Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[The Mac Sale offers 10 Mac apps for $49]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/08/04/the-mac-sale-offers-10-mac-apps-for-49/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/08/04/the-mac-sale-offers-10-mac-apps-for-49/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/08/04/the-mac-sale-offers-10-mac-apps-for-49/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Mac software bundles are a dime a dozen these days. Just yesterday, my pal Steve Sande wrote about the Mac Bundle Box for TUAW and it seems nearly every week, my inbox gets a notice about this bundle promotion or that bundle promotion. At first glance The Mac Sale doesn't seem that different from other Mac bundles that have come out recently. For $49, you get 10 applications that are valued at $450.

What caught my eye about The Mac Sale was that many of the apps in the bundle are what I would call "hidden gems" in the Mac software space.

Here's the rundown of applications:
  • REALBasic Personal - A rapid development tool that also exists for Linux and Windows.
  • Iris - An image manipulation program.
  • Interarchy - One of the oldest -- and most versatile -- file transfer programs for the Mac.
  • Flux - This is like Dreamweaver on steroids. I really like Flux and have been contemplating writing a separate post just about it.
  • Scribbles - A fun sketching program.
  • TaskPaper - Really nice task manager. I love TaskPaper.
  • WriteRoom - Jay reviewed the mobile version yesterday and the OS X version is totally great for writers.
  • Stuf - Clipboard manager that lets you share items over your network.
  • Mariner Calc - Very good spreadsheet app.
  • HoudahSpot - Spotlight on crack.
The Mac Sale will be going on until August 18th, so you've got two weeks to get in on the deal.

The Mac Sale offers 10 Mac apps for $49 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mac bundlesMacBundlessoftware bundleSoftwareBundlethemacsaleTue, 04 Aug 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Drama shakes up CentOS community]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/31/drama-shakes-up-centos-community/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/31/drama-shakes-up-centos-community/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/31/drama-shakes-up-centos-community/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Update: Slashdot is reporting that CentOS co-founder, Lance Davis has reappeared and that the domain, trademarks and artwork are now under the stewardship of the CentOS Project. Let's hope they file the proper legal forms ASAP.

For users or businesses that want to use Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) but don't feel like ponying up the required subscription fee to get the binary, CentOS has been a great option. Essentially, CentOS take the source from RHEL (which is released to the community), repackages it and offers up the binary for free to anyone who wants it. Although RHEL isn't really my favorite server-based Linux distro, one of my web servers uses CentOS, and it's a pretty decent solution.

Yesterday, some of the developers and maintainers of the CentOS project posted an open letter to Lance Davis, the co-founder of the CentOS proect.

It reads, in part:

You seem to have crawled into a hole ... and this is not acceptable.

You have long promised a statement of CentOS project funds; to this date this has not appeared.

You hold sole control of the centos.org domain with no deputy; this is not proper.

You have, it seems, sole 'Founders' rights in the IRC channels with no deputy ; this is not proper.

(...)

Please do not kill CentOS through your fear of shared management of the project.

For quite some time, it appears, Davis has been absent from meetings, unresponsive to messages and requests and just generally unavailable to the other project developers. As one of the co-signers of the letter, Tim Verhoeven points out in his own blog entry, this is problematic because not only is the centos.org domain in Davis's sole control (and he has now secured it with an anonymizing service so the owner of the domain isn't visible), the accounts from the Google AdSense ads and the PayPal accounts where donors have contributed to the project are also completely in Davis's control.

That creates a problem because money individuals think is going to help the project is really just going to one person who is doing God-only-knows-what with it.

Continue reading Drama shakes up CentOS community

Drama shakes up CentOS community originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CentOSdramaforklinuxopen sourceOpenSourceFri, 31 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[WizeHive: Collaboration tool for busy people]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/29/wizehive-collaboration-tool-for-busy-people/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/29/wizehive-collaboration-tool-for-busy-people/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/29/wizehive-collaboration-tool-for-busy-people/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Because I work almost exclusively in remote-based teams, I'm always looking for new tools and services that can help me manage my daily tasks and effectively collaborate with my team members. One of the biggest problems I have with some collaboration systems is that they require everyone to login and collaborate using the web app itself. This is great if you are always in one place or in a more traditional office environment, but it becomes less problematic if you are on the go frequently and already have tools and practices in place to try to manage your life.

