged where people, and more importantly teens, are sending racy, or even nude pictures of themselves to other people or websites (now deemed sexting). This is causing an uproar, especially with the involved parents. And so, now you have to figure out whether/where the child porn laws kick in. Ars Technica has a great article on this, and whether or not you typically like the law side of the tech world, this whole debacle will surely affect your life, so you may want to pay attention.
Funny guys Jake and Amir have uploaded a new video.
Not much else to say. If you haven't enjoyed one of these before, you're missing out and should definitely click here! If you are running vista, or have the ported Vista sidebar for XP, you may like these two gadgets as well to keep an eye on things while not taking up a browser tab.
Gadget 1
Gadget 2
However, if you don't mind keeping Woot! open, but don't want to have to manually refresh the page, ReloadEvery will support your laziness (Firefox users only).
Are you one of the many people who have a machine now considered sub-par by the video game industry, and their increasing amount of detail in their products? Well, there may be good news on the horizon. OnLive has been making the rounds on many sites, and there is a lot of buzz about this new software. The idea is simple; render the game on a cloud (see cloud computing), and then send the pretty pictures back to the host machine. This allows for amazing graphics, and eliminates the ridiculous requirements of new games. Plus, the service will make the games playable on your television, giving the PC gamers more ammo against those stupid console nerds. Of course, the speed of your internet will have a lot of effect on the output quality, so those of you on DSL are probably not going to love this service as much as the Cable'd remainder. (You can test your connection speeds, both download and upload here).
Ars Technica, and many other sources, have it that Best Buy's not actually trying to match prices. Instead, they are offering employees bonuses to make sure that the prices are NOT matched. Don't you love big chain stores?
Internet Explorer 8 has been officially released! There is a good chance that the famous 404 errors will start to appear, so be patient, and keep trying.
Hulu has been feeling the pressure to keep their TV on the web service new, fresh, and full of good shows/movies to watch. In a move that will surely help gain some viewers, they have added an all new Documentaries section, and hired some big name actors to start doing some TV spots. While I don't think this is going to quadruple their viewing audience overnight, things like this help a ton by getting the word out into the public. As a person who's been using Hulu from the beginning, I'm very excited to see what they do next, and hope that they will be around for a long time to come.
For those who didn't hop on the Grandcentral train (pun intended), and missed out on the Google Voice thing (for now), Lifehacker has a screenshot post showing off all the new goodies. Enjoy.
I hate paying for anything. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that I'm not the only one. But, I also realize that there are things that you will just always have to pay for. That being the case, I would like to minimize the damage as much as possible. Enter Dealhacker (from Lifehacker), and Dealzmodo (from Gizmodo). They are articles that the two sites post typically once per day with a list of the best deals that they have spotted across the web. And while you could sit and surf the same websites that they do (like FatWallet, Meritline, and even Newegg) and try to find the best deals yourself, I have found this mashup to be very timesaving and much easier than browsing myself.
Got a site that you like? Post it in the comments!
St. Pattys is coming, and what better way to say I love you to your schnookum than this. Just remember that when you give this gift, you'll want to actually fill the empty boxes you just bought.
After acquiring Grandcentral in July 2007, Google had seemingly forgotten about this potentially awesome product. We got a wonderful surprise though last night when Google announced Google Voice. GV promises many new features, the most anticipated of which being voicemail transcription and SMS support (entire features list here). If you aren't already using Grandcentral, you're going to have to wait a while though. You can sign up here to be informed via email that Voice is now accepting new applications.
Ars Technica has it that a new breakthrough could give new lithium batteries the ability to completely discharge or recharge their energy in approximately the same amount of time as a capacitor. The same technology could also have the new battery holding a much denser charge, leaving you with more time for your device.
Gizmodo has a very interesting article explaining why 4G and WiMax are going to finally give mobile users the quick data access we've been craving for. It looks like Verizon is going to be the first to cross the finish line, with AT&T clinging on to 3G for just a bit longer. Keep in mind, however, that its expected that the 4G roll out will be even slower than its 3G predecessor. Ah, the wait for decent speeds on cell phones continues...
It appears that the Google Labs feature, Mouse Gestures for Gmail has finally been fixed. Its been down for at least a month for most people, causing a lot of frustration for people that were loving the feature (myself included!). But now, with the awesome back, we can all take a deep breath and dive back into our obsessive emailing.
If you're like me, you absolutely hate paying for something that you could very easily get for free. Whether it be video games, or coffee, free stuff is just better! But, when it comes to software, if you want free, you either get open source (read:Linux), or you get crappy 15 day trials. Neither of those have ever been appealing to me. Enter Giveaway of the Day. GotD is a site with the same sort of idea as Woot!, with one difference; they never charge for any of their products! They give away one free piece of software every single day. From screensavers, to video converters, they've had it all, and will hopefully continue to be able to for a long time to come!
A friend of mine over at the Girl-Economist brought to my attention at matter of utmost importance; improper preparation of our young ones for the inevitable apocalypse of this planet. If we don't hop on this fast, our already impending doom will that much more horrific. We need to immediately start purchasing consoles, PC's, and games, and start seperating our kids from other children forcing them to play these realistic simulators. This will put them in the proper state of mind and give them the skills they need to defend themselves and planet Earth, thus saving our dismal futures.
