Vista SP1 Ready to roll out...NOT!

News.Cnet.com contributor Ina Fried filed the report yesterday in his Beyond Binary blog that Microsoft has removed Service Pack 1 from the auto updating service again...*Sigh!*

It's so hard to keep the Mac guys off my back without stuff like this further compiling persnickety comments; heaping one upon another!

Is it a Movie? TV Show? No..It's a New TV

LG formally announced the teaser campaign for the SCARLET is a new line of TV's from the Company. Check out the cool site they set up for the campaign which Stars Natassia Malthe and was Directed by David Nutter. The LG Scarlet is the LG60 which features a Red (Scarlet) hue to the frame of this screen. To get a sneak peak at the Screen itself, take a look at http://us.lge.com/scarlet/

Andy

Falcon Northwest's portable FragBox 8500 gaming rig gets reviewed

Oh yeah, you've options oozing everywhere for a bona fide gaming desktop that takes up some serious square footage in your domicile, but what about those looking for a potent portable? And we're not talking laptops, either. Falcon Northwest's FragBox 8500 -- which sports a chassis that hasn't changed much in years -- was recently reviewed by the folks over at PC Magazine, and put simply, it was deemed a "game system without apologies." Checking in at $1,895, critics found the internals to be "neatly put together," the unit as a whole satisfactorily mobile and yes, they confirmed that "you will definitely be able to play the DX10-heavy versions of Crysis and World in Conflict at very decent frame rates." Did you hear that? They said Crysis. Head on down to the read link for the full review of the Editors' Choice-awarded machine.

Windows memory limits

Dave called after installing Microsoft Windows XP, and the issue of memory limits arose...

-----------------------------------------------

Before you go to the website I'm about to mention, you may want to lower the volume on your speakers: I was greatly annoyed by an advertisement on this site that had sound. The best "plain English" answer I found was at the "Dan's Data" website:

"...you shouldn't install more than 3Gb if you're not running a 64-bit operating system.

"...a plain PC running a 32-bit operating system...shouldn't have more than 3Gb of RAM...

"If you install 4Gb, there is no way to make all of the RAM between 3Gb and 4Gb available without installing a 64-bit OS, which you can't do unless you have a 64-bit CPU. And even then it won't necessarily work."

---------------------------------------------

Per Microsoft...

Physical Memory Limits: Windows Vista
32-bit Windows
4 GB

Physical Memory Limits: Windows XP
32-bit Windows
4 GB

Outlook file size limits

During our radio show we had discussed Microsoft Outlook, and the subject of size limitations was mentioned...

Per the article, "The .pst file has a different format and folder size limit in Outlook 2007 and in Outlook 2003":

The .pst files for IMAP or HTTP accounts in Outlook 2003 are limited to 2 GB.

In Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2003, the Internet Message Access Protocol Version 4rev1 (IMAP4) accounts and HTTP accounts are configured by default in the Unicode format...making their limit to be 20 GB.

Files and Settings Transfer Wizard/Windows Easy Transfer

During our radio show we spoke with Doris about the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard...

(I need to say I have never used this. No reflection on this tool, but due to bad past data loss experiences I always "manually" copy files..."by hand" if you will. When it comes to backups, I only trust me.)

==============================

How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard with a wizard disk in Windows XP
"You can use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to transfer settings from one computer to another computer. The settings that you can transfer include your personalized settings for Microsoft Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, desktop settings, display settings, and dial-up connection settings.
"You can also use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard to create a backup copy of your Windows XP settings. You can use this backup copy of your settings to restore your files and settings if you have to reinstall Windows XP."

Using the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP

Step-by-Step Guide to Migrating Files and Settings

===============================

In consideration of Windows Vista...

Windows Easy Transfer in Windows Vista supports the following operating systems:
• Windows 2000 SP 4
• Windows XP SP 2
• Windows Vista

--------------------------------------------

How to use Windows Easy Transfer to migrate files and settings from one Windows-based computer to another Windows Vista-based computer

"Windows Easy Transfer guides you through migrating files and settings from one Windows-based computer to another Windows Vista-based computer...

"In Windows Easy Transfer, you can select what you want to migrate. You can also select the migration method that you want to use. What you can migrate includes the following:
• Files and folders
• E-mail settings, such as contacts and messages
• Program settings
• User accounts and settings
• Internet settings and favorites
• Music, pictures, and videos"

The SS United States - Lady in Waiting

I had the opportunity to watch the upcoming documentary on the SS United State Ocean Liner called Lady in Waiting. It is a restrospective of the history of the Fastest Ocean Liner ever and one that brought my family and me to the United States back in 1964. The Ocean liner has been rusting away near the Walt Whitman bridge in Pa however it's most recent owner, NCL, has plans to have it serve as a Cruise Ship. The Film was directed by Robert Radler (Best of the Best) and edited with Apple's Final Cut editing software. We spoke recently of the project and I have posted the audio on the TechtalkRadio website at http://www.techtalkradio.com

Check out the Trailer for the Film Here:

Windows Vista Ultimate New DreamScene

New Dreamscenes are available for Ultimate users, from what it seems to me to be 3 new video features, a dripping leaf, a dripping ice cube and autumn leaves. They are available at Windows Update.

The Webby People's Voice Awards Nominees are posted

Voting closes May 1st...over 100 catagories including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video and Mobile.

Open Evernote Registration Today Only

"...instant beta accounts to everyone who clicks on this secret url from 6 am to 9 pm, California time (PT), today. If you miss the time window but want an account, just sign up using the normal beta application and we’ll send you an invitation soon."

(I have 7 invites left... - S!ick)

Digsby Sweeps in Four of Five Best IM catagories for 2008 IM.About.com awards

This really isn't a surprise to the Digsby community, that the new upstart's program would dominate the "Best IM" poll conducted by About.com contributor Brian De Hoyos...That Digsby was beat out by the old timer Yahoo! Messanger 9.0 for "Best IM Experience," has this user/writer astonished! (they must've broadcast a call for help to there millions of users...lucky for them 5590 responded. Wonder what percent of the user base THAT is! LOL)
PERSONALLY I've tried all the IM's out there, at one time or another, and none of them kept my attention for more than a couple of weeks. Boring interfaces, unwanted ads and intrusions, etc., had me sticking to emailing as my online contact resource.
Then along came Digsby...and I was gladly dragged into the online world known as "social networking." I can track multiple friends in multiple places, simply and seemlessly...and even Twitter to the world, all from one convenient UI.
Congratulations Digsby and the team at dotSyntax, LLC for this awesome program.

UStream.TV - How To...

I was looking for a way to send a message to all our friends on Ustream.TV at the same time... To remind them of our weekly Wednesday show... I wasn't quite sure how to do it...

I had received a message from one of our friends on Ustream (Spikehead68)... I went to go reply back... and POOF... there it was... a list of all my friends on Ustream.TV...

In Ustream, I clicked on "Message Box"... then went to "Compose Mail"... highlighted all the friends on my list... composed my message... and was then able to send them all a message at the same time reminding them of the show on Wednesday night...

You learn something new everyday!!

Let me know if anybody needs help on this!!

Getting your Skype onto Ustream

This is a question we get quite a bit however we use a Digital Telephone Hybrid to take calls during the show. We would like to incorporate the use of Skype on our Webcast since once in awhile we broadcast from remote locations and won't have the ability to take our phone hybrid with us. It really is quite simple and after watching a video demonstration anybody should be able to do it with a secondary microphone and speakers without feedback.

Take a look at this great link as a way to get er done!

Andy

Western Digital Bumps it Up! (With Pic)

Western Digital has bumped up the 10,000 RPM drives with a solution for those wanting larger capacity on the traditionally small capacity storage area. with many drives on the market now in the 1TB range at a reasonable cost, it makes sense to take a look at bumping up your internal and external storage however these SATA drives generally spin at 7200RPM. This is a jump over the old 5400RPM technology in the past and combined with large cache size, now at a standard 16MB cache, the speeds to access your data and write to the drives has significantly increased.

I have always been a fan of 10,000RPM technology however because of the higer spin rate on the platters, more heat is generated and thus the size has usually been reserved to a max of 160GB. The announcement this morning from Western Digital almost doubles the capacity and seems to focus it's attention on the gaming market with the VelociRaptor. The 10,000RPM drive with a 16MB Cache features a capcity of 300GB. The drive itself is a 2.5inch form factor however it is wrapped by what Western Digital calls the IcePack taking it to a 3.5 inch factor, commen with most internal drives today.

Alienware will have the VelociRaptor in the ALX Desktop by the end of the month of April and will also sell direct the drives through its website. The WD3000GLFS will also be available through the WD store at http://www.shopwd.com/ The cost for the drive will be around $299 which should satisfy most performance seekers for Gaming, Digital Audio and Video Editing and overall speed of your data read and writes. For more info, check out the WD Website

Andy

Hands On: Office 2008 for Mac 'plays nice' with Exchange Servers

We’ve been testing Office 2008 for Mac for a couple of months now and each of our users has gotten comfortable enough to complete the transition from using both a Mac and a PC, to just using either their iMacs or Macbooks exclusively.
The downside is that we don’t have any I.T. staff that are intimately familiar with the OS.

The Good, The Bad and the...well...so so:

The upside is that OS X now lives in a PC driven box.

And Entourage (Outlook for Mac) can now syncronize with Exchange 2003, with even more features opening with Exchange 2007.
Then there’s the servicing of a Mac; both good and bad – Apple Care covers almost any defect for a full three years; however, you have to wait for a prepaid shipping carton to arrive, pack up the whole unit and send it in for repair. (To Apple’s customer service’s credit, this process has rarely taken more than two to three days to complete)

Upgrading a Mac is still rather limited and costly compared to an OEM PC, with RAM being ridiculously priced (example: 1 x 2GB of 667MHz DDR2/PC@-5300 SODIMM is $200 from the Apple Store ).

Fortunately you can buy from third party sellers for a fraction of the cost and still get guaranteed compatibility (example: we purchased 2 x 2GB of the same SODIMM RAM from Crucial Memory for only $105.99.

For us, the pricier and less flexible Mac’s are still relegated to the arts…graphics and music departments are the only ones who can get them without much hassle; and we’ve only got one department head who just has to have one for the shinny factor, and frankly I’m glad we’ve gotten to the point where the technologies can finally “play nice” in a PC dominated network domain…still a few glitches to find workarounds for…but for the most part they are a welcomed addition to the work place.