This is why I think that WizeHive has real potential. WizeHive was launched in late 2008 after its founders, who were unsatisfied with the current crop of web-based collaboration and task management tools, decided to scratch their own itch and launch their own service. Over the last six months, WizeHive has rolled out additional features and today, WizeHive is releasing a bevy of new features and enhancements with the aim of bring WizeHive to the masses.

I talked to WizeHive's co-founder, Mike Levinson on Monday about the product and its development and what the new release brings to the table. I was most impressed that Mike and his team use WizeHive internally to manage various projects and activities not just including WizeHive's development, but for other business tasks as well.

After playing with WizeHive a bit, I think the best way to describe the service would be that it is Basecamp meets Backpack, with a dash of Yammer on the side. Unlike some collaboration solutions like Box.net, which really do an excellent job of replicating or replacing SharePoint, WizeHive is a more streamlined way to share files and communicate details back and forth, or to keep track of task management.

After creating a WizeHive account, you can create a different workspace for various teams or projects you might be working on. Within that workspace, you can choose who you invite to collaborate in that space. Once you have invited someone to your space, they can share documents with you, make comments, assign or complete tasks, etc.

You can also create pages within a workspace to further drill down your focus. In my DLS (for DownloadSquad) workspace for instance, I can have pages for Posts, Features and Ideas. Each page can contain its own task and its own set of comments.

The thing I like best about WizeHive is how easily it integrates with other services. You can create a new task (or even a new page) using e-mail, but you can also send messages, tasks and reminders using Twitter. By sending a direct message to @wizehive, after your account is verified, you can communicate directly with your workspace and the people in your group will get notifications and can reply by e-mail, Twitter or using the web site.

Here are some of the new features WizeHive has introduced with this release:
  • improved UI for tracking and managing a large numbers of shared files
  • enhanced file management and version control
  • an increase in the number of files that can be uploaded at one time to 50
  • bump in the maximum uploaded file size to 100 MB
  • embedded image viewer
  • streamlined collaborative editing of documents and spreadsheets
Although you can create and edit documents using ZoHo (it is integrated) and you can save revisions, the real focus of WizeHive seems to be on tasks and communication.

WizeHive is still in beta, so you can sign-up for a free account with unlimited users. You're limited to 50MB of storage space (an additional 3GB is $8US a month), but you get every other feature and you can use the service at least until the end of 2009. Personal accounts, limited to 3 users and 50MB of space are also free. Teams or Small Businesses can get an account with support for 10 users and 3GB of storage for $39 a month.

I'm going to give WizeHive a try and see how well I can integrate it into my life.

WizeHive: Collaboration tool for busy people originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>backpackbasecampbox.netcollaborationfalsegroupproductivityproject managementProjectManagementremote workRemoteWorksaastaskstwitterwizehivezohoWed, 29 Jul 2009 13:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Thurly: Twitter Add-on for Safari]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/15/thurly-twitter-add-on-for-safari/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/15/thurly-twitter-add-on-for-safari/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/15/thurly-twitter-add-on-for-safari/#commentsFiled under: , ,



As a browser, Safari is pretty sparse when it comes to behavior add-ons and extensions. This is primarily because while officially supported plugins for media-types DO exist, there isn't an official plugin architecture for behavior based extensions. Developers have managed to work around this inconvenience using Input Manager hacks, but purists like to make it very clear: Input Managers are not plugins! (check out the link -- you can see me get reprimanded and totally schooled over my second TUAW blog post!)

Semantics aside, tools like Saft and Inquisitor totally make Safari more fun to use. Now a new "not a plugin" plugin has joined the fray: Thurly. Thurly, by Elixir Graphics, is a really neat tool that not only acts as a URL shortener, but also lets you share the URL on Twitter, all within the web browser.

This is how it works, you install Thurly (and unlike most Input Manager "hacks," Thurly is very easy to install or uninstall) and then, once you press Control-Command-T in Safari, a window overlay appears and you can shorten the current URL and then tweet it, along with a message, directly from that pane. You can even avoid the URL shortening aspect and just use it as a quick way to tweet from Safari.

Continue reading Thurly: Twitter Add-on for Safari

Thurly: Twitter Add-on for Safari originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mac os xMacOsXsafarithurlytwitterWed, 15 Jul 2009 13:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Overlapr: Find your Twitter commonalities]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/09/overlapr-find-your-twitter-commonalities/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/09/overlapr-find-your-twitter-commonalities/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/07/09/overlapr-find-your-twitter-commonalities/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Web-apps that utilize the Twitter API are a dime a dozen these days, thanks to the micro-blogging services skyrocketing popularity.

Dan Benjamin has just joined the mix with his own creation: Overlapr. Overlapr is an easy way to find out how many followers (or friends) overlap across two Twitter accounts. Enter in two Twitter usernames and you can easily see how many followers they share and with one click, find out how many friends they share as well.

Overlapr is similar to other Twitter apps like DoesFollow, Followerlap and TwitterCompare, but it is unique in that it lets you view the overlap numbers for both followers and friends.

On the main Overlapr page, you can see recent and most popular overlaps, and the results are often hilarious. The results use a smart URL, like http://overlapr.com/friends/film_girl/downloadsquad.

Continue reading Overlapr: Find your Twitter commonalities

Overlapr: Find your Twitter commonalities originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>overlaprrubytwitterThu, 09 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wikipedia to get better video support]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/19/wikipedia-to-get-better-video-support/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/19/wikipedia-to-get-better-video-support/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/19/wikipedia-to-get-better-video-support/#commentsFiled under: ,

Fortunately, Wikipedia's video options won't end up like this

When I first read the headline that Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopedia, is preparing to offer editors lots of new video tools and support, I was immediately filled with dread. I instantly started imagining the types of videos that overly pedantic Wikipedia editors would create, on such scintillating topics like the "Mary Sue" archetype in fan fiction (and 3200 words on that, really?) or that really awesome episode of Battlestar Galactica (don't flame me BSG fans, Cylons rule and whatnot). Fortunately, the new video features that are going to be coming to Wikipedia aren't about content creation, at least not yet.

According to MIT's Technology Review, in the next two or three months, Wikipedia editors will have access to an "add media" button that allows them to find, annotate, choose the relevant portions of a video and then embed the resulting clip into any article. The whole thing will be web-based and will rely on open video standards. Three sources will be available in the beginning, the Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons and Metavid, but eventually Wikipedia hopes to allow users to scour the web for content.

Despite my early skepticism, the idea is actually pretty interesting. When I think about the first-wave of "book encyclopedia" killers, the CD and then DVD-ROM based multimedia offerings (like the late Encarta), the video content always sticks out as one of the biggest high points. Having quality video or audio content add context or augmentation to a text article can really make a subject more clear.

Of course, having to rely on copyright-free video or public domain works might make it difficult for Wikipedia to achieve those same goals.

[via Mashable]

Wikipedia to get better video support originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>encyclopediavideowikipediaFri, 19 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[25 Years of Tetris: Time Waster Retrospective]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/06/25-years-of-tetris-time-waster-retrospective/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/06/25-years-of-tetris-time-waster-retrospective/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/06/25-years-of-tetris-time-waster-retrospective/#commentsFiled under:


Today is a historic day. Not only is it the 65th anniversary of D-Day (and my grandfather, a US Naval Captain was there), It is the 25th anniversary of the greatest puzzle game of all time: Tetris. In honor of Alexey Pajitnov's awesome creation, I've tracked down some awesome ways to play Tetris on your PC or Mac -- for free.

Tetris 1989 (www.tetrisfriends.com) -- Although Tetris might have debuted in June of 1984, most of us were first introduced to this addictive puzzler in 1989 on a green and yellow tinged screen. As the pack-in game with the original Game Boy, Tetris was catapulted to a whole new audience of fans. Although we had Tetris (and Dr. Mario) for our NES, it wasn't until I got a Game Boy for Christmas in 1991 (third grade, baby!) that I really, really became Tetris-obsessed. You can revisit that nostalgia on your web browser in this Flash-based port, provided by Tetrisfriends.com (the official website for the Tetris.com rights holders). The original game music is even included! Tetrisfriends.com has a lot of other variations too, but the best, by far is Tetris 1989.

Quinn (OS X) -- Official variations for Tetris have been available for the Mac throughout Tetris's history, but the best native OS X iteration is Quinn, a tetromino game made specifically for OS X. You can even download special piece styles and backgrounds to make Quinn look more or less retro. Also, don't forget about the neat (if ultimately kludgy) implementation of Tetris included with emacs bundled in OS X.

The Original Tetris (MS-DOS, all 32-bit versions of Windows, including Windows 7) -- Developed a few days after the initial Electronica 60 prototype of the game, the MS-DOS port of the original game still exists, thanks to Vadim Gerasimov, whole helped create the port. His page discussing the development process for Tetris is an interesting read.

Tetrislight (Tetris for Silverlight) -- This is a neat Tetris implmentation using Silverlight rather than Flash. It's fun and the keyboard controls correlate to the old Microsoft Entertainment Pack of yore.

Quadra (Linux) -- There are lots of various Tetris-like games available for various Linux builds (Netris is a fun one), but I like Quadra because of its network support. It was also recently updated. Check out the Google Code page too!

25 Years of Tetris: Time Waster Retrospective originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>puzzletetristime wasterTimeWasterSat, 06 Jun 2009 22:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Box.net launches tasks, global folders and custom branding]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/26/box-net-launches-tasks-global-folders-and-custom-branding/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/26/box-net-launches-tasks-global-folders-and-custom-branding/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/26/box-net-launches-tasks-global-folders-and-custom-branding/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Over the past few months, storage and collaboration service Box.net has really ramped up its focus on adding tools and services that can help small and large businesses be more productive. With full-text search, enhanced collaboration tools, and a web-based document creation, the service is a really slick way for a business or group of collaborators to work together, regardless of physical location. Today, Box.net is adding a few more features, including tasks, the ability to create global folders and enhanced custom branding.

The new tasks feature lets you create a task for a new or existing file and then assign that task to a member of your group or to yourself. So if you have a document that needs a bunch of iterations done before it is submitted for final approval, you can create tasks for what needs to be accomplished and then assign them to various members of your team. You'll get an e-mail notification when you are assigned a task, and tasks also appear in the info bar on the right side of your Box.net page.

Global folders is a really, really cool new feature that lets you turn any folder into a web page with a static address that anyone can access and view. I created this page for my test in about two seconds. Every additional file I upload to that Box.net folder is added to the page, which is then viewable by anyone. If you have a lot of non-sensitive information that you want to share with a group, this is a really cool way to do it, because the people who access the information don't even need to be logged into Box.net to access or download the files.

For Business edition users, there are now custom branding tools, so that you can change the Box.net UI to include your company logo, colors and other information. This makes it really easy to use Box.net as a white-label type of solution, with the added benefit of being able to interact with other Box.net users from across the globe.

The tasks and global folders features are available to all Box.net users, including the free Lite plan. If you want custom branding, you need to be a Business edition subscriber.

Box.net launches tasks, global folders and custom branding originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 26 May 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>box.netcollaborationtasksTue, 26 May 2009 16:10:00 EST<![CDATA[Amazon adds physical data transfer option to AWS]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/21/amazon-adds-physical-data-transfer-option-to-aws/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/21/amazon-adds-physical-data-transfer-option-to-aws/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/21/amazon-adds-physical-data-transfer-option-to-aws/#commentsFiled under: ,

I'm a big fan of Amazon Web Services (AWS). I use Amazon S3 to backup my websites every day and have used the CloudFront as an inexpensive CDN for image hosting. Lots of individuals and businesses also use S3 as a cloud-based backup too, using Jungle Disk, S3Fox, and other utilities to transfer files directly to S3.

But what happens if you have A LOT of data to transfer. Like hundreds of gigabytes, or multiple terabytes? If you want to take advantage of the various AWS services -- say you want to backup all of your home movies for double-security/potential global access or your business has a few terrabytes of data it would like to incoporate with an EC2 application -- how long is it going to take to actually transfer that much data? It almost seems like it would be faster to just ship Amazon a hard drive and let them transfer everything. Which is exacty what Amazon is proposing you do with its new AWS Import/Export service.

The service, which is in limited beta (you can apply now) and currently only uploads to US-based S3 buckets for now, works like this:
  • Fill out an electronic form detailing your S3 bucket info, AWS password and a shipping address
  • Attach some signed digital files to your external device
  • Mail your external hard drive, with all required power adaptors and connection cables to Amazon.
Once the drive is received, the data will be transferred to your AWS account (the type of drive you send can impact the data transfer speed, for instance, eSATA will be faster than USB) and the drive will be mailed back to you.

The price? $80 per device, plus $2.50 for each hour of transfer required. Right now, the service only supports sending data to Amazon, but in the future, Amazon will support sending external drives with large amounts of data back to customers, similar to what Backblaze offers its customers as a recovery solution.

Amazon has a great pricing calculator so you can work out how expensive a large transfer might be as compared to standard S3 upload bandwidth costs (which are not charged for AWS Import/Export transfers) and the detaild description section of the AWS Import/Export page lists the transfer time for uploading 1 TB of data at various connection rates.

If you have lots of data you would like to host on Amazon's secure cloud, AWS Import/Export might just be the right tool for the job!

Amazon adds physical data transfer option to AWS originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 21 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonamazon s3AmazonS3awsaws import exportaws-import-exportAwsImportExports3Thu, 21 May 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Two weeks left to enter MindBites Screencast 4 Cash contest]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/20/two-weeks-left-to-enter-mindbites-screencast-4-cash-contest/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/20/two-weeks-left-to-enter-mindbites-screencast-4-cash-contest/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/20/two-weeks-left-to-enter-mindbites-screencast-4-cash-contest/#commentsFiled under: , ,

We're hitting the home stretch in the MindBites Screencast 4 Cash contest! As I discussed last month, MindBites is holding a contest in conjunction with Techsmith's Jing Pro and Download Squad (that's us!). Entrants can submit an original screencast to be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Snagit/Camtasia Studio. There will also be a People's Choice Prize, determined by popular vote, and the winner will get $500 and a copy of Snagit.

The deadline for entries was extended until June 1, so you still have time to enter in your own screencast. Have some awesome coding or web design skills you want to share? Share them with the world!

Right now, individuals can vote once per week, but starting June 2, you can also vote daily! Even better, for every vote cast, $0.10 will be donated to the Youth for Technology Foundation, which helps underprivileged kids get access and instruction to technology.

If you want to create a screencast but you're unsure of what software to use, peruse our past reviews and tests of web and client-based screencasting apps! Check out the contest page for all the rules and requirements, plus check out the entries that have been submitted thus far.

If you've got a great idea for a screencast, you have until June 1 to enter. Grant and I are two of the judges and we can't wait to see what else gets submitted!

Two weeks left to enter MindBites Screencast 4 Cash contest originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>mindbitesscreencaststechsmithWed, 20 May 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Drop.io launches Present.io public beta]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/14/drop-io-launches-present-io-public-beta/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/14/drop-io-launches-present-io-public-beta/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/14/drop-io-launches-present-io-public-beta/#commentsFiled under: ,



I'm a big fan of drop.io, the real-time sharing and collaborating tool. Today, drop.io is launching the public beta for present.io, which aims to make web-based presentations really easy. This is a great compliment to existing drop.io services, conference.io and phone.io.

The service is really easy to use. You create a drop (or add a presentation to an existing drop), upload the files you want to share, and then distribute the URL to your participants. Once your presentation starts, only the administrator can control what displayed or how media is played back, but if real-time chat is enabled, everyone can join in and comment.

Using the free conference line that's included with every drop, participants can call in and talk to one another, or listen in to the audio portion of a presentation.

I played around with present.io myself, basically recreating the demo in the present.io video and I was pretty impressed. For a service that doesn't require any external software downloads, or really any logins or sign-ups, it's a great way to do lightweight presentations.

This won't replace services like Adobe's Acrobat Connect or Microsoft's LiveMeeting for users who need to do screensharing or advanced whiteboarding, but if you just want to share a presentation or some documents, this is a great hassle-free way to do it.

Drop.io launches Present.io public beta originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 14 May 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>conferencedrop.iopresent.iopresentationweb-conferencingweb-presentationsThu, 14 May 2009 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Evernote comes to the BlackBerry]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/11/evernote-comes-to-the-blackberry/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/11/evernote-comes-to-the-blackberry/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/11/evernote-comes-to-the-blackberry/#commentsFiled under: ,


While I'm not as big of an Evernote devotee as some other Download Squad bloggers, I do love the idea. For the uninitiated, Evernote is a service/app combo that is designed to let you capture all the bits of information that you want to save for future access -- business cards, to-do lists, audio messages, photos, screenshots, web links -- and organize those bits so that they are searchable and accessible from multiple computers and mobile devices. It's a great idea, and a great service -- but it's really only valuable if you either use more than one computer frequently (so your work machine is separate from your home machine), or if your mobile device is compatible with t he service.

Although Evernote has a GREAT iPhone app, as a hybrid BlackBerry/iPod touch 2G user, it really isn't the best solution for me. Chances are, if I'm away from my primary computer, my BlackBerry is what I'll end up using, unless there happens to be WiFi around for my iPod touch. If I had a Windows Mobile phone or an iPhone, that would be one thing, but I'm a BlackBerry user, and I'm used to getting short-changed on the mobile app front.

Fast-forward to this morning, where I see a post on the Evernote blog, announcing Evernote for BlackBerry. Unfortunately, before I could get too excited about the possibilities of keeping my handbag clean and consolidating my various notes in one digital space, I saw the system requirements.

Evernote for the BlackBerry requires OS 4.6 or higher. That means, you must have a BlackBerry Bold, a BlackBerry Storm (ick) or the new Blackberry Curve 8900. If you're one of the millions of users, who has the BlackBerry Curve 83xx (like me), well, you're still Evernote-less. On the mobile front anyway.

Don't get me wrong, I don't blame the Evernote developers for wanting to make the app as robust as possible, thus, they want to use the best OS framework available. I'm just a little peeved at RIM, who is continuing to sell BlackBerry 83XX series Curves by the truckload seems pretty content to let Curve owners languish with OS 4.5 (an OS that has made me hate my BlackBerry, yet I need 4.5 if I want to actually use the device for more than phone calls and e-mail), and thus, miss out on cool apps like this.

If you do have a BlackBerry that works with OS 4.6, you can download Evernote for the BlackBerry from the BlackBerry App World. Since I can't test, it, tell me what you think in the comments.

Evernote comes to the BlackBerry originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>blackberryblackberry 4.6Blackberry4.6evernoteMon, 11 May 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Aporkalypse Now: Where to get Swine Flu info online]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/02/aporkalypse-now-where-to-get-swine-flu-info-online/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/02/aporkalypse-now-where-to-get-swine-flu-info-online/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/02/aporkalypse-now-where-to-get-swine-flu-info-online/#commentsFiled under: ,

Forgive us for laughing at a potential pandemic, but this swine flu hysteria is getting a little bit out of hand. Taking proper precautions is one thing, shutting down schools, wearing masks that don't do anything everywhere and banning pork (that isn't contaminated and doesn't spread the disease anyway) is just silly.

Ridiculous or not, with all the buzz about H1N1 on TV, Twitter and from hypochondriac friends and family, distilling the correct information can be difficult.

Thus, we present the Download Squad guide to Swine Flu '09:

Official Agency Sites:

CDC H1N1 Page -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (located in Atlanta, holla!) is a great source for H1N1 information for individuals and communities. The site is frequently updated and links to other world agencies and organizations. You can also check out the CDC's mobile site for news on the go, and check out the assorted CDC Twitter feeds.

PandemicFlu.gov -- This site is maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and aggregates information from the CDC, WHO and other organizations.

World Health Organization -- The UN's World Health Organization (WHO) has a dedicated H1N1 site with media information, latest news and official WHO reports. The WHO also has a Twitter feed.

Food and Agriculture Organization -- Similarly, the UN's FAO is focussed on background information on H1N1, and is monitoring the situation.

Miscellaneous News Sites:

Swine-flu.Alltop.com -- Alltop's mashup of H1N1 information includes not only agency sources, but major news coverage from sources like the New York Times and USA Today, as well as social streams from places like Twitter, WordPress.com and other social networks.

Open Directory Project -- The Open Directory Project has some resources if you're into accessing the Internet a la Yahoo! in 1996.

Maps

Google Flu Trends -- Google Flu Trends, which is still in development is tracking swine flu cases in the US and in Mexico

HealthMap.org -- HealthMap.org has a color coded map (using the Google API) that is frequently updated and shows outbreaks and cases all over the world.

Ushahidi -- Social powered site Ushahidi has a Swine Flu outbreak map too.

Google Maps -- This user-created Google Map is frequently updated and includes more specific outbreak information, easily viewable by location.

Videos, Podcasts and others:

Swine Flu Podcasts from the CDC (iTunes link) -- The CDC has produced a series of podcasts for information and sensible tips for preventing the spread of infection. Video versions (iTunes link) are available too.

iPhone app (coming soon) -- According to Tech Crunch, an iPhone app tracking the Swine Flu is on the way. Now this is just getting stupid.

Muppets: I couldn't resist. Some of my favorite, "wash your hands" themed Sesame Street sketches. Check out Gordon #1 and freakadelic Big Bird in clip one!

