Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on October 16, 2007 by CyberNet.

It looks like one lucky user “accidentally” got the Zune 2 software update a little early thanks to a supposed mishap in Windows Update. JJRules, a member of the Zunerama forum, posted some screenshots late last week of the Zune 2 interface (version 2.1.0522.00) that is scheduled to be released in November.

The first question that popped into everyone’s mind was “are the screenshots real?” JJRules did everything he could to assure us that they were indeed real, and he even went as far as to take a screenshot of his entire desktop with the Zune 2 software running. One of the things that really clinched it for me was the comparison of his screenshots (which are below) and the screenshot above which Microsoft provided in one of their own documents. There are a lot of similarities between the two.

(Click to Enlarge)

So how did he download the Zune 2 software? It was delivered to him via Windows Update on Vista, and one reason he could have been “chosen” was because he is also testing Vista SP1 Beta. In the end, however, JJRules ditched the Zune 2 software because he couldn’t get the Zune MarketPlace to work. As it stands right now he is running Zune 1.3 just like the rest of us, and he says that he hasn’t been prompted to download the software since.

I’m sure all of the Zune users are getting excited about the big update particularly because the 30GB Zune owners will also get a piece of the action. If you happened to hop on board during the Woot $100 Zune blowout sale then you got one heck of a deal, and there is a nice update coming your way!

Source: Zunerama Forum [via Crunchgear]

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This article was written on October 07, 2008 by CyberNet.

Time Saving Tuesday

Windows only
I’ve always felt like there hasn’t been a perfect tool out there for the average person who wants to shoot panoramic shots, and doesn’t want to spend ages assembling them on their machine. One of the last tools that we covered on the site was Hugin, but you could spend hours tweaking settings trying to get things just right. It just wasn’t something the most people would want to fiddle with.

Over in our forum Tony pointed out an amazing tool that Microsoft provides for free called the Image Composite Editor (ICE). Sure Microsoft has already incorporated panoramic creation capabilities in Windows Live Photo Gallery, but having this standalone app gives you a few more features.

I guess the real question is how well does it work, and how much effort will you have to put into stitching your photos together. I tried the program on several different panoramic shots that I’ve taken over the years, and it turned out some of the best results. Ironically enough it’s also one of the easiest programs I’ve ever used for this type of task.

When you first get Microsoft ICE up and running you should see something like this:

(Click to Enlarge)

All you have to do is drag and drop the photos you want stitched together into the gray area. The program will then go to work trying to figure out the best way to assemble them, and once it’s done you’ll see a preview of the result:

(Click to Enlarge)

That’s really all there is to it. There are different types of stitches that can be done including rotating motion or planar motion, and the image can be cropped to your liking by adjusting the box that appears around the panoramic shot. The best part, however, might be the variety of formats you can save the panoramic in:

• JPEG
• TIFF
• Photoshop
• HD View Tileset
• Deep Zoom Tileset
• BMP
• PNG
• HD Photo Image

Now you don’t have much of an excuse as to why you still have some photos laying around that you haven’t stitched together!

Get Image Composite Editor for Windows

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This article was written on December 02, 2008 by CyberNet.

(Click to Enlarge)

We’ve written about PhraseExpress before because of the fact that it’s a free application for personal use ($50 for commercial users). They are pretty smart giving away their software for home users, because they know once you start using it you’ll want to have it in front of you while you’re at work as well. So if you do happen to be a PhraseExpress user you’ll be pleased to know that version 6 was just released today, and includes some nice improvements:

• Support for HTML formatting
  PhraseExpress now supports Rich Text and HTML-formatted phrases which can include pictures and hyperlinks as well.
• Up to 10x faster loading time
  A new file format reduces the phrase file size by more than 10 times compared to previous versions.
• Restrict Autotext and Hotkeys to certain applications
  The scope of Autotexts and Hotkeys of any phrase can now be restricted to certain programs or excluded from a customizable list of applications.
• Autocomplete for individual words
  The unique text prediction feature which has been introduced in v5 has been significantly improved. Additionally, it also offers to auto-complete single words rather than full sentences only.
• Multi-language support
  PhraseExpress supports Unicode for multi-language phrases but now also offers to switch the keyboard language layout automatically.
• Automated Email creation
  PhraseExpress can now compose an email including html text/bitmaps (Outlook only), file attachement and definition of cc: and bcc:. The body text length is now only limited by Outlook and PhraseExpress can be configured to send the email immediately without need of confirmation.
• Runs from a USB memory device
  PhraseExpress can now be used on a USB memory stick. If running from an USB stick it stores all user and configuration data on the removable device only and leaves no traces on the host PC.

Another free text replacement utility is Texter, and while it isn’t as powerful as PhraseExpress it is definitely a fast and simple tool. Give them both a whirl and see which one works best for you. But remember, PhraseExpress is only free for personal use.

Get PhraseExpress for Windows [via Lifehacker]

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

One thing that many file sharing sites lack is an FTP-like interface for users to upload their files. Whether it be photos, videos, or just about anything, most power users like having the option to drag-and-drop files from one window to another.

So what if there was an FTP program that worked with Flickr, YouTube, Picasa Web Albums, and even Box.net? You’d probably think that was pretty great…and so I introduce you to Firefox Universal Uploader. This extension is sure to become a huge hit as it incorporates more services, but I’m already loving it.

Once I installed the Firefox Universal Uploader I clicked the "Manage Accounts" button in the upper-right corner to setup my Flickr account. It took me a little while to realize that this was actually a button, but after I figured that out it was smooth sailing. The extension went and grabbed all of my sets from Flickr, and put them in a folder-like structure on the right side of the screen.

Then using the left and right buttons located in the middle, I was then able to transfer images back and forth between Flickr and my computer. At the bottom of the screen is where you manage things like names, descriptions, and privacy options for the items you upload.

Unfortunately it doesn’t have the drag-and-drop feature that is found in most FTP applications, but it is almost there. I’m sure future releases will support more than just Flickr, YouTube, Picasa Web Albums, and Box.net as well as offering drag-and-drop support.

After seeing this extension it started to make me wonder why a standalone application has never been made to do something like this. I could just see it now…an FTP program that supports plug-ins for services like Flickr and YouTube!

Thanks to Radu and 100rabh for the tip!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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Sorry, gents, but your conspiracy theories are wholly kaput — not only is a Samsung Galaxy S getting Android 2.2 stateside, but the speedy software update will start rolling out tomorrow on T-Mobile USA. That’s the word direct from T-Mo chief marketing officer Cole Brodman, who tossed the news to PC Magazine this afternoon, saying that the delay was a “quality control and timing issue.” Apparently, there’s extra work involved in skinning the operating system and adding exclusive apps like WiFi calling — though he didn’t confirm either would specifically appear in the Vibrant’s build of Froyo. Here’s some more welcome news, though: the gentleman promised that in general, Android updates on T-Mobile will be more prompt from now on, as the firm’s shooting to update all phones to new versions within five months of Google making source code available. Does that mean we should expect some Gingerbread men by May? We’re not totally sure, but we imagine that T-Mobile’s rivals aren’t sitting still — we’ll probably hear some fascinating, captivating and totally epic news about Froyo any minute now.

Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant will get Froyo tomorrow, says T-Mobile CMO originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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