TechThisOut!

According to Apple, their will be an Apple Event held tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 — at which Apple is said to be releasing a few “fun” products.

Their are rumors of an Intel iBook, an Intel Mac Mini, a full, 3.5 inch touch screen video ipod, and much, much more. However, no one knows for sure and Apple is known for their clever surprises.

I’m personally hoping for the new Mac Mini, with the Intel processor. As you all know, I switched to Mac. I have a 17″ Intel Core Duo iMac and a 12″ PowerPC G4 iBook. Why not spend another $500 (hope it stays that price!) and get yet another system?

However, if for any reason the Intel iBook is released — I will not personally upgrade. Why? I already have an Intel iMac. If I trade in my 12″ PowerPC G4 (i’d still have to pay some), then I would have all Intel. I want the best of both worlds — this way, if something does not work on Intel but does on PPC — I’m set!

As soon as anything happens, I will post about it on tech this out!.

Enjoy, and don’t get to anxious..

Devious (Jesse)

Thanks to Jake Jarvis for providing the image in this post.

Okay, being the bored person I was today, I got out my cell phone and started pressing random keys on the keypad. Eventually, I got into a pattern.. 1 2 1 2 333.. etc. Over the timespan of a few hours, I finished “Mary had a little lamb” on my cell phone keypad.

1 2 1 2 3 3 3 5 5 5 6 6 6 1 2 1 2 3 3 3 5 5 6 6 2 1
Mary had a little lamb, little lamb.. little lamb, marry had a little lamb whos fleece was white as snow.

Sad, I know. Try it for yourself, it works! I’m not sure about home phones but it works on my cell just fine.

Microsofts AntiSpyware Beta has been comletely revamped with many bug fixes and improvements, along with a new name, Windows Defender.

Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it’s detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

Windows Defender is free but requires an authentic installation of Windows in order to install.

Windows Defender

Thanks to Jake Jarvis for the information on Windows Defender

Due to prices of release of the $149, 1 GB iPod nano, the iPod shuffle prices have decreased. The 512 MB iPod shuffle is now $69 while the 1 GB is $99.

On that note, Apple released a 1 GB iPod nano a few days ago, which I think will be a great competitor to the shuffle, being only $50 more and having a screen.

Sorry for the lack of entries lately… very busy! I have also updated the about page if you want to check it out. You can get there by clicking here, or clicking “About” on the top of every blog page.
Devious

Most of you have seen the orange feed icon on almost every website ever since Firefox started using it quite a while ago. But recently, Microsoft adapted the rights to it and has put it up for download in many different formats (AI, EPS, SVG, PSD, PDF, PNG, JPG, GIF) at feedicons.com. You can also get it in various colors, if orange isn’t “your thing”.

I was listening to a radio show the other day on the radio when they started talking about advertisements. It’s true — it seems as though there are advertisements everywhere these days. On the internet, on the side of roads, billboards, etc! Heck, I heard that they will soon be putting advertisements next to the white paint where you park your car in parking lots! But now Microsoft is seeming catching onto this train off oddly placed, and inconvenient advertisements…

Microsoft is including a “Welcome Center” for new owners of Windows Vista PCs. The OEM-Modifiable screen displays services such as Antiviral software and provides a starting point for new users. (earier reports that the ‘welcome screen’ would display ads on boot are false)

Good going, Microsoft!

Thankfully for me, I’m getting a MacBook Pro on February 22nd (along with an Apple iPod Nano 2gb in Black), where I will be ridding myself of all Windows PC’s. Can’t wait!

- Devious
Sometimes known as Jesse

DodgeIt allows you to check disposable email addresses on the fly (without having to create one) to avoid possible spam that comes with signing up for new services.

When you sign up for something, somewhere, DodgeIt allows you to enter any name @dodgeit.com as your email address. Afterwards, visit DodgeIt.com to check that disposable email address, even though you didn’t go through the process of creating it. DodgeIt also provides you with an RSS feed for each email address to keep an eye on your throwaway email address.

Because you don’t have to create accounts, keep in mind that anyone can check that email address at any time, so don’t give the address out to friends or family.

Do enjoy!
Jesse

Google recently released Google Toolbar v4 Beta to the public. This is a big change over v3, both due to functionality, and apperance.

Custom Buttons are one of the latest features packed into the new toolbar. You can add buttons to your Toolbar that will let you visit and search your favorite websites and keep up with interesting feeds. The Google Button Gallery offers a selection of ready-made buttons for popular sites, and you can make your own buttons in seconds by right-clicking within the search box on any site and selecting “Generate Custom Search…” Start making your own buttons.

The new Enhanced Search Box is another one of the new, great features in v4 of the toolbar. As you type a search query into the new Toolbar’s search box, you’ll see a list of useful suggestions based on popular Google searches, spelling corrections and your own Toolbar search history and bookmarks. You can also click the ‘G’ icon in the search box to search different Google sites, the current site, or sites for which you’ve installed custom search buttons. Very handy, if you ask me. I can personally see myself using the search bar a bit more.

And we can’t forget about the new Word Translator. Ever need to translate words on English web pages into another language? Don’t bother looking up words one by one - just hover your mouse cursor over an English word and Toolbar’s WordTranslator will tell you what it means in your own language. WordTranslator currently supports translation from English into Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, German and Spanish.

(Google’s new word translator).

Check out the new Address Bar (Browse by name).
Browse by Name helps you find a site even when you don’t know its URL. Just type the site name into your browser address bar, and Toolbar will take you there automatically. For instance, try typing “oxford” into the address bar to go directly to the university’s home page at www.ox.ac.uk.

Send To, my new favorite feature! With Send To, You can use your Google Toolbar to share web pages via email, text message (SMS), or blog. To share an entire page, select from the Toolbar’s “Send To” menu; to share an excerpt, simply select the section of the page you want to share before clicking “Send To.”

Bookmarks is another new feature only seen in Google Toolbar v4. Want to create and label bookmarks that you can access from any computer? Simply click the Toolbar’s star icon, or right-click the star to add and label a bookmark. You’ll be able to access your Bookmarks menu on any computer with the new Google Toolbar installed.

Note this feature stores your bookmarks online, so you’ll need to have a Google Account and be signed in to create and access your bookmarks. You can also view your bookmarks using your Google Account’s Search History feature. Just click the “Search History” link that appears in the upper right-hand corner of the Google homepage when you’re logged into your Google Account and you’ll see your Bookmarks. (Create Google Account)

Google Account Sign-In directly from the toolbar! Your Google Account is your access point for Google services like Personalized Homepage, Google Groups and Gmail, and now you can sign in and out right from your Toolbar. Simply click on the Settings button on the right end of the Toolbar and select ‘Sign In’ (you’ll know you’re signed in when the Toolbar shows you a green light).

Google Toolbar v4 also includes an auto updater, so your toolbar will always stay updated.

Those are just some of the great new features in Google Toolbar v4. It also includes the traditional page rank, pop-up blocker, highlight search terms, autofill, and much more of the previously included features.

Read more about the Google Toolbar v4 (and download).

Enjoy…
Jesse