Filed under: Productivity, Web services, web 2.0

There’s a lot of you out there that use computers everywhere, making use of web-based services like Gmail, Google Reader, Pixenate, and Zoho. Here’s something that’ll help you organize your computing experience no matter what computer you use: Jooce, the on the internet desktop. We covered the service back in August, but it’s finally out of beta with old features refined and new ones to offer.

Jooce is web-based, meaning all you need is a computer with a web browser and a connection to the web. Through Jooce, you can store unlimited files, share those files, access applications, email others, instant message, and more just like you would on a regular computer. The difference is that Jooce lets you do it anywhere on any personal and keeps the experience consistent. Other similar services exist from other companies such as Goowy and YouOS, which also emulate the desktop of a computer.

Jooce looks fairly simple to use and simulates the desktop computer experience pretty well. It’s funded through the occasional, non-intrusive ad, so it’s free to use. Future improvements include third party widgets from Widgetbox and Jooce’s very own email client. The company was started by three friends from around the world who worked together at a Paris based NGO. The project took off in the wake of the United Nations sponsored World Summit on the Information Society.

[via TechCrunch]

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Macintosh, Productivity

Being able to access one computer from another, via some sort of remote desktop utility is hardly a new development, Windows and Mac OS have included VNC clients with their operating systems for years. Being able to access a Windows personal from your Mac isn’t even new — the Windows Remote Desktop client is available for the Mac, and programs like TightVNC will grant Windows users to connect to a Mac running Tiger or Leopard, assuming the sharing preferences are configured correctly.

However, the downside to using a client-based VNC is that if you are on a trying to connect to a personal from a system that with access restrictions (say, a personal in an World wide web cafe or in a school computer lab), you might not be able to access the necessary software to begin the remote connection. That’s where services like LogMeIn come in.

As long as your target computer has the LogMeIn client installed and is connected to the Internet, you can access that system from a different personal simply using your web browser. And even though Mac users have been able to connect to Windows machine via LogMeIn for quite some time, the reverse was not true. Until now. Last week LogMeIn released the first full release of the LogMeIn client for the Mac. Right now, the free version of LogMeIn, which is adequate for most home users, is available, and as the name implies, free. A free beta is also available for the LogMeIn Rescue (which is aimed at IT professionals or computer technicians, as it makes it easy to take control of a client’s machine without having to pre-install software).

Continue reading LogMeIn - now available for the Mac

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Audio, Business, Design, Developer, Finance, Internet, Video, Blogging, Productivity, Web services, Yahoo!, Beta

Yahoo! is getting ready to take the wrapper off TechTicker, an on the web program aimed at technology investors.

TechTicker specifically targets technology stocks in a portal type environment. The new program will offer streaming video, blog posts and breaking news targeting the technology investment sector. The portal and show which are stated to be launching in January 2008, pick up where Yahoo! Finance Vision left off in 2002. Thankfully high speed connections are far more common in 2007 and superior video compression tools are available to make world wide web based shows a feasible reality, rather than a pipe dream (no, we’re not poking fun at Yahoo! Pipes, ok, maybe just a little). As for the other financial information that will be displayed, we assume it will resemble what Yahoo! Finance already does, but targeting technology specific companies.

With Yahoo! Finance high on the list of financial sites, TechTicker could be headed for great things. Of course, track records aside, we’ll have to wait for the roll out in order to really decide.

Check out what Yahoo! Finance Vision looked like back in the day.

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Utilities, Linux, Productivity

Gnome-Do is a lightweight and speedy tiny file and program launcher for the Gnome Desktop environment. Basically, Gnome-Do does for Linux what Launchy does for Windows, and a tiny bit of what Quicksilver does for Mac.

The application works great on Linux, letting you launch any installed application in a matter of nanoseconds. In order to use Gnome-Do, you’ll need to make sure it’s running, either by starting it from your Applications menu or by adding it to your session’s startup programs. Once it’s running, you can pull up your Gnome-Do menu by simultaneously pressing your Windows key and the spacebar. Then just type the name of the program you want to launch.

You can also swiftly open files or folders or even your web browser’s bookmarks. There are also plugins for Rhythmbox, Evolution, and Thunderbird.

[via Lifehacker]

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: News, Podcasting, Blogging, E-mail, Office, Productivity, Microsoft

I’ve been in shock all evening, after learning of the passing of a great friend and mentor of mine, Marc Orchant.

Marc’s name will be well-known to those that have frequented any of Weblogs Inc’s technology-focused blogs in the past, or in fact anyone interested in productivity and Getting Things Done. Marc was one of the original Weblogs bloggers, and blogged for a number of different Weblogs properties. He was the lead blogger on The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog, which eventually was rolled into Download Squad (long after he had moved on to other endeavors). He also pitched in when Download Squad was first getting off the ground.

Marc suffered a heart attack last weekend, and was rushed to hospital where he’d emergency open-heart surgery. We know this because his good friend Oliver Starr has been maintaining a page dedicated to Marc, with updates from his family. Many in the blogging world have been following Oliver’s updates on Marc’s condition with bated breath, and it seems I’m not the only one that has had his life immeasurably improved through contact with Marc. Heartfelt worry and well-wishes abounded on Twitter and personal blog entries all through last week as those of us that considered Marc our friend hoped for a miraculous recovery. If ever there was someone that deserved one, it would be him.

It was therefore with profound sorrow that we learned of Marc’s passing this day. Our hearts go out to his wife Sue, his daughter Rebecca, his son Jason, and really everyone that had the pleasure to have Marc be part of their life.

Marc was interviewed back at the end of 2005 as one of Weblogs Inc’s most influential bloggers, and it holds up well for those that are interested in how Marc got involved with blogging.

Though he’s no longer with us, Marc’s prolific writing on the internet has ensured that his words are but a click away. It’s tiny comfort, but right now I’ll take what I have the ability to get.

Here is a list of places you can read Marc’s work in approximate reverse chronological order:

• Platform Agnostic - Marc’s most current personal blog
• Marc’s Vox Blog - a personal blog on the Vox blogging platform
• Blognation US - Marc’s most current commercial blogging venture
• Office Evolution - A ZDNet blog Marc maintained between September, 2006 and August, 2007
• The Unofficial Microsoft Weblog - Marc’s primary Weblogs Inc. venture, where he was lead blogger
• Download Squad - Marc contributed to Download Squad in the early days
• The Office Weblog - Marc’s first and main Weblogs Inc blog
• The Tablet PC Weblog - Marc was an early proponent of the Tablet Personal computer form factor
• Marc’s Outlook on Productivity - Marc’s OfficeZealot productivity blog that predated his involvement with Weblogs Inc

Thanks Marc. We’ll miss you.

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, World wide web, Text, Blogging, Productivity, Web services, web 2.0

When it comes to finding out what tech related news items peers find the most important, Digg is probably king. And while Digg also features political news, arts stories, and other subjects, there are some topics that you just aren’t prone to find.

Enter Blingd. This site serves all the freshest hip hop news items, in a Digg social story submission style. It’s simple to see that each aspect of this lifestyle gets represented here from dance, fashion, graffiti, books, music, sports and movies. It might not be the prettiest site, but it is starting to bring a community together to a place where top news can be shared in an simple to reach location.

If hip hop is your game, and you want to stay on top of who released the top album of the week, who drives the best pimped out ride, and who the latest one signed to Bad Boy is, this might be your place. One thing we would like to see, a little more Bling in the design. Blingd does use the open source Pligg for its CMS.

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Internet, Productivity, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Red Hat, Yahoo!

Since your computer is your newest appendage, it makes sense to learn all those keyboard shortcuts so you can save time, and also avoid repetitive stress syndrome (think carpel tunnel) which could really lead to down time from your favorite personal activities.

Shortcutguide.com is a nice all-in-one list of keyboard shortcuts for most popular applications such as Google (mail, docs, spreadsheets, video, maps, reader) , Firefox 2, Windows XP, Linux 9, Yahoo Mail, Opera 9, and Adobe Reader 7. Although some Apple apps are listed such as iDVD, iMovie HD 6, iTunes 7, and i photo 06, shortcuts for Mac OS X are not listed nor are they for Windows Vista.

Still, this is a nice all-in-one resource to help you navigate different applications without using your mouse. And you gotta love the nice keyboard interface that lets you hover over keys to see different shortcuts in the feature pane. Of course, in this instance you have to use your mouse, but it’s all in the name of a future reward, so to speak.

Tell us your favorite keyboard shortcut guides you’ve found on the internet, and we’ll compile them into a new big grandaddy list.

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Productivity, Freeware

We can’t count the number of times we’ve accidentally shut a web browser, word processor, or other application without saving our data first. Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t have an undo key. But thanks to GoneIn60s, you can add a slowdo button. (Yes, we’re going to trademark slowdo, you can’t have it).

What GoneIn60s does is delay the shutdown of your applications. When you hit the close button, the application is hidden, but it won’t actually close for another 60 seconds. You can adjust that time, but then the name of the program looks all silly.

So state you close your web browser when you had meant to close Outlook. You now have 60 seconds to look for the lightning arrow icon in your taskbar, right-click it, and choose your shut browser session. It will pop right back up.

If there are some programs that you’d prefer to close down immediately, you can create a whitelist of apps to close each time. GoneIn60s is little at just 205KB, and it’s free to boot.

[via Lifehacker]

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Developer, Fun, World wide web, Blogging, Productivity, Web services, web 2.0

Jott is a voice based on the internet tool that we covered earlier this year. The basic premise is that you call a specified phone number, speak a message, and have it’s transcribed and sent as text to your account on a service like Twitter, a Wordpress blog, a Tumblr blog, or even to Yahoo Groups.

Now Jott officially supports Google Calendar. Users will now have the capability to talk into the system, specify a Google Calendar, and have Jott drop in an appointment. Great for on the go and have to set something up ASAP so you don’t forget!

Jott is currently in public beta.

Read

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, Internet, Productivity, Web services

Sure, Flickr is a great place to find and share images. But wouldn’t it be nice if you could also edit those images on the internet? Now you can. OK, you’ve been able to for a long time, using on the internet pic editing sites like Picnik and SnipShot. But now Flickr and Picnik have added an “edit photo” button to that makes the process pretty darn simple.

We first heard that Flickr was partnering with Picnik back in October. At the time, we half suspected that all you’d see is an “edit with Picnik” button on each pic that would let you load up an image on Picnik’s site. But the service that launched this day is far cooler than that. You can access Picnik’s powerful pic imaging interface without leaving Flickr at all.

That means you can crop, resize, adjust exposure, contract, color saturation and other aspects of your images with just a few clicks. You can also apply effects like converting color images to black and white. if you’ve a Picnik Premium account, you can access some additional effects like Infrared, Night Vision, Tint, and Invert.

In order to edit a pic, you’ll need to login to your account and select an image you’ve uploaded. You’ll should see an “edit photo” button in the toolbar above your picture. For now it doesn’t look like there’s any way to edit images uploaded by other users.

Read

Share This

Share This