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Firefox Hits 90,000,000 Downloads
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Software,
The folks over at SpreadFirefox are announcing that the browser has reached the 90,000,000 download mark. Now, that is great and all, but what it doesn’t tell you is how many unique users have downloaded the browser. That is a figure that would be interesting. I, for one, have downloaded Firefox at least thirty times with the release of new versions and having multiple PCs. Still, it is a nice number to see.
On September 20, 2005 at 4:33:58 EST or 9:33:58 GMT Firefox Reached 90,000,000 Downloads! Only 10 Left and if we can get in before Nov. 9th then we would have 1,000,000 Downloads on the first day of 1.0 Release, 10,000,000 Downloads in the first month, and 100,000,000 in the first year!
I must say, since Opera went free, I have been using that way more.
Read More 
| SpreadFirefox
Gallery: Firefox Hits 90,000,000 Downloads
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I knew it was coming. When Opera was offering free registration codes for a day, but didn’t turn off the auto-generating code email address until way after the day was over, I sensed that it was going to become a freeware platform. The day has come, as Opera no longer had any integrated ad banners. I know, Firefox has been all the rage among the Internet elite, but I urge you to try Opera. It is blazingly fast, and just works. I have yet to experience an Opera browser crash, while Firefox blows up three or four times a day for me on both Windows and Mac OS’s.
EDIT: Here is a great wiki chock full o’ Opera tips.
Read More | Opera
Gallery: Opera Eliminates Ads, Is Now Free
Apple just released iTunes 5.0.1 into the wild:
iTunes 5 features a new even more powerful instant search, including the new Search Bar which helps you find exactly what you are looking for in iTunes or from among 2 million songs on the Music Store, folders for organizing playlists, and new Parental Controls for music, music sharing and podcasts. iTunes 5.0.1 features several stability improvements over iTunes 5.
Those stability problems mentioned include disappearing music and random crashes. Here’s to hoping all that is taken care of. Mac users, check Software Update for the download.
Read More | iTunes
Gallery: iTunes 5.0.1 Now Available
Apple Makes Major .Mac Improvements
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, PC / Laptop, Software,
Late last night Apple unleashed a slew of new features and improvements to their .Mac subscription service, including:
.Mac Groups: .Mac members can now easily create private, ad-free online communities that make it easy for family, friends and private groups to communicate, coordinate and share digital media. With .Mac Groups, members can send emails to the entire group using a single address; post files, pictures and movies with a common group iDisk; publish group web pages and post links to other sites; and keep up-to-date with the latest group events with a shared iCal calendar.
Backup 3: .Mac Backup has been redesigned from the ground up resulting in easier setup, quicker backups and the ability to seamlessly automate the process so users don’t have to remember to run a backup. New features include the ability to automatically back up iLife content, Home folder, iTunes purchased music, and other Mac essentials. Built-in Mac OS X “Tiger” Spotlight search capabilities make it easy to select specific files to backup, while incremental backups help to save time and media costs.
Increased Online Storage: .Mac members now have four times more online storage space than before to host their email messages, documents and digital media files. Storage for individual members has increased to 1GB of combined email and iDisk space, .Mac Family Pack customers now receive 2GB of combined storage. Members can utilize their storage any way they choose dedicating more or less storage space to email or their iDisk. Individuals or Family Pack members can optionally purchase an additional 1GB of storage for US$49.95 annually.
French and German Localization: In addition to English and Japanese, localized versions of the .Mac website are now available in French and German.
I will be diving into the .Mac groups later today, but I must say that for now, I am most excited about the storage increase to 1 GB from a measly 250 MB. Good job, Apple.
Read More | .Mac
Gallery: Apple Makes Major .Mac Improvements
I just finished checking out a video done by Robert Scoble with Julie Larson-Green, where Larson shows off some of the new features of Microsoft Office 12. One of the main “features” is the completely redesigned interface, featuring “The Ribbon” in place of the old pulldown menu’s. Old Office types might be a bit scared of the change, but we think it is for the better. The video shows how just about everything you might want to do will be at your fingertips in Office 12, instead of buried in some hidden sub-menu like in previous iterations. Go take a look for yourself.
Read More | Channel 9 on MSDN
Gallery: Channel 9 Shows Off Microsoft Office 12
I was skeptical at first, but I need to get organized - I’m moving soon. The biggest task is tackling my immense personal media library, from books to games to music. I’d heard some good stuff, and I was ready to pull my hair out, so I finally heeded the advice I’d gotten from some of my colleagues and checked out Delicious Monster to read about their award winning program, Delicious Library.
Get your Mac, a webcam, and Delicious Library and rediscover your home library. Just point any FireWire digital video camera, like an Apple iSight®, at the barcode on the back of any book, movie, music, or video game. Delicious Library does the rest. The barcode is scanned and within seconds the item’s cover appears on your digital shelves filled with tons of in-depth information downloaded from one of six different web sources from around the world.
This claim of user-friendliness and siren’s call of a more organized life were enough to draw me to Delicious Library, a one-stop media cataloguing program for Mac OS X.
I am anal about organization. However, being the flaky artist that I am, I get a little too distracted and the mess just piles up and then I get too frustrated to organize, and then become frustrated with the lack of organization, and it becomes a vicious circle. However, with the help of Delicious Libary, I may become one. Strong words? Maybe. But I’ve never had so much fun and been so productive at the same time. This brilliant, seamless piece of software may well turn my organizational life around – and that’s no small feat.
Click to continue reading Tasty Reviews for Delicious Library
Gallery: Tasty Reviews for Delicious Library
Windows Vista Netflix Management Application
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Home Entertainment, Movies, Software,
If applications like these are what’s in store with Windows Vista, then it makes me just a little more excited for the release of the next Microsoft OS. The screenshot is a Netflix management tool built on Avalon which works off of the Netflix RSS feeds. It looks slick, optimizing itself depending on what type of PC and screen resolution you are using.
Today at the Microsoft PDC keynote in Los Angeles, during the Jim Allchin keynote, Darryn Dieken, group program manager for Avalon demo’d an experimental Netflix application built on Avalon using Netflix’s pre-existing RSS feeds. The application was built by the design firm Rezn8 with design direction from two of us on the Media Center team.
Unfortunately, I am more of a Blockbuster Online kind of guy.
Read More | Matt’s Media Center Weblog
Gallery: Windows Vista Netflix Management Application
Proof That Apple Is Definitely Planning A Video Store
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Portable Audio / Video, Rumors, Software,
So, the icons pictured above have been found within iTunes 5. Note the ones labeled “Gift Video,” “Buy Video,” and “Add Video.” In addition, the phrase “Protected MPEG-4 video file” has been found within various text strings within the iTunes 5. Now, can we all agree that Apple has just a bit more up its sleeve in regards to what they want to do with their online media store? After all, Steve did say that this is supposed to be the year of HD.
Read More | fscklog
Gallery: Proof That Apple Is Definitely Planning A Video Store
eBay to Acquire (Ruin) Skype for $4.1 Billion
Posted by Chris Cardinal Categories: Corporate News, Misc. Tech, Software,
eBay has announced (or rather, confirmed) that they are indeed planning to acquire VOIP provider Skype in a deal worth up to $4.1 billion when all is said and done. eBay CEO and President Meg Whitman comments, “Communication is at the heart of community and e-commerce, making Skype a natural fit for eBay,” but I’m more inclined to believe it’s something of a power play made to keep Google or Yahoo from getting there first. Regardless, I’m pretty confident eBay won’t mess with a good thing, and hopefully we’ll see some enhancements and additional features brought into the mix as a result.
Read More | Skype
Gallery: eBay to Acquire (Ruin) Skype for $4.1 Billion
Microsoft To Replace BSOD With Game Of Solitaire?
Posted by Devin Categories: Corporate News, PC / Laptop, Software,
According to an article at BBSpot, it seems Windows XP will be the last OS to display the infamous Blue Screen of Death upon crashing. Instead, Windows Vista users will be treated to a game of solitaire from the Solitaire of Death Screen while waiting for IT support help. The cards backs will be none other than blue in color and will appear when “Windows reverts to less ideal operation for reasons unknown.” This new screen is ideal for those whose computers crash while at work, because, as Bill Gates puts it, “Let’s face it, these users were probably playing solitaire before their PC crashed so falling back to the SOD will not inconvenience them.”
Edit: I was wondering how long it would take before a reader figured out it was a satire article. Gareth, contact us for your prize!
Read More | BBSpot
Gallery: Microsoft To Replace BSOD With Game Of Solitaire?
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