For those of you paying attention, I've added a new video frame to my site (which will be replaced by a link to my profile later). This is a sweet new tool called Qik. It allows you to turn almost any phone with a camera into a functioning webcam. The speed is actually very good as well, especially when using 3G, or WiFi. The coolest part? As you record your videos, they are automagically uploaded to Qiks website. From there, you can share, embed, or delete as you see fit. Plus, if you have a video embedded on a site or blog, and you start to upload live feed, the video frame will automatically update so everybody on that site can now watch your shananigans!
And hey, if Ashton Kutcher thinks its cool, who are you to disagree?
Ars Technica has put up a very good and informative article explaining the pros and cons of all the upgrade/clean install methods associated with Windows 7, whether you're upgrading from Vista, or XP.
So is it just me, or is gmail down for anybody else?
***UPDATE***
Gmail seems to be back up and running. Whew! That was scary!
If you're a computer user, which I'm assuming you are since you're reading this, then you're running an operating system. And following the current statistics, you're using Windows, most likely Vista. Now, using my psychic powers, I'm going to guess there is at least one thing you don't like about Vista, whether its a graphical gripe, or a speed splat. Enter Tweak UI (A.K.A. Ultimate Windows Tweaker). Tweak UI puts tons of settings in one clickable window. And, with their most recent update adding 20 more tweak-ables, you can now edit over 160 settings. If you haven't hopped on board the Windows 7 Beta train,(which you can't do anymore) this is the way to go.
If you don't already frequent the Onion News Network, perhaps this video will change your mind...
Original article here.
Sarah lane was among several other very talented people to be laid off back in October '08 from Revision 3's staff. It was a very sad end to three different and equally great shows; the long running Pixel Perfect, and the two new comers PopSiren, and Internet Superstar. She has continued working intermittently guest starring on web shows like Twit and The Digg Reel. It appears that things are finally looking stable again for Sarah and our old friend Martin Sargeant. They are currently working on episode 5 of their new web show, This week in Fun!. Anybody who has been on the internet and has any sort of nerd in them has seen Twit and knows Leo Laporte, and its good to see that this group of great and geeky minds are sticking together.
Addicting games has a fun, simple, and dare I say it, addicting game letting you land your very own plane on the Hudson river.
You can be a hero too!
Well, its official, Google has now begun expanding their reach below the surfaces of our planets oceans. Google Earth 5.0 adds many awesome new features, including the much anticipated exploration under the sea, or seas if you're so inclined. You can now also take virtual tours of the big cities of the planet, with some key points of interest marked on the maps.
Wanna see? I knew you would!
Ars Technica has all the details and an in depth look at all the new goodies.
Hulu is posting this years Super Bowl commercials as they are aired on their website. If you are not currently a Hulu user, now is a good time to check it out!
While Windows 7 may be close, Windows XP is still the main operating system of choice for many people. And, being that the more you use your computer, the slower it will inevitably become, there are many articles on the web describing various ways to "fix" Windows and make it fast again. This article is one of my favorites to send to people that need help doing some common tasks that are almost surefire (and free) ways to speed up that mopey XP computer. While nothing can replace a new stick of Ram, these things will help get the ball rolling again, letting you get back to whatever nonsensical projects you were tackling!
Giz has an interesting article explaining why they (and many others), think that the Windows 7 taskbar has finally risen to the challenge of beating the Mac OSX Dock. Not only does the new taskbar look sleeker and cleaner, but it out performs the Dock and has more functionality to boot! I'm a huge believer in competition between companies being good for the buyers of their software, and it looks like Mac has pushed Microsoft to come up with a truly innovative idea here.
So, apparently, the crew at CollegeHumor got together and decided they needed to draw in the nerdy masses by getting a girl to work in a bikini in front of a web cam. Yeah, that's what I said, bikini, web cam, girl. Enjoy!
Linky
There are many good sites out there like Digg, Delicious, and others like them that can be great for getting your posts and articles out on the web. But what about getting found through search engines? That one isn't so easy. Solution? Ping-o-Matic! Ping-o-Matic is the fastest and easiest way to get your blog or website searched and indexed by top engines like Google, or Technorati. All you have to do is enter in your site's address, title, and RSS feed (if any), and bam!; You're off to the races! It runs through and pings all the search engines with your latest post, letting you get back to doing what you do best!
This is one of the funniest ones I've seen; and I've seen them all! The look on Amir's face is absolutely hysterical.
BustedTees is having a killer sale. Lots of their shirts are now only $10, including this one, for all you people who realize that New York will one day be praised as the best thing that ever happened to America. Also, in case you hadn't noticed, I may be from the Ithaca area...
For all of us out there looking to stream and record TV throughout the house, but are not willing or able to spend hundreds of dollars on the Slingbox and its peripherals, our answer has arrived. Say hello to Webguide. Like other programs of its kind,(see MediaPortal,MythTv), Webguide allows to you remotely schedule recordings, search the TV listings, and even stream TV to any computer, as long as its setup correctly. The setup, of course, is the trick. If you're looking to use this outside of your network, you're going to be messing with port forwarding on your router, and for all situations, you're going to need to know a little bit about IP Addressing. There is a pretty good guide to setting up your new Slingbox Alternative here.
Keep in mind that in order to use this program, you're going to need a Windows computer with Media Center,(XP or Vista), and you'll also need a TV Tuner card.
Have fun!
-out.
This article has been making the rounds on the web. Its all about how to get the best deal from Best Buy. Quite inventive, and yet somehow, simple.
Linky.
-out.
