Petes Blog

Google’s new mobile platform, Android, may revolutionize the way we use phones tomorrow. Here are a couple of videos demonstrating how Android works.

Cool apps that surprise and delight mobile users, built by developers like you, will be a huge part of the Android vision. To support you in your efforts, Google has launched the Android Developer Challenge, which will provide $10 million in awards — no strings attached — for great mobile apps built on the Android platform.

Read more about Android

I ran into this pretty good list of web applications you can use around the office. From bookmarking, calculators, spreadsheets, to file servers, form generators, and personal organizers. The list seems to go on and on. I do use a few and I’m sure you will run into a couple you use as well.

Read the entire list of Web 2.0 Office Applications

Looks like some themes were tampered with and being re-distributed by Templates Browser which are modified in such a way that it is exploiting the end user by inserting hidden spam or malware links. If you have downloaded any recent theme for your WordPress or Joomla site, I would check the code to see if it’s legit!

The links are inserted via an additional functions.php file which is included with the theme downloads. If you’re shopping around for public themes, I strongly recommend that you download directly from the original authors website.

Read more about WordPress and Joomla themes being tampered with.

Google Personalized Homepage renamed to iGoogle!

– a name that connotes interactivity, the Internet, and personalization all at once.

Also with this new name, comes new gadgets, well.. it’s a bit more than that. Now anyone can create their own gadgets (no experience necessary)! You don’t need to know any HTML or have super programming skills to make your own gadget.

Now you can make your own, because starting today, without having any programming or web design experience at all, anyone can create Google Gadgets for iGoogle and send them to friends.

Read more about iGoogle and the gadgets!

I’ve listed some free applications for windows and other OS’s in the past. Today I found a great list of applications for new Ubuntu users.
I use almost all applications listed on the list, you should try a few of them, they are free.

Some of my favorite applications listed include:

• Checkgmail
• MythTV
• VLC
• Thunderbird 2.0
• Opera browser

See the list of 17 free applications for Ubuntu

WordPress theme generator seems to be hitting the main channels today. This new tool enables anyone to create a wordpress theme on the fly (within minutes) with customized options like colors and such.
It makes it really easy to pick out your favorite colors and see the theme change in real time. It claims that you’ll be able to whip out a new theme without any experience in HTML, PHP, CSS, etc…
So when you are done with your masterpiece, just click download and it’s all yours.

This online generator creates your own custom unique WordPress Theme. Without any need for HTML, JS, PHP, or CSS knowledge.
Change the colors, settings, layout, preview live, click “save” and download your unique WordPress theme zip-file. Extract, upload, set, and you are done!

I haven’t used it, but it looks like it gets the job done quite well! Mark also makes some valid points about past generators phasing out.

Check out the new WordPress Theme Generator

phpBB community has redesigned their site and are also utilizing their new 3.0 beta. Nice to see them finally put out a release for 3.0, I’m guessing they’ve decided this because of stability on their new version. Time will tell.
I’ll be setting a few of these up on my other sites to see how it compares to the 2.0+ series.

Since its creation in 2000, phpBB has become the most widely used Open Source forum solution. Like its predecessors, phpBB 3.0 “Olympus” has an easy to use administration panel and a user friendly installation process, which allows you to have a forum set up in minutes.

Check out phpBB’s new website