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If you use Mozilla’s Firefox browser, chances are you know about all the zillions of “add-ons” they offer, which you can use to tailor the browser to your online needs, from real-time weather reports to customized searches. Now Firefox has teamed with Ebay, creating an add-on that informs you—also in real-time—about your current bids, items being sold, and most importantly, when you’ve been outbid. Never blow a coveted auction again, say for a certain Walt Disney lunch box from our cherished childhood. Interested?
Read More 
| Firefox eBay Add-on
Gallery: Firefox and eBay Play Footsies
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RIM to Offer Blackberry Application
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Internet, Software,
RIM has decided to produce software for other phones so that they can do all the wonderful things that Blackberries can now do. The only catch is that your phone must already be running Windows Mobile 6.0. Once the software is installed, current Windows icons and layout are replaced by the Blackberry interface.
RIM is hoping to make the software available by September. Even though we would like the idea of owning our own “Strawberry” or “Rasberry,” we find that the cost of $30.00 to $50.00 a month and possible other added charges makes us want to keep our cell phones just the simple way they are now.
Read More | BBC
Gallery: RIM to Offer Blackberry Application
Wikipedia DVD to Become Available Soon
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Software,
Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that depends on volunteers to create its content, is now utilizing some of those volunteers to create a static version. Since its inception in 2001, the reference site has grown to more than 1.7 million articles just in English. The new DVD will concentrate on about 2,000 articles, with emphasis on mostly unchangeable topics such as geography and literature.
With a preliminary CD version already available for $13.99, the company is hoping that those without Internet access might be interested. We find a couple of hitches to that plan already. First of all, the CD version is so far only available through the project’s web site, and secondly, the only CD player some of us have is on our computer.
Read More | Wikipedia
Gallery: Wikipedia DVD to Become Available Soon
MGM Films Roar onto iTunes
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Apple, Movies, Portable Audio / Video, Software,
More and more entertainment companies are jumping on the iTunes bandwagon—making life more and more fun for the rest of us. Most recently, Sony joined the fray, with some of their classic TV shows available for download. Now MGM has climbed aboard, adding such popular films as “Mad Max” and “Rocky” to the iTunes catalog, which already carries nearly 500 flicks from Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures and others. The MGM films will be available in the coming weeks; most of the movies in the iTunes Store can be downloaded for $9.99 USD.
Read More | NY Times
Gallery: MGM Films Roar onto iTunes
Top Ten: Halo 2 for Vista Improvements
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Features, Microsoft, Software, Video Games,
So, Halo 2 for Windows Vista is launching on May 8, 2007, and we have been able to spend some time reviewing the title. Since everyone is familiar with Halo 2, we felt a full review wasn’t in order. Instead, we wanted to clue you in on the ten best improvements we experienced while reviewing the game. These ten features raise the bar for Halo as a whole, and may be a foreshadowing of things to come in Halo 3:
Achievements: If you are looking for something fun that adds another level of fun and challenge to the Halo 2 world, this is it. We have said it before, and we will say it again - Microsoft hit a gold mine with the notion of achievements. No sooner than when we finished a multiplayer deathmatch did we rack up a total of three achievements. Meleeing five people from behind (and thusly earning the Ninja achievement) was nice, but Meleeing someone who already had the Ninja achievement (and thus earning the Flaming Ninja achievement) was even better. We have the achievement to prove it. For those wondering, yes, the achievements you earn in Halo 2 for Vista (or any other Games for Windows game) is counted towards your Xbox Gamerscore.
Continue Reading: Top Ten Halo 2 Vista Improvements…
Read More | Playfeed
Gallery: Top Ten: Halo 2 for Vista Improvements
Apple has just released an update to their pro photo editing and management application, Aperture. Users who download and install the update will enjoy an increase in reliability and performance in different areas of Aperture, including:
- Generation of thumbnails for adjusted images
- Restoring from a vault
- Entering and exiting Full Screen mode
- Working with large sets keywords in the Keywords HUD
A couple of Aperture users wrote in and told us that, after installing the update, they noticed a considerable performance increase, which can only be taken as a plus. There are also a few specific fixes that Apple addressed in this update, including:
- Previews now update properly when images are sent to an external editor.
- Leaf Aptus 22 and Aptus 75 images are now imported with the correct orientation.
- When folders are imported as projects, the folder structure is now correctly preserved when identically named subfolders are included in the hierarchy.
- Reconnecting referenced images that have been externally edited now works more reliably.
- Setting the ColorSync profile in the Aperture Print dialog now correctly suppresses color management settings in the Mac OS X Print dialog.
If you have Aperture installed, you can grab the 129 MB 1.5.3 upgrade by firing up Software Update, or by hitting up the download site.
Read More | Aperture 1.5.3 Update
Gallery: Apple Releases Aperture 1.5.3 Update
Dell Reinstates Windows XP
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, PC / Laptop, Software,
Dell has decided to actually listen to its customers and asked them to come up with suggestions for making their products better. Not surprisingly, one of these ideas was to reinstate Windows XP into their PCs. That request, as part of their “Idea in Action” page, earned 10,000 votes. Above that level were those who suggested adding Linux or Open Office.
Microsoft has already decided that they will stop selling XP by next January. Other PC companies, such as HP and Leveno, still stock some units with XP systems. Wouldn’t it be nice if Dell had actually taken the Linux lead and come up with something really original?
Read More | CNET
Gallery: Dell Reinstates Windows XP
So you procrastinated on your taxes and let the due date slip by. Don’t tell anyone we told you this, but TurboTax had such a last minute rush Tuesday that they notified their filers that they couldn’t access their returns. The IRS has decided that they will not punish those who ended up with delayed filings. So here’s what you do. Run, do not walk, to get your own copy of TurboTax, plaster that sucker online, and maybe they will just believe you are one of the lost crowd.
Read More | Consumerist
Gallery: IRS Forgives TurboTax Filers
We have seen a plethora of weird USB devices on the market lately, but among our faves have to be SolidAlliance’s creations. The Rice-Tomato Hub is surrounded by 1 GB keys, among them the EbiFry (fried shrimp,) Kani No Hasam Age (crab cake,) Hamburg (Egg Foo Yung,) and Purin (caramelized pudding.) The FoodDish will become available next month and each one is hand made, perhaps to insure freshness. Just make sure to let your coworkers know that before they decide to chow down on the USB morsels.
Read More | Akihabara News
Gallery: Don’t Eat the USB
Bernina Artiste 730E: Windows-Powered Sewing Machine
Posted by Lolita Beckwith Categories: Smart Home, Microsoft, Misc. Tech, Software,
OK, people…Mother’s Day is just around the corner. Need a gift idea? We suggest the new low-priced PSP Core System for Mom (trust us, it’s been done before), but if you prefer a more traditional gift—and have $8200 lying around—we propose the Bernina Artista 730E, a Windows-powered sewing machine. It comes complete with a large color display that offers tutorials, on-screen help and a library of over 850 stitches. There’s even a “My Artista” portal, where you can swap designs with other Artista users. And the 730E doesn’t just sew: it can also be used for quilting and embroidery as well. The Artista 730E has been selected as a “Best Buy” by Consumers Digest magazine, so you can plunk down that $8200 USD with confidence.
Read More | Bernina via ChipChick