Aporkalypse Now: Where to get Swine Flu info online originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 02 May 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cdchealthpandemicswine fluSwineFluSat, 02 May 2009 08:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Disney joins Hulu]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/30/disney-joins-hulu/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/30/disney-joins-hulu/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/30/disney-joins-hulu/#commentsFiled under: ,


The rumors have been swirling around for a few weeks, but today the Walt Disney Company officially announced that it is becoming an equity partner in Hulu. Disney, through a subsidiary of ABC Enterprises Inc., will join NBC Universal and News Corp. as an investor and content provider. Full-length episodes from ABC primetime, ABC Family and SOAPnet will be added to Hulu's content library, as well as classic ABC shows and select shows and movies from The Disney Channel. Essentially, ABC.com's streaming content will be coming to Hulu.

With the addition of ABC, three of the four major US television networks are now partners in Hulu. This leaves CBS and its TV.com venture all by its lonesome. As for YouTube, which is trying to get into the commercial content game, let's just say this move won't help the already anemic offering.

Despite the boxee nastiness (which has been mitigated, for now), Hulu continues to take off and is positioning itself as the defacto destination for online television viewing, provided of course, you live in the US. Having one robust platform is not only easier for viewers to navigate, it is easier to sell to advertisers.

The financial terms of the agreement weren't released, though I expect those details to emerge.

[via Mashable]

Disney joins Hulu originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>abcdisneyhulustreaming videoStreamingVideotv.comyoutubeThu, 30 Apr 2009 12:28:00 EST<![CDATA[MindBites launches Screencast 4 Cash contest]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/21/mindbites-launches-screencast-4-cash-contest/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/21/mindbites-launches-screencast-4-cash-contest/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/21/mindbites-launches-screencast-4-cash-contest/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

At SXSWi 2008, Grant and I met Jason Reneau, the founder and CEO of MindBites, a platform and marketplace for video lessons. We were really impressed with the MindBites vision last year. When we met up with them this year, it was awesome to see how far the community, the site and the market for quality video tutorials has come.

Today, MindBites is launching the Screencast 4 Cash contest in conjunction with Techsmith's Jing Pro and Download Squad (that's us!). Entrants can submit an original screencast to be eligible to win a Grand Prize of $1000, plus a copy of Snagit/Camtasia Studio. There will also be a People's Choice Prize, determined by popular vote, and the winner will get $500 and a copy of Snagit.

Every vote cast in the contest will yield a $0.10 US donation to the Youth for Technology Foundation, which exposes children in underdeveloped parts of the world to technology through instruction and staffed technology centers. So just by voting, you can help underprivileged kids get access and instruction to technology.

Screencasts are a great way to learn, or teach a specialty. We covered some iPhone-specific screencasts last month and found the medium really, really ripe for learning or supplementing other forms of instruction.

If you've got a great idea for a screencast, enter the contest! Grant and I are two of the judges and we can't wait to see what stuff gets submitted! You can read more details on deadlines and voting dates over at MindBites.

Want to know more about MindBites? Check out this video from SXSWi 2009!

Continue reading MindBites launches Screencast 4 Cash contest

MindBites launches Screencast 4 Cash contest originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>camtasiajingmindbitesscreencaststechsmithTue, 21 Apr 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Check your online nom de plume all at once with Namechk]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/08/check-your-online-nom-de-plume-all-at-once-with-namechk/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/08/check-your-online-nom-de-plume-all-at-once-with-namechk/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/04/08/check-your-online-nom-de-plume-all-at-once-with-namechk/#commentsFiled under: , ,

As more and more of our communications and interactions take place online, retaining a consistent online identity (or, you know, "handle" in old-school geek speak) across multiple sites can be really, really useful. Of course, wanting to maintain a consistent identity and actually being able to get the same user name for every single web service you use are two entirely different things.

If you have a long-existing online identity, you might have all the big services covered, but if you are launching a new site or service (or you just want to lose that ridiculous IM name from high school that seemed funny in 1998 when you were 15, but is now just really, really lame), deciding on a name, and finding out if it is available across services can be a chore.

This is where the new service namechk comes to the rescue. Just enter in your desired user name and namechk will go through 100 of the biggest web services and see where your desired username is available.

I've been using either "film_girl" or "filmgirl" (if underscores aren't an accepted character) as my online identity for at least eight years, thus it, was kind of neat to see how many accounts that are registered under those names actually belong to me (most of them).

If you are about to launch or relaunch your online identity, using namechk to see what's available isn't a bad way to ensure consistency.

