Got a jumpy cat? You need KeyboardLock
Streaming media, downloading files, running a backup -- there are all kinds of reasons why you might leave your laptop (or any PC) alone for a while. But if your home has babies, pets or other curious passers-by then that could lead to problems, as even a single stray mouse click or key press could interrupt whatever you’re trying to do.
And that’s where KeyboardLock comes in. Small, portable and entirely free, the program can block keyboard and mouse events on demand, making it a little more difficult for even the most determined dog to affect your system setup. (Unless they hit the power switch, anyway.)
Anti-Windows campaign is blathering blowhards' 15-minutes of fame
It's like some twisted reality TV show. As we draw closer to Windows 8's official release date, a parade of "D-List" industry luminaries has emerged to bash the product in exchange for their 15 minutes of fame. Names like Gabe Newell, a previously unknown co-founder from the equally obscure software firm Valve, have now become household names among the anti-Windows set. And while their arguments against Windows 8's success ring a bit hollow, the industry media is still eager to lap up every controversial quote.
Lest I be labeled just another kettle calling the pot names, I must confess that I indulged in my share of sensationalist Microsoft bashing back in the day. I made a career out of ripping Windows, first with the Vista debacle and later in the run-up to Windows 7. However, while my whining may have seemed a bit shrill at times, the underlying complaints were always based in fact -- for example, bugs with Vista's Plug & Play implementation that forced me to reinstall the OS and even lose data on multiple occasions.
Oracle releases VirtualBox 4.1.20
Oracle has updated both its open-source virtualisation tool, VirtualBox 4.1.20, and the accompanying VirtualBox Extension Pack, which is free for personal use only.
Version 4.1.20, which runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, is a maintenance release, with various bug fixes and minor changes the order of the day. This version should not been confused with the upcoming VirtualBox 4.2, a major release that recently enteredRelease Candidate stage.
AOKP Jelly Bean Build 1 is available -- get it NOW!
Android Open Kang Project, the team behind the popular custom Android distribution AOKP, has announced the availability of the first Android 4.1 Jelly Bean official build named Jelly Bean Build 1. The number of supported devices is currently limited to the Android smartphones used by the team behind the project, but it has been announced that availability will be extended once "things slow down" and new device maintainers will join the AOKP project.
Although there is no official changelog accompanying the release of the first official AOKP Jelly Bean build, some details are available as to what changes to expect from AOKP Jelly Bean Build 1.
Sizester gets photos just right for sharing
Before you share images via email, Facebook, or some other online means, the chances are that you have to spend time resizing them. This may be to overcome size restrictions (in the case of email attachments) or to reduce upload time (when you are sharing via social networks). Sizester is a great low-cost tool that lets you resize and share from the same place, helping you to get your images online faster than ever.
This is a small app that loads and operates incredibly quickly, making it a far cry from slow and cumbersome image editors that you may be used to. While it’s not free of charge, the asking price is very low and the ease with which it enables you to get your images online more than makes it worthwhile. It includes just the features you need to get the job done so you are not overwhelmed with unnecessary options.
Why not just wait for Windows 8?
Microsoft is starting to make good on its Windows 8 Pro upgrade offer -- $14.99 for new PCs running the current version purchased between June 2 and January 31. Today, registration opened, for redemption when Windows 8 ships on October 26. PCs running Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate qualify for the upgrade, for which registration must be completed by February 28.
While the program arguably is a benefit to Windows 7 PC buyers, Microsoft also double-dips licensing revenue. For back-to-schoolers who can't afford or don't want Macs (or Chromebook, not to be forgotten), Windows 7 is the only real choice. In another universe -- perhaps far removed from this one -- Microsoft shipped Windows 8 in time for these shoppers. But not here. (Perhaps in yet another far-flung reality Microsoft shipped, keeping with Mayan prophesies, Windows 2012 EOW -- End of World -- edition.)
CloneSpy uncovers duplicate files
If you need to free up some hard drive space then using something like CCleaner to remove leftover and temporary files is a good place to start. But duplicate files can also tie up a surprising amount of real estate, and so it’s often a good idea to use a specialist duplicate detector, such as CloneSpy, to see how bad the problem might be on your system.
To get started, launch the program, click Add Folder and choose the drive you’d like to scan: C:\, say. Click Add Selected Folder > OK > Start Scanning, and in just a few seconds (it’s very fast) CloneSpy will display the first pair of matching files.
How to install Jelly Bean on Galaxy Nexus
The Samsung/Google Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean are a remarkable combination of hardware and software. If you're one of the less fortunate Galaxy Nexus owners and you haven't yet received Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, or you just want to restore from a custom ROM, this guide will show you how to install the stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean on your Galaxy Nexus.
Before actually getting to install Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you should know that this process will erase all the data on your Galaxy Nexus, so take notice and backup the contents of your smartphone before performing the install. The easiest and most conveniently available method to perform a backup is to select "MTP mode" when you connect your Galaxy Nexus to the computer and then copy all the data that you want to backup to your computer.
If Google+ is a ghost town, there sure are lots of spooks hanging around here
I am totally tanked about Google+ offering custom URLs, which product manager Saurabh Sharma announced a week ago. For anyone looking to establish any kind of brand via the social network, custom URLs that look like this (https://plus.google.com/+joewilcox/posts) are more desirable than ones like this (https://plus.google.com/u/0/114738075629051960079/posts). Some people with verified accounts (I have one) are custom URL already (not my account). The change intrinsically increases Google+'s value compared to, say, Facebook, which already offers vanity names.
Something else: Custom URLs may finally end the debate about Google+ popularity. There are ongoing blogs and news stories claiming the social network is a ghost town. That's not my experience. Critics claim there simply isn't enough public activity, while defenders say the amount of private Circling isn't easily measurable and makes activity seem much less than it actually is. I see the situation like this: If custom URLs are as valuable as I contend -- and they surely have proven to be elsewhere -- demand for them will show how little or how much Google+ matters across the social media landscape and whether it's a city building or ghost town making.
Nook out! Barnes & Noble's ebook readers come to the UK in October
US bookseller Barnes & Noble has confirmed that it will be bringing its Nook digital eBook readers and bookstore to the UK in the autumn. Initially the devices, which include Nook Simple Touch and the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, will only be available through the company’s online storefront at www.nook.co.uk (which currently redirects to the main Barnes & Noble site). However, according to the company, the devices will additionally be available through various "leading retailers", which the company expects to announce shortly.
Speaking about the upcoming launch -- the first time the company has expanded its business outside of the United States -- William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer at Barnes & Noble, says, "We are proud to be able to offer our top-rated line of Nook reading devices and our award-winning digital bookstore to the discerning and highly educated consumers in the UK. We’re confident our award-winning technology, combined with our expansive content -- including books, children’s books, magazines, apps, movies and more -- will bring UK customers the option they’ve been waiting for."
Skip Metro Suite bypasses the Windows 8 Start screen
One of the most annoying things about Windows 8 is the new Start screen. It’s provoked a marmite-like response, but Microsoft has made it clear that it’s here to stay. That in itself doesn’t make it the end of the world, but the need to have to click the Desktop tile or press [Win] + [D] after logging on in order to access the classic desktop we all know and love is.
Fear not, however, as the good folk of WinAero.com have come up with a solution that works both now and in the future. The fix? Skip Metro Suite 1.0.0.
OnLive goes through emergency asset liquidation to stay afloat
In a whirlwind restructuring that took place over the weekend, streaming video game company OnLive Inc. was stripped of all its assets and sold to a new company, at the expense of all of its shares and employees. The OnLive gaming service itself underwent no changes.
According to a statement from OnLive, all of the company's assets: technology, patents, trademarks, and so forth, were "transferred to an assignee, which then sold the assets to the new company. There was no transfer to any other party." The company's entire staff was laid off, and about half of the staff was offered their same job at the same pay.
'Your Amazon Cloud Drive and Cloud Player subscription has ended'
What the retailer gives, it also takes away. In what I can only call the mother of all customer-unfriendly emails, Amazon tells me, and presumably others, that music uploaded to Cloud Drive is gone. I got my email yesterday, without prior notice of major subscription change. I only knew because my job is covering tech news.
But the email still shocked: "If your Cloud Player library contained more than 250 imported songs when your subscription expired, you will be unable to access your previously-imported music". Oh yeah? What happened to that generous 20GB of storage Amazon gave a year ago? What about benefits attached to Prime membership?
Designing a better electric plane
First in a series. One thing about mature markets is they spawn opportunity through pure complexity. What does the press do but sit around discussing the size and depth and pimples on the bum of mature markets? But we spend so much time discussing the implications of what has already happened that we don’t give much space to what’s coming in the form of new ideas. So for the next week or so I’ll be doing a series of columns about new ideas, especially new technologies, that ought to interest us all.
Leading by example I’ll start with a project my kids and I have been working on this summer -- an electric airplane.
FreeVimager is different
The PC world has more than its share of image viewers, which makes it difficult for any one product to stand out from the crowd. FreeVimager is a rare exception, though, winning you over by its sheer weight of features and functionality.
You get the core viewer basics, of course. The program can associate itself with individual file types (AVI and some audio formats as well as basic images), or open entire folders to display them as a slideshow. And there’s a decent set of image editing options: resize, rotate or crop tools; sharpen and soften filters; brightness, contrast and colour adjustments, a red-eye remover and more.
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