Archive for the ‘Analysis’ Category
Flash games are becoming more and more popular as internet speeds increase. Have you ever wanted to download those flash games and play them on your desktop without any annoying ads?
Here we’ll show you how to do just that. First how to download flash games to your PC and then how to play them offline. So if you’re hooked on some addictive flash game this guide should help you get it offline and play it on your desktop.
Download Flash Games:
Downloading flash games to your PC is a fairly easy process and there are lots of ways to do it. One way to get the game file is to look inside the page’s source code and find the direct link to the game file on the site. Another option is to wait for the game to load in your browser and later get it from the temporary files folder of your browser. Or you can just go to the site called File2HD and let it get the game file for you. We have already featured it earlier as a MP3 and video download tool for Myspace.
File2HD can help you download flash games from most of the online gaming sites. That being said, it doesn’t work with Kongregate, one of the best sites for Flash games. Althou I had no problems getting flash games from hugely popular sites like AddictiveGames.
So how does it work:
1. Go to the page with the flash game you want to download.
2. Copy the page URL and paste it into File2HD.
3. Set ‘Filter’ to ‘Objects’ option and click on ‘Get Files’ button.
4. Next, File2HD should retrieve the direct link to the game file.
5. Right click on the link an use ‘Save Link As’ option to save the game to your computer.
Play Flash Games Offline:
Once you have the game files on your system you can use a simple freeware program called FlashOffliner (Windows only) to take those raw .swf flash files, turn them into playable games, and neatly organize them under one menu.
Here are the steps you need to do:
1. Download and Install FlashOffliner.
The FlashOffliner setup comes with 2 games by default and 3 more that can be added later. If you want to install them as well then check step 4.
2. Once you have FlashOffliner up and running, you should see a new icon in the taskbar. Right click on the icon to see the list of available games and program options.
3. It takes two steps to add a downloaded flash game to your FlashOffliner games list. The first thing you need to do is click on the ‘Create New Flash Offliner Package’ and then point it to the downloaded file. Then you will be asked to name your new game and for a couple of more optional details. At the end it should create game_name.fop file for you.
4. Again right click on the FlashOffliner icon and this time select the ‘Install FlashOffliner Option’. Point the app to the newly created game_name.fop file to “install” the game.
5. This will install the game and add it to your FlashOffliner games. See screenshot below.
That’s about it, now you can simply click on the game of your choice and play it offline right on your desktop. By default the game window size is set to 800×600 but you can easily resize it to 400×300, 640×480, 1024×768 or Full Screen mode.
Now that you know how to take flash games offline check out our short post on best online flash games.
If you live in a hole and you havent already heard, Twitter have relaunched their home page. Twitter is one of the fastest growing websites in the world at the moment and their user base has been both positive and negative on the new home page design.
Most people use Twitter for social networks and not for search, however when designing the new home page the Twitter team has put an obvious emphasis on the search aspect of the business. I know that most people already signed up to Twitter even see the home page much at all, because they can manage their accounts from a huge list of Twitter applications available, so they never even have to visit the site. The new home page design seems to be focused on a basic design with the ability to show new users what Twitter is all about, and thats conversations.
I think the new design itself is very aesthetically appealing and they have done a great job incorporating the search aspect into the home page itself. If I was a new users I could easily see what people are talking about and see that there is a huge community already on Twitter, which provides me with more of an incentive of joining. What do you think?
Other peoples thoughts on the Twitter home page design: Mashable, Techcrunch, ReadWriteWeb, BoomTown, Venturebeat and NY Times.
Yahoo has been getting a lot bad press lately, but with their recent new home page launch they seem to be slowly getting on the right track. Other positive news coming out of Yahoo is their Microsoft search marketing deal, acquisition of Xoopit, and more. Today we wanted to show you a quick video about what Yahoo! engineers think about their new home page.
I came across this excellent list of social networks with their user bases and projected ad spending for 09. The list was put together by Borreall Associates and is a great resource. On the list are 118 networks that accept advertising and media buying.
Of course, Facebook and Myspace count for the majority of social media advertising, but there is still enough good traffic on other sites to be worth testing.
The download system is kind of a pain But since the report is free and this kind of data is valuable, its worth it. Download PDF or Excel version here.
Here are the top 30:
A lot of people have been noticing a drop in their followers on Twitter, with most asking why the hell is this happening. Twitter announced today that the company is purging spammers and correcting “data inconsistencies”. We haven’t noticed any significant change on Crenk’s Twitter account yet, but if you’ve been the target of spam followers, you might notice a “significant” change in both your follower and following counts.
Twitter writes:
For some time, the follower and following counts we display have been incorrect for some folks. We’re soon to push a change that will address this issue. This means that the count you see in your sidebar should match what you see on your follower and following pages.
However, a consequence of this change is that follower counts will drop for some people. In particular, those with large followings may see significant changes as we correct for spam accounts and data inconsistencies. No legitimate followings should be affected—we’re just cleaning up artifacts in the system.
Yahoo has confirmed that is has purchased a small start-up located in San Francisco in order to add better photo functionality to their Web Mail. The company which has been bought out is called Xoopit and is an emerging contender in the photo sharing world. The service allows users to share photos easily on a host of different sites such as Flickr and Facebook by taking them from their e-mail inboxes.
On the company blog, Bryan Lamkin, the senior vice-president said:
“ Why is this such a big deal? Yahoo! Mail is actually home to one of the largest online photo repositories in the world. And every day, millions of you use Yahoo! Mail as your primary way to share the photos of important moments in your lives. While social networks and community sites are great for sharing photos with everyone you know, we realize it’s not for everyone or every occasion. For many, email is still best for sharing photos among a more select group of friends or family. And now we’re making it all that much easier for you.”
Xoopit seems over the moon with the new deal. They have updated their homepage screaming Yahoo! everywhere. On their company blog they said that “the Xoopit team today sees this acquisition as an exceptional path for us in achieving our vision. Over the last few months, we have left every conversation with the Yahoo! team thinking that together we can wow the world”
The specific financial deal has not been revealed but it is estimated to be in the region of $20 million. That amount of money is no chump change for a new group of start-up creators who will hopefully go on to create even better websites and services in the future.
It’s all about security this week in the tech world. Google are under the spotlight concerning security in their upcoming Google Chrome OS and Norton 2010 is turning heads. Now, Mozilla Firefox is to receive an update (3.0.12) which will close several major security loop holes in their popular browser.
“We strongly recommend that all Firefox 3.0.x users upgrade to this latest release,” Mozilla said on its developer blog. “If you already have Firefox 3, you will receive an automated update notification within 24 to 48 hours. This update can also be applied manually by selecting ‘Check for Updates…’ from the Help menu.”
It is recommended that users download the update so that they remain secure online. Using credit cards and even just keeping your browsing habits safe is a difficult task these days so the last thing you want is a browser that lets unsavoury programs or people peer into your bank account.
However, this will be one of the last, if not the last update for the browser. As of January 2010, no more updates will be made available to users of the 3.0.’X’ series as Mozilla try to pedal their newest browser, Firefox 3.5 to users.
So 3G is what we’re all looking for in terms of surfing the web, checking e-mails and streaming video. It’s modern, cool and new – not to mention useful. It’s only starting to take off now since the release of the first touch screen smart-phones that give you HTML browsing – not like 2007 when all you could do was see mobile web slightly faster.
Now a Japanese company by the name of NTT DoCoMo (the company that first introduced 3G back in 2001, but the world failed to adopt it for years) now say that they will introduce 4G in 2010 and that they are confident that the world will get behind them this time.
“We went first and when we looked behind us there was nobody there.” Said the company’s president when asked about the 2001 launch of 3G.
However, even though the future certainly lies with 4G, I can’t see it catching on so quickly. 3G is at its height now and
basic business strategy is that you don’t stop selling until the product does. Then you move on. I admire DoCoMo’s enthusiasm but even though it’s been over eight years since they introduced 3G, it’s only been three or four for the rest of the world.
They are really starting to push what 4G can do in the hope of winning over big companies into adopting the service. They claim that it will be able to stream movies and live TV anywhere where there is a hint of service at speeds approaching 300Mbs. In summary, I would say it will be a few years until we start seeing 4G around these parts.
Screenjelly is perhaps the easiest screen recorder you'll ever use.
There are a lot of applications that claim to be the leader in capturing and recording your screen. Well I’m not making that claim with Screenjelly, but I will say it’s the easiest I’ve ever used.
Why?
Well unlike most other free screen capture applications, you don’t need to create a profile or sign up for an account. You also don’t need to download anything or log-in for access, you simply go to the site and start the process. The ease of use is a welcomed approach for new users who are not familiar with existing screen recording applications. There is little barrier into the service and users do not get mired down with having to check their emails to authorize emails and other such necessities when creating a new account.
Screenjelly also has a close relationship with Twitter, where you can easily share your recordings directly with your followers, and instantly get feedback. It’s pretty tempting if you’re looking at doing something quick. There are no screen share capabilities to pass it on to someone else, there’s not meeting function for chat function to share with other users, this is just purely setup to record what’s on your screen and the audio being sent via your microphone.
Recently there’s been a wave of news regarding brands that have been misrepresented on various social networks for
the purpose of deceiving and sharing misinformation. It has become frustrating for users to determine if a brand is honestly being represented online or managed by someone impersonating said brand. These problems can now be overcome with Verified Pages, which focuses on sharing which brands are online and where their social profiles are.
This site has been a long time coming, and users can now safely connect with the brand of their choice, having comfort that they are not communicating with an impersonator. Brands that have connected with Verified Pages understand the importance of their brands reputation.
If you’re looking to provide end users with the comfort of knowing they are connecting with the real deal, then I highly encourage you to register your brand. If you are someone looking for a specific entity to contact, search the site and find out where you can find them.
Have you ever wondered where the top web startup executives live? Well I know I havent! Anyways Biz Stone the Twitter co-founder is selling his two-bedroom home in the Berkeley Hills. The Twitter co-founder didn’t say why “it’s time to move;” maybe to live closer to Twitter HQ in San Francisco, or maybe he’s just outgrown this artist’s hovel.
The two-bedroom cottage lists at less than $600,000, making it practically a shack by the standards of the Bay Area tech elite, who can easily pay seven figures for a basic, single-family home in their favored neighborhoods. Sure, it was designed by modernist architect William Wurster, but where is a tech mogul going to park his helicopter?
It has been reported that sources at a major client of investment house ThinkEquity say that the firm considers a Microsoft (MSFT) link-up with Yahoo! (YHOO) in the search business to be “imminent”. The comments were made by analyst William Morrison. ThinkEquity did not have an immediate comment.
Sources beyond ThinkEquity speculate that under the terms of the arrangement, Yahoo! will be paid $3 billion upfront and will get 11o% of the revenue that its searches provide after traffic acquisition costs in each of the first two years. In the third year, that figure would go to 90%.
Microsoft will then have control of 30% of the US search market if they can close the deal with Yahoo. Given that Microsoft’s own Bing is on the rise also, it will then only be about taking share away from Google. However, I can see how this deal with allow Microsoft to take marketshare from Google, Google has much better technology and a huge amount of brand loyalty. comScore put Google’s US June search share flat at 65%, Yahoo! at 19.5%, down .5%, and Microsoft at 8.4%, up .4%.
For Yahoo!, the transaction would give it the opportunity to lock in a substantial revenue stream from search and potentially save several hundred million dollars over the next three years by cutting development personnel and costs. If the transaction materializes, Yahoo!’s share could jump $4 or $5.
