Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on August 17, 2009 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–News–

Netscape Founder Backing a New Browser
Netscape helped kickstart the Internet revolution, but it didn’t take long for Internet Explorer to drive it to extinction. A start-up called RockMelt is being backed by Marc Andreessen, the founder of Netscape, who says that other browsers have not kept pace with the evolution of the web. Apparently RockMelt will be different though. It will be interesting to see what they come up with… even if their name does suck.

Windows 7 64-bit Supports 192GB of RAM
If you’ll be sporting Windows 7 Home Premium, Enterprise, or Ultimate you’ll be happy to know that you can stuff up to 192GB of RAM into your 64-bit machine and still have Windows use it all. Now that’s one way to ensure that you’re getting the smoothest gameplay out of Solitaire.

Zune HD Coming September 15th
I’ve never been a big fan of the Zune, but I have to hand it to the people who came up with the design for the Zune HD. Appearance-wise it looks unbelievable, and in a month everyone will be able to find out for themselves just how good it actually is. Pre-orders are now available.

Mac OS X Snow Leopard Goes Gold?
Rumors are floating around that the latest developer release of Snow Leopard will become the final version that ships. Apple said that their next OS will be released in September, but some sources are saying that it may be available as soon as August 28th. In the meantime the build in question (10A432) has been leaked to your neighborhood BitTorrent site.

Sync UI Appears in Google Chrome
We knew that Chrome was going to let users sync bookmarks soon, and the first glimpse of the UI has found its way into the development releases. Download Squad points out how you can enable the feature, but at this point it’s more of a “look, don’t touch” kind of thing… you can see the options but they don’t actually do anything yet.

Facebook Lite to Compete with Twitter?
Facebook accidentally rolled out a “lite” version of their site to a large number of users last week, and quickly retracted access once they caught their mistake. Facebook Lite, from the sounds of it, is inching even closer to Twitter by placing a heavy focus on status updates.

Outlook Coming to Microsoft Office for Mac
The next version of Microsoft Office for the Mac OS is due out late next year just in time for the holidays, and it will finally include what is the most requested application: Outlook! This could be pretty big news in the corporate world.

Xbox 360 Elite Dropping to $300?
The Xbox 360 has done pretty well for itself, and part of the reason is due to its competitive pricing. On August 30th it could be getting even more interesting. According to a leaked photo of a retail ad it appears as though the Xbox 360 Elite console (with a 120GB hard drive) will shave $100 off its price tag bringing it under the $300 mark.

Multitouch will be in Android 2.0
CNet is saying that Google might be including multitouch support in the Android 2.0 release that should be available later this year. Motorola is expected to have a phone ready in time to showcase the new software as well.

eBay Targets Car Dealers
Things haven’t been looking good for eBay, and now it appears that they are branching out to new markets. They’ve teamed up with General Motors to launch a new site, gm.ebay.com, which serves up vehicles from car dealers. Right now it’s limited to California while the system is tested out, but if you want to see what it’s like just use zip code 90274 to get some results. I noticed that the vehicles listed with Buy It Now prices aren’t really a bargain, but you can always name your own price with the Make an Offer option. Of course it’s up to the dealer as to whether they want to accept that price.

Google Tests Under-the-Hood Search Improvements  
Last week Google announced a new search system they’re testing called Caffeine, which at first glance is no different than their current search system. The changes, however, are all behind-the-scenes. They say that the new system focuses on size, indexing speed, accuracy, and comprehensiveness. They also provide a special URL where you can test out what the results are like.

–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

Windows 7 Review
Engadget has written up a pretty nice review of Windows 7, and they outline all of the most notable features. It’s definitely worth a read if you haven’t played with the Beta/RC yourself. I also plan on writing my own take on Windows 7, but I’ll be focusing mostly on the Media Center aspect.

FreeFileSync: Another Backup Utility
Man, there’s definitely no shortage of backup utilities out there! This is another free (and open source) solution that has quite a few advanced options to pick from, and does it all in a fairly clean interface. If you haven’t found the backup utility that fits you just right this is one you should definitely check out.

MyCollections Organizes Your Media
I’m not really the type of person who buys a lot of physical media (DVD’s, CD’s, books, etc…), but I know plenty of other people are. This app will help you organize all your stuff so that you know exactly what you’ve got. Even though it’s free I can’t help but think that they could have made the interface a bit better.

Burn Any Video to DVD
Once you’ve downloaded some television shows or movies you might be wondering how you can watch them on your TV. Some people just stick with watching them on their computers, but with the right tools you can burn just about anything to a DVD.

Good Thunderbird Themes
To be honest I never even thought to look for themes for Thunderbird, and I’m not sure why. This article covers 10 different themes that can be used with the email client… some of which are better than others. Mac users will definitely like the iLeopard theme though that makes the app fit in better with the Mac operating system.

Create Your Own URL Shortening Service
Bored? If so maybe you’ll find some enjoyment in creating your own URL shortening service. That way you won’t have to rely on some other service to manage your URL’s, but the downside is the lack of integration from third-party applications. It might be fun to do regardless.

–Downloads–

• 7-Zip 9.05 ^Alpha [Mirror]
• Avant Browser 11.7.36 [Mirror]
• CDBurnerXP 4.2.5.1490 [Mirror]
• Digsby Build 61 ^Beta [Mirror]
• FileZilla 3.2.7 [Mirror]
• Flock 2.5.2 [Mirror]
• Foobar2000 0.9.6.9 ^{Beta 1} [Mirror]
• Gimp 2.6.7 [Mirror]
• Gmail Drive 1.0.14 [Mirror]
• Miranda 0.8.4 [Mirror]
• OpenOffice.org 3.1.1 ^RC1 [Mirror]
• Opera 10.0.1699 ^{Beta 3} [Mirror]
• Safari 4.0.3 [Mirror]
• Trillian Astra 4.0.0.117 [Mirror]
• Ubuntu 9.10 ^{Alpha 4} [Mirror]
• uTorrent 2.0.0.16126 ^Beta [Mirror]

Copyright © 2009 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Xbox 360 Price Cut on August 8th – In Time for Halo 3!Xbox 360 Price Cut Coming September 7th? We Think So…Microsoft Executes Xbox 360 Price CutsXbox 360 Price Drops $50 – Confirmed!Black Xbox 360 Elite coming April 29

Those who walk while talking on cell phones are less likely than those listening to their iPods to see this clown unicycling pass, and they even struggle walking in straight lines, new research finds.

(Credit:
Western Washington University)

Most research on cell phone distraction has revolved around driving, and has led to laws against using handheld phones when behind the wheel. But it turns out that walkers using cell phones are also distracted, more so than individuals walking alone, or in pairs, or even those listening to music. In fact, so much so that only 25 percent of them even noticed a clown unicycling past. (The clown was not a lovely coincidence but rather a study prop.)

Researchers at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., set out to study inattentional blindness using the unicycling clown test, the results of which will be published in the December issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

It turns out that those walking alone, in pairs, or while listening to music noticed the unicycling clown more than 50 percent of the time, while those walking while talking into their cell phones noticed him only 25 percent of the time.

Cell phone walkers also had difficulties with the task of walking itself, and walked on average more slowly (at least they won’t hurt the clown when they bowl him over), tended to weave, and rarely acknowledged nearby individuals (which may or may not be the result of distraction).

…

Originally posted at News – Health Tech

You asked, questioned and implored — why, with all these underpowered touchscreen all-in-ones prowling our lands, can we not get a decent standalone touchscreen monitor? Well, somebody somewhere listened, and somebody else, presumably elsewhere, leaked. Presenting the entirely unofficial, but all the same real, Dell SX2210T: a 1920 x 1080 21.5-inch panel that has HDMI and DVI inputs alongside an integrated 2 megapixel webcam and microphone for your Skyping convenience. If its 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 2ms grey-to-grey response time sound familiar, it’s because the non-touch sensitive SX2210 has been available for a while already. From the support documentation we’re looking at, you’ll need to hook up an extra USB connection for the touch interface, which doesnt appear to be multitouch, but we can always hope for a miraculous firmware update down the line, right?

Update: More info has surfaced on this monitor, which can now be purchased for $469 from Dell’s online store, and will come with multtitouch panning and zooming when attached to a Windows 7 machine.

[Thanks, Bruce and dennispg]

Filed under: Displays

Dell SX2210T adds touchscreen functionality to 1080p panel (Update: multitouch!) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Double good news on the Canon front. First off we’ve got sample footage shot with a brand new Canon EOS-1D Mark IV, which does a good job of showing what the camera can handle under low lighting conditions, as well as serving as a poignant morality tale for skaters, who should never get in cars with strangers. But perhaps even more exciting is word that Canon is developing its own firmware update for the 5D Mark II that will take it into the indie filmmaker-friendly territory of 24 fps and 25 fps — something that’s always been assumed doable since the camera already shoots at 30. Details are scarce, and the firmware won’t hit until the “first half of 2010,” but if anything it should up the resale value on that 5D of yours while you claw against your credit limit for an EOS-1D Mark IV.

Read – First Canon EOS-1D MKIV movie from Vincent Laforet
Read – Canon EOS 5D Mark II to get 24 and 25fps in a firmware update!

Filed under: Digital Cameras

First Canon EOS-1D MKIV footage on display, 5D MKII will join the fun with new 24 / 25 fps firmware next year originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

The Droid’s shaping up to be a beast of an Android phone — well played, Verizon — but Motorola’s banking much of its future on its MOTOBLUR platform, which the Droid curiously lacks (though Android 2.0 adds at least some of BLUR’s functionality back in). Don’t worry, though — Verizon hasn’t forgotten about BLUR altogether, and the rumored Calgary is looking to arrive as the carrier’s next Android phone from Moto featuring BLUR in all its social network-aggregating glory. It’s clearly positioned as a lower-end device than the Droid, stepping down to a 3 megapixel cam but still managing nifty features like an optical pad, 3.5mm jack, and naturally, a full QWERTY keyboard. Considering Rubin’s ties to Danger, you could think of this as the ill-fated Sidekick Slide all grow’d up. Word has it this might hit before the end of the year, so we’ll see just how much breathing room Verizon and Moto feel like giving the Droid before coming back for Round 2, eh?

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Motorola ‘Calgary’ to bring BLUR to Verizon, Droid not looking worried originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments