Got an older iPhone or iPod touch model and been jealous of the Voice Control feature your antiquated hardware is incapable of running? Check out Vocalia (link opens in iTunes), a voice-powered launcher that's quite fast, and accurate. Just like Voice Control, it can look up a contact by name then launch a phone call, or do the same for a song from your iPod's library. It also goes a step further to let you launch your Safari bookmarks simply by speaking their name.
Vocalia lets you speak your contacts, songs, and even Web bookmarks to launch them.
(Credit: CNET)Vocalia doesn't run at a system level like Voice Control does, but it's up and ready to receive a voice command in under 10 seconds--the clear benefit here being for people who may be driving and who want to control their device without fumbling through menus. It's also a bit more customizable since you can go in and add nicknames for people you want to call, edit the phonetic spelling it's given them by default, and change the spoken language to one of the five other options including German, Spanish, and French.
As far as setup goes, Vocalia is able to slurp in your contacts and iPod library as soon as you launch it for the first time. The bookmarks on the other hand, are a little more complicated. The app can't grab them from your device due to a limitation in Apple's SDK, which means you have to download and launch a small executable file from Vocalia's site that can send your Bookmarks.html file to the iPhone/iPod. The two devices also have to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
Frankly, I don't think all that effort is worth it for syncing up your bookmarks; especially considering that you'll need to do that entire process over again if you've added new ones. In most cases it's also going to be faster just to launch Safari and find the bookmark yourself. Maybe a future version could make the whole thing a little simpler by tapping into an existing bookmark sharing service like Xmarks, or Delicious.
Vocalia is $3.99 in the App Store and works on both the iPhone and the 2G iPod Touch. As mentioned before, you'll have to have a Mac or PC on the same Wi-Fi network as your device to make use of its bookmarks feature.
See also: Midomi music search gets funding and opportunities
A fresh installation of Windows offers users a chance to get things clean and tidy from the beginning, but it also means a lot of work reinstalling applications you may have had on an older build.
If you've planned ahead, you can go out and download all the installers you think you'll need, then put them on a thumb drive or a disc. Or you can skip all that work and use Ninite (formerly Volery), a very simple tool for Windows that will go out and download all the latest versions of the software you pick from its directory, then combine all of those installers into one self-running .exe file.
The best part is that you don't have to touch a thing, as it installs each application. Every installer is already set with the least intrusive configuration, which means that it's installed to the application's default folder and comes without any superfluous add-ons, such as browser toolbars, companion software, or language packs. And when it's done running, you just delete Ninite's .exe file.
Ninite stacks up Windows application installs and runs them without requiring that you to pay attention to what each one is doing.
(Credit: CNET)In my test run, I only had one problem with the installation, and it wasn't Ninite's fault--it was Windows'. I was letting Ninite do its thing, and Windows rebooted my computer to install its own updates. The nice thing is, you can relaunch the .exe file, if something goes wrong, and it will determine which programs it's already installed and skip both the download and the install. That's definitely something I'd feel safe sending to a tech-challenged friend or family member (note: most Web mail services won't let you send an .exe file. You can, however, use many online storage services like Box.net, Dropbox, and MobileMe to get it done)
Of course, one of the biggest drawbacks with Ninite's system is that you're limited to its selection of software picks. And if you're a control freak, you can't go in and make small tweaks to each installation while it's happening. Otherwise, it's an utterly fantastic way to get a quick start on a new machine, or offer up application recommendations to friends and family who just got a new machine with Windows 7 on it.
(via Download Squad)
Web developers should appreciate two of Adobe's latest open-source initiatives announced Tuesday, both designed to help media companies and other publishers build richer Flash applications.
The first project, Open Source Media Framework (OSMF), lets designers create more sophisticated media players to run Adobe Flash presentations. The second, Text Layout Framework (TLF), helps developers add more advanced typography and font layouts to their Flash apps.
Both OSMF and TLF are available for free as open-source applications.
OSMF is the open source piece of the Adobe project formerly known by the codename Strobe, a framework for Flash media players. Using OSMF, developers can create Flash players with not only advanced playback and navigation controls but also plug-ins for advertising and tracking, a key benefit for media companies. OSMF can work with any kind of Flash content, including video, audio, and images.
Developers can learn more about OSMF and download the source code and components at the OSMF Web site.
TLF lets developers add sleeker and higher-quality typographic layouts and effects to Flash presentations. In conjunction with the new text engine in Flash Player 10, TLF offers support for vertical and bidirectional text, flowing text around images and across columns, and multiple languages.
More information and a demo of TLF can be found at the Adobe Labs TLF site.
These latest two initiatives are part of Adobe's strategy to provide more robust programming tools for Flash. For the first time, Adobe is facing potential competition for Flash from other Web technologies, notably Microsoft's Silverlight.
Updated 2:45 p.m. PDT with Barracuda Networks warning of Web site promoting rogue program using the Barracuda brand.
Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool was updated this week to detect a generic type of fake antivirus program known as "Win32/InternetAntivirus."
The Microsoft Malware Protection Center gives Win32/InternetAntivirus an alert level of "severe." The software is "a rogue program that displays false and misleading alerts regarding malware, in order to convince users to purchase rogue security software," according to a Microsoft Malware Protection Center blog post. The program also displays a fake "Windows Security Center" message.
This screenshot shows the fake alert the Win32/InternetAntivirus malware displays to try to scare people into paying money.
(Credit: Microsoft)In addition, the rogue program runs a password stealer called "TrojanSpy:Win32/Chadem," which tries to steal FTP usernames and passwords that can be used to compromise servers for hosting malware.
"They use new domain names every day, often registering multiple names at a time, like scanfan4.info, star4scan.info and scanstar4.info," the Microsoft post says. "This is all pretty normal rogue behaviour these days. As always, only use security software that has been tested by a trusted third party."
Fake antivirus programs are very common and provide a way for scammers to make easy money. The scammers prey on the fears of Web surfers who are misled into believing their systems are infected and then pay, typically, $50 for a program that not only doesn't protect their computers, but often turns out to be malicious.
Microsoft and the attorney general's office in Washington state filed a handful of lawsuits last year over so-called "Scareware" pop-up ads that entice consumers into paying for software that supposedly fixes critical errors on a PC.
The Malicious Software Removal Tool is updated every second Tuesday of the month as part of Patch Tuesday.
Separately on Wednesday, Barracuda Networks, a provider of e-mail and Web security products, warned of a Web site using the Barracuda brand to sell a rogue antivirus program. If downloaded, the program performs a fake scan of the computer and installs spyware, the company said.
The first program I open every day is Firefox, and most days the first Web site I visit is Google. That's why I'm glad so many Firefox add-on developers have created tools that give me a new perspective on my Google search results. Here are three of my favorites.
Sharpen your searches with GoogleEnhancer
The primary reason I click Google's Advanced Search option is to limit the results to a specific date range. With NettiCat's GoogleEnhancer add-on I can narrow my searches by date as well as by file type and a handful of languages via drop-down menus that are placed to the right of the search box.
The GoogleEnhancer add-on for Firefox puts drop-down menus next to the text box that let you narrow your results by time, language, and file type.
(Credit: NettiCat)As nice as the search enhancements are, one of my favorite GoogleEnhancer features is the addition of icons to the left of the results for each link's site. The add-on also numbers the results, though these don't really add much to the results, in my opinion.
... Read more
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
If you want to manage and keep track of your Gmail task list outside of Gmail, or Google's special iPhone front end, there's a new tool to help you do it. Called gTask Sidebar, this Firefox plug-in will put Gmail's task list in your browser sidebar. It's basically an IFrame that emulates what you get in Gmail, although without any skinning or the capability to pop it out as its own window.
You can create, complete, and edit lists and tasks the exact same way you do it in Gmail. And instead of having an instance of Gmail open, or your task list in a pop out window that must be managed outside your main browser window, you simply pull it up or dismiss it using a small button that hangs out in the bottom corner of your browser.
There are a few things that bug me about it though. For one it doesn't let you re-size the list, which in Gmail is nearly twice the width. It also doesn't let you have two different task lists up at the same time, which is a shame considering it has an extra frame below it that remains unused no matter how large your list gets. Also, it uses the same log-in cookie as any other Google service you have running, which means logging into another account logs you out of the task list. Regardless, having this installed is a much simpler way to keep your to-do list close at hand.
Note: The screenshot to the left has been edited to fit the size of this blog post. In reality it's noticeably taller. You can see it in its full size here.
Correction:This post initially misstated where sponsored results show up. Sponsored results show up in toolbar searches and Google.com searches only.
Google on Tuesday released a new version if its software toolbar for Internet Explorer. Included is a feature carried over from the company's desktop search product--a search box that runs whether or not you have your browser open. This special box sits next to the Start button on your taskbar, and lets you search the Web, your browser bookmarks, and any files and applications you have on your PC.
In a blog post, the company said this release is an attempt to put the focus back on search. More importantly, it's getting people to start a Google search whether or not they've got their browser open--giving the company more chances to serve up ads. Part of that is already apparent, as users get sponsored results through toolbar searches, just like they would when searching from Google.com.
The new quick search option puts a search box on your taskbar.
(Credit: Google )Other new features include the recently visited pages and bookmarks start page that first shipped with Chrome, then came to Firefox with its latest Google toolbar release. Google has also added its synchronization service, which will let you access your same Google bookmarks and autofill form information from multiple computers.
Users already running Google's desktop search program can turn off the quick search box, or use it as a replacement. Google has posted instructions for doing that here.