If only I could get a memory upgrade and additional storage space for my BRAIN to expand my working knowledge of Mac hardware (and a bazillion other new technologies)—maybe then I could “come out of the closet,” and fully embrace the platform…Nah! It ain’t snowing in Hades just yet! LOL

You can visit Microsoft's Mactopia site or check out several independent reviews of Office 2008 for Mac and decide which of the three versions would best suit you by clicking on one of the links below. As for pricing, depending on the end use/user, you are going to shell out somewhere between $200 and $500 bucks for the full suite. (There is a much more affordable charity/educational option available through Microsoft's eOpen Licensing program, if you qualify for it)

- Mactopia sites by Microsoft covering Office for Mac 2008

- Government Computer News article on Office 2008 for Mac Special Media Edition

- PC Magazine Review of Office 2008 for Mac

- Office 2008 for Mac 12.0.1 Update (3/11/08)

Nominate your entries for Free Software Magazine Awards

Nominations close on April 30

Here are the categories:
Most helpful web site
Revolutionary piece of software
Most influential Free Software person
Most inspiring project
Most influential book
Most important project for the GNU/Linux Desktop
Best free software friendly hosting

Could Windows XP Continue?

Great story on CRN on the possibility of XP getting extended life. While not a direct statement from Steve Ballmer, reading between the lines could indicate life beyond June?

Read the story here
http://www.crn.com/software/207400689

Asus Lamborghini VX3

Asus is showing their latest Lamborghini line, the VX3.

The Asus VX3 is build using Aluminium-magnesium allow and the glossy top cover makes it looks very sexy. If you think the VX3 looks strikingly similar to Asus U6, you are not alone. Still no word on availability and pricing yet for US market.

ASUS-LAMBORGHINI VX3 Specification

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9300

Chipset - Intel PM965

WLAN - Intel Next-Gen wireless N (4965ABGN 802.11N)

Windows Vista Ultimate

NVIDIA GeForce 9300 / 256MB video memoryUp to 320GB - 5400rpm

Up to 4GB DDR2 - 667 MHz12.1″ WXGA with Crystal Shine

Built-in 3.5G & Webcam

DVD-S-Multi Double Layer LightScribe

System File Checker

Dakota called about "file is missing or corrupted" messages...

In regards to Windows, System File Checker might be able to help.

cannot see webpages

Rudy was using Internet Explorer, and unable to see webpages...

Microsoft Help and Support Article 926431, "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage", has some great suggestions for when this happens:
Run the Network Diagnostics tool in Internet Explorer
Reset the modem or the router
Use the Delete Browsing History feature
Use the Internet Explorer (No Add-ons) mode
Temporarily disable the Internet security suite or firewall
Test Internet Explorer by using a safe mode startup option that enables networking

Before you consider using System Restore, I suggest you "prepare for the worst"...just in case.

printing over a network

Kevin was having trouble sharing a Brother (MFC-?)7820N printer on a network using Windows XP...

Some articles that might help:
Share Your Printer Over a Home Network Using Windows XP
How to Use Windows XP to Share a Printer with Others on Your Network
and Advanced troubleshooting for network printing problems in Windows XP

Flip Video cameras

We talked to Mike who works in real estate about using Flip Video cameras...

Per their website the resolution is 640 x 480 pixels...VGA (Video Graphics Array)...256 colors at best. Think what Windows looks like during boot up, and in Safe mode.

I found a review at http://www.mightierthanthepen.com/2007/09/my-gear.html

Computerworld posted a video they shot with it:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/review_the_flip_video_camera
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frSFE6n9G4U

For business purposes, he may want to consider better resolutions.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall Movie Review

About a week ago, my friend told me about this movie, "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" and I've been seeing the previews on TV... and sometimes on the TV previews they "only" show the funny parts of the movie...

Well, I got some passes to go the movie premiere of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", so I decided to go check it out...

I have to tell you... this movie is one worth paying for at the theaters... It is "non-stop" laughter from beginning to end...

I'm not going to give it away, but what I found most surprising, is the little bit of a treat it gave for us women... The other thing that I did not know is that Brandscome Richmond plays a part in the movie... I've met him a couple of times...

I totally enjoyed the movie... if you go by yourself, or with your wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend... you WILL be laughing!!!

The movie opens in theaters tomorrow, April 18. Go check it out!

printer waste ink tank

Bill had asked us about a Canon "9100" printer where the "waste ink tank" was full. I was able to find information about others who had similar issues. Check with Canon about:

Some "reset codes" to try...a particular procedure might work:
1)Turn off the printer. Press and hold the Resume/Cancel and Power buttons at the same time.
2)Release the Resume/Cancel button. (continue to hold down the power button)
3)While continuing to hold down the power button press the Resume/Cancel button 3 times then release both buttons.
4)The LED should now be green. Press the Resume/Cancel button 4 times. The led should be green.
5)Power it off and back on.

If that didn't work, I have read that a "service reset program" (to reset the "service counter") might exist.

The B17 Fly Over

I have always loved Vintage Aircraft. When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to live in Orange County California where John Wayne (Then Orange County Airport) was just a short ride on the bike. My buddy Paul and I would hang out all day at the airport, checking out the planes. We stumbled upon a museum call Movieland of the Air which was owned by Veteran stunt pilot Frank Tallman. I would hear his B25 Camera plane fly over the house and would run outside to see this awesome looking plane.

I heard a similar sound today, the B17 Flying Fortress as it was doing flights from nearby Marana Airport to raise funds to continue to perserve this flying legend.
Here's what I saw:

Cool Gadgets You Can't Get Here -- Yet

Screen Gem -- Panasonic Viera P905i
Think of it as the world's smallest "big-screen" TV. Panasonic's Viera Ketai handset boasts a 3-inch screen with a contrast ratio of 2000:1 -- comparable to that of many full-size LCDs, along with powerful image processing and a tuner for Japan's 1seg ("one seg") mobile broadcasting service. You can use it as a standard vertical flip phone to make calls, or turn it 90 degrees and flip the screen open horizontally to watch TV and play 3D games. High-speed broadband, GPS tracking and a 5-megapixel camera complete the package.

Availability: Japan only; distributed by NTT DoCoMo.

Run, Baby, Run -- Raon Everun UMPC
The diminutive Raon -- 7 inches long and just over a pound in weight -- is for travelers who want their laptop to feel not much heavier than a densely woven doily. This Windows XP-based handheld sports a full QWERTY keyboard, a 4.8-inch touch-screen that can shift between portrait and landscape modes, and your choice of either a standard 60GB hard drive or 6GB of energy-saving solid-state storage. Integrated Wi-Fi lets you log onto the Internet; a docking station, a car mount and an external keyboard are optional. This ultramobile PC (UMPC) earns its name with a battery life rated by the maker at seven hours for the standard battery and 12 hours for a larger, enhanced unit.

Availability: South Korea (but at least the enhanced battery should last through the long flight back to the States).

Sleek, Not Meek -- Sony VAIO G2
This superthin notebook breaks the 2-pound barrier with virtually no compromises, thanks to its durable yet lightweight carbon-fiber casing. Its 12-inch screen and full keyboard mean that you won't be forced to squint or engage in two-finger typing. You can choose a 100GB hard drive or a 64GB solid-state drive (SSD). Because they have no moving parts, SSDs are faster, quieter and more power-efficient (though also much pricier, at least so far). If you and your flight attendant muff a drink exchange, spilling club soda on the drip-proof keyboard, the G2 shuts down automatically before anything gets fried.

Availability: Japan (and on Dynamism.com).

Drip Insurance -- Fujitsu F705i
At last, there's a 3G cell phone that you can drop into the pool without taking a financial bath. Fujitsu's F705i is the slimmest, most sophisticated waterproof phone on the market -- you can even wash its keypad with water. But the cool features don't stop at the marge of Lake Lebarge. Eight levels of zoom simplify reading e-mail in different lighting conditions, and the F705i's "super clear voice" feature automatically adjusts the volume of incoming calls to a comfortable and audible level based on the amount of ambient noise.

Availability: Japan only; distributed by NTT DoCoMo.

The Apple "i" - Some fun with Video

Our good friend Wireless Packet sent us this link to a well done video that was posted on the College Humor site,

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

YouTube Video Award Winners

Adorable: Laughing Baby

Comedy: Potter Puppet Pals in "The Mysterious Ticking Noise"

Commentary: LonelyGirl15 is Dead!

Creative: Human Tetris

Eyewitness: Battle at Kruger

Inspirational: Blind Painter

Instructional: How to solve a Rubik's Cube (Part One)

Music: Chocolate Rain

Politics: Stop the Clash of Civilizations

Series: The Guild

Short Film: My Name is Lisa

Sports: Balloon Bowl

Engadget Awards

Some of the winners...

------------------------------------------------

Gadget of the Year
Readers' Choice: Apple iPhone

Worst Gadget of the Year
Readers' Choice: Microsoft Vista

Most Anticipated Gadget of 2008
Readers' Choice: Apple iPhone (3G)

Smartphone of the Year
Readers' Choice: Apple iPhone

Desktop of the Year
Readers' Choice: Apple iMac

Digital Camera of the Year
Readers' Choice: Nikon D3

Game Console of the Year
Readers' Choice: Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite

GPS Device of the Year
Readers' Choice: Garmin nuvi 770

Handheld of the Year
Readers' Choice: Nokia N810

Home Entertainment Device of the Year
Readers' Choice: TiVo HD

Laptop of the Year
Readers' Choice: Apple MacBook Pro

Peripheral of the Year
Readers' Choice: Apple thin aluminum keyboard

Portable Media Device of the Year
Readers' Choice: Apple iPod touch

Storage Device or Technology of the Year
Readers' Choice: Eye-Fi WiFi SD card

Tablet PC of the Year
Readers' Choice: Lenovo X61T

Wearable Device of the Year
Readers' Choice: WiFi detector t-shirt

Wireless Device or Technology of the Year
Readers' Choice: 802.11n Draft 2.0

------------------------------------------

Gadget of the Year
Editors' Choice: Apple iPhone

Worst Gadget of the Year
Editors' Choice: Palm Foleo

Most Anticipated Gadget of 2008
Editors' Choice: Apple iPhone (3G)

Smartphone of the Year
Editors' Choice: Apple iPhone

Desktop of the Year
Editors' Choice: Apple iMac

Digital Camera of the Year
Editors' Choice: Nikon D3

Game Console of the Year
Editors' Choice: Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite

GPS Device of the Year
Editors' Choice: Garmin nuvi 770

Handheld of the Year
Editors' Choice: Amazon Kindle

Home Entertainment Device of the Year
Editors' Choice: TiVo HD

Laptop of the Year
Editors' Choice: Dell XPS M1330

Peripheral of the Year
Editors' Choice: ATI TV Wonder CableCARD tuner

Portable Media Device of the Year
Editors' Choice: Apple iPod touch

Tablet PC of the Year
Editors' Choice: Dell Latitude XT

Wireless Device or Technology of the Year
Editors' Choice: 802.11n Draft 2.0

Retailers Fined for Digital TV Offenses

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Best Buy Co., Sears Holdings Corp. (which operates Sears and Kmart retail stores), Circuit City Stores Inc., Target Corp., Fry's Electronics Inc. and CompUSA Inc. fined for failing to properly label that analog-only televisions will need to be retrofitted after the switch to digital TV next year...

Data Recovery Wizard Pro Free Today Only

Our friends at Lifehacker posted a link to todays Free Give Away A Day site for DataRecoveryWizard Pro FREE (good for 24hrs from post time...must INSTALL now too!)

Complete Lifehacker article: Data Recovery Wizard Pro Free Today Only http://tinyurl.com/3jvbp7

The Webby Awards

They honor excellence on the internet.

There are four entry types: Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile.

There are two honors in every category: The Webby Award, and The People's Voice Award. Until May 1, they are accepting votes for The People's Voice division...some catagories and nominees:

BEST PRACTICES
http://www.digg.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://www.flickr.com
http://nytimes.com
http://www.yelp.com

COMMUNITY
http://www.bookglutton.com
http://www.COLOURlovers.com
http://www.delicious.com
http://www.flickr.com
http://www.stumbleupon.com

GAMES-RELATED
http://www.gamasutra.com
http://blog.wired.com/games/
http://www.gamezebo.com
http://www.rockband.com
http://www.escapistmagazine.com

HEALTH
http://www.dlife.com
http://www.healthline.com
http://www.trydrugs.net
http://www.visualdxhealth.com
http://www.webmd.com

NEWS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news
http://www.cnn.com
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/
http://nytimes.com
http://www.Wired.com

SOCIAL NETWORKING
http://bebo.com
http://www.ChangeEverything.ca
http://www.facebook.com
http://www.flock.com
http://www.ning.com

WEIRD
http://www.badgiftemporium.com
http://www.cuteoverload.com
http://icanhascheezburger.com
http://www.StitchyMcYarnpants.com
http://passiveaggressivenotes.com

YOUTH
http://www.channelone.com
http://www.clubpenguin.com
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com
http://www.nick.com
http://www.scholastic.com

New products we're checking out!

We received some new products just in time for tonights Ustream.TV broadcast! We'll give you a look at the XploreTech Rugged PC Tablet. Awesome and great size screen with Biometrics on the unit for security. This is the most rugged PC we've ever looked at.

Also,

Plustek sent us over the OpticFilm 7300 Slide and Negative Scanner. A new way to scan, space saving and great results.

Tonight, 6pm Pacific on Ustream.tv/channel/techtalkradio

New Interviews

We have a couple of new interviews that didn't make it to air due to time. Bill Pollock - Founder of No Starch Press on how the company is posting a couple of its book titles up onto Torrents for greater distribution. Also, Geoff Baum of Adobe shares some info on the beta test for Adobe Photoshop Express. Check the front page with listening links to the streaming audio or downloads.

Andy

GotWebMojo.com?

Join the Got Web Mojo Community yet?
This is How it Works and What it's All About:

http://www.gotwebmojo.com/

Whether you need to raise capital, find a vendor or supplier, need help with a project, want to advertise a service/product, issue a press-release, or need to locate talent for your company, the Mojo Board is the best way to gain exposure within the GWM community. Simply fill out the form and submit your post for review. Posts are completely free for our Community Members (Join Today for FREE). Once your post request has been approved, your posting will go live on the Mojo Board where it will be exposed to all of our members. The Mojo Board is one of the most heavily used aspects of our community because members are continually looking for ways to connect with other members. Members that wish to contact you simply contact you directly through your profile page. Contacts are completely confidential and sent directly to your community e-mail account (your e-mail address is not shown nor are messages seen by GWM).

You decide who you respond to. It's simple, confidential, and effective...that's the GotWebMojo.com way! Have Questions? Contact us support@gotwebmojo.com.

Microsoft gives Yahoo three weeks to do a deal

Microsoft on Saturday issued an ultimatum to Yahoo, giving the Internet search pioneer three weeks to enter formal merger negotiations and conclude a deal.

The software giant threatened to launch a proxy fight to unseat Yahoo's board of directors, as well as take its case straight to Yahoo investors should no deal be reached in that period.

And as a further cattle prod in getting a deal consummated, Microsoft threatened to lower its existing bid, citing how Yahoo's value will be hurt if it needs to resort to such hostile means.

"If we have not concluded an agreement within the next three weeks, we will be compelled to take our case directly to your shareholders, including the initiation of a proxy contest to elect an alternative slate of directors for the Yahoo board," Steve Ballmer, Microsoft chief executive, stated in his letter to Yahoo's board of directors. "The substantial premium reflected in our initial proposal anticipated a friendly transaction with you. If we are forced to take an offer directly to your shareholders, that action will have an undesirable impact on the value of your company from our perspective which will be reflected in the terms of our proposal."

Microsoft initially offered an unsolicited buyout bid of $31 per share for Yahoo back on February 1.

Don't sign up for your $40 DTV converter box coupon--yet

The DTV transition is less than a year away and as of January 1, 2008, Americans have been eligible to sign up for a $40 coupon to help purchase DTV converter boxes needed to receive new digital TV signals. While your instincts may tell you to sign up as quickly as possible, there's a strong argument to be made to hold off for a little while. Here's why:

1. The coupon expires in three months... If you carefully read you the FAQ on the government's Web site, the program clearly states that the $40 coupons expire three months after they're shipped. That's unfortunate because we're guessing many people don't think much of it, and are just trying to sign up before they forget. Now you're forced into getting whatever DTV boxes that are currently on the market, even though...

2. Better, cheaper boxes are coming... None of the DTV converter boxes we've seen so far are available for $40 yet, which means you'll need to kick in some real American dollars in addition to your coupon. Echostar is planning on releasing a $40 converter box, the TR-40, but it won't come out until this summer--so if you already have your coupon, you probably won't be able to get it. That wouldn't be so bad, except that the Echostar TR-40 looks like it's going to be substantially better than current models, offering a full EPG and program search functoinality. Even if the Echostar device isn't everything it's cracked up to be...

3. Current models will get cheaper... This is just an educated guess, but don't be surprised if all of the current DTV converter boxes currently going for $50 to $60 suddenly drop to $40 once the Echostar TR-40 comes out. It will be near impossible for the other boxes to compete with free, so they'll be forced to sell for $40, which means it essentially free to consumers with a coupon.

The main counterargument against waiting is that if you wait too long, it's possible that the government's coupon program will run out of money. That's definitely something to consider, as there are only 22.25 million coupons available. After those are used up, an additional 11.25 million coupons will become available, but only to households that solely use analog over-the-air TV (no cable, satellite, Fios, and so on). So if you're worried that you're not going to get a coupon at all, you can play it safe and sign up now. But it's probably a pretty safe bet that the current coupon program won't run dry during the next couple months, and you'll get more out of that $40 coupon.

35th Anniversary Of The First Public Cell Phone Call

With around half the world’s population expected to be carrying a mobile phone by the end of this year, it’s hard to believe that its just 35 years since the first ever public cell phone call was made. Yesterday (4/3/08) marked the anniversary of the historical call made on the streets of New York by portable cell phone inventor Martin Cooper, then general manager of Motorola’s Communications Systems Division. Not surprisingly the device used was a far-cry from the slim-line handsets of today - making even the “bricks” of the late 80’s and early 90’s seem ultra-portable. Weighing in at two and a half pounds and 10 inches long, the phone could be used for only 20 minutes before the battery died.

Windows 7 to arrive next year, says Bill Gates

MIAMI (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp.(MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) co-founder Bill Gates said on Friday he expected the new version of Windows operating software, code-named Windows 7, to be released "sometime in the next year or so."

The software giant has been aiming to issue more regular updates of the operating system software that powers the majority of the world's personal computers. Nevertheless, Gates' comments suggested that a successor to the Vista program might be released sooner than was generally expected.

Microsoft has said it expected to release a new version of Windows approximately 3 years after the introduction of Vista in January 2007. A company spokeswoman said Gates' comments are in line with a development cycle that usually releases a test version of the software before its official introduction.

"I'm superenthused about what it will do in lots of ways," Gates said in a seminar on corporate philanthropy held during an annual meeting in Miami of the Inter-American Development Bank.
"That'll be sometime in the next year or so that we'll have a new version," Gates said in response to a question from the audience.

Gates, who is due to leave his day-to-day functions at Microsoft and dedicate himself to the philanthropic efforts of the Gates Foundation in June, said the company aimed through its $6 billion annual research and development budget to take the products running on its software to "the next level."

He said new versions of Windows would help revolutionize mobile phones and run the desk of the future, which would have a touch surface display allowing users to call up items using their hands.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Web

We've probably all been through the tough breakup at some point in our lives and a new film from producer Judd Apatow and first time Director Nicholas Stoller highlights those often painful yet humorous moments that we just don't notice.

The film looks hilarious and the website for the film features a laugh filled Trailer for the film which opens April 18th 2008. It stars Kristen Bell, Jason Segel and Mila Kunis who just started filming "Max Payne" , based on the often dizzying video game, with Mark Wahlberg. Kristen plays an actress, Sarah Marshall, who decides to break it off with Jason Segels character Peter.

Universal is the distributor for this film and has created a great fun website for finding out more about the film as well as some other sites promoting Sarah Marshall's fictional TV character with a Fansite and Blog and even a site on the NBC website promoting the fictional TV show Crime Scene. http://www.nbc.com/Crime_Scene/

Kristen also stars in the NBC drama Heroes. A great way to promote a film! I can't wait to see it.

http://www.forgettingsarahmarshall.com

No Starch Press has an interesting way to Market on File Sharing services

I normally don't copy and paste "press releases" but thought this we an interesting story.

No Starch Press, publisher of geek books, is trying something interesting with file-sharing sites.
Recognizing that the book business is changing and that books end up on file-sharing sites within days of being released in electronic form, they thought they'd take matters into their own hands. The result? No Starch released their own "official pirate version" of two best-selling backlist titles, Leander Kahney's The Cult of Mac and The Cult of iPod. News of the release became a viral hit online, and there were over 11,000 downloads of the books in the first week.
"I've always felt that these two books should have sold many more copies than they actually have," said No Starch Press publisher Bill Pollock, "but that they suffered from a lack of visibility. As four-color, coffee-table books, they were never released electronically and never appeared on torrent sites. So these two were good choices for this little experiment."
Visibility online came swiftly. One of No Starch's editors had shared 2GB of data from his home PC within hours of the initial upload. By the next day, The Cult of Mac became the #1 book on the infamous torrent site, The Pirate Bay. And a story about the experiment posted to TorrentFreak.com reached the front page of popular social news site Digg.
The truth of the matter is that the battle to stop people from posting copyrighted material to torrent sites is one that can't be won. Beside the fact that No Starch Press sells PDFs without DRM (digital rights management) protections, anything that can be viewed online can be captured and pirated. Within days of its release, No Starch Press's best-selling Hacking: The Art of Exploitation, 2nd Edition, was scraped from an e-book site and posted to multiple file-sharing networks.
Of course, part of the reason for No Starch releasing these titles on P2P sites is political. As major organizations and ISPs work to shut down file sharing, No Starch aims to remind them that P2P has valid uses as well—even for traditional content providers. "File sharing itself, or P2P, is not a crime," said Pollock. "It can be a great way for willing artists to share their work. That's not to say that stealing copyrighted material is not a crime, and our actions are not in any way meant to endorse it."

"If this experiment works, we'll try more titles," Pollock said. "And even if it doesn't work, we may try more titles, if only to beat pirates at their own game."

reclaim freespace after installing Vista SP1

"...Windows Vista SP1 File Removal tool (Vsp1cln.exe)...you can run after you install SP1. This tool removes older versions of components that have been updated in SP1...you should run Vsp1cln.exe if you want to reclaim this disk space after applying SP1 and if you will not need to uninstall SP1...you cannot uninstall SP1 after you run this tool...%windir%\system32\vsp1cln.exe"

Feed me, burp-me...and then back-up, baby!

First, there was caffeinated soap...and then, I found caffeinated sunflower seeds...

But da buzz iz bigger, now!: caffeinated breakfast cereal!

Put some beer on it, and my dietary needs have been met...

The Kitchen Sync

Laptop, meet the cookbook. The concept for the Kitchen Sync is quite simple, and brilliant. It's a new generation of cookbook for your kitchen - the perfect melding of the recipes you can find online and the old-fashioned cookbooks that sit on your kitchen shelves.

As much as we love our tattered and spattered well-used cookbooks, we are turning more and more to the web for good recipes. We like the communal nature of the web and the ability to pick and choose recipes and mash them together as we go.

But how to bring them into the kitchen? We don't like printing everything out, so our laptop has sticky keys and a flour-spattered screen - and now our lovely iPhone is also developing telltale signs of kitchen use.

Balmer's concept invents a whole new kitchen appliance - a small, flexible, washable screen with a dock. You can download recipes directly and follow links to buy necessary products and see tips online. The Kitchen Sync brings new web recipes together with the old-fashioned coobook, with no need for laborious printing or sticky laptop screens and keyboards.

It's wireless and very kitchen-friendly - our pick for the cookbook of the future! We'd like to confine our precious recipe books to the dining room table and let the real wear and tear take its toll on a flexible little tool like this.

This is still a concept, but as it won a prestigious design award already and Balmer is interning for Karim Rashid this spring, we hope that some affordable version of this goes into production soon. Good luck Noah!

Noah Balmer's official website - Check this out for some more great kitchen design and products, as well as all the details on the features of the Kitchen Sync which we were just able to sum up here.

Hollywood producer set to make shows for Xbox

Microsoft, seeking to expand offerings on its Xbox 360 console, has reached an agreement with a company headed by Peter Safran, the veteran Hollywood producer and talent manager, to produce original shows for distribution on the system.

Through his Safran Company, Safran represents clients like the actor and producer Sean Combs (Monster's Ball); the actor and writer Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding); and filmmakers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Epic Movie). Safran founded the company in 2006 after leaving Brillstein-Grey Management.

Speaking by telephone last week, Scott Nocas, global marketing manager for programming of the Xbox Live entertainment service, said he expected similar deals to follow. "We definitely look at this as the first of many," Nocas said.

In an interview at his office in Los Angeles last week, Safran said his first round of programs would all be scripted, as opposed to reality shows, and would probably run under 10 minutes. He said he planned initially to focus on genres, like comedy and horror, that appeal to the Xbox 360 audience, which is heavily concentrated from the ages of 14 to 34, and tends to be more male than female. The first shows are expected to be available to viewers by the fall.

Microsoft's previous forays in digital entertainment include a 2-year-old initiative, MSN Originals, to provide original shows for the Web, and an ill-fated foray more than 10 years ago in which it poured about $100 million into Internet shows like the comedy "475 Madison," about an advertising agency, then quickly canceled most of them.

"The Xbox is unique. It operates at a level outside of what we generally consider Web entertainment," Safran said, referring to the system's tight demographic base, which is defined by the appeal of signature games like the Halo series.

The new shows will be available exclusively via the Xbox 360 for a time, then may appear elsewhere, Safran said. Nocas said at least some of the shows would be supported by advertising.
Current programming on the Xbox 360 includes movies and selections from cable networks like the Sundance Channel and Spike TV. Viewers pay for access to films with points that can be purchased for cash or accumulated through activities on the system.

Nocas said that about 10 million people had signed up for the Xbox Live service. Roughly 18 million of the game systems have been sold worldwide, he said. The Xbox 360 is up against PlayStation 3 from Sony and the Wii from Nintendo in a hotly competitive gaming marketplace.
Safran is the latest in a growing line of Hollywood players who are seeking to tap into the digital entertainment market, where revenue still falls far short of that from traditional movie and television distribution outlets. Filmmakers like Joel and Ethan Coen and stars like Will Ferrell have recently become involved with Web-based companies like FunnyOrDie.com or 60Frames Entertainment.

Safran and Jake Zim, chief operating officer of the Safran Company's Safran Digital Group, said they expected to recruit established filmmakers for their new productions, but did not plan to seek involvement by major movie stars.

Microsoft offers free support for Vista SP1 installs

Vista users encountering problems when they upgrade to Service Pack 1 can breathe easier: the company is giving away free support for those installing the service pack.

The transition to the service pack has not been problem-free for many users, some of whom have seen their computers fall into endless reboot cycles and struggled with broken applications after installing the upgrade.

Normally, only Windows Vista users who bought the retail product would be eligible for free support but, for SP1 installation, even users with an original-equipment-manufacturer copy of Vista on their computer can get Microsoft's help, according to the official Vista blog.

"We are offering free-of-charge support to anyone who is having issues installing Windows Vista SP1," Microsoft blogger Brandon Le Blanc said.

Unlimited installation and compatibility support is available at no charge until March 18, 2009, according to the Microsoft Service Pack 1 support site.

There are three options available under the free support plan for U.S. users: e-mail support, which will be answered within one business day; online chat, which has a current waiting time of around 40 minutes; and call, available only for users who have a software-assurance agreement, professional contract, TechNet subscription, or MSDN subscription, or for those who come under the Microsoft Partner Program.

Support will be handled on a case-by-case basis, a Microsoft spokesperson said, and the user will always be advised if costs are involved.

Whether enterprise customers will also receive support without cost will depend on their agreement, the spokesperson added.

Howcast.com

Founded by veterans of Google and YouTube, Howcast brings together the personality of user-generated content with the quality of a professional video studio to create engaging, informative, and free how-to videos for consumers. It also offers emerging filmmakers an opportunity to gain experience, exposure, and income. With high quality, compelling video content, Howcast opens new opportunities for viewers, video producers, content distributors, and advertisers.

Want to know how re-wire a lamp, swaddle a baby, or chill a six pack in three minutes? Howcast.com can show you how. Howcast currently has offices in New York City and San Francisco and is looking for talented individuals to join its growing team.

Now, if you "yawl" wanna know "How to" Cow-Tip, check out this video at Howcast.com.

Microsoft Surface Launching April 17 with AT&T

No, Microsoft hasn't suddenly transformed its 30-inch, multi-touch Surface into a big-ass cellphone. It has, however, chosen AT&T to launch the world's first Surface into retail. Shoppers in New York, Atlanta, San Antonio, and San Francisco will be treated to what amounts to the novelty (at least initially) of learning about a device (Samsung BlackJack II, pictured) by simply placing it atop the Surface. They'll also have the ability to explore interactive coverage maps. Later, users will be able to drag ringtones, graphics and video and drop it into "the phones." Note their use of "the" and not "your" phone in the press release. Nevertheless, we're happy to see Microsoft get the technology out the door on its long march towards consumerdom.

Intel Reveals June Date for the first Atom Processor

Intel announced Sunday that is has chosen the name "Atom" for a new family of ultra-small chips.

The "Atom" moniker will be applied to a family of chips with two members that are expected to be released later this quarter. One--previously know as Silverthorne--is a low-power mobile processor destined for the next generation of mobile Internet devices. It incorporates a new low-power state, allowing it to essentially shut down in between processing tasks and limit power consumption.

The other, code-named Diamondville, is a single-core processor for ultra-low-cost laptops. Intel refers to the low-cost notebook design as "netbook" and estimates the pricing for these devices will go as low as $250. Diamondville is a tiny 45-nanometer processor that employs a simpler design than standard Intel processors.

Intel also rebranded its Menlow chip as the Centrino Atom--a low-power companion chip with integrated graphics, a wireless radio, as well as thinner and lighter designs.