Hasta La Gadget!

Just because it hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it can’t; at least that’s what a Scottish research group is hoping as it attempts to create reproductive synthetic cells made completely from metal. At this stage, the idea of sentient metallic life remains a distant sci-fi dream, but researchers at the University of Glasgow have already birthed iChells — inorganic chemical cells. These bubbles, formed from the likes of tungsten, oxygen and phosphorus, can already self-assemble, possess an internal structure, and are capable of the molecular in-and-outs expected of its biological counterparts. Researchers are still tackling how to give these little wonders the ability to self-replicate, and possibly evolve — further cementing our doom post-Robot Apocalypse. Check out our future synthetic overlord’s first steps in a video after the break.

Continue reading Scientists attempt to give spark of life to all-synthetic metal cells

Scientists attempt to give spark of life to all-synthetic metal cells originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 07:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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‘It’s playing’ will let you delete a handful of junker apps from your iPad

Move over CineXPlayer: There’s a new iPad video player in town. That should probably read “yet another new iPad video player,” but as most of those are junk, this new app really stands out.

It’s called “It’s playing 2.0,” and it’s another one of those video players which will take pretty much any file you can throw at it and play it without conversions to an iOS-friendly format first. My long-time favorite, thanks to ease of use and reliability, has been CineXPlayer, but it lacks crucial support for AC3 sound. It’s playing adds this and a lot more.

Files can be added via iTunes, or from any other app in iOS which supports the “Open In…” command (Mail and Dropbox are amongst these). Files in roughly one zillion* formats are supported, including FLV, AVI, MKV, OGG and WMV. Also supported are subtitles in separate files, and AC3 audio.

Tap the file in the source list to the left and you can either play it or tweak it. Pressing the info button lets you rename the file, choose a subtitle file (if the subtitle has the same filename as the movie, it will be added automatically). You can also pick subtitle font sizes, and adjust playback quality. “Automatic” is the default, and works fine. I tested it with a 720 x 416 AVI of a Sopranos episode and both the audio and video are smooth and clear.

It’s playing doesn’t use the standard Apple playback controls, and there’s no AirPlay support, but you can do variable-speed scrubbing on the timeline control. Move your finger further from the timeline as you scrub and the speed will slow, just like native iOS audio scrubbing. One and two-fingered swipes will skip forward and back by 30 seconds or five minutes.

But the biggest feature, and one which I haven’t seen elsewhere, is on-the-fly video adjustment and volume boost. You can adjust color, contrast and brightness using sliders in real time as the video plays. And even more important, you can boost the volume up to 200%, VLC-style. I could have done with this last week as the Lady and I struggled to hear the soundtrack of Deadwood as we recovered from food poisoning in a hotel room somewhere in Tunis, Tunisia.

Whether or not you prefer this app to others is down to choice. CineXPlayer’s subtitle selection is easier faster, for example, and Buzz player adds network streaming. But for smooth playback of high-def video, and the excellent picture and volume adjustments, It’s playing is the current champ. Bonus: it costs just $2. Available now.

It’s playing product page [It’s playing.app. Thanks, Diogo!]

* Full list of file formats and codecs below.

See Also:

• CineXPlayer Adds 3-D Conversion, Now 100% Less Ugly
• How To: Stream Video to iPad From Network Drive Without a …
• Hands-On With VLC Movie Player for iPad
• iPad Buzz Player Streams and Converts Movies From Network …

FILE EXTENSIONS
flv, gvp, xspf, xa, pls, m3u, m3u8, asx, b4s, ape, flac, wv, tta, mpc, ram, rm, rmvb, mod, xm, it, xm, aiff, aif, amr, aob, dts, spx, sdp, wav, vob, a52, ac3, aac, ogm, ogg, oga, ogv, ogx, oma, voc, vqf, anx, axa, axv, gxf, mxf, avi, mov, moov, qt, divx, dv, asf, wma, wmv, wm, mpg, mpeg, mpeg1, mpeg2, m1v, m2a, mp1, mp2, mp3, m2p, ps, ts, m2ts, mts, mt2s, m2v, mpv, mpa, mp4, mpeg4, m4v, m4a, 3gp, mid, mlp, mka, mkv, webm, rec, rmi, s3m, vro, tod, mks, nsv, nuv, ssa, ass, usf, utf, srt, rt, smi, aqt, jss, pjs, psb, sub, mpsub

