So Windows 7 Is Out, Now What

I promised myself that I wouldn't write a post today hyping the already over-hyped release of Windows Seven, however I broke down and had to write something.

By now, unless that is you have been living under a rock, you know that the latest greatest OS from Microsoft has hit store shelves and OEM PCs worldwide. I'm sure more than a few of our readers have already been playing with the released version and I'm sure even more rushed out this morning to get their hands on retail copies. I for one signed up for the Windows 7 house party so I got my copy a few days ago.

Hype what hype?

If like me and the 8 million or so other beta testers you've been using W7 for several months you shouldn't be surprised to find out you won't see many changes. The OS really looks and feels no different from anything we already tested. So whats all the hype about, well I guess it was for the rest of the world that didn't want to participate in the open beta, after all those of us currently running the RC can still do so until next year. So I for one have been a little annoyed by the over hyping of the release, but hey I'll let MS have their day in the sun.

I've said it before, several times in fact, that I just don't see what all the hype is about. Sure its a nice OS. Sure it looks great, but it doesn't make toast. There really isn't anything that Windows Seven does that Windows XP didn't do and it really doesn't do it any better. It looks a little cooler than both XP and Vista but that's all about personal preferences. So forgive me but I'm not seeing it!

Once the wow factor has worn off what do you do next?

By now those of you that didn't run the beta test have had a chance to run out and buy your shiny new operating system and you should have it installed. I'm sure you are sitting there and checking out all the new flashy features like Aero Peek and the new toolbar. At this late date you should all be aware of all the Windows 7 features so I'm not going to go into depth there. I'll also assume that, like me when I first tried it, you'll spend the next few weeks being enamored by all the changes you are seeing.

But what do you do once you realize that all the hype was for nothing, and that you just spent $200+ on a new OS that you really could have lived without. You customize it baby!!

Oh yeah, that's what this is all about. That all important step of making the operating system you own. For starters I'd suggest dropping by the Microsoft Windows 7 themes site. There you can pick-up some new theme sets, a few that are actually ad oriented? I'd also suggest checking out DeviantArt, most of the user submitted themes over there are actually quite cool.

Once you've got it looking cool its time to speed things up

Oh yes Windows 7 might be the new kid on the block but that doesn't mean that tweaks and tips aren't already out there to help you get the best performance possible. BlackViper.com is one of the best know sites on the web for information regarding service configuration and speed tips. They have a very useful Windows Seven Service Configuration table which takes the guess work out of what services can and can't be disabled.

BlackViper also has a Windows Seven SuperTweaks page, that has several great tips for speeding things up and making things like UAC less annoying. Most of these tips are a must for any new installation on any of my PCs.

But wait I haven't upgraded yet

If you haven't bought into the hype and haven't made the leap yet but you still want more information on Windows Seven you'll want to start with the Windows Seven Upgrade Advisor The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor is a downloadable tool from Microsoft that checks your PC for compatibility issues. Any problems that might arise with say older software or hardware that you are currently running will be listed. From there you'll need to decide if you want change to a newer, or different piece of software or newer hardware.

Another option is checking out the Windows Seven Compatibility Center. At the Windows Seven Compatibility Center you can manually check software and hardware compatibility via several drop down menus.

Once you are ready to buy run over to Newegg.com and pick-up the version that best suites your needs. If you aren't entirely sure which version to get you can compare the version here.

Rumor: Google Music Service In The Works

Popular tech blog TechCrunch reported this morning that Google might have a new service up it's sleeve and this one looks like it might be musical in nature.

Citing "several source" Micheal Arrington wrote that the company is developing a music service, which he aptly dubbed Google Audio. Arrington's report wasn't too far, the name however did miss the mark by a mile. TechCrunch and CNet are both providing more information on what is now being called "One Box for music."

One box is said to be a partnership between Google, Lala and iLike. The new service will be integrated into Google Search, and will allow users to quickly discover song previews, artist info, pictures, video and more. One Box, seems to be a play on one search box for everything, will feature thumbnail photos of the searched artists, background information, as well as a listing of the music that the searcher can preview, according to the sources.

Basic details aside neither CNet nor TechCrunch have been able to offer much. None of the companies involved will confirm the new Google Music service – Arrington writes, "we have “no comments” or absolute silence from Google, LaLa, MySpace and iLike. But the new service is all but confirmed. And we have the screenshots showing how the service, which will be announced on October 28, will look to prove it."

It looks like we are stuck waiting for another week for more details!

Follow-up (11-2-09)

Google has made it official your search results will now include links to an audio preview of those songs provided by our music search partners MySpace (which just acquired iLike) or Lala. When you click the result you'll be able to listen to an audio preview of the song directly from one of those partners. For example, if I search for [21st century breakdown], the first results provide links to songs from Green Day's new album. MySpace and Lala also provide links to purchase the full song.

For more details read the full announcement via the Official Google Blog.

ASUS CrossLink Cable Syncs Data, Allows Optical Disc Drive Sharing and Makes File Management Easy

The new easy-to-use and lightweight ASUS CrossLink cable offers a highly efficient way of transferring and synchronizing data, as well as sharing Internet access and optical disc drive (ODD) functions. With its flexible and customizable file management system, users can organize their data with minimal effort, as well as synchronize their emails, contacts, calendar entries, journals, tasks and notes. Doubling as a removable flash drive, the CrossLink cable comes in two colors—black and white. The black version is equipped with 2GB storage and features a full suite of PC functions, while the white option is available in 2GB or 4GB storage, and can be used on both PC and Macintosh platforms.

Data Synchronization with ODD and Internet Sharing Functionality

The ASUS CrossLink cable is designed to allow for rapid transmission and synchronization of data between two PCs. Users can browse, copy and transfer files and folders to and from the PC they are connected to via USB. Users can also use the CrossLink cable to utilize another PC or notebook's ODD. For instance, to perform a CD-based software installation on a computer without an ODD, users can simply hook up the Crosslink cable to a notebook or PC equipped with one and run the installation off it. Users can also synchronize their folders using the Folder Link, ensuring their data are kept up-to-date. Likewise, other essential data such as mail, contacts, calendar entries, journals, tasks and notes can also be synchronized between two PCs via the Outlook Link. Finally, the CrossLink cable allows users to share the Internet connectivity of a connected PC*.

An Effortless Data Storage and Management Solution

The ASUS CrossLink cable is available in two colors. The black ASUS CrossLink cable serves as a 2GB removable storage device. The white CrossLink cable is available in both 2GB and 4GB capacities, and features a Macintosh-compatible data-link—perfect for cross platform usage. Users can monitor storage levels, transfer data, and even toggle between full interface and icon display modes for easy data storage and retrieval. For further file management flexibility, the interface allows data to be sorted by symbol marks or file types. The symbol mark can be customized to suit users' requirements. File filters also allow users to sort and locate with a few convenient clicks.

What it does in layman's terms

Sorry ASUS but your press release left a little to be desired, even some of my geekiest friends had a hard time deciphering the tech gar-gin. So we had to break down what the Crosslink does into the simplest explanation possible.

For starters the ASUS CrossLink cable comes with a 2GB flash drive, nice but hardly worth the cost. No that is not really what the CrossLink is all about. What it does is allow you to connect two PC's via a usb cable. This is nifty for swapping files back and forth, but hardly revolutionary. You could easily do this across a network or a crossover cable, however the CrossLink adds some nifty software that makes connecting your PCs quick and painless.

The second feature that makes this a handy geek gadget is the addition of optical disc drive (ODD) functions. Now this is where most of you might have been lost. The ODD support function means you can use the CrossLink to connect your netbook, MacBook Air or some other PC or ultra-portable device that currently doesn't have an optical drive (CD, DVD or even Blu-Ray) and use the second PC's optical drive. This really comes in handy when needing to install things like an OS or large applications.

Specifications

Model	ASUS CrossLink Cable
Connector	USB	USB
Color	Black	White
Dimensions	52.5mm x 20mm x 12mm	52.5mm x 20mm x 12mm
Weight	0.04kg	0.04kg
Storage Space	2GB	2GB 4GB
Cable Length	1.2m	1.2m
Contents	CrossLink & USB cable Quick installation guide	CrossLink & USB cable Quick installation guide
System Requirements	Windows XP / Windows Vista/ Windows 7 1.0GHz CPU or later RAM: 512MB minimum Storage space: 100MB minimum Built-in USB port: 1.1 or 2.0	Mac OS X 10.4 or later PowerPC G4 processor or later RAM: 512MB minimum Storage space: 100MB minimum Built-in USB port: 1.1 or 2.0
Launch Date	October 2009	December 2009

Source: ASUS

U2 Concert Free On YouTube

As part of U2's new 360 tour those zanny rockers from Ireland are offering up a free showing of their concert from the Pasadena Rose Bowl Stadium this Sunday. Fans in the United States and 15 other countries will be able to watch the whole show, live and for free, on YouTube. The show will mark a first for the website which has offered several similar broadcasts but has never broadcast a complete concert live.

You can watch the live event at YouTube.com/U2 starting at 8:30 p.m. PT on Sunday, October 25, if you are in any of the following countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Italy, Spain, Japan, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Mexico, India, Israel, South Korea and the Netherlands. Following the show, an archived version will be available at YouTube.com/U2official.

'YouTube is thrilled to be able to provide our global audience with a live streaming performance from one of the world's greatest bands,' said Chris Maxcy, Director of YouTube Partner Development. 'We are always looking for new ways to connect fans around the world with their favourite artists, and this is the perfect opportunity to do just that.'

Barnes & Noble Introduces Nook eBook Reader

Barnes & Noble, Inc., the world’s largest bookseller, announced today the launch of nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, which marries innovative technology and sleek minimalist design with access to the company’s digital store of over one million eBooks, newspapers and magazines.

nook features many industry firsts as it is the first Android™-based eBook reader and the first to offer a color touch screen for navigation along with a best-in-class E Ink display for an immersive, enjoyable e-reading experience. For fast connectivity, nook is the first eBook reader to provide, at no additional costs to customers, both 3G wireless access on AT&T’s mobile broadband network and access to Wi-Fi for Barnes & Noble in-store browsing and enjoyment. And to help friends share their joy of reading, nook is the first eBook reader to offer digital lending for a wide selection of eBooks.

“We asked our customers what they wanted in an eBook reader, and specifically designed nook to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish and easy-to-use eBook reader on the market,” said William J. Lynch, President of Barnes & Noble.com. “With our nationwide footprint, Barnes & Noble customers can see, touch and hold nook. Our 40,000 booksellers are ready to help customers discover how easy it is to download and read eBooks on nook, and what a pleasure it is to have access to their favorite eBooks, magazines and newspapers any time and anywhere.”

nook: The Device

The centerpiece of Barnes & Noble’s strategy to deliver any book, any time, anywhere, nook was created expressly with the reader in mind, with features and functionality to create an immersive, seamless and fun experience:

• A Gripping Read, by Design
  nook’s sleek, minimalist design puts the focus on the content, not the technology, and the combination of color and touch make navigation intuitive and simple. nook feels great in hand and features a contoured, easy-to-hold back. About the size and weight of a paperback book, nook is thin, small and portable. Its best-in-class E Ink Vizplex™ display is easy on the eyes with text as clear and crisp as a printed book. And with no glare or backlight and adjustable text size, you can read comfortably for hours without straining your eyes.
• Color Touch for Easy Navigation
  The beautiful lower color touch screen offers an immersive experience, inviting you to virtually browse through brilliant cover art, flip through an expansive library, or search using a virtual keyboard. nook presents the controls, navigation and keyboard you need, only when you need them.
• Download eBooks Wirelessly
  With fast 3G wireless and Wi-Fi access, nook is the most-connected eBook reader. Browse and instantly download eBooks, magazines and newspapers simply and seamlessly on AT&T’s 3G wireless network, the nation’s fastest, with no set-up required or additional wireless costs. Connect to the complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network, in Barnes & Noble stores and download at broadband fast speeds.
• Lend eBooks to Friends
  With nook’s breakthrough LendMe™ technology, lend a wide selection of eBooks to friends free of charge, for up to 14 days at a time. Just choose the book you want to share and send it to your friend’s nook or iPhone, iPod touch, select BlackBerry® and Motorola smartphones, PC or Mac® with Barnes & Noble eReader software.
• A Continuous Reading Experience
  With “Reading Now,” your virtual bookmark, nook brings you back to the last book you’ve read, right where you left off. And it works across a range of devices. If you forgot your nook at home, Barnes & Noble’s free eReader software on your iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones or laptop lets you pick up where you left off, including annotations. And when you’re reunited with your nook again, the Reading Now page will be updated and ready to go.
• A Wealth of Content, in the Palm of Your Hand
  nook can hold up to 1,500 eBooks and other printed content, and the sky’s the limit for your digital library when you use nook’s expandable memory slot. A 16GB MicroSD card holds up to 17,500 eBooks.
• Portability and Personalization
  You can also easily transfer PDF-format documents from your computer to access and read business documents, legal contracts and travel information on your nook. And transfer your photos to create custom screensavers.
• Protect Your nook in Style
  nook comes with a removable back cover you can personalize from a selection of four additional great colors. You can also choose from a range of accessories by renowned designers kate spade new york, Jack Spade, Jonathan Adler, Tahari and others. From classic and colorful portfolios to an innovative book light, Barnes & Noble will offer stylish and elegant accessories designed exclusively for nook both in stores and online.

Over One Million eBooks, Newspapers and Magazines

As part of nook’s introduction, Barnes & Noble has further expanded its wide selection of content to satisfy every reader.

• Expanded eBookstore
  From fiction to horror and romance to thrillers, with the launch of nook, Barnes & Noble’s eBookstore now offers the most eBook titles – over one million – with most bestsellers and new releases for just $9.99.
• Your Daily Newspapers on nook
  Read your “morning paper” any time, anywhere you go. Barnes & Noble now offers subscriptions to more than 20 newspapers, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Barnes & Noble expects to offer, in digital form, subscriptions to every major U.S. daily.
• Read Your Favorite Magazines
  As the nation’s second largest retailer of magazines, Barnes & Noble is now pleased to offer its customers digital subscriptions. Enjoy reading publications including Forbes, Newsweek and The Nation on your nook, at home or on the go.

Experience nook at Your Local Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble’s nationwide network of stores enables its customers to see nook and get hands-on demonstrations from its booksellers. Furthermore, nook owners get added benefits.

• Stunning Retail Displays
  Barnes & Noble has created stunning storefront displays for nook that begin rolling out tomorrow in its highest-volume stores, including 17 College bookstores such as DePaul University, Harvard University, Southern Methodist University, University of Pennsylvania and Washington State University. nook will be on display at its fully staffed customer service centers in every store.
• Dedicated Booksellers
  Barnes & Noble’s 40,000 booksellers are ready to help customers get the most of their nook e-reading experience, demonstrate the eReader applications on other devices, and assist and support purchases, browsing and downloads in-store.
• Free Complete eBook Browsing
  Customers will also be able to browse complete eBooks for free on nook at any Barnes & Noble store, whether or not the actual book is in stock, beginning later this year. Plus settle into the café and get exclusive in-store-only content, free eBooks, special offers and much more using Barnes & Noble’s complimentary Wi-Fi, provided by the AT&T Wi-Fi network.

Availability

nook, the Barnes & Noble eBook reader, will begin shipping at the end of November with a price of $259.00. Barnes & Noble is taking pre-orders now at www.nook.com and in stores starting tomorrow. In celebration of nook’s launch, Barnes & Noble will also offer a free eBook of Malcolm Gladwell’s widely acclaimed best-seller, “The Tipping Point,” for the first 10,000 customers to pre-order nook.

To learn more and experience nook, visit www.nook.com. Follow our eBooks and other updates on www.bn.com/twitter. To learn more about the free Barnes & Noble eReader software and Barnes & Noble eBookstore apps, visit www.barnesandnoble.com/ebooks.

Skooba Launches Search For The Ultimate Techie

Skooba Design has announced a first-ever contest to find and reward the ultimate digital gear-head. The inaugural "Master of the Digital Universe" contest (http://www.skoobadesign.com/master/home.html) invites serious techies to make a case for why they deserve the title.

Among other goodies, the grand prize includes something truly unique—the opportunity to work directly with a Skooba designer to create a custom-made, one-of-a-kind laptop/gadget bag, to be handmade by a Skooba craftsperson, only for the winner. As the company says, "as is fitting for the Master, it will be the only bag of its kind in the universe, made to the winner's wants, needs and specifications. Once it is made, there will never be another." The grand prize winner will get other merchandise and gadget gift card prizes as well, and may be featured in Skooba advertising and promotional activities. 2 runners-up will receive prize packages as well, and all entries will be included in a "second-chance" prize drawing. The total value of prizes is more than $6,000.

"We wanted to do something fun and different to end what has been a not-so-fun year for many people," says Skooba CEO Michael Hess. "We know how proud and serious some people can be about their attachment to technology—we get e-mails all the time from people saying that they are the heaviest of heavy-duty users. This gives them a chance to put themselves up against other gadget elites and win some great stuff."

The contest—to be judged by the design staff and management of Skooba Design—is not just about who has the most stuff. Hess says "Though the type and number of devices certainly counts, the winner will not necessarily be the person who owns the most gadgets, it will be the one with the best overall story and presentation. It could be based on the degree to which electronics are integrated into the entrant's everyday life, it could be about the most incredible road warrior's traveling tech arsenal. We are looking for overall uniqueness, interest, and even entertainment—we want people to make it fun and really 'sell the story.'"

The "Master of the Digital Universe" entry page allows contestants to tell their stories free-form, and to add photos or links to videos to support their claims of techno-greatness. Skooba's staff will begin judging entries on November 23rd and select winners on November 30th. Complete contest and prize information, rules and entry form may be found at http://www.skoobadesign.com/master/home.html.

Grand prize (approximate total value more than $5,000):

• A Skooba Design product designer will create a custom, one-of-a-kind laptop/gadget bag to the winner's personal needs and specifications. The winner will be the only person on the face of the Earth to have this bag—as is only fitting for the Master of the Digital Universe. Some parameters and restrictions apply, see rules for complete details.

PLUS:

• $500 Skooba Design shopping spree

• $500 Best Buy® gift card

• "Master of the Digital Universe" may be featured in Skooba marketing and advertising.

Second prize (total value $350):

• $250 Skooba shopping spree

• $100 Best Buy® gift card

Third prize (value up to approximately $190):

• Winner may select any one Skooba product of his/her choice.

Everyone who enters will get an entry confirmation e-mail containing a special code good for a hefty discount on any order at www.skoobadesign.com

All qualifying entries meeting the submission requirements will also be entered in a second-chance drawing to win a $500 Skooba shopping spree

Source: Skooba Design

Microsoft Releases Sidekick Data Recovery Tool

Following up on their promises to help restore user data as quickly as possible the Danger/Microsoft team has released a new set of tools for T-Mobile customers that should help in their data restoration efforts.

Beginning [early Tuesday], T-Mobile Sidekick users were invited to log into the My T-Mobile website, where there will be a recovery tool to restore contacts you may have lost during the recent service outage. This tool will enable you to view the contacts you had on your device as of October 1. With a few clicks and a confirmation, you will be able to restore these contacts to your Sidekick. If you have recreated some of the same contacts on your Sidekick since October 1, you can choose to keep both sets of contacts, merge them, or just keep the set of contacts now on your device. You may also edit any partial or complete duplicates on your Sidekick after restoration.

"We continue to work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to restore your data. We’re making solid progress on the next phase in this restoration process, including your photographs, notes, to-do lists, marketplace data and high scores," the company said in the full statement.

No date has been set for beginning that second phase of the data recovery, however the companies both remain optimistic that they'll be able to retrieve most if not all of the lost data.

Microsoft Apologizes For Data Loss, Confirms Data Recovery To Begin Soon

Microsoft today has issued a formal apology to all T-Mobile Sidekick users affected by the recent data loss and has confirmed that effort to recover users data have been successful for many, if not most of the affected users.

Microsoft Confirms Data Recovery for Sidekick Users
Data Restoration to Begin as Soon as Possible for Affected Customers.

Dear T-Mobile Sidekick customers,

On behalf of Microsoft, I want to apologize for the recent problems with the Sidekick service and give you an update on the steps we have taken to resolve these problems.

We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. We plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.

We now believe that data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users. If your Sidekick account was among those affected, please continue to log into the T-Mobile Sidekick forum at http://www.t-mobile.com/sidekick for the latest updates about when data restoration will begin, and any steps you may need to take. We will work with T-Mobile to post the next update on data restoration timing no later than Saturday.

We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way. This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data.

We will continue working closely with T-Mobile to restore user data as quickly as possible. We are eager to deliver the level of reliable service that our incredibly loyal customers have become accustomed to, and we are taking immediate steps to help ensure this does not happen again. Specifically, we have made changes to improve the overall stability of the Sidekick service and initiated a more resilient backup process to ensure that the integrity of our database backups is maintained.

Once again, we apologize for this situation and the inconvenience that it has created. Please know that we are working all-out to resolve this situation and restore the reliability of the service.

Sincerely,

Roz Ho

Corporate Vice President

Premium Mobile Experiences, Microsoft Corporation

Opera Unite now available in new beta release of Opera 10.10

You have never experienced the Web like this

Opera Unite now available in new beta release of Opera 10.10

Opera Software today released the beta version of Opera Unite, available in Opera 10.10 beta. Opera Unite is a novel technology platform that shakes up the old client-server computing model of the Web. Opera Unite turns any computer into both a client and a server, allowing it to interact with and serve content to other computers directly across the Web. Download Opera 10.10 beta from http://www.opera.com/browser/next/.

You have never created applications like this

Opera Unite is an extremely powerful platform that opens up a new category of client-to-client applications. Harnessing this power is as easy as coding a Web page. This dramatically simplifies the complexity of authoring advanced Web applications. To create an Opera Unite application, a Web developer needs only to know the same open Web standards they use every day, such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Additional tutorials on building Opera Unite applications are available at http://dev.opera.com/articles/unite/. Opera Unite applications can be accessed by any modern Web browser on any device.

Opera 10.10 beta includes the following Opera Unite applications for you to try:

• Photo Sharing
  Create instant Web photo galleries from your PC.
• Messenger
  Chat live with your friends in My Opera.
• File Sharing
  Share a file from your personal computer without having to upload it.
• Web Server
  Turn your Opera browser into an instant Web server that hosts your Web sites directly from your computer.
• Media Player
  Stream your entire music catalog from anywhere, instantly, using any Web browser.
• Fridge
  Post a note on your friends’ virtual refrigerators.

More applications are available from http://unite.opera.com/.

“You have never enjoyed music like this”

You have used a media player, but have you tried an Opera Unite media player? See a band use Opera Unite to teach an old media player new tricks, such as streaming their newly recorded songs, instantly and directly, from their computer to a Facebook friend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eak_o_1Kzd0

What we say

“We invite developers all over the world to use their creativity and imagination to push the boundaries of what is possible with Opera Unite,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera. “We are moving closer to our goal of reinventing the Web and are excited to see Opera Unite continue to evolve in powerful and compelling ways.”

It is easy to use Opera Unite:

1. Download the Opera 10.10 beta with Opera Unite from http://www.opera.com/browser/next/.
2. To start Opera Unite, click the Opera Unite button in the lower left-hand corner of the browser and log in with your existing Opera ID — the same Opera ID used for other Opera services such as My Opera and Opera Link. Opera Unite will prompt you to register an Opera ID if you do not have one.
3. Now you are ready to use Opera Unite. Simply access your Opera Unite applications from the Opera Unite panel of the browser.
4. New applications can be installed from http://unite.opera.com/.
5. Running an application will give you a direct Web address to the Opera Unite application on your device, for example: http://[notebook].[username].operaunite.com/[media_player]/, where [notebook] is the name of the local device serving content, [username] is your username, and [media_player] is the Web application being accessed. This link will also allow others to access the same Web application from your computer through their Web browser.

FAQ

The FAQ answers the most common questions about Opera Unite: http://unite.opera.com/support/#general

Source: Opera

WD Unveils WD TV Live HD Media Player

WD Unveils WD TV Live HD Media Player With Network Capability and Enhanced User Experience

Consumers Can Stream HD Content from USB Drives, Network Drives and Popular Internet Sites to Their Big Screen TVs



WD, the world's leader in external storage solutions, today introduced the WD TV Live HD media player featuring network capability and Full-HD 1080p resolution. The new WD TV Live HD media player makes it easy for anyone to play HD (high definition) videos stored on USB and network drives, as well as Internet content from popular Web sites, on the biggest screen in their home -- their HD television. Building on the success of the WD TV HD media player, the WD TV Live HD media player offers a new, more responsive interface to help consumers enjoy a world of digital content in their living room, without a computer.

The network capability of the WD TV Live media player enables users to stream or transfer movies from PC or Mac computers or a network-attached storage device such as WD's My Book World Edition and WD ShareSpace network drives to their HD TVs. The WD TV Live media player also allows users to stream rich content from YouTube, Flickr and Pandora. The HD onscreen menu brings together all of the users' available media in an elegant and simple-to-navigate interface.

Consumers are amassing large libraries of digital videos, photos and music on their computers. According to research firm Parks Associates, the average consumer had 123 GB of videos, photos, and music in 2009 which will grow to 1.3 TB by 2013 (Digital Lifestyles: 2009 Outlook). In addition, an increasing number of consumers are looking for seamless access to their personal media, as well as to Internet media. According to Parks Associates, the sales of connected consumer electronics devices, such as connected TVs and digital media adapters, is expected to more than double from 57 million units in 2009 to 115 million units in 2013 (Home Networks for Consumer Electronics 2009).

Consumers are investing millions of dollars in HD TVs, with HD televisions representing more than 50 percent of TVs sold in the U.S., according to Parks Associates (Home Networks for Consumer Electronics 2009). But consumers' digital content is often relegated to the relatively small screen on their PC or Mac computers. The WD TV Live HD media player is the newest member in the family of WD TV media players by WD, which make moving digital content from a computer to playing it on a big screen TV simply plug-and-play.

Like the popular first-generation WD TV HD media player introduced last fall, the WD TV Live media player connects directly to a users' HD TV and plays almost any file stored on a connected USB drive such as My Passport(TM) portable drive. The WD TV Live media player features powerful media processing, which enables playback in Full-HD 1080p resolution. WD TV Live media player also will play movies and photos stored on other popular USB devices such as digital camcorders and digital cameras.

"The media enthusiast community has embraced the first WD TV HD media player and given us tremendous feedback," said Dale Pistilli, vice president of marketing for WD's branded products group. "With the new WD TV Live media player we're giving them what they asked for -- network connectivity and Internet-content streaming capabilities -- and offering them a simple way to enjoy all of their digital media and enjoy it on their HD TVs."

WD TV Live HD Media Player

Features of the WD TV Live HD Media Player include:

• Full-HD 1080p video playback and navigation with the included remote control and crisp, animated navigation menus;
• Play a wide variety of file formats including support for a wide variety of the most popular file formats with no need to spend time transcoding;
• Play videos, music and photos from the Internet on your big screen TV and discover new music with Pandora Internet radio or listen to thousands of radio stations via Live365 Internet radio;
• Ethernet port for wired or WiFi connection(1) to access files anywhere on the network to play movies, music, and photos from any PC or drive on a home network;
• Turns a USB drive into an HD media player and plays content from most popular USB drives, and digital cameras, camcorders, and portable media players that can be recognized as mass storage devices;
• Unlimited media collection, just add more USB drives for more space;
• Two USB ports for seamless media playback from multiple USB drives and ability to access them simultaneously while a media library feature collects the content on all the drives into one list sorted by media type;
• Transfer files by copying, moving or deleting files stored on a USB drive, a network drive, camcorder, or a camera to the attached USB drive using the on-screen menus;
• Picture Transfer Protocol support to show photos and movies directly from digital camera or video camera and or any digital imaging device that supports Picture Transfer Protocol;
• Advanced navigation options including thumbnail and list views, media library and search;
• Photo viewing to create custom slide shows, zoom and pan and search;
• Movie viewing with fast-forward, rewind, pause, zoom and pan, view subtitles, and search;
• Music playback with fast-forward, rewind, pause, shuffle, repeat and search;
• File copying between USB devices;
• HDMI 1.3 port, composite video and component video output(3) for the highest quality HDTV or home theater;
• SPDIF digital output that sends digital signals to your AV receiver for the best surround sound experience; and,
• Ultra-compact design to fit easily into a home entertainment center.

Pricing and Availability

The WD TV Live Media Player is available now at select retailers and online at shopwd.com. Covered by a 1-year limited warranty, the MSRP for WD TV Live Media Player is $149.99 USD.
Source: Western Digital

NVIDIA Inroduces The New GeForce GT 220 Edition

Not every computer or computer user needs to have the fastest most powerful card on the market. In fact the majority of users out there can get by with the on-boarding offering most new motherboards have. I know I know this is crazy talk coming from a true geek, but the truth of the matter is more low-end budget minded cards are ever sold than high-end GPU's. The reason why is obviously painful, high-end cards are extremely expensive!

Enter the new budget minded low end GT 200 series cards from NVIDIA. Now most the time you hear us say budget pr low end we mean lower in priced or performance compared to what's currently on the market. Well that's not the case here. These cards are lower in performance than some of the cards that have been out for two years.

So why would you be interesting in these new low power cards. Well for starters the new manufacturing tech uses less power, creates less heat and well in general out performs some of the older cards. Maybe not by much but every bit counts. Now I'm not saying if you have a card with similar specs, like the ATI 4670 or the NVIDIA 9600 GSO or 9600 GT you should upgrade. I'm saying if you don't have either you might want to look at the GT 220 before you buy one of the older models. The price to performance ratio isn't there but its another option if the pricing is right.

GeForce GT 220 Specs

• 40nm core
• PC!-E 2.0 Interface
  
• 48 processing cores
• Shader clock: 1360 MHz
• Core clock: 625 MHz
• 512MB or 1GB DDR3 or DDR2 memory
• 128-bit memory interface
• DirectX 10.1 with Shader Model 4.1 compatible
• OpenGL 3.1 compatible
• NVIDIA CUDA & PhysX ready
• NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology

NVIDIA GeForce GT 220 Reviews

• AnandTech - NVIDIA’s GeForce GT 220: 40nm and DX10.1 for the Low-End
• TweakTown - Galaxy GeForce GT 220 1GB Video Card (2)
• OCC - Palit GT 220 Sonic Edition Review
• Driver Heaven - Palit & Gainward Geforce GT220

After reading the reviews you'll notice a common thread. The performance of the GT 220 is horrible when compared to other value cards at it's price point. NVIDIA wants to see these cards sell for $69-$79, with the best cards (those with GDDR3) selling at that $79 price point. Current Newegg pricing put these cards a $49-79 depending on model and MIR's. So depending on your taste for rebates, you can get a Radeon HD 4670 for between $59 and $69, or on the NVIDIA side a 9600GT for between $69 and $79 either of which would blow the GT 220 away.

Related Articles

Zotac Announces GeForce GT 220 and 210-based Graphics Cards
MSI releases N220GT/N210 Series Graphics Cards
Inno3D Introduces GeForce GT 220, and GeForce 210
Enjoy unique gaming experience within your budget with ECS GT 220 and G210 graphic cards
Point of View Announces its New Entry-Mid Range GeForce 200 Series Products
EVGA Announces GeForce 210 and GT 220 Series Graphics Cards

Get A Free Copy Of ZoneAlarm Pro

Starting on Tuesday and running for 24 hours Check Point makers of the popular free ZoneAlarm firewall will be giving away free licenses to its ZoneAlarm Pro firewall software.

The free giveaway is part of a "Patch Tuesday" promotion running this Tuesday, Oct. 13th. For more details on the promotion checkout ZoneAlarm's Web site.

ZoneAlarm Pro includes several upgrades over the freeware version including the two-way firewall, download monitoring, anti-phishing protection, plus a couple of advanced features: OSFirewall, which looks for changes in the OS that might have been missed by an antivirus program, and credit monitoring with the three major credit bureaus. The latter feature typically comes with a year's subscription.

Review: Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200 Foldable Headphones

Think a great set of noise canceling headphone need to cost an arm and a leg, well think again. The budget minded NC200 Clear Harmony Foldable Headphones, which retail for $99.99 (but can be found as low as $70 online) are priced perfectly for the budget-conscious market of audio-lovers who don’t want to pay $300 for a set of top-flight cans but still want first-class sound.



For the budget minded these compact headphones offer top-notch active noise cancellation, very comfortable ear cups and overall great sound quality for their relatively slim price. I wouldn't go so far as to place them next to the top offerings from Sony, Bose, Dennon or Sennheiser, however I would place them on the top of my list for the sub $100 market.

Features

• Featuring Award-Winning Patented LINX AUDIO-a Hear the Difference technology
• In-Line Volume Control for Easy Adjustment to Safe Listening Levels
• Lightweight and Comfortable fit
• State-of-the-art active noise cancellation (ANC)
• Small and compact foldable design perfect for travel

Specifications

• Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20,000Hz
• Sensitivity at 1 kHz: 115 dB (Off); 121 dB (On)
• Plug: 3.5mm w/ 1/4 home stereo adapter and airline adapter

Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200 Review

Personally I have never used headphones for a long period of time, most of my movie watching or music listening is done at levels that really wouldn't be noticeable by anyone else in the house or around the office and most of the headphones I've used bothered my ears.

This is one area that the Clear Harmony NC200's passed with flying colors. The ear cups were by far some of the best I've used in recent memory. The amount of flex and tension on the headband was just about perfect. The one down side noted in this area was with the adjustment which wasn't as smooth as I'd like and while I didn't notice any slippage it didn't feel very sturdy.

Other reviews of the headphones warned that enabling noise cancellation will add a faint hum to the headphones when no signal is played, this was only slightly noticeable when I first began my test.

The background noise is a by-product of the noise-canceling technology actively tuning out environmental sounds. The hum or buzz wasn't noticeable during playback but I did find it was becoming slightly more noticeable as time went on and eventually became annoying during long gaps when searching for new tracks or changing movies. If the slight hum becomes to noticeable you can disable the noise-canceling feature which is enabled via a single AAA battery, which can be turned off and on.

The LINX Audio technology, which supposedly makes the audio clarity a lot better, seems to work well. Personally I had to read up on the feature to understand exact what it did, but it does make a noticeable difference in listening.

Sound volume was generally good and using the built in volume controls was great. The controls were smooth and adjustment seemed precise. One trade-off that we found was that at higher volumes others might hear your music. The generous padding that made added to our comfort level seemed to offer little protection from noise seepage.

Blasting away during a few games I was told the noise spilled out and other around me could over hear my game play. You won’t like annoy anyone if you keep the volume at 50 percent or lower with noise cancellation turned on, but for some the fact that you even have to think about seepage might be a bit annoying.

The foldable design and light weight made traveling a breeze. During my review I took the chance to pack the headphones on a camping trip for use with my laptop and MP3 player. Folded they are slightly larger than a soda can making them easily stowed in a back pack or travel bag. Couple that with the airline adapter and the NC200's would seemingly be perfect for frequent fliers.



My overall opinion is that the Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200's are a great set of headphones. I personally haven't tested many headphone on the market but when compared to some of the offerings that I have used I'd say they are definitely a step up.

T-Mobile Looses Sidekick Data

Over the past weekend T-Mobile has confirmed that data originally lost two weeks ago is indeed gone for good. T-Mobile issues the following statement via their customer forums;

T-Mobile and the Sidekick data services provider, Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft, are reaching out to express our apologies regarding the recent Sidekick data service disruption.

We appreciate your patience as Microsoft/Danger continues to work on maintaining platform stability, and restoring all services for our Sidekick customers.

Regrettably, based on Microsoft/Danger's latest recovery assessment of their systems, we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device - such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos - that is no longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. That said, our teams continue to work around-the-clock in hopes of discovering some way to recover this information. However, the likelihood of a successful outcome is extremely low. As such, we wanted to share this news with you and offer some tips and suggestions to help you rebuild your personal content. You can find these tips in our Sidekick Contacts FAQ. We encourage you to visit the Forums on a regular basis to access the latest updates as well as FAQs regarding this service disruption.

In addition, we plan to communicate with you on Monday (Oct. 12) the status of the remaining issues caused by the service disruption, including the data recovery efforts and the Download Catalog restoration which we are continuing to resolve. We also will communicate any additional tips or suggestions that may help in restoring your content.

We recognize the magnitude of this inconvenience. Our primary efforts have been focused on restoring our customers' personal content. We also are considering additional measures for those of you who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer.

We continue to advise customers to NOT reset their device by removing the battery or letting their battery drain completely, as any personal content that currently resides on your device will be lost.

Once again, T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger regret any and all inconvenience this matter has caused.

According to reports the data loss came as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger. T-Mobile along with Danger are still looking for a way to recover user information but the above statement looks pretty hopeless. Customer have reported that it appears as though servers are still on the fritz and the companies are warning all Sidekick owners not just those that have experienced issues not to let their devices power down because anything that's still on there will be lost the next time the device is turned on.

T-Mobile has promised more details and a further report will be released later on Monday to give everyone a status update on the recovery efforts, but at this point, it's not looking good at all.

According to PC Magazine T-Mobile had already begun promising customers who had been hit by the outage a month of free data service. A quote from a T-Mobile spokesperson also implied that more compensation would be coming soon: "We also are considering additional measures for those of you who have lost your content to help reinforce how valuable you are as a T-Mobile customer," the company said.

**Update**

NetworkWorld is reporting that some users have had their data restored. According to the report an undetermined amount of users have been posting response to the T-Mobile customer forums reporting that their data has been restored.

"I was just on my phone and when I got off my phone all my contacts returned," wrote tommyd2107 this morning. "I do not know if this will last for long but the [sight] of my contacts returning is encouraging." He had begun last night manually importing his contact data into his Sidekick. "[T]hen today when I went out on my phone and after I hung up the rest of my contacts came back."

In one response, Dariahna wrote, "The same thing happened to me...I shut my phone off several times without removing the battery...voila! My contacts returned!" Another frustrated but relieved user, Generalblue, reported his phone had frozen completely. He took out the Sidekick’s battery and replaced it (a common step for users in restarting their phone). "Once my phone was on about 5 minutes later I checked my address book for some reason and they were all there. I saved all my contacts to my simcard."

Gamer Girls XFX Wants You

XFX is looking for a few tech minded Gamer Girls to be models

XFX has just launched a new 8-week search for the gamer girl who has it all. The company is looking for new spokeswomen that they are calling “That” girl. “That” girl is a tech-savvy, borderline geeky (or willing to learn) gal who’s fun, adventurous and a little wild. As “That” girl, you’ll travel the world representing XFX at a variety of international social events, be spotlighted in advertising campaigns, be featured in promotional materials and be the host of your own Vlog, as well as chat it up on Facebook and Myspace as a voice of XFX.

The search, which the company calls XFX Girl 2.0, is scouring the world for a new spokesmodel who is 21 years or older, able to commit to a one-year contract and be willing to travel internationally. The spokesmodels also must be able to create, post and maintain the XFX Girl Vlog and interact on the XFX Girl Facebook and MySpace pages.

“We really wanted to move beyond having a ‘face’ of XFX, which is what we have done in the past,” explains Director of Global Brand and marketing Eddie Memon. “Gaming is a very interactive experience, and our goal is to make our next spokesmodel a physical embodiment of that, talking with and sharing her gaming experiences with our fans. We believe that our fans will enjoy the ability to interact with the brand through XFX Girl 2.0.”

The XFX Girl 2.0 search runs from October 5 through December 1, with the new spokesmodel announced on December 13. Those interested can enter here.

New PayPal And GreenDot Agreement Allows More Customers To Shop Online

Green Dot Corporation and PayPal today announced a new agreement that will allow U.S. consumers to load money directly to their PayPal accounts using Green Dot’s MoneyPak. This will enable people to shop anywhere PayPal is accepted without the need for a bank account or credit card.

MoneyPak can be purchased with cash at a retail store, then the money can be loaded directly into a PayPal account and used to shop online anywhere PayPal is accepted, including eBay. MoneyPak is available at more than 40,000 stores nationwide, such as Walmart, CVS/pharmacy, Kmart, Rite Aid and Walgreens.

The new agreement provides a convenient option for customers who prefer to use cash when shopping. MoneyPak has been fully integrated into PayPal’s site, allowing money to be added directly, without needing to link to any personal financial accounts.

“This relationship is transformative,” said Steve Streit, founder and CEO of Green Dot Corporation. “It creates a cash-based solution for millions of people who want to use PayPal to shop online, but don't have a credit card or bank account.”

“Working with Green Dot, PayPal can now reach the large audience of people who prefer to fund their accounts with cash,” said Dickson Chu, vice president with PayPal. “We are thrilled to offer this new service to our customers.”

In addition to funding a PayPal account, MoneyPak enables people to reload prepaid cards, make cash payments, pay bills and fund other accounts. MoneyPak is powered by Green Dot’s industry-leading cash acceptance network, and costs $4.95 or less. For more details, visit www.moneypak.com.

About Green Dot Corporation:
Green Dot is the leading provider of prepaid financial services in the United States, and owns and operates the Green Dot Network, which is the largest cash loading and reloading network in the United States. The company offers consumers a comprehensive portfolio of financial products and services through thousands of leading retailer locations nationwide including Walmart, CVS/pharmacy, Fred Meyer, Kmart, Kroger, Radio Shack, Ralphs, Rite Aid, Smiths and Walgreens. Green Dot’s products include Green Dot MasterCard and Visa branded prepaid debit cards and the Green Dot MoneyPak. The Green Dot MoneyPak provides a convenient and efficient way for consumers to load cash to prepaid cards, use cash to make purchases and pay bills, and add cash to a variety of accounts. Green Dot is headquartered in the greater Los Angeles area. To learn more about MoneyPak, visit www.moneypak.com. Green Dot and MoneyPak are registered trademarks of Green Dot Corporation.

Source: PayPal

Intel Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge

Contest: Intel Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge -- Will Your Vision of Tomorrow Rock the World?

Intel Corporation has begun a multi-country "Intel Core i7 Custom Desktop Challenge" for PC enthusiasts to build desktops powered by Intel Core i7 and Core i5 processors that envision the possibilities of tomorrow's technology – from new gaming PCs to innovative platforms for home automation.

The contest is promoted in coordination with local Intel Channel Partner members, sponsors (CPU Magazine, Extreme Tech, PC Magazine) and other media publications and blogs.

Participants can choose to compete in two contest categories with final winners receiving prizes such as gift cards (up to US $1,500), Intel Processors, an Intel Atom processor-based netbook, a Flip HD pocket camcorder, 160GB Intel solid-state drives and more. The contest categories are:

• Mod Creativity: a mod PC desktop that showcases innovations in lighting, cooling, liquid emersion, cut case and creativity.
• Lifestyle Innovation: a futuristic home automation PC platform to improve one's lifestyle through wireless media centers, lighting automation and security integration.

Submission and Contest Rules: Interested participants can submit entries from Oct. 5 through 11:59 p.m. PST on Nov. 16. Final submissions will be judged on five factors by a panel of judges comprised of sponsors, Intel employees and industry experts. Contestants will be awarded up to ten points per factor, for a total of 50 points. The five factors are:

• Overall mod creativity
• Mod paint job/creativity
• Technical enhancements
• Demonstration creativity
• Futuristic vision

Final submissions will also be entered into the "People's Choice" competition. From Nov. 23 through Dec. 7, entries will be displayed on the contest Web site (www.intelcorechallenge.com) where individuals around the world can vote for their favorite mod. In addition to the "People's Choice" winner, 12 final winners will be selected for prize categories such as "Best in Show," "Best Mod Creativity," "Best Lifestyle Innovation," "Best in Country" (one prize for each country) and "Best Video." All 13 final winners will be notified on Dec. 14.

The contest runs from Oct. 5 through Dec. 14, 2009 and is open to anyone 18 years or older who wants to build a desktop that demonstrates a bold vision made possible by Intel's newest, smartest and fastest processors. Participating countries are Belgium, Canada (except Quebec), Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.

Adobe Unveils First Full Flash Player for Mobile Devices and PCs

Close to 50 Open Screen Project Participants Support New Browser Runtime for Multiple Platforms

Adobe Systems Incorporated today unveiled Adobe Flash Player 10.1 software for smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices, allowing content created using the Adobe Flash Platform to reach users wherever they are. A public developer beta of the browser-based runtime is expected to be available for Windows Mobile, Palm webOS and desktop operating systems including Windows, Macintosh and Linux later this year. Public betas for Google® Android™ and Symbian OS are expected to be available in early 2010. In addition, Adobe and RIM announced a joint collaboration to bring Flash Player to Blackberry smartphones, and Google joined close to 50 other industry players in the Open Screen Project initiative.

Flash Player 10.1 is the first consistent runtime release of the Open Screen Project that enables uncompromised Web browsing of expressive applications, content and high definition (HD) videos across devices. Using the productive Web programming model of the Flash Platform, the browser-based runtime enables millions of designers and developers to reuse code and assets and reduce the cost of creating, testing and deploying content across different operating systems and browsers. Flash Player 10.1 is easily updateable across all supported platforms to ensure rapid adoption of new innovations that move the Web forward.

