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Windows 7 has been out in the wild for quite sometime now.
Many people have had a taste of what it has to offer. Windows 7 brings with it a number of improvements in key areas.
Here are some of the Windows 7 new features that stand out in the latest version of the popular operating system.
There are lots of tweaks to the Taskbar. The taskbar buttons are icon only by default, they group by default. You can pin applications to the taskbar, user Ctrl + <number> to invoke pinned applications. Applications now support jumplists, which help you launch a particular file or url from the button directly. The taskbar buttons show a progress indicator if the application is displaying a progress bar and many more.
Libraries are like virtual folders. A library can draw its content from multiple folders. For example, if you have your Music stored under more than one folder across various drives, you can see them consolidated into a single virtual folder or library. Libraries can help you manage clutter and organize files the way you like while still being able to view them inside a single location. Details here.
Windows 7 offers something known as the Windows XP mode. What Windows XP mode is that it allows you to run a fully functional copy of Windows XP from within Windows 7. It is essentially the same as running Windows XP virtual machine inside a virtualization software like VirtualBox. You need to download additional files and make sure your computer can support Windows XP mode. Details here.
Desktop and Theming got a major overhaul with Windows Vista. Windows 7 manages to add new features to those changes. Themes are now easier to create and share. Right click on the desktop and click Personalize and you can access every aspect of the themes from the resulting window. Windows can now natively rotate the wallpaper choosing one from the collection you specify. There are also a number of themes available online as well.
Aero Snap and Aero Peek help you work with multiple open windows easily. Aero Snap can snap windows to the sides or the top, making them cover the entire screen or exactly half the screen. Just hold the title bar of a window and drag it to one of the edges of the screen. Aero Peek on the other hand lets you peek through all the open windows so that you can see you desktop easily. Aero Peek can be activated using Win + Space key or by hovering the mouse pointer over the bottom right corner of the taskbar.
Apart from inclusion of new codecs to support even more filetypes, Windows Media Player can now be used to stream media files. The streaming can take place within your network or over the Internet as you please. You can stream to other computers as well as devices that are compatible with Windows 7. Details here.
Its not a stretch to own more than one computer these days. If you have more than one computer at your home you would most likely want to put them on a network so that you can share Internet Connection, share music, videos and pictures. Windows 7 now creates a HomeGroup that all other Windows 7 machines can be a part of and the network is up and running in a snap. You also get a password to control access to your home network.
There are a host of other features and under the hood improvements that you may not notice in day to day use. It supports more hardware, boots faster, runs snappier. The games, media center and accessories like Paint and Calculator have been updated as well. Overall it wouldn’t be wrong to consider it the best Operating System from folks over at Redmond. There is nothing stopping you to hold on to the previous version of Windows and bypass Windows 7 altogether as was the case with Windows Vista.
What are your favorite Windows 7 new features?
em>Got Tech Questions? Ask Them on MakeUseOf Answers!
When I first tried my luck at the one-of-a-kind puzzle game ‘Nintaii‘, I have to admit, I was hooked. The idea of the game is simple. Flip and tip your block through each level, with the goal of depositing your block in the hole at the end. Sounds simple right? Think again. There are all kinds of obstacles and switches to look out for, and the actual shape of each level is a huge hinderance; trying to find how to best navigate your block through tight spaces can be a real pain!
At any rate, cutting to the chase here, Concrete Software announced Nintaii 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch over the weekend. 100 brand new levels are included for your frustration. While the new levels are sure to confuse and puzzle, perhaps the biggest feature upgrade in Nintaii 2 is the addition of OpenFeint community. Players can create free OpenFeint accounts to share info, tips, hints and view leaderboards… You can also earn achievements, and compete against your friends. It’s an awesome way to connect with other Nintaii players all over the globe.
Nintaii 2 is available now for $0.99. A free demo version is also available, if you’d prefer to give it a try before you buy. iTunes links are below!
Nintaii 2 ($0.99) [iTunes link]
Nintaii 2 ‘Lite’ (FREE) [iTunes link]
Note: Nintaii 2 for BlackBerry should be available in a few weeks.
Concrete Software Announces the Release of Nintaii 2 for iPhone and iPod Touch
March 4, 2010 – Concrete Software, Inc.®, a leader in innovative mobile content, announced today the release of Nintaii 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch to be sold in the App Store. Nintaii 2, the follow-up to the hit game Nintaii, is a strategic puzzle game that includes 100 brand new levels with new features and obstacles for enjoyable and challenging game play.
The success and rave reviews for the original game Nintaii, are sure to make Nintaii 2 a hit game as well. The Japanese term “nintaii” means “patience, perseverance, or endurance.” Both games encourage players to use all three to complete the ever increasing difficulty and complexity of the 100 levels. Nintaii 2 keeps the unique concept of rolling a block through a maze of tiles and dropping it into the end destination to complete a level- but new twists were added including ghost tiles, glass tiles, and springs.
Another new addition to Nintaii 2 is OpenFeint, the social media component of gaming. Nintaii players can join the OpenFeint community to share information, tips, and hints with each other, give feedback to the developers, and view multiple leader boards. Players can earn points by completing achievements and winning challenges. This adds an element of competition, as friends can challenge one another, while still building a community for Nintaii players to interact.
Nintaii 2 invites a new experience for game players and raises the bar for expectations of a puzzle game. It is currently available for the iPhone and iPod Touch via the App Store along with a free demo version. For more information or to contact the developers please e-mail feedback@concretesoftware.com.
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TrailRunner, the route-planning software application developed by Berbie, is now at version 3.0 build 509. The new release delivers mostly fixes, but several new features and enhancements can also be spotted in the changelog. TrailRunner is updated on a weekly basis, and can display maps and elevation data from web-based mapping services ... (read more)
An iPhone app can’t help with how much sleep people get, but it can help wake them up.
One such app that is attracting attention is Sleep Cycle, an alarm clock that monitors sleep and wakes a person up during the lightest sleep phase.
Maciek Drejak, the Sweden-based founder of LexWare Labs AB, came up with the idea for the 99 cent app after downloading a seismographic app that used the accelerometer in the iPhone to measure movement. He realized how sensitive the iPhone was when it detected his footsteps as he passed the table that it was on.
“I had the idea a long time ago,” says Drejak, saying that he saw an opportunity because alarm clocks with a similar function cost hundreds of dollars, making them too expensive for most people.
The 31-year-old programmer said he spent six months developing the app, which detects different sleep movements by placing the iPhone face down on the mattress. He knew he had something when his own sleep data showed that he moved about every 90 minutes – the length of a typical sleep cycle in which a person goes from deep to shallow sleep.
The app’s first version just showed a wakeup algorithm, in which people can set the time they want to wake up. After a couple nights of calibration, the app finds the lightest sleeping moment within a 30-minute window that ends at the designated time to gently wake the user with soothing sounds (think spa music). In the more recently updated version, Drejak added the ability to see sleep graphs.
The app has gotten hundreds of thousands of downloads since it was released last summer, and it has been the No. 1 paid app in countries like Sweden, Japan, Germany and France.
Drejak says he gets so much email from users that he spends one day a week responding to them. Going forward, he says he wants to add new features like the ability to score sleep quality, track long-term data and compare sleep patterns by region.
An iPhone app can’t help with how much sleep people get, but it can help wake them up.
One such app that is attracting attention is Sleep Cycle, an alarm clock that monitors sleep and wakes a person up during the lightest sleep phase.
Maciek Drejak, the Sweden-based founder of LexWare Labs AB, came up with the idea for the 99 cent app after downloading a seismographic app that used the accelerometer in the iPhone to measure movement. He realized how sensitive the iPhone was when it detected his footsteps as he passed the table that it was on.
“I had the idea a long time ago,” says Drejak, saying that he saw an opportunity because alarm clocks with a similar function cost hundreds of dollars, making them too expensive for most people.
The 31-year-old programmer said he spent six months developing the app, which detects different sleep movements by placing the iPhone face down on the mattress. He knew he had something when his own sleep data showed that he moved about every 90 minutes – the length of a typical sleep cycle in which a person goes from deep to shallow sleep.
The app’s first version just showed a wakeup algorithm, in which people can set the time they want to wake up. After a couple nights of calibration, the app finds the lightest sleeping moment within a 30-minute window that ends at the designated time to gently wake the user with soothing sounds (think spa music). In the more recently updated version, Drejak added the ability to see sleep graphs.
The app has gotten hundreds of thousands of downloads since it was released last summer, and it has been the No. 1 paid app in countries like Sweden, Japan, Germany and France.
Drejak says he gets so much email from users that he spends one day a week responding to them. Going forward, he says he wants to add new features like the ability to score sleep quality, track long-term data and compare sleep patterns by region.
Last week we presented you with one of TechFest 2010’s new research projects: OneAlbum. Today we’ll introduce you to another piece of new technology from Microsoft Research labs – Image Composite Editor (ICE) with Multi-Image Fusion. To some of you who had been reading the Digital Memories Experience (DMX) team blog (the team who created Windows Live Photo Gallery and Movie Maker), ICE is probably not new to you, as the research team who developed the photo stitching technology behind Photo Gallery also developed ICE. In the current version of ICE, it provides advanced features for panoramic stitching such as choosing the stitch’s orientation, custom projection, and selecting a 360 stitch’s mid-point, and this tool also integrates nicely as a plug-in into Windows Live Photo Gallery. Here we’ll show you some of the upcoming new features in ICE:
Besides the abovementioned new imaging technologies, ICE also integrates nicely with Photosynth, allowing panoramas to be shared on the web in their full native resolution. ICE users will be able to leverage all Photosynth features including geo-tagging with Bing Maps. One question we’ve always wondered though, why is ICE not integrated into Windows Live Photo Gallery?
Thanks Picturepan2 from LiveSino.net for the heads up!
The total number of subscribers for free-to-play massively multiplayer online game Free Realms has hit 9 million users, according to a statement from Sony Online Entertainment.
The publisher has attributed the game's continuing success to constant development of new features, themed in-game events and "persistent marketing support".
"With Free Realms, we've been able to reflect the needs and wants of our players by keenly listening to their suggestions and feedback," said SOE president John Smedley.
SocialMash:> Foursquare iPhone App Vanishes from App Store Due to “Hiccup” http://ow.ly/16K7HO
The iPhone and iPod touch app for the popular location check-in service Foursquare has temporarily dropped from Apple’s App Store.
The Android and BlackBerry versions are still available, but the iPhone is by far the most popular platform for Foursquare users. This is just a temporary technical setback, though. Foursquare tweeted the following.
Earlier this week, the new 1.6 version of the Foursquare iPhone app was accidentally added to the App Store before it was ready. The problem was corrected, but now people who have 1.6 are unable to use the service. They’re being directed to the app store to download the regular version, but it’s not there.
Foursquare is in the middle of unveiling new features and deals so these technical issues could have come at a better time, but it won’t be a major setback. Don’t worry, Foursquare fans; you can keep looking forward to the new features in version 1.6 this week.
Tags: app store, apple, foursquare, iphone, iPod Touch
SocialMash:> Foursquare iPhone App Vanishes from App Store Due to “Hiccup” http://ow.ly/16K7HN
- Jim WilkersonFoursquare iPhone App Vanishes from App Store Due to “Hiccup”
- LouCypher
Renoise has announced Renoise 2.5 is available now, for Mac, Windows & Linux.
Renoise is a complete, expandable Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) based on mod trackers. Mod trackers are characterized by displaying and editing music in a grid known as a pattern. These patterns are akin to sheet music, but are displayed alphanumerically instead of with musical notation.
New features in Renoise 2.5 include:
Renoise is 58 Euro (currently about $80). A free demo version is available now for Linux, Mac & Windows.
If you’ve used Renoise 2.5, leave a comment with your thoughts!
BIC is using modern smartphones as a marketing tool to promote its lighters. The company has launched the BIC Concert Lighter application to address the concert-goers and their “need” to signal appreciation of a particular song or to request an encore. Actually, it seems to me their marketing folks (or an ad agency) thought they need to figure out “something innovative” and decided to go for the growing number of smartphone users.
The application is available on multiple platforms — including the iPhone/iPod Touch, BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) Storm and a number of Android-powered devices. You can select a design of the lighter, “experience BIC’s authentic flick sound,” and zoom-to-flame (when application is running in the so called concert mode).
Additional information is available from here and iPhone/iPod Touch users can grab BIC Concert Lighter from here (iTunes).
As a reminder, some time ago, Zippo has released a similar iPhone application, which turned to be very popular at one point.
BIC Concert Lighter (FREE) [iTunes link]
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Filed under: Odds and ends, Freeware, iPhone, iPod touch
Siri for the iPhone was quite a hit when it came out earlier this year. You could ask it questions like, "where is the best pizza nearby?" and Siri would find the answer. My favorite response was when I asked if there was a God, and Siri gave me directions to the nearest churches.TUAWSiri updated for iPod touch and gets some new features originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Today we’re launching a huge new redesign for SocialToo where we’re even further continuing our focus to clean up your stream and build better features to help you manage the social networks you belong to. With an entirely new architecture, new design, and lots of new features, we hope you’ll like this one.
New Design
We enlisted the help of Rebecca Servoss, designer of TodaysMama.com, and talented Graphic Designer, to help us every step of the way through this new design. You’ll notice a much more appealing interface, easier to navigate design, and you’ll notice your settings are right there, front and center for you to change. From the Inbox to the Surveys and more, you’ll notice a much more fluid experience as you navigate the site. We hope you’ll spend more time there as your main source to manage the DMs you receive, as well as browse the surveys your friends create.
Filtered Personal Messaging Interface
We’re starting with your Twitter DMs and the SocialToo Surveys your friends create, but you can expect much more here in the future. Immediately, you’ll notice all your dms in one, nicely formatted UI. The best part of it all is if you have created a DM filter or two, spammy DMs that meet your filtering requirements will never appear here! You can always go back to your Spam folder and see the spammy DMs there. Also, any DM you delete from the SocialToo User Interface will be removed from your main Inbox, but we keep a trash folder as well, so in reality, while it may be gone from Twitter forever, you can always go back later and access it again.
From each DM in your Inbox, you can mark any one of them as spam or auto-dm, and we’ll take appropriate measures to keep similar dms appearing there in the future. We’ll also unfollow those users as you mark them as such. You can block the DM sender as well, or delete it right there.
If you want to reply to a DM, just hit the “reply” link underneath the DM in your inbox. Your response will be logged underneath the DM you responded to – this makes it easier to tell if you responded to the DM or not, and organizes the conversation a little better.
Friend Surveys
Now, in addition to being able to create surveys, take them, and also view them in the new user interface we just launched for SocialToo Surveys, you can now view a full stream of all the surveys your friends have created. If you’ve logged in through Twitter or Facebook before, we automatically detect all your friends from those networks that are SocialToo users, and their surveys appear right there. Don’t have anyone appearing? Invite them to use SocialToo and create some surveys!
In addition to viewing your friends’ surveys, you can, as before, view all the surveys of individual users on SocialToo, comment on the surveys, as well as easily share them on your favorite networks such as Twitter and Facebook. Polling your friends and fans on the Social Networks you belong to has never been easier!
Whitelisting
We have always had whitelisting on SocialToo, but, we’ll be first to admit the previous design was a little tough to deal with. Now, if you click on the “Friends” tab, you’ll see a newly revamped whitelist where you can add any of your friends and immediately guarantee they won’t be unfollowed as you filter your dms. Occasionally even your closest friends can send spammy messages, but adding them to your whitelist ensures they will never be unfollowed. Or, perhaps you want to run the bulk unfollow tool and there are a few you don’t want to unfollow. Just add those to your whitelist, and everyone but those friends will be unfollowed. We think this feature is very useful!
Log in, Check it out!
These new features, and the new design are available starting today! Please log in, check it out if you haven’t been around in awhile. See what you’ve been missing. Subscribe to the daily e-mail stats if you get a chance, or maybe you just want to unfollow all your friends because you previously had auto follow on. Most of all, create some DMs filters, clean up your stream, and enjoy the new interface to manage the DMs you receive on Twitter. Play around with the new features and let us know what you think! It’s all new, so we always expect a few quirks at first – please let us know if you have any issues by e-mailing us at contact@socialtoo.com.
See you on the new interface! I can’t wait to see some of the new Surveys you create, as well as hear some of your feedback as you navigate your new inboxes and the new way to manage your DMs.
Jesse Stay
CEO, SocialToo.com
Very nice redesign!
- Rob DianaA New Way to Manage Your Twitter DMs – The New SocialToo Design
- Louis GrayThanks Rob! Let me know if you see anything that can be improved.
- Jesse StayA New Way to Manage Your Twitter DMs – The New SocialToo Design
- Sarah PerezFiled under: Windows, Browsers
Portable Opera@USB updates, brings 10.50's speed to your flash drive originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A new version of Foursquare for the iPhone is on the way and it will feature a revamped interface, a brand new user tab, and a new checkin history view.
This version of the app – v1.6 – should be heading to the App Store soon. Nick Starr shared screenshots of it with us and we’ve included a few below so that you can see some of the new features.
Looking at the images from Foursquare 1.6, the first thing you’ll notice is that the interface has been totally revamped. The colors, icons and menu layout are all completely restyled and rearranged in a much more appealing manner.
For instance, check out the new Shout and User Profile pages. They look almost indistinguishable from their current iPhone counterparts:
There are also a few new features. For instance, users have a profile screen that contains checkin history and friends that is accessible directly from the menu at the bottom of the app.
Friends’ Checkins also now have a pull-down to refresh mechanism, that harkens back to Tweetie 2.0 for the iPhone.
Friends info pages have also been completely redesigned and friend-by-friend ping control is much more attractive.
All in all, just looking at the screenshots is making us drool. We’re not sure when this release will actually hit the App Store, but we wouldn’t bet against a SXSW release.
What do you think of the new look? Let us know!
Tags: foursquare, foursquare 1.6, iphone, iphone apps
New Version of Foursquare for iPhone Coming Soon [SCREENSHOTS]
- Niklas SjostromFiled under: Odds and ends, Airport, iPhone, iPod touch
The makers of the TomTom app for the iPhone have let us know that they've submitted an updated version that adds real-time traffic information, Google local search, and even some secret features the company isn't talking about yet. TUAWTomTom submits updated app for Apple review originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Odds and ends, Airport, iPhone, iPod touch
The makers of the TomTom app for the iPhone have let us know that they've submitted an updated version that adds real-time traffic information, Google local search, and even some secret features the company isn't talking about yet. TUAWTomTom submits updated app for Apple review originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Posted by Danny Dover
Today I am proud to announce the launch of the second version of Open Site Explorer. Since SEOmoz has officially moved out of consulting, we are now able to put our full resources into building fantastic SEO software. We want to thank all of you who provided feedback on the first version of the tool for your guidance and we look forward to hearing more from you in the future.
Now enough with the chit chat, on to the new features!
With the new version of Open Site Explorer you can get a sorted listed of the top 10,000 pages on a domain. This is essential for viewing your own site and for doing competitive analysis.
With this new feature, we can see that Microsoft is unwisely 302 redirecting their homepage! Doh!
You can also see which content is drawing the most links on your competitors websites. In this example we see that that these are the most linked to comics on XKCD.
With the new version of this tool you can do even more filtering to drill down into what you think is important.
In this example, we filtered the data to show only followed (dofollow) and 301 redirecting external links to the specific page.
After lots of input, we are now offering more robust CSV exports.
New buttons make performing common tasks easier and faster to do.
The new Explore and Compare buttons make it easier to get more information about any links you find interesting.
Throughout this process, we also heard a lot of questions about the differences between Yahoo! Site Explorer, Open Site Explorer and Linkscape. The chart below lays out the similarities and differences.
Are there other features you want to see? Are we moving in the right direction? We want know! Please feel free to share your suggestions and opinions via SEOmoz on Twitter, SEOmoz on Facebook or in the comments below :-)
Microsoft on Friday announced that an update to its Xbox code of conduct will now allow gamers to identify their race, nationality, religion, and sexual orientation in gamertags.
"Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self-identification were not allowed in Gamertags or profiles to prevent the use of these terms as insults or slurs," Marc Whitten, general manager of Xbox Live, wrote in a note on the Xbox Web site. "However we have since heard feedback from our customers that while the spirit of this approach was genuine, it inadvertently excluded a part of our Xbox Live community."
The update also "comes hand-in-hand with increased stringency and enforcement to prevent the misuse of these terms," Whitten said.
The code of conduct is available online. It says that users can identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bi, transgender, or straight, but "other terms regarding relationship orientation are not allowed."
"As [Xbox Live] evolves and our customers provide us with feedback, these rules evolve to incorporate new features or changes in how people wish to interact," Whitten wrote.
Filed under: Odds and ends, Freeware, iPhone, iPod touch
Siri for the iPhone was quite a hit when it came out earlier this year. You could ask it questions like, "where is the best pizza nearby?" and Siri would find the answer. My favorite response was when I asked if there was a God, and Siri gave me directions to the nearest churches.TUAWSiri updated for iPod touch and gets some new features originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Following a December firmware boost, users of Sony Ericsson's much-maligned Satio should start gearing up for another significant update that -- at a glance, anyway -- brings some pretty awesome new features to the table. On top of a promise that it'll "rectify some issues, [and] optimize performance even further," Sony Ericsson's high-end Symbian set gets WVGA video recording (though VGA remains the default), integrated picture uploads to Facebook and videos to YouTube, DLNA support, sundry "UI improvements," and firmware integration of the Facebook app that's already available on PlayNow. Not bad for a phone that Sony Ericsson could've easily abandoned in favor of support for the Vivaz -- but probably not enough to totally shake the phone's tarnished rep this far into the game.Sony Ericsson promises Satio software update 'just around the corner' originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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One of Xbox Live's more irksome policies has been that if your gamertag happens to mention that you are gay or lesbian, that's not permitted. (Or if you use your real name, which happens to contain the letters G-A-Y in that order.) But Microsoft has changed their code of conduct, and this policy is no more.
In an open letter/press release, Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten tells gamers:
The Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct are designed to create a place where people can safely enjoy all of the ways to interact on our service, be it online multiplayer gaming, photo sharing, Netflix parties, or social games such as 1 vs. 100, without fear of discrimination or harassment. As the service evolves and our customers provide us with feedback, these rules evolve to incorporate new features or changes in how people wish to interact.With that in mind, I’d like to announce an update to the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Code of Conduct which will allow our members to more freely express their race, nationality, religion and sexual orientation in Gamertags and profiles. Under our previous policy, some of these expressions of self identification were not allowed in Gamertags or profiles to prevent the use of these terms as insults or slurs. However we have since heard feedback from our customers that while the spirit of this approach was genuine, it inadvertently excluded a part of our Xbox LIVE community. This update also comes hand-in-hand with increased stringency and enforcement to prevent the misuse of these terms.
I truly believe that our diversity is what makes us strong: diversity in gaming and entertainment options, and diversity in the people that make up this amazing community. I look forward to seeing you on LIVE soon.
A Letter from Marc Whitten: Update to Xbox LIVE Code of Conduct [Press Release] (via GamingAngels)
LIVE Code of Conduct
PREVIOUSLY:
Microsoft's Policy Regarding Identifying Sexual Orientation On XBOX Live
Identifying Yourself As A Lesbian Gets You Banned On XBOX Live
XBOX Live Decides Your Surname Is Offensive Because It Contains The Letters "G-A-Y"
"Gay" Player Name Banned By Xbox Live
Google announced today that it’s acquiring DocVerse, a startup that helps users collaborate in Microsoft Office.
This confirms a report from TechCrunch back in December that acquisition talks were underway, with the deal price of $25 million. A source also told the Wall Street Journal today that Google has agreed to pay $25 million.
When the rumor first surfaced, Google executives were talking up 2010 as the year new features will help Google Docs become a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, so a DocVerse acquisition seemed to fit into that strategy. In the announcement, Google Apps Product Manager Jonathan Rochelle said the deal should help Google Docs integrate with Office and perhaps other desktop software:
We recognize that many people are still accustomed to desktop software. So as we continue to improve Google Docs and Google Sites as rich collaboration tools, we’re also making it easier for people to transition to the cloud, and interoperate with desktop applications like Microsoft Office.
For example, we recently made it possible to use Google Docs to store and share any type of file that you have on your computer, not just the ones you create online. Today we’re excited to announce another step towards seamless interoperability: We have acquired DocVerse.
DocVerse’s co-founders previously worked as managers for Microsoft’s collaboration service Sharepoint. The San Francisco company raised $1.3 million from Baseline Ventures, Michael Dearing and undisclosed angel investors.
A quickie here for any BlackBerry (NSDQ: RIMM) users that frequent the Shazam app. Version 2.5 is now available, and it brings some cool new features that users of the iPhone app have enjoyed for some time now. Key additions in Shazam 2.5 for BlackBerry include:
Not a HUGE update, but it does bring some substantial new (and cool) features into play. Shazam for BlackBerry is a free download, but for additional functionality you WILL need to throw down some cash. The good thing is, however, a free 7-day trial of the ‘extra’ features you get in the full version is available. If you don’t like it, keep the free version and plug away with limited usage and features (you’re limited to 5 tags per calendar month).
Shazam 2.5 is available in English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Portuguese… and is compatible with most current gen BlackBerry devices, including the Storm and Bold series.
Shazam 2.5 (FREE) [App World Link]
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