Will Windows 7 Taskbar Shortcuts Replace System Tray Icons?

This article was written on June 04, 2009 by CyberNet.

gmail notifier windows 7-1.pngarrow Windows Windows only arrow
In Windows 7 Microsoft has significantly changed the way the Taskbar works, and it’s starting to make me wonder if a lot of the items sitting in the System Tray might work their way out onto the Taskbar. What do I mean? A good example is this Gmail Notifier that gHacks found. It shows a Gmail icon that is intermingled with all the rest of your shortcuts. When it’s running it will show you how many unread emails there are in your Inbox, and if you click on it you can see a preview of each one.

That’s cool enough by itself, but then it even goes to another level by making use of the Jump List functionality. If you right-click on the icon you’ll see options to compose an email, go to your Inbox, or check for new mail. At the top of the list it will also show the subject line from each of the new emails in your Inbox.

I think the improvements Microsoft has made in Windows 7 is reinvigorating Windows developers, and is once again teaching them to think outside the box. This notifier is a great example of that. It takes something that would normally reside in the System Tray, and moves it to the Taskbar where it’s more prominent, useful, and sleek. I can’t wait to see what people come up with once the operating system is actually released and even more widespread!

Gmail Notifier Homepage

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


Opera Reveals New Speed Dial Feature…I like it!

This article was written on March 02, 2007 by CyberNet.

I’m not sure how I missed it, but on Wednesday Opera revealed a new “speed dial” feature that is currently available in their latest weekly release (thanks to XPGeek in our forum for pointing this out!). It’s actually been two-weeks since Opera announced that they were going to offer a unique feature in the next release, but they didn’t want to say what it was. After reading about the Speed Dial feature I felt like I had to give it a try because it sounded really nice.

Opera Speed Dial

The whole point of Opera Speed Dial is to make visiting your favorite 9 websites as easy as possible. Instead of opening a blank tab Opera will always show your Speed Dial sites along with corresponding thumbnails (pictured above). That way you can always see what is going on with your favorite sites.

Once you startup the latest weekly build of the browser you need to create a new tab to adjust your Speed Dial sites. Then you can click on any of the blank numbers and select a website from the list of your most frequently visited, or if it’s not listed you can manually enter in a URL. If that still isn’t easy enough for you then maybe you’ll want to drag an open tab onto a Speed Dial slot, which also happens to work.

After you get all of the slots filled that you want to, there are some things you should know that can help you out. First, you can remove any of the thumbnails by right-clicking on them and selecting “Delete” or by pressing the “X” in the upper-right corner. The next thing that you’ll probably find useful is refreshing the thumbnails, and you can refresh all of them by pressing Ctrl+R when viewing the Speed Dial page (you’ll see all of the pages as they load which is super cool). A specific Speed Dial site can be reloaded by right-clicking on the thumbnail and selecting the “Refresh” option.

Opera Speed Dial isn’t just about the thumbnails though, just like a phone you can instantly access your phone numbers thanks to the speed dial feature. To do this in Opera you can press Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+9 to open the corresponding site. I really like having keyboard shortcuts for my favorite sites.

One last thing that I wanted to mention about the new feature is that the search box located above your Speed Dial sites is used the same way as the search box located in the browser. It does not search the content of the sites that are in your Speed Dial list, but is there merely because the most common thing people do when creating a new tab is perform a search. Since Opera has teamed up with Yahoo! on this feature the search box is set to their search service by default, but it can always be changed in the search settings:

Opera Search

While I’m really impressed with this feature, I think the Opera team can take it one step further. They should let users right-click on a folder of bookmarks and have all of those bookmarks shown as thumbnails in a tab similar to Speed Dial. I would also like to see a feature implemented where Opera actually monitors the content of specified Speed Dial sites to notify you when a site has been updated, and then highlighting that thumbnail in the Speed Dial site. Those are the two ideas that initially popped into my head that would make it even more useful for me, but I’m sure most people will like the feature just the way it is.

Don’t be surprised if a Firefox extension emerges that does the same kind of thing. ;)

Download the latest weekly release of Opera

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


Weather Updates in the Mac Dock

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

weatherdock.png

arrow Mac Mac only arrow
Last week we covered an amazing free application called Weather Watcher, and it’s hands down my favorite way to keep up with weather developments on my Windows computer. When it comes to Mac’s I think most people stick with widgets to do the weather watching, but a free app called WeatherDock might be just what the doctor ordered.

Once you breeze through the download and get it added to your Applications folder you’ll be all set to get it running. The first thing you’ll notice is an icon that will immediately appear in your dock showing off the current weather conditions. Don’t be deceived though… there are a lot of preferences you can configure by right-clicking on the Dock icon.

WeatherDock is capable of displaying not only in your Dock, but also in the Menu bar across the top of the screen. The information shown in both locations can of course be configured to your liking. As you can see from the screenshot above the Dock icon lets you add or remove as many badges as you would like, and choose where they are positioned on the icon. Badges for things such as the wind speed, future conditions/temperatures, and more are all available. Cool, huh?

Don’t worry, there’s no need to try and cram all kinds of detailed stats into the small Dock icon. If you want to see things like a 10-day forecast, humidity, sky conditions, and more you’ll just need to open up the main window. There you’ll have all the weather info you’re little heart could desire!

Get WeatherDock for Mac

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


CyberSearch 2.0.5 – Easier “Search This Site”

This article was written on March 16, 2010 by CyberNet.

cybersearch 205.png

We released the CyberSearch 2.0.5 Firefox extension this week which includes numerous bug fixes and support for Firefox 3.7 nightly builds, and the Snapback functionality is once again working the way I intended it to. Now when you click the Snapback button in the Address Bar it not only repopulates your search query, but also displays the drop down of the results immediately.

The main thing, however, I want to point out is our greatly enhanced “search this site” functionality. Judging by the feedback I received over the past few months I can now say that one of the most common uses for CyberSearch is to find information on the site your currently viewing. I talked with some friends, ran some ideas by them, and came up with what feels like the perfect solution.

Imagine you’re on a site like the New York Times. Previously if you wanted to search the site you’d have to put your “keyword” at the beginning of the URL, and then move to the end of the URL, type a space, and put in your search terms. Searching the New York Times for “Bill Gates” would mean your Address Bar looked something like this (note that “>” is the default keyword, but can be customized):

>http://www.nytimes.com/ bill gates

Don’t get me wrong, that will still work, but it can now be done in much fewer steps. With CyberSearch 2.0.5 all you have to do is jump up to your Address Bar, and type your keyword followed by your search terms. CyberSearch will automatically recognize that you’re wanting to search the current site, and will show results accordingly. The same New York Times example can now be accomplished by entering this into your Address Bar:

>bill gates

There is still some benefit to knowing the syntax in the first example though. If you’re on, for example, the Wall Street Journal’s site you can still search the New York Times by using any of the following:

>nytimes.com bill gates
>www.nytimes.com bill gates
>http://www.nytimes.com/ bill gates

Any of those will limit search results from the New York Times regardless of the site you’re currently viewing. CyberSearch 2.0.5 will basically assume that you want to search the current site if a URL is not provided.

Keep your feedback coming! And a big thanks to Peter and Edward who worked with me to resolve a Tab Mix Plus compatibility issue.

CyberSearch 2.0.5 Homepage

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


CyberNotes: Advanced Search Operators in Vista and Windows Desktop Search

This article was written on May 15, 2007 by CyberNet.

CyberNotes
Time Saving Tuesday

Vista SearchThere is no doubt that my favorite feature in Windows Vista is the integrated search. It is everywhere you need it to be, and it can do so much more than you realize.

The search operators that I am about to mention also work using the Windows Desktop Search 3 (WDS), which is available for XP. It isn’t quite as integrated into the operating system compared to what’s available in Vista, but what it is capable of is quite similar.

A search operator is something that you can use in addition to terms that you’re searching for. For example, you can use the “site” operator when performing a Google search to filter results for a specific site. To pull up all Vista-related articles on our site the search would look something like this: vista site:cybernetnews.com.

There are similar operators available in both Vista and WDS that will make finding documents and files even faster. I’ll point out some of the most useful ones below:

OperatorExamplesNotes
NOT or vista NOT linux
vista linux
Finds items containing vista, but not linux. If using the NOT operator make sure to put it in all uppercase letters.
datedate:today
date:5/1/2007
date:January
date:last week
date:>4/1/2007<5/1/2007
Finds items containing Vista that match the specified date. You can also specify date ranges as seen in the last example.
sizesize:>100kb
size:<2mb
This can be quite useful when trying to find a particular file with a certain filesize.
kindkind:docs
kind:music
kind:pictures
kind:images
kind:videos
kind:folders
kind:programs
This kind operator is nice because you don’t have to remember which extensions pertain to which files. With it you can quickly search music, videos, documents, and much faster.
modifiedmodified:today
modified:5/1/2007
modified:January
modified:last week
modified:>4/1/2007
Finds items according to when the files were last modified.
filefile:vistaFinds items by searching only their file name. Without using this operator the search would return matching results from both the filename and content of documents.
artist
year
album
genre
lyrics
artist:jackson
year:2007
album:“greatest hits”
genre:rock
lyrics:“happy birthday”
These are various operators that can all be used when searching for music.
takentaken:today
taken:5/1/2007
taken:January
taken:last week
taken:>4/1/2007
Finds pictures according to the date they were taken.

The list of operators that you can use in Vista goes on and on. The Windows Vista Blog has done a good job of listing out all of those operators for easy reference, and I’m sure someone will put it together in a cheat sheet format.

