Pete's Blog » software

Big day for Android!

Pete — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:20:45 +0000

In this corner we have Android’s Honeycomb 3.0 preview which shows some awesome stuff.

This new software update for tablet pc’s may be the deciding factor for myself to get a tablet, as I’ve been holding off as I didn’t see the tablet as a “useful enough” tool for everyday whatever.

Also may have been easily overlooked, introducing The New Web Based Android Market, which in turn makes me a happier android user.

The New Web Based Android Market

Steve Jobs Macworld Keynote in 60 Seconds

Pete — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:46:24 +0000

Done by Mahalo Daily, this shows the recent Keynote in 60 seconds. I think I like the Apple TV (take 2) with the combined rentals, very cool!

Also the new Macbook Air - Wow!

Best of – Adobe Photoshop Tutorials

Pete — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:43:29 +0000

An amazing resource for anyone who uses Adobe Photoshop.

When it comes to graphic design, Adobe Photoshop is usually the first option to consider. However, the software itself is a quite tough nut to crack — and definitely extremely hard to master. For instance, the concepts are not always intuitive and it’s not always clear when to use what tool and how to use it effectively. In fact, in Photoshop it usually takes pretty much time to achieve something you have never done before.

However, you don’t need to muddle through numerous Photoshop features and extensions for every design problem. You can use professional suggestions instead, e.g. professional step-by-step tutorials which provide excellent results and thus can save you a lot of time.

View list of Adobe Photoshop Tutorials (Best Of)

Microsoft – Bill Gates Announces His Retirement Plans

Pete — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 03:50:14 +0000

Bill Gates has announced his retirement plans at Microsoft. Hard to imagine Microsoft without a Bill Gates at the wheel, but this video is pretty hilarious!

Video: Bill Gates Last Day CES Clip

Google Android Videos

Pete — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:22:45 +0000

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.

MSDOS 5 – Microsoft

Pete — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 15:12:49 +0000

Let’s talk about the nerd era.. better yet, let’s watch it.

From YouTube:

Found this in the back room of my old job. It was titled “YO MS Raps!” MS-DOS 5.0 was the first version available in a retail package. Looks like MS spent a few $$$ to produce the effects in this video to promote it.

Skype 2.0 Beta for Linux – Now with Video!

Pete — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:23:42 +0000

Skype’s new release for Linux includes video chat! It’s nice to see strong development on Skype for Linux as Linux is becoming more of a mainstream OS than ever before. I don’t use the video option that much myself, but it’s good to have the feature if I need it.

This release is not just a revolution for us in Linux, but a revolution for the Skype world at large. No longer are we, the people of Linux, prevented from socializing in the same way as our peers.

Read about the new Skype 2.0 Beta for Linux and download!

Eee PC: Enable a full desktop!

Pete — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:31:42 +0000

Have you heard about the new Eee PC yet? It’s this nifty little portable computer with a flash drive that is smaller than most hardcover books. Currently runs for about $400 here, but there will be cheaper versions available soon.

Anyway, one of the things that make this little pc so great, is that it comes with a very easy to use linux interface that most people can use. As for people like me who like to be confused more often with more advanced features, there is a way to get a full desktop out of this.

Here are some great instructions on how to give yourself a fully functional linux desktop (Xandros) and use the little bugger the way it was meant to be used.

Now, it won’t be easy for the novice user, but it isn’t impossible either!

We say no, easy way, because it turns out you can pull up a terminal in easy mode and use apt-get. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do in order to enable the full desktop. You could just use apt-get to install all the software your heart desires without ever enabling full desktop mode. It would certainly save you a few MB of precious memory (while the Eee PC has 4GB of solid state storage, only about 1.3GB is available, since the OS eats up a large chunk). But it’s also more of a headache to do everything from the command line if you’re used to graphical user interfaces.

Thanks to Brad Linder at DownloadSquad.com!
Read how to get the most out of your Eee PC.

40 more Free Windows Apps!

Pete — Sun, 09 Sep 2007 14:44:46 +0000

I look at many lists for applications, this is one of the good ones! I found some interesting new applications and web apps on this list that you may find useful!

An informative list of applications listed in just about every category, have a peek.

Check out the list of many free apps for Windows!

List of IM Programs

Pete — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 13:24:57 +0000

I remember a time that IM (Instant messaging) programs were scarce. That’s right, it was hard to find a decent program for communication. The top dogs were ICQ, AIM, and MSN Messenger and they all sucked back then compared to the features available today.

I use Skype and Google Talk on a daily basis. For me, this covers every base I need, but then there’s times that people need to communicate with me and they only use a particular medium. In those cases I only use Aim or MSN Messenger.

Anyway, here’s a huge list of Instant Messenging programs that list all kinds, from desktop to web-based to network im programs.

Nice List of Office 2.0 Web Applications

Pete — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 12:47:55 +0000

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

Microsoft’s new toy – Surface

Pete — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:05:28 +0000

Microsoft launches their newest innovation called Surface. It’s their first surface computer providing interaction with digital content using hand gestures, touching and physical objects.

There are some more video examples on the use of it on Microsoft website, really cool stuff, although I think its target right now are commercial applications.

Microsoft launches Surface

Free alternatives to Quicken and MS Money

Pete — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:26:38 +0000

I have been looking for alternative financial tools to use and have run across this today. I found some tools I haven’t seen before and wanted to share it.
A couple web based and some software applications. My experience hasn’t been great with one or two of the listed alternatives, but I did find some new ones that seem interesting and worth trying out, maybe you will too!

Check out 6 great alternatives to Quicken and Money

100 Best Products of 2007 by PC World

Pete — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:15:12 +0000

PC World put together a fantastic list of 100 products together that you will surely agree with, well mostly. A really nice selection of software and hardware that has made up this year so far.

Lots of my favorite tools are listed, including most Google apps, hardware like the 80GB iPod, and sites like Digg and Craigslist!

Our editors rank the best PCs, HDTVs, components, sites, and services. Plus: the products we’re looking forward to next year, and which technologies are rising and falling.

Check out PC World’s full list of the 100 Best Products of 2007

Skype for Linux 1.4 Released!

Pete — Thu, 03 May 2007 13:33:23 +0000

Skype for Linux 1.4 Alpha has been released. This doesn’t mean it’s ready for prime time just yet, there are some issues that still need to be worked out, but it’s a complete rewrite and a step towards a much more stable version for linux.
Video and SMS functionality is still not ready for this release, but there is a new file transfer window. You can read what the requirements and current issues for Skype 1.4 alpha here.

We’re again close to our mother nature birth cycle – nine months between 1.2 and 1.3 and seven months between 1.3 and 1.4. But this early born is an Alpha version, so we will take our two months to make it a real cute baby.

Good news is that they’re expecting release cycles to release every few weeks until they reach Gold. They’ve also put together a bugtracker for this linux alpha version where you can report bugs or keep track of them.

Read more about Skype for Linux 1.4 Alpha and download

Free Apps for new Ubuntu users

Pete — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 16:17:11 +0000

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:

See the list of 17 free applications for Ubuntu

Feisty Fawn Ubuntu 7.04 released!

Pete — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 15:52:21 +0000

Ubuntu Feisty Fawn was released yesterday.
Be sure to go over the Release Notes for upgrade / installation instructions.
If you are new to Ubuntu, you should take the 7.04 Tour and take a peak at all the features you get for free.
My personal experience with Ubuntu has been fantastic, I have been dual booting on my laptop with it for quite some time and I use it more than XP, easily running email, music, video, internet browsing, skype, google talk, and any other applications you can think of. It’s the best free solution for anyone not wanting to upgrade and spend big money for another virus ridden system.

Download your flavor of Ubuntu

Thunderbird 2 RC1 released

Pete — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 13:05:47 +0000

Thunderbird 2.0 RC1 released yesterday!
I use it on my laptop and the improvements include easy account setup for Gmail and .Mac accounts, smoother looking interface, tags (like gmail labels), new and improved search, support for Vista and more!
I like the new interface and it was practically a one click setup for my Gmail account. Here is what’s new in Thunderbird 2.

Best part about it is it’s free! Download Thunderbird 2!

A great list of 101 Shareware and Freeware programs for everyone!

Pete — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:28:22 +0000

And I’m back after enjoying a beautiful day of weather yesterday! Coming back I did find a fantastic list of applications that I wanted to share.

Lots of the programs in this list are ones I already use, but I did find quite a few that I’ve now added after reading this great list of free apps.
There are about 5 or 6 programs listed per topic. And some of the listed programs also have different OS versions (Linux/Mac).
Couple applications that I do use aren’t on the list, I’m a big fan of Google Talk and Skype for voip service ($30 a year and I get unlimited calling!).

Topics covered:

Audio | Browsers | Compression | Desktop Enhancements | Download/Upload Clients | E-Mail Tools | FAX and Telephony | Graphics & Photo | Internet (Surfing) | iPod Tools | MySQL Database Tools | Networking | Office Productivity | Personal Finance | Programmers | Security | System Utilities | Tweaks | Web Authors/Owners

101 Shareware and Freeware Programs Every Nerd Needs | The Free Geek

Ubuntu.com gets a facelift!

Pete — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 18:27:07 +0000

Ubuntu is sporting a new design on it’s main site and I think it looks great!
They really put together a nice collection of colors and the style is smooth like buttah!

I use Ubuntu on my laptop (dual-boot) and I rarely choose the Windows OS. I find that it covers my everyday activities just fine. This includes email, web browsing, instant messaging (skype, google talk, aim), listening to music, and the list goes on and on. It’s one of the easiest installs to date and I’m loving it! You should give it a try if you’re feeling like you need a change for the better.

The Skype offices tour

Pete — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 11:18:46 +0000

Would you like to tour one of Skype’s new offices? From looking at the video, it seems like it’s just as fun to work there as it is at Google.
A relaxed environment with pets!
I need a job like this! Doesn’t everybody?

Check out Skype’s story on this

BumpTop 3D Desktop Prototype Video

Pete — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 20:52:52 +0000

I really like it! Looking forward to see if this desktop technique will be the one to use as a 3D feel becomes more and more part of our everyday computer experience.

BumpTop aims to enrich the desktop metaphor with expressive, lightweight techniques found in the real world.

Watching the video shows it is very flexible in how we would use it, to be able to resize icons, place them or pile them up as we see fit. Definitely something to keep an eye on as it develops.