Save Web Sites Offline

Saving just a page, even with images, is easy. (I'll get to saving a whole site in a moment.) In Firefox, for example, you select File**Save Page As. In the ‘Save as type' field, select Web Page, complete, then save the file. Firefox will save the page as an HTML file, but will also save all the supporting files in a local folder.

Even this doesn't work perfectly, however. Complex formatting may not get properly reproduced.

I recommend HTTrack for saving an entire site. This free program will save all the pages within a domain, including images, while maintaining the link structure. It does not save the pages from external links like those in advertising.

The user interface is a bit ugly, and it throws up some techy terminology that not everyone will be comfortable with. But if you just stick with the default settings, everything should be fine.

Downloading a whole site can take some time, of course (I gave up on downloading pcworld.com while testing HTTrack). Luckily, once you've downloaded a site, HTTrack can also update it with new pages.

Should You Use Standby or Hibernate?

It's an age-old question: When you're done using your laptop, or just taking a break from work, should you put it to sleep, let it hibernate, or turn it all the way off?

Allow me to answer by way of a mnemonic: hibernate is great. You see, sleep mode (a.k.a. standby) puts your system into an off-like state, allowing you to pick up where you left off after just a few seconds (unlike rebooting, which can take minutes). But a PC in standby mode continues to consume battery power, so it's not uncommon to return to a "sleeping" PC to find that it's just plain dead.

Hibernate, on the other hand, writes your machine's current state to a temporary hard-drive file, then shuts down completely (much like "off"). When you start it up again, it loads that file and returns you to where you left off--no booting required.

Both ends of the hibernate process take a little longer than standby (usually 10-20 seconds, in my experience), but you avoid any of the issues that can arise when Windows suddenly loses power. What's more, standby is a notoriously flaky mode. I've encountered plenty of systems that refuse to wake up properly, so you end up losing whatever work you were trying to preserve.

Consequently, unless you're running your laptop on AC power, I recommend using hibernate most of the time.

Windows 7 Themes for XP

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Apple Kills Hackintosh Netbooks with Snow Leopard Update

Apple is reportedly breaking Hackintoshes -- meaning netbooks illegimately installed with Mac Oapple osx hackintoshS X -- with its latest update to Leopard.

The current developer build of OS X -- 10.6.2 -- will not run on the Intel Atom processor commonly used in netbooks that ship with Windows or Linux, according to an account in Wired, attributing the report to a hacker named Stellarola.

"Apple appears to have changed around a lot of CPU-related information" in the build, says Stellarola. "One of the effects of this is Apple killing off Intel's Atom chip."

Stellarola suggests that while most Hackintosh users should stick with 10.6 for now, they might try upgrading to 10.6.2 if they're running an older or modified kernel, according to OS X Daily.

The software in question is only a developer build, and it still might change before Apple releases a real update.

But Apple has already drawn fire lately for actions such as blocking Palm Pre users from iTunes aapplend banning Google Voice users from its App Store.

With Apple refusing to release an affordable low-end mobile PC of its own, hacked netbooks from Dell and other manufacturers have been turning into an increasing popular alternative in the Macintosh community.

10 Essential Windows 7 Downloads

Nov 1, 2009 1:36 am

Windows 7 may be brand new, but that doesn't mean you can't find free or cheap tools to tweak its settings, supplement its features, or smooth an upgrade from XP or Vista. We've compiled a list of ten valuable software tools--many of them free--that can make your Win 7 experience a lot more rewarding. (Click on any of the images for a closer look at that tool.)
Microsoft Security Essentials

Like its predecessors, Windows 7 doesn't provide built-in protection against malware such as viruses and spyware. (It does have a firewall, however.) You could pay McAfee or Symantec for this service, but why bother with their protection racket when Redmond's service does the same thing for free? Microsoft Security Essentials provides solid protection for home PCs, and it's gratis. If you prefer third-party security, check out AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition instead.
Ninite

Brave souls upgrading to Windows 7 from XP must do a clean install, a tedious process that includes, among other things, reinstalling all apps. Instead, why not load most of your free and open-source programs all at once? Ninite does just that. First, go to the Ninite site and pick the programs you want (for instance, Firefox, iTunes, and Skype). Next, download Ninite, which installs the apps on your PC without introducing additional crapware. Ninite is free for personal use.
Windows Live Photo Gallery

To keep Windows 7 slim and trim--and to avoid the code bloat that slowed Vista--Microsoft left a few utilities out of its new operating system.

One such app, Photo Gallery, is a free, easy-to-use photo manager/editor that's worth a download, particularly if you aren't already using Google Picasa to organize your pics and videos.
Windows Easy Transfer

If you are moving to Windows 7 from XP or Vista, you should check out this free download, which helps you copy files and settings from one PC to another. (Windows 7 comes with Easy Transfer.)

The new version of Easy Transfer adds a file explorer, which simplifies the task of selecting the specific files you want to copy. Easy Transfer won't hang if it comes across a file or setting it can't move. Rather, it will complete the transfer and then provide a report detailing everything it couldn't copy. The bad news: Easy Transfer won't copy your programs. For a PC-to-PC connection, you'll need an Easy Transfer Cable (about $20). Other transfer options include a USB flash drive, an external hard disk, or a network connection.
Ultimate Windows Tweaker v2

This free customization tool detects whether you're running Windows 7 or Vista, and offers only the tweaks relevant to your OS. "Ultimate" is a fitting description for this mega-tweaker, which provides dozens of configuration options for UI, network, security, and system settings. If you're all about personalizing Windows 7, this app is for you.
WinZip 14 Standard

If Windows 7 has zip compression built in, you're undoubtedly wondering, why do I need the latest version of WinZip? Well, if you seldom use zip archives, you probably don't. But zip fans will appreciate the improvements in WinZip 14 Standard, which has simplified the process of zipping and mailing archives in Win 7.

The latest version offers better compression ratios too. WinZip 14 Standard costs $30.
EnhanceMySe7en Free

Windows 7 may be easier to use than Vista or XP, but diagnostic and maintenance chores remain tricky. EnhanceMySe7en is a handy utility for anyone interested in doing a little system housekeeping.

This free app conveniently helps you select which programs to permit to load at startup; lets monitor your hard drive's performance, health, and temperature; and enables you to fiddle with the Registry--if you dare.
Image Resizer Powertoy Clone

Need to resize pictures in Windows 7? This free utility makes it easy. Simply right-click one or more image files in Windows Explorer. You can select one of four sizes: small (640 by 480); medium (800 by 600); large (1024 by 768); or handheld PC (240 by 320). You can create your own custom sizes, too.
Systerac Tools for Windows 7

This bundle of 16 tools from Systerac has everything you'll need to keep Windows 7 running smoothly. You can tweak Windows' performance and appearance, optimize memory, clean up the hard drive, cover your tracks by shredding files, and so on. The Systerac interface is aesthetically appealing, nicely organized, and a snap to learn. The $20 Windows 7 version runs on Vista as well.
Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Don't upgrade to Windows 7 before running this free utility from Microsoft. Upgrade Advisor scans your PC to see if it's ready for Windows 7. If it detects any potential problems--from insufficient memory to incompatible hardware to outdated software--it'll let you know in a summary report.

Yahoo's 'It's You' Ad Campaign to Skip China

Yahoo celebrated 10 years in Taiwan by launching the "It's You" advertising blitz on Tuesday, but executives said the US$100 million global branding campaign will skip China.

"This ad campaign won't run in China," said Rose Tsou, head of Yahoo's Asia operations, at a news conference in Taipei. "Alibaba runs everything at Yahoo China. We only have an investment in the operation."

Failing to include Yahoo China in the global "It's You" branding campaign is yet another example of how the China operation is left out of global deals. Yahoo's agreement to work more closely with Microsoft in Internet search earlier this year also left Yahoo China out. Executives at Yahoo in Asia have said the unique qualities of the China market, including government regulations and local tastes, make it best to let local partner Alibaba take the Yahoo brand forward there.

Yahoo obtained a 40 percent stake in Alibaba Group in 2005 in return for control over Yahoo China.

Yahoo China currently ranks as the sixth most popular Internet portal in China, according to CR-Nielsen, a joint venture Internet research company. The top portal is QQ.com, which is owned by Internet company Tencent.

Yahoo has done far better in other parts of Asia. The site ranks first in a slew of categories in Taiwan, which shares similar language and cultural ties with China, including top portal and auction site, according to Nielsen/Netratings. Yahoo Japan also ranks at the top.

China has proven tough for many U.S. companies. Baidu.com, for example, leads Internet search in China, not Google, while eBay is not the top auction site, and Yahoo China is the only U.S. brand to show up in China's top ten portals. And it's not run by the U.S. company.

Tsou originally ran Yahoo Taiwan as general manager in 2000. The site faced an uphill battle in Taiwan until it bought front runner Kimo.com. Yahoo continues to use Kimo's Chinese name on its Taiwan brand.

Windows 7 system requirements

1. 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
2. 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
3. 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
4. DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• Internet access (fees may apply)

• Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware

• Some games and programs might require a graphics card compatible with DirectX 10 or higher for optimal performance

• For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required

• Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware

• HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7

• DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive

• BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2

• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive

• Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on

• Music and sound require audio output

Product functionality and graphics may vary based on your system configuration. Some features may require advanced or additional hardware.

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows 7 may just be the most keyboard-friendly operating system yet. Without ever laying a finger on your mouse, you can dock windows, quick-launch your favorite apps, enable external displays, and much more. Sure, you have to memorize a few new key-combos, but once you’ve integrated them into your daily routine, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them.

Start-Menu Searches: Windows key

This carryover from Vista is arguably one of Windows’ must underused and undervalued features. A simple tap of the Windows key activates the Start menu, where you can type the first few letters of a program name, Control Panel setting, Word document, or whatever and then hit Enter to launch it. Why reach for the mouse?

Minimize (Almost) All Windows: Win + Home

This combo lets you send all open windows packing--except the one that’s currently active. Sure beats clicking Minimize on a bunch of individual windows. When you tap the shortcut a second time, it restores all previously open windows.

Make Windows Transparent: Win + Space

This is the keyboard equivalent of mousing over the transparency tool in the right corner of the System Tray--great for those times when you need to something on the desktop (like a gadget) but don’t want to minimize all your windows. After tapping Win-Space, your windows will stay see-through until you let go of the Windows key.

Quick-Launch Taskbar Apps: Win + (1-9)

As you know, Windows 7 makes it a snap to “pin” frequently used programs to the taskbar. But did you also know that these programs are automatically assigned a number and corresponding Windows-key shortcut? Just press Windows-1 to launch the first pinned program (the one closest to the Start button), Windows-2 to launch the next one, and so on. Fastest app-launching known to man! Except, of course, for this…

Quick-Launch Any App: Hotkey

Like Vista before it, Windows 7 lets you assign a quick-launch hotkey to any installed program. Just right-click the program’s icon, choose Properties, and then click the Shortcut tab. Click once in the Shortcut key field, then press the hotkey combo you want to assign (Ctrl-Shift-H, for instance). Click OK and you’re done! Assuming you have a good memory, app launching doesn’t get any faster than this.

Dock Active Windows: Win + Left or Right Arrow

A great shortcut for users with widescreen monitors, this combo docks the active window to the left or right half of the screen (depending on which arrow you tap), at the same time maximizing it top-to-bottom.

Magnify Your View: Win + (+)

Windows 7’s built-in magnifier lets you zoom in wherever you place your cursor. Just tap Win-plus (that’s the Windows key and the plus key) to enable the magnifier and set a 200% zoom level. When you mouse to any edge of the screen, your view scrolls accordingly. The more you tap the keys, the higher the zoom. Of course, you can just as easily zoom out again with Win-minus.

Open Presentation Settings: Win + P

Good news for business users constantly struggling to get Windows to cooperate with projectors: A quick tap of Win-P activates a monitor-settings panel. Click Duplicate or Projector only to send your display to the big screen, or Extend if you’ve connected a second monitor and want extra screen real estate.

Create a New Folder: Ctrl + Shift + N

Forget the old way of creating new folders. In Windows 7, all it takes is a tap of Ctrl-Shift-N. This works in any open Explorer window, but also on the desktop. After the new folder appears, just type in a name as usual and hit Enter.

Bring Gadgets to the Fore: Win + G

Now that Windows’ gadgets are no longer relegated to the Sidebar, they’re free to sit anywhere on your desktop. Of course, that means they can get obscured by other windows. As you now know, a tap of Win-Space makes those windows temporarily see-through, but what if you want to put the gadgets on top of your windows? No problem: Just tap Win-G.

Google puts The Pirate Bay back in its search index

Google has restored The Pirate Bay to its search engine index after briefly removing it last week following a copyright infringement complaint
The complaint, dated Aug. 22, came from Destined Enterprises, which specializes in adult entertainment, according to a copy of the complaint posted on ChillingEffects.org. It cites the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which exempts service providers from liability if infringing content is removed.

The complaint lists Web pages with infringing content, most of which appear at least by name to be adult oriented. Google has removed at least some of them from its index, including direct links to bit torrents indexed by The Pirate Bay. However, the main home page for the site is back in the index.

Google officials in London could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Pirate Bay is a search engine that finds torrents, or small information files used to download digital content via the peer-to-peer BitTorrent filing-sharing network. It also is a tracker, which coordinates the download of material with the torrents.

Although by no means the only torrent search engine, it is among the most popular and loathed by the entertainment industry for facilitating the download of material under copyright without permission.

The Pirate Bay has had an eventful year. Swedish authorities charged four of its operators with being accessories to crimes against copyright law. The operators were each sentenced in April to one year in prison and ordered to pay around 30 million Swedish kronor (US$3.6 million) in damages. They appealed, and a hearing is scheduled to start Nov. 13 in Stockholm.

In another twist in the site’s saga, one of the lay judges who was supposed to hear the appear was dismissed last week after it was revealed he works as a product developer for the streaming music service Spotify. In Sweden, lay judges serve alongside professional judges in most Swedish courts, and The Pirate Bay appeal will be heard by three professional and two lay judges.

The appeal comes as a Swedish company is still working out issues related to its proposed acquisition of The Pirate Bay. Global Gaming Factory X (GGF) has offered to pay 60 million Swedish kronor (US$8.64 million) in cash for the site.

But GGF was delisted from the Sweden’s AkieTorget stock exchange on Sept. 9 due to irregularities in the way it informed the market about the transaction, which has been approved by GGF shareholders. Its stock will start trading again on Wednesday on Mangoldlistan, a Swedish exchange run by a securities brokerage company.

T-Mobile Ties Wi-Fi BlackBerries to PBXes

T-Mobile USA is expanding beyond its consumer roots on Monday with T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling with MobileOffice, a service that lets businesses extend capabilities of their desk phones to BlackBerry smartphones.

The service will tie into office PBX (private branch exchange) systems so employees can use their T-Mobile BlackBerries in the office on Wi-Fi, using the same number as on their desk phones. They will also have one voicemail box and call filtering system for both phones. Companies could even remove their desk phones and simply use the BlackBerry.

Extending PBX features to mobile phones is nothing new, but creating a service offering specifically for businesses is a rare move for T-Mobile. The nation's fourth-largest mobile operator has overwhelmingly marketed to consumers, making its name with devices such as the youth-oriented Sidekick texting phone. The carrier, based in Bellevue, Washington, tends toward prepaid and less-expensive monthly plans than the larger U.S. operators.

But T-Mobile already utilizes Wi-Fi in its HotSpot@Home service, which lets customers make unlimited calls with a Wi-Fi-enabled cell phone over their home wireless networks. Adapting this idea to enterprises could make for a compelling option for cost savings and convenience. The system can save customers money on international long-distance calls and roaming, as well as reduce the consumption of domestic minutes, according to the carrier.

Wi-Fi Calling with MobileOffice works with a wide variety of PBXes and lets administrators apply authentication, call logging and security to employees' use of the BlackBerries in the office, T-Mobile said.

T-Mobile will work out the price of the underlying BlackBerry Mobile Voice System with each customer, according to a representative from the carrier's PR agency. Companies with more than 100 T-Mobile voice and data lines will get free unlimited Wi-Fi calls on BlackBerries nationwide and from abroad to the U.S. Companies with fewer than 100 lines will pay US$9.99 per line, per month.

Toshiba Shows First TV Based on Cell Chip

Hoping to set itself apart from other television makers, Toshiba will soon put on sale in Japan the first television based on the powerful Cell multimedia processor, the same chip that's used in the PlayStation 3. The Cell Regza TV boasts several advanced features including the ability to simultaneously record eight high-definition channels.

The TV represents more than the culmination of four years of research and development. No other company has yet talked about putting such powerful processing inside a TV and Toshiba is betting that the functions enabled by the inclusion of the Cell give it an edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace. (Click on the images for a closer look)

The 55-inch TV will go on sale in Japan in early December and will cost around ¥1 million [m] (US$11,175). Toshiba expects to sell about 1,000 of the TVs per month when it first launches in Japan. It will first arrive in the U.S. sometime in 2010, with a European release set to happen after that, but no other details on international availability were announced.

The Cell chip was developed by Toshiba, IBM and Sony and each chip contains a single Power PC core and eight co-processors. Together the chips make heavy-duty processing of video a breeze. Compared to one of Toshiba's current TVs, the Cell Regza has 143 times the arithmetic processing capacity.

The simultaneous recording function uses two-thirds of the space on an internal 3TB hard-disk drive to provide, when run continuously, the last 26 hours of television on-demand from eight channels. Alternatively it can be switched to record fewer channels at different times to result in a longer overall library of programs. For example, if set just to record during primetime then up to a week's programming can be stored.

The eight channels corresponds to the number of terrestrial TV stations available in metropolitan areas of Japan.

The remaining terabyte of disk space can be used to record desired programs and keep them for longer than the simultaneous recording function allows.

Other visual tricks are also capable with the TV, such as the ability to have eight TV channels displayed on the screen at the same time. By keeping each of the TV tuners set to a different channel it's also possible to quickly step up and down through digital channels without the delay that is now common on most digital sets.

The hard-disk, Cell chip and most of the other intelligence and processing systems for the set are included in an external box, which is roughly the size of a a Blu-ray Disc player of a few years ago. The

The TV is being unveiled to the public at Ceatec, Japan's biggest electronics show that kicks off on Tuesday near Tokyo. At the exhibition Toshiba is also talking about future directions for the technology including the use of the Cell chip to power a 3D television and a version with a 4k x 2k screen, which has four times as many pixels as current high-def TVs.

Some of the technology from the set is also expected to make its way down to smaller TVs.

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 Comes to Smartphones

Adobe unveiled the Flash 10.1 player, which will enable all Adobe Flash content to be accessible on smartphones. This means you'll be able to play Flash-based games and view Flash-based videos and Web sites. And yes, that includes Hulu.

iPhone owners, however, aren't so lucky. Adobe said that they are still working to make the Flash Player compatible on the iPhone OS, but are hindered by limitations within the platform. Although Apple is left out this time around, the absence of Flash probably won't hurt the iPhone. The iPhone is already above and beyond other OS's in terms of its multimedia and gaming capabilities.

Apple will want to jump on board soon, though; Flash Player 10.1 opens up some interesting multimedia possibilities for other platforms. The player supports multitouch, accelerometer and screen orientation, all of which makes for the optimal video-watching experience. It also supports gesture-based controls, which is a boon for gaming. Adobe said that the player won't be a drain on battery life, either. For example, the player goes to sleep when you receive an incoming call.

A public developer beta will be available for Windows Mobile and Palm webOS will be available later this year. Betas for RIM BlackBerry OS, Nokia Symbian and Google Android will arrive in 2010. Adobe said that they are working with 19 out of the 20 major handset manufacturers so it is likely the Flash 10.1 player will eventually be available for non-smartphones as well.

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IBM Aims at Google, Microsoft With New Webmail

IBM has launched LotusLive iNotes, an on-demand e-mail, calendaring and contact management system meant to compete with the likes of Gmail and Microsoft Exchange, the company said Friday.

Pricing starts at US$3 per user per month, undercutting Google Apps Premier Edition, which costs $50 per user per year.

IBM is aiming the software at large enterprises that want to migrate an on-premise e-mail system to SaaS (software as a service), particularly for users who aren't tied to a desk, such as retail workers. It is also hoping to win business from smaller companies interested in on-demand software but with concerns about security and service outages, such as those suffered by Gmail in recent months.

LotusLive iNotes is based on technology IBM purchased from the Hong Kong company Outblaze.

"What we brought to Outblaze and to the marketplace is what you'd expect from IBM in terms of security, reliability and privacy," said Sean Poulley, vice president of online collaboration.

While alluding to Google's service outages, Poulley acknowledged that no company can guarantee 100 percent uptime for on-demand applications. But IBM has a long-standing track record of running "the world's mission-critical systems," he said.

IBM will also have an opportunity to win customers from Microsoft who aren't ready to migrate to the upcoming Exchange 2010 release, given the headaches and investments involved, Poulley said.

Overall, the main point of interest in IBM's announcement is price, said Gartner analyst Matt Cain.

"Outblaze always sold low-cost mailboxes and that's what this is," he said. "Google's long been in it, Microsoft's long been in it. Now IBM's in it."

However, that's not to say IBM's brand on the software isn't of some value, Cain added. ."From an enterprise perspective, you'd rather buy e-mail from IBM than a company called Outblaze."

It's unlikely that IBM's pricing strategy will cause competitors to lower fees for their offerings, according to Cain. For one thing, Microsoft already has a $2 per month Exchange Online option called "Deskless Worker," Cain noted.

Google Chrome OS Arriving Next Month?

Google first announced its entry into the the operating system space back in July. At that time, Google stated that Chrome OS would not be available to consumers until sometime in 2010. However, various Chinese sources have today claimed that devices running the upcoming open-source OS could be seen as early as next month.

Accoridng to Shanzi.com, Chinese hardware manufacturer Lemote may ship its line of budget netbooks with preview builds of Google's Chrome OS. These Chome OS-based netbooks could hit the market in late October. Chinese manufacturers, as Liliputing speculates, may be more willing to try new, untested technology, whereas western manufacturers may be more hesitant to take new tech on board without performing rigorous testing first.

Rumors regarding the early release of the Chrome OS are, of course, nothing new, and Google has not responded to any of the supposed claims, including those of various 'leaked' screenshots. So with Google being tight-lipped and providing no solid hint as to when we can expect to see the final OS on shelves, reports such as these can only be taken with a pinch of salt.