Multiple search operators can be combined to make one detailed search. An example of this would be:

home kind:image date:last year

That search will return all images that were taken last year and have the name “home” in it. If you find yourself repeating searches over and over again, you an always save them in Windows Explorer so that they are only a click away:

Vista Saved Searches

If you’re still craving more search power then don’t forget about Start++, which was developed by a Microsoft employee. It is very customizable so that you can add your own commands to search either the Internet or just run your favorite programs by typing just a few letters.

Vista tip: If you didn’t notice, as soon as you click on the Start Orb, the search box is focused. I didn’t realize that initially and found myself clicking in the search field before I started typing, when in reality all I had to do was click the Start Orb (or press the Windows Key) and start typing. Props to Microsoft for thinking about focusing on the search box!

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition gets Android 3.1 update, that much cooler

Nothing like a little software update to get the weekend started right… right? Just days after Samsung shipped the first consumer units of its Galaxy Tab 10.1 (you can find our review here), the Android 3.1 update that first struck Motorola’s Xoom is now gracing the Limited Edition models that were handed out at Google I/O 2011. We’ve confirmed here at Engadget HQ that the update is indeed percolating, with Americans needing to simply register with Samsung (select “UK” in the options list, it’s cool) and proceed to the Software Update within the Settings pane. If you’ve applied the update, let us know how things went in comments below; if you ran into any issues, give those More Coverage links a look. Either way: lucky!

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition gets Android 3.1 update, that much cooler originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 17:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.2 Officially Released For Download

This article was written on April 19, 2006 by CyberNet.

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.2 Officially Released For Download

With the recent release of Firefox 1.5.0.2 you knew that Thunderbird would be right around the corner. Well, it is here with more stability and better security. It is a small application that most people would say is much better than Outlook Express. Besides being a full-featured email client, it also has an anti-phishing filter so that you can feel safe about the emails you are reading as well as a built in junk mail filter.

If you are a current Mozilla Thunderbird user then you will just need to update it, however, if you are new to Thunderbird then go ahead and give it a shot…what do you have to lose? After all, it is free!

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.2 Download

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

Related Posts:


Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?

Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day — we dig deep into each topic’s history and how it benefits our lives. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.

engadget primed

The introduction of Google Wallet felt a little too good to be true, didn’t it? It’s magical, like the tech equivalent of pulling a rabbit out of a hat. In reality, the tech behind mobile payments has been around since 2003 on a much smaller scale using near-field communications, more commonly known as NFC. The idea behind Wallet (amongst other services, like ISIS) is contactless pay — using your phone as a credit card — and is just one of the many ways NFC can be useful in our everyday lives. In fact, we’re only scraping the surface of what’s theoretically possible.

Google is definitely not the first company to dabble in NFC, but it appears to be poised and ready to push the tech’s adoption forward at a rapid pace with the advent of Wallet and Offers. Until now the coals have been hot; but if a fire’s going to start, someone monolithic has to throw a few newspapers in as kindling — and Google volunteered. But what good is NFC if it’s just an acronym that causes our eyes to glaze over? Is El Goog the only instigator? After the break we’ll focus on what NFC is capable of, and why we want it on our phones as soon as yesterday.

Continue reading Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?

Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Redsn0w 0.9.8b1 released for Mac, brings tethered jailbreak to iOS 5

Your patience has paid off. The planet’s first openly accessible jailbreak is now available for those who’ve taken the plunge with iOS 5 (beta), and if you just can’t go another day without access to Cydia, well… you don’t have to. Redsn0w 0.9.8b1 has been released for Mac users, but given that it’s a tethered solution, you’ll have to plug ‘er back into your machine each time you need to reboot. We’d encourage you to wait for the inevitable untethered alternative, but those who aren’t having any of that “listening to your elders” hoopla can hop on down to the source link.

Redsn0w 0.9.8b1 released for Mac, brings tethered jailbreak to iOS 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Mobiputing, The Inquirer  |  sourceDev-Team Blog  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft loses $290 million patent battle, begins searching couch cushions

We’ve diligently followed the Microsoft v. i4i Limited Partnership patent dispute as it wound its way through the courts, and now comes the day of reckoning: by a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court has upheld the patent-infringement finding against Redmond. For those of you just catching up, MS had been taken to court by Toronto-based i4i over a portfolio of XML-related patents — patents it had already offered to license to the software behemoth. In court, Microsoft claimed it had not infringed and that the patents were invalid; a 2009 Texas court disagreed and awarded $200 million in damages. A subsequent appeal failed. Oh, and the government sided with i4i. Today’s Supreme Court verdict upholds the lower courts’ decisions: Microsoft Word is an infringing product, and the company now owes $290 million. The finding likely won’t affect consumers, as the offending versions of Word are now obsolete. Still, $290 million isn’t chump change, even for the world’s largest software company. There’s probably a joke in here about i4i justice, but we’ll be dadblasted if we can find it.

Microsoft loses $290 million patent battle, begins searching couch cushions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments