This article was written on September 21, 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–
Firefox Users are Upgrading Adobe Flash
When Firefox users upgrade their browser they are shown a page that informs them of whether they’re running the latest version of the Flash plugin. Mozilla has released some stats, and apparently over 10 million users clicked the “upgrade” link in a one-week period. That’s about 30% of the people who upgraded to the latest Firefox 3.5 release, which I’d say is a pretty successful number. Nice job Mozilla!
Microsoft Offers Windows 7 for $30 to Students
College and university students can grab a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium for a mere $30. This isn’t a surprising offer since Microsoft also runs “the Ultimate Steal” which provides a copy of Office 2007 at 90% off the retail price. Windows 7 Home Premium retails for $120, which isn’t exactly 90% off, but a good deal nonetheless.
Opera Mini 5 Beta Gets Speed Dial, Tabs, and More
The Beta release of Opera Mini 5 has some incredible new features including a password manager, Speed Dial for your favorite sites, and even tabs. What’s even better, however, is the fact that it’s also optimized for touchscreen devices, and browsing with it looks pretty darn nice. Videos are available for those of you who want to check it out, but don’t have a device you can install it on.
Zune 4.0 Optimized for Windows 7
The new Zune 4.0 software comes with a lot of nice enhancements, but Windows 7 users will also be able to enjoy a few little extras. That includes jump list support and media controls (play, forward, etc…) when viewing the Taskbar preview. Aside from these Windows 7 specific features there’s also a new Quickplay interface, a Smart DJ that will mix your songs, and a Mini Player Mode.
–News in Brief–
Google Chrome 3.0 Leaves Beta
A new stable release of Google Chrome is available, and brings a refreshed new tab page, theme support, and more.
Windows Live Writer Getting a Ribbon Interface?
Looks like there are some clues pointing to a ribbon-style interface in Windows Live Writer.
Hulu Working on a Subscription-Based Model
Some sources are saying that Hulu is working on a subscription-based version of their online television viewer, but no details are available. Does this mean we could pay to get commercial-free viewing, or maybe they’d even allow users from outside the U.S.?
Digsby Cleans Up Installer, a Little
Digsby is trying to make amends with some of their users by making it a bit more obvious what you’re getting into when installing their messenger software.
YouTube Adds Resume Support on Longer Videos
If you’re watching a YouTube video longer than 20 minutes, close the page, and then reopen it you should see that the video will pick up where you left off.
Initial Snow Leopard Sales Double that of Leopard
According to a research firm Apple has sold more than double the number of Snow Leopard copies as they did Leopard in 2007.
Google Wants Chrome at 10% Market Share in 2-years
In one year Google wants to have 5% of the browser market share, and in two years they want to have 10% market share.
Google Acquires reCAPTCHA
The acquisition of reCAPTCHA by Google was a smart one, because they can now use the technology to help with Optimal Character Recognition (OCR) for their books.
Bing Grabs Over 10% of the Search Market
Bing’s market share rose another 22% from July to August, which gives them 10% of the overall search market.
Google Fast Flip: A New Way to Read News
Last week Google showed off a new visual approach to keeping up on the lastest news.
Wii Price Cut Coming: $199
Several advertisements for retailers are showing a $50 price cut on the Wii that will be coming soon, and will bring it down to $199.
Intuit Acquires Mint for $170 Million
Intuit, the creators of Quicken, can now add Mint to their repertoire of online financial management tools.
Bing’s New Way to Search: Visually
Bing now lets users search for items, such as cars, visually. You must have Silverlight installed if you want to try it out.
–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–
Using Dropbox for more than File Syncing
I’ve got into using Dropbox for a lot more than just syncing files, and this guide covers some of the things I’m using it for. One of my favorites is being able to remotely kick off a torrent download so that it’s completed by the time I get home. The list also covers syncing your passwords, your Pidgin profile, and portable applications.
How to Rip Your Music
Gizmodo has put together a great guide for anyone looking to rip some CD’s on both Windows and Mac. Many audio players, such as iTunes, include this kind of functionality. Music fanatics, however, might not like the lack of control they have over how their music is ripped. This guide puts the control back in your hands.
Hide Your Tweeting While at Work
This article covers two different apps that will mask your tweeting habits while your at work: one that simulates the command prompt, and another that looks like a spreadsheet. My favorite is the spreadsheet app, called Spreadtweet, that can resemble iWork, Office 2003, or Office 2007. It will certainly make you do a double-take the first time you see it.
Backup Your Wireless Settings in Windows 7
Windows 7 includes a nice new feature that lets you save your wireless settings to an executable. These settings can then be restored simply by running the executable. How is this useful? Well, if you have a complicated security key this could make it easy for guests to connect to your network without walking them through a long set of instructions.
–Tips in Brief–
Automatically Adjust Screen Resolutions for Each PC User
This free app will let you set screen resolutions based upon which user is currently logged in to the machine.
Restore Zune 4.0′s “Missing” Features (users outside the U.S.)
Are you missing some of the cool new features in the Zune 4.0 software simply because you live outside the U.S.? This is your solution.
Windows 7 Jump List Support for Winamp
Winamp may not natively include Jump List support in Windows 7, but a plugin is available that can add the jumpy goodness to your Taskbar.
Hide Outlook to the System Tray
Trying to conserve some of your precious Taskbar space? Throw Outlook into your System Tray with this app.
Launch Apps from Your System Tray
This application launcher lets you store shortcuts to all of your favorite apps in one easy-access System Tray icon.
Add the Recycle Bin to the Windows 7 Taskbar
Want faster access to the Recycle Bin in Windows 7? This trick will let you have it right on the Taskbar.
Alternative Sites to CliffsNotes
Not the kind of person that likes reading books? Bookmark these 7 sites… they’ll come in handy.
–Downloads–
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