FORMATS
3GP2 format, 3GP format, 4X Technologies format, IFF format, Funcom ISS format, MTV format, raw id RoQ format, a64 – video for Commodore 64, raw ADTS AAC, raw AC-3, ADTS AAC, MD STUDIO audio, Audio IFF, PCM A-law format, 3GPP AMR file format, Deluxe Paint Animation, CRYO APC format, Monkey’s Audio, Apple HTTP Live Streaming format, ASF format, ASF format, Advanced SubStation Alpha subtitle format, SUN AU format, AVI format, Flash 9 (AVM2) format, AVS format, Bethesda Softworks VID format, Brute Force & Ignorance, Bink, Interplay C93, Apple Core Audio Format, raw Chinese AVS video, CD Graphics Format, CRC testing format, D-Cinema audio format, Chronomaster DFA, raw Dirac, raw DNxHD (SMPTE VC-3), Delphine Software International CIN format, raw DTS, DV video format, MPEG-2 PS format (DVD VOB), DXA, Electronic Arts Multimedia Format, Electronic Arts cdata, raw E-AC-3, PCM 32 bit floating-point big-endian format, PCM 32 bit floating-point little-endian format, PCM 64 bit floating-point big-endian format, PCM 64 bit floating-point little-endian format, FFM (FFserver live feed) format, FFmpeg metadata in text format, Sega FILM/CPK format, Adobe Filmstrip, raw FLAC, FLI/FLC/FLX animation format, FLV format, framecrc testing format, Per-frame MD5 testing format, raw G.722, GIF Animation, raw GSM, GXF format, raw H.261, raw H.263, raw H.264 video format, id Cinematic format, image2 sequence, piped image2 sequence, raw Ingenient MJPEG, Interplay MVE format, iPod H.264 MP4 format, A format generated by IndigoVision 8000 video server, On2 IVF, Bitmap Brothers JV, lmlm4 raw format, VR native stream format (LXF), raw MPEG-4 video format, Matroska file format, Matroska/WebM file format, MD5 testing format, MicroDVD subtitle format, raw MJPEG video, raw MLP, American Laser Games MM format, Yamaha SMAF, MOV format, 3g2,mj2 QuickTime/MPEG-4/Motion JPEG 2000 format, MPEG audio layer 2, MPEG audio layer 3, MP4 format, Musepack, Musepack SV8, MPEG-1 System format, raw MPEG-1 video, raw MPEG-2 video, MPEG-2 transport stream format, MPEG-2 raw transport stream format, raw MPEG video, MIME multipart JPEG format, MSN TCP Webcam stream, PCM mu-law format, Motion Pixels MVI format, Material eXchange Format, Material eXchange Format, D-10 Mapping, MxPEG clip file format, NC camera feed format, Nullsoft Streaming Video, raw null video format, NUT format, NuppelVideo format, Ogg, Sony OpenMG audio, Playstation Portable PMP format, PSP MP4 format, Sony Playstation STR format, TechnoTrend PVA file and stream format, QCP format, REDCODE R3D format, raw video format, VC-1 test bitstream, RL2 format, RealMedia format, RPL/ARMovie format, Lego Mindstorms RSO format, RTP output format, RTSP output format, PCM signed 16 bit big-endian format, PCM signed 16 bit little-endian format, PCM signed 24 bit big-endian format, PCM signed 24 bit little-endian format, PCM signed 32 bit big-endian format, PCM signed 32 bit little-endian format, PCM signed 8 bit format, SAP output format, SDL output device, SDP, raw Shorten, Beam Software SIFF, Smacker video, Sierra SOL format, SoX native format, IEC 61937 (used on S/PDIF – IEC958), SubRip subtitle format, MPEG-2 PS format (VOB), Flash format, THP, Tiertex Limited SEQ format, 8088flex TMV, raw TrueHD, True Audio, Tele-typewriter, Renderware TeXture Dictionary, PCM unsigned 16 bit big-endian format, PCM unsigned 16 bit little-endian format, PCM unsigned 24 bit big-endian format, PCM unsigned 24 bit little-endian format, PCM unsigned 32 bit big-endian format, PCM unsigned 32 bit little-endian format, PCM unsigned 8 bit format, raw VC-1, VC-1 test bitstream format, MPEG-1 System format (VCD), Sierra VMD format, MPEG-2 PS format (VOB), Creative Voice file format, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) TwinVQ, Sony Wave64 format, WAV format, Wing Commander III movie format, WebM file format, Westwood Studios audio format, Westwood Studios VQA format, Windows Television (WTV), WavPack, Maxis XA File Format, Microsoft xWMA, Psygnosis YOP Format, YUV4MPEG pipe format

CODECS
4X Movie, QuickTime 8BPS video, 8SVX exponential, 8SVX fibonacci, 8SVX rawaudio, Multicolor charset for Commodore 64, Multicolor charset for Commodore 64, extended with 5th color (colram), Advanced Audio Coding, AAC LATM (Advanced Audio Codec LATM syntax), Autodesk RLE, ATSC A/52A (AC-3), ATSC A/52A (AC-3), ADPCM 4X Movie, SEGA CRI ADX ADPCM, ADPCM Creative Technology, ADPCM Electronic Arts, a ADPCM Electronic Arts Maxis CDROM XA, ADPCM Electronic Arts R1, ADPCM Electronic Arts R2, ADPCM Electronic Arts R3, ADPCM Electronic Arts XAS, ADPCM IMA AMV, ADPCM IMA Duck DK3, ADPCM IMA Duck DK4, s ADPCM IMA Electronic Arts EACS, d ADPCM IMA Electronic Arts SEAD, ADPCM IMA Funcom ISS, ADPCM IMA QuickTime, ADPCM IMA Loki SDL MJPEG, ADPCM IMA WAV, ADPCM IMA Westwood, ADPCM Microsoft, ADPCM Sound Blaster Pro 2-bit, ADPCM Sound Blaster Pro 2.6-bit, ADPCM Sound Blaster Pro 4-bit, ADPCM Shockwave Flash, ADPCM Nintendo Gamecube THP, ADPCM CDROM XA, ADPCM Yamaha, ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec), MPEG-4 Audio Lossless Coding (ALS), Adaptive Multi-Rate NarrowBand, Adaptive Multi-Rate WideBand, AMV Video, Deluxe Paint Animation, ASCII/ANSI art, Monkey’s Audio, Advanced SubStation Alpha subtitle, ASUS V1, ASUS V2, Atrac 1 (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding), Atrac 3 (Adaptive TRansform Acoustic Coding 3), Auravision AURA, Auravision Aura 2, AVS (Audio Video Standard) video, Bethesda VID video, Brute Force & Ignorance, Bink Audio (DCT), Bink Audio (RDFT), Bink video, BMP image, Interplay C93, CamStudio, TechSmith Screen Capture Codec, Chinese AVS video (AVS1-P2, JiZhun profile), CD Graphics video, Cinepak, Cirrus Logic AccuPak, COOK, Creative YUV (CYUV), , Chronomaster DFA, VC3/DNxHD, DPX image, Delphine Software International CIN audio, Delphine Software International CIN video, DVB subtitles, DVD subtitles, DV (Digital Video), Feeble Files/ScummVM DXA, ATSC A/52 E-AC-3, Electronic Arts CMV video, Electronic Arts Madcow Video, Electronic Arts TGQ video, Electronic Arts TGV video, Electronic Arts TQI Video, Escape 124, FFmpeg video codec #1, Huffyuv FFmpeg variant, FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), Flash Screen Video, Flash Screen Video Version 2, Autodesk Animator Flic video, Flash Video (FLV) / Sorenson Spark / Sorenson H.263, Fraps, Forward Uncompressed, G.722 ADPCM, G.726 ADPCM, GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), GSM, GSM Microsoft variant, H.261, H.263 / H.263-1996, Intel H.263, H.263+ / H.263-1998 / H.263 version 2, H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10, Huffyuv / HuffYUV, id Quake II CIN video, IFF ByteRun1, IFF ILBM, IMC (Intel Music Coder), Intel Indeo 2, Intel Indeo 3, Intel Indeo Video Interactive 5, DPCM Interplay, Interplay MVE video, , JPEG-LS, Bitmap Brothers JV video, Kega Game Video, Karl Morton’s video codec, Lagarith lossless, libx264 H.264 / AVC / MPEG-4 AVC / MPEG-4 part 10, Lossless JPEG, LOCO, MACE (Macintosh Audio Compression/Expansion) 3:1, MACE (Macintosh Audio Compression/Expansion) 6:1, Sony PlayStation MDEC (Motion DECoder), Mimic, MJPEG (Motion JPEG), Apple MJPEG-B, MLP (Meridian Lossless Packing), American Laser Games MM Video, Motion Pixels video, MP1 (MPEG audio layer 1), MP1 (MPEG audio layer 1), MP2 (MPEG audio layer 2), MP2 (MPEG audio layer 2), MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3), ADU (Application Data Unit) MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3), ADU (Application Data Unit) MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3), MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3), MP3onMP4, MP3onMP4, Musepack SV7, Musepack SV8, MPEG-1 video, MPEG-2 video, MPEG-4 part 2, MPEG-1 video, MPEG-1/2 video XvMC (X-Video Motion Compensation), MPEG-4 part 2 Microsoft variant version 3, MPEG-4 part 2 Microsoft variant version 1, MPEG-4 part 2 Microsoft variant version 2, Microsoft RLE, Microsoft Video-1, LCL (LossLess Codec Library) MSZH, Mobotix MxPEG video, Nellymoser Asao, NuppelVideo/RTJPEG, PAM (Portable AnyMap) image, PBM (Portable BitMap) image, PCM A-law, PCM signed 16|20|24-bit big-endian for Blu-ray media, PCM signed 20|24-bit big-endian, PCM 32-bit floating point big-endian, PCM 32-bit floating point little-endian, PCM 64-bit floating point big-endian, PCM 64-bit floating point little-endian, PCM signed 20-bit little-endian planar, PCM mu-law, PCM signed 16-bit big-endian, PCM signed 16-bit little-endian, PCM 16-bit little-endian planar, PCM signed 24-bit big-endian, PCM D-Cinema audio signed 24-bit, PCM signed 24-bit little-endian, PCM signed 32-bit big-endian, PCM signed 32-bit little-endian, PCM signed 8-bit, PCM unsigned 16-bit big-endian, PCM unsigned 16-bit little-endian, PCM unsigned 24-bit big-endian, PCM unsigned 24-bit little-endian, PCM unsigned 32-bit big-endian, PCM unsigned 32-bit little-endian, PCM unsigned 8-bit, PCM Zork, PC Paintbrush PCX image, PGM (Portable GrayMap) image, PGMYUV (Portable GrayMap YUV) image, HDMV Presentation Graphic Stream subtitles, Pictor/PC Paint, PNG image, PPM (Portable PixelMap) image, V.Flash PTX image, QCELP / PureVoice, QDesign Music Codec 2, Apple QuickDraw, Q-team QPEG, QuickTime Animation (RLE) video, AJA Kona 10-bit RGB Codec, Uncompressed RGB 10-bit, raw video, RealAudio 1.0 (14.4K) encoder, RealAudio 2.0 (28.8K), RL2 video, id RoQ DPCM, id RoQ video, QuickTime video (RPZA), RealVideo 1.0, RealVideo 2.0, RealVideo 3.0, RealVideo 4.0, SMPTE 302M, SGI image, Shorten, RealAudio SIPR / ACELP.NET, Smacker audio, Smacker video, QuickTime Graphics (SMC), Snow, DPCM Sol, Sonic, Sonic lossless, Sunplus JPEG (SP5X), SubRip subtitle, Sun Rasterfile image, Sorenson Vector Quantizer 1 / Sorenson Video 1 / SVQ1, Sorenson Vector Quantizer 3 / Sorenson Video 3 / SVQ3, Truevision Targa image, Theora, Nintendo Gamecube THP video, Tiertex Limited SEQ video, TIFF image, 8088flex TMV, TrueHD, Duck TrueMotion 1.0, Duck TrueMotion 2.0, DSP Group TrueSpeech, True Audio (TTA), VQF TwinVQ, Renderware TXD (TeXture Dictionary) image, IBM UltiMotion, Uncompressed 4:2:2 10-bit, Uncompressed 4:2:2 10-bit, Beam Software VB, SMPTE VC-1, ATI VCR1, Sierra VMD audio, Sierra VMD video, VMware Screen Codec / VMware Video, Vorbis, On2 VP3, On2 VP5, On2 VP6, On2 VP6 (Flash version, with alpha channel), On2 VP6 (Flash version), On2 VP8, Westwood Studios VQA (Vector Quantized Animation) video, WavPack, Windows Media Audio 9 Professional, Windows Media Audio 1, Windows Media Audio 2, Windows Media Audio Voice, Windows Media Video 7, Windows Media Video 8, Windows Media Video 9, Winnov WNV1, Westwood Audio (SND1), DPCM Xan, Wing Commander III / Xan, Wing Commander IV / Xxan, Miro VideoXL, DivX subtitles (XSUB), Psygnosis YOP Video, LCL (LossLess Codec Library) ZLIB, Zip Motion Blocks Video

The Sony Xperia Arc is a super slim Android Gingerbread-running handset. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Choosing one mobile carrier over another is, for many, a fairly arbitrary decision. The service they offer doesn’t differ that much. Coverage may be a factor if you live in the sticks, but for most people that isn’t an issue either. And the hardware is largely the same, just repackaged or rebranded.

So how can carriers like AT&T and Verizon differentiate themselves from the competition? How can they entice customers to sign up for their service as more people embrace smartphones and pricey data plans?

Apps.

AT&T, Verizon and Sprint have all launched developer-centric programs to beef up innovation and their carrier-specific app arsenals. AT&T just opened its third developer Foundry, in Palo Alto, California. Verizon offers a number of developer tools and a dedicated Android app store. Sprint has a wealth of tools and advice through its developer program.

“So far, carriers haven’t been thinking about the dev side as much. These developer centers are a first step toward that,” says John Basso, chief information officer of Amadeus Consulting, a custom software and app development company.

Historically, carriers haven’t done much to differentiate themselves beyond costly marketing campaigns for specific devices. Manufacturers, on the other hand, might try things like modifying the look of their devices through “skinning” the OS, one example being HTC Sense.

But seeing how a thriving app store is a cornerstone of a successful smartphone platform, it makes sense for carriers to work with developers to entice their own apps and entice customers.

“By providing these developer services, the carrier becomes a solutions provider,” Gartner analyst Michael King says. “Potentially, carriers gain credibility, as an application guru. They also potentially gain exclusivity to certain applications.”

AT&T’s Foundry program is an interesting way to attract developers. It is comprised of three physical facilities and a virtual developer’s portal. The physical centers provide access to resources developers “couldn’t get anywhere else.” They also act as a sort of incubator, with fast pitch sessions that can be used to get funding and allow AT&T to help them bring their product to market.

“The AT&T developer center is acting as a think tank, a place where developers can connect, use best practices and share code,” King says.

AT&T gives devs access to a number of APIs and phone features, like its exposed messaging API, in-app billing API and WAP push in its online portal. It has been working with developers for six years now.

“We’ve got a very rich history of interacting with the developer community,” says Carleton Hill, vice president of device operations and applications development, about AT&T. “We actually had a developer program with Bell-South two-way pagers. We’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Verizon, on the other hand, wanted to separate itself from the Android ecosystem and launched its own app store: What used to be called V CAST Apps is now Verizon Apps. It differs from Google’s Android Market in that its search is powered by Chomp. The search engine lets you search for apps by name, just like Google, but its standout feature is the ability to search by topic or function of an application.

“Whatever it is beyond the name of the application, that’s where Chomp comes in with the technology and algorithms we’ve been working on over the past two years,” said Chomp CEO Ben Keighran.

For instance, if you type in “fun games,” he says, “You’re going to see better results — things from Zynga, from Rovio. You’re also going to see recently released games that may not be from very big brands, but are gaining a lot of traction.”

Verizon Apps looks to be a more regulated experience than Google’s Android Market, as well. Verizon is positioning it as a “premium store” — more carefully groomed, more easily searchable.

Sprint provides a number of services through its developer program. “We’re not trying to recreate what other developer communities, like Android, do,” said Sprint spokeswoman Jennifer Walsh. “We’re trying to help them take advantage of the unique features of Sprint devices.”

For instance, when the EVO, one of the first smartphones to include a front-facing camera, debuted, Sprint helped developers get used to using and incorporating the feature in their apps.

The company also offers two programs and tries to help developers target their apps to them. Sprint Zone offers app suggestions based on what your phone can do. Sprint ID bundles apps, widgets and services according to particular interests, like MTV or fantasy football. Sprint has also hosted an annual developer’s conference, which is now 11 years running.

“With these programs, developers potentially get distribution, tools for testing, resources, access to a customer base and access to other developers,” says King.

But are these services developers actually need?

Right now, the mobile scene is still young, and the tools used to develop for it, as with any new innovation, lag behind the technology.

“Neither carriers or manufacturers have a program where I can take a test, pay a fee and get every phone they come out with each year. A lot of issues come in with hardware,” says Basso. With experience programming in .NET, he says that this is what Microsoft does with software, and it works really well.

“Mobile emulators and debuggers are very weak, they’re immature. They’re not very useful,” Basso says. “So developers have to download the app and test it out on a phone themselves.” This can be expensive, if not impossible, if you want to test your app on every available device.

There are services that allow remote testing, but they can be of limited value to serious developers. The vast array of screen sizes and spec changes mean apps often aren’t “one size fits all.” The availability of APIs and SDKs is helpful, but seems to assume there won’t be any device problems.

“It’s very hard to test across all the different permutations, and you do need to test across them, ” Basso says, because there always are device problems.

And unlike browsers, easy-to-access metrics about device popularity aren’t available, so it’s difficult to choose which handsets are going to end up being the most popular.

Basso thinks that, with regard to AT&T’s Foundry program, it would be immensely helpful if carriers built developer centers in every city (or teamed up with local companies to do so), made all their devices available for testing and made it easy to wipe the device’s data afterward.

Basso sees the carriers’ developer-focused efforts as a way to deal with an area in which they’re woefully deficient. They’re putting energy and money into an area they don’t quite understand. But, he says, if they start doing things like providing physical developer centers with pre-release demo devices to work on, it will definitely spur innovation and attract more notice.

And then maybe you’ll have a good reason to buy that new smartphone, tablet or future device.

Additional reporting by Mike Isaac.

This article was written on September 19, 2011 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–

Microsoft Demos Xbox Live on Windows 8
If you’ve been clamoring for a new way to hook up to Xbox Live the Windows 8 OS might be just what you need. These videos are from BUILD where Microsoft showed off some of the Xbox Live integration.

Windows 8 Previewed at BUILD
Microsoft unveiled a lot of things about Windows 8 at BUILD this year, and even released a developer preview that is available for the public to download. This is a quick look at the Windows 8 OS and what it has to offer.

Fusion Garage Grid10 Tablet Drops to $299 Before Launch
The Fusion Garage Grid10 tablet that is launching on October 1st will now cost just $299, which is $200 less than what was previously reported.

Amazon Trying to Launch a Netflix for Books
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Amazon is in talks to try and launch a subscription-based service for reading books that is similar to what Netflix does for videos.

–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

Find Out Who is On your Wireless Network
The Wireless Network Watcher is a portable app that will display all the devices currently connected to your network.

Evernote for Chrome Now With Better Article Clipping
The new Evernote extension for Chrome lets you quickly adjust the size of the area that gets clipped.

Windows 8 Tips and Tricks
This is a collection of some tips for people trying out Windows 8, and includes ways to quickly launch apps as well as some of the new keyboard shortcuts.

Free Text Expansion for the Mac
DashExpander is a free app for the Mac that will automatically transform text as you’re typing into more meaningful snippets. It’s not as robust as some of the paid apps, but will suffice for someone with basic text expansion needs.

Get Pandora-Style Listening in Spotify
Echofi is a service that integrates with Spotify to provide an endless stream of music based on an artist you like.

Insert Pre-Defined Text into Chrome With This Extension
Insert Text is a free Chrome Extension that lets you customize blocks of text that can quickly be inserted into any field on a site.

Microsoft Releases Synergy-Like App
If you use two Windows computers side-by-side the new Mouse Without Borders app from Microsoft will let you control both of those machines using a single keyboard and mouse. This is a software-based solution that doesn’t require any kind of KVM, and is similar to the open source Synergy app that has been around for awhile. It is extremely easy to set up, and works very well.

–Downloads–

• Bullzip PDF Printer 7.2.0.1317 [Homepage] [Mirror]
• Dexpot 1.6.1722 ^Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
• Dropbox 1.2.34 ^Experimental [Homepage] [Mirror]
• Google Chrome 15.0.874.15 ^Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
• Growl for Windows 2.0.7 [Homepage] [Mirror]
• Opera 12.00.1065 ^Beta [Homepage] [Mirror]
• SeaMonkey 2.4 ^{Beta 2} [Homepage] [Mirror]
• Skype 5.5.0.117 [Homepage] [Mirror]

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:

Windows 8 Developer Preview (Build 8102) Expiration DateImage Preview in the Windows Context MenuWindows Vista RC1 Download Links?Messenger Plus! Live Gets Released TomorrowWindows Vista Beta 2 Download Available To The Public

Taco Belkin: Why buy a whole new monitor when you can just grab this little dock instead? Photo Daily Tech

If you own a new Thunderbolt-equipped MacBook Air, you probably have an eye on Apple’s new 27-inch Thunderbolt monitor, with its mess of expansion ports out back which will let you turn laptop into desktop by plugging in just one cable.

But before you ditch your perfectly good monitor and drop a grand on a new one, consider Belkin’s Thunderbolt Express Dock, a standalone dock which has the exact same ports as the Cinema Display.

The dock, an aluminum taco shell, has three USB ports, a FireWire 800 port and a hole for Gigabit Ethernet. It also has a Thunderbolt passthrough to send video and anything else onto monitors or further docks, and has a DC-in socket to power all the junk you have attached.

It’s a great idea, and although Belkin hasn’t yet put the thing up on its site, the dock is sure to cost a lot less than a new monitor. And if you’re using one of Apple’s aluminum Cinema Displays already, this dock will sit on its foot and blend right in.

IDF 2011: Belkin Shows Off Thunderbolt Express Dock [Daily Tech]

See Also:

• Thunderbolt Display Almost Turns MacBook Air into iMac
• How Thunderbolt Could Hook Up Notebooks With Powerful …
• Apple Releases Thunderbolt Cable. Now All We Need Are …