announcements
For those of you that had any kind of attachment to the Zune, I ask you pull out the black clothes for mourning. Microsoft has finally lain to rest the “best alternative to the iPod” as it hasn’t updated the Zune in about two years. There wasn’t much debate over it, since it doesn’t have anything that could really put it on the map, such as Angry Birds. Though they do intend to sell what’s left on the shelves, Microsoft…
Want to stream some video online? It seems like you can’t type in a url without stumbling onto a site offering streaming video service. Alright, so it’s not that common, but more and more sites are getting into the game, which is only a win for the consumers. The latest company to throw their hat into the ring? Amazon. This move is no surprise, as the company already offers a variety of digital services. What’s interesting is that while you…
If you’re a Windows 7 user, get ready for a big update coming down the pipe later today. Microsoft is releasing the first service pack for their latest OS. Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot to be seen in this. Unless you are running Windows Server, it’s mostly just minor tweaks and bugfixes. To be honest, I won’t be updating my machines today, or even tomorrow. I’ve seen too many botched service pack updates from Microsoft to install them on day…
When Hulu first came out and started offering to stream new TV shows shortly after they were aired, people really started paying attention. It was when they introduced their subscription-based Hulu Plus that we all collectively shook our heads and waited for the end. Until now, there hasn’t been a lot to entice me to pay for their services. If I’m going to pay for streaming video, my money is going to Netflix, which offers a lot more. If you’re…
Need to plan a wedding? There’s a Google App for that. I honestly thought it was April 1st when I saw this, but I assure you, it is not. It would seem that the search giant has decided to branch out in a very unexpected direction, offering a slew of tools for planning your nuptials. Google for Weddings isn’t so much a new tool, as it is a grouping of existing ones. What they’ve done is added a bunch of…
If you’ve thought about selling digital content online, there’s a good chance that you’ve considered Paypal as an option for collecting the payments. Unfortunately they really haven’t been the best option for micro-transactions. That changed today when the company opened up their Paypal for digital goods program. The program is aimed at anyone who is selling digital content online, specifically at a very low price. It will allow sellers to offer a two-click checkout process that doesn’t take customers away…
I’ve been reading eBooks almost exclusively since I purchased my iPad last year, and I doubt that I’ll be switching back anytime soon. Of course, there are a few things that do bother me. One of these is the fact that if I were to pick up a real book, I’d have no idea what page I was on. Sure, there are page numbers on the eBooks I read, but they’re only relative to the size of text on the…
If you’re a Mac user, then you may want to grab that latest software update for OSX. As long as you’re already running Snow Leopard, you can download 10.6.6, which among other things, gives you access to the new App Store. That’s right, it’s live! As of now there are roughly 1,000 apps (both free and paid) in the store, but this number will no doubt increase substantially in the future. One of the most notable things is that you…
Star Wars fans have seen countless releases of the original three movies. I can think of at least five different versions of them that I’ve owned thus far. Sadly, I know I’ll be buying at least one more copy in the future. As of today all six movies are available for pre-order at Amazon. The movies will be released as a complete set for $140, or as individual trilogies for $70. Thankfully, Amazon already has them on sale for less,…
Happy New Year to all of you, dear readers. Hope you’re recovering nicely from the celebrations, and catch ya later. Tags: happy+new+year, 2011
As we suspected, Skype has added video call capabilities to the iPhone. What we didn’t expect was for it to happen so quickly. That’s right, they’ve already released the update that we mentioned yesterday. They even managed to throw in a pretty big surprise. If you’ve got an iPhone 4 or a 4th-gen iPod Touch, then you’ll be able to place video calls to any of your friends via Skype. However, if you’re using an iPhone 3GS, 3rd-gen iPod Touch…
How many cellphones have you owned in the last 10 years? Now how many of those used the exact same charger? Not many I suspect, unless your phones were from the same manufacturer, and even that wasn’t a guarantee. Well if you live in Europe, this issue will be a thing of the past. Starting next year they will all be using the same charging connector. To be specific, mobile phones will be required to use a microUSB connector for…
Here’s wishing you all a very happy holiday break, with lots of tinsel things attached. Here at Ferret Towers we’ll be running on reduced power for a few days while we let the goodies digest, but to help you overcome feelings of loss here’s a nice seasonal video (with teh kittehs) for you to enjoy. Tags: happy+xmas
If you’ve ever purchased a laptop, video camera, GPS or other high-ticket item from Best Buy, you’ve probably noticed that yellow sticker warning you of their 15% restocking fee. What this means is that if you open the item and try to return it, you’ll only get 85% of your money refunded to you. This is done to cover the fact that they drop the price for open-box items. It’s also no doubt done to keep returns to a minimum….
The App Store for the iOS platform has been nothing short of successful. This was one of the first times that there was a single place to track down all of the relevant software for a particular platform. The idea revolutionized the way we looked at applications for the smartphone. Now Apple is wanting to take that a step further by announcing the Mac App Store will launch on January 6. Sure, there are plenty of ways to get applications…
