Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/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[Now you can use Paypal to Do Stuff For Money!]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/24/now-you-can-use-paypal-to-do-stuff-for-money/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/24/now-you-can-use-paypal-to-do-stuff-for-money/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/24/now-you-can-use-paypal-to-do-stuff-for-money/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Paypal just launched an interesting new service called Do Stuff For Money to let you offer money via PayPal to make a dare or request a service from a friend. There's an easy form to fill out to make your offer, which will then be posted on the site itself, and also sent to your friend via email or Facebook. If your friend (or target, I suppose) accepts the offer, you can then pay them via Paypal.

Do Stuff For Money doesn't exactly add new functionality to PayPal. I mean, you could always send money to your friends, and it's not so hard to email someone yourself to make the dare. However, the public display of the dares makes for some fun reading, though, and it adds a little bit of accountability to call someone out like that.

Now you can use Paypal to Do Stuff For Money! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>betdaredo-stuff-for-moneymoneypaypalWed, 24 Jun 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Congress extends deadline for Internet radio royalty negotiations]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/20/congress-extends-deadline-for-internet-radio-royalty-negotiation/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/20/congress-extends-deadline-for-internet-radio-royalty-negotiation/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/20/congress-extends-deadline-for-internet-radio-royalty-negotiation/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Royalties have been a bone of contention between major record labels and Internet radio stations for years, and now it looks like the two sides only have 30 more days to iron out an agreement. After they failed to agree by the February 2009 deadline that Congress set last year, Congress took action to extend the deadline to 30 days from last Wednesday.

Until last year, the Copyright Royalty Board had the authority to determine the rates webcasters would have to pay for songs, but a 2008 bill called for negotiation on the issue instead. What's missing from all the coverage of this extension is what happens if an agreement can't be reached by the new deadline. According to the bill -- which was passed without amendment -- after the 30 day period passes, no agreement can be reached under the existing provisions, which means the rules of the game could change again at Congress' whim.

[via AppScout]

Congress extends deadline for Internet radio royalty negotiations originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>congressmusicradioRIAAroyaltieswebcastingSat, 20 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook goes behind your back to present your profile to people you've chosen not to friend]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/14/facebook-goes-behind-your-back-to-present-your-profile-to-people/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/14/facebook-goes-behind-your-back-to-present-your-profile-to-people/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/14/facebook-goes-behind-your-back-to-present-your-profile-to-people/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Facebook Suggestions

Hot on the heels of Facebook's big username land-grab comes news that Facebook may be using the email addresses you import even after you choose not to add them as friends.

The issue occurs if and when you let Facebook search your email contacts for people to invite to become your Facebook friend. As part of this process Facebook will list every contact you have that is already on Facebook, and offer you the chance to "friend" them all at once. You can choose to uncheck the ones that you don't want to friend, essentially skipping them, or choose to skip all of them.

While Facebook makes it clear that they will not store the password for your email account, what they don't make so clear is that they will store the addresses of everyone it found in your email account and keep them associated with you, even the ones that you chose to skip.

So how does Facebook use this information? They present you as a possible contact to the people that you skipped - even if that person has never shown Facebook a connection of any kind to you. Nice, eh? Effectively, Facebook is ignoring your preference to not contact these people by going behind your back to ask them if they want to friend you.

Continue reading Facebook goes behind your back to present your profile to people you've chosen not to friend

Facebook goes behind your back to present your profile to people you've chosen not to friend originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>contactemailemail addressesemail contactsemail-addressesemail-contactsEmailAddressesEmailContactsfacebookfollowerfriendSun, 14 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Mixero's "reducing the noise" tagline appears to be ironic]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/11/mixeros-reducing-the-noise-tagline-appears-to-be-ironic/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/11/mixeros-reducing-the-noise-tagline-appears-to-be-ironic/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/11/mixeros-reducing-the-noise-tagline-appears-to-be-ironic/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There's an entire class of Twitter clients that focus on filtering "noise" from Twitter by allowing you to group the people you follow, so you only have to read what you want. Tweetdeck is the most popular of these, and Mixero is a new one that looks like it could be big. The problem this kind of client solves is entirely artificial. In fact, I'd say there's a very good chance that the people clamoring for groups and fllters are "social media marketing gurus" who follow huge numbers in hopes of getting more follows in return.

Marketers buy and use apps too, in a big way, so I'm not blaming Mixero for being smart enough to have a built-in target audience. Mixero is chock full of features, and lets you customize groups six ways from Sunday, but the tradeoff is a UI that makes "reducing the noise" sound a bit ironic. I don't mean to single out Mixero, but I'm increasingly starting to think of these widescreen Twitter apps as "business class." If you don't treat Twitter as a business, and you still prefer them, we'll have to agree to disagree. That's the cool thing about Twitter, though: we all get to use it our own way.

But the popular refrain "there's no right way to use Twitter" only applies up to a point. If you're just using it for marketing, and you're following as many people as possible, you may have discovered the elusive way to do it entirely wrong. If you're not a marketer, but you're following so many people that it's not enjoyable for you without "reducing the noise," you may need to stop worrying about "Twitter etiquette" - which seems to be mainly dictated by marketers looking for mutual follows, anyway - and unfollow some folks until you find a happy number.

Mixero's "reducing the noise" tagline appears to be ironic originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessmixerotweetdecktwittertwitter-clientsThu, 11 Jun 2009 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SquareSpace isn't giving away new iPhones, exactly]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/11/squarespace-isnt-giving-away-new-iphones-exactly/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/11/squarespace-isnt-giving-away-new-iphones-exactly/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/11/squarespace-isnt-giving-away-new-iphones-exactly/#commentsFiled under: ,

Web publishing providers SquareSpace are giving away 30 new iPhone 3GSs over a period of 30 days on Twitter ... or are they? If you read the fine print -- and SquareSpace's FAQ for the contest, you'll see that what they're actually giving away is a $199 Apple gift certificate. For some people -- like new AT&T customers, that amounts to a new iPhone. For other winners who already have iPhones, it might be a harsh wakeup call when the $199 only covers a fraction of the unsubsidized price.

What AT&T and Apple decide to charge for an iPhone isn't SquareSpace's problem, and if I found $199 on the ground, I would pick it up. On the other hand, though, there's something a bit tricky about getting hundreds of Twitter users to spread the word about your product and land you on the trending topics using the promise of an iPhone that may or may not actually be attainable through your giveaway. That $199 can be used for anything from the Apple Store, and a discount on a new MacBook Pro is nothing to sniffle at, but it's not an iPhone 3GS.

SquareSpace isn't giving away new iPhones, exactly originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>giveawayiphonesquarespacetwitterThu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Get visual comments on your designs with Redmark]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/10/get-visual-comments-on-your-designs-with-redmark/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/10/get-visual-comments-on-your-designs-with-redmark/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/10/get-visual-comments-on-your-designs-with-redmark/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Ah, the dreaded comment phase! You've submitted your design for a new site, and you're waiting for your client to get back to you with ridiculous last minute changes that probably won't even be communicated clearly. There's unfortunately not yet an app to make your client smarter, but Redmark might make the comments easier to understand.

Redmark is a web-based visual markup tool for designs, so you'll know exactly which part of your work each comment refers to. On the client end, it's very easy to use. Dragging or zooming the design never loses the marker your comment is attached to, so it's always clear which element of a design you're talking about. Just hit "new comment" and click on the relevant spot. Redmark even sends an email notification from the design when a new version goes up.

Get visual comments on your designs with Redmark originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>clientscommentsdesignmarkupredmarkWed, 10 Jun 2009 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Apps now syncs with Microsoft Outlook]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/10/google-apps-now-syncs-with-microsoft-outlook/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/10/google-apps-now-syncs-with-microsoft-outlook/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/10/google-apps-now-syncs-with-microsoft-outlook/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

If you're running Google Apps (Premier or Education editions), but you still use Outlook for email, you're in luck. Google Apps now syncs with Microsoft Outlook, so you can keep right on using it, and get your gmail messages, too. It's not just email that syncs: calendars and contacts do, too.

