Download Squad

Download Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gifDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comen-usCopyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Microsoft softens Windows XP restrictionshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/03/microsoft-softens-windows-xp-restrictions/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/03/microsoft-softens-windows-xp-restrictions/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/03/microsoft-softens-windows-xp-restrictions/#commentsFiled under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Eee PC XP

Microsoft may have ceased offering Windows XP to retail customers, but that doesn't mean you can't get your hands on the venerable operating system. The company is allowing PC makers to offer customers a "downgrade" option if they purchase a new computer with Windows Vista Business or Ultimate. And Microsoft has been trying to fend off the Linux threat (more of a mosquito than an alien invasion) posed by ultra-low-cost laptops like the Asus Eee PC by allowing some cheap laptop makers to use XP.

Originally, Microsoft was only letting PC makers get away with that low-cost option if a PC met strict requirements. For example, it had to use 1GB of RAM or less, have a 10.2 inch or smaller display, and less than 80GB of storage capacity. Now IDG news is reporting that Microosft is easing off on some of those requirements.

Here's the new definition of an ULPC (Ultra Low Cost PC):

Display: 14.1 inch or smaller
Hard drive: 160GB or less
CPU: Single Core, and no more than 1GHz (with exceptions for low-power processors like the 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU used by the Eee PC 901, Acer Aspire One, and MSI Wind)
RAM: 1GB

Will this move be enough to help Microsoft maintain its market share? We're going to tentatively say yes, because honestly, we're not convinced that Linux-based laptops were going to make much of a dent anyway. Especially ULPC Linux based laptops, which are so cheap that many users are picking them up as second and third computers, not primary machines.

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]]>eee-pculpcwindows-xpBrad Linder2008-07-03T11:30:00+00:00Sloth loves Chunk, and we love Sloth for Machttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/02/sloth-loves-chunk-and-we-love-sloth-for-mac/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/02/sloth-loves-chunk-and-we-love-sloth-for-mac/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/02/sloth-loves-chunk-and-we-love-sloth-for-mac/#commentsFiled under: Utilities, Macintosh, Productivity, Apple, Microsoft

Sloth

One of the only features some of us here like about Windows is that you can alt-ctrl-del and look at the open tasks and programs running at any given time.

It's nice to know what's sucking up all of your memory (pr0n) and what's bogging down your processor (DVD burning).

Sloth for Mac OS X shows us exactly what's running, Windows style.

You can see which application is running which process, reveal the directory it's running out of, and kill it off if you want. If you're super geeky and/or bored you can even look at the IP and Unix sockets to see what application is connecting to the interwebs at any given time.

This is a really handy dandy tool, and the source is available too for monkeying...er, slothing around.

One of the better parts about Sloth is that it's a Cocoa app, and runs nice and slick on your Mac.

[via chris pirillo]

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]]>ipmacosxprogramsslothunixwindowsDrew Olanoff2008-07-02T13:30:00+00:00Windows XP goes bye byehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/01/windows-xp-goes-bye-bye/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/01/windows-xp-goes-bye-bye/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/01/windows-xp-goes-bye-bye/#commentsFiled under: Windows, Microsoft

July 1 will go down in history as the day that major PC manufactures can no longer sell Windows XP preinstalled. This news hasn't gone unnoticed; InfoWorld created a petition to save the aging OS.

The question is why?

Truth of the matter is that there are millions of reasons why one would want to stay with XP just like there are good reasons to upgrade to Vista. Each of them have their merits and it would be pointless to try to disprove any one of them.

But what's going to happen when its time to get another computer and the only option is Vista? Is the lack of an XP option enough to sway you to Ubuntu or OS X? According to Microsoft sales of Vista have reached 140 million copies world wide so it doesn't appear that most computer buyers mind upgrading to Vista.

But for those die hard XP users out there what are you going to do? The Grim Reaper has come for your OS.

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]]>vistawindows xpWindowsXpJoey Celis2008-07-01T18:30:00+00:00The power of PowerPoint in a flash moviehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/01/the-power-of-powerpoint-in-a-flash-movie/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/01/the-power-of-powerpoint-in-a-flash-movie/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/01/the-power-of-powerpoint-in-a-flash-movie/#commentsFiled under: Business, Windows, Productivity, Microsoft, Commercial, Freeware

Ever created a PowerPoint that everyone in your organization wanted a copy of? Sure you could go ahead and clog up your corporate email server with the 200MB + file or you could just convert your PowerPoint to a smaller flash file with iSpring and publish it to an internal or external website (slideboom account required) for others to view.

Converting your PowerPoint presentation to a flash movie couldn't be any easier as the iSpring installation puts the conversion buttons right in your PowerPoint menu bar. In addition to the one click conversion iSpring also allows for some customization such as generating HTML codes, looped and automatic playback, slide advance via mouse click as well as changing the duration of the slide.

iSpring comes in 3 flavors ranging from the free version which we tested on up to the Ultra version which allows the creation of E-learning content to additional playback controls. In our testing we found the free version more than adequate for most PowerPoint presentations.

So before you send that PowerPoint thru your company email, try converting it with iSpring instead.

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]]>flashpowerpointJoey Celis2008-07-01T11:00:00+00:00Windows Steady State Bulletproofs Your Systemhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/30/windows-steady-state-bulletproofs-your-system/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/30/windows-steady-state-bulletproofs-your-system/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/30/windows-steady-state-bulletproofs-your-system/#commentsFiled under: Security, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware

Windows StreadyState

So you're thinking, "Hey, I want to be totally irresponsible with my computer and load it up with crapware!" Really, isn't everyone getting tired of having to be so stinking responsible on the Internet all the time? We certainly are. We're ready for system protection that isn't afraid of our reckless browsing, indiscriminate downloading, and general apathy towards good computer usage habits.

...Which is why we love Windows Steady State. It creates a cache file in which your operating system operates, meaning any harmful changes can be undone by simply emptying the cache. After downloading it's a snap to install - just a few obligatory clicks and the usual EULA mumbo-jubmo and you're set.

Our first test was pretty a pretty low-intensity workout. We surfed, bookmarked, set up a POP account and downloaded a few messages, and cluttered up the desktop with a dozen or so hilariously named folders. After issuing the old Windows - U - R we waited anxiously for the system to reboot.

There it was, just as it had been before - no trace of any of our activity. The desktop was still tidy, no favorites or emails were anywhere to be seen. So far so good, but let's try some real abuse!

Continue reading Windows Steady State Bulletproofs Your System

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]]>freewareprivacysecuritysoftwarevirtualizationvistawindowswinxpxpLee Mathews2008-06-30T11:00:00+00:00Firefox 3 download day made possible by Windowshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/28/firefox-3-download-day-made-possible-by-windows/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/28/firefox-3-download-day-made-possible-by-windows/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/28/firefox-3-download-day-made-possible-by-windows/#commentsFiled under: Internet, Apple, Microsoft, Mozilla, Browsers

On June 17, 2008 Mozilla attempted to set a Guinness World Record for the most downloads in a 24 hour period. According to Mozilla over 8 million downloads were recorded. Currently they are awaiting word from Guinness if they were successful.

But there was one thing we wanted to know about this number. Out of the 3 major operating systems in use today which one blazed away with the most downloads. So we decided to ask and a Mozilla spokesperson gave us the following numbers:

Windows 79%
Linux 13%
OS X 8%

Now the number 1 spot didn't surprise us at all since Windows leads in overall computer operating systems it's almost a given that most of the downloads would come from Windows. But what was a bit surprising was that Linux bested OS X in the numbers of downloads.

One could say that Ubuntu, which is a very popular Linux distro comes packaged with Firefox so it's only natural that more downloads would come from Linux users. But according to w3counter, OS X accounts for 4.95% of the operating systems in use while Linux is barely half of this at 2.01%

So this strikes us as odd. What would cause OS X to slip to 3rd place in the number of downloads? Do these numbers suggested that Apple users only like to use Apple apps? Or did a large group of Mac users not get invited to the download party?

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]]>firefoxlinuxos xOsXubuntuwindowsJoey Celis2008-06-28T09:00:00+00:00Fiji to Microsoft: Stop using our namehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/fiji-to-microsoft-stop-using-our-name/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/fiji-to-microsoft-stop-using-our-name/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/fiji-to-microsoft-stop-using-our-name/#commentsFiled under: OS Updates, Microsoft

Fiji Water

Like most tech companies, Microsoft tends to come up with code names for upcoming software releases. Windows Vista was called "Longhorn" before it was released. And for a while, we've been hearing that Microsoft is working on an updated version of the operating system called "Fiji."

Fiji won't be Windows 7, but rather an updated version of Windows Vista that could contain additional features such as an updated version of Windows Media Center.

There's pretty much zero chance that Microsoft will ever release a product called Fiji. This is just a codename used by the developers. But apparently Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, attorney general of the nation of Fiji says he's not particularly pleased with Microsoft's use of the name. Of course, it seems that Sayed-Khaiyum may be under the mistaken impression that Microsoft will release a commercial product called Fiji, since the attorney general says the country's name should not be used for "commercial gain."

[via Ian Dixon's Blog]

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]]>codenamesfijimicrosoftwindowsBrad Linder2008-06-26T17:00:00+00:00Microsoft buys MobiComp, Portuguese mobile sync firmhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-buys-mobicomp-portuguese-mobile-sync-firm/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-buys-mobicomp-portuguese-mobile-sync-firm/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/microsoft-buys-mobicomp-portuguese-mobile-sync-firm/#commentsFiled under: Windows Mobile, Microsoft

MobiComp

Microsoft has announced plans to buy MobiComp, a Portuguese software company that develops applications for storing cellphone data online.

MobiComp's products allow you to perform over the air backups of your contacts, calendar, and other mobile data. The company's MobileKeeper Sharing & Communities software also lets you share and download content from social networks including Flickr and Hi5.

The acquisition is described as Microsoft's largest investment in Portugal. Nobody's saying exactly what Microsoft is planning to do with MobiComp's technology, but we'd say it's a safe bet that you could eventually see some sort of data backup/synchronization software for Windows Mobile devices, perhaps as part of the Windows Live suite of web-based services.

[via Electronista]

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]]>backupcellphonemobicompmobilesynchronizationBrad Linder2008-06-26T14:00:00+00:00Intel to Vista: "I'm just not that into you."http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/intel-to-vista-im-just-not-that-into-you/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/intel-to-vista-im-just-not-that-into-you/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/26/intel-to-vista-im-just-not-that-into-you/#commentsFiled under: Business, News, Windows, Microsoft

Windows 7 cannot come fast enough! The New York Times is reporting that Intel has decided against upgrading its 80,000 employees to Windows Vista. An Intel spokesperson told the Times that Vista is being tested and deployed in certain departments, but not company-wide.

Although the enterprise push to upgrade to Vista has fallen short of expectations, this is a particularly brutal blow. Intel is one of Microsoft's oldest and most important partners; both companies became industry leaders in large part because of that partnership.

Although the Times' Intel source made efforts to say that the decision wasn't about "dissing Microsoft," we doubt that will make Steve Ballmer feel any better. Can you imagine what that conversation is going to sound like?

Despite the lack of widespread corporate adoption, the install base for Windows Vista is 140 million worldwide -- hardly peanuts. Still, with large corporations declining to upgrade their systems, Microsoft has had to extend support for Windows XP through 2014.

Thanks Mike!

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]]>intelmicrosoftvistawindows vistaWindowsVistaChristina Warren2008-06-26T11:30:00+00:00Bill Gates in 2003: WIndows usability going backwardshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/bill-gates-in-2003-windows-usability-going-backwards/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/bill-gates-in-2003-windows-usability-going-backwards/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/bill-gates-in-2003-windows-usability-going-backwards/#commentsFiled under: OS Updates, E-mail, Microsoft

Bill Gates letter from 2003

Have you ever had one of those days when you can't seem to get your computer to do anything you want it to? Say you want to download Windows Movie Maker, so you go to the Microsoft web site, check out the download page, and simply can't find it anywhere. When you do finally find it after performing a search, the page times out before you can download it. And once you've finally managed to get it on your PC, the installation process is excruciating.

It turns out you're not the only person who has trouble getting Windows to do what you want it to. The above scenerio is described in great detail in an email Bill Gates sent in 2003. This letter was released to the public along with a huge pile of other communications as part of the antitrust litigation Microsoft's been involved in for the past few years. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has posted the text of the entire email, but here are a few of our favorite parts:

Gates seems infuriated that it takes so long for Microsoft web pages to load
He had no idea why he would have to use Windows Update to install additional software before he could install Windows Movie Maker
His computer was unuseable for 6 minutes while applying updates
He asked why he should have to reboot his machine, which he reboots every night

Upon installing Movie Maker, Gates checks the add/remove programs dialog to see if it shows up, and instead he finds a list of programs with obscure names like Windows XP Hotfix Q329048. hHe writes "Someone decided to trash the one part of Windows that was usable?" he asked. "The file system is no longer usable, the registry is not usable. This program listing was one sane place, but now it is all crapped up."

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]]>bill-gatesmicrosoftwindowsBrad Linder2008-06-25T17:00:00+00:00Microsoft to support Windows XP through at least 2014http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/microsoft-to-support-windows-xp-through-at-least-2014/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/microsoft-to-support-windows-xp-through-at-least-2014/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/microsoft-to-support-windows-xp-through-at-least-2014/#commentsFiled under: OS Updates, Microsoft

Windows XP SP3

Microsoft may finally be phasing out Windows XP sales, but the company is telling customers that it will offer support for the operating system through 2014.

June 30th is the last day you'll be able to pick up a retail copy of Windows XP. But you will still be able to purchase a computer running Windows Vista Business or Ultimate editions and ask the computer maker to downgrade the system to XP for you. Some PC makers may offer this option for free while others will charge a fee.

Microsoft is also making an exception to the no-sales-beyond-June 30th rule for some low-cost, low-power devices like the Asus Eee PC. So it makes sense for the company to offer a few more years of support. Add to this the fact that Windows Vista adoption has been slow in some sectors, and it honestly seems like Microsoft didn't have much choice but to offer extended support for an operating system that was first released in 2001.

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]]>microsoftsupportwindows-xpBrad Linder2008-06-25T11:30:00+00:00Temporarily turn off Windows Update restart nags using Leave Me Alone!http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/temporarily-turn-off-windows-update-restart-nags-using-leave-me/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/temporarily-turn-off-windows-update-restart-nags-using-leave-me/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/25/temporarily-turn-off-windows-update-restart-nags-using-leave-me/#commentsFiled under: Utilities, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware

Since you want your computer to be as secure as it can possibly be, you have Windows set to automatically install updates as soon as they're available, right? Well, if you do, you will have noticed that Windows can be pretty pushy about wanting to restart. In fact, it will pop up a reminder every 10 minutes until you finally give in, or worse, accidentally press the space bar when the update dialog pops up and initiate a restart at the exact wrong time.

To avoid this annoying situation, check out Brad Isaac's free utility called Leave Me Alone! Leave Me Alone! allows you to temporarily turn off the restart nag window until you actually do restart. This allows you to finish what you were doing and choose when to restart, rather than being bullied into restarting at the least convenient time.

Leave Me Alone! works on both Windows XP and Windows Vista.

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]]>nagrestartwindows-updatewindows-vistawindows-xpJason Clarke2008-06-25T11:00:00+00:00Tiny XP Rev 09: Windows XP with cuise controlhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/tiny-xp-rev-09-windows-xp-with-cuise-control/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/tiny-xp-rev-09-windows-xp-with-cuise-control/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/tiny-xp-rev-09-windows-xp-with-cuise-control/#commentsFiled under: OS Updates, Windows, Linux, Microsoft, Freeware

Installing or reinstalling Windows can be a real hassle. Although Windows XP comes with a basic set of drivers, there's a good chance you'll have to dig out the driver disc for some of your hardware, or scour the Internet for the appropriate files. And many power users apply hundreds of tweaks to Windows for increased performance and stability. Indeed, a simple reinstall can become a full fledged weekend project.

With Tiny XP, cumbersome installs are a thing of the past. This powerful custom install disk contains hundreds of the drivers, both new and obscure, meaning no more hunting. The supercharged version of the Windows installer properly configured devices on our test machine, a Latitude 640, that even Dell didn't mention, such as an infrared port. In addition, Tiny XP installs thousands of registry hacks, that improve the system so much you'll never want to go back to the standard version. As if that's not enough, it even includes a bunch of cool options at boot time for trouble shooting, and even a fully functional copy of the Damn Small Linux live CD!

Downloading TinyXP is very illegal since it's basically pirated version of Windows. The argument between fair use and IP law isn't going to end any time soon, so use at your own risk. Don't worry though, although it might not be as easy, there are legal ways to get similar results.

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]]>Custom XPCustomXpDamn Small LinuxDamnSmallLinuxDSLRegistry HacksRegistryHacksSlipstreamIan Dumych2008-06-24T15:30:00+00:00Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express makes website management easyhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/microsoft-visual-web-developer-express-makes-website-management/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/microsoft-visual-web-developer-express-makes-website-management/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/24/microsoft-visual-web-developer-express-makes-website-management/#commentsFiled under: Developer, Internet, Windows, Microsoft, Freeware

Visual Web Developer

Our friends over at Microsoft have a knack for hiding really cool stuff right under our noses, and they certainly didn't deviate from this policy with their Visual Studio Express Edition line of products. Included with the programming and database tools that would make the layman cringe is an interesting gem called Visual Web Developer Express Edition.

While the other Express Edition products focus on programming and application development, Visual Web Developer provides a hybrid set of tools; its versatile HTML and CSS editing tools are paired with the power of ASP.NET to allow users to quickly build web applications. However, what a lot of people don't know about Visual Web Developer is that the ASP.NET development tools can be ignored, turning it into a very impressive website editor.

Visual Web Developer includes Visual Studio's powerful WYSIWYG page editor and CSS style builder functions. Also provided is Microsoft's developer sanity-preserving IntelliSense technology, which makes editing HTML and CSS a breeze by providing immediate access to things like common markup and style attributes and values. However, one of our favorite features of Visual Web Developer is that you can point it to an FTP server, and edit your website right on your web server without worrying about uploading changes or using a separate FTP client. In fact, Visual Web Developer can, for the most part, replace your external FTP client, because the Solution Explorer allows you to upload and manipulate files right in your editing environment.

All of the Visual Studio Express Editions are free of charge; they don't do quite as much as Visual Studio, but they are worth looking at if you're interested in getting started with software or web development.

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]]>Adam Maras2008-06-24T12:00:00+00:00It's no Download Day, but IE7 is trying to reduce carbon via downloadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/23/its-no-download-day-but-ie7-is-trying-to-reduce-carbon-via-dow/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/23/its-no-download-day-but-ie7-is-trying-to-reduce-carbon-via-dow/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/23/its-no-download-day-but-ie7-is-trying-to-reduce-carbon-via-dow/#commentsFiled under: Windows, Microsoft, Browsers

A brief recap for those just emerging from their caves: Firefox 3 announced the goal of setting the one-day record for downloads of a single piece of software, and on June 17, the browser scored over 8 million downloads. Here's something even the tech-savvy may have missed, though: that OTHER browser, the one with the huge market share, has been running its own download campaign. It's called Carbongrove, and it's an Internet Explorer 7-compatible, Silverlight-based site that pushes reduced carbon usage and up-to-date web standards.

If you want to take the plunge and download IE7 or IE8 beta, you can then head to Carbongrove.com, take a quick quiz, and plant your own virtual tree. It might not be the cool, trendy thing to do (that would be downloading Firefox), but at least Microsoft is making an attempt to spread a little awareness about a cause that matters. This campaign launched two months ago, though, and we're just hearing about it now. Might be that world records and new releases trump carbon footprints and Acid Test results in the cutthroat world of browser downloads.

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]]>CarbongroveIE7IE8beta1Internet Explorer 7InternetExplorer7microsoftSilverlightJay Hathaway2008-06-23T11:00:00+00:00Microsoft reverses decision, won't kill your MSN Music store purchaseshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/19/microsoft-reverses-decision-wont-kill-your-msn-music-store-pur/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/19/microsoft-reverses-decision-wont-kill-your-msn-music-store-pur/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/19/microsoft-reverses-decision-wont-kill-your-msn-music-store-pur/#commentsFiled under: Audio, Internet, Microsoft

RIP MSN Music

Back in 2006, Microsoft decided to kill its MSN Music store. But MSN Music customers didn't have anything to worry about, because the songs they'd already legally purchased would be theirs to play forever. Sort of. In April of this year, Microsoft announced that it would be pulling the plug on its DRM servers for MSN Music. That meant that once you authorized your purchased music you'd be able to play it to your hearts content on your existing computer. But if you want to buy a new computer and transfer your music collection to the new PC, you're out of luck.

Needless to say, this was not a popular decision. And now it looks like Microsoft has reconsidered. Rather than shutting down the DRM servers in August, the company plans to keep them up and running... through at the end of 2011. Microsoft may decide to keep offering the service after 2011, but nobody's making any promises at this point.

We can understand why Microsoft would want to shut down the DRM servers. The company isn't making money by selling music through the MSN Music store anymore. So why waste the money on keeping the servers up and running? But that's the problem with DRM -- it doesn't go away. So if you're going to commit to selling music that comes with a set of heavy restrictions, you'd better be prepared to offer long term support.

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]]>drmmicrosoftmsnmsn-musicmusicBrad Linder2008-06-19T13:00:00+00:00Firefox? Who's that? Opera says 4.7 million have downloaded version 9.5http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/17/firefox-whos-that-opera-says-4-7-million-have-downloaded-ve/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/17/firefox-whos-that-opera-says-4-7-million-have-downloaded-ve/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/17/firefox-whos-that-opera-says-4-7-million-have-downloaded-ve/#commentsFiled under: Web services, Microsoft, Mozilla, Social Software, web 2.0, Browsers

Browser Wars

Are the oldschool browser wars starting up again? It sure seems like it.

Flock has a preview of their version 2 out, Firefox launched version 3 today, and Opera launched version 9.5 on June 12th.

Who's missing from this uber release party? Oh, that would be Microsoft's Internet Explorer...the browser with the #1 market share. After their less than stellar (and way less than standards compliant) version 7, Microsoft better come up with some EPIC for Internet Explorer 8.

Opera as you know is focused on security, speed, and mobile.

The sometimes over the top Opera CEO Jon von Tetzchner stressed that Opera 9.5's most innovative and most important feature is the cross-link between your desktop and mobile devices. A feature that other browsers haven't even bothered to start playing with yet.

Will Opera's mobile first, desktop second strategy work? We shall see.

4.7 million downloads in 5 days is impressive, but can Firefox surpass that in a single day? Not if they can't keep their own site online.

Stay tuned!

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]]>browsersfirefoxflockinternet explorerInternetExplorermicrosoftmozillaoperaDrew Olanoff2008-06-17T15:30:00+00:00Reminder: Windows Vista SP1 RC expires on June 30http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/16/reminder-windows-vista-sp1-rc-expires-on-june-30/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/16/reminder-windows-vista-sp1-rc-expires-on-june-30/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/16/reminder-windows-vista-sp1-rc-expires-on-june-30/#commentsFiled under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

Windows Vista

Now that Windows Vista SP1 has been out for a few months, there's no particularly good reason that you should be running an early release candidate of the service pack. But if you're too lazy to have uninstalled it, you've got about two weeks before Microsoft forces you to do so.

Starting June 30th, any machines running a release candidate of Windows Vista SP1 will only be able to run for about an hour at a time. Basically, you boot your system, it runs normally for an hour, and then the kernel shuts down and you get a message that says END_OF_NT_EVALUATION_PERIOD. At least it's fairly easy to understand.

But wait! Didn't Microsoft push Windows Vista SP1 final out through automatic updates? Well, yes, it did. But you can only install Windows SP1 if you've first rolled back any release candidates of the service pack. So if you haven't done that yet, there's no time like the present.

[via Flexbeta]

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]]>release-candidatesp1vistawindows-vistawindows-vista-sp1Brad Linder2008-06-16T14:00:00+00:00Microsoft release Origami Experience 2http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/14/microsoft-release-origami-experience-2/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/14/microsoft-release-origami-experience-2/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/14/microsoft-release-origami-experience-2/#commentsFiled under: Windows, Microsoft

Origami Experience 2

Microsoft has released the Origami Experience 2.0. In case you missed out on the first version of the Origami Experience, it's basically a suite of software designed to make it easier to navigate on Ultra-Mobile PCs, or tiny tablets like the Samsung Q1.

The new version requires a touch panel display, 100MB of disk space, and 1GB of system memory to work properly. The new version includes a built-in RSS reader, a new picture password utillity, and a new home screen application called Origami Now.

Users can create custom tiles in Origami Now to make it easier to access information like weather, email, and RSS feeds from one central location. There's also a new web browser called Origami Central that's basically a customized version of Internet Explorer 7 designed for touchscreen devices. It supports ActiveX, Flash, and Silverlight. Origami Central's toolbar auto-hides to maximize screen real estate on small UMPCs with 1024 x 600 resolutions.

[via Ian Dixon]

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]]>origamiorigami-centralorigami-experienceorigami-experience-2.0origami-nowBrad Linder2008-06-14T14:00:00+00:00Yahoo! and Microsoft are so over each other, it's not even funnyhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/12/yahoo-and-microsoft-are-so-over-each-other-its-not-even-funny/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/12/yahoo-and-microsoft-are-so-over-each-other-its-not-even-funny/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/12/yahoo-and-microsoft-are-so-over-each-other-its-not-even-funny/#commentsFiled under: Internet, Microsoft, Yahoo!, Search

Talks Concluded

If you thought things were over between Microsoft and Yahoo!, you ain't seen nothing yet. Because now it's really, officially, super duper over. Yahoo! issued a press releases this afternoon making it clear that that not only will Microsoft not be purchasing all of Yahoo!, but Yahoo! won't be selling Microsoft even a part of its business. Not its search engine; not its email service; not even the key to replace the toilet paper and paper towels in the company restrooms (although honestly, we're not sure that was ever on the table).

According to the Yahoo! press release, Yahoo! board members decided that it would not be in the company's best interest to sell its search business. Microsoft, on the other hand, released a statement saying that such a partnership would have provided value for Yahoo! shareholders while ensuring a competitive marketplace.

Oh, and while Microsoft has withdrawn its proposal to buy all of Yahoo!, if Yahoo! decides to change its mind and come crawling back, Microsoft says its offer to buy just the search engine "remains available for discussion." So umm, yeah, maybe it's not really over yet.

[via Techmeme]

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]]>acquisitionmergermicrosoftsearchyahooBrad Linder2008-06-12T17:30:00+00:00