Hasta La Gadget!

Could Windows Live Essentials really be “better than Mac for photos, hands down,” as per the gauntlet Microsoft’s Brian Hall tossed earlier this month? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s by trying it out yourself with the free download at our source link. The software suite just hit beta with not only the face-recognizing, photo-stitching new rendition of Photo Gallery, but also new versions of Mail, Movie Maker, Messenger, Writer and a Mac-friendly version of the Dropbox-like Sync (no, not that Sync) as well. So… what are you waiting for? Oh, you’re still “awwing” at the image above, aren’t you?

Continue reading Windows Live Essentials beta is ready for your downloading delight

Windows Live Essentials beta is ready for your downloading delight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Windows Live Essentials Beta  | Email this | Comments

Get ready for the second major wave of video chatting — not only is Apple about to bring video calling to the masses with the iPhone 4, but Skype today announced the SkypeKit beta SDK, which devs can use the SDK to interface their apps and devices directly with Skype’s service starting tomorrow. That means there’s no need to run the Skype desktop app — it’ll just be integrated into whatever you’re running, like the recent Panasonic VIERA connected TVs with Skype integration. Once they’ve passed a UI certification, devices and apps will be billed as “plugged into Skype,” but don’t expect to see anything happen too quickly: the SDK is Linux-only at the moment, with Windows and Mac desktop versions forthcoming, and Skype will be testing apps and devices before they go live.

The new SDK can use H.264 hardware encoding to supplement the relatively slow ARM chips that will be running Linux in an embedded manner — like the Panasonic TV, for instance, which was developed using an early version of SkypeKit. We asked Skype about its SDK membership (which costs $20), and the other slight restrictions of the SDK, and they assured us it’s to keep fraud from happening (Skype interacts with your wallet in its paid services), “not to keep out people we don’t like.” There will also be a verification process for an as-yet-undefined cost, where Skype will go over any software or hardware released with the SDK. Additionally, Skype is open sourcing its Silk audio codec (which was recently added to its iPhone app), and they’re working with the IETF to make it an open, patent-free standard for use with anything, not just Skype. Check out the Litle Webbook running some custom Skype on video after the break. It’s in early beta right now, and will be pushed as an update in September, along with video functionality (it’s audio-only right now). We also have shots of the Grandstream GXV3140 making a Skype video call in the gallery below.

Continue reading SkypeKit beta SDK adds Skype to any application or device

SkypeKit beta SDK adds Skype to any application or device originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Jun 2010 10:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Skype  | Email this | Comments

It was about a year and a half ago that Microsoft decided it could do QR codes better, that any universal coding system needed a dash of color, and launched Tag. Now, the roughly one billion Tags that users have printed have been made a little less illegitimate, with Microsoft bringing the service out of beta and taking the opportunity to toot Tag’s trumpet a bit. The codes have appeared in 20 million magazines so far and have recently been deployed to create a sort of tour for geeks in Amsterdam (no word on whether our own international man of mystery is featured). Meanwhile America’s cultural hub, the Mall of America, has been similarly bestickered to “enhance customer engagement,” but based on our previous experiences at that bastion of commercialism we’re thinking scooters and foot massages might have been more effective.

Microsoft Tag comes out of beta, promises free colorful codes for all originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 13:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  The Official Microsoft Blog  | Email this | Comments

This article was written on August 27, 2007 by CyberNet.

I’ve been a huge fan of the online Google Reader ever since they launched the much needed redesign almost a year ago. Since then I think they’ve taken feed reading to a whole new level, and have drawn many users away from Bloglines.

Today Ask, who acquired Bloglines back in 2005, announced that Bloglines Beta is now available to the public. The great news is that the Beta was setup so that you can seamlessly switch between Bloglines Beta and the classic Bloglines, and any changes you’ve made in one account will show up in the other. As far as new features go there are quite a few that are notable:

• New look and layout that brings a bunch of AJAX goodness to your fingertips!
• Bloglines now has what I consider to be a built-in Netvibes. You can customize the new Bloglines Start Page with all of your favorite feeds, and it scales beautifully to fit the width of your browser.
  
• Reorganizing your feeds is as simple as dragging-and-dropping them.

And then there are three new views to read your feeds in:

• Quick-View: Browse your feeds only by their titles. This is one of the fastest tools I’ve seen for reading through large amounts of news.
  
• Full-View: This is essentially classic Bloglines, but there are a few enhancements.
  
• 3-Pane View: Think of 3-pane as a feed reader with an email application interface.
  

Right now I use FeedDemon (a non-free desktop app) to track all of my feeds, but picking between Google Reader and the new Bloglines Beta isn’t easy. The one thing that really sells me on the Bloglines now is the Start Page, which is super nice since you can put your favorite feeds there. Then anytime you go to read some news the first thing you’ll see is what’s most important.

You should also note that this is an early Beta, and more features are still expected a little bit later:

• Mobile – Bloglines on the cell phone (it’s already on the iPhone).
• Actions and activities involving a post – Save, Send, Share.
• Personalization Preferences – Edit a Feed or Settings.
• Creation of Disposable Email Addresses.
• Upgraded Developer APIs.
• Creation of a Link-Blog.

Putting Google Reader vs. Bloglines Beta is definitely tough right now, but if I had to crown a winner at this time I would still give the crown to Google. Although I’ve fallen in love with the drag-and-drop in Bloglines, as well as the customizable Start Page and resizable panes…none of which Google offers. So I’m kind of pulled in both directions right now. Who do you think is better?

Bloglines Beta Homepage
Source: ProBlogger

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

Related Posts:

Google Reader Goes MobileNewsGator Online RSS Reader Gets A Little BetterFirefox Changes The Way We Use RSS FeedsCyberWare: GreatNews Newspaper-Style RSS ReaderBloglines Lets You Subscribe To Other’s GMail Feeds

If you like living on the brutal, life-altering bleeding edge the same way we do, odds are you’ve got iPhone OS 4 beta 3 installed on that 3GS of yours — assuming you have an iPhone 3GS, naturally. That also means that you’ll likely be interested to hear that beta 4 is now out and ready for you to download, install, and not brick your phone if everything goes according to plan, just as long as you’ve got access to an Apple iPhone Developer Program account. Go forth, intrepid readers — and do report back on your exploits, won’t you?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iPhone OS 4 beta 4 drops in originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 May 2010 20:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Apple  | Email this | Comments