As you'd expect, syncing works both ways: you can bring your Google Apps data into Outlook, and send your Outlook or Exchange data to Google, and it's apparently only a 2-click process. Google Calendar in Google Apps also now supports the free/busy functionality of Outlook's calendar, so you can schedule meetings with all of your contacts, regardless of whether they're on Google or Outlook. Does this mean more business users are going to be switching to Google Apps?

Google Apps now syncs with Microsoft Outlook originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>enterprisegooglegoogle-appsmicrosoftoutlookWed, 10 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter finally verifies verified accounts rumor]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/06/twitter-finally-verifies-verified-accounts-rumor/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/06/twitter-finally-verifies-verified-accounts-rumor/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/06/twitter-finally-verifies-verified-accounts-rumor/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

In response to a lawsuit by famed baseball manager Tony LaRussa, Twitter has decided to speed up the process of launching those verified accounts we've been hearing buzz about for the past few months.

In a post on the Twitter blog, Biz Stone asserts that while there's no way Twitter's going to pay off LaRussa after their support team got rid of the impostor, they're going to keep this kind of thing from happening in the future by adding a special badge to the accounts of notable people whose identities they can verify.

Because of the resources required, this is going to roll out slowly, starting with "public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and other well known individuals at risk of impersonation." Businesses won't be included in the initial test.

There's no launch date specified yet, but Twitter has begun to answer the sticky question of how they plan to verify the accounts. Apparently, a link to a Twitter account from the celebrity's official website is going to do the trick.

Twitter finally verifies verified accounts rumor originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biz-stonelawsuitstwitterverified-accountsSat, 06 Jun 2009 17:32:00 EST<![CDATA[You'll never really get Hulu on your TV, so stop whining]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/youll-never-really-get-hulu-on-your-tv-so-stop-whining/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/youll-never-really-get-hulu-on-your-tv-so-stop-whining/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/youll-never-really-get-hulu-on-your-tv-so-stop-whining/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

As Boxee announced the (long overdue) release of it's Windows version, geeks everywhere itching to cut the Cable TV cord -- presumably leaving the one connected to the cable modem alone -- sighed lovingly, and once again began to wax poetic on whether or not Hulu would come back to Boxee.

Even Avner Ronen, CEO of Boxee sounded hopeful in his quick interview with NewTeeVee.

I on the other hand, think all of you are nuts. Hulu is not (officially) available on your TV and it never will be.

Continue reading You'll never really get Hulu on your TV, so stop whining

You'll never really get Hulu on your TV, so stop whining originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Avner RosenAvner-RosenAvnerRosenboxeehuluThu, 04 Jun 2009 23:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Is Palm Pre iTunes syncing too good to last?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/is-palm-pre-itunes-syncing-too-good-to-last/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/is-palm-pre-itunes-syncing-too-good-to-last/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/is-palm-pre-itunes-syncing-too-good-to-last/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

One of the selling points of the Palm Pre is that it can sync with iTunes just like an iPhone can, minus the ability to play old DRM-protected purchases from the Apple store. The thing is, that amazing iTunes support comes from a hacky workaround where the Pre passes itself off as Apple hardware when it's connected. It won't show up in iTunes as a "Palm Pre," it'll show up as an iPod.

What can Apple do about it, though? An escalating battle to break the hack could require Apple to release firmware updates, which is always annoying for users, or could be fixed on the software side with an iTunes update. The newest release of iTunes, 8.2, reportedly doesn't break Pre's syncing support.

What will the outcome be? Do you think we'll see a lawsuit, a firmware or iTunes-side fix from Apple, or something completely different?

Is Palm Pre iTunes syncing too good to last? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appleitunespalmpalm-presyncThu, 04 Jun 2009 14:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Digg's latest business move: digg it, or bury it?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/diggs-latest-business-move-digg-it-or-bury-it/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/diggs-latest-business-move-digg-it-or-bury-it/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/04/diggs-latest-business-move-digg-it-or-bury-it/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Digg recently introduced a new advertising program that allows its advertisers to buy ads on the front page that look like stories and appear in the regular Digg "river" of content. The catch is that the ads can be dugg or buried, and the results will affect how much it costs the advertisers to keep running their content. Comments from Digg users on the new system are already split, so let's take a look at the pros and cons.

PRO:

This is great! If I see an ad I don't like, I can bury it. It's satisfying to have some control over the kind of advertising I see on a site, and this will lead to the most annoying ads and advertisers getting buried right off the site. Plus, seeing ads that fit in with the Digg layout is more tolerable than traditional banners or animated garbage.

CON:

Are you kidding? Not only will the ads pollute the river and be confusing to casual users, but Digg wants me to do the work of deciding which ads are the best and worst? Sounds like a scheme to attract more advertisers. I mean, who wouldn't want to buy ads that millions of users will not only see, but interact with by voting? If I bury something, it's already too late: I've seen the ad. Plus, these cheapskate advertisers won't even have to pay a designer.Ridiculous.

What do you think, Download Squad readers? Are the new Digg ads going to be a winner, or fall flat?

View Poll

Digg's latest business move: digg it, or bury it? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adsdiggThu, 04 Jun 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Opera retakes top mobile browser spot from iPhone]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/03/opera-retakes-top-mobile-browser-spot-from-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/03/opera-retakes-top-mobile-browser-spot-from-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/06/03/opera-retakes-top-mobile-browser-spot-from-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

According to May numbers from analytics service StatCounter, Opera is once again the most popular mobile browser in the world, narrowly overtaking the iPhone's built-in Safari browser. Of all the webpages that were loaded in mobile browsers in May, Opera had a 24.6% share to the iPhone's 22.3%. Nokia came in 3rd with 17.9%.

Opera started the year ahead of the iPhone browser, but Apple's product passed it in February. Although they're both mobile browsers, we're comparing two very different products here.

Opera is supported on a huge number of devices from different mobile carriers worldwide, while Safari only runs on the iPhone. In effect, the competition doesn't tell us as much about which browser is the better product as it does about how popular the iPhone is compared to other devices.

Opera retakes top mobile browser spot from iPhone originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applebrowseriphonemobilemobile-browsernokiaoperasafariWed, 03 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Facebook announces winning apps in FBFund]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/29/facebook-announces-winning-apps-in-fbfund/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/29/facebook-announces-winning-apps-in-fbfund/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/29/facebook-announces-winning-apps-in-fbfund/#commentsFiled under: , ,


Facebook's FBFund is a $10mil initiative to provide funding for startups that are doing promising things in the Facebook app or Facebook Connect area. Recently, 18 startups were chosen to receive a whole bunch of money and attend Facebook's Rev09 incubator program this summer.

All 18 winners (and two non-profits, who can't get a cut of the money due to the structure of FBFund) are listed on Facebook's Developer Blog, but I want to highlight a few of the apps that look most likely to catch on in a big way. Nutshell Mail, which was featured on Download Squad back in February, consolidates all your social network subscription emails into one periodic digest, keeping your inbox clear. Sortuv finds local businesses that are "sortuv" like ones you already know and like. Gameyola is a platform for casual Flash games.

Do you think any of the FBFund projects will take off? Let us know which ones you love or hate in the comments.

Facebook announces winning apps in FBFund originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 May 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebookfacebook-appsfbfundfundingstartupsFri, 29 May 2009 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Eucalyptus eBook reader recovers from silly app store rejection]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/25/eucalyptus-ebook-reader-recovers-from-silly-app-store-rejection/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/25/eucalyptus-ebook-reader-recovers-from-silly-app-store-rejection/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/25/eucalyptus-ebook-reader-recovers-from-silly-app-store-rejection/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Eucalyptus, a gorgeous eBook reader for the iPhone, was initially rejected from Apple's application store for the most absurd of reasons. See, Eucalyptus' extensive library of great literature comes from Project Gutenberg, an open source book project, and one of the books in Gutenberg's library is The Kama Sutra. Apple apparently objected to this during the review process, despite the fact that other approved readers like Stanza and Amazon's Kindle can also access the book. So can Apple's Safari browser, because Project Gutenberg's books are all available through its website.

Fortunately, this mistake didn't stop Eucalyptus from eventually making it into the app store, where it's now available for $9.99. Buying the app gets you an extremely slick UI, great page-turning animations, and an organization scheme for books that works a lot like iTunes does for music. I actually totally buy into the Eucalyptus marketing pitch, which is that, for the price of one book, you can have 20,000 books in a great-looking reader.

Eucalyptus eBook reader recovers from silly app store rejection originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 25 May 2009 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>app-storeApplebooksebooksereadereucalyptusproject-gutenbergrejectionMon, 25 May 2009 19:32:00 EST<![CDATA[TechCrunch vs. Last.fm vs. the RIAA, Round 2]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/23/techcrunch-vs-last-fm-vs-the-riaa-round-2/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/23/techcrunch-vs-last-fm-vs-the-riaa-round-2/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/23/techcrunch-vs-last-fm-vs-the-riaa-round-2/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


Remember the panic a while back about social music site Last.FM supposedly leaking listener data to the RIAA? TechCrunch sure does, because they started the rumor, and then faced accusations of shoddy reporting from basically the whole Internet when it turned out to be false. Well, now TechCrunch have uncovered some new information that shows they were right after all ... sort of.

Last.fm's parent company, CBS, was the source of the leak to the RIAA. Last.fm didn't know about it at the time, having just turned over the data to CBS, which explains their vehement denials. TechCrunch isn't saying Last.fm lied, but they are saying that CBS duped them during the reporting for their original story, asking TC to attribute a CBS quote to Last.fm.

The reason for the link, according to Techcrunch's source at CBS, is that the requester (it could have been the RIAA, or an individual label) had the ability to hurt CBS/Last.fm on streaming rates. The source also claims that Last.fm premium accounts aren't making any profit, and the leak was made with the intent of protecting Last.fm from increased rates that could put it out of business.

No comment from Last.fm yet, but it's still early (and a three-day weekend) at their headquarters in the UK. We'll know more when they've had a chance to respond.

TechCrunch vs. Last.fm vs. the RIAA, Round 2 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 23 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>CBSlast.fmleakriaarumorstechcrunchSat, 23 May 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Pandora announces premium features and new desktop app]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/20/pandora-announces-premium-features-and-new-desktop-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/20/pandora-announces-premium-features-and-new-desktop-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/20/pandora-announces-premium-features-and-new-desktop-app/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Since pundits started speculating last year that expensive royalty fees for streaming music would kill Pandora, it seems the company has consistently rolled out more creative, money-making features.

Now premium subscribers can get access to better stream quality, the new Pandora One desktop app, and an ad-free experience for $36/year. That fee will also get rid of one of the most annoying restraints on the free version of Pandora, the limit of 12 skips per day.

Pandora One looks like a pretty cool app, with a mini version of the player to save screen real estate, and 8 different skins to choose from. It also doesn't require you to interact with it as often as the free version does to keep the music going. Instead, you only have to click over once every five hours.

All of this sounds like a pretty good deal for what comes out to be about $3/mo, but it's not clear how far it will go toward keeping Pandora up and running.

Pandora announces premium features and new desktop app originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 20 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>freemiummusicpandorapandora-onestreamingWed, 20 May 2009 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Android now has a barcode scanner]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/18/google-android-now-has-a-barcode-scanner/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/18/google-android-now-has-a-barcode-scanner/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/18/google-android-now-has-a-barcode-scanner/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

It just became a really good idea to take your Google Android device shopping with you. Android now packs a barcode scanning feature that plugs into Google's Mobile Product Search database, so you can compare prices on items you find and see if it might be cheaper to buy online. The scanner currently works best with media like books and dvds, or with electronics, but more products are being added all the time.

To enable it, browse on your Android phone to Google.com, select "More" and then "Shopping" and Product Search. Then click on the Scan Barcode button. This should install the software on your device. To use the app once it's open, you can just point the red line over a barcode, and Android should do the rest. If it doesn't work for the item you want, you can still resort to old-fashioned keyboard search.

[via AppScout]

Google Android now has a barcode scanner originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 18 May 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidbarcodegooglemobilescannershoppingMon, 18 May 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amazon opens Kindle publishing to all bloggers]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/15/amazon-opens-kindle-publishing-to-all-bloggers/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/15/amazon-opens-kindle-publishing-to-all-bloggers/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/15/amazon-opens-kindle-publishing-to-all-bloggers/#commentsFiled under: ,


Do you have a blog? Does it have a working RSS feed? Congratulations! You can now publish your blog on Amazon's Kindle platform, allowing users of the Kindle device (or the Kindle iPhone app) to subscribe to your blog for a small fee. You take a 30% cut, and Amazon takes the rest. It might be small potatoes, but more blogger-generated content could attract more users to the Kindle platform, which means more blog subscribers.

You don't have to do anything special to make your blog readable on the Kindle. Just put your RSS feed in over at Kindle Publishing for Blogs, and you should be good to go. As M.G. Siegler points out at TechCrunch, it would be really nice to give your blog away for free, but that doesn't seem feasible for Amazon. Right now, they decide what to charge your readers, and it's generally around $1.99/month.

Amazon opens Kindle publishing to all bloggers originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 15 May 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonblogskindlepublishingsubscriptionFri, 15 May 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter responds to @reply uproar, announces changes]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/13/twitter-responds-to-reply-uproar-announces-changes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/13/twitter-responds-to-reply-uproar-announces-changes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/13/twitter-responds-to-reply-uproar-announces-changes/#commentsFiled under: , ,


After about a day with "#fixreplies" as a trending topic, Twitter has responded to the very vocal crowd of users who disliked their new @reply settings. Things aren't exactly getting changed back, but there will be a temporary fix, and then an improved version of the old @reply options on the way.

Here's what Twitter had to say about it:

First, we're making a change such that any updates beginning with @username (that are not explicitly created by clicking on the reply icon) will be seen by everyone following that account. This will bring back some serendipity and discovery and we can do this very soon.

Second, we've started designing a new feature which will give folks far more control over what they see from the accounts they follow. This will be a per-user setting and it will take a bit longer to put together but not too long and we're already working on it.

So, call off the dogs and wait to see what the new settings look like. Perhaps Twitter users will end up with something better than what they had in the first place.

Twitter responds to @reply uproar, announces changes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 13 May 2009 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>controversyfixedrepliestwitterWed, 13 May 2009 16:45:00 EST<![CDATA[Amazon's Kindle DX now available for pre-order]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/06/amazons-kindle-dx-now-available-for-pre-order/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/06/amazons-kindle-dx-now-available-for-pre-order/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/05/06/amazons-kindle-dx-now-available-for-pre-order/#commentsFiled under: ,


That was fast! As soon as rumors started about a new, larger Kindle due from Amazon this week, the device appeared for pre-order on Amazon's front page. The Kindle DX has a 9.7" display that makes it suitable for reading PDFs and websites in their original layouts. As we predicted, Amazon is also pushing the DX as the ideal reader for newspapers and magazines.

The DX's screen orientation changes automatically, allowing you to turn it to widescreen for website viewing. At $489, it's quite a bit pricier than the regular Kindle, but its storage space is also more than twice that of the smaller device. No announcement on the textbook angle we were hearing about, but we'll wait and see what happens. We'll also wait and see what the DX does for newspaper readership. Can it boost the newspaper business in a way that the original Kindle couldn't, just by having a screen that might be big enough to do justice to newspaper layouts? Time will tell.

Amazon's Kindle DX now available for pre-order originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 May 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazonbookse-readerkindle-dxnewspapersWed, 06 May 2009 21:00:00 EST