Check your online nom de plume all at once with Namechk originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>identitiesnamechkuser namesUserNamesWed, 08 Apr 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Countdown to Conficker]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/26/countdown-to-conficker/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/26/countdown-to-conficker/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/26/countdown-to-conficker/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

We're now less than a week away from the scheduled activation of the latest variant of the Conficker worm and experts are still unsure if this is all a hoax or a set-up for security disaster.

The worm, which targets an exploit in all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 forward, including Windows 7, started spreading last fall and several variations have subsequently appeared. Although Microsoft released a security patch in October, unpatched machines can still be infected and newer variants make removing the worm more difficult.

To add insult to injury, the worm attaches itself to USB devices like thumb drives, making it that much easier to infect machines on a large scale.

But it's not all doom and gloom. If you or someone you love has a machine infected with the Conficker worm, there are plenty of resources out there to get things back under control.

BitDefender has a tool that can remove the latest Conficker variant from both single PCs and a Windows network. From what I've read, the BitDefender tool is the best at getting the latest variant, and it would be my go-to pick. Symantec, Kaspersky and ESET also have removal tools and McAfee and AVG can grab the virus from on-demand scans.

To help stop the spread of worms, you can also disable AutoRun so that worms and other malicious code can't spread through external media.

And of course, it's crucial to stay on top of the latest security updates and to run an anti-virus program, if you are a Windows user. You don't even have to buy a program, as Lee pointed out last month, there are lots of great free options available.

Have you had to clean-up a Conficker infected PC? What are your tips and tricks?

Countdown to Conficker originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 26 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>antivirusbitdefenderconfickermcafeeviruswindowswormsThu, 26 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New boxee alpha brings Pandora, XUL-browsing and an API]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/24/new-boxee-alpha-brings-pandroa-xul-browsing-and-an-api/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/24/new-boxee-alpha-brings-pandroa-xul-browsing-and-an-api/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/24/new-boxee-alpha-brings-pandroa-xul-browsing-and-an-api/#commentsFiled under: , ,


At the boxee meet-up in NYC tonight, the team is unveiling a new bleeding-edge alpha that adds lots and lots of cool stuff to my personal favorite media center solution.

The latest release, which should be available as you read this (or very shortly thereafter), brings:

The API has great potential for future plugins and implementations and I'm really excited about the new XUL-based browser. Because XUL is what all Mozilla based browsers use, discriminating against boxee users will be decidedly more difficult (if not impossible) for Hulu and other services that insist on driving users away from legally obtainable content.

Boxee is available for Mac OS X, Apple TV, Ubuntu and is in private alpha for Windows.


New boxee alpha brings Pandora, XUL-browsing and an API originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>boxeeboxeehqhulupandoraTue, 24 Mar 2009 19:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Box.net launches full text-search]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/24/box-net-launches-full-text-search/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/24/box-net-launches-full-text-search/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/24/box-net-launches-full-text-search/#commentsFiled under: , ,



Content storage and collaboration solution, Box.net, has really been on a tear with new and enhanced features. In the last two months, the service has launched enhanced collaboration tools and a web-based word processor; today, they add another new feature: full-text search!

Now, Box.net Business customers can search the full text of PDF, TXT, CSV, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel files and Box Web Documents. The new search feature will also scan any file descriptions added by users, which is great for more generic documents that might be tagged for something more specific. According to Box, they've already tested the new search feature with one customer who has more than 300,000 documents, and the results have been great.

When I talked to Box last month, it was clear that the company's focus is really on building tools for small and large businesses. Having used Box to share and collaborate with some of my fellow Weblogs bloggers, that focus really comes through in the actual service itself.

With full-text search, Box is really making the argument for businesses to move their file systems online or over to Box, without having to pay for something like Microsoft SharePoint. And because you can access the documents from anywhere, this is a really nice solution for telecommuting employees or businesses with multiple locations.

Box.net launches full text-search originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>box.netcollaborationonline-stroageTue, 24 Mar 2009 14:30:00 EST<![CDATA[SXSW 2009 : Where's Chrome for Mac? ]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/17/sxsw-2009-wheres-my-chrome/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/17/sxsw-2009-wheres-my-chrome/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/03/17/sxsw-2009-wheres-my-chrome/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,



When our own we met up with Darin Fisher of Google's Chrome team, we had exactly one question on our mind, "Where's Chrome for Mac?"

Darren shares some answers, encourages you to try out nightly builds, and laments the lack of Chrome for Linux (coming soon-ish.. ) in this short interview.

SXSW 2009 : Where's Chrome for Mac? originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:00:00 EST