We’ve mentioned a few times back about DropBox being a very cool application, even the iPhone version; but the developer team it is already working on satisfying all your needs. That’s why they’ve created Votebox, where users can vote about incoming new features.
Here are some of the features that are the most popular right now:
- Selective sync. Choose which files to sync and which you don’t want to sync.
- Watch any folder. Sync folders outside the Dropbox folder.
- Mac resource fork support. For a better integration with Mac users and OS.
- Email files to Dropbox. Sending just one mail will upload the file to DropBox
- DropBox for Android.
- Sharing permissions. Define different sharing permissions to your folders.
Also they’ve mentioned some other options, not only as features but regarding about pricing and payment (PayPal support for example). Even though DropBox is a free application, you have 2GB as a free user; if you want more, there’s a fee associated.
If you are a DropBox addict, then don’t hesitate and vote!
Like you read it, you can download files using the BitTorrent network without actually using .torrent files with a new Firefox add-on.
“Well, yeah, I know that” you might say “those are called magnet links”. Yes, it is true, magnet links exists already; and they don’t use the .torrent file to download, they use DHT protocol. But unfortunately, magnet links are not so easy to find; even though there are some popular clients (like Vuze and uTorrent) that already support magnetized links.
But now, you can find those very easy with the Firefox Add-on Magnetiser. You can install it, look for the Torrent that you want to download, click on magnetise, select the torrent client, and your download will start.
One small consideration though, the Add-On it is not officially out just yet (officially meaning that you can download it directly from Mozilla site); but you can download this add-on from here (just drag-n-drop the .xpi file intro Firefox.
Having external hard drives has become one of the most common requirements for most of us, and if you were thinking that your portable hard drive didn’t combine with your desk nor your wallet, Brinell is giving you a new touch of class for you HD.
They have designed some really cool and elegant covers that will definitely class-up your portable devices. The Purestorage line is made of leather, wood, carbon fiber and even stainless steel. Having all those components you can easily confuse it with your wallet, cigar box or some other items.
The actual hard drives that include this series contain capacities of 160GB and 500GB, with 1.8 and 2.5 inches. And the cost goes from €189 and €229. It shouldn’t surprise you, having excellent built quality comes with a little bit of cost.
I can even see these models in women purses.
For over several years now, the OpenOffice.org Project has been increasing significantly. And on October 28th they’ve reached the 100 million download with their 3.0 version.
Open Office 3, released a year ago, included several improvements:
- Enhanced compatibility with Microsoft Office 2007
- Added edition capabilities for PDF
- Included Open Office extensions (quite similar like you have in Firefox add-ons)
- Various improvements with Writer (Word), Calc (Excel) and Impress (PowerPoint).
The latest and stable build is the 3.1.1 but there is already a Beta available for the 3.2 version, you can check it here.
Open Office originally appeared as StarOffice, owned by Sun Microsystems (back in the year 2000). The first original version of Open Office, 1.0 obviously, showed up in 2002. And for those that worked with it, knew that it had a lot to improve.
Even though all that, this project was the only one that maintains certain stability over the years with an “attempt” to use it as a free possibility working with Office standards. Personally I’ve never got used to it to use it, but continue to be as the main possibility for several governmental and educational entities, related to costs of course.
Yes, what you probably thought that you will never combine is arriving: A device for playing and recording VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray and HDD. And who is in charge of this invention? JVC, they are releasing the JVC DR-BH2550 in Japan in a few weeks more (December).
But wait, that’s not all, it also has a 250 GB hard drive, neat isn’t?
The idea actually, if you think about it, it is not all that strange. Recording from DVD to Blu-R it is not all that common yet, using a DVD recorder to replace a VHS it is not working either (maybe because there is none with an acceptable quality); so what do you may need? A device that combines all of them.
Some of other features that will include:
- Supporting photograms of 1080, 60 and 24 pixels.
- BD-Live for Blu-Ray interactive applications.
- Bonusview, for Blu-Ray extras materials.
- Support for Sony’s AVCHD.
- USB ports and one slot for SD/SDHC memory cards.
- HDMI.
Estimated cost? US1400
I guess there are tons of Linux users that were waiting for this kind of project; Marcan42 is developing Usbmuxd, that it is capable to synchronize your iPhone/iPod Touche with your Linux distribution.
Well there are a few applications already available that are capable to achieve this functionality, but at a small cost, iPhone must be jailbreaked. Usbmuxd represents a library that will be in charge to generate the communication with the device and your machine. Usbmuxd name actually was created from “USB multiplexing daemon”.
Using this daemon, plus other Linux libraries, you will be able to proxy requests from the USB cable to the specific port on the iPhone. Here are some of the libraries involved:
- libusb-1.0 provides an advanced API to access USB devices under Linux, replacing the old libusb-0.1 API
- usbmuxd coordinates application access to the device and talks the specific iPhone/iTouch USB protocol
- libiphone implements the Apple-specific protocols that are tunneled through usbmuxd: it can launch services through lockdown, retrieve device info, send notifications, and access the filesystem via AFC.
- iFuse and gvfs-backend-afc both provide access to AFC to regular Linux apps. iFuse does this by mounting via FUSE, while gvfs-backend-afc is obviously a backend for gVFS.
- libgpod (the library that traditionally has managed music databases for iPods) is being extended to support the new SQLite format, the new hash, and also to talk to libiphone to properly put the device in to and out of sync mode.
Ok, I know, if you are not a Linux user, some of these concepts might confuse you; but you can be certain about one thing: it is so great to have the opportunity to use your favorite technology and gadgets no matter which platform are you using.
As many of you already should know, Windows 7 media, as it was for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, includes all the versions inside the same disc. But, the difference from Vista is that Windows 7 does not let you choose from the different versions available when you install the operating system.
Windows 7 Edition Switcher will let you easily do that, and the possibility, for example, to switch from Windows 7 Home to Ultimate.
This new and simple app will let you convert any Windows 7 ISO file to the version that you need, and it only takes a few clicks.
Just select the patch from the zip file that you downloaded from the website, select the ISO file that you wish to convert and done.
Oh, did I mention this app it is also portable? 
Enjoy!
There are only a few things in your life that you are condemned to repeat it over and over, re installing operating systems it is definitely one of them. And this task never comes alone; you are condemned also to installing your common apps all over again. That’s where Ninite appears, providing you in one installer all the applications of your choice.
As simple as it sounds, Ninite will let you decide from several applications already loaded (don’t worry, I’m pretty sure that the 90% apps will appear there) and generates automatically one installer with all of them.
The another great thing I found is that you just need to visit Ninite home page, select your apps (no registration needed) and click on “Get Installer”.
In case you were asking, here are my selected apps:
- Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari
- Skype, Live Messenger
- iTunes, VLC Player
- Foxit Reader
- Microsoft Security Essentials
- Flash Player, Silverlight, Java JRE 6 Update 18
- uTorrent
- DropBox, ImgBurn
- WinRAR
- WinSCP, PuTTY
Just a few days after Windows 7 official release, we now have tons of tools available to optimize our Windows 7 experience. And Microsoft Store offers us: Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool, which will let us burn an ISO Windows 7 image into a DVD or, my favorite choice, a USB flash.
This represents a new approach by Microsoft to insert Windows 7 into the netbooks world, that by default never include an optical CD/DVD ROM.
The usability provided by the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool it is quite simple as well: You will need, of course, the Windows 7 ISO file (extracted from the DVD or downloaded from Microsoft); select to create a DVD disc or a bootable USB drive and complete the wizard.
An important note about the USB option is that it will use the entire flash drive to build this bootable image, meaning that you better move those files from your portable drive.
I guess you are running out of excuses for not using Windows 7 right?
Archos is presenting the first Tablet PC with Windows 7 incorporated, natively: Archos 9 PCTablet. Taking advantage of the touch-screen technology included within the new operating system. Now, with Windows 7 out in the market, you should expect to see a lot of these products in the next few months.
Want to know some of the features included in Archos 9 PCTablet?
- VGA-out port.
- USB and audio jack ports.
- 60 GB hard disk space available with an extra 25 GB for online use.
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and BlueTooth 2.1
- 9-inch screen.
- FullHD support!
- Intel Atom processor included.
- 1.7cms thick and 800g of weight.
And how much does it costs? £449.99 in the UK. That’s where it will only be available for now, or you can buy it from their website.
Here’s also a quick review made by TechRadar.
The netbooks seems that they are going to take the market (Windows 7 was already built thinking in netbooks), but having this devices available already, including a great OS like Windows 7, sounds like an excellent idea to me.
Windows 7 will be out in the street in a few days more (October 22, this Thursday) and Microsoft Press is giving us a very useful book for free: Windows 7 Deployment Essential Guidance.
This e-book contains ten chapters from another official Microsoft Press book: Windows 7 Resource Kit (not for free, of course). Contains all the necessary information about Windows 7 deployment planning, execution, automation and tools involved in the process.
Here’s a summary of the topics involved:
- Planning Deployment
- Testing Application Compatibility
- Developing Disk Images
- Migrating User State Data
- Deploying Applications
- Volume Activation
- Using Windows Deployment Services (WDS)
- Using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)
But that’s not all: Microsoft also published as a free download the Chapter 23 of the Windows 7 Resource Kit, “Supporting Users Using Remote Assistance”.
Enjoy!
Even though all the rumors said that we were going to have an official beta of Firefox 3.6, as we’ve discussed earlier, Mozilla will be releasing a 3.6 build, but as an early beta.
This “test build”, that should contain several bugs, will be a small preview of the real 3.6 beta that will be available to the public on October 21st (yes, one day before Windows 7 official release to the public). To take a nice preview of what’s coming in 3.6, you can access Mozilla FTP and download the build.
As we’ve said earlier, Firefox 3.6 (codename Namoroka) won’t bring us big changes, the features that you’ll find here:
- Lightweight themes with Vista-like interface.
- Improvements in TraceMonkey JavaScript engine
- Bookmark synchronization
- Optimized session restore feature.
- Enhanced page rendering.
- New additions for CSS.
- Previews of tabs
We’ll have to wait for 3.7 to expect major differences.
