<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><channel><title>Download Squad</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com</link><description>Download Squad</description><image><url>http://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gif</url><title>Download Squad</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com</link></image><language>en-us</language><copyright>Copyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.</copyright><generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title>IBM updates free office suite, launches Lotus Symphony 1</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/15/ibm-updates-free-office-suite-launches-lotus-symphony-1/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/15/ibm-updates-free-office-suite-launches-lotus-symphony-1/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/15/ibm-updates-free-office-suite-launches-lotus-symphony-1/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/windows/" rel="tag">Windows</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/linux/" rel="tag">Linux</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/office/" rel="tag">Office</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/freeware/" rel="tag">Freeware</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa"><img hspace="4" height="302" width="440" vspace="4" border="0" align="top" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2008/06/lotus-symphony-1.jpg"  alt="Lotus Symphony 1" /></a><br /></div>
IBM has put the finishing touches on <a href="http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa">Lotus Symphony</a>, a free Microsoft Office competitor based on OpenOffice.org. The company pushed out version 1.0 of the office suite which has been <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/tag/lotus-symphony/">available as a public beta since last year</a>.<br /> <br /> Unlike OpenOffice.org, Lotus Symphony is not open source software. While IBM is providing it for free, Lotus Symphony is based on OpenOffice.org 1.1.4, which is the last version of OpenOffice.org that had a license allowing developers to modify the code and keep the changes private. <br /> <br /> <a href="http://www.linux.com/feature/137876">According to Linux.com</a>, IBM hopes to target the enterprise market with this software. The goal is to provide Lotus Symphony as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, while charging $25,000 per year for support. Of course, if you know how to use word processors, spreadsheets, and presentation applications, you probably won't need to spend the money. But you also might not find much in Lotus Symphony that isn't already available in its open source cousin, OpenOffice.org.<br /> <br /> So what's new in Lotus Symphony 1? Here are a few highlights:<br />
<ul>
    <li>Critical crash and freezing issues have been fixed</li>
    <li>Improved performance when creating new documents, spell checking presentations of spreadsheets, redrawing a presentation page, saving PPT files, and performing other actions</li>
    <li>Improved interoperability with Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, and SmartSuite documents</li>
    <li>Added support for 4 more languages, bringing the total to 28</li>
</ul>
Lotus Symphony is available for Windows and Linux. While the only supported Linux platforms are SUSE Enterprise Desktop 10 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, you can install Lotus Symphony on other distributions. You just might run into a few errors here and there.<br /><br /><em>thanks Hessel Olijve!</em><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/15/ibm-updates-free-office-suite-launches-lotus-symphony-1/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/1225921/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/15/ibm-updates-free-office-suite-launches-lotus-symphony-1/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>lotus-symphony</category><category>lotus-symphony-1</category><category>office</category><category>openoffice.org</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2008-06-15T16:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM releases updated beta of Lotus Symphony office suite</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/14/ibm-releases-updated-beta-of-lotus-symphony-office-suite/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/14/ibm-releases-updated-beta-of-lotus-symphony-office-suite/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/14/ibm-releases-updated-beta-of-lotus-symphony-office-suite/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/office/" rel="tag">Office</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/openoffice-org/" rel="tag">OpenOffice.org</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/beta/" rel="tag">Beta</a></p><div align="center"><a href="https://www14.software.ibm.com/iwm/web/swerplotus/LotusSymphonyPick.html"><img width="400" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="300" border="0" align="top" alt="Lotus Symphony beta 2" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/11/lotus-symphony-beta-2.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Remember Lotus Symphony? A few months ago IBM launched its open source MS Office competitor based on OpenOffice.org code. We downloaded it, installed it, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/">weren't particularly impressed</a>, unloaded it and forgot about it.<br /><br />Now IBM is back with a second beta release of Lotus Symphony. The application still runs pretty slow on our Windows Vista test system. There are versions available for Windows XP, Vista, and Linux. A Mac release is scheduled for next year.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9046639&amp;source=rss_news10">Computer World reports</a> that IBM plans to release updates every 6 to 8 weeks. The next version will include support for 23 languages. Right now, Lotus Symphony is only available in English.<br /><br />As for major changes in Lotus Symphony Beta 2, we didn't notice much in the way of new features. So we're guessing most of the tweaks are under the hood bug fixes. <br /><br />[via <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9046639&amp;source=rss_news10">Computer World</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=https://www14.software.ibm.com/iwm/web/swerplotus/LotusSymphonyPick.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/14/ibm-releases-updated-beta-of-lotus-symphony-office-suite/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/1039301/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/11/14/ibm-releases-updated-beta-of-lotus-symphony-office-suite/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>ibm</category><category>lotus</category><category>lotus-symphony</category><category>openoffice.org</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-11-14T11:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Download IBM Lotus Symphony without registering</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registering/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registering/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registering/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/windows/" rel="tag">Windows</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/linux/" rel="tag">Linux</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/office/" rel="tag">Office</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/open-source/" rel="tag">Open Source</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa"><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" align="top" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/09/lotus-symphony.jpg" alt="IBM Lotus Symphony" /></a><br /></div>
One of the main complaints we're<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/"> hearing from readers</a> about IBM's new office suite is that you have to register in order to download it. IBM released Lotus Symphony yesterday. The suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet application and PowerPoint clone. It's built on OpenOffice.org, but it has a look and feel all its own. And it's free, but you have to give away a lot of personal information in order to download Lotus Symphony from IBM's site.<br /><br />Fortunately, it turns out that there are a few ways to download the program <a href="http://cybernetnews.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registration/#more-7360">without first signing up</a>. No, we're not talking about downloading it from a gray market BitTorrent tracker, although we're pretty sure that's another possibility. <br />
<ul>
    <li>Download the installer <a href="http://www.softpedia.com/get/Office-tools/Office-suites/IBM-Lotus-Symphony.shtml">from Softpedia</a>.</li>
    <li>Try the <a href="http://www6.software.ibm.com/sdfdl/v2/regs2/Normandy/Xa.2/Xb.egtQjMubyVWYyGVykcNlgUQ8Hwz7n8tVYneQwAE/Xc.IBM_Lotus_Symphony_w32.exe/Xd./Xf.Ltr./Xg.4065974/Xi.swerplotus-lsymb3/XY.regsrvs/XZ.b95MA1R-1Eog-67zcKDnMzO5TwQ/IBM_Lotus_Symphony_w32.exe">direct download link</a> for the Windows version.</li>
</ul>
If anyone has a good direct download link for the Linux version, let us know in the comments. <br />[via <a href="http://cybernetnews.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registration/#more-7360">Cybernet</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registering/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/993281/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/19/download-ibm-lotus-symphony-without-registering/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>ibm-lotus-symphony</category><category>lotus-symphony</category><category>registration</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-09-19T12:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM takes on Microsoft with free office software</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/office/" rel="tag">Office</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/open-source/" rel="tag">Open Source</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa"><img width="440" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="315" border="0" align="top" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/09/lotus-symphony.jpg" alt="Lotus Symphony" /></a><br /></div>
A week after IBM announced that it would <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/12/ibm-joins-openoffice-org-developer-community/">join the OpenOffice.org developer community</a>, the company has launched its own standalone office application suite. Like OpenOffice.org, <a href="http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa">IBM Lotus Symphony</a> includes a word processor, spreadsheet application, and presentation software. That shouldn't be surprising, as the software was developed using technology from the open source OpenOffice.org.<br /><br />Lotus Symphony, which is currently in beta is available as a free download. This strikes yet another blow to Microsoft Office's dominance on the office space. Not only are Excel, Word, and PowerPoint facing competition from downloadable programs like OpenOffice.org and Lotus Symphony, but there's increasing pressure from online software like Google Docs &amp; Spreadsheets and Zoho.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update: </span>After playing with Lotus Symphony for a few minutes, here's what we can tell you. It loads a bit slower than OpenOffice.org, but has a very attractive user interface. There's a tabbed view that lets you open multiple documents without opening multiple instances of the application, which we like. As with any new application, it takes a few moments to acclimate yourself with the toolbars and menus, but overall Lotus Symphony is powerful and pretty intuitive for anyone who's ever used Microsoft Office or OpenOffice.org.<br /><br />[via <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/18/technology/18blue.html?ex=1347768000&amp;en=964b86595626bd78&amp;ei=5090&amp;partner=rssuserland&amp;emc=rss">The New York Times</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://symphony.lotus.com/software/lotus/symphony/home.jspa>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/992232/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/18/ibm-takes-on-microsoft-with-free-office-software/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>ibm-lotus-symphony</category><category>lotus-symphony</category><category>ms-office</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-09-18T11:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM joins OpenOffice.org developer community</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/12/ibm-joins-openoffice-org-developer-community/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/12/ibm-joins-openoffice-org-developer-community/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/12/ibm-joins-openoffice-org-developer-community/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/office/" rel="tag">Office</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/openoffice-org/" rel="tag">OpenOffice.org</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/open-source/" rel="tag">Open Source</a></p><a href="http://www.openoffice.org/press/ibm_press_release.html"><img width="250" vspace="16" hspace="4" height="162" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/09/openoffice.org-startup.jpg"  alt="OpenOffice.org" /></a>IBM has announced that it is <a href="http://www.openoffice.org/press/ibm_press_release.html">joining the OpenOffice.org community</a>. The company will contribute code already developed for Lotus Notes and will assist development in an ongoing basis. From a user perspective, there's no word on what tangible changes we'll see in OpenOffice.org in the near future. But open source development has never been a case of "too many cooks spoil the broth," so we're going to take this as good news.<br /><br />While OpenOffice.org is open source, the software is based on StarOffice, which was developed by Sun. So IBM is hardly the first major corporation to get involved in developing the Microsoft Office alternative.<br /><br />The partnership is not one way. While OpenOffice.org applications will likely benefit from IBM's expertise, the open document format is gaining wide acceptance as a standard. The more companies that partner with OpenOffice.org, the better support there will be for ODF in other applications.<br /><br />[via <a href="http://stephesblog.blogs.com/my_weblog/2007/09/ibm-joins-openo.html">Once More Unto the Breach</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.openoffice.org/press/ibm_press_release.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/12/ibm-joins-openoffice-org-developer-community/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/987571/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/09/12/ibm-joins-openoffice-org-developer-community/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>development</category><category>openoffice</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-09-12T11:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Latest Google acquisition: ImageAmerica</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/22/latest-google-acquisition-imageamerica/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/22/latest-google-acquisition-imageamerica/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/22/latest-google-acquisition-imageamerica/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/internet/" rel="tag">Internet</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/web-services/" rel="tag">Web services</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><img width="250" vspace="16" hspace="4" height="198" border="0" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/07/google-katrina-imagery.jpg" alt="Google Katrina imagery" />Google has acquired a company that makes high resolution cameras for capturing aerial images. ImageAmerica supplied Google with up to date images of<a href="http://earth.google.com/katrina.html"> New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina</a>.<br /><br />The move will allow Google to update the imagery in <a href="http://maps.google.com">Google Maps</a> and <a href="http://earth.google.com">Google Earth</a>.<br /><br />No word on how much Google paid for this latest acquisition or how long we'll have to wait before we see the new images start to appear. Product Manager Stephen Chau says Google is still in the research and development phase, so it could be a while.<br /><br />In the meantime, voyeurs looking for up close and personal views of city streets will have to bide their time with Google's recently announced and somewhat creepy<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/06/04/cottage-industry-pops-up-around-unusual-google-street-view-sight/"> Street View</a> feature.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2007/07/imaging-america.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/22/latest-google-acquisition-imageamerica/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/946423/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/22/latest-google-acquisition-imageamerica/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>google earth</category><category>google maps</category><category>google street view</category><category>GoogleEarth</category><category>GoogleMaps</category><category>GoogleStreetView</category><category>imageamerica</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-07-22T11:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM's hosted apps land in India</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/16/ibms-hosted-apps-land-in-india/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/16/ibms-hosted-apps-land-in-india/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/16/ibms-hosted-apps-land-in-india/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/productivity/" rel="tag">Productivity</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/04/13/HNibmhospitalhostedapps_1.html"><img width="250" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="176" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/04/indiahospital.jpg" alt="india hospital" /></a>Hospitals are willing to upgrade systems and spend revenue on <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/04/13/HNibmhospitalhostedapps_1.html">software applications</a> and Big Blue is never too shy to come to the rescue. <br /><br />Mid-size hospitals in India are now seeing new IT initiatives as a way to gain a competitive advantage against the larger more well known facilities. It's suggested that there was a $300 million untapped hospital service market available for the taking when IBM jumped in and offered up their hardware, middleware and services. The applications that IBM will provide the hospitals are revenue management applications, hospital enterprise resource planning, learning management, health insurance claims processing and performance management applications. <br /><br />There are only a few hospitals in India that have successfully implemented IT solutions. There are supposedly issues surrounding choice, as well as not much understanding at evaluating different options available. <br /> <br /><br />[via <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/04/13/HNibmhospitalhostedapps_1.html">infoworld</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/04/13/HNibmhospitalhostedapps_1.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/16/ibms-hosted-apps-land-in-india/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/873741/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/16/ibms-hosted-apps-land-in-india/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>applications</category><category>big blue</category><category>BigBlue</category><category>hospital</category><category>hosted</category><category>ibm</category><category>india</category><dc:creator>Chris Gilmer</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-04-16T13:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM working on web browser for the visually impaired</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/03/ibm-working-on-web-browser-for-the-visually-impaired/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/03/ibm-working-on-web-browser-for-the-visually-impaired/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/03/ibm-working-on-web-browser-for-the-visually-impaired/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/internet/" rel="tag">Internet</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/utilities/" rel="tag">Utilities</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6507189.stm?ls"><img width="150" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="112" border="0" align="right" alt="A-Player" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/04/a-player.jpg" /></a>IBM is working on a new <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6507189.stm?ls">web browser designed for blind and visually impaired users</a>. For now, the program bears the obvious codename of "Accessibility Browser," or A-Browser for short.<br /><br />You'd think that all the new multimedia content on the web would make the internet more useful for the blind. But it turns out that programs designed to read web pages usually don't know how to deal with audio and video content embedded on a web page, especially if that multimedia file begins to play as soon as you load the page. In those situations, you might be stuck listening to music at the same time as the computer is trying to read the text on a page to you.<br /><br />The new program makes it easier for users to control multimedia playback with predefined keyboard shortcuts, rather than having to move the mouse to an on-screen play/pause button.<br /><br />[via <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6507189.stm?ls">Engadget</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6507189.stm?ls>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/03/ibm-working-on-web-browser-for-the-visually-impaired/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/866198/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/04/03/ibm-working-on-web-browser-for-the-visually-impaired/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>a-browser</category><category>accesibility browser</category><category>AccesibilityBrowser</category><dc:creator>Brad Linder</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-04-03T15:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>The 10 worst PCs of all time</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/21/the-10-worst-pcs-of-all-time/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/21/the-10-worst-pcs-of-all-time/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/21/the-10-worst-pcs-of-all-time/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/hardware/" rel="tag">Hardware</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/apple/" rel="tag">Apple</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><div align="center"><img width="440" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="220" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/03/busted-computers-440px.jpg"  alt="" /><br /></div>
Software is only as good as the hardware you run it on and, this hardware is the absolute worst. PC World takes a crack at listing the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129857-page,2-c,desktoppcs/article.html">10 worst PCs of all time</a>. Overpriced, underpowered and totally useless as soon as they came out of the box. <br /><br />It speaks volumes to the quality of modern PC hardware that the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129857-page,2-c,desktoppcs/article.html#">most recent pile of junk on the list</a> is from 2003.Other notables include relics like the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129857-page,7-c,desktoppcs/article.html">IBM PS/1</a> (I shudder even to think about this long gone machine) and the<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129857-page,4-c,desktoppcs/article.html"> infamous eMachines tower</a> which started the ultra-cheap PC revolution.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,129857-page,1-c,desktoppcs/article.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/21/the-10-worst-pcs-of-all-time/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/857452/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/21/the-10-worst-pcs-of-all-time/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>broken pc</category><category>BrokenPc</category><category>worst pc</category><category>WorstPc</category><dc:creator>Grant Robertson</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-21T12:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Fortran father John Backus, dead at 82</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/20/fortran-father-john-backus-dead-at-82/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/20/fortran-father-john-backus-dead-at-82/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/20/fortran-father-john-backus-dead-at-82/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/developer/" rel="tag">Developer</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><img width="150" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="280" border="1" align="right" alt="" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/03/150px-backus.jpg" />John Backus made software back when no one called it software. As the project leader of the IBM team which created the venerable <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortran">Fortran</a> language, Backus helped define the "hacker ethic". Leading a small team to do great things quickly, and leverage their own mistakes in order to learn, Backus shattered the paradigm of 1950s corporate IBM and, developed a language that is only now beginning to fade into history. <br /><br />The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/business/20backus.html?hp">NYT examines how Backus defined what may have been the Alpha test version of the dot-com years</a>, "Mr. Backus, colleagues said, managed the research team with a light hand. The hours were long but informal. Snowball fights relieved lengthy days of work in winter. I.B.M. had a system of rigid yearly performance reviews, which Mr. Backus deemed ill-suited for his programmers, so he ignored it."<br /><br />Sounds like a boss you'd love to have. The Times article includes a beautiful quote from Backus which defines one of software development's philosophical keystones elegantly, "You need the willingness to fail all the time," he said. "You have to generate many ideas and then you have to work very hard only to discover that they don't work. And you keep doing that over and over until you find one that does work."<br /><br />[via <a href="http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/03/john_backus_die.html">O'Reilly Radar</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://radar.oreilly.com/archives/2007/03/john_backus_die.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/20/fortran-father-john-backus-dead-at-82/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/856879/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/03/20/fortran-father-john-backus-dead-at-82/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>FORTRAN</category><category>John Backus</category><category>JohnBackus</category><category>obit</category><category>obituary</category><dc:creator>Grant Robertson</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-03-20T15:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM attends CES after 10 years away</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/02/ibm-attends-ces-after-10-years-away/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/02/ibm-attends-ces-after-10-years-away/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/02/ibm-attends-ces-after-10-years-away/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><a href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2078043,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594"><img width="150" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="65" border="0" align="right" alt="ibm at ces" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2007/01/ibm2.jpg" /></a>IBM has been out of the <a href="http://www.cesweb.org/default.asp">Consumer Electronic Show</a> for ten years, and is now about to <a href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2078043,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594">resurface again</a> with an insurgence of new technologies to get their buzz going again. The last show they were at was in 1997, and now they have to prove again that they are heavy hitters in the industry. For the upcoming show, IBM is said to be planning to demonstrate how its technology, components, and top level business partnerships with the likes up Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have been used in many leading edge electronics like gaming systems and mobile devices. IBM has been doing a lot of interesting things lately to get in people's minds that they aren't old school anymore, and that they can hang with the cool kids once again. This includes a $10 million investment in technologies that can help build Second Life style virtual worlds.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2078043,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/02/ibm-attends-ces-after-10-years-away/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/727845/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/02/ibm-attends-ces-after-10-years-away/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>ces</category><category>consumer electronic show</category><category>ConsumerElectronicShow</category><category>ibm</category><category>technology</category><dc:creator>Chris Gilmer</dc:creator><dc:date>2007-01-02T12:20:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM buys wireless software firm Vallent Corp.</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/29/ibm-buys-wireless-software-firm-vallent-corp/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/29/ibm-buys-wireless-software-firm-vallent-corp/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/29/ibm-buys-wireless-software-firm-vallent-corp/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196513759&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News"><img width="150" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="68" border="1" align="right" alt="ibm" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/11/ibm.jpg" /></a>Big Blue has been eyeing a wireless software company called Vallent Corp., and is <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196513759&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News">working to close a deal for early 2007</a>. Vallent, a software company from Washington that develops network monitoring tools for wireless service providers, has developed software that is capable of monitoring traffic, identifying network bottlenecks, and protect against any service interruptions. Vallent's current high profile customer list currently includes Cingular, Nextel, Lucent and Motorola. IBM says that this deal will give the company key technologies that will increase the amount of consumer and corporate data that is transmitted wirelessly. IBM plans to integrate Vallent's software with IBM's Tivoli Netcool line.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196513759&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/29/ibm-buys-wireless-software-firm-vallent-corp/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/709217/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/29/ibm-buys-wireless-software-firm-vallent-corp/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>cingular</category><category>ibm</category><category>lucent</category><category>motorola</category><category>nextel</category><category>software</category><category>vallent</category><category>wireless</category><dc:creator>Chris Gilmer</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-29T08:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>How to run Gmail locally on a Pocket PC</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/06/how-to-run-gmail-locally-on-a-pocket-pc/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/06/how-to-run-gmail-locally-on-a-pocket-pc/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/06/how-to-run-gmail-locally-on-a-pocket-pc/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/internet/" rel="tag">Internet</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/windows-mobile/" rel="tag">Windows Mobile</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/e-mail/" rel="tag">E-mail</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/productivity/" rel="tag">Productivity</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/google/" rel="tag">Google</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/freeware/" rel="tag">Freeware</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/how-tos/" rel="tag">How-Tos</a></p><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="271" border="1" align="right" alt="Gmail Client" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/11/gmailclient.jpg" />Pocket PC users are kind of screwed when it comes to mobility software. Although our devices are far more capable than modern phones, almost all online mobility software caters to the phone using contingent. Consider Gmail Mobile - although it's a nice pared-down interface for mobile phone users, on a Pocket PC it's horrendous to use, particularly if you don't happen to have a Windows Mobile powered phone. Google Reader Mobile is similar - so pared down that Bloglines kicks its ass on a Pocket PC. <br /><br />So I was pretty disappointed when Google released a new downloadable client for mobile phones that makes using Gmail a lot faster and more enjoyable on mobile devices, since Google's definition of mobile devices appears to be "mobile phones". And this got me to thinking, since the new downloadable Gmail Mobile client is written in Java, shouldn't there be some way to run a Java virtual machine on my Pocket PC 2003 Dell Axim X50v? And it turns out, <a href="http://www.ppcsg.com/lofiversion/index.php/t59196.html">there is</a>!<p><a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/06/how-to-run-gmail-locally-on-a-pocket-pc/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>How to run Gmail locally on a Pocket PC</em></a></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.ppcsg.com/lofiversion/index.php/t59196.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/06/how-to-run-gmail-locally-on-a-pocket-pc/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/696657/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/11/06/how-to-run-gmail-locally-on-a-pocket-pc/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>Gmail Client</category><category>Gmail on Pocket PC</category><category>GmailClient</category><category>GmailOnPocketPc</category><category>Google</category><category>Google Client</category><category>GoogleClient</category><category>IBM</category><category>Java</category><category>Pocket PC</category><category>PocketPc</category><dc:creator>Jason Clarke</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-11-06T09:25:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>10 biggest computer flops of all time</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/23/10-biggest-computer-flops-of-all-time/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/23/10-biggest-computer-flops-of-all-time/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/23/10-biggest-computer-flops-of-all-time/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/fun/" rel="tag">Fun</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/hardware/" rel="tag">Hardware</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/apple/" rel="tag">Apple</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a></p><a href="http://www.miguelcarrasco.net/miguelcarrasco/2006/10/10_biggest_comp.html"><img width="250" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="232" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/10/ibm_pcjr.jpg" id="vimage_1" alt="10 Biggest Computer Flops of All Time" /></a>Ah, the flop. The tech industry has had more than its share, and it's never pretty. Miguel Carrasco has collected <a href="http://www.miguelcarrasco.net/miguelcarrasco/2006/10/10_biggest_comp.html">10 of the biggest flops in computing history</a>, a list which includes four OSes and six machines. A lot of the computers on the list are considered ahead of their time and still have big followings, like the Apple Newton and Steve Jobs' NeXT cube. I have a big soft spot for #3 on the list, the IBM PCjr, which was my first computer. It was a hunk of junk, and several years obsolete by the time I got mine, but nevertheless I have fond memories of it. Both Microsoft and Apple make strong showings on the list, Microsoft on the software side with the likes of Microsoft Bob and Apple with the afforementioned Newton and some others you'll no doubt remember.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.calacanis.com/2006/10/22/my-first-computer-the-ibm-pcjr/">Jason Calacanis</a>, whose first computer was also the PCjr]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.miguelcarrasco.net/miguelcarrasco/2006/10/10_biggest_comp.html>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/23/10-biggest-computer-flops-of-all-time/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/689533/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/23/10-biggest-computer-flops-of-all-time/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>apple</category><category>computers</category><category>computing</category><category>flop</category><category>flops</category><category>ibm</category><category>microsoft</category><dc:creator>Jordan Running</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-23T14:18:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>Open-source MSDN-like site launch</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/21/open-source-msdn-like-site-launch/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/21/open-source-msdn-like-site-launch/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/21/open-source-msdn-like-site-launch/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/developer/" rel="tag">Developer</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/linux/" rel="tag">Linux</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/novell/" rel="tag">Novell</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/red-hat/" rel="tag">Red Hat</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/open-source/" rel="tag">Open Source</a></p><a href="http://www.freestandards.org/en/Developers"><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="200" border="1" align="right" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/10/lsbdn2006-10-20_163259.png" id="vimage_1" alt="LSBDN" /></a>The <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9004271&amp;source=rss_topic18">Linux Standards Base (LSB) has just launched</a> their attempt at building an MSDN type developer site for Linux and open-source developers. The site is starting out with a bunch of content from O'Reilly and Pearson Technology Group to get started, but hopes developers will swoop in and take over in the forums and adding new content to the site. Several major companies on the Linux front lines have joined up including IBM, Intel, Red Hat, Novell, just to name a few. The site is produced and directed by The Free Standards Group (FSG) and is now in beta. Any Linux developers out there ever wish you had a version of the MSDN motherlode of programming knowledge (except for Linux and free) to help you out? This may be your ticket.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.freestandards.org/en/Developers>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/21/open-source-msdn-like-site-launch/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/688488/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/21/open-source-msdn-like-site-launch/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>developer</category><category>internet</category><category>linux</category><category>open source</category><category>OpenSource</category><category>web</category><dc:creator>Ryan Carter</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-21T10:25:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>PC makers may demand additional compensation from Sony</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/16/pc-makers-may-demand-additional-compensation-from-sony/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/16/pc-makers-may-demand-additional-compensation-from-sony/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/16/pc-makers-may-demand-additional-compensation-from-sony/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/apple/" rel="tag">Apple</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><a href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2031253,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594"><img width="150" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="146" border="0" align="right" alt="sony battery recall" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/10/toshibalaptop.jpg" /></a>Sony was hit hard with the battery recall mess that has been going on over the past few months. Now its time for the laptop makers to <a href="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2031253,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594">fight back</a>, on a brand note. PC manufacturers believe that their brand images were tarnished due to the mass recall of Sony PC batteries. <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/08/25/apple-recalls-sony-batteries/">Apple</a>, Dell, Hitachi, IBM, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/02/another-sony-battery-recall-this-time-lenovo/">Lenovo</a>, and <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/21/toshiba-recalls-340-000-sony-batteries/">Toshiba</a> have all recalled batteries in fear those consumers machines may overheat and catch fire. Even though Sony has said that they would in fact cover all recall costs, Toshiba is stepping out in front and asking for more to fix their brand image, and loss of potential sales. Other manufacturers have yet to file such claims.<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2031253,00.asp?kc=EWRSS03119TX1K0000594>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/16/pc-makers-may-demand-additional-compensation-from-sony/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/685789/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/16/pc-makers-may-demand-additional-compensation-from-sony/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>apple</category><category>battery recall</category><category>BatteryRecall</category><category>dell</category><category>hitachi</category><category>ibm</category><category>lenovo</category><category>recall</category><category>sony</category><category>toshiba</category><dc:creator>Chris Gilmer</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-16T16:45:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM throws open source an AJAX bone</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/09/ibm-throws-opensource-an-ajax-bone/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/09/ibm-throws-opensource-an-ajax-bone/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/09/ibm-throws-opensource-an-ajax-bone/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/developer/" rel="tag">Developer</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/internet/" rel="tag">Internet</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/utilities/" rel="tag">Utilities</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a></p><p><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193104609&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Software"><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="139" border="0" align="right" alt="IBM AJAX bone" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/10/b2006-10-08_155110.png" /></a>IBM will have a <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193104609&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Software">tool out by the end of the year </a>that will assist business analysts and non-programmers with writing a bit of simple AJAX code to make their websites pop a bit or be a little more interactive. The tool will be available in <a href="http://services.alphaworks.ibm.com/">November as a trial version</a>. They want the tool lower the barrier of entry for using AJAX in your web app, especially if you are not currently a programmer. The tool has so far been dubbed QED, or Quick and Easily Done. From that name, it sounds like someone from the secret Microsoft "department of naming" was hired by IBM to come up with it. The tool will focus on debugging JavaScript errors, since there has never been a great and easy tool to help less-savvy JavaScript with this problem. </p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=193104609&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Software>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/09/ibm-throws-opensource-an-ajax-bone/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/681512/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/10/09/ibm-throws-opensource-an-ajax-bone/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>ajax</category><category>debug</category><category>developer</category><category>IBM</category><category>javascript</category><category>QED</category><category>toolkit</category><dc:creator>Ryan Carter</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-10-09T08:00:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM grabs real-time collaboration market ahead of Microsoft?</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/18/ibm-grabs-real-time-collaboration-market-ahead-of-microsoft/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/18/ibm-grabs-real-time-collaboration-market-ahead-of-microsoft/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/18/ibm-grabs-real-time-collaboration-market-ahead-of-microsoft/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/audio/" rel="tag">Audio</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/internet/" rel="tag">Internet</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/video/" rel="tag">Video</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/web-services/" rel="tag">Web services</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/voip/" rel="tag">VoIP</a></p><a href="http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3631911"><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="134" border="1" align="right" alt="IBM sametime" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/09/i2006-09-17_180944.png" /></a>IBM's application dubbed Sametime is a collaboration tool, which IBM hopes to use to push the limits of real-time collaboration technology, is <a href="http://www-142.ibm.com/software/sw-lotus/products/product3.nsf/wdocs/st75home">out now in version 7.5</a>. Microsoft is IBM largest collaboration competitor right now, whose real-time collaboration project is set to be out next year (SharePoint Server). IBM thinks that because they collaborate with open-source partners, they will innovate faster than Microsoft and beat them to market. For one thing IBM is behind the eight-ball here. Microsoft's collaboration suite is "trouncing" theirs, and the numbers show that Microsoft's product is gaining speed and volume. All Microsoft has to do is add real-time collaboration features to their product, and the 70 million + users will simply upgrade. Why would IBM think Microsoft's success will plummet? IBM's product is out early, but Microsoft's product is now well entrenched in enterprise. My bet is on the clear leader of the pack who pretty much pwns IBM in this market. Good luck IBM, you're going to need it.<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3631911">InformationWeek</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3631911>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/18/ibm-grabs-real-time-collaboration-market-ahead-of-microsoft/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/670538/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/18/ibm-grabs-real-time-collaboration-market-ahead-of-microsoft/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>collaboration</category><category>IBM</category><category>Microsoft</category><category>real-time</category><dc:creator>Ryan Carter</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-09-18T09:30:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>AMD's virtual tradeshow experience</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/16/amds-virtual-tradeshow-experience/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/16/amds-virtual-tradeshow-experience/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/16/amds-virtual-tradeshow-experience/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/internet/" rel="tag">Internet</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/hardware/" rel="tag">Hardware</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/microsoft/" rel="tag">Microsoft</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/novell/" rel="tag">Novell</a></p><div align="center"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192701107&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Software"><img width="400" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="264" border="1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/09/amd2006-09-16_115546.png" id="vimage_1" alt="AMD tradeshow" /></a></div>
AMD has put together one of the most rich and engaging Internet presentations I have ever seen. Built in Flash, this "virtual experience" as they call it is quite impressive. AMD's virtual trade show is a great idea and makes you want to explore. Microsoft, Oracle, Novell, IBM, and others are among the booths at this "event" where you can watch keynotes, presentations, and even a virtual parody of sports center called "datacenter" at the AMD booth. AMD even showcases their processors in a boxing match with Intel's chips, using benchmarked specs. While this whole online experience is obviously a marketing move, AMD does a great job talking about their chips in a way that makes sense and is visually and aesthetically appealing. If you have a few minutes check it out. I learned more about AMD and their chips in a few minutes than I would have browsing their website, and all that without even trying. You can even get a virtual badge for yourself while you're there.<p><a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/16/amds-virtual-tradeshow-experience/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>AMD's virtual tradeshow experience</em></a></p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=192701107&amp;cid=RSSfeed_IWK_Software>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/16/amds-virtual-tradeshow-experience/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/670109/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/16/amds-virtual-tradeshow-experience/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>AMD</category><category>experience</category><category>online</category><category>opteron</category><category>processors</category><category>tradeshow</category><category>virtual</category><category>x86</category><dc:creator>Ryan Carter</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-09-16T15:15:00+00:00</dc:date></item><item><title>IBM is using peering technology</title><link>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/09/ibm-is-using-peering-technology/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/09/ibm-is-using-peering-technology/</guid><comments>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/09/ibm-is-using-peering-technology/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/business/" rel="tag">Business</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/os-updates/" rel="tag">OS Updates</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/news/" rel="tag">News</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/ibm/" rel="tag">IBM</a>, <a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/category/p2p/" rel="tag">P2P</a></p><a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9003077&amp;source=rss_topic18"><img width="200" vspace="4" hspace="4" height="200" border="1" align="right" alt="IBM" id="vimage_1" src="http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2006/09/i2006-09-09_162528.png" /></a>How's that? <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9003077&amp;source=rss_topic18">IBM uses that evil, illegal software</a> (peering) everyone is getting sued over? Peering technology isn't exactly the same thing as p2p software, but it's the same idea. Apparently in this case it is being used for a legitimate business purpose? I wonder if IBM asked the RIAA's permission, probably not. The RIAA is shoving this doctrine that p2p is inherently evil in all ways, shapes, and forms. This is simply not true. I am a big fan of p2p technology, and I think there is a lot of great things that can be done with it, obviously not sharing copyrighted files, but instead using it in business, education, and social contexts. I can't tell you the number of times it would have been useful at my former job. So many times there are gigs of data that need to move from one place to another over the network. What I wouldn't give to have an enterprise bit-torrent client installed on those PCs to transfer all that internally. Many times these options are not available to IT departments because of the security and open-source concerns associated with the technology. People need to be educated that p2p and copyright infringement are NOT the same thing. The RIAA has done a good job of scaring people, but it isn't true. P2p and infringement can be intertwined in the same application, as with many illegal p2p networks, but infringement is the choice of the user, not the fault of the technology used. IBM is using peering (to distribute their software updates), why can't we?<br /><br />[Via <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9003077&amp;source=rss_topic18">ComputerWorld</a>]<h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href=http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&amp;articleId=9003077&amp;source=rss_topic18>Read</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/09/ibm-is-using-peering-technology/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/forward/666385/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.downloadsquad.com/2006/09/09/ibm-is-using-peering-technology/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a><br />]]></description><category>ibm</category><category>p2p</category><category>peering</category><dc:creator>Ryan Carter</dc:creator><dc:date>2006-09-09T19:06:00+00:00</dc:date></item></channel></rss>