Shuffle fans get ready for Friday: smallest iPod ever is here!

Apple Computer announced that the second generation of its iPod Shuffle will be available globally on Friday, Nov. 3. The 1-gigabyte screenless iPod, has been the subject of much fan speculation because of Apple CEO Steve Jobs' claim that it's the world's smallest digital-audio player--it's half a cubic inch in volume.

From: CNET News

Windows Media Player 11

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", and that's exactly what you think when you have a look at the new Windows Media Player 11. Microsoft found the formula: imitate those that are successful and you just might be successful too.

Let's have a look:

• The new WMP11 is very similar to iTunes
• it has the same metal-like skins
• similar configuration of the controls
• similar arrangement of the media files
• browsing through album covers (just like iTunes 7)
• The new WMP11 has some Firefox features too
• tabbed browsing
• toggling between player, library, ripping, burning and syncing up media

But that's where the similarities end. The Urge tunes store embedded in the WMP11 is in no way comparable to the quality of iTunes.

Wired News Verdict:

"Windows Media Player 11 is definitely a significant improvement over its predecessors. Taking a cue from Apple, Microsoft has devised a gorgeous and surprisingly uncomplicated media player. However, if the boys from Redmond want to truly gain ground on the folks at One Infinite Loop, they'll have to integrate a better music store than Urge into future WMP sequels. And hey, Microsoft, you guys are on the right track, but you should spend more time listening to what your customers actually want instead of telling them what they need."

Homepage: Windows Media Player 11
Source: Wired News

You can change Windows Vista 10 times, after all!

Microsoft stepped back on its decision of allowing only "one time" transfer of the Windows Vista License. As up to now, Microsoft would only allow you to re-install Windows Vista once. But now, Microsoft has changed the EULA and apparently you will be able to re-activate Windows Vista 10 times.

Even though this may seem a "good-will" attitude from Microsoft, I can't help feeling a little bit deceived on their marketing techniques:

• Ok, so first they limit our possibility of transferring the license from one computer to another. This would pose quite a problem once you decided to change some major piece of hardware in your computer (for example, the HD). What would then happen if you decided to add a new motherboard? Forget about it...Windows Vista would detect that and would "decide" that you would have to buy a new license.
• Now, they give us 10 pseudo-licenses. And you start thinking: "Ah, much better! This way I can change my computer the way I want. 10 times should be enough". That's exactly the point: it might not be enough! I have countlessly re-installed Windows XP on my computer in the last years.

People shouldn't even feel grateful for Microsoft allowing to change the computer 10 times. It shouldn't even be limited at all. But I guess Microsoft doesn't have enough money. They need to impose this kind of licenses to earn a little bit more.

Source: Peopleware (Portuguese)

Wireless Internet for free in Lisbon's gardens

Lisbon (Portugal) is now offering free Wireless Internet access in 21 of the capital's public gardens in a move to promote the use of WiFi technology and, at the same time, the use of these "green spaces".

So far, the free access is guaranteed until June, 2007. After that, the decision of whether this free access will continue or not, will be taken based on the results of this initiative.

More Info: CM Lisboa (Portuguese)
From: SIC Online (Portuguese)

Security pushed to the limit

A new mobile phone in Japan takes security pretty seriously: It can recognize its owner, automatically locks when the person gets too far away from it and can be found via satellite navigation if it goes missing.

Read the entire article at Wired News

Internet Explorer 7: my experience...

I've just installed the last version of Internet Explorer and I'm not totally convinced. What does it offer that Firefox doesn't offer in previously (over one year ago) versions?

Ok, it is fast and secure...but so is Firefox 2.0.
Ok, it has Feeds reading support...but so had Firefox 1.1.
Ok, it has Tabbed browsing... but so had all Firefox versions.

It totally follows Firefox, but it's never quite there. Here's an example on why Microsoft will never please the users:

While installing IE7 I got this screen telling me that it was (already) downloading updates before installing the web browser.
What kind of installer needs updates??? If there are (already) updates to be made, why not create a new installer that already includes the updates?

Another thing: this screen was shown for about 20 minutes and as you can see, no button to cancel, exit, minimize or anything else (and if you look closer, even the close button is gray - unusable). And all I had was a stupid blue marker going back and forth in the slide bar, without giving me any real notion of the progress of this procedure.

After installing it, I also had to (re)install some plug-ins, and update the internet settings.

This kind of attitude by Microsoft is just completely ridiculous and will always piss off users for providing such a poor service. Specially, when the alternatives are so good and easy to use.

I installed Firefox 2.0, here's my experience: setup last 2 minutes, no updates were installed, all my settings/plug-ins/bookmarks/everything was kept and the browser is running perfectly.

What else can I say?

If you're still want to try it yourself, click here.

Firefox 2.0

Here it is: the final release of Firefox 2.0. I've installed it and so far I must say, even though not many interesting features have been added since the last version, it is quite lighter and faster than before.

Homepage: Mozilla

iPod will play all tunes...

A hacker who as a teen cracked the encryption on DVDs has found a way to unlock the code that prevents iPod users from playing songs from download music stores other than Apple's iTunes, his company said on Tuesday.

Jon Lech Johansen, a 22-year-old Norwegian who lives in San Francisco, cracked Apple's FairPlay copy-protection technology, said Monique Farantzos, managing director at DoubleTwist, the company that plans to license the code to businesses.

"What he did was basically reverse-engineer FairPlay," she said. "This allows other companies to offer content for the iPod."

From: Wired News

Create your own (customizable) search engine

A new Google tool will let people use Google's search platform to create search engines focused on the content of their choice. Google Co-op is a platform that enables web site and blog publishers to customize the web search experience for users of both Google and their own website.

With a Google custom search engine, publishers can provide custom results most relevant to their readers, incorporating a site's online community and its ability to provide contextual ads. The customized search engines can also be tailored to aesthetically match any Web site.

The search engine can be customized quickly by choosing keywords and a list of sites the publisher wants included in the search index. These can be the only sites searched, or simply the ones with the highest priority. Alternately, users can exclude sites from the search index.

From: CNET

A trojan horse that keeps you safe from virus?

In addition to setting up a compromised computer to relay spam, the new malicious software SpamThru (as it has been called) also installs Kaspersky Lab's anti-virus program to get rid of competing malicious software.

When it first gets onto a PC, SpamThru connects to a control server and subsequently installs a pirated copy of Kaspersky AntiVirus. The system then starts a scan for malicious software, skipping files that it detects are part of its own installation.
Any other malware found on the system is then set up to be deleted by Windows at the next reboot.

From: CNET's Security Blog