Mar 27

Launchy 1.0 Released: Hunt Down Files, Search Bookmarks, and More!

Posted in: Features, Freeware, Newly Released, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on January 31, 2007 by CyberNet.

I’ve had several people email me in the past week telling me what a great application Launchy is, and I realized that which is why I wrote about it back in September of 2006. At first I just thought that it was some new people stumbling upon the application, but then Radu pointed out that this is the final 1.0 release which just happened on January 23.

Launchy is a nifty little application that will let you launch applications simply by starting to type the name of the program in the window. With Launchy 1.0, however, you can do even more! 

Launchy

So what’s new? I pulled up the forum and it looks like Launchy supports plug-ins to make your experience even better!

  • Launchy now supports plugins! Check out the “Plugins” folder inside your Launchy directory, you can add and remove plugins from there when Launchy is not running. Following are the plugins that come with Launchy by default, I expect many others to be developed by myself and the community.
    • Weby Plugin

      Perform Web Searches: Launchy now supports the following search keywords: google, msn, yahoo, live, weather, amazon, wikipedia, dictionary, thesaurus, imdb, netflix, and msdn websearch. Type in any of these keywords, hit tab, type in your search query, and hit enter!

      Add custom web searches: Please see Quicksearches in the Foxy plugin

      Launch Webpages: Type in the url such as ‘www.launchy.net’ or ‘http://www.launchy.net’ and hit enter

    • Foxy Plugin

      Bookmarks: The Foxy plugin will automatically load your FireFox bookmarks into the database. Just search for them as you would applications.

      Quick searches: Launchy loads Firefox quick searches and will index the keyword into the database. Use it like you would a web search.

    • Explory Plugin

      Browse: Type in c: and then hit tab, now type in a couple letters of the next directory, and hit tab. You can press enter at anytime to launch the currently selected file or folder. Notice, you must tab after each file/folder.

      Browse from shortcut: If you type in “my docu”, hit tab, and then type in “my musi” and hit tab, Launchy will switch into browsing mode. Any directory or shortcut to a directory can convert into browsing mode.

    • Calcy Plugin

      Calculate: Type in some math.. Launchy will figure out what you want to do. Warning: This calculator is limited to +,/,-,* and parenthesis.

  • Now Ctrl+Backspace deletes a word at a time and Alt+Backspace clears the text 
  • Too many bug fixes to count or remember!

As this program keeps getting new features it continues to become more and more useful. It is skinnable so you can make it look however you like, and I have to admit that it has a lot of eye appeal to it.

Now that Vista has both indexed searching and a sidebar with gadgets built-in I think some of these other companies, like Google, will be looking to extend their applications feature set to help increase its appeal. If they start adding features similar to what Launchy offers then I think more people will consider downloading their desktop search application. I really don’t know what else these search application can add because they definitely won’t be able to compete with Vista’s integrated search feature!

Download Launchy

 Thanks to everyone who sent in this tip!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 25

PureSync: Great for USB Drive or Memory Card Backups

Posted in: Features, Freeware, Software, Today's Chili, usb, Windows

This article was written on July 03, 2009 by CyberNet.

puresync.jpgarrow Windows Windows only arrow
I’m always looking for awesome backup solutions that you won’t have to pull your wallet out for, and there’s no arguing that there are plenty of free apps out there. One that really caught my attention recently was PureSync. it does all of the common things you’d expect from a backup program such as two-way syncing or a one-way backup. The interface is extremely simple, which is something I did find refreshing… often times these programs get cluttered because of all the features they try to include. This has a good balance.

The real power of the program I would have to say lies in options it offers for automatic synchronization:

  • When folders are found – this is what really made me take a serious look at this program. I can have PureSync look for a specific folder/drive, and when it gets connected a backup will automatically be kicked off. You know how valuable this can be if you’ve ever had a USB drive die on you, or maybe you’ve lost a memory card. Heck, maybe you just want the same files on your computer and portable drive so that changes you make in one location will automatically get carried over once the device is plugged in.
  • When a file has been modified – When you’re working on a really important project there is always that fear in the back of your mind that something unexpected might happen to your machine. Maybe your computer is going to explode right before you hit the print button? With this option you can have it make a copy of a file as changes are made to it, and move it over to another location… hopefully to an external drive a few feet away from your computer, and sitting next to a fire extinguisher. ;)
  • On a schedule – this is obviously a no-brainer, and any usable backup program will have this option.

If it weren’t for those options I’m not sure if this app would have struck me as being something special. Overall I’d say it’s pretty good, but then again I haven’t put it through any huge file transfers.

PureSync Homepage (Windows only; free)
[via MakeUseOf]

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 25

Volvo C30 Electric test drive (video)

Posted in: electric car, electric vehicle, ElectricCar, ElectricVehicle, ev, feature, Features, Today's Chili, video

We’ve been covering the Volvo C30 Electric pretty closely because, well, let’s face it: it’s one of the few genuinely good looking electric cars in the pipeline. Sure, the Focus Electric looks fine, despite the excessive dental gear, and Tesla‘s products are certainly saucy, but for every Roadster in the world there are a couple-dozen Leafs and Prii putting their owners to sleep.

The C30 Electric, however, looks almost exactly like the C30 non-electric, which is a good thing, and it drives more or less like one too. About four months after we first saw the thing Volvo finally tossed us the keys, in the process taking us on a tour of Indianapolis-based Ener1, source of the battery packs that make the thing move. Yes, it’s a funky little Swedish car with a big ‘ol American battery pack. Read on for our impressions.

Gallery: Volvo C30 Electric

Continue reading Volvo C30 Electric test drive (video)

Volvo C30 Electric test drive (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 21

Nintendo 3DS review

Posted in: 3ds, console, feature, Features, nintendo, Nintendo3ds, review, Today's Chili, video
Nintendo 3DS review

See that greenish blue thing up there? That might look like this greenish blue thing over here that we reviewed a few weeks back, but actually they’re not the same. No, sir. This thing up there is the genuine, guaranteed, red-blooded American version, ready to tear a $250 hole in your gaming budget and make you go all googly-eyed for 3D. Naturally there isn’t an awful lot different here compared to the Japanese version we already looked at, but we have had the opportunity to spend a good bit more quality time with this one than with the other one. Plus, being able to read all the manuals doesn’t hurt.

What you’ll find below is a full review of the American console including more game impressions, more in depth battery life tests, a dazzling demo of the thing’s augmented reality gameplay, and some surpring performance results with good ‘ol DS carts. So, join us, if you would, for a rather more in depth exploration of this, the next dimension in handheld console gaming.

Gallery: Nintendo 3DS

Continue reading Nintendo 3DS review

Nintendo 3DS review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 21

Nintendo Virtual Boy review

Posted in: console, feature, Features, nintendo, review, Today's Chili, video
Nintendo Virtual Boy review

The 3DS is not Nintendo’s first foray into the world of 3D gaming. In fact, it’s not even the company’s second. First up was a 3D headset for the good ‘ol Famicom (NES in the US), but that never saw American shores and it wasn’t anything more fancy than a set of active shutter glasses anyway — the same sort HDTV manufacturers are trying to sell you today. However, the company’s second 3D offering did make it to the US, where it landed with a spectacular thud.

It was the Virtual Boy, a 32-bit portable console powered by six whole AA batteries and remembered by many for its ability to inspire more headaches than excitement in the gamers who tried it. It was released in the US in August of 1995 for $180 and was discontinued less than a year later. With the 3DS sitting now in back rooms of videogame and electronics stores nation-wide, waiting to spring into availability on March 27th, we thought this would be a good time to look back and give the Virtual Boy the full review it has always deserved but has never received.

Gallery: Nintendo Virtual Boy

Continue reading Nintendo Virtual Boy review

Nintendo Virtual Boy review originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 19

Foxit Reader 2.2 – Now the Best PDF Reader

Posted in: Features, Freeware, Newly Released, search, Software, Today's Chili

This article was written on October 01, 2007 by CyberNet.

Foxit Reader 2.2 Screenshot

Foxit Reader just got perfect in my opinion. You may think that I’m crazy for thinking that it wasn’t perfect before, but one thing that always bothered me was the poor text selection. Before to copy and paste text from a PDF you had to draw a box around the text that you wanted. It was nothing like what Acrobat does for selecting text, and it was far from what people are accustomed to when selecting text in a word processor.

Now, however, that has all changed. Foxit Reader 2.2 has a greatly improved text selection feature. With it you can highlight text line-by-line which is incredibly handy when working with multi-column layouts. If the text that you’re highlighting gets close to the bottom of the page Foxit will automatically begin scrolling for you, too!

The other good news is that the improved text selection is just one of the many new features in Foxit Reader 2.2:

  • Capture words via mouse: If you are using a dictionary software, you may want to use your mouse to capture words inside a PDF file and have them translated. You can turn on this feature by checking “Screen word-capturing” option under Edit>Preferences>General.
  • Advanced PDF Search: Now you can search a string either in a single PDF file or in multiple PDF files under a specified folder. When the search finishes, all occurrences will be listed in a tree view.
  • Minimize Foxit Reader to the system tray: You now can save space on your task bar by minimizing the Foxit Reader to system tray. This feature can be turned on by checking “Minimize to system tray” option under Edit>Preferences>General.
  • Work with friendly bookmarks: Now when you navigate through the PDF document, the highlighted bookmark item will automatically be kept in sync with the current page being displayed. And you can click on a handle to hide or show the bookmark panel.
  • View PDF page size: Now the actual size of each PDF page is displayed on the status bar.
  • Enjoy other improved features: You will enjoy many other improved features, including:
    • Well-organized toolbars
    • Better command line support
    • Enhanced support for eastern Asian languages
    • Many bug fixes

Download Foxit Reader

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 18

Google Updates Feed Reader Module: Expand/Contract the Article

Posted in: Apple, Features, Google, Microsoft, Screenshots, Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on January 22, 2007 by CyberNet.

Google Feed Reader

It looks like Google just updated their Feed Reader Module for the Google Personalized Homepage. I’m sure that this is to help compete with Netvibes who offers an amazing built-in feed reader for their customizable homepage. The screenshot above demonstrates how the Feed Reader Module works.

As you can see each of the items can be expanded/contracted so that you can read the feed items without ever leaving the homepage. One thing that I did notice was that the module will display summaries of an article if the feed supplies them, instead of displaying the entire article. We want to give everyone the best experience possible when reading the feed from the Google Personalized Homepage so we have removed these summaries from the feed. This means that after Google erases the cached version of our feed (probably after we post this article) it will start to display the full article when expanding them.

Before you all go rushing to check your homepage for the new feature, it does look like they are rolling it out to the accounts. One of my accounts has it but some of the others don’t, and sometimes if you logout and then log back in you’ll receive it. You can also try switching browsers because the account that I used to take the screenshot above displayed the updated module fine in Firefox, then when I refreshed the page it was gone. I switched over to Internet Explorer and then the feature popped back up. I think it is just temperamental right now, but I’m sure all of the kinks will be worked out soon.

P.S. This is not some separate module I have installed…it is a real update by Google.

Thanks for the tip Eric!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 15

MyFive: Best NES Accessories and Features

Posted in: Features, Games, nintendo, Today's Chili

This article was written on September 21, 2007 by CyberNet.

NES Console

The original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was a monster with its 2KB of RAM, and it rocked out with a 256×240 resolution. It’s hard to believe that such a good system was ever taken off of store shelves, but I guess that’s the lifecycle of technology.

We’re not ready to let go of the memories quite yet even though we no longer having one of the classic NES systems in our possession. For that reason we decided to put together a list of our five favorite NES features and accessories, and maybe it will make some of you to dust off the NES and give it another whirl for the weekend. After you get done reading our list make sure you drop a comment with what things you loved about the system, and whether you still own one!

  1. Power Pad – Who would have ever thought that running in place could be so fun? Sure there are more current games such as Dance Dance Revolution that have a similar accessory, but jumping hurdles has never been the same since the introduction of the Power Pad.
    NES Power Pad
  2. Cleaning the Cartridges – It was always hard to believe how darn dusty those cartridges could get! I remember sitting there for several minutes at a time blowing into the cartridge trying to dislodge any dust particles that were clogging my gaming experience. And now we have CD/DVD discs? How’s the next generation of kids going to learn the meaning of patience?
    NES Cartridge Cleaner
  3. Power Glove – I don’t know how future game consoles never picked up on the Power Glove technology, but I sure miss it. This thing was as close to virtual reality as you could get at the time. If you’ve got a hard time remembering how cool this was checkout the commercial on YouTube.
    NES Power Glove
  4. Light Gun – Several other systems have tried to duplicate this creation, but it was inevitably the Duck Hunt that made it so popular. There’s even a similar rendition in Wii Play, but the better graphics and enhanced gameplay just aren’t a replacement for the legendary Duck Hunt.
    NES Light Gun
  5. NES Advantage – This joystick was large and in charge. I remember setting that thing on my lap and it felt like I had a notebook computer branched across my legs. A combination of the oversized buttons and automatic repeated firing options made this my favorite accessory when playing Contra!
    NES Advantage 

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Mar 14

Car2go test drive: RFID, GPS, and mobile apps make for a smarter Smart

Posted in: app, AppStore, feature, Features, hands-on, ios, ipad, iPhone, Today's Chili

As you read this (assuming you’re reading this sometime before March 20th) zillions of music, movie, and tech mavens and moguls have descended on Austin, Texas for SXSW. We made a run through the city just before festivities kicked off, stopping by to check out the Car2Go carsharing service that launched last summer and that, as of March 19th, will expand its coverage area to include 52 square miles worth of the heart of Texas. We took one of the company’s customized Smart Fortwos for a ride and also test drove the new iPad app that makes finding cars as easy as pie. Pie, as it turns out, is also quite easy to find in Austin.

Gallery: Car2go Smart fortwo and iPad app

Continue reading Car2go test drive: RFID, GPS, and mobile apps make for a smarter Smart

Car2go test drive: RFID, GPS, and mobile apps make for a smarter Smart originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 12:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mar 14

iPhone 5 won’t have NFC, say insiders at UK carriers

Posted in: Apple, AppleIphone, Features, iPhone, nfc, rumor, speculation, Today's Chili, uk, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

The Independent is starting our week off on a sour note with the information that Apple’s next iPhone won’t have NFC hardware built in. Near Field Communication has found itself coming to the fore this year, thanks in large part to the Nexus S touting it as a major feature, however sources at “several” of the UK’s major carriers have told the newspaper that Apple intends to skip on it for this year. That intel is reportedly coming directly from meetings with the Cupertino brain trust, which is said to be dissatisfied with the current lack of a clear, universal NFC standard. It’s generally been Apple’s wont to omit or delay features it doesn’t feel it can implement well, and NFC looks fated to be another one on that list.

iPhone 5 won’t have NFC, say insiders at UK carriers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 03:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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