Omnistar Etools

Google Teams Up With Firefox v3.5

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:39:26 +0000

Have you ever been chatting with a friend on Facebook and had them throw a foreign phrase at you? They’re so smart aren’t they? Well…thanks to Google, you can throw smart right back at them. Firefox v3.5 has teamed up with Google in the area of machine translation. Essentially, you’ll be able to type that foreign phrase into Google’s new toolbar and get an instant translation. Not only that, Google takes it a step further, offering you suggestions of websites and sponsored links it considers relevant to your search.

Google’s new toolbar, which is synced with the Private Browsing mode of Firefox v3.5, will allow you to search without keeping records of your activity. In addition, it disables PageRank, Web History, and Sidewiki.

Google introduced Sidewiki last week, as its newest web annotation system that, coupled with the new translation capability, means more power for web-users who like to voice their opinions. Sidewiki lets web-users comment on whole pages on the web, or on a specific line or more of text, and then share the link to their comment with the world via email, Twitter, Facebook, or any number of other social networking sites. Users will be able to vote up or down on posted comments, and the more up votes a comment receives, the more it is seen. Add the language translation component to Sidewiki, and users are now able to comment on pages that they would have even been able to read previously.

Posted By Lewis Van Tassel
Lewis is an Education Manager for
Omnistar Email Marketing Software

MySpace and Twitter – The Two-way Connection

admin — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:25:17 +0000

MySpace, following in the footsteps of rival social networking sight, Face Book, has finally instituted a two-way sync between its site and Twitter. Users of MySpace are now able to update their Twitter status via MySpace and vice versa. This is done through the use of OAuth, an open protocol which allows secure API authorizations between desktop and web applications.

Just as with Face book, users status updates in twitter will show up as “From MySpace”. When users update their twitter status from a mobile device, or from the Twitter website, their update will show in the data stream (blog post) on their MySpace page.

Users have the ability to set whether or not updates are received in either direction or only one way. AOL has also grown fond of tweeting and users of its AIM software are able to update their status both ways.

Many have begun to speculate whether or not the next step will be for MySpace to allow Facebook updates to show up on its site and vice versa. Given the fierce competition between these two social networking sites, I personally believe that it will be some time before we see one site’s logo on the other.

Posted By Lewis Van Tassel
Lewis is an Education Manager for
Omnistar Email Marketing Software

Smart Phones and the Battle for Bandwidth

admin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:32:17 +0000

If you watch the news at all, you’ve more than likely heard our current president talk about how we need to solve 21st century problems with 21st century technology (referring to our outdated methods of approach to current problems), and if you’re a CSPAN listener, as I am, you’ve heard more and more congressional hearings involving the high-level FCC personnel and other technology advocates lobbying for increased funding for upgrades to our nation’s communications superhighway, citing it’s outdated ability to handle the communications loads of the 21st century.

This issue is becoming more and more urgent by the day as Americans, and people all over the world, are changing the way they access information. Since the inception of the Smart Phone, information consumers are no longer chained to a terminal at a desk, and are able to access information anywhere, at any time, and for any length of time. This is beginning to cause some serious problems.

If you and your Smart Phone were anywhere near Austin, TX, in mid march of this year, for the South by Southwest Music, Film, and Interactive Festival, you probably experienced data and voice outages (or both). This was caused by an influx of iPhone users in the area at that time. These individuals, excited to try the newest apps for their iPhone coalesced in such great numbers, and used bandwidth to such a degree that they for all intense purposes shut down the AT&T wireless network. This caused outrage amongst the iPhone community who went on to trash AT&T on Twitter and various blogs.

AT&T is currently feeling this pressure more than any other carrier as it’s users of the Apple iPhone are currently the largest consumers of data out there, with the average iPhone user consuming up to four times more data than the typical wireless subscriber.

The networks of today simply aren’t designed to accommodate current user’s appetite for information. The problem isn’t so much one of an amount of data being accessed, but rather the fact that users of Smart Phones are always on the move, accessing data from different points on the network, for varying lengths of time, and when the lunch whistle blows, and everyone decides to log on, the result can be a total halting of wireless services.

According to AT&T’s chief technology officer, John Donovan, “3G Networks were not designed for this kind of usage. We fight day to day guerilla warfare as our customers move around”. But…AT&T is not complaining citing that the Apple iPhone is a problem that, “other carriers would love to have”.

This problem, however, is only going to increase in intensity as time passes. Users of Google’s Android platform are just as information hungry, and though this platform is only currently available on select phones, other wireless carriers are catching on to user’s love of the touch screen functionality, and we should be seeing Android on several new phones in the spring of 2010.

The solution to this problem is one that is, unfortunately, going to take time to implement. The process to upgrade our nation’s wireless grid to 4G technology will take years, and wireless carriers will more that likely have to resort to other means to keep our current networks from becoming overburdened. Some carriers have thought of limiting which applications can be accessed on their devices, but ultimately the short term solution will come down to money. Charging less for users who use little bandwidth, and charging premium prices for those users who are “bandwidth hungry” should, for the foreseeable future, help to slow the growth wireless bandwidth consumption. Hopefully this solution will work long enough to allow for the needed upgrades to our communications infrastructure, or until new technology presents new solutions.

Post By Lewis Van Tassel
Lewis is an Education Manager for
Omnistar Email Marketing Software

Exploding iPhone Claims – A Mystery Yet Unsolved

admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:27:40 +0000

Not long ago in Belgium, a 15 year old boy was about to make a call using his iPhone, when it exploded in his hand. This is just one of several shocking cases of supposed “Exploding iPhones” that have been reported throughout the European Union. Apple has promised a replacement phone to the young man, and though he was not injured and claimed only that he had a headache for a couple of days, some have reportedly not been so lucky. One young boy in France plans to request a full refund and file a lawsuit against Apple for damages, claiming that his eye was damaged by a piece of glass from the face of his iPhone when it exploded. There have been reports of Apple’s trying to cover up these incidents. One British family claims that they were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before Apple would agree to assist them with their claim. Apple insists that these are isolated incidents and that there is no cause for alarm.

The U.S. Technology Mammoth has sold more than 26 million iPhones to date and insists that there is no evidence to support a claim that their product poses a threat to the general public. That being said, an investigation has been launched by France’s General Directorate for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) to ascertain whether or not Apple’s statement that the iPhone poses no threat is indeed the truth. In addition, despite that the fact that the European Commission has stated that Apple has been nothing but cooperative, it is still requesting that all 27 EU member states report any iPhone issues that that might surface via RAPEX, the EU rapid alert system for dangerous consumer products.

Post By Lewis Van Tassel
Lewis is an Education Manager for
Omnistar Email Marketing Software

Mag.ma – A Fantastic Way to Experience Video on the Web

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:11:27 +0000

When I hear the word magma, I think of Dr. Evil, that great Austin Powers movie character who was always holding his pinky finger in the corner of his mouth. After visiting the new site Mag.ma I have a completely new appreciation for the word. The newest and coolest video portal for online video, you’ll find representation from all your favorite video sites, to include YouTube, Hulu, Digg, Twitter, and a whole slew of others. You’d think that much information in one location would be utter chaos, but you’d better think again. Mag.ma has done an impressive job of organizing the site so that it is not overwhelming to the user, and the layout is fluid to the point that it’s easy to spend a lot of time clicking and enjoying.

Brought to you by Rocketboom founder Andrew Baron, this site presents its users with no less than 100 video thumbnails on its front page alone! Up top you’ll find 10 “Must Watch” videos. As you move down the page, you’ll find shared videos organized by original posting site, selections from active users, a viral video chart, and even favorites of the Mag.ma staff.

