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SecondShell is a portable utility that makes Windows Explorer a lot more user friendly

SecondShell is a tool that makes window management both less fiddly and more keyboard shortcut oriented. It doesn't actually do a whole lot (it's only 200 kilobytes!), but it adds such handy features that you'll wonder why Windows doesn't include them by default.

First, you can resize windows by holding down Alt+Right click and dragging the mouse anywhere in the window. Alt+Left click moves the window. By Odin's beard, how frickin' awesome is that?! Ctrl+Alt+Arrow key maximizes your window either horizontally or vertically, and Ctrl+Alt+Numpad 1-9 moves the window into the respective corner of your screen. There's a bunch of other keyboard shortcuts, too (but Windows 7 already has most of them built-in, I think).

Netbook and laptop users: if the resize-anywhere bit wasn't enough to get you excited, you can also remap Caps Lock to act as a Middle Mouse button! No longer will it be a struggle to open links in new tabs! It should be noted that Caps Lock remapping (and some other advanced features) will require some .INI file hacking -- the FAQ should have you covered, if you've never done that before, though.

SecondShell is one of those tiny little utilities that you simply must try; it's fast, flawless, and completely portable. It's also Windows-only, I'm afraid.

SecondShell is a portable utility that makes Windows Explorer a lot more user friendly originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows 7 - Windows Explorer - Microsoft Windows - Mouse - Windows

Google Instant launches, searching now ‘faster than the speed of type’

Filed under: Google, Search

That's Google's pun in the title, but by Zeus's greased lightningbolt! I wish I'd thought of it first.

Google's big announcement is the launch of Google Instant. I think most of us had hoped Instant would be but a part of today's goodies, but alas! You can try it out by simply heading to www.google.com -- and if it hasn't been activated for you yet, check out our previous post on the topic.

Google Instant actually represents the next big step in semantic search. Now, rather than simply suggesting terms as you type, Google can show you what it thinks you want to see -- after typing just a single word, a single keypress! Two people can type in 'Hollywood' and have different results immediately shown to them -- one might get the latest Hollywood gossip, while the other gets some film review sites.

Basically, this is Google's big play. This is Google showing that it knows more about you than yourself. One day soon, you will visit Google.com and you'll simply be able to tab through a bunch of suggested search terms -- you won't even have to start typing. There'll be an auto-play option of course, so you can just sit back and play with, or read, whatever Google has picked out for you.

O brave new world...

Google Instant launches, searching now 'faster than the speed of type' originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google - Google Instant - search - Google.com - Download Squad

iOS 4.1 update is here: what’s in and what’s out?

Filed under: OS Updates, Apple, iPhone

iOS 4.1 is finally available to download, and the new features are what we expected for the most part. What you get out of the iOS 4.1 upgrade depends on your device. iPhone 4 users can take full advantage of the new iOS features, including Game Center, HDR photography and HD video uploading. You also get a fix for the proximity sensor bug, if it affected you. (Yay! No more accidental hangups!) FaceTime also gets an update, allowing you to save contacts as favorites and call 4G iPod touch users.

On the 3GS, you get Game Center, but no HDR photos. iPhone 3G users get a mixed bag, with the promised performance boost that makes iOS 4 usable for the first time on the iPhone 4, but no Game Center. All iOS 4.1 users can take advantage of new TV show rentals in the iTunes Store, but that feature ONLY works with iOS 4.1, which means that iPad owners are out of luck for now.

All in all, it sounds like there's no reason not to update. To start the process, plug in your iPhone or iPod touch, click on it in iTunes, then find the Check for Updates button. As always, remember to back up your device first!

[via TUAW]

iOS 4.1 update is here: what's in and what's out? originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IPhone - Apple - Game Center - IpodTouch - IPod Classic

ZumoCast streams all your music and movies to your iPhone or iPad

Filed under: Audio, Windows, Macintosh, iPhone

Do you have more music and movies on your hard drives than you can squeeze onto your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? I've got good news! ZumoCast has progressed beyond beta and is now available for download on the App Store!

Grab both the ZumoCast server app for your computer and the mobile app for your iOS device, and you're good to go. There's nothing to configure beyond picking which folders you want to make available for streaming -- ZumoCast takes care of the rest automatically. You don't even need to do any fiddling with your router or firewall software. It's probably also worth mentioning that ZumoCast is totally free.

The app performs quite well over my Wi-Fi connection, but you'll have to tell me about how it handles things on the iPhone -- I'm stuck in an area with only an aging CDMA network to be had. I've never bothered with a streaming app before, but I think I'll be using ZumoCast quite a bit. Hey, if nothing else, I can use it to listen to all the music I don't quite have room for on my iPod.

The ZumoCast server is available for both Windows and Mac, and there are apps for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad. If you've got a ton of media on your computer at home, ZumoCast is an excellent way to enjoy it all, no matter where you are -- and the price tag is unbeatable.

ZumoCast streams all your music and movies to your iPhone or iPad originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone - App Store - Apple - IPad - Windows

FourEyesUp is a great resource for nerdy travellers and geeky sightseeing

Filed under: Fun

I've often thought that guide books should dedicate a few more column inches to geeky attractions.

Why must holidays be about food and wine tasting, or strolling along a sun-kissed seaside boulevard? 'You must see the original Renaissance paintings! And the sculptures!' -- why?! 'The ruins of...' Shut up! I'm a geek! If I had to choose between surfing the 'Net in a coffee shop and tasting wine, I'd choose Starbucks every time!

Which is why FourEyesUp has become one of my primary travel planning resources. Did you know that you could visit Bletchley Park, birthplace of the modern computer? Or how about the MIT Museum? Philips, that omnipresent electrical manufacturer, has a really cool museum in the Netherlands; the list goes on, and on.

FourEyesUp doesn't just list museums, either. There are places, like the island of Svalbard, home of the largest Arctic research team (it's beautiful, too -- I intend to photograph it one day!). Or the Bell Homestead in Canada, home of the first telephonist, Mr Alexander Graham Bell. You can search by country, or show every science centre...

With so much attention on location independent living, and with geeks surely comprising a huge percentage of that crowd, I think FourEyesUp will do very well indeed. Here's hoping that all future travel guides -- printed and digital -- cover geekier and not-so-stereotypical 'must see' attractions.

FourEyesUp is a great resource for nerdy travellers and geeky sightseeing originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geek - Alexander Graham Bell - Bletchley Park - Canada - Recreation

An early sneak-peek at Google’s real-time search results

Later today there's a big Google event, where we think some big changes to their primary search product will be announced. One of those changes might be the new 'instant search' -- and if you can't wait for the official launch, you can try it out by simply visiting a special URL: http://www.google.com/webhp?sclient=psy

We covered Google's testing of this new feature just two weeks ago, so I'd be surprised if it moves into the mainstream so quickly. I still have no idea how advertising will work; try it yourself! Start typing something commercial like wheel of, and end with time -- see how the ads just disappear?

It is impressively fast, though!

Stay tuned for more Google changes as and when they're announced.

[via TheNextWeb]

ed note: anyone else remember Long Zheng putting something very similar together ages ago? We thought so. Try his version out here.

Update: And here's the announcement! Google Instant.

An early sneak-peek at Google's real-time search results originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google - search - Search Engines - Download Squad - Companies

CNET finally pulls the plug on VersionTracker

I was never a big fan of CNET's VersionTracker software -- and judging by the one-star rating on Download.com, I wasn't alone. Still, with more than 18 million downloads logged, the app was clearly popular, if not well-liked.

Yesterday, however, marked the end of the VersionTracker era. The official Download.com page now sports a big, red alert that the program's 15-year run is over; it will now join other golden oldies like Bonzi Buddy and AOL floppy disks in the digital dustbin.

CNET's TechTracker has stepped in to fill the void, though I'm curious how many people actually find apps like this useful anymore. All of my core applications -- programs, Chrome, Firefox, iTunes, CS5 -- update themselves, after all, and I've had no need to update drivers since re-installing Windows on my system. What say you, Download Squad readers?

[via S witched]

CNET finally pulls the plug on VersionTracker originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Download.com - TechTracker - CNET Networks - AOL - BonziBUDDY

SmallringFX DARKBlue is a slick, dark Firefox 3.6 theme

Filed under: Design, Mozilla, Browsers

Just because we're all agog over the new Firefox 4.0, that doesn't mean there's a lack of action on the 3.6 front. In fact, SmallringFX DARKBlue is a dark, sexy theme that was updated just yesterday.

Personally, I like my Firefox as "chromeless" as possible (see what I did there?). But seriously, I hide the menu bar, the bookmarks toolbar, and any other toolbars that I happen to have lurking around. However, if you like your toolbars, SmallringFX DARKBlue is a very nice, comprehensive theme. I tested it with the Delicious and Diigo toolbars, and the icons looked just fine on the dark background.

One slight problem is that some of the status bar icons look pretty bad. For instance, Video DownloadHelper looks awful on a dark background, but that's not the theme's fault. (Video DownloadHelper guys, are you listening?) Another small glitch is that, on my system, the context menus appear to be gray on gray -- so all of the entries seem as though they're disabled. I'm not sure if it's just me or a general issue (I think it may be Windows-related).

Read It Later's sidebar, on the other hand, looks wonderful with this theme. Another thing I like is how tall the status bar is; it's really nice and roomy. If you like dark themes, don't miss out on this one!

SmallringFX DARKBlue is a slick, dark Firefox 3.6 theme originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla Firefox - Diigo - Download Squad - Toolbar - Mozilla

Jajah is an incredible phone-to-phone VoIP service

Filed under: Business, Utilities

I think we last covered Jajah around 2007. The very fact that it's now 2010 and the service is still going strong is a testament to its power.

The premise is simple: phone-to-phone, via the Web. You go to the Jajah site (on your computer or through your phone's Web connection), punch in the number you want to dial, and your phone starts ringing.

You pick up your phone (landline or cell), and then the other side starts ringing. They pick up, and you talk.

There are a number of key advantages here:

Since it's phone-to-phone, I don't need a high-speed Web connection. Sometimes I'm at a coffee shop or someplace with a crappy connection that wouldn't carry Skype or Google Voice. With Jajah, it's a non-issue.
Since it's phone-to-phone, I'm completely mobile. I can use my cell phone and just go outside; I'm not tethered to my computer.
It works with my aging Nokia device; I don't need a newfangled iPhone to use it.
It gives me a direct number for each of the contacts I have. I can simply dial a local number in my own country, and the contact's phone starts ringing (even if it's in the US or Taiwan).
The rates are very competitive. I use it instead of SkypeOut quite often.
They can bill you in more currencies than Skype can, which is good for international users.

What I like about it is that it doesn't try to replace Skype. It is its own thing, in its own niche, and it just works. It's very, very handy.

Jajah is an incredible phone-to-phone VoIP service originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SkypeOut - Skype - Google - Jajah - Nokia

Google Scribe bookmarklet puts powerful autocomplete anywhere you enter text on the Web

Filed under: Text, Google

Ever wish you could leverage the power of Google Suggest anywhere? I'm going to guess no, but still -- autocompletion is a thing of beauty when it works well. It can be a real time saver, too, especially for computer users whose keyboarding speed is less-than-blinding.

Those users might want to check out Google Scribe, a slick new Labs offering that brings Google's suggestion magic to any text entry field on the Web. Just visit the Scribe page and drag the bookmarklet onto your bookmarks bar, head on over to your favorite social site like Facebook or Twitter, and give it a go!

Once you click your bookmarklet, you'll see an activation notice appear. As you type, Scribe will display a drop-down list of suggestions, just like Google's search box does. You can press Enter to apply the first suggestion or 1-0 to pick any option in the list (or use your mouse if you prefer). Google Scribe also offers sorting options, and you can set it to "always on" or "on demand" mode.

I can definitely see Scribe being incredibly useful to less-skilled typists, so if you're the hunt-and-peck type (or if you provide two-fingered keyboardists with tech support), Scribe may well be worth a closer look.

Those of you who can type at a decent rate of speed, well ... Scribe is interesting to play with, but you'll probably keyboard circles around it. In my Twitter tests, I rarely paused long enough for Scribe to pop up the suggestion box.

Google Scribe bookmarklet puts powerful autocomplete anywhere you enter text on the Web originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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