15+ free Windows apps to help you tackle Thanksgiving tech support

digg

The holiday season has always been a time for gathering -- but in recent years, it's also been a time when family and friends come bearing gifts of computer troubles. Their computer friends -- people like the Download Squad team and you, our readers -- get asked to do everything from installing RAM upgrades to the annual computer tune-up. We're happy to oblige, of course, because there's a decent chance someone will pay us in beer or baked goods. Cash is welcome too, but never seems to be offered quite as readily.

To make your holiday tech duties a bit easier, I've put together a list of some of my favorite troubleshooting apps for Windows.
Where download links for the files aren't on the application's main page, I've included a link to the appropriate download page. I've provided a handful of FileHippo links as well -- they're an excellent mirror site and they don't surround download links in advertisements or "recommendations."

Continue reading 15+ free Windows apps to help you tackle Thanksgiving tech support

Filed under: Features, Troubleshooting, Lists

15+ free Windows apps to help you tackle Thanksgiving tech support originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

IRON MOUNTAIN INORATED IOMEGA INTUIT INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER

Sony ships 4.1 million PlayStation Move controllers to retailers (updated)

A little press release from none other than Sony informed us this morning that the company has shipped 4.1 million PlayStation Move controllers worldwide. Alas, that number has been widely misreported as the tally of direct end-user sales, which it most definitely is not. What Sony's letting us know is total wands that have left its warehouses on their way to retailers, a number that's one step removed from actual sales results. Still, if you simply must have something to compare against Microsoft's 2.5 million Kinect sales, there you have it.

Update: Our brothers at Joystiq have reached out to Sony and confirmed that these numbers represent shipped units, not consumer sales. Here's Joystiq's exact wording on the (seemingly purposefully) confusing situation:

A Sony representative explained that the 4.1 million actually represents Move units shipped to stores, adding "While we don't disclose our exact sell-through number, the key is that our retailers continue to ask for more Move units and are taking every unit we can supply them with based on their sales." Which, you know, would have been a cool thing to put in that press release, we think.

Update 2: We've also confirmed with Sony that the sales numbers are in reference to retailers, not consumers, and learned that more than 75 percent of the sales in the US are bundles -- meaning new console sales or software groupings.

Continue reading Sony ships 4.1 million PlayStation Move controllers to retailers (updated)

Sony ships 4.1 million PlayStation Move controllers to retailers (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Engadget Japanese  | Email this | Comments

INTUIT INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)

Hum-Bucking Pedal Juice Powers Guitar Effects Pedals

Bzzzzzz hummmmmm krrrrrzzt! Those are familiar sounds to the electric guitarist, and they’re caused (respectively) by a dirty/dusty jack socket, a mains hum and a simply plugging in the jack to the amp. Sanyo’s Eneloop Pedal Juice won’t help with your clumsiness or lack of hygiene, but it can cut out that hum, and it [...]

INFOCUS ZORAN ZIONS BAN YAHOO YAHOO

Virgin officially announces Project magazine for iPad (and iPhone soon)

We're here at Virgin's press event for Project magazine, which Sir Richard Branson just called the "first all-digital magazine." It's launching on iPad first, then on the iPhone, but we also snuck a peek at the app last night and noticed a line about Android tablet support coming soon. Branson says the content will change constantly -- there'll even be comments, and sharing features are said to be "coming soon." Mapping features will be introduced in the iPhone version, which the Project editor-in-chief describes only as "all the coolest places in the world mapped by our users." Pricing for the iPad version is set at $2.99 per month, with the app updating throughout the period with new content and features. When asked about Rupert Murdoch's The Daily, Branson responded that "this is not a battle, not a war, but the future of publishing," while his chief editor had this to say: "We're not similar ... they're a daily newspaper, we're a monthly style magazine ... we wish them nothing but luck."

Virgin officially announces Project magazine for iPad (and iPhone soon) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 10:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS TRANSACTION SYSTEMS ARCHITECTS TOTAL SYSTEM SERVICES TNS

Charge All Your Devices with the Solio Mono Hybrid Charger

The Solio Mono Hybrid Charger can charge almost any device that charges with a USB cable.� The Mono has a 1000 mAh Litium-ion battery that can hold a charge for up to 1 year.� The Mono is charged by the sun, by USB, or with�the global wall travel adapter.� It outputs power in the 5-6V, [...]

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO

Oh, to Have a Free iPad [Ipad]

Japan, long heavy on subsidies for phones to lock people into two-year commitments, just offered a 16GB iPad for free if you sign a contract. The UK and France are also doing it. Why can't we? More »

INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA INFOCUS ZORAN

Motorola Backflip, Cliq get multitouch support

Must be rooted: One of the coolest things about Android is the development community it fosters.  These developers bring features and software upgrade to devices long after carriers and manufacturers write them off as out dated.  One of the newest upgrades froms from  J_r0dd who worked multitouch support into his latest Roms for the Backflip and Cliq. It's great seeing even these "entry-level" devices get the updated software like their newer cousins. [via ModMyMobile]Thanks Rohit R!

Motorola Backflip, Cliq get multitouch support posted originally by Android Central

Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS LAWSON SOFTWARE LAND SOFTWARE LAM RESEARCH L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS

Beginner Tip: How to create an iTunes allowance for your kids

Thinking about creating an iTunes allowance for your kids this holiday season? If they’ve got an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad you may not want to give them unfettered access to your own iTunes account (Justin who–!?! Smurfberry what–?!?!) but do want to let them learn a little about personal finances and opportunity cost. iTunes [...]

Beginner Tip: How to create an iTunes allowance for your kids is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

LEVEL 3 COMMUNICATIONS LAWSON SOFTWARE LAND SOFTWARE LAM RESEARCH L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS

Samsung Innovates Again With New Galexy Tab

There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Samsung’s new Galexy Tab, the company’s first attempt at a tablet device which is scheduled for launch this month in Europe. Many people have been wondering what companies would be the first to rival the already famous Apple iPad which was launched back in April and the Galexy Tab [...]

VERISIGN VERIFONE HOLDINGS VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE

I'll Take My Aliens In Tron-O-Vision [Video]

That scene in Aliens where Ripley takes on the big baddie with a power loader? You can't beat it! Unless, of course, you put it in the world of Tron. That's when you start reexamining everything you knew about awesome. More »

INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

Twitter for Windows Phone 7 reviewed, thoroughly unexciting

Perhaps my expectations were too high as I eagerly unwrapped my HTC Trophy, plugged it into my computer and booted up Zune. Installing apps is so easy! Search, click, blam. In moments I was booting up Twitter, its comforting, peaceful blue emanating from the phone's bright screen.

You're greeted with a 'top tweets' (lower-case is obviously still in), 'trends,' 'suggested,' and 'nearby' panorama. You don't have to log in to use this section, which is nice, as a lot of people use Twitter for the newsy aspect, rather than actually tweeting.

That's where the good news ends.

Twitter for WP7 is slow. Sliding between pages is spluttery and nowhere near as smooth as the main WP7 menus. Scrolling down through tweets is worse; the frame rate drops just enough to create a bit of a 'blinking' effect that will probably cause epileptic seizures amongst sensitive users.

Unfortunately... it gets worse.

Continue reading Twitter for Windows Phone 7 reviewed, thoroughly unexciting

Filed under: Windows Mobile, Social Software

Twitter for Windows Phone 7 reviewed, thoroughly unexciting originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

KEY JDS UNIPHASE JDA SOFTWARE GROUP JACK HENRY and ASSOCIATES IXYS

Droid X case review: Body Glove Snap-on Case

The Motorola Droid X is no wimpy phone, but that's not to say it couldn't use a little protection. If you're looking for a form-fitting case that's as stylish as it is effective, check out the Body Glove Snap-on Case for the Droid X.

The case itself comes in two parts -- a thin plastic front and more substantial rear enclosure. The Droid X fits neatly inside, and the two parts snap together for a snug fit. (Take your time and make sure all of the sides of the case are snapped tight.) The inside of the case is lined with a felt-type material, so you shouldn't have to worry about your Droid X being scratched. The outside of the case is a textured rubber. That does a couple of things: You get a good grip on the phone, so you're less likely to drop it, and it's less likely to slide off a table or car dash.

You'll definitely notice when the case is on the phone, but it's still very form-fitting, and you get the feeling that it's protected. The case is just thick enough to keep the screen from touching the surface when it's placed face-down. Same goes for the camera. The are cutouts for all of the usual ports, buttons and camera lens, so you don't lose any functionality.

You also get a detachable belt clip with the Body Glove Snap-on Case. There's a little cutout in the rear of the phone that snaps off, so you can replace the belt clip nub with a flat back. The belt clip snaps onto the nub and has a spring-loaded catch. The short version is that you're unlikely to accidentally trigger it and drop your phone.

We've got more pictures after the break. The Body Glove Snap-on Case for the Motorola Droid X is available now for $24.95 in the Android Central Store.

Droid X case review: Body Glove Snap-on Case posted originally by Android Central

Sponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

IRON MOUNTAIN INORATED IOMEGA INTUIT INTERSECTIONS INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER

Real-time discovery of Twitter images with Hashalbum

One of Twitter's greatest strengths is the sheer wealth of data that it produces. Like the Internet itself, though, without search engines, that data is all but inaccessible. Few would argue that Google defined the Internet that we use today, and likewise it is only through ingenious indexing that the Twitter fire hose will ultimately become useful. Which brings me neatly onto Hashalbum, a site that simply searches Twitter for a hashtag (like #tsa), and shows you all of the images contained in that data set.

It's a stupidly simple idea that instantly exposes a treasure trove of funny, poignant and timely images. Supposedly the albums update in real-time, but I can't confirm that -- and I also don't know how much of the Twitter fire hose Hashalbum actually parses. Other than letting you search by hashtag, the site does nothing else.

Of course, because the results are unfiltered and the engine is completely 'dumb' (there's no analysis of the images themselves), the quality of the searches isn't very high. Just like Twitter, Hashalbum produces a stream of random, stream-of-consciousness images -- it's still down to you to pick out the interesting bits, but hey, that's Twitter!

Real-time discovery of Twitter images with Hashalbum originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

LAWSON SOFTWARE LAND SOFTWARE LAM RESEARCH L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS KINGSTON TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

Zukmo is the best-named Web bookmarking service on the planet

I'm sorry; I simply could not resist covering a service with a name like Zukmo. Apart from the name, there's absolutely no connection between myself and the service. And I must say, the name is just about the most remarkable thing about this service at the moment (which is saying a lot).

It's basically a Web bookmarking service. I can't even call it "social bookmarking" because there doesn't appear to be anything social about it at the moment. You get a bookmarklet or a browser add-on (for Chrome, Firefox or IE). You then click the button when you're visiting a page you'd like to bookmark, and the page is saved. Very straightforward.

One significant difference from Delicious and Diigo is that Zukmo supports only preconfigured "categories". Meaning, you can't just tag your bookmarks - you need to set up categories beforehand, and then select a category for your bookmark.

The site's design feels fairly dated. The copyright starts at 2004 but extends all the way to 2010, which explains the general appearance. All in all, if your name doesn't happen to begin with "Zuk", I see no reason for you to try Zukmo. I still had to cover it, though.

Filed under: web 2.0

Zukmo is the best-named Web bookmarking service on the planet originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

INTERNATIONAL RECTIFIER INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS INTEL

Blekko Gets Into Product Search With New Holiday Shopping Vertical /Safeshop

Blekko, the shiny new search engine that is taking on Google, is getting into product search today with the launch of a new vertical for holiday shopping. As you may have heard, the recently launched search engine differentiates itself from Google by giving users tools to do new types of searches that they can?t do elsewhere.The search engine offers unique query refinement tools to human editors called Slashtags (i.e. /news or /date or /amazon or /blogs) to filter results to what you are looking for (you can read our full review of the platform here). Blekko's newly created search vertical, aptly called /safeshop, includes only human selected shopping sites and is designed to thwart spammers and malware distributors. So users can now just add /safeshop to any search to search for retail products on the web, effectively filtering out any rogue or untrusted retailers who may offer a poor experience for online shoppers.

VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC VERISIGN

Apple's Cyber Monday Sale: Accessories For Very Slightly Less [Cyber Monday]

Even Apple's getting in the Cyber Monday spirit! Much like its Black Friday savings, the savings aren't exactly doorbusters—but there are bargains to be had in the audio and accessory departments. More »

VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC VERISIGN VERIFONE HOLDINGS VEECO INSTRUMENTS