Jolicloud pre-beta is now on

Jolicloud, the popular Ubuntu UltimateNetbookRemix based operating system for netbooks has come out of its invite only alpha form for everyone to use. Differences between this pre-beta and the red robby alpha version include a new startup screen and also an option to install from an existing windows system without harming/overwriting windows.

"Dear Alpha tester,

As you may know, Jolicloud has recently entered into public Pre-Beta.

Anyone can now go on our new website at http://www.jolicloud.com/ to download and install Jolicloud on their netbook.

This was an emotional moment for us but also a very busy time. If you have not upgraded to Pre-Beta yet, you can do it now. We took extra time to make sure the migration goes smoothly. You will be asked to update twice (the first update will be for the updating program and the second will install the Pre-Beta packages). You will know that you are on the Pre-Beta as soon as you reboot and see the new opening screen. Lots of small improvements have been done, and our new theme should react faster. Some of you should enjoy faster boot and the new kernel update should improve things.

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your amazing support and feedback. We would never have gotten this far without you. As an Alpha member you have been instrumental to the development of Jolicloud. Therefore we want to tag all our early users and give them a special "founding member" status on their profile. Those who register after the launch of the Pre-Beta won't have that status.

So what's in our Pre-Beta?

Jolicloud can now be installed from your Windows XP or 7 directly with Jolicloud Express, our new easy Windows installer. The key install is still available, but if you have friends with a Windows netbook that want to try Jolicloud while keeping Windows and their data safe they can do it!

Support for 98% of the netbooks available in the market.

With the new Jolicloud, we are supporting GMA500 netbooks (with HD support) and we are working hard to get the new NVIDIA® ION™ supported.

The system and drivers have been updated to work with all netbooks. However if WiFi, sound or video is affected by the upgrade, send us an email at feedback@jolicloud.com making sure that you provide details, including what specific type of netbook you are using.

In any case you should consider following our Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/jolicloud. We use it to announce the latest info and updates about Jolicloud.

Together with your support and feedback let's bring Jolicloud to full Beta mode in early 2010.

We really hope you'll enjoy this Pre-Beta.

Jolicloud is in the short list for the Crunchies Awards! To help Jolicloud win the Best International Startup Award please vote here: http://crunchies2009.techcrunch.com/vote/

From all the Jolicloud Team, we wish you a Happy New Year!"

Netbook sales predicted to slow as ULV computers get cheaper

According to research firm DisplaySearch:

"Netbook shipments are expected to total 33.3 million units by year's end, for a year-over-year growth of 103 percent, says DisplaySearch. But in 2010, growth will slow to less than 20 percent, thanks to the new breed of notebook computers with ultra-low voltage processors and sub-$500 price points."

For as long as netbooks have been around, the niche of people that only want a tiny laptop that can barely do more than the basics has been largely filled, and a newer group of consumers that are searching for more powerful third generation netbooks find their salvation in cheaper, lower price point ULV based laptops. As Engadget points out however:

"Of course, 20% growth still means that netbook shipments should be in the neighborhood of 40 million for 2010, and DisplaySearch even estimates that growth will hold steady at about 20% for 2011, so we wouldn't be so quick to put them on deathwatch just yet."

Read- Linux for Devices
Read- DisplaySearch

Here is something you probably didn't know

This story on The Consumerist caught my eye, HP ink costs more than human blood [link]. Take that HP! I knew the ink was expensive when I spent $40 on two ink tanks for my friend who said they only last a couple of weeks.

What did you get?

So, now that Christmas and the other holidays have mostly passed, what did you get for the holidays? Sound off in the comments, we would really like to hear.

The silence is broken

And so after more than seven months of inactivity, the silence is broken. I would like to spend this time to welcome everybody back to Huntertech, and to say Happy Holidays.

Google Tasks Standalone!

Google Tasks is known and loved by many of us, but one problem with it--at least with me, anyway--is that Tasks is only able to be edited through a Gmail window. All you need to do it is enable it in Google Labs.

Unbenownst to many of us, Google has surreptitiously launched a standalone version of Google Tasks: no more wasting RAM to hold a Gmail window just to read your tasks!

It is located at http://mail.google.com/tasks/ig.

There are many ways to make this standalone; the way I am using right now is through Firefox's Prism application.

Because I use Ubuntu, I use the (to me) easier, downloadable Prism app: just do sudo apt-get install prism in the terminal and apt-get will automatically download the prism application. (Remember, this is ONLY for Ubuntu and other systems that support apt-get, not Windows. Windows users should go to the above link for Firefox.)

Of course, if you don't have Firefox or anything, you can use Google Chrome's "create a standalone application" tool or just keep the Tasks open in a tab or window.

Feel free to comment about how YOU organize your tasks, and if you found this useful or interesting.

Update: Someone has found out a slick way for Windows users to integrate these tasks on to their desktop. His post is as follows, and is located at here.

"What I did was right click on my windows taskbar and go to the Toolbars> submenu, click on the 'New Toolbar…' button.
In the field for the location, just past the link:
https://mail.google.com/tasks/ig
And press Enter.
Then you will see a new toolbar on your windows taskbar (it may be collapsed). Now take that toolbar and drag it to your desktop. It will create a window on your desktop.
This window will always load with windows, and if you logged in with internet explorer and saved your passwords and username for your gmail account, then it will log in automatically.
What’s nice is it sits on your computer and loads up to remind you what to do and I believe there’s an option to even make it sit on top of all windows if you like."

[TipsFor.Us]

Ubuntu 9.04!

Is out.

This is a great thing for any Linux enthusiast.

The thing that the Ubuntu team worked on this release is BOOT TIME. All over the web, there are posts about how fast their ubuntu loads; I myself am still using 8.10 on my desktop (because there is no driver for my graphics card in 9.04) so I can't test this for myself.

Additionally, it seems that the Ubuntu team is hopping on the netbook bandwagon! Ha and I both have a netbook: him, a Dell Mini, and I, an Acer Aspire One. I have my One double-booting Windows XP and Canonical's new Ubuntu Netbook Remix, or UNR for short. This has a special launcher that takes the place of the taskbar, but of course Gnome is still usable under System->Preferences. The main difference is under the cover: UNR has better power management than the desktop or server versions of 9.04.

It's always a good time to try out Ubuntu via either double-booting, jumping straight in, using a virtual desktop, etc... but I especially recommend starting with this release. You won't ever look back at Vista with longing ever again.

The next release will be in October, and will be called Karmic Koala.

Comment freely!

[Ubuntu]

Got My Mini

Those of you that know me personally will know that I have been considering getting a new computer for a while now, and that I am on a pretty low budget. And just my luck, I was online going through my normal feeds, I found a nice deal for the HP mini 1030NR for only 275$ with 10$ shipping. I pulled the trigger and I don't really have any regrets. Of course, this is a refurb, but you can expect to have a 90day warranty from HP and for another 25$, you can probably also find a new version of the HP mini 1030NR at staples, but there is tax.  The Mini is pretty nice, and for you that don’t really know about the HP mini, the mini has a body of the approximate size of the Acer Aspire, but there is the option of getting the 10.1” screen in the same body. The dimensions are 10.3 in (L) x 6.56 in (D) x 0.99 in (H) and with a weight of about 2.4LB. Full review to come

Buy it now!

The New HP dv2 reviewed for your pleasure

The New Hp dv2 had been released several days ago, and now since we do not have any sponsors yet, we have the pleasure of other blogs to view their opinions.

Here is some background on the HP dv2. Back in early January, AMD (advanced micro devices) announced that they would be making a new line of processors called the “Neo” processors to compete with the ULV devices of Intel. They had also stated that they would not be fighting for the position of top dog in the netbook saga where nearly all current netbooks are built with that special Atom processor.

Most of these reviews generally say the same thing; the dv2 is sleek and very shiny, and partially lagging in terms of processing power. The Yukon platform that it performs on only has the single strong suit of graphics and even then, the computer reaches a steaming hot 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Of the pack-ins that HP had included, there was the typical fanfare of manuals and then there was the USB powered blu-ray drive. Wanna read more? Click on the reads

Read-slashgear

Read-LaptopMag

Read-Notebook Review

Get the Old Facebook Back! (March 2009 Update) Now Complete!

In March of 2009, Facebook changed the layout... again. Not as big or major as that in September but still an update. That pretty much wipes out getting the layout before September 2008 major update that used to be possible. However, many have gotten used to the previous update and despise the new layout. Personally, I like the new layout, but many don't, so....

Lets "hack" the new layout and get the old one as much as we can!

Ask me any questions or chat with me live in the Digsby widget below!

First off, only one browser takes customizing to the next level.... Get the latest stable version of Mozilla Firefox! Note: Some Greasemonkey scripts also function in Opera however they often have reduced functionality. Get Firefox to fully take advantage.

Everything in this requires only one add-on and that is the one and only Greasemonkey! Whats Greasemonkey you may ask? It allows you to customize how sites load through pieces of Javascript. Greasemonkey scripts can do millions of useful things on virtually any site, even replace some add-ons, since many add-ons are based on scripts. Anyways, back to the main point here. If you know Javascript, you can write your own codes too.

After you have installed Mozilla Firefox and the add-on Greasemonkey, time to get the old Facebook layout back as much as possible.

To change script configurations, visit a page that the script is enabled on, then right click on the status icon or through Tools --> Greasemonkey, then mouse over User Script Commands and click on the appropriate item. Some scripts do not have configuration though. The configuration will not be available on pages that the script does not work on.



IMPORTANT: Many of these scripts will NOT work on the HTTPS (SSL) encrpyted version of Facebook by default. To enable it, go to the Greasemonkey Scripts manager, then edit one of the sites that might say: "http://www.facebook.com/*" Change it into "http*//www.facebook.com/*" Basically, add a wildcard * after the http. An alternative is simply to add "*facebook.com/*" to the list. That handles everything. Note that chat does not function in SSL mode.

Facebook Fixer
Click the Install button to load into Greasemonkey. Does not require a browser restart, however often requires refreshing Facebook.

This single script pretty much handles most of it. You can remove the filter menu, highlights, connect with friends, people you may know, and/or pokes. Fully customizable through the configuration. Right click on the monkey icon in the statusbar and mouse over Script Commands. The highlights are new to the new layout, so remove it. You can also hide the filter list, which is also new. Right now, your page should look something like this: (Click to enlarge)

In addition, it adds a huge number of nice optional enhancements such as top and bottom toolbar transparency, top banner to move with the page like the bottom bookmarks, show a preview of a photo by mousing over the thumbnail, Zodiac signs next to birthday, links to add to Google Calendar, round profile pictures, and MUCH MORE.

The configuration can also be accessed through the Facebook Settings menu. Click to enlarge.
That pretty much handles everything possible, but the old Facebook had smaller text... so... our next script (which can also be used as a user style with Stylish, a user style manager that also changes pages but it changes how pages look by modifying CSS rather than how they load by modifying Javascript) is...

Facebook March 09 Layout Shrinker
To install this, there are two options: Load into Stylish (if its installed) and load as User Script. If you are using Greasemonkey, load as User Script.

This does not have configuration. It basically makes everything smaller. It says combine with another script, however Facebook Fixer can handle everything that the other script does and more. With this script and the Facebook Fixer, your homepage should look something like this:
Thats pretty much as far as it can go for now. Wall posts are generally the only thing left to remove. Unless everyone sets to not allow them in news feed, its impossible to block them for now. I'm sure there will be ways too. Script developers are working on it. I take NO CREDIT for these third party scripts.

Heres a bonus to remove the what I find annoying posts from applications and quizes in the news feed using Facebook Purity, another script. It automatically hides these posts but there is an option to show them if you want to see them anyway.

After installing the 3 scripts mentioned here, this is what you'll get:
UPDATE 4/15/09: Add Facebook Add Status to bring your status message back to the homepage.
UPDATE 4/15/09: Remove Wall Posts from your news feed. Install this script. Unfortunately, this prevents removing the filter list.

Thanks for reading and I hope this post was useful to you. Click on the banner below to get Firefox in order to install Greasemonkey.

Email me any questions or feedback at: free...@gmail.com
You will received an automated reply confirming that your message has been received. You will be receiving a personalized reply as soon as possible. To protect against automated spam, click on the dots to take the Recaptcha test and reveal the email. Thanks.

Note: Add Greasefire to your Firefox if you want to know when there is a script from UserScripts available for your current page. Greasefire requires Greasemonkey. The Greasemonkey icon has a red background when scripts are available.

Ubuntu 9.04 beta is out and the public release is coming too!

Digsby: Online Communication Reborn

Instant messaging is part of our everyday life. Theres so many services to choose from: Google Talk (XMPP), AIM (Oscar), Jabber, Windows Live (MSN), Yahoo!, ICQ, and more. Have an account on all of them in addition to numerous active email accounts? Want to pile all that with Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn? Now you can! All in one application! No more multiple programs consuming all of your system resources! First of all, most standalone clients such as AIM, Windows Live, Yahoo!, and ICQ (however not Google Talk =D) display banner ads and/or text ads all over the application. Read my review on AIM to find out more about ads and software installed with AIM (application highly not recommend by the way).

Is ONE SINGLE program will SO many protocols even possible in addition to an AD FREE GUI?

Digsby:
95/100 (Superior)
Instant Messaging, Emails, and Social Networks.... Reborn!

Test out the Live Chat widget (Digsby) here!

First off, lets start off with the installation. Many users complain about the parade of offers for mostly adware. However, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PRESS ACCEPT. Most users fear that not pressing Accept will cause them to get nothing. Feel free to press Decline for the offers. Most users just press Accept without reading (VERY bad habit). They have a good and honest reason behind offering all this. First of all, the program is Completely Free of Charge (No Pro Version!! Pro Versions simply annoy me when there is one). 100% Ad Free!!! :) All companies need money, and if they need revenue, they're doing it right. HONESTY! :D Read more about their installation and revenue methods here. Isn't having a bunch of optional offers all at once MUCH better than a program overfilled with ads like AIM (which also force installs junk)?
On another note on this, there is an offline installer available without any third party software offers. This one does not require the internet during installation and only offers to change homepage to Digsby Google Search and add search engines, again are OPTIONAL. After selecting the operating system (As of March 26, 2009, it is Windows only. Mac and Linux are in the works), click the link that says you have trouble with the installer. Or click this link to download the offline installer now. Details are in this screenshot:
If you use the InstallIQ installation, remember you can click Decline (except for the welcome screen which is not an offer but basically to start the installation) for every offer. Once again, ALL OFFERS ARE COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. If you do use the InstallIQ Main Installer, feel free to delete the ID Registry Key added by the installer (which is NOT created by Digsby or dotSyntax LLC): HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Freeze.com/Installer Learn more about the InstallIQ Installer by clicking here.

Supported Protocols:
Instant Messenging: AIM (Oscar), Windows Live, Yahoo!, Google Talk (XMPP), Facebook Chat, Jabber, and ICQ.
Email: Gmail (Google Mail), Windows Live Hotmail (MSN), Yahoo! Mail, AOL/AIM Mail, in addition to IMAP and POP3 accounts.
Social Networking: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn
Digsby Widget: Add a Widget to any site and anyone can chat with you. You can even use it for tech support. You will be able to know how many people visit your site.

Part 1: Instant Messaging
Digsby supports a wide range of protocols, including Facebook Chat. Many buddy list grouping options including Group by Service or regular groups like in AIM and Windows Live.
A built in chat log viewer. Chats are automatically stored and can easily be viewed using an easy to use integrated viewer.
Tabbed IM interface (looks A LOT like IE7 tabs). When closing multiple tabs, a dialog appears (can be disabled); looks a lot like Firefox!
Drag and drop tabs into a new window or drag into another window to form another tab! Smooth fading effects here (if your video card supports it). This is a very short 9 second video demonstrating the drag and drop (requires Adobe Flash Player). Note: Quality has been significantly decreased by Blogger.

Unique notifications! The pop up new message notification in the corner is more than just a pop up! You can type a reply and enter it right from the pop-up! But there's more, unlike other IM clients when the initial IM will automatically switch to the window which can be annoying, you can choose to have this not happen in addition to just having the pop-up or nothing at all! Fully customizable including the location and the when pop-up notifications appear! I found this feature to be extremely useful and very unique. Lots and lots and lots of themes and skins to choose from, not only for the conversation windows, but the buddy list too. Even more customizations like sound schemes can be downloaded for free at the Digsby community site. Fully customizable and the developers are planning an API for plugins and other features.

The video and voice chat is powered by Tokbox and Requires Adobe Flash Player. The good side of this is that you can basically video/audio chat with anyone regardless of what they're using. Users on the other end, if they're not using Digsby, will receive a request to chat on http://v.digsby.com/?id=*(random string of characters). Like other multi protocol clients, you will be able to view what resource Google Talk users are using, like Gmail, Google Talk Gadget, Google Talk Client, meebo, Digsby, and others. This applies to all XMPP protocol connections: Jabber and Google Talk. Also, the IM terms: Available, Away, Busy, and Idle differ depending on service. In Google Talk, Available (GREEN) and Busy (RED) are normally used. The term Away (ORANGE) indicates idle. In AIM, Available (GREEN) and Away (RED) are normally used. Idle (ORANGE) also indicates idle time.

For Google Talk, the "Full Name" is basically the name that the user is using for chat and sending emails. When you receive an email from them, thats their name.

You can set different statuses for different accounts. Select Custom Status from the Status menu (status can also be set through regular methods like other clients but this is the way to set different for each account) and in the new window, select "Use Different Statuses for each Account".
With Facebook chat, additional options are available. Additionally, in rare cases, some messages (especially for AIM) may be delayed in both directions occasionally. This is being fixed in future releases. As you may know, Digsby is in beta and alpha updates are available if you add a file into your Digsby directory.

Just like all clients that can connect to Google Talk/Jabber, invisibility and group chat is not supported. In Google Talk in Digsby, you will get a link to open the Google Talk Gadget to join group chats when invited to one, just like in the Google Talk Client.

Part 2: Email
Digsby supports email composing and notifications for Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, AOL/AIM Mail, IMAP, and POP accounts. Sign into any accounts and receive new email notifications. Again, pop-up notifications are fully customizable. If you chose to have a tray/notification area icon (customizable), a number with the number of new mail is shown. Clicking on this icon will show the same menu as if you were to mouse over the label on your buddy list (which does not have to be there either-Customizable again). Double clicking the icon opens the respective email service (i.e.: Clicking a Gmail icon would open Gmail in your default browser)

On the menu, mousing over each mail allows you to Open (in Web Browser), Mark as Read, Archive, Delete, and Report it as Spam. It also has a favicon for each mail depending on the sender. But wait there's more! Tired of having to open a web browser to write mail? Digsby is here to help! If you want to email any of your contacts on your chat list, simply open up the IM window as if you're messaging them, then click on Email and you can write your mail right from there! Choose to send from any of your emails. Clicking the compose in the new email list however will open a web browser. Quick Tip: To send to someone not in your list, Go to the email tab of someone who IS in your list, then under the "To:" click Add and type in the email address you want to send to. Then after sending, feel free to Remove that address by going back to the "To:" Menu. Unfortunately, attachments are not supported here... yet.

Part 3: Social Networking
Disgby supports changing status and receive notifications for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Just like above, the notifications pop-ups can be customized and the friend news feed topics can be customized. Pop ups work pretty much the same way as the email. Upon using this, you must add the Digsby application to your Facebook account and optionally add the Digsby Widget application and box to your profile. More on the Widget below.

Set your status DIRECTLY from Digsby without opening your browser. Click the edit in the news feed. At first, you will open an IE application window. So sign in, and click REMEMBER ME. Then sign in and close the window. Then repeat and then since its remembered, you will get a window saying Allow Digsby access to status updates and click Allow. Close window and repeat. This time and all the times afterwards, just a text box (NOT powered by IE anymore!) will appear.

Part 4: Digsby Widget
Anyone can chat with you with the handy widget. Fully customizable and you can create as many as you want. See how many people visit your site in real time!

Try it right now! Chat with me in the widget at the beginning of the review!!! Feel free to ask any questions here too or just test it!

The chat is also anonymous for by default, the nickname is "guest" followed by a string of numbers although visitors can change it. The widget uses Adobe Flash Player. In addition, the visitor's IP Address will be listed in the buddy info window for the guest (a new group is created for each widget you create and the group only appears if there is a visitor). For the Facebook widget, it isn't active until a user actaully clicks the widget in your profile and then it loads. Create a widget from the Digsby site. The New Widget button opens the site in a new tab of your default browser (or new window if your browser does not have tab support). Very useful and unique feature.

Part 5: Additional Features of Digsby
Digsby requires registration. This allows all your accounts, settings, preferences, statuses, (but not logs) to travel with you where ever you go. Similar to meebo accounts.

Rather than docking it which consumes RAM (hiding the buddy list when not in use significantly lowers the RAM), Digsby lets you keep the list on top then you can choose for it to smoothly slide away when its not in focus. This counts as hiding the window so the resource consumption would go down. Very nice feature!

Ever have people who have multiple IM accounts? With Digsby, you can merge contacts so they appear as one item! Simply drag and drop contacts into another and give the group a nickname and you're done. However, currently, in order for these to save, you must sign out of Digsby and/or exit properly during the session that you merge contacts or make modifications (i.e.: Clicking Exit Digsby rather than having the application crash). Click on each name in the buddy info window to view the individual info. The default info showing is the one that was selected to be on top). Multi protocol clients have a tendency of using a lot of system resources. However Digsby doesn't use that much. Even with 3 IM protocols, 1 email, and 1 social network, it only uses 39 MB RAM when the buddy list is open and around 10 MB RAM when the buddy list is closed in the background. This is A LOT less than single protocol clients like AIM and Windows Live Messenger alone!

Built in spell checker.A process known as "aspell.exe" runs when you run Digsby. This is NOT a third party program. It is part of Digsby and functions as its spell checker. Like Firefox, Microsoft Office, and other programs, a red line is drawn under misspelled words. Doesn't consume much RAM; in most cases only around 7.5 MB.

In addition to the installer, Digsby is also doing research to help other organizations which will help them gain revenue. The research runs when your computer is idle for 10 or more minutes (not moving keyboard or mouse) and runs as a Low Priority CPU Process so other processes get CPU before it does. This is turned on by default but everything is optional so it can be turned off from Help --> Support Digsby. Then click Disable for "Help Digsby conduct research." Read more about their installation and revenue methods here.

Digsby is 100% Ad Free. It does not force install software at all. The offers are simply ways to make revenue and its perfectly acceptable. I much rather have a parade of OPTIONAL offers (Just press Decline if you dont want them) than to have software force installed (like in AIM) and/or have ads all over the application. Or use the original offline installer mentioned in the beginning of this review. Personally, programs that I install that I have ads annoy me a lot after a while and those with a paid "PRO" are not fun or enjoyable.

Digsby is an awesome multi protocol all in one program for everyone. I highly recommend this application to anyone whether you have just one IM protocol or a huge collection of it. Its MUCH MUCH better than other programs including AIM. The program is honest and doesn't secretly install anything onto your computer. I use this regularly for my online communication needs.

Download Digsby today!
Mac and Linux versions coming soon. Click on these links to sign up for notifications of when they are released.

Thanks for reading Tech Hunter. Subscribe to our blog's RSS Feeds for alerts of the latest posts. Email me any questions, comments, or feedback by sending an email to: free...@gmail.com. Click on the dots to take the Recaptcha Test to reveal the email to protect against automated spam. All emails will receive an automated response confirming that your message has been received followed by a personalized response as soon as possible.

It is time for a WOOT OFF!!!

Woot is an amazing one deal, one day website, but every so often they have an event called a woot off where they sell their inventory as quickly as possible. To read more on woot.com and this event go to their wikipedia article.

FS Quick Tip 2: Want to see outer space for free?

Ever wanted to see the stars and beyond for free without having to buy an actual telescope? A relatively new program from Microsoft Research Labs, known as Microsoft WorldWide Telescope is here to solve your problems. This CNET Download.com 5 Star program is Microsoft's response to programs like Google Earth's Sky Mode.

Microsoft Research WorldWide Telescope:
97/100: Superior
"To infinity and beyond!"

Travel to the stars and beyond and with a plugin; it can even connect to your actual telescope. If you want to try without installing anything, there is a web based version available that looks very much like the client only with less features. The web version requires Microsoft Silverlight 2.0, the latest version of Microsoft's version of Adobe Flash Player. As like all software of this type, it might not run well on older hardware configurations. The following are screenshots of the Classic Beauty; Whirlpool Galaxy in the web version and the client version.

Web Based Silverlight Version:

WorldWide Telescope Solstice Borealis Beta Windows Client:

Explore the stars and beyond including other planets. Microsoft Virtual Earth technology is built in so you can choose to explore the earth as well. Explore the names of stars and even take Virtual Tours. There are just a few minor bugs to tweak out.

The tabbed GUI like interface is similar to the tabs of Windows Media Player 11 and the options are similar to the Ribbon GUI found in Microsoft Office, Nitro PDF Professional, and other software.

This program is packed full of features with a very pleasing and attractive interface and is definitely worth trying if you meet the minimum system requirements, whether you're a student, astronomer, educator, and just about anyone curious and interested about the universe.

The latest Windows client version is the Solstice Borealis Beta. During the installation, DirectX 9 updates will be automatically installed.

Email me any questions, comments, or feedback at: free...@gmail.com
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Firefox Quick Tip

Want IE8's sweet new features for Firefox? Firefox, as you probably know, has the greatest customization of any browser with over 5000 add-ons to choose from and they're so easy to install. Web slices and accelerators: 2 new features that were exclusive to IE8 are not anymore.

WebChunks:
This adds Web Slice functionality to Firefox. Simply install the add-on then head on over to IE Add-ons site and install web slices as if its in IE.

KallOut:
This adds accelerators to Firefox. The developer is also working on adding full IE Accelerator support.

Click on the links above to view info, screenshots, and install the add-on.

Email me any questions or feedback at: free...@gmail.com
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AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) v6: A Waste of Time

Aim (AOL Instant Messenger), which runs on the OSCAR protocol, is one of the world's most popular IM protocols, being available everywhere, including integrated with Google Talk in Gmail. The AIM client is a free download at the official AIM Site. You might want to hold off on that download for now. If you want to uninstall or uninstalled, note that it might not have uninstalled cleanly. See end of review for details.

AIM 6.5, 6.8, and 6.9 Beta:

15/100: A Waste of Time. Not worth even trying.
AIM: AOL Instant "Messing-ger"

Why the harsh rating? Being a large company and serving so many flashy ads is one thing, but force installing adware products, and being adware itself, is unacceptable.

Real Time IM:
Version 6.8 and above have a nice unique new feature known as Real Time IM. When enabled, you literally get to see what your buddy is typing in real time. There are several bugs with this including occasionally counting each keystroke as a new message, causing a huge pyramid of messages.

Status Messages:
Version 6 emphasizes status messages....... Not much to say about this. Other clients had status messages forever.

Color Chooser:
Version 6 emphasizes colors. Pick between 10 different colors on black or white. Not much to say about this either. Not very customizable.

Now on to the things that caused me to give this such a low rating:

Force Install Software:
Read more here. This is completely unacceptable. Anyone who has installed AIM normally may notice that something called Viewpoint Media Player has been installed onto their computer. Coincidence? Accident? NO. It was no accident. It is bundled with AIM as well as other AOL Applications. Viewpoint Media Player has a unique tracker ID and will eventually track user activities. Whats even worse? Try uninstalling it. If you're using an account that has admin install rights without User Account Control (Vista and 7), launch your AIM again, Viewpoint Media Player.... may magically reinstall itself! They mention Viewpoint in the license how its required to view the media (which IT IS NOT. I uninstalled and blocked it and everything works FINE). They don't mention anything else about Viewpoint.

Thats not all. Something called WildTangent, also adware and can track user activites, is installed. It is used to play various media and is used by other companies as well. The problem is... Force installed and the auto-updater is on by default. The updater transmits data about the computer that it is installed on, including hardware specifications, installed software, and more. QQ Games and Aim Tunes can be optionally installed during setup. But even if you choose not to install them, ever realized that numerous copies of these two setup files are scattered throughout your hard drive? But wait! Thats not all...

Ads... ads.... oh look new version! EVEN MORE ADS!!!
Ads ads ads. Almost every client has ads (including Windows Live and Yahoo!). Aim, however, has simply too much. First of all, most ads are meant to be helpful and persuade users to buy, try, or use products. The ads on AIM, are a different story. It is known to take advantage of user bandwidth to download large movie trailers randomly then playing them. When users mouse over certain banner ads, it expands like a popup window then starts playing the ad as a movie.

Oh look Version 6.9 Beta is here.... Whats new? New buttons.... and.... guess what? Huge flashy ads on Settings. We can't even change our settings without downloading ads.

Buddy info... celebrity gossip ads on the bottom. Pretty useless and annoying.

The ad server: *.atwola.com is a MAJOR source of tracking cookies. The domain is used for not only AIM ads, but ads on AOL sites, and signature ads on outgoing mail.

I tested AIM 6.5, 6.8, and 6.9 and most of this is completely unacceptable behavior.

AOL has also lost a lot of subscribers and will probably continue to lose even more if they don't clean up their behavior here. This not only applies to AIM, but their AOL Desktop Client as well.

Other AOL Software is known to add their own sites to Internet Explorer's Trusted Zone. What does this do? That would allow anything from their site to download and install without contacting the user at all.

Would you trust such behavior? You decide. Force installing software? Company that adds sites to trusted zone? Is AIM worth it?

There are MUCH better clients out there including Digsby (many offers, but there're all optional and the company needs revenue money to run... plus this keeps it 100% ad free too-they're a small company), Pidgin, and Trillian. If they need revenue money, they give you optional offers where theres a clear DECLINE button. AIM, however, simply forces the junk to be installed without telling the user at all. I highly do not recommend AIM.

I highly recommend Digsby. If you don't want the parade of offers to even show up on Digsby install, simply click the link saying that you had trouble with the above installer. Digsby is kept 100% ad free and supports the most protocols (IM, Email, and Social Network) of all. If you choose to use the original installer, remember that theres a DECLINE button to the offers.

If you really want to use AIM, consider using AIM Ad Hack. It allows you to REMOVE and BLOCK Viewpoint, WildTangent, Ads, and all the other junkware (you can choose what to remove). Theres even an option to install AIM during Ad Hack so you would never have to even face the junk installed. Click here to install from Softpedia. Unlike other programs, this actually modifies the entire AIM source code to remove ads and stuff. I tested this and it works perfectly. I uninstalled AIM and will never go back. I now use Digsby for everything.

AIM Ad Hack!! Screenshots below on AIM 6.9 Beta 3 (Released on March 16, 2009). The first image in each pair is the original and the second is the ad hacked. I chose to remove everything during AIM Ad Hack. As always, click to enlarge

About AIM Versions:


Buddy List:


Buddy Info:


Can we change our settings without download ads?? (Version 6.9 and above)


Hey look its adware installed!


It also does not uninstall cleanly. Even if you choose to remove everything, including data, it will still leave behind some registry keys and folders in hidden user directories such as C:\Users\~USER~\AppData\* on Vista/7 and C:\Documents and Settings\~USER~\Application Data\* on older operating systems. Viewpoint and WildTangent also leave registry behind and must be manually deleted or through using uninstallers like Revo Uninstaller (highly recommended). WildTangent does not leave an uninstaller, however, it leaves numerous folders and files on your disk especially in hidden folders.

Alternatives: Digsby, Integrated with Gmail Google Talk (Logs with Gmail), Pidgin, Trillian, Meebo (EV SSL Here), and more. If any of these have offers, its mainly to keep it ad free. All of these alternatives provide a DECLINE to the offers, and nothing is force installed. I recommend Digsby or Gmail (Google Talk) Integration.

I don't trust this type of behavior. Do you?

Email me any questions at: free...@gmail.com
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Internet Explorer 8 is here!

Microsoft's browser, Internet Explorer, just received its major update on Thursday, March 19, 2009. It has been in Beta for quite a while and the RTW (Release to Web) is finally here. It received a full 5 stars on CNET Download.com however its far from perfect. IE is easily the most popular browser obviously because it is bundled with Microsoft Windows. However, new features are not enough to drag users away from alternatives like Firefox. IE's market share will still be chipped away.

Internet Explorer 8:
85/100 (Great)
Worth Trying. Most Secure and Fastest IE Version Yet.

New Features:
Find out all new features and screenshots by clicking here.

Private Browsing (inPrivate):
A feature being added to most browsers. Web history, cookies, cache are deleted when the browser window closes.

Relative Color Coded Tabs:
A feature from IE7, tabs are color coded depending on where they are opened from. Middle click to open links in new tab, just like in any tabbed browser.

Web Slices:
A unique feature of IE8 and no other browser even with add-ons. View active live feeds rather than just the title of a web page. Examples include Suggested Sites, eBay bidding right from Favorites bar, and more.

Accelerators:
A unique feature of IE8 and no other browser. Highlight any term or phrase or easily search the term from a particular search engine. Accelerators, like add-ons can easily be installed.

Add-ons and Extensions:
At the Official IE8 Add-ons site, there is a large collection of add-ons like Firefox. However, unlike Firefox, they require administrative permissions on Vista and Windows 7 to install for they install for all users, which is significantly more difficult than Firefox. In addition, the collection is not as large.

Compatibility Viewing Mode:
A feature that was used in Beta and RC1 for viewing web pages designed for older browsers. However, its a bit strange how its still here for sites like Google and the browser is considered a final release.

SmartScreen Filter:
Basically an improvement of the Phishing Filter. Like Firefox, also protects from malware sites. Test it here. This site is NOT a real phishing site. Try clicking Continue. It doesn't work. Contoso Bank is a MICROSOFT made up company to test their filter. Don't worry, the site does no harm at all. Note that the filter might not be turned on by default.

Smart Location Bar:
More options are available in the location bar.

Smart Search Bar:
Search suggestions including a preview on various searches such as Wikipedia available.

Crash Recovery:
When the browser crashes, the tabs can be restored.

Tab Isolation:
A feature available in Google Chrome: Each tab (but not plugin like Chrome) is ran as its own process so they can't affect each other. However this often causes high resource consumption.

Domain Highlighting:
Main domains are highlighted to identify fake sites. Available in Firefox through the Locationbar² add-on. IE8's and Locationbar²'s version is more powerful than Chrome's. In Chrome, even sub-domains are highlighted which partially defeats the purpose of the domain highlighting.

Delete Browsing History:
Just like older versions, deleting history takes forever. It not only opens 2 progress windows, then closes one after a few seconds, it takes at least 15 seconds, compared to less than 3 seconds on other browsers.

Installation:
Requires a restart which is a bit annoying.

Performance:
Faster than older versions, but still quite slow. Its also slow just like IE7 in opening new tabs.

Web Standards Support:
IE8 is the last of the popular browsers to pass Acid2. However, it still fails miserably at Acid3. When the test first starts, a text box with source code opens with a score of 12 on the back. Then after around 10 seconds, the box goes away increasing the score to 20. It loads the boxes in the correct position this time however, this was not the case in IE7 (which fails miserably at both tests). IE currently scores the lowest of all the major browsers.

After around 10 more seconds:
Acid3 Score Comparison:
Firefox 3 (Gecko): 71/100 (FAIL)
Firefox 3.1 Beta (Gecko): 93/100 (FAIL)

Chrome 1 (Webkit): 79/100 (FAIL)
Chrome 2 Beta (Webkit): 100/100 however does not pass other parts (FAIL)

Safari 3 (Webkit): 75/100 (FAIL)
Safari 4 Beta (Webkit): 100/100 (PASS)

Opera 9 (Presto): 85/100 (FAIL)
Opera 10 Alpha (Presto): 100/100 (PASS)

Internet Explorer 7 (Trident): 14/100 and also destroys the rest of the page (FAILS miserably)
Internet Explorer 8 (Trident): 20/100 (FAIL-See screenshot above)

Even if you never intend on using IE, I recommend updating anyway as it is tightly integrated with your computer and it would make your whole computer safer. However, it still carries IE's reputation of being slow at security patches, one of the lowest on web standards, etc... For a safe and speedy and fully customized web experience, get Mozilla Firefox as your main browser.

Update to Internet Explorer 8 today!

Get Mozilla Firefox, the award winning browser, as your default main browser.


Email me any questions at: free...@gmail.com
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