The news over Google Chrome has hardly cooled down but there’s already a new “fastest browser in town.”
Minefield is getting raves even with just its alpha release. Before you count it as another new entrant, Minefield is actually an early build of the next version of Firefox. The newly improved javascript engine has made it significantly faster. Purportedly it is even ten percent faster than Google Chrome.
You can test Minefield for yourself by downloading it at this link.
Tags: Minefield
Categories: Applications
Google continues its commitment with the mobile platform with the release of Gmail for mobile 2.0.
Gmail for Mobile can be used on Blackberry phones as well as all J2ME phones.
The updated app now offers offline support, which allows you to read and compose email messages even when there is no signal. Composed messages are automatically put in the outbox and sent as soon as there is a signal.
There is also multiple account support, which will benefit those with multiple Gmail or Google Apps accounts.
Download the latest version at http://m.google.com/mail.
Tags: Gmail, Mobile
Categories: Applications
I manage a lot of files on my computer. So much that sometimes it gets a bit tedious to keep track of all of them. If you’re like me then consider using a replacement file manager for your OS.
MuCommander is a free, open source and cross platform file manager. Windows, Mac and Linux users will be able to use this nifty app. There is even a portable version.
MuCommander is actually a Java Web Start application and loads speedily on anything.
The interface is a skinnable dual-pane GUI. Though it has no tab support it possesses a number of other features that you will definitely appreciate like support for FTP, SFTP, Samba, HTTP, NFS and Bonjour. You can even explore archives without extracting them, which is highly useful for file archivists.
MuCommander may become a mainstay in my computer.
Tags: File Manager, MuCommander
Categories: Applications
Ubuntu fans will be happy to hear that Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex will be released on the 30th of October. A release candidate is now available though for people who can’t wait for that date. If no bugs are found on the said release candidate between now and next Thursday, this build will become the final version of Ubuntu 8.10.
Ubuntu 8.04 users can also easily upgrade their OS to the latest version. Detailed instructions are available on the release notes.
users of Ubuntu Studio are not recommended to upgrade to 8.10 yet because the kernel it uses (Linux kernel 2.6.27) has latency problems.
Tags: ubuntu
Categories: Applications
I usually need to make screen captures for my work. Powershot, the Firefox add-on was of great use to me but since it’s shareware, I have to contend with the full features being locked after the trial period.
Thus, it has made PicPick a great solution for me. It not only gives the regular functions of making screen captures and Windows hot keys, it also has its own editor that has a lot of features. The free app becomes a one-stop utility for capturing images and then editing them. The editor allows work on multiple images and there is a repeat function that lets you recapture the same place on the screen.
If you’re on the lookout for a full-featured and free screen capture software you can’t go wrong with PicPick.
Tags: PicPick, Screen capture
Categories: Applications
Microsoft has released another alternative to synchronizing mobile phone data to your computer.
The Microsoft Phone Data Manager is an improvement over the old Windows Mobile Device Manager or ActiveSync in that you can use it on non-Windows Mobile phones. Additionally, it also allows you to sync with Windows Live Services. This means your data can be made accessible from any web browser.
You can give the Windows Phone Data Manager a try by downloading it at this link.
Tags: Microsof, Phone Data Manager
Categories: Applications
One of the most popular freeware image editors now has a new version.
Gimp has recently released version 2.5.4, which fixes a number of items while also adding a new feature.
First up are the fixes. The new version has fixed some user interface bugs. The fixes include the ability to recover docks and toolboxes if the window menu is accidentally closed. Users can also lock the tabs to the dock in order to prevent it from being accidentally dragged out. Additionally, the presets can be saved at the color tools. The application’s help system has also been improved and there is now online browsing support. A good addition to the application is a blank placeholder window where files that are being edited can be dragged and dropped for easy access.
You can download Gimp 2.5.4 at this link.
Tags: Gimp
Categories: Applications
As far legally downloadable apps and utilities go, Google has been providing some of the best in the last few years.
Another cool addition to their expanding line of applications is Google Chrome, the search engine giant’s first web browser. The new browser is a good example of simplicity. There are no excessive buttons or toolbars, what you get is a clean interface that maximizes the available space.
As a logical extension of its design aesthetic, Chrome introduces the omnibar. What it basically did is to transform the address bar into a multifunction tool where you not only type in the website address you want to visit, it also serves as a search bar. One cool thing is that when you use the built-in search function of a website, the omnibar will remember it and the next time you can do that in-site search through the bar itself.
The best thing about Chrome is that it is open source so expect a lot of development going on from third parties.
Tags: browser, Google Chrome
Categories: Applications
Downloading music is a lot of fun especially when you get the opportunity to actually sing along. Karaoke is probably one the best pastimes in the world but what is hard is that singing along to an mp3 is hard because you always need to look for the lyrics for each file.
That’s why I think a utility like Evil Lyrics is such a big help for closet singers. The free app automatically gets the lyrics to songs that are played on your PC’s default music app. The lyrics appear in a small window that you can customize. I’ve been using Evil Lyics for more than a year now and I am one happy user.
You guys should also try it.
Tags: Evil Lyrics
Categories: Applications, Downloading Legally, Freeware
Ares is one of those P2p Download sites which offer free file sharing (music, videos and just about anything that comes in file form), and they are getting good at it with little hassle about piracy, copyrights and intellectual property rights. Why? well like Linux, it’s open sourced which means there is no big company or companies for these corporate watchdogs to pursue and file cases against. As with any P2P site, there is a manager program that handles the files you download and share over the net with other users which can de downloaded for free. The system like the internet is in constant change due to it’s open-sourced nature, users who manage to develop additions or improvements to the currently in use send them to other members of the community to have it tested and subsequently added to the program itself. Users get the latest upgraded versions of the system when hey get update notices from the site. The site and users all use a new and different protocol which they boast is quite hard to detect by firewalls and other intrusion prevention measures. Downloads are fast and it is very quick to connect to the service which has over 100 million titles available for download over their network. Files downloaded from the site are also void of any DRM protection which allows users to play them anywhere using any digital player.
Studies conducted by independent people have shown that downloading music over the internet is responsible for some increase in record sales for cd’s and DVD’s for they fuel the desire and user’s know that the best stuff can be availed only from off the shelf-purchases of music audio cd’s. Which contradicts the general opinion fueled by corporate watchdogs that it discourages sales.
Tags: Open-sourced, P2p-Filesharing
Categories: Applications, Downloading Legally, Freeware, Music, Resources, Videos
