Blog-About-The-Web

GMail Now Supports Chat with AIM

2007-12-07T12:30:00.000+02:00

GMail has been working with AOL to give users the possibility to chat with AIM, and that is now indeed possible in GMail Chat. On the other hand, a collaboration between Google Talk and Skype was announced some time ago, but there still are no news about a possible materialization in the IM clients.

Most Liked Operating Systems

2007-12-01T17:37:00.000+02:00

There are a lot of legends circulating about operating system usage statistics, which are the best ones, etc. In a poll that ran for the last month on this blog, Windows and Mac OS got 45% each, and Linux got 9% for the question: "What OS do you like the most?". In an effort to renew what we know about operating systems, especially in the context of Vista, Leopard and the new Ubuntu, another poll will run the next month and it will ask this subtly different question: "What is your primary operating system?". Cast your vote too!

Google's Mobile Positioning

2007-11-29T16:07:00.000+02:00

Google recently released a system which is designed to help Google Maps users who don't benefit from the Global Positioning System (GPS). It's called My Location, and it provides the approximate location of a mobile phone. You can find out more at Google's newly launched Mobile Blog.

Amazon Introduces E-Book Reader: Kindle

2007-11-19T21:09:00.000+02:00

Kindle offers the possibility to buy, download and view e-books. It uses a high-resolution display technology and holds over 200 books. It also has an SD Flash card slot for expandable storage. This is a confirmation of some rumors a while ago about Amazon developing an electronic book reader.

Google SketchUp Announces Project Spectrum

2007-11-07T20:21:00.000+02:00

Google has announced a new project called Spectrum. Its purpose is to connect people on the autism spectrum with free software and learning materials. This project features Google SketchUp.

Android - Google's Open Mobile Platform

2007-11-05T19:04:00.000+02:00

The much anticipated Google innovation in the mobile world has finally come. This is basically an OS, and a general view on mobile devices and application development. The press release also says this:

A broad alliance of leading technology and wireless companies today joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and others have collaborated on the development of Android through the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance of technology and mobile industry leaders.

This alliance shares a common goal of fostering innovation on mobile devices and giving consumers a far better user experience than much of what is available on today's mobile platforms. By providing developers a new level of openness that enables them to work more collaboratively, Android will accelerate the pace at which new and compelling mobile services are made available to consumers.

Details are still likely to emerge, since there haven't been announcements on Google's official blogs, so stay tuned. Until then, you can find out more about the Open Handset Alliance.

Update: There is an official blog post. And we get an answer to the question on everybody's lips: "Where's my GPhone?" :)

Amazon Redesign

2007-11-03T11:43:00.000+02:00

Amazon.com has redesigned it's site, mainly the header, and the sidebar menus. The remodeling is meant not only to speed things up when buying products, but also to save money, bargain deals being easier to access, as they say on the remodeling explanation page. You can also see the new stuff highlighted below:

Yahoo Messenger 9 Beta released

2007-10-31T06:42:00.000+02:00

The recently released beta version of Yahoo Messenger 9 brings a new look, new emoticons and skins. The application is now more space efficient, by giving a lot of options for look and feel. You can watch a video tour to find out more.

Mac OS X Leopard released

2007-10-28T13:34:00.000+02:00

Apple recently released its latest computer operating system, Mac OS X Leopard. You can view a quick presentation of the OS here. New features contain improvements to the desktop, the introduction of Time Machine, and more. A set of detailed system requirements can be found here.

Southern California Fires - Maps

2007-10-24T14:40:00.000+03:00

As most of you may know, California is under a fire attack these days, and the more information people involved can give or get about this, the better. Google Maps shows you "information about the fires, including the burn zones, evacuation alerts, evacuation centers, safe areas, and closed roads", and more, here.

Third Party Applications on the iPhone

2007-10-17T20:54:00.000+03:00

The OK has been given to third party applications on the iPhone. You can find out more in this official Apple announcement. An SDK (Software Development Kit) is also due around February, the delay being explained by the fact that the iPhone protection must be kept while opening the programming platform.

Blog Action Day - Environment

2007-10-15T13:03:00.000+03:00

Today is Blog Action Day, and it is a good occasion to announce that BlogAboutTheWeb will start supporting initiatives for the well-being of our planet, and therefore ourselves. Not going for details today here is a list of things everybody can do for nature, the fun part being that you don't actually have to do anything special!

- Turn off the computer when you're not using it, or at least set some efficient power options;
- Avoid furs and other similar products made of animals, especially ones close to extinction;
- When you want to buy some things but don't know what to choose, keep in mind the 'organic, friendly to nature, made from recycled paper, etc.' criteria :)

If you want to help the environment, you could try and do these things ;) and more. There are a lot more ways (to help our planet) emerging every day.

People Mostly Play Games on their Computers, Next Comes PSP?

2007-10-12T11:47:00.000+03:00

In the latest BlogAboutTheWeb poll, we find out that 83% of the voters play games on the computer, and 44% game on the PSP (PlayStation Portable). Very well placed are other portable devices like phones + iPods (38%) and PlayStation with 33%. Sony is probably seeing a new boost in gaming popularity because of the recent cut in the PSP's price. The complete results are below:

computer - 83%
phone, or iPod - 38%
GameCube - 22%
GameBoy - 22%
Nintendo DS - 27%
PSP - 44%
PlayStation - 33%
Wii - 27%
Xbox - 27%
others - 22%

Joost - Free Online TV - is Now Open to the Public

2007-10-08T20:39:00.001+03:00

Joost, a free online tv provider, is now open to the public, being invitation-only to this point. A lot of stuff is available, including music, shows, full-length videos and more. New shows are added daily. The builders of Joost are also known for creating Kazaa and Skype.

iGoogle with Desktop Gadgets?

2007-10-06T08:54:00.000+03:00

Google Desktop has introduced the possibility to include its desktop gadgets in iGoogle just as a universal web gadget, all this and more in the latest 5.5 beta version. This release also has an enriched API and other interesting features for developers too.

Yahoo Mail teams up with eBay and PayPal to Block Unauthenticated Emails

2007-10-05T10:37:00.000+03:00

Yahoo Mail has teamed up with eBay and PayPal and has become the first web mail service to block unauthenticated emails. A technology called DomainKeys is used to verify the domain of the sender through cryptography. This initiative is expected to prevent scam messages about products or accounts at eBay or PayPal.

International Cleanup Weekend

2007-10-02T08:48:00.000+03:00

On October 13th and 14th, "Googlers ... and a lot of other folks around the world will be heading out to clean up ... local parks, beaches, trails and other hot spots". The global effort will be mapped and planned using Google Maps, and everyone who wants to contribute can mark the areas they'll clean up here.

Adobe Acquires Virtual Ubiquity

2007-10-01T14:29:00.000+03:00

Adobe has acquired Virtual Ubiquity, the maker of Buzzword, an online word processor. This move is expected to build on the PDF platform, and create Adobe's own web collaboration solution concerning documents. Buzzword has been in limited preview since May 2007, with users in more than 50 countries.

ZoneAlarm ForceField - Increasingly Popular

2007-09-29T09:12:00.000+03:00

ZoneAlarm's new security product, ForceField, which is still in beta, is becoming increasingly popular. Besides the classic anti-virus and firewall protection, it has a virtualization engine which, as explained on the official site, creates a copy of the user which is able to test and divert possible damage that may come during your computer experience. The beta version is currently available only for Windows XP, but support for Vista is on its way.

Reports say some Unlocked iPhones are Now Useless

2007-09-28T16:44:00.001+03:00

Apple recently released a second software update for the iPhone, which is said to transform some of the previously unlocked phones into bricks. The update introduces new features and fixes some security issues.
The official site also offered detailed information about the 100$ Apple Store credit for early iPhone owners.

Amazon MP3 - Beta Now Available

2007-09-25T19:21:00.000+03:00

Amazon's digital music service, Amazon MP3, is now available as a public beta. There are currently over 2 million songs by more than 180,000 artists. The top 100 albums are priced at 8.99$ and the top 100 songs at 89 cents. More here.

Google's Solution for Street View Privacy

2007-09-24T20:29:00.000+03:00

Google re-states that it's determined to uphold the law, and respect people's rights, this being the reason for introducing optimized contacting ways for those who want to be taken out of the pictures taken by Street View. The possibility to report inappropriate views exists right in the feature itself, and is usually accessible through a link under the Street View image, called 'Street View Help'.

Halo 3 in the Spotlight

2007-09-22T22:41:00.000+03:00

Halo 3 is the game everyone is talking about these days. Halo is a science fiction video game series focusing on a future fight against an alien species called the Covenant. The final version of Halo 3 is due to be released on September the 25th in the US, and the next day in Europe.

Amazon Introduces Widgets

2007-09-19T17:45:00.000+03:00

Amazon launched a new feature to popularize its products on blogs, websites and social networking pages. Amazon Widgets are configurable elements which can be put on pages, and can even earn people money if they join the Amazon Associates program. The widgets contain videos, product clouds, wishlists and more.

Amazon.com Widgets

Google Docs now have Presentations

2007-09-18T10:19:00.000+03:00

Google Docs now have presentations, a highly anticipated feature which is the 3rd in Google's office suite, after documents and spreadsheets. More about it in the official announcement. An informative video has also been released to tell users about how Google Docs work as an online collaborative platform.