Amazon Settles Kindle "1984" Lawsuit

That didn't take long. Two months after a high school student sued Amazon for removing George Orwell's "1984" from his Kindle e-reader, along with all his notes, Amazon has settled the lawsuit.

Techflash dug up the the settlement, which was filed in Seattle on September 25. Amazon will give $150,000 to the plaintiff's lawyers, and lead law firm KamberEdelson LLC said it will donate its share to charity. It's not clear from Techflash's report how much money 17-year-old Justin Gawronski of Michigan and a co-plaintiff, Antoine Bruguier, will get.

In July, Amazon remotely wiped Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm" from all Kindle e-readers, because the publisher of the e-books didn't have the rights to sell them in the United States. The move was seen as Orwellian in itself, and raised questions of whether the consumer really owns digital content that is downloaded and paid for.

Shortly after the incident, Amazon apologized and said it wouldn't happen again. People who had downloaded the e-books, who were already refunded after the deletion, were offered their e-books back along with their notes, or they could take a $30 gift certificate instead.

In the settlement, Amazon promises never to repeat its actions, under a few conditions. The retailer will still wipe an e-book if a court or regulatory body orders it, if doing so is necessary to protect consumers from malicious code, if the consumer agrees for any reason to have the e-book removed, or if the consumer fails to pay (for instance, if the credit card issuer doesn't remit payment).

So, the answer is still "no," you don't own the digital books you download. Though I can understand the reasoning behind some of the exceptions Amazon lays out, Amazon still maintains control over your e-books. It is not the same as having a book all to yourself once you leave the bookstore.

The "judicial or regulatory order" clause is the one that concerns me most. Theoretically, if the dispute over Orwell's e-books came to blows in court, and Amazon was ordered to wipe out all copies that it distributed, we'd be in the same situation. The only difference is that Amazon can point its finger at the court system or the government, instead of taking the blame for enabling remote deletion in the first place.

When that happens, it's "1984" all over again.

Nvidia Says Its New Fermi CPU Will Run Supercomputers

Nvidia showed off a new GPU architecture on Wednesday that it hopes will allow it to move beyond gaming to play a greater role in the supercomputing market.

The new Fermi architecture should provide more realistic graphics for gamers, but it also includes technologies that make it well-suited to highly parallel computing environments, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said in a speech at the company's GPU Technology conference, which was webcast from San Jose, California.

He showed a graphics card on stage with a prototype of the new chip inside it, but he didn't announce any specific product plans Wednesday or say when Fermi would hit the market.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use Fermi chips in a supercomputer for scientific tasks such as climate modeling, said Jeffrey Nichols, associate lab director, who joined Huang on stage. The lab currently has the Jaguar supercomputer developed by Cray, which is based on Advanced Micro Devices Opteron processors.

The Fermi chip has 3 billion transistors and 512 processor cores, and includes a new technology called GigaThread 3.0 that can manage thousands of threads in parallel, Huang said.

Fermi will succeed Nvidia's G80 GPU architecture, which was introduced last year and is used in the company's GeForce GT200 graphics cards, which include up to 240 processor cores.

Fermi also contains an ECC memory correction technology to shield bits of data from electromagnetic waves or particles from the environment that can affect thread execution. The GPU will double the memory bandwidth of current architectures with support for GDDR5 DRAM memory, and support up to 1TB of GPU memory, Huang said.

The architecture also supports double-precision floating point, which could provide up to an eight-fold performance boost for certain scientific and mathematical tasks, Nvidia said. And it will support C++ programming, in addition to the C programming of current designs.

The Fermi chips will also be compatible with Nvidia's CUDA development environment, which helps developers to write parallel code. Also, Nvidia and Microsoft jointly announced Nexus, a development environment for the Fermi architecture that has been integrated into Microsoft's Visual Studio developer environment.

Panasonic Shows Prototype 3D Plasma TV

Panasonic has unveiled a prototype 50-inch television and companion glasses that together give the viewer the illusion of three dimensions. The TV is being unveiled less than a month after Panasonic said it plans to commercialize 3D home entertainment products next year.

The system works by quickly switching between left and right frames of the video being shown. Viewers wear active glasses that switch in-sync with the TV so that the right image is seen by the right eye and then the left image seen by the left eye.

The images are at full high-definition resolution of 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels.

This rapid switching necessitated the development of new PDP materials and chips so that pixels can be illuminated faster without sacrificing overall screen brightness, Panasonic said in a statement. The company also used new phosphers that have a short luminescence decay time to reduce the chance of lingering images when the frames are switched.

The prototype TV was unveiled at the company's headquarters in Osaka on Monday morning and will make its first public appearance next week at the Ceatec electronics show near Tokyo.

At the IFA electronics show in Berlin earlier this month both Panasonic and Sony said they plan to launch 3D TVs sometime in 2010. Both companies are targeting home theater systems and working with the Blu-ray Disc Association to develop a standard method for encoding 3D data on Blu-ray Disc. Sony has also said it plans to add 3D technology to its PlayStation 3 games console and Vaio PCs.

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Apple Releases Mac Mini, SuperDrive Updates

Apple on Monday released firmware updates for the Mac mini and for certain SuperDrive-containing systems.

The company says that Mac mini EFI Firmware Update 1.2 improves compatibility with the latest Apple memory kits on Mac mini computers, although doesn't specific which Mac mini models it's intended for.

SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0 is designed to eliminate the noise made by your Mac's optical drive during system startup and wake from sleep. It works with the mid 2009 20-inch iMac, early 2009 24-inch iMac, and early 2009 Mac mini. Apple explains how to determine whether your Mac needs the update in a support document. It requires a Mac mini with today's firmware update, or an iMac with iMac EFI Firmware Update 1.4 installed.

Both updates require OS X 10.5.7 or later.

Konami releases Krazy Kart Racers for iPhone

Konami Digital Entertainment—makers of Frogger, Metal Gear Solid Touch and other games for the iPhone and iPod touch—have announced the release of Krazy Kart Racers, a new $8 game available for download from the App Store.

Krazy Kart Racers is a go-kart racing game featuring 16 different race tracks and 10 well-known Konami characters. There are five different single player modes as well as local and Internet-based multiplayer support for up to six players at a time.

As you speed around each track trying to get the fastest lap you can pick up nitro boosts, obstacles that slow down your opponents and other powerups. Each character sports different capabilities, too.

Philips Set to Debut Wireless HDMI

Philips has announced a wireless HDMI product that lets consumers connect home electronics products, like a television and a Blu-Ray player, without using any wires, it said on Thursday.

Philips will start shipping the Wireless HDMI Link September in Germany. Details on availability in other parts of the world weren't available.

The product consists of two boxes; the image source -- for example, a set top box or a Blu-Ray player -- is connected to a transmitter box and the TV or the projector is connected to a smaller receiver box. The Wireless HDMI Link only makes sense if the two products are not located next to each other, but in different parts of the living room.

The distance between the transmitter and receiver can be up to 25 meters, but only if the two are located in the same room, according to Georg Wilde, spokesman at Philips. The product supports resolutions of up to 1080p.

But getting rid of wires in the living room won't be cheap; the Wireless HDMI Link will cost €600 (US$850).

Free Stuff for Your Phone

The only thing better than cool iPhone apps? Free iPhone apps. Of course, iTunes' App Store doesn't do a particularly good job highlighting the freebies. This week I've got a Web site that alerts you to newly free iPhone apps, a service that lets you exchange electronic business cards via phone, and a few ways to locate iTunes' weekly freebies.

Find Free Apps for Your iPhone

FreeAppAlert catalogs all newly free iPhone apps. The site (a must-bookmark for iPhone and iPod Touch owners) lists an updated-daily collection of each newly free app along with its former price tag and one or more thumbnail screenshots.

When you mouse over a thumbnail, the full-size version of the screenshot appears immediately--a nice alternative to clicking all the way through to the App Store just to see what an app looks like.

Likewise, you can show or hide an application's description by clicking View Description; no need to leave the page.

FreeAppAlert has a Twitter feed; you can also become a fan on Facebook and subscribe to an RSS feed.

Bottom line: If you like free apps, you'll like FreeAppAlert.

Opera Offers Browser Update

Opera Software has unveiled the release candidate version of its web browser Opera 10.

Opera said the Release Candidate is "feature complete, with a surprising array of new features, a fresh look and feel, a new application icon, and enhanced speed and performance". The full version of the web browser is expected to be made publicly available on September 1. (See also "Hands on with the Opera 10 Web Browser Beta")

Opera 10 benefits from Opera Turbo, the new bandwidth-booster for slow Internet connections. The browser also features improvements to Opera Mail, Opera's built-in e-mail client, as well as resizeable thumbnail tabs for tabbed browsing and the chance to personalise the overall look and feel of the start page. Opera claims the browser is more than 40 percent faster than Opera 9.6.

"The release candidate pushes us closer to the final launch of Opera 10," said Jan Standal, vice president of Desktop Products, Opera.

"We paid special attention to the mail client, which is one of our most enduring and popular features. Now, we are very close to releasing the best browser in Opera's long history."

Opera 10 Release Candidate can be downloaded from Opera's website.

Wikipedia Changes Editing Policy

he innovative online user-written encyclopedia Wikipedia is growing up, and with its growth comes a massive change to how it operates. Back in its early days, Wikipedia could be edited by anyone. Then it nixed the concept of anonymous edits and required authentication. Now contributors can write what they want, but if editing certain articles, the changes must be verified by an experienced volunteer before publication.

The Wikimedia Foundation, the parents behind the Wiki Empire, calls the new philosophy "flagged revisions." Changes to certain articles on the site are invisible until approved by an "experienced volunteer," which, according to Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, may be "anybody who has been around a very short period of time [on the site] and hasn't been blocked." Once approved, the changes will appear, but it's uncertain exactly how long the process might take -- could be hours, weeks, or months.

At the moment, a few thousand articles on the U.S. site are beholden to the new rule -- such as those about President Obama, Michael Jackson, and Britney Spears -- but Wikipedia wishes to broaden its scope and apply these new rules to every article about a living person. The German language version of Wikipedia already restricts editing on all of its articles, so it's not a long shot that a similar attitude may hit the U.S. site soon. (A programmer pulled back the veil on that anonymous editing a few years ago with a tool that exposed the source of edits, so readers could assess their credibility.)

Vandalism is the reason behind the change. All too often Wikipedia pages are marred by opposing political views, immature writers, and false information. A recent example was the falsely reported death of Senator Edward Kennedy in January; a sad proclamation that is now, unfortunately, all too true.

This may come as a shock, an affront to the democratic philosophy behind Wikipedia. Some bloggers claim this is a "failure," and that the credo of Wikipedia has died hard. But exactly the opposite may be true: I feel as though this is a necessary step in taking a Web site from the playground to the stadium. Wikipedia should now be taken more seriously, rather than taken with a grain of salt.

AndreaMosaic 3.32.3

Download Now

• Price: Free
• Operating system: Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 2000, Windows 7, Windows XP

AndreaMosaic allows you to create you own photographic mosaics, also known as Photomosaic. Choose the photo you want to reproduce, then choose any collection of photos to be used as the tiles of the mosaic, including film and videos. AndreaMosaic is a professional tool, it provides an easy to use interface, and many advanced features to achieve outstanding mosaics. Such features include on-the-fly creation of image variants, automatic cropping to fit the tile aspect ratio, advanced photo mosaic rendering with intelligent color adjustment, advanced analysis and selection of the tile images to match the details of your image and prevent close duplicates, handling of large image collections and high resolution mosaics. And best of all.

Kontakt Player Launched

Native Instruments has introduced Kontakt Player, a free software instrument based on its Kontakt 3 sampler. It offers universal playback for available Kontakt libraries and forms the basis of a new category of "Kontakt-powered" instruments.

The new player is the central instrument for all Kontakt sound materials for both studio and live performance environments. It accommodates all regular Kontakt-format libraries as well as all generations of third-party Kontakt Player instruments, including Kompakt and Intakt formats as well as Native Instruments' Akoustik Piano, Elektrik Piano, and Bandstand instruments.

The new player is based on the Kontakt 3.5 engine, and features 64-bit support, extended memory addressing, advanced DFD streaming, true multiprocessor support, and more. It provides complete playback functionality with universal import and sound manipulation via its Performance View panels. It omits only the in-depth editing features of the full-featured Kontakt 3.5. All sound libraries are managed in a graphical library browser, providing an overview of your sound collections.

Kontakt Player is also the basis for a new range of self-powered, sample-based instruments, which will be available for download and purchase directly from Native Instruments. Now available are the company's new Maschine Drum Selection--hard-hitting drum and percussion sounds for modern electronic and club music styles--and Evolve Mutations--a new instrument for movie, TV, and game composers.

The Maschine Drum Selection, priced at $59, contains 20 full drum kits adapted from the company's Maschine factory library. As a Kontakt-Powered instrument, the Maschine Drum Selection is ready to play both as a standalone instrument and as a plug-in for all major instrument hosts, providing an assortment of gritty urban kits, heavily processed acoustic drums, and vintage analog samples for various electronic music genres. It offers soundshaping controls, and includes a flexible graphical step sequencer that can be used to set up intricate grooves directly within Kontakt Player and Kontakt 3. All kits are also included in additional formats for use within Kore 2, Kore Player, and Battery 3.

Developed in collaboration with sound design house Heavyocity, and powered by the Kontakt engine, Evolve Mutations includes instruments, rhythms, and ambiences designed to add depth and impact to dramatic music. It contains 275 new instruments based on 2GB of exclusive sample material. It offers playback and sound shaping functionality within the Player software, including efficient envelope, filter and effects control. All sounds can also be loaded into the full version of the Kontakt 3 sampler for advanced sound editing. It sells for $119.

The launch of Kontakt Player is also accompanied by the free Kontakt Factory Selection, a 650MB download featuring 50 instruments from the Kontakt 3 library. This collection features sounds and instruments from Kontakt's Band, Synth, Urban Beats, Vintage, and World libraries.

Kontakt Player runs as a stand-alone application or as VST or Audio Units plug-in, and as RTAS under Pro Tools 7 or 8. The Kontakt Player requires Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5, a G5 running at 1.8GHz or an Intel Core Duo processor running at 1.66GHz, plus 1GB RAM.

Microsoft Takes Windows 7 RTM Public

Microsoft will kick off the public roll-out of Windows 7's final code Thursday when it posts the official "release to manufacturing" (RTM) build of the OS on its for-pay developer and IT professional sites.

As Microsoft announced last month when it declared Windows 7 finished, RTM will be delivered first to TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers.

Only the English-language editions of Windows 7 will hit the download sections of the two services tomorrow. Other language-specific versions of the new operating system will be available on TechNet and MSDN Oct. 1.

Software and hardware vendors will be able to download Windows 7 RTM Thursday as well, from either MSDN or Microsoft Connect, the company's primary beta software portal.

Some beta testers will also be able to grab Windows 7 RTM on Thursday. Last week, Microsoft did a 180 and said that people who participated in its invitation-only Technical Beta Program will be rewarded with a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, which they can download from Connect.

Companies with Software Assurance plans can download RTM starting Friday.

The general public, however, will have to wait until Oct. 22, Windows 7's launch day, to put eyes legally on the final version. Pirated copies of RTM have been widely available on file-sharing sites since mid-July.

Users not on Windows 7's A-list can still download the Release Candidate (RC), which Microsoft makes available free-of-charge on its Web site. Although the company had originally pegged Aug. 15 as the drop dead date for Windows 7 RC, it has since extended the deadline to Aug. 20.

Firefox Hits 1 Billion Downloads

Mozilla's Firefox Web browser has just hit a new milestone, reaching its 1 billionth user download. The big event happened Thursday night, according to the company's official download counter.

To be clear, that's 1 billion total downloads since Firefox's 2004 debut -- an atypical type of statistic to flaunt. Still, if you look at the more standard measures of success, Firefox is showing impressive growth, while the long-time industry giant continues to slide.

Firefox 3.5

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Mozilla Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser. Firefox includes pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, integrated Google search, simplified privacy controls, a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time online.

Firefox 3.5 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 rendering platform, which has been under development for the past year. Firefox 3.5 offers many changes over the previous version, supporting new web technologies, improving performance and ease of use, and adding new features for users: It is now available in more than 70 languages, includes a Private Browsing mode, better performance and stability with the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, the ability to provide Location Aware Browsing using web standards for geolocation, support for native JSON, and web worker threads, support for new web technologies such as: HTML5 <> and <> elements, downloadable fonts and other new CSS properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 offline data storage for applications, and SVG transforms.

Version 3.5.1 introduces a fix for a critical security hole, improving stability, and speeding launch time on some Windows systems

From Mozilla :

LG Introduces Ultra-Slim LCD TVs

At LG’s fifth annual summer line show in New York City, the company introduced two new HDTV lines, the SL80 and SL90. Both caught my attention for their attention to design.

The SL90 LG had on display was still a prototype; the company flew the display unit in especially for its media showcase. And even though this prototype had a rough edge or two, it clearly showed off the potential for this TV to transform the design landscape for LCD HDTVs.

The 47SL90 on show uses a Super IPS LCD panel, and has seamless, edge-to-edge glass. The effect is highly effective: The glass coating of the panel stretches elegantly from one side to the other, with a slim (less than one-inch) bezel. The edge-to-edge glass looks very striking; LG is the first to offer this technology. Slim HDTVs were all the rage at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008, but the furor died down and few products made it to market.

The SL90 Series (available in 42-inch and 47-inch screen sizes)uses LED backlighting technology with local dimming. The SL90 Series supports 120Hz for improved fast-motion performance, but not LG’s even better 240Hz technology. LG’s Tim Alessi, director of new products development for home entertainment, says that the SL90 LG could only be produced with 120Hz technology because the edgelit backlighting used by the LEDs can’t be used in conjunction with the scanning backlight technology used by the company’s approach to 240Hz.

Because the SL90 Series uses LED technology, though, the set is extremely thin: It measures just 1.15 inches in depth.

The SL80 Series, also introduced today, is a little deeper: This slim CCFL-based display measures 1.8 inches deep. The SL80 otherwise looks the same as the SL90, with edge-to-edge backlighting, and it uses LG’s 240Hz technology for handling fast action. The SL80 will be available in 42-inch, 47-inch, and 55-inch screen sizes, and will carry a $200 premium over the LG LH55 Series, the company’s current high-end 240Hz series.

The SL90 will ship in October; pricing has yet to be announced. The SL80 will ship at the end of August.

Thunderbird 3's latest beta out now

now available to download for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. The beta introduces some significant improvements to the open-source desktop client, from performance to interface.

The new beta is built on Mozilla's Gecko 1.9.1.1 platform, keeping it up to date with the latest changes that affect Firefox. Mozilla also claims that there are more than 500 changes in this version, and hints at more alterations to come by stating in a press release that many of them are ''laying the groundwork for future changes''. On his blog, Chief Technical Officer of Mozilla Messaging Dan Mosedale said that many of the improvements will help support the new global database search engine. Based on these comments, more betas of Thunderbird 3 are expected.

The interface and behavioral changes in this beta are significant and should be easy to spot for longtime 'bird-watchers. The biggest is that Thunderbird now supports e-mail tabs. If you've checked out the highly unstable Shredder version of Thunderbird, or Postbox, a competitor that's based on Thunderbird's own open-source code, you've known that this feature has been due for a while.

Hitting Enter or double-clicking a message will now open it in a new tab and make it your focus. Middle-click an e-mail to open it in a new tab but retain your focus on the current tab--usually the folder pane. You can switch tabs via the hot key combo CTRL+Tab, and the new tab menu button on the right side of the tab bar will help you manage your tabs.

Another new feature is the message summary view, which you can see when you select multiple messages at once. They'll open in the message preview pane. Changes to folders include a Smart Folders mode, which gives users the ability to combine inboxes from multiple accounts, and the new ability to customize column headings on a per-folder basis.

Gmail integration has existed in Thunderbird for a while, but improvements to the feature in this beta include better recognition and integration of Gmail's special folders. These include Sent and Trash, and non-English versions of Gmail. All Mail defaults in Thunderbird to the Archives folder.

The account setup wizard has been overhauled. Reachable under File, then New, Mail, and Account (Quick Setup), Thunderbird now looks to mozillamessaging.com to look for additional information on how to configure the account. Mosedale stressed in his blog that only the domain name from your e-mail address gets sent to Mozilla's servers, and that the entire process falls under the Mozilla's privacy policy. Nevertheless, it's a move that's likely to cause some concern among privacy advocates.

The compact header mode has been deleted, which is sure to annoy those who like using Thunderbird on smaller-form computers like netbooks. Mosedale cited bandwidth issues as well an ongoing need to improve the design and configurability of the feature.

In my own experiences with Thunderbird 3 beta 3 for half a day, users with large inboxes should be careful to note that Thunderbird now adds all your messages to its search archives. This can hamper performance until it's completed. Also note that the calendar extension Lightning isn't compatible with beta 3 unless you're using the nightly build.

Malware Expected to Set Records This Year

Security firm McAfee has identified more than 1.2 million different types of malware in the first half of 2009.

McAfee said that this is over double the 500,000 unqiue pieces of malware it identified in the same period in 2008. In total, the security firm identified 1.5 milliion types of malware in 2008, and it expects the 2009 figure to top this.

"In the first half of 2009, we have seen about three times the unique malware discovered in the same period in 2008," said Dave Marcus, director of security research and communications at McAfee.
"This tremendous growth is a signal of daunting times for users, as malware infiltrates more and more of the platforms we trust."

McAfee also revealed that around 40 percent of all password-stealing Trojans can be found on websites connected to gaming and virtual worlds, while 80 percent of all banking e-mail recieved by Web users are phishing scams.

McAfee also said on average victim's of phishing scams lose £520 per scam.

Adobe Flash Flaw Exploited in Web Sites, Researcher Warns

A vulnerability that Adobe has confirmed to exist in a number of its Reader, Flash Player, and Acrobat products is being exploited through malicious Flash code in Web pages, according to one researcher.

[As reported previously, the vulnerability is also being exploited via a malicious PDF file attack that can potentially crash Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems and according to Adobe, "potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system."]

However, there is also another way the Adobe Flash vulnerability is being exploited, according to Paul Royal, principal researcher at Purewire, says the Adobe Flash vulnerability is being exploited through Web pages with the Flash exploit embedded in them as multimedia.

Royal described this form of attack as including "a Flash movie of one-frame length. This malicious Flash file is being embedded in Web pages, sometimes of legitimate Web sites that are compromised."Purewire's research indicates this malicious Flash movie file is just different enough from the PDF file exploit that it isn't being detected by many anti-malware software packages yet.

But Royal adds that just last week more anti-malware vendors have worked to update their software to detect the malicious PDF file exploit, generally sent as an e-mail spam attachment. The malicious PDF file appears to be used mostly in targeted attacks against specific corporations.

In its advisory, which is being updated as needed, Adobe states "A critical vulnerability exists in the current versions of Flash Player (v9.0159.0 and v.10.022.87) for Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems, and the authplay.dll component that ships with Adobe Reader and Acrobat v.9x for Windows, Macintosh and Unix operating systems. This vulnerability could cause a crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system."

Adobe, which says it is in contact with several antivirus and security firms concerning the Flash vulnerability, states it intends to provides fixes for most of the affected products by the end of the month.

WebOS Update Re-enables ITunes Sync on Palm Pre

Palm released webOS 1.1 on Friday as a free update to all existing Palm Pre owners. The update features slight enhancements and UI improvements across the board, a handy new feature that reminds you of specific tasks related to someone when a call from them comes in (so you never miss any opportunity to remind that one friend how much he owes you), and a new application from Sprint that allows you to watch or listen to live NFL games on the Pre itself.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos Apologizes for Removing Digital Books

In an era when corporate CEOs are urged by consultants to quickly apologize for mistakes, Amazon.com's founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has taken that advice to heart.

In an extraordinary blog posted yesterday, Bezos apologized for Amazon's handling of illegally sold copies of George Orwell's 1984 and other novels on the Amazon Kindle e-reader.

"Our 'solution' to the problem was stupid, thoughtless and painfully out of line with our principles," Bezos wrote. "It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission."

It's Done! Windows 7 Released to Manufacturers

Microsoft has announced this afternoon that Windows 7 has been released to manufacturing. In other words, Windows 7 development has wrapped up, and it'll now go on to PC manufacturers so they can prepare for October's Windows 7 launch.

According the the Windows 7 Team Blog, the RTM is build 7600. The public beta was build 7000, and the release candidate was build 7100. Microsoft has also announced that Windows Server 2008 R2 has also reached RTM status.

Publish Post

Yahoo Home Page Gets a New Look

Yahoo today launched what some are calling a significant overhaul to its home page. Yahoo says the new home page is designed to help you stay on top of what is going on in your world, and on the rest of the planet. What the search company has really done, however, is tweaked its old design and added some new, more flexible features that just might pull more users into its sphere. This includes adding more personalized features and the ability to pull a wide range of third-party services into Yahoo in ways that weren't previously available.

Here's what's new:

My Favorites

The most significant change is in Yahoo's right-hand column, which has been renamed My Favorites. Under the old home page, this column was filled with Yahoo services including games, shopping, Yahoo personals and other features. The new design allows you to choose from a wide range of third-party sites and services, including Facebook, news sites, and e-Bay. Yahoo has also moved Yahoo Mail, Messenger, and other Yahoo service over to the "My Favorites" section. When you hover over any of these widgets, a display pops up with an advertisement and your information.

App Maker

In addition to the more than 65 widgets you can place on your new Yahoo homepage, you can also make your own. Just click on 'Add' at the bottom of the My Favorites list, and then at the very top of the widget list you can enter the Web address for anything you want to keep track of and give it your own name. If the import is successful, you now have a new widget on your home page.

Trend Setter

Taking its cue from Twitter's Trending Topics, Yahoo now features the current top ten favorite searches. The Trend Setter box is located on the top left of the home page, where users used to access their e-mail, messenger, games and weather under the old design

Personalized News

The news tabs have moved down a bit, but now have a local news section. Just type in a U.S. City or Zip and Yahoo delivers news from local news outlets.

PC To Mobile Sync

This feature isn't available yet, but Yahoo says that soon your Yahoo mobile page will match the edits you've made on the desktop version.

If you want to try out the new features you have to opt-in when you arrive at Yahoo's home page; alternatively, you can go to Yahoo.com/trynew. Today's launch is only available to users in the United States, and availability will expand over the coming week to users in France, India, and the U.K. Mobile device users will also see the new Yahoo home page this week, but the company didn't specify which countries would see the mobile version first. If you live in the rest of the world, Yahoo says it will be rolling out the new home page to more countries in the coming months.

Microsoft: Portable Xbox Device is Coming

It's just a matter of time before a mobile Xbox device becomes available. That's the word from Microsoft corporate vice president Shane Kim, who dropped the bombshell in an interview with game-enthusiast site Kikizo.

Kim, a major player in Microsoft's Xbox program, made the statement toward the end of a wide-ranging chat with Kikizo's Adam Doree, who asked how the Xbox brand might extend into the mobile-gaming arena.

Kim explained that while Microsoft has focused lately on the "living room experience," its recent efforts do segue logically into mobile gaming. These include the ability for users to buy and download Xbox 360 games via Xbox live; and Project Natal, a motion-sensing technology that lets you control video games and Xbox 360 menus with body movements rather than with a peripheral controller:

With the emergence of the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch as portable gaming systems, the massive success of the Nintendo DS, and ongoing rumors of Sony's intentions to launch a PlayStation phone, it's no shocker than Microsoft has major plans for a mobile Xbox platform.

But if Microsoft chooses to build its own Xbox portable, how might the device differ from the upcoming Zune HD, Redmond's answer to the iPod touch? From a competitive standpoint, the Zune HD should be able to play games, and not just Solitaire and Minesweeper.

Other reports have Xbox 360 games migrating to a variety of cell phones, so Microsoft take that path rather than building its own Xbox-branded hardware devices.

SyncMate 2.0 released

Eltima released a new version of its SyncMate synchronization tool this week. The latest release, SyncMate 2.0, gives Mac users the ability sync their computers with Nokia series 40 mobile phones, Google accounts, and other Macs in addition to Windows Mobile devices.

Version 2.0 also feature interface enhancements and new plugins.

Features

• Multitasking Now SyncMate provides you with the possibility to synchronize many devices simultaneously. You can sync your Mac with another Mac, your Windows Mobile device, Nokia series 40 phone or your Google account. You can do that all at once and have an instant access to synchronized devices from the main toolbar!

• Calendars synchronization Never miss a day or a date! Synchronize your iCal calendars and even your Google calendars to numerous devices at a time.

• Contacts synchronization With SyncMate we tried to help you keep your address books organized at all your devices. You can simply synchronize your phone or Pocket PC with your Mac, Mac with other Macs and other devices at a time! Plus you can backup your valuable contacts to secure online storage and access them from your Mac whenever you need. Synchronize your Google Contacts, too!

• SMS reader Read all your text messages not even touching your mobile device!

Firefox 3.5.1 Fixes Critical Security Flaw

The Mozilla Corp. has released Firefox 3.5.1, a new version of their Web browser. The new release corrects a security problem the company acknowledged earlier this week as “critical.” Firefox is available for free download from the Web site.

Firefox 3.5.1 corrects the security flaw identified in Mozilla Foundation Security Advisory 2009-41: a problem with the software’s “Just-In-Time” (JIT) compiler used for JavaScript. A crash could result in an exploitable memory corruption problem that could, under certain cases, be exploited by an attacker to run arbitrary code, like malware.

Express Burn 4.26

• License: Free
  
• Operating Systems: Windows 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 32-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows 2000, Windows 7, Windows XP
• Additional Requirements: No additional requirements

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Express Burn you create and record MP3/WAV formats to CD in Windows for free. With Express Burn you can record a CD quickly and easily by dragging the files you want onto the Express Burn icon and clicking 'Burn'. The software then does the rest, including converting the files to .cda. Audio is recorded with direct digital recording (so perfect audio quality is maintained). Audio CD burning supports wav, mp3, wma, au, aiff, ra, ogg, flac, aac and a number of other audio file formats. Can burn audio CDs in seamlessly mode (with no pause between tracks). Normalize audio volume of tracks. Supports multi session recording to Audio CD. Records CD Recordable (CDR) and CD Re-recordable (CDRW) discs. Features a trial of Paid functionality - Video DVD Authoring and Data DVD Recording.

Sony Ericsson Launches 8.1-megapixel Camera Phone

Drag, drop, enjoy - Media Go™

The perfect entertainment organiser - Media Go™ makes it easier than ever before to bring your media with you, wherever you go. Transfer your media files between your phone and PC via drag and drop. File conversion is hassle-free, too: Media Go™ automatically converts films and music files to give you the best possible quality.

New applications

View the latest video clips on YouTube™, print your photos via Snapfish, capture the smile with Smile Shutter™, find your way with Wayfinder Navigator™ or start a chat-style SMS conversation – you can do it all with the C905.
If you already own a C905 and need to get these goodies

Bring out the photographer in you

With incredible detail, true colours and Smart Contrast, the C905 is a truly extraordinary camera for capturing those extraordinary moments. Take a look at a selection of images shot by Danish photographer Casper Sejersen using nothing but the C905 Cyber-shot™.

PlayNow™ arena

Instant access to music, games and all the other stuff you need to spice up your phone. The PlayNow™ arena is more than a store; it’s a unique multimedia experience. Let your phone be your shopping window or enter the PlayNow™ arena from your PC.

Cyber-shot™

Sony Ericsson’s megapixel digital camera gives you crisp high resolution every time and added features more common to standalone cameras.

Face detection

Want the people in your photos to come out sharp and clear? With the Face detection function activated, the camera automatically finds - and focuses on - the face in your viewfinder.

DLNA sharing

Your phone has DLNA support, allowing you to connect wirelessly to other electronic devices via Wi-Fi. See your photos on your TV, for example - just connect, sit down and enjoy.

The Wi-Fi alternative

For a fast Internet connection in hotspots, your phone has Wi-Fi support.

Media player

Enjoy music and video playback using the integrated Media player. Several file formats are supported.

Palm Pre

The Palm Pre is a multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Palm, Inc. with a multi-touch screen and a sliding keyboard. The phone was launched on June 6, 2009, and is the first to use Palm's new Linux-based operating system, webOS. The Pre functions as a camera phone, a portable media player, a GPS navigator, and an Internet client (with text messaging, email, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity).

The Pre has received very positive reviews from technology critics, winning CNET's Best in Show, Best in Category: Cell Phones & Smartphones, and People's Voice for 2009.

Screen and input

The Pre features a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen over a 24-bit color 320×480 resolution HVGA liquid-crystal display. The touchscreen allows for manipulation of the UI with fingers instead of a stylus, commonly used with older Palm phones and PDAs. Below the display is the so-called "Gesture Area", a touch-sensitive area with LED underlighting that permits additional touch commands.

Like other recent Palm phones, the Pre features a full QWERTY keyboard. On the Pre, the keyboard slides out, and is curved to follow the contour of the human face. In addition to the keyboard, the device features a single button in the center of the Gesture Area, a volume rocker switch on the side, and a ringer switch on the top.

The Pre features three input sensors that allow it to respond to its surroundings. An accelerometer automatically changes the orientation of the display between landscape and portrait when the device is rotated in the user's hands. An ambient light sensor allows the Pre to automatically adjust the brightness of its display. A proximity sensor allows the Pre to disregard touch inputs when the phone is held close to a user's face during a call.

The Pre also has an integrated 3 megapixel digital camera with LED flash

Connectivity

The Pre will be available with high-speed connectivity on either EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA, depending on location. The Pre also includes 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with support for A2DP stereo headsets. A-GPS with support for turn-by-turn navigation is also included. For charging and data-transfer, the Pre uses a microUSB connector with USB 2.0 support, and audio output is supported by a standard 3.5 mm headphone jack. While the phone reports support for the Bluetooth DUN protocol, Sprint is not permitting use of the Pre in tethered (or "Phone as Modem") mode, and has made no announcements that this mode will be offered in the future.

Internal Storage Capacity

The Pre has 8.0 GB of internal flash storage (approximately 7.4 GB of which is user accessible). The Pre does not have a flash memory card slot

Charging

The Pre is one of the first smartphones to feature wireless charging, using electromagnetic induction through an optional wireless charging dock (dubbed the "Touchstone") and a special back cover, which also is sold separately. Users can still charge the phone using the supplied MicroUSB cable.

Software

The Pre is the first Palm device to use webOS, the Linux based platform that replaces Palm's previous Palm OS. Developed from scratch for use in mobile phones - whereas Palm OS was originally designed for PDAs - webOS is capable of supporting built-in first party applications, as well as third party applications.

Interface

The webOS interface is based around a system of "cards" used to manage multitasking. Applications can be launched from either the "Launcher", which displays up to 3 pages of applications icons in a scrollable grid, or the Quick Launch bar, which displays 5 icons inline horizontally. The user switches between running applications by clicking the front-face button to bring up the "cards" and then flicking left and right on the screen. Applications are closed by flicking a "card" up - and "off" - the screen.

webOS also supports multi-touch gestures, enabling most navigational input to be made using the touchscreen. However, since the Pre includes the slide-out keyboard, it does not include a virtual keyboard as many other touchscreen smartphones do.

Synergy

webOS includes a feature called Synergy that integrates information from many sources. webOS allows a user to sign in to accounts on Gmail, Facebook, and Microsoft Outlook (via Exchange ActiveSync). Contacts from all sources are then integrated into a single list. Calendars from multiple sources can be viewed together or one at a time. For messaging, Synergy combines all conversations with each contact into a single chat-style window. For example, instant messages and SMS text messages are viewed together.

Web Browser

The webOS web browser is WebKit-based and, thus, pages appear the same as they do in other WebKit-based browsers like Safari, the iPhone browser, Google Chrome, and Nokia Web Browser for S60. The browser can be viewed in either landscape or portrait orientation, switched by rotating the device. In addition, on February 16, 2009, Adobe announced that it will be developing a version of Adobe Flash Player for webOS.

Syncing
The device makes use of the cloud based services model, but uses no desktop sync client (in the style of Palm's HotSync synchronization method).

Palm has referenced a number of solutions for users who need to sync with their desktop software like Palm Desktop, Microsoft Outlook, or IBM Lotus Notes. Additionally, Mark Space Software has announced Macintosh desktop sync software, and Chapura such software for Windows. Palm has offered an online guide to help customers.

iTunes syncing

Palm has announced that the Pre will be capable of "seamlessly" synchronizing with Apple's iTunes via its Media Sync feature. The Pre is believed to achieve this by switching its USB Product and Vendor IDs to those of an Apple iPod, thereby mimicking or "spoofing" the Apple device.

Third-party applications

Third parties are able to develop web apps that run natively within webOS. In addition, Palm has announced that they have partnered with certain trusted third-parties that have been given greater access to Pre functionality. At launch, 18 applications were available in the Palm App Catalog. One of the apps, available at launch, is "Classic", a Palm OS emulator that can run a large number of the roughly 50,000 apps for the Palm OS.