The browser-based runtime leverages the power of the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) for accelerated video and graphics while conserving battery life and minimizing resource utilization. New mobile-ready features that take advantage of native device capabilities include support for multi-touch, gestures, mobile input models, accelerometer and screen orientation bringing unprecedented creative control and expressiveness to the mobile browsing experience. Flash Player 10.1 will also take advantage of media delivery with HTTP streaming, including integration of content protection powered by Adobe Flash Access 2.0. This effort, code-named Zeri, will be an open format based on industry standards and will provide content publishers, distributors and partners the tools they need to utilize HTTP infrastructures for high-quality media delivery in Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR 2.0 software.

To learn more about Flash Player 10.1 and to see video demos visit Adobe Labs.

“With Flash Player moving to new mobile platforms, users will be able to experience virtually all Flash technology based Web content and applications wherever they are,” said David Wadhwani, general manager and vice president, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. “We are excited about the broad collaboration of close to 50 industry leaders in the Open Screen Project and the ongoing collaboration with 19 out of the top 20 handset manufacturers worldwide. It will be great to see first devices ship with full Flash Player in the first half of next year.”

"We are excited to join Adobe and other industry leaders in the Open Screen Project," said Sundar Pichai, vice president of Product Management at Google. "This initiative supports our common goal to move the Web forward as a platform and to spur innovation in the industry through technology such as Adobe Flash."

“Adobe Flash technology provides a key experience on new Windows phones, enabling people to enjoy rich Flash based games, videos and other interactive Web content on the go,” said Stephanie Ferguson, general manager, Product Management, Microsoft Corp. “We look forward to bringing in the new capabilities of Adobe Flash Player 10.1 to the Windows phone browser when it becomes available.”

“Motorola is excited to be one of the first handset manufacturers to ship Android based devices with Flash Player support early next year,” said Christy Wyatt, vice president of software applications and ecosystem at Motorola. “As the No.1 platform for video on the Web, uncompromised browsing of Flash technology based content is essential for a rich mobile experience and something users expect from Motorola today.”

“As a longtime partner of Adobe, and more than 400 million Nokia phones shipped with existing Flash technology to date, we are excited to see Flash Player becoming a reality for mobile phones and other mobile devices,” said Purnima Kochikar, vice president, Forum Nokia. “Nokia is excited about full Flash Player coming to devices and we are committed to supporting Flash Player 10.1 on mobile devices in 2010.”

Open Screen Project
Led by Adobe, the Open Screen Project includes close to 50 industry leaders working together to provide a consistent runtime environment across mobile phones, desktops and other consumer electronic devices. The initiative addresses the challenges of Web browsing and standalone applications on a broad range of devices, and removes the barriers to publishing content and applications seamlessly across screens. Participants of the initiative include Antena 3, Atlantic Records, ARM, BBC, Burda, Cell, Chungwha Telecom, Cisco, Comcast, Conde Nast, Daum, Disney Interactive, Fox Mobile, Google, HTC, Intel, LG Electronics, Lionsgate, Marvell, Motorola, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, Nokia, NTT DoCoMo, NVIDIA, OpenTV, Palm, Paramount, QNX Software Systems, Qualcomm, Stern.de, RIM, RTL, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Texas Instruments, The New York Times, Toshiba, Verizon Wireless, Ziilabs and many others. For more information about the Open Screen Project visit www.openscreenproject.org.

Source: Adobe

AT&T Unveils Lineup of Full Web Browsing Phones

New Quick Messaging and Touch Screen Phones from Pantech and Samsung to Arrive in Time for the Holidays

AT&T today announced four new mobile phones, two each from Pantech and Samsung that feature full Web browsers as well as physical and virtual keyboards. The Pantech Reveal™ and Impact™ will join the Samsung Mythic™ and Flight™ at the head of AT&T's quick messaging and touch-screen phone portfolio heading into the holiday season.

The new phones are the first to come preloaded with AT&T's new richer and faster HTML mobile browser and att.net service, combining the best of full HTML browsing with unique features for personalizing favorite bookmarks and local searches. The new att.net mobile platform utilizes advanced data compression from Opera Software, allowing for much faster delivery of HTML Web pages.

"Customers expect to see the hottest mobile phones at AT&T stores and we've upped the ante for consumer handsets with our quick messaging phone portfolio over the past year," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "Not only do these four new consumer phones have either a virtual or physical full keyboard, they now come with our richer and faster att.net mobile browser."

Pantech Reveal
On shelves October 18 in red and blue, Reveal is a slim and snappy slider that features an open-faced numeric keypad on the front of the phone which slides up to uncover a full keyboard underneath. Uniquely, both sets of keys stay active simultaneously, giving users fast access to numbers and letters at the same time. Whether updating your status with new pictures and videos, or texting, IMing or emailing friends, Reveal keeps you connected to your digital life at every turn. Reveal utilizes AT&T Navigator and the power of 3G to make GPS, surfing the Web and listening to music fast and convenient.

Pantech Impact
Bringing a new form factor along with a more color choices to the quick messaging portfolio, Impact features an OLED touch screen that lets users send text messages, make calls, and control their music library without having to open the phone. Impact's screen features haptic controls which register each key-press with a soft, tactile buzz. A sideways flip of the phone reveals a full physical keyboard and a second display screen, allowing for a fuller experience when typing longer messages. Additionally, Impact's bright screen and tri-band 3G functionality, lets users manage social networks and explore the Internet with quickness and ease. Available in two colors, pink and blue.

Samsung Mythic
A touch screen-only device, the AT&T Mobile TV-capable Mythic will be available in black in November. The large 3.3 inch touch screen scrolls left to right on the home screen for additional applications with the touch of a finger. With the swipe of a finger you are a touch away from your favorite apps including AT&T Navigator, AT&T Social Net, att.net and more. Samsung's TouchWiz™ user interface allows for quick access to your favorite features and has specially designed widgets to customize and personalize the way you use your phone.

Samsung Flight
The next generation messaging device from Samsung, the Flight has a vertical sliding form factor, with full keyboard underneath. A textured design and subtle ridge on the back make it easy to text or use the touch screen with one hand. The main display features a unique user interface which provides one-touch access to functions like shortcuts, favorites and messaging. The Flight, available in red and silver color options, will be available in November.

New AT&T Mobile Browser
"The new browser powering the att.net service brings the best of the open Web to consumer feature phones while making the mainstay of the mobile Web easy to find and also delivering local tools and bookmarking management," said Ted Woodbery, vice president of Wireless Data, Voice and Ancillary Products for AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. "It's a rich hybrid experience that gives you a HTML experience similar to your PC browser at home — and works really well on a feature phone. Plus, it gives you easy, one-click access to the tools and content you find most valuable."

AT&T's new att.net mobile browser gives customers three windows to the Web. From the homepage, users can easily browse the global Internet as well as assign bookmarks and shortcuts or set other preferences so they have quick access to their favorite content. A second window gives users location-aware local news and weather; one-click results for nearby restaurants, nightlife venues, ATMs and other points of interest; and access to maps, driving directions and traffic information. A third window delivers the latest headlines from popular news, sports and entertainment sites.

Additionally, customers accessing att.net from their PC can customize their mobile att.net page by sending shortcuts to popular Web sites through a "Send to Mobile" feature.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com. For photos of the new phones, visit www.att.com/mobilephones-news.

Source: AT&T

MSI Afterburner GPU Tweaking Utility

MSI announces graphics card tweak utility "Afterburner"

Boost MSI graphics card performance with powerful overclocking, tweaking and monitoring function

The world-leading graphics card and mainboard manufacturer, MSI, today announces all-in-one graphics card tweak utility “Afterburner”. All MSI graphics card users can download it for free on Afterburner website today. The powerful overclocking, tweaking, and monitoring features of Afterburner are incomparable among competitors. The MSI graphics card users can immediately enjoy the overclocking performance and tweaking pleasure brought by Afterburner now.

The powerful over-voltage and overclocking function
Afterburner fully supports the GPU/Shader/Memory clock adjustment of NVIDIA and ATI graphics cards. Beside general overclocking features, Afterburner has the exclusive over-voltage technology, which supports NVIDIA and ATI high-end product-line and MSI award-winning Lightning series. With these graphics cards, the extra over-voltage function will be activated, and can highly boost the graphics card overclocking capability and make the games runs more smoothly. According to the internal test result, MSI N275GTX Lightning core clock can be overclocked to the awesome 1175MHz and reached the unprecedented 85% overclocking capability.

Advanced Fan Speed Control
In addition, Afterburner has exclusive advanced fan speed control feature. Generally speaking, fan speed of a normal graphics card is fixed by BIOS, but now users can customize different fan speed under different temperature trigger points with this Afterburner exclusive feature, so it can be set depending on users’ favor and hardware configuration no matter in necessity of higher cooling efficiency or a quieter operating environment. With highly acclaimed MSI Twin Frozr and Cyclone thermal design, the high flexibility of Afterburner Advanced Fan Speed Control feature can be more highlighted.

The accurate Monitoring and Profile feature
To show the graphics card operating status more accurately, Afterburner provides a complete monitoring function: all important information including the GPU core clock, memory clock, temperature, voltage, and fan speed have a real-time on-screen-display monitor in games and real-time information in Windows Tray Icon. And in the monitoring window the maximum/minimum value can be easily recorded and enables users to know well the graphics card condition and change different settings according to this information.

All the adjustment above can be saved as 5 profiles in Afterburner, users can quickly switch to different settings with hotkeys. Afterburner can even automatically switch to different profiles between 2D and 3D mode so that users will have a quiet and cool environment in Windows and high performance in 3D games. It can always provide the best experience under both two conditions.



Totally free download
From today MSI graphics cards users can download the latest version of Afterburner and discuss with worldwide Afterburner users in the forum. In the future, MSI will frequently update Afterburner to newer version to enhance its feature and stability, and then brings users the best tweaking experience and overclocking performance.

Afterburner Official Website: http://event.msi.com/vga/afterburner


Key features of MSI Afterburner:

Overclocking

• Up to 85% overclocking capability
• iOver voltage function to significantly increase overclocking potential
• Core/Shader/Memory clock adjustment
• Core/Shader clock Link/Unlink capability

Monitor

• Clock/Voltage/Temperature/Fan Speed/Frame rate real-time monitor
• Maximum/Minimum value for easy record of system condition
• Real-time On-Screen-Display information in games
• Real-time information in Windows Tray Icon
• Detach mode for hardcore monitor style

Profile

• 5 Profile to easy save/load user customized setting
• Profile hot-key for easy and quick switch in games
• 2D/3D automatic profile switching for difference scenario

Special Function

• Advanced fan speed control for different speed under different temperature trigger points
• Mutil-GPU independent or synchronous control for clock/voltage/fan speed
• Information button for graphics card driver version, BIOS version, identification, OSD status and update link
• User Customized skin function
• Apply overclocking setting at system startup

Source: MSI Global

Google Sites Surpasses 10 Billion Video Views in August - comScore, Inc

comScore, Inc., a leader in measuring the digital world, today released August 2009 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, showing that 161 million U.S. Internet users watched online video during the month, the largest audience ever recorded. Online video reached another all-time high in August with more than 25 billion videos viewed during the month, with Google Sites accounting for more than 10 billion.

Top 10 Video Content Properties by Videos Viewed

Google Sites continued to rank as the top U.S. video property in August as it surpassed the 10 billion videos viewed threshold, representing 40 percent of all videos viewed online. YouTube.com accounted for 99 percent of all videos viewed at the Google Sites property. Microsoft Sites ranked second with 547 million (2.2 percent) followed by Viacom Digital with 539 million videos viewed (2.1 percent) and Hulu with 488 million (1.9 percent).

Top U.S. Online Video Content Properties* by Videos Viewed August 2009 Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Video Metrix
Property	Videos (000)	Share (%) of Videos
Total Internet	25,366,195	100.0
Google Sites	10,051,924	39.6
Microsoft Sites	546,547	2.2
Viacom Digital	539,471	2.1
Hulu	488,255	1.9
Fox Interactive Media	380,115	1.5
Yahoo! Sites	355,226	1.4
Turner Network	298,991	1.2
CBS Interactive	168,993	0.7
Disney Online	162,934	0.6
AOL LLC	156,871	0.

*Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks. Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video.

Top 10 Video Content Properties by Viewers

More than 161 million viewers watched an average of 157 videos per viewer during the month of August. Google Sites attracted 121.4 million unique viewers during the month (82.8 videos per viewer), followed by Microsoft Sites with 54.9 million viewers (10 videos per viewer) and Yahoo! Sites with 51.6 million viewers (6.9 videos per viewer).

Top U.S. Online Video Content Properties* by Unique Viewers August 2009 Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Video Metrix
Property	Unique Viewers (000)	Average Videos per Viewer
Total Internet	161,109	157.4
Google Sites	121,393	82.8
Microsoft Sites	54,859	10.0
Yahoo! Sites	51,583	6.9
Fox Interactive Media	48,914	7.8
Viacom Digital	42,415	12.7
Hulu	38,513	12.7
CBS Interactive	35,688	4.7
Turner Network	28,151	10.6
AOL LLC	28,092	5.6
Facebook.com	24,229	4.1

*Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks. Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video.

Top Video Ad Networks by Potential Reach

In August, Tremor Media ranked as the #1 video ad network with a potential reach of 68 million viewers, or 42.2 percent of the total viewing audience. YuMe Video Network ranked second with a potential reach of 59.1 million viewers (36.7 percent penetration) followed by ScanScout Network with 57.6 million viewers (35.7 percent).

Top U.S. Online Video Ad Networks by Potential Unique Viewers August 2009 Total U.S. – Home/Work/University Locations Source: comScore Video Metrix
Property	Unique Viewers (000)	Viewer Penetration
Total Internet : Total Audience	161,109	100.0
Tremor Media - Potential Reach	68,010	42.2
YuMe Video Network - Potential Reach	59,100	36.7
ScanScout Network - Potential Reach	57,581	35.7
Broadband Enterprises Video Network - Potential Reach	54,858	34.1
BrightRoll Video Network - Potential Reach	53,369	33.1
Advertising.com Video Network - Potential Reach	52,996	32.9
SpotXchange Video Ad Network - Potential Reach	47,304	29.4
Break Media Video Ad Network - Potential Reach	35,672	22.1
Digital Broadcasting Group (DBG) - Potential Reach	26,537	16.5
TidalTV – Potential Reach	21,101	13.1

Other notable findings from August 2009 include:

• The top video ad networks in terms of their actual delivered reach were: Tremor Media Video Network (19.5 percent penetration of all online video viewers), BrightRoll Video Network (16.2 percent penetration), and BroadbandEnterprises.com (14.8 percent penetration).
• 81.6 percent of the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video.
• The average online video viewer watched 582 minutes of video, or 9.7 hours.
• 120.5 million viewers watched nearly 10 billion videos on YouTube.com (82.6 videos per viewer).
• 44.9 million viewers watched 340 million videos on MySpace.com (7.6 videos per viewer).
• The average Hulu viewer watched 12.7 videos, totaling 1 hour and 17 minutes of videos per viewer.
• The duration of the average online video was 3.7 minutes.

Source: comScore Press Release