Filed under: Browsers

There are plenty of things I'd love to quit reading about, and the EU's continued moaning about unfair browser bundling is pretty high on the list.

We get it. You (and a number of competitors) think Microsoft needs to do something more substantial than allow users to uninstall/disable/burn down Internet Explorer. Your latest fabulous idea? A download dashboard, which will present a number of browsers from which the consumer is free to choose. How Utopian!

So I presume this dashboard will include all kinds of browsers, like Maxthon, Flock, Arora, Lunascape, SRWare Iron, Kmeleon, and QTWeb, right? After all, including only big non-IE names like Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera isn't really fair to the little guys. There's a big ol' list at Wikipedia if you need to see all the options the dashboard should include.

I'll also assume that this dashboard will be mandatory for all operating systems. Apple and Linux users probably need to be told they have a choice, too.

Oh, and devices like cell phones, PDAs, and MIDs usually only have one browser out-of-the-box, so make sure you put a stop to that as well.

You'll also need to tell Apple that they have to allow non-Webkit browsers on the iPhone and iPod touch, because that's unfair to browsers based on other rendering engines.

Because really, if you're not going to do all those things, it's time to shut up about this issue and quit singling out Microsoft.

[via Slashdot]

Dear EU: Please quit whining about browsers already originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 31 May 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Productivity, Web services

There are lots of great things about bookmarklets. They're lightweight, compatible with any browser, don't require installing or restarting any apps, and they're just a click away in your bookmarks toolbar. If you're looking for some good bookmarklets, you might want to check out Bookmarklet Directory. It's a large (and growing) collection in the same vein as the Firefox add-ons directory or userscripts.org.

You can browse the Bookmarklet Directory according to the newest, most popular, or highest rated entries. You can also search for bookmarklets, or add one that they don't have yet. If you're making a move to uninstall a few plugins and get bookmarklets instead, don't miss this site.

[via ReadWriteWeb]

Search for useful bookmarklets with Bookmarklet Directory originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 30 May 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Internet, Video, Web services

Not everyone has jumped on the streaming video bandwagon yet, so finding a good place to watch a big event can still be a little tricky. Say, for example, the 2009 Stanley Cup finals.

If you're a Red Wings or Penguins fan and might end up stuck behind a computer, here are a few places you might be able to catch the games. There's not a ton of information on official sites (*cough* NHL *cough*) about streaming plans, so hopefully these four sites will come through

CBC Sports - This one's certain. In their post about Cup finals coverage, CBC announced that all games will be streamed online. This might be a reverse Hulu - US users will likely be unable to access the feed.

Hulu - US users, tune in to Hulu - they carried a good portion of round three, so they may run some finals coverage as well.

MyP2P.eu and ChannelSurfing.Net - Quality might not always be the best, but it's better than missing out. Posts in the forums indicate that there will be users sharing video feeds during the finals.

Where to watch the Stanley Cup finals online originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 30 May 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Productivity, Google, Search

Goog-411 isn't the most glamorous of Google's services, but the ability to call and get Google's directory service for free is indispensable if you don't have a phone with a browser. The service seems to be getting better all the time, and the latest feature will tell you the cross streets of the business you're looking for. That's a useful service in areas where building numbers are scarce, or all the roads have names instead of numbers.

To use this new feature, do a Goog-411 search like normal, giving your city or ZIP and saying your search terms. When the list of business comes up, and you choose one, say "details." It's not exactly a revolution, but it's the kind of basic, useful feature you'd assume Goog-411 would have had since the beginning.

[via TechCrunch]

Goog-411 now provides intersection info originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 30 May 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Nokia 6600i Slide

Filed under: Business, Developer, Social Software

Facebook's FBFund is a $10mil initiative to provide funding for startups that are doing promising things in the Facebook app or Facebook Connect area. Recently, 18 startups were chosen to receive a whole bunch of money and attend Facebook's Rev09 incubator program this summer.

All 18 winners (and two non-profits, who can't get a cut of the money due to the structure of FBFund) are listed on Facebook's Developer Blog, but I want to highlight a few of the apps that look most likely to catch on in a big way. Nutshell Mail, which was featured on Download Squad back in February, consolidates all your social network subscription emails into one periodic digest, keeping your inbox clear. Sortuv finds local businesses that are "sortuv" like ones you already know and like. Gameyola is a platform for casual Flash games.