Double Vision (download) is the latest tool for people who don't like doing work while at work. This small piece of software lets you casually surf the Web inside of other programs, then hide the window with a simple keyboard shortcut.
The browser itself is just a reworked version of Internet Explorer, although it won't import any bookmarks from there. You can, however, enter in any Web address, or pick from a small selection of sites from Double Vision's content portal.
What makes the software so special is that you can control the transparency of the browser window and continue to interact with whatever application it's partially blocking out. This is useful for keeping an eye on your e-mail inbox or IM window while surfing somewhere else. The makers of Double Vision are pushing it as a simple way to watch how-to software videos while using the software (note: this excuse only works if you have one monitor).
Transparency isn't Double Vision's only forte; it's got a few other tricks. For instance, you can cut out a specific part of a page just to get at the content. This is especially helpful when visiting YouTube since you can pull out the player and move it to a less conspicuous part of your screen while watching. Hitting the "boss" button combination will also cut out any sound from that video when it's not the front-most application.
This reminds me quite a bit of a now-defunct site called Workfriendly.net, which would skin Web sites to look like a Microsoft Word document. With Double Vision, you'd simply be able to keep working in Word while enjoying the very best of ninja cat.
See also: Ghostzilla
As performance reasserts its prominence and features become less of the driving force behind browsers, I find myself looking at the list of inactive extensions in Firefox with jaundiced eyes. It's been months since I've added a new extension, but the ones I still have I use regularly, and several are actually new to me for this year.
Cooliris, formerly known as PicLens, turns photos and videos into moving walls of imagery.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Part of the problem with add-ons is that they're such a personal, subjective thing. What do you need? Why do you need it? One of my favorites is a minor, tiny thing, but it saves me so much time that I have trouble when I use browsers without it. Dragdropupload gives you the ability to drag a file from your desktop into any text field in a Web page. Lightweight but extremely effective, if you e-mail a lot of attachments, this should quickly become a massive time saver.
I use it at work to drag images into form fields that then upload them to the CNET servers. Instead of having to navigate that obnoxious folder tree, I just drag the file and drop it into the appropriate field.
One of the problems with Dragdropupload is that sometimes Firefox updates break it, and it takes me a while to bring it back to life. There are two user-end solutions to solve that conundrum, but both are somewhat risky. Using either Nightly Tester Tools or MR Tech Toolkit, you can use the override compatibility feature to force Firefox to recognize outdated extensions. However, as I've noted before, this greatly increases the chance of having Firefox crash on you.
Nightly Tester Tools can revitalize dead extensions...for a price.
(Credit: CNET Networks)I wouldn't recommend doing this unless you can't find the same feature replicated elsewhere. I used to force compatibility with AutoCopy, another tiny little extension that introduces Linux-style compatibility to Firefox. Since I do a lot of cutting and pasting, AutoCopy and its multiple clipboards and automatic functionality make it a must-have for me. The mileage you can get out of it may vary with use, of course.
I have one frivolous extension installed: Cooliris. For compatible Web sites such as Flickr, YouTube, and Amazon, it introduces a bit of a futuristic vibe to browsing the Web. Your display turns into a full-screen wall of images, smoothly zooming in and out. It makes me wish that we all had Minority Report-style interfaces to work from instead of these comparatively-clunky mice.
Session Manager offers in-depth tools for saving and restoring sessions.
(Credit: Session Manager)The last new-to-me add-on that I still use is Session Manager. Besides resurrecting crashed browsing sessions, it also lets you save current ones and keep them for later. You can configure how the sessions are named, change the default saved-sessions' location, encrypt saved-session data, and configure how post data gets saved, even from encrypted Web sites. Since each session file created by Firefox includes text data, cookies, and history, as well as tabs, being able to recreate all that information effortlessly is incredibly helpful and shouldn't be underestimated.
If you've got an extension that you've discovered in the past year and can't imagine how you got by without it, tell me in the comments below.
Nothing less than a boon for users looking to manage their file menus, freeware utility FileMenu Tools focuses on function with a simple interface. Most users should have no problem quickly learning to use FileMenu Tools to bend Windows to their will, but a detailed Help file is available for novices.
Operating FileMenu Tools merely means manipulating select pull-downs and function icons. Users choose a menu and use the Actions function list to add commands, submenus, or separators. Deleting and moving menu items also takes only a click. Clicking a menu item displays basic function descriptions and properties when available. Adding commands is the app's power function. Advanced users familiar with element types, extensions, and variable manipulation won't have any problems correctly filling in all fields for new commands. Other users will find the Help file answers most questions. After just a few minutes, most will have a new command added to a favorite menu.
FileMenu Tools proves that helpful, high performance utilities can come at no cost. The application performs well, functions are logical presented and easily learned, and it improves on basic Windows operation.