The website is big on tracking the number of hits a particular video receives and you can watch the ticker for each video click as more and more users watch it. In addition, if you find you are unsure of what you want to watch, you can check out some of the other member recommendations. Bottom line…next time you’re looking for a video clip to show that colleague at work, or if you’re simply looking for a fun way to kill some time, consider heading over to Mag.ma. My guess is if you can’t find it there, you can’t find it on the web.

Post By Lewis Van Tassel
Lewis is an Education Manager for
Omnistar Email Marketing Software

TuneIn for a Better Twitter Experience!

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 00:19:01 +0000

If you have payed any attention to the media of late, you have undoubtedly heard of Twitter. The media sharing website was a central focal point for people across the country during this latest presidential election and it is a fantastic way for people to keep in touch with friends and family. Twitter has evolved too, from providing a source to share written messages (at its inception) to now being able to share pictures, video, and links to other websites. Even more impressive than its evolution, is the speed with which users are able to share information on Twitter. Videos that would take a great deal of time to show on other sites such as Youtube or Digg can circle the globe via Twitter much faster.

There are some companies now that are looking to take advantage of the information shared on Twitter and are looking for ways to make it even more accessible. Among these companies is a new startup called TuneIn. Their site is designed to allow users to easily search for information on their Twitter page. TuneIn is designed to be integrated into a user’s Twitter page. The Twitter portion remains at center of the page, and on the right users will find a listing of recent Tweets, whether pictures, videos, articles, etc. Users will be able to manage how they receive tweets, organizing the postings by most popular, or by a certain type (i.e. links, pictures, videos, etc.). Users will also be able to control who’s postings they receive and can even organize those postings into groups called “Channels”.

Users will also be able to organize what types of tweets they view. There are tabs located at the top of the TuneIn section of the users page which break down the postings by ‘article’, ‘video’, and ‘image’. This will allow users to filter if they are looking to browse only a certain category at a certain time. Finally there is an option to provide a thumbnail for each posting.

There are a number of other websites out there that have been doing this sort of thing. Websites like Tweetmeme have been using this type of technology for a while now. Check out what TuneIn has to offer.

Post By Lewis Van Tassel
Lewis is an Education Manager for
Omnistar Email Marketing Software.

YouTube and the iPhone 3GS: A Match Made in Cyberspace

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:54:47 +0000

If you’ve visited Myspace, Facebook, or any number of other sites on the internet today you have invariably been exposed to a YouTube video. YouTube has seen the number of its uploads grow over 1700% in the past several months, and with the advent of the “Smart Phone”, one need not look far to find the cause. With their increasing popularity, and increasing ease of use, Smart Phones are becoming a way for more and more people to share their lives with each other. It follows then that if the Smart Phone is the brush with which we paint our individual life stories, then YouTube is fast becoming the canvas.

The Apple, in its design of the iPhone 3GS, has gone to great lengths to put the power of mobile video into the hands of any user. The iPhone 3GS’s built in video functionality is impressive to say the least, and its ease of use has no doubt added to the popularity of this particular Smart Phone. The impact that the new iPhone 3GS has had on the rate of YouTube’s mobile uploads has been staggering to say the least, with uploads increasing over 400% in the first six days since its release.

This is, however, only the beginning, and as more and more people become familiar with the technologies and platforms available to share their videos with friends and family, YouTube’s numbers will continue to increase exponentially, a thought that has not gone unnoticed by other cell phone manufacturers who are scrambling to design and market competitive alternative options for consumers.

As more and more people become educated about mobile uploads, the impact on YouTube, though not completely known, will undoubtedly be staggering. Some are concerned that this mass uploading of random videos will lead to an increase in the amount of garbage shown on YouTube and other media outlets. That being said, there will assuredly be an equal increase in quality, thought-provoking contributions as well. Some have even speculated on the so-called “iReporter” movement, stating that the coming increase of mobile uploads might lead to more “news” being shared with the world first hand from viewers just like you, on the scene, as the event is occurring, without editing. The current examples of this are scattered everywhere, from the protests in Iran, to videos shot by troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, to videos shot here in our own country, like those shared during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Posted by Lewis Van Tassel
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Lewis Van Tassel is a Education Manager for Omnistar Affiliate Software and Omnistar Email Marketing Software

IE8 Missing from Windows 7 in Europe… Microsoft Forced to Take a New Approach to the Release of its Newest Operating System.

admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:36:55 +0000

If you’ve logged on to the internet any time in recently, you more than likely have stumbled upon a headline or two (or likely more) about Microsoft’s exclusion of Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) from their upcoming European release of Windows 7. In fact, Microsoft will not be offering any web browser as part of the Windows 7 operating system software.

The European Commission has been quite unhappy with Microsoft over the past several years, citing anti-trust issues regarding past releases of Windows OS Software. They have fined Microsoft nearly $1.7 billion as a result of their unhappiness and Microsoft, not surprisingly, is looking to avoid these fines in the future. Offering an alternative version of their upcoming OS software, one which the European Commission would be happy with, will delay the overall release of Windows 7, which is something that Microsoft is unwilling to live with.

The media, however, has somewhat distorted the facts regarding this issue, choosing to have the average European consumer believe that they will be unable to reach the internet with this new OS release. This could not be further from the truth. PC makers, such as Dell, HP, IBM, etc, plan to load the IE8 Software on their machines prior to shipping them to stores. Also, Microsoft will be presenting an “Internet Bundle” package that consumers will be able to purchase separately at the store. With large in-store displays and cashiers reminding customers at checkout, it will be virtually impossible to leave the store without IE8 software in hand. Microsoft believes also that the small percentage of users (roughly 5%) who will be purchasing Windows 7 to load on an existing machine will more than likely have the knowledge required to load a web browser of their choosing as well (Mozilla Firefox, IE8, etc). However, Microsoft has pledged that there will be a direct hotline for those who need help accomplishing that task.

There has been talk that Microsoft may yet need to seek out a different approach in order to appease the European Commission. One such approach would involve the use of a “Ballot Screen”. This would appear in front of the user at the first initial boot up of their machine. The user would then have a choice to make (presumably from a list) of which web browser they wish to use. Microsoft, however, believes that it has gone to great lengths in creating this new type of OS release and is hoping that the steps they have taken will be enough to satisfy both the European Commission and the European consumer.

Google Unveils Upgrages to Blogger’s Custom Search Box

admin — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:24:42 +0000

Blogger, Google’s proprietary publishing platform, saw the release of a new Custom Search Box gadget. This gadget, originally released in Beta form (then called Blogger In Draft), allows for a broader area of focus within a particular search. It accomplishes this by including in searches readers search posts, linked web pages, blog roll blogs, and shared link list pages. AJAX Search API’s allow for the new search gadget to aesthetically blend into any blog and, in addition, will update the custom linked search engine whenever your blog, blog list, or link lists are updated. This will allow for more inclusive yet focused searching.

Seeking Community Genius in Round Two of Google’s Android Developer Challenge

admin — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:25:31 +0000

The massive online giant Google, in a continuing effort to drive technological innovation, will begin accepting entries in the second round of its Android Developer Challenge. The Android Platform, originally designed by a company with the same name in Palo Alto, CA and purchased by Google in 2005, is a Linux based operating system (OS) designed for use in mobile phones, PDA’s and other mobile devices. Google hopes to strike gold in the form of new applications for use on this platform, and those who submit the best of the best will find themselves on the receiving end of some hefty cash grants totaling nearly two million dollars.

In the spirit of entrepreneurial fair play, Google has decided to open this second challenge to the general public. Google is seeking fun and exciting applications that both make people smile, and are designed by people like you. Beginning in August of this year (final date to be announced), the first round of judging will commence. Individuals running the Android Platform on their mobile device will be able to vote for their favorite applications, of which the top 20 from each category will be selected to move on to the second and final round of judging. The general public will rank these applications from most to least favorite. The community vote will account for 45% of the final vote, with the remaining 55% going to a team of Google selected judges. For more specific information on eligibility and other criteria, please click here.