Archive for August, 2007
Aug 23rd
A few days ago, Adobe announced that they were going to release a new version of Flash that has H.264 support, which essentially means that Flash can now play videos (and games) that have the same quality as HD-DVD’s and Blu-Ray discs. I can see Youtube becoming a site that you have to wait for 20 minutes to watch a 30 second video in super quality, although we can hope that it downloads faster than that. Also announced in the new version is higher-quality sound and the ability to use multicore processors for better fullscreen video support. What this all means is that people (still) using Windows 98 are going to have an even harder time browsing the internet and using Flash. You can use the beta version of Flash that I just wrote about here.
I think that this is a good step for the internet in general. This will give people another reason to upgrade to better computers (if they have been looking for reasons to do so), and will allow movie makers to interact with viewers in better ways than before. This is the first major update for Flash since June 2006, so it’s time for that needed update in the online movie world.
Aug 21st
Even though the title may be confusing to some, the idea is simple. If your computer is trying to run a process (program/application) that is stealing a ton of your computer’s memory, then Process Tamer tells the program to watch it, or you (the user) is going to get mad and break something. For example, I open up Internet Explorer, and gasp!, my computer gets all slow because IE is stealing of my computer’s resources to make it run. Insert Process Tamer, and IE realizes its bad behavior and lets the rest of the computer take some juice.
I have been using this program for a couple days now, and I can actually feel a difference in my computer speed, whenever Firefox trys to eat my computer alive, PT slows it down and the computer continues running normally. Plus, it’s free (like I’ve reviewed shareware?), so why not give it a try? If you don’t feel like visiting the homepage for this program, here is a direct download link. If you want a license key for the software (I don’t know why you would), just signup and the website and have fun.
Aug 20th
As I was reading through my RSS Feeds on RSSOwl (maybe I’ll review it later?), I read about this new app for the iPhone developed by Dave Philips. He calls it: “The iPhone18 Golf Score Card,” and it is pretty much a golf score card for those people who would rather use their fancy new iPhone to log their golf stats instead of that old stuff called paper and pencil. The mighty features of this app include having up to four (fore?) players in one round, 18 holes, and automagic score calculations at the end of the round.
I will admit that it isn’t that bad of an idea; if I had an iPhone I would give it a try sometime. But this goes to show how much developers think that the iPhone is the new phone. They believe that everyone will be using it, so they make crazy stuff like this just to prove it. But what about phones like the Helio Ocean (way cooler than the iPhone, in my opinion), who don’t have the Safari browser, thus making them useless to access all of these cool new iPhone apps that people are making? Developers, think about it, and remember that people do use other phones besides the iPhone.
Aug 20th
Vista Transformation Pack (current version 7.0) is a program that aims to make Windows XP look like Windows Vista. The greatest feature (I think) about the whole package is how well it actually works without you stressing on and on to make it work right. Just install it and you’re done. It’s pretty easy to uninstall too, for those people that think it eats up the system resources (which it doesn’t, unless you also install all those optional addons, the the Vista sidebar). The only complaint that I would have against the whole pack is that it doesn’t come with transparent windows built-in; you have to install WindowBlinds to have that feature.
All in all, if you’re tired of the XP look, get this pack (its free!). I’ve been using it since v6 and I love it; looking at the normal XP look on other people’s computers is annoying, because they don’t know what they’re missing.
Download Links:
Aug 18th
I am not a user of Windows Vista. I still use my trusty copy of Windows XP, because I am a believer that it is more compatible with stuff right now (not mentioning that I had to reformat my desktop computer when I tried to install Vista on it). In the next couple of years, I think Vista will make a good operating system because of its DirectX 10 compatibility (and, you know, its GUI kills XP’s). I also think that Games for Windows is a nice try from Microsoft to make gamers happy, and a good way for game developers to get a lot of advertising. All that said, why did Microsoft make Halo 2 into a 2-year-old game port for Vista-only without PC-to-Xbox Live play, updated graphics, or even lower hard drive space requirements (it takes 15 gigs of space to install, while Unreal Tournament only takes 5gb)? From a business standpoint, I can see how making Halo 2 for Vista would a great marketing tactic, except that only 5% of PC users use Vista, and a ton of people already own it for the Xbox. The included map editor is quite literally the only reason to buy the game for PC instead of just playing it on an Xbox.
The funniest part of this whole thing is that quickly after the game’s release, people figured out how to make it work on XP before Microsoft made an offical patch for it. I mean, if it was that easy to port over to XP, why not just do it? It would have brought sales up and made plenty more people happy. At the very least, Microsoft could have made Halo 2 run with DirectX 10, for better graphics and all that other stuff it does.
Aug 18th
EA announced early this morning that they would be releasing some of their popular titles for the Mac, generally known as the “never-to-be-gamed-on” computer. Some of the titles already out are Battlefield 2142, Command and Conquer 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Need for Speed: Carbon. Madden 08 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 will also be shipping with a Mac version upon their releases, which will make it even easier for Ebay users to rip PC gamers off. Now, Mac users, if you don’t have a new Mac with an Intel processor, you’re out of luck trying to play these games.
I only have one problem with what EA is doing here, and that is: Where is Battlefield 2? If I had to make an educated guess, I would say that Battlefield 2 has more people playing online at one time than Battlefield 2142 or Battlefield 1942, so wouldn’t it make since to port that over to the Mac too? I guess business is business, what do I know about sales anyways?
Aug 17th
Quick Info
Addon Name: Link Alert
Where to Download: here
Short Description: Changes the cursor to indicate the target of a link.
Aug 17th
I just read an article over at Shacknews that told about how someone from the EA Headquarters has been making lots of changes to the EA Wikipedia page. Apparently he has been editing out nearly any reference to Trip Hawkins, who originally founded EA back in the day. He was even removed from the “key people” section (look for it on the right sidebar), even when people would try to add him back in. Since this whole shindig went down a couple days ago, there is already a content section noting the changes this staff member was making to the page.
In my opinion, this has to be one of EA’s dumber goof-ups they have made, which is saying something, because bad game support is key with EA. Why doesn’t EA monitor their employees (or the new CEO, if he was the one making the changes) better? If they continue down this path, they aren’t going to get very far into the future without a lot of ridicule from other people (as if they don’t have that already). Of course, I am forgetting a key fact; they have money, so they can get away with crap like this and still come out on top.
Aug 16th
Windows Live Folders (beta), recently renamed to Windows Live SkyDrive (beta), and with the name change has come new features. The basic idea of WLS is to give you a space to upload up to 500mb of info from your computer to the internet, to be accessed by you, friends, or everyone (with respective folders). The interface for WLS really didn’t change all that much, and the icons are all the same. The service does have better integration with all of the other live services, like Live Spaces and Hotmail, allowing you to link files from your Live Space to SkyDrive. Compared to other services though, the only benefit WLS has is integration with other Windows stuff, and if you are a fan of branded Windows services, this is for you. For other people, there is Gmail, with Gmail Manager for Firefox, and Avvenu, which lets you get any file off of your computer over the internet for free. Whatever service you choose, just remember to make sure it’s safe; you don’t need strangers getting into your files.