Download Squad

Googleholic for January 1st 2008

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:00:00 EST

In this Happy New Year issue of Googleholic we cover:

Yahoo soldier moves to Google
Google trademarks of 2007
What will Google focus on it 2008?
Social networking gets a push at Google
Some stats on Google
Designers Gmail hacked

Continue reading Tuesday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for January 1st 2008

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for January 1st 2008 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 01 Jan 2008 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 30th

Chris Gilmer — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST

WooMe
It was only a matter of time before speed dating entered the Web2 online space. This service backed by the founder of Skype takes the crazy world of speed dating and wraps it up online in a way to meet new users, live. Hook up a mic and web cam and join "sessions" that are based on topics that you enjoy.

Continue reading Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 30th

Filed under: Web services, web 2.0

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 30th originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 30 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 28th 2007

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

2008 Google predictions
Google Reader is your friend again
Google Phone coming in the Spring?
Political advertising on Google
.Mac pages in Google
Will Google Apps offer more in 2008?
Google VC's role in
Google Docs gets a few new settings

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 28th 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 28th 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 25th 2007

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

In this Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas issue of Googleholic we cover:

Now that Google has your phone number...
Microsoft <3's Android
Earn miles using Checkout
Orkut gets attacked
Streetviews 1 upped in Dallas
Removing your number from the Google

Continue reading Tuesday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 25th 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 25th 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Take and share notes with Springnote

Chris Gilmer — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST

Springnote is a powerful browser based note taking system. You can forget about the standard text only inputs that many online note tools offer, this application has the ability to drop in images, attach files and organize layout at will. Its wiki style note taking system allows pages of content like todo's, monthly calendars and plans to be created with Word like functionality and tools with tags, change history, folder hierarchy and page bookmarks for more important content. Springnote's can also be shared between friends for reading or collaboration.

Perhaps the most important feature of Springnote is the ability to import and export notes. Downloading options include HTML, XHTML and Send to a Blog or use anywhere else. Importing can be done using MS-word docs, .txt, HTML or OpenDocument .odt formats. Springnote has an open API and unlimited storage of text files with 2GB file storage available. There are tons of Springnote mashups that you can utilize to expand the functionality of your account, including IM, Flickr, and Firefox toolbar integration.

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Internet, Text, Productivity, Web services, P2P, Social Software, Search, web 2.0

Take and share notes with Springnote originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 23rd

Chris Gilmer — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:30:00 EST

Stitcher
This iPhone or computer based website serves personal audio content. Stitcher, stitches together audio that you like, whether it's podcasts, weather, headline news or sporting events. Think of it as the Netvibes of audio, with a lot of small shows put together instead of one long audio show. To get started, visit the Stitcher site on your iPhone or click to listen to pre-made stations on your computer. Stitcher is still building out the personalized stations.

Continue reading Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 23rd

Filed under: Features, Web services, web 2.0

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 23rd originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 23 Dec 2007 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Share your work with Viewbook

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST

Sharing your portfolio or a gallery can be done a number of ways, from building an HTML or Flash version to hosting a presentation gallery online at Google Docs. ViewBook makes it easy to create professional looking web presentations.

ViewBook's presentation toolprovides a photo album and slideshow at a custom domain. Users can create galleries and portfolios with images, titles, descriptions and custom background colors. Works can be then embedded on a website and viewed at full screen. ViewBook offers a public page with a listing of the presentations you have available, with a bio or profile. As for uploading imagery to use, there are a few different options, from a batch upload tool to a drag and drop feature with a minimal toolset for editing.

If you have a portfolio or presentation that is constantly changing, or want an easy way to make and share one and you aren't too comfortable fiddling with HTML or Flash files, this could be the tool to check out. The embedding feature makes it easy to embed display your works on the comfort of your personal website in a clean and professional manner. The free beta account does have some limitations: 250 images and five portfolios.

Check out a sample of what you can do.

Filed under: Design, Developer, Internet, Blogging, Web services, Beta, web 2.0

Share your work with Viewbook originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 21 2007

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:30:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

It's Christmas at iGoogle
Cricket Scores
FTC clears DoubleClick acquisition
Illegal gambling fines
Security not the biggest concern with Streetview
Trojans in text ads
Win a Google Mini
OSX widget security

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 21 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 21 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Track Santa with NORAD (and Google)

Chris Gilmer — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST

NORAD's Santa Tracker is back, and with only four days till the big day, the NORAD website has many fun things for your kids (and you, we won't tell). We've mentioned the site in previous years; Thankfully, there will be no semi-celebrity greetings section this year.

Visitors can take a stroll through Santa's North Pole village and click on the downtown shops for fun games and activities. Including Mrs. Claus' Alphabet soup typing test, an illustrated PDF Elf story and a snowboarding game.

After using Microsoft Visual Earth for last year's high-tech tracking, this year NORAD will display it's tracking info via Google Earth. Last year, Google provided its own tracking data, unaffiliated with NORAD. An iGoogle module is also available so you can track Santa from the comfort of your Google homepage.

The Santa Tracking Control Center kicks off operations on 2:00am MTN Christmas Eve and lets you track Santa live as he navigates the globe. If you're left wondering, as we were, why the multi-billion dollar NORAD defense operation would burn time and resources tracking harmless lil' Santa Claus, there's actually a rich and storied history behind it all.

Filed under: Fun, Kids, Google

Track Santa with NORAD (and Google) originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Sync Microsoft Office documents with Google Docs using DocSyncer

Chris Gilmer — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST

The wait is over, DocSyncer is out of beta and open for all to use. This downloadable application allows PC based users of Microsoft Office and Google Docs to seamlessly sync documents.

DocSyncer is a downloadable application that sits on your computer and automatically finds and syncs all of your document files to your Google Docs account. When it's running, it checks all of your documents and syncs them as they are updated to create a solid backup and work anywhere system. Word and Excel based files can be opened directly from the web interface, and there is support for TXT, CSV and RTF formats.

Perhaps one of the coolest features is the 'disconnected' mode. If you are disconnected from the internet, DocSyncer will auto recognize it and load the document locally in the default application without trying to connect to the internet.

Continue reading Sync Microsoft Office documents with Google Docs using DocSyncer

Filed under: Business, Internet, Office, Web services, Beta, web 2.0

Sync Microsoft Office documents with Google Docs using DocSyncer originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google social profiles at GTalk Profile

Chris Gilmer — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST

GTalk Profile is a site for finding Google Talk related profiles that makes use of the recently launched Google Profiles.

GTalk Profile uses the Google Maps API to pinpoint locations of users worldwide. Each pinpoint has a link to a users Google Profile, including their interests, location and profile photo. The site is relatively young, but there are already over 7400 users that have chosen to include their GTalk profiles.

While checking in with the site over the past few days, it seemed that they might have an inadequate hosting plan. There were numerous instances where the site was either offline, or the map and profiles were not showing up at all. Since Google Profiles are on the move to becoming an emerging way to identify each other in a social setting, it might be time for GTalk Profile to rethink their data plans.

Filed under: Design, Internet, Web services, Google, Social Software

Google social profiles at GTalk Profile originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google Talk's translation bots

Chris Gilmer — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

Chatting with people who speak another language just got a lot easier thanks to Google's translation bots.

The translation bots provide a way to translate between Google Talk contacts in a group chat or as a translation tool. All you have to do is add one of 29 bots as a contact using their two letter language abbreviation. So in order to translate from an English conversation to a French one, you would add "en2fr@bot.talk.google.com" as a Google Talk contact. Now you can enter a group chat with a user who speaks French, bring the chat bot into the conversation, and the bot will translate everything you say into French and everything the other person says into English.

If you have a Blackberry, the Google Talk client will also function as a translator while on the go. It works the same way, by adding the appropriate translation bot to your chat conversation.

Google is also calling all developers to build their own XMPP based bots for such things as weather services and games that can be added into the Google Talk open protocol.

Filed under: Developer, Fun, Internet, E-mail, Productivity, Web services

Google Talk's translation bots originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 18th 2007

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

An interview with Vint Cerf
Still looking for a CFO
Google Android Live
Video Sitemaps
Google Digg
Picasa gets iPhoned

Continue reading Tuesday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 18th 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 18th 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 16th

Chris Gilmer — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

Booktagger
Booktagger is a type of social network for book lovers. Sign up and add the books you have read, and ones you are thinking about reading. Then chat it up with people that like the same books as you do, get suggestions and a little more insight on what you might want to read.

Continue reading Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 16th

Filed under: Features, Web services, web 2.0

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 16th originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 16 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google Reader adds Google Talk for sharing

Chris Gilmer — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

Google has added a new way to share your favorite feeds and articles with friends, through Google Talk, aka the Gmail address book.

Google Reader has included a "Share" button for a while now, but if you wanted people to actually read your shared listings, you had to direct them to a URL or RSS feed. Now your Google Talk contacts can also see the items you're sharing on their Google Reader page.

Next time you login to Google Reader, you should notice a few of your Google Talk contacts' names hanging out in the navigation panel on the left side of the screen. Google Reader will tell you how many items they're sharing, and let you scroll through their shared item feed as if you have subscribed to it. You can also manage your friends list so that only certain people can see your shared items.

This is a great way to check in with friends to get feed recommendations for websites you might have never visited before, or interesting articles that you have passed by. Or is it Google's stealth social network in the works?

Filed under: Internet, Blogging, Web services, Google, Social Software

Google Reader adds Google Talk for sharing originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Twitter from your Blackberry with TwitterBerry

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST

If you are an avid Twitter user, and have a BlackBerry tucked away in your pocket, you have a few options to keep your followers updated whilst on the go. You can visit the Twitter mobile site at http://m.twitter.com, or you can use a new application on the market called TwitterBerry.

TwitterBerry is a mobile client for Blackberry users to post updates on Twitter. It supports popular BlackBerry devices including the 8800 line and 8700 line as well as the Pearl and Curve. To get the application loaded, you can either download it or transfer it via USB, or via a download link on your BB. It's simple to use, and avoids the time required to fire up a browser and enter a URL. You can watch updates roll in from friends, view the public timeline and update your status without waiting for Twitters form field to load.

If you are still looking at starting up your own Twitter account, or wondering how to use your Twitter account effectively? Chris Brogan has a very useful Newbies Guide to Twitter that will walk you through using it as a social network and as a way for personal branding.

Filed under: Fun, Internet, Blogging, E-mail, Web services, Social Software, BlackBerry

Twitter from your Blackberry with TwitterBerry originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 14 2007

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

Is Google about to take on Wikipedia?
Syncing Google calendars with your Blackberry
Postini 2007
Another Google goes the Angel route
Google 2007 Zeitgeist
Google Analytics updates
Google's Gdrive size
Streetviews on your website

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 14 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 14 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 14 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

MySpace IM with Skype released

Chris Gilmer — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

MySpace is on the move to add some extra value to their online offerings, and as we mentioned in October, it looks like things are starting with an overhaul of their IM tool.

In its previous incarnation, MySpaceIM was a bare bones instant messaging application. It launched early last year and then disappeared for a while. Now myspaceim is back, and MySpace has partnered with Skype to add VoIP calling to the chat client.

MySpace users will instantly have their friends list populated with upon install with one click login to mail and bulletins. MySpace friends profiles are also one click away.

The social networking site claims the beta version of the client has been installed over 500,000 times. Now that MySpace is taking the beta label off of the chat client, we expect to see that number climb even higher. But will MySpace users who don't already know one another offline actually like to talk with each other rather than just add each other as friends?

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Blogging, P2P

MySpace IM with Skype released originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 11 2007

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

Do you have a Gmail story?
Woops, deleted Google Accounts
Matt on subdomains vs subdirectories
Google in UK schools
Award for recognizing women
Android targets iPhone
Google Surf
The kiss
Google Streetview expands in the US

Continue reading Tuesday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 11 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 11 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

YouTube wants to pay content producers

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST

YouTube is expanding their partnership with independent video creators who are looking for not only a little more distribution, but also a little extra cash.

The YouTube Partner Program is now opening to anyone within North America. The current 100 high profile partners include Mr Chocolate Rain, the NBA, Universal Music Group, Victoria Secret, National Geographic and many other larger as well as smaller contributors. There are some specific requirements that one must have in order to become a partner. You need to create original videos, have the right to use any copyrighted sound. You also need to be a resident of the US or Canada. In order to get started you must meet the requirements and submit an application available here, and cross your fingers.

Will we see a halt to all the outrageous YouTube content? We doubt it, and we sure hope not! But the serious creators can finally get rewarded for their efforts to expand the community into a serious online television channel.

Filed under: Audio, Business, Fun, Internet, Video, Blogging, Web services, Google

YouTube wants to pay content producers originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Yahoo! starts up Internet Program for Investors

Chris Gilmer — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST

Yahoo! is getting ready to take the wrapper off TechTicker, an online 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 said 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 better video compression tools are available to make internet 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 will have to wait for the roll out in order to really decide.

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

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

Yahoo! starts up Internet Program for Investors originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

LinkedIn gets a beta facelift and developer platform

Chris Gilmer — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST

LinkedIn, the professional networking site, has released new features, including a homepage redesign and developer platform. Sure this is going to be a little more useful to business users, but does LinkedIn need to expand and focus outside the business sector to make things stickier?

LinkedIn's new focus seems like an effort to emulate what Facebook has had with outside web applications. The new LinkedIn beta homepage provides customizable modules that display network updates in a dashboard format. This allows users to potentially be more productive by showing what contacts are up to, what news is most important to colleagues and questions and answers from your specific industry with the use of familiar feeds. But why stop there?

People that do business together and are connected via outside interests could possibly do a lot more on the site if more personal based modules were available. However, this is just the beginning of a component that is part of Google's OpenSocial developer platform so we will have to wait and see what becomes of it.

Nonetheless it's great to see that LinkedIn is growing...mind you slowly, and cautiously building upon their platform. Will it manage to pull back business users that slipped away to Facebook for more personal networking with these developments? Could it possibly ever attract younger users?

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Blogging

LinkedIn gets a beta facelift and developer platform originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 9th

Chris Gilmer — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST

My Virtual Model
Want to see how you will look in that outfit at H&M, Sears or even at Speedo? Upload your face and play dress up by selecting your clothes, from pants, shirts, sweaters, shoes and undergarments. Models are available in both male and female versions and can be personalized with body shapes, facial features, hair styles, and specific measurements to check out how that perfect fit will look.

Continue reading Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 9th

Filed under: Features, Web services, web 2.0

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 9th originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 09 Dec 2007 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Digg gets hip hopped at Blingd

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST

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 likely to find.

Enter Blingd. This site serves all the freshest hip hop news items, in a Digg social story submission style. It's easy to see that every 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 easy 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.

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

Digg gets hip hopped at Blingd originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Make my logo bigger, please

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST

Designers, what is the number one thing your customers ask of you when they see your mockups? "Make my logo bigger, please!"

Companies spend large amounts of money on ad runs and web developments and want to stand out. Well, there are now a few things on the market that can help businesses increase the size of logos online and in print materials, fix whitespace, easily create starbursts, make designs stand out with fluorescent colors and create emotional ads.

This suite of six products will ensure customers are happy with their designs, all for just 3 easy payments of $29.99. Check out the infomercial to see if it might work for you! Also makes a great stocking stuffer!

Filed under: Business, Design

Make my logo bigger, please originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 7 2007

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

Google has first entrant in Lunar X challenge
Google is on the search for ad partners
Google's iPhone app
Blackberry mobile updater
Google hand scans
Open Social, not open yet
Larry gets married this weekend
iGoogle elections gadget
Google Mac Devs now have a place to play

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 7 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 7 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google Chart API released

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST

Have you ever had the need to quickly and dynamically generate charts for a web based application? Google can help.

The new Google Chart API is a tool that one can use to create charts and graphs that can be embedded in websites. Basically, you type a few commands into a URL string and Google will spit out a PNG image with a line chart, bar chart, pie chart, venn diagram, or scatter plot. You can customize colors, points, and sizes. The developers guide walks through everything you might want to accomplish with the API.

When complete, copy the charts URL, and wrap a set of images tags around it to embed it into websites.

For example, the chart you see on the right was generated by entering this URL in a browser.

If you are thinking about doing more than 50,000 queries per day, you might have issues, that's the limit Google places on users per day. Right click on our image in this post, and take a peek at the URL, thats the guts of the image.

Filed under: Developer, Web services, Google

Google Chart API released originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Internet Explorer 8 is the name

Chris Gilmer — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:07:00 EST

Last year Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7, next year (or the year after) the company will launch Internet Explorer 8. Seriously, how do those creative folks in Redmond keep coming up with these clever names?

We can't tell you what IE8 will look like, or what improvements it will have over IE7. All we know is that it's got a name. Apparently the IE developer team has been referring to the next version of Internet Explorer as IE8 for a while, and when Bill Gates recently dropped that name, it kind of sealed the fate.

According to the Internet Explorer blog, some other possible names included IE VIII, IE1000 (eight in binary), IE Desktop Online Web Browser Live Professional Ultimate Edition for the Internet. Honestly, we were a bit surprised they didn't go with the last one, but then we realized that it might have been a joke.

Filed under: Business, Internet, Microsoft, Beta

Internet Explorer 8 is the name originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 09:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Preview is live

Chris Gilmer — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:01:00 EST

We broke the news the beginning of this year that Yahoo! was busy preparing a complete rebuild of Messenger made exclusively for Windows Vista users. The ground up rebuild has taken quite a long time (11 months), but it's finally here.

Yahoo! Messenger for Vista is officially available as a preview download starting today. There are some important features that are missing in this build, but the significant additions might make up for the lack of features. The changes in Yahoo! Messenger include a complete change of layout, skin chooser, filter-as-you-type for easy searching, spell checker and a convenient tabbed conversation window that controls your desktop clutter. The rebuild also incorporates sidebar graphics that have the ability to show favorite contacts separated from conversation windows. Graphical elements in the new IM take Microsoft's graphic subsystem into play for vector based interfaces and enhanced emoticons. IM's can now be conveniently sent to both Yahoo! and Windows Live Messenger contacts, complete with up to 2GB worth of files.

There are a few features that have been left out of this build that are scheduled for a later date. They are big ones that people do expect to have, be it a beta build or any release and include voice, webcam, chat rooms, text messaging to mobile devices, photo sharing and conferencing. To grab a copy of the new Yahoo! Messenger for Vista preview release, visit http://messenger.yahoo.com/windowsvista.php We will have more on this application as we put it through the DLS wringer.

Check out some screenshots of Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Preview in the gallery.

Gallery: Yahoo! Messenger for Vista

Filed under: Design, Developer, Fun, Internet, Web services, Microsoft, Yahoo!, P2P, Beta

Yahoo! Messenger for Vista Preview is live originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 06 Dec 2007 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Live Documents, a peek at the next online office player

Chris Gilmer — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:30:00 EST

We covered Live Documents, the new online office documents competition last month, that is about to make a move to steal some market share aware from Zoho, ThinkFree and Google.

Live Documents has released some screen grabs from its interface, giving a little more insight into what they are all about. The Flash based interfaces do resemble what Microsoft currently has on the market, but add the ability to collaborate. Screenshots include Presentations, Spreadsheets and Documents.

Live Documents does reference Microsoft, and Microsoft's Office applications quite a bit when talking about its own suite, and the look and feel closely resembles what MS offers, so we have to assume that they have relied heavily on Office as a starting point. Is this a bad thing? Not if you're looking to quickly build and sell the business.

We'll have to test Live Documents when it becomes readily available to see what its winning points are, and whether or not it will become a major player in the online office space.

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Internet, Office, Web services, Beta, web 2.0

Live Documents, a peek at the next online office player originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Jott to your Google Calendar

Chris Gilmer — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

Jott is a voice based online 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 ability to speak 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.

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

Jott to your Google Calendar originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 05 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Flickr gets Picnik photo editing power

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:07:00 EST

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

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 photo that would let you load up an image on Picnik's site. But the service that launched today is far cooler than that. You can access Picnik's powerful photo 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 have a Picnik Premium account, you can access some additional effects like Infrared, Night Vision, Tint, and Invert.

In order to edit a photo, 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.

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

Flickr gets Picnik photo editing power originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 21:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

AIM in Gmail

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST

Today sure is the day for little Gmail tweaks. First they announced Colored Labels, and now AIM integration.

With Google's Gmail you can now chat with friends that have an AIM account through the Google Talk interface. When you sign into your AIM account through Gmail, your AIM buddies will be populated in your Contact list. Of course you need an AIM account to use this feature.

To check to see if you have a lucky account (we're sure they'll be rolling this out to all users soon) logout, then log back into your account and click on Settings, from there visit the Chat tab and look at the bottom of the list for the section named AIM. Sign in, and your ready to go.

UPDATE; TIP: Make sure you are signed into Gmail chat in order for AIM chat to be activated.

Filed under: Internet, E-mail, P2P

AIM in Gmail originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for December 4th 2007

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

Google's fastest growing search terms
Google fixes some malware
Privacy and the Gdrive
Google talks data centers
Politics at Google
Google and mobile
The future of Google Apps

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for December 4th 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for December 4th 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Gmail adds colored labels

Chris Gilmer — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:25:00 EST

Google's Gmail has been slowly adding new features like IMAP and group chat. The latest addition has been a high priority for many organizational obsessed users since the email service's inception.

Gmail users can now assign separate colors for each label. This allows you to easily categorize emails and recognize them at a glance by thee label color. To get started editing labels, you can click the square to the right of your label list and a color palette will appear. Edit name if you wish and click OK.

We've tested colored labels using Internet Explorer, Safari 3 and Firefox 2 and all appear to work.

Filed under: Internet, E-mail, Google

Gmail adds colored labels originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 04 Dec 2007 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 2nd

Chris Gilmer — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST

CollegeRuled
Get your schedule organized at school. This site lets students put together weekly class and activity schedules and print it out in a nice clean manner. Schedules can be hooked up to Facebook profiles. You need an .edu email address to use the tool.

Continue reading Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 2nd

Filed under: Web services, web 2.0

Weekend Web 2.0 roundup for December 2nd originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 02 Dec 2007 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Google officially announces wireless spectrum participation, but are they serious?

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST

Not that this should surprise anybody, but Google has officially announced plans to participate in the upcoming FCC wireless spectrum auction.

The 700 MHz auction that is part of the transition to digital television begins January 24th, and will be part of a shift for a more efficient wireless internet service.

Om Malik has pointed out that Google believes this is a winning situation for consumers no matter who wins out, but for some reason they are not hard pressed to win. Could it be a move to drive up bidding prices from the likes of AT&T and Verizon? Or is it truly on their wish list to save the world and make a few extra billion while they are at it?

Filed under: Business, Internet, Google

Google officially announces wireless spectrum participation, but are they serious? originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Googleholic for November 30 2007

Chris Gilmer — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST

In this issue of Googleholic we cover:

Storing data
Dangling the carrot in front of buyers
Who will be the top online storage location?
Google and renewable energy
Google turns in IP
Google Australia logo

Continue reading Friday's Googleholic...

Continue reading Googleholic for November 30 2007

Filed under: Features, Google, Googleholic

Googleholic for November 30 2007 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Yahoo! concocts a spicier new version of Widgets and Konfabulator

Chris Gilmer — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST

Yahoo! has launched an updated version of the Yahoo! Widget Engine and gallery. Yahoo! Widget Engine 4.5 has the same look and feel on your desktop as version 4.0, but there are some changes in the way widgets are created and organized.

First, Yahoo! has retooled its online widget gallery to give you more information about what each widget does. Users now also have a quick view of the most downloaded, highest rated and newest widgets, and can share Widgets directly with friends on IM, email, a Yahoo! Widget badge, del.icio.us, Digg and Reddit.

Second, there's now support for Flash and HTML based widget design. Yahoo! has also teamed up with the NBA to vote on All Stars, RockYou to create and watch slideshows on the desktop, and the Netvibes UWA will now be available as a Yahoo! Desktop Widget from the Netvibes Ecosystem. And if you still aren't satisfied, Yahoo! Finance has also improved their powerful stock Widget.

Check out a screeenshot of the new RockYou Yahoo! Widget after the jump.

Continue reading Yahoo! concocts a spicier new version of Widgets and Konfabulator

Filed under: Business, Design, Developer, Finance, Fun, Internet, Utilities, Productivity, Web services

Yahoo! concocts a spicier new version of Widgets and Konfabulator originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments