Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
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.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
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]
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]
Thursday, April 23, 2009
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]
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]
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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
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-Notebook Review
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
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!
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.
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.
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Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
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.
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.
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