Do you think any of the FBFund projects will take off? Let us know which ones you love or hate in the comments.

Facebook announces winning apps in FBFund originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 May 2009 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft

The team of Microsoft developers working on Windows 7 have written a blog post spelling out exactly what features will and will not be available in Windows 7 Starter Edition. And the company has decided to drop one of the most talked-about restrictions: the ability to run just three applications at once. You'll now be able to run as many programs as your computer's limited RAM will allow. We first saw rumors that the company would drop this restriction last week, but today it's official.

Microsoft has been making "Starter" versions of its operating systems since Windows XP. But in the past, these editions were only sold in the developing world. Windows 7 Starter is the first to be available in developed countries like the United States. The goal is to give netbook makers a cheaper alternative to Windows 7 Home Premium to include on low cost mini-laptops.

Windows 7 Starter will cost significantly less than other versions of the operating system, but Microsoft wants to give customers an incentive to upgrade. Windows 7 Home Premium and Ultimate are perfectly capable of running on slower systems like netbooks. But you'll have to shell out some extra money to purchase them. If you do pick up a machine with Windows 7 Starter you'll have to live with the following restrictions:

• No Aero Glass effects
• No ability to switch between users without logging off
• Fewer personalization features (you won't be able to change desktop backgrounds, sound schemes, or window colors)
• No support for multiple monitors
• No DVD playback support (although I imagine you'll be able to add this with 3rd party software)
• No Windows Media Center support
• No support for streaming local media remotely over the internet
• No domain support for business customers
• XP Mode for running older programs is not included

That list looks pretty long. But if you don't plan to use a netbook or other low-cost laptop for any of those things, Windows 7 Starter Edition will be offered to computer makers are at a discount to help keep computer prices down. You will not be able to wlak into a store and buy a standalone license for this version of Windows 7.

Microsoft drops 3-app limit from Windows 7 Starter Edition originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 May 2009 18:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers

For those of you who like to keep things simple, this is the web page capture addon for you. erina59jet for Jetpack (translated) makes the process about as simple as it can get.

Install the addon, and you'll see the pensive silhouette icon appear in the lower-right corner of your Firefox window. Want to capture a page? Just click the icon. The entire page (scrolling pages included) is instantly zapped to your desktop as a JPEG.

My apologies for the boring screencap - there's just not much to see with this one.

There aren't a ton of Jetpack addons available yet, but this one stands out from the current pack. As with the others, the icon's top edge slops over the top of the status bar. Can we get that fixed please? It's tarnishing my browser chrome!

New Jetpack addon for Firefox does dead-simple web page captures originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers

For those of you who like to keep things simple, this is the web page capture addon for you. erina59jet for Jetpack (translated) makes the process about as simple as it can get.

Install the addon, and you'll see the pensive silhouette icon appear in the lower-right corner of your Firefox window. Want to capture a page? Just click the icon. The entire page (scrolling pages included) is instantly zapped to your desktop as a JPEG.

My apologies for the boring screencap - there's just not much to see with this one.

There aren't a ton of Jetpack addons available yet, but this one stands out from the current pack. As with the others, the icon's top edge slops over the top of the status bar. Can we get that fixed please? It's tarnishing my browser chrome!

New Jetpack addon for Firefox does dead-simple web page captures originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 May 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Mozilla, Open Source, Browsers

I'm sure many of you have been running Firefox 3.5 for quite a while by now - it's been available for download from the nightly build FTP for ages. Today, however, is the official test day for RC1 - and Mozilla wants you to get involved!

If you aren't running the latest version, you can download it manually to get started. The build string doesn't yet indicate an RC, but Mozilla has asked that testers run what's available. Any differences from the actual current nightly build to the RC would be very minor.

To get down and dirty, visit the Litmus page and see what kind of test results you can contribute. You'll need to register an account to start submitting. Initial reports are overwhelmingly positive (about 94%).

That won't come as a surprise if you've been running other builds. I've been using 3.5 for daily browsing for weeks, and I've enjoyed its speed and stability.

Firefox users, if you can spare some time to support your browser's development, go get testing!

update: Mozilla Live Chat is now closed.

It's Firefox 3.5 test day - go beat up your browser! originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 29 May 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments