We've compiled a list of the ten coolest spy gadgets and gear to retrieve the secret info (or confession) you're looking for.
by Jennifer L. DeLeo
SLIDESHOW (10)
Slideshow | All Shots
This month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) celebrated 100 years of public service, spanning from its initiation on July 26, 1908 to the decoding of Soviet spy messages to the prevention of dozens of terrorist plots. Yes, the FBI has been hard at work protecting our nation, so we're honoring their hard work with this list of the coolest spy gadgets and gear. For instance, record video of other drivers with a dashboard camera, or listen in on your boss' conversation with a bionic ear amplifier. Here's some great spy tech to retrieve the secret information (or confession) you're looking for. Buzz up!
And be sure to check out our Spy Tech: 10 Gadgets for the Secret Agent slideshow from last year for even more spy gear.
Here are some of the products featured in today's 10 Cool Spy Gadgets slideshow:
Motokata Bionic Ear Hearing Amplifier
Wish you could hear the conversation between your boss and the CEO? The Motokata Bionic Ear-Hearing Amplifier ($39.95) uses sound-magnification technology that lets you hear any conversation clearly and distinctly up to 20 feet away. Weighing around an ounce, it amplifies sounds up to 50 decibels and can be easily attached to your shirt pocket or belt. Attach the amplifier to the included stereo earphones to hear spoken words and control the volume.
BrickHouse Security Cell Phone Sim Card Spy
Has your loved one been acting a bit peculiar lately when he or she picks up the phone? It may be time to bring out the spy gear, with BrickHouse Security's Cell Phone Sim Card Spy ($149). This software and hardware solution lets you view, save, and edit files on a cell phone by removing the SIM card from a phone, placing it into the Cell Phone Spy reader, and connecting it to an open USB port on any computer. If you suspect that your lover is deleting files to destroy the evidence, you'll even be able to recover those deleted files—including photos and text messages—and view them right on your computer.
Now check out the rest of our 10 Cool Spy Gadgets slideshow, including Jakks Pacific's EyeClops Night Vision, the Computer Mouse Transmitter, the Vehicle Safeguard Video Recording Camera, the Unshredder, Ajoka's Charger DVR and Sunglasses DVR Camera, the StarChase, and the Interceptor Software with Nokia Phone. (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326825,00.asp)
iPhone 3G Tips and Tricks
You're past the starting gate and ready to kick it into high gear? Here are our top tips for getting the most out of Apple's famous phone.
As the cliché goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Round 2 of the iPhone revolution brought fans a 3G-capable model with a built-in GPS radio—not to mention plenty of software enhancements that work on both the new model and the original version.
Of course, that means there's more to learn. But that's where we come in. We assume you already know how to make calls, surf the Web, synchronize your music and photos, and generally have a good time—but you want to learn some real shortcuts. If that's the case, here's a list of our top tips and tricks for iPhone 2.0, geared toward more advanced users. Want to become a real iPhone power user? Read on.
1. Force-quit an application. Now that the iPhone is a real handheld computer, it's not immune from the occasional misbehaving application. If one freezes up on you, force-quit by pressing and holding the Home button for 6 seconds.
2. Make reservations the easy way. If you're looking up a phone number for something in Safari—say a restaurant or a hotel—there's no need to leave the page when you find it. Simply tap the number right on the page; the iPhone will dial it automatically.
3. Double-down with scrolling. Many Web pages contain separate text boxes with their own scroll bars. If you're trying to move around in one, try this: Zoom in, and then scroll with two fingers instead of one. That will let you scroll just inside the box and not affect the position of the entire page.
4. Maximize battery life, part 1. iPhone and iPhone 3G models have more sensors than just the accelerometer. For example, they have a separate sensor, situated right above the earpiece, that detects ambient light. The iPhone uses this sensor only once per session, though, just as you unlock the handset. But if you cover the sensor as you unlock the phone, you will trick the handset into thinking it's in a dark room, and it will power down the screen brightness as a result.
5. Maximize battery life, part 2. The iPhone's newfound e-mail synchronization abilities are useful, but they also drain the battery more quickly. If that's a concern, under Fetch New Data, set e-mail fetch time to Hourly, and turn Push off.
6. Grab a screenshot. The latest iPhone software lets you easily take screenshots of just about anything. To grab one, hold down the Home button and press the Sleep/Wake button. The iPhone will deposit a photo of the current screen in the iPhone's Photo application.
7. Get a bigger keyboard in Safari. Before you begin browsing, rotate the phone horizontally. Now tap the address bar. Voilà: a wider keyboard. Now if Apple would only add this feature in more applications instead of just Safari….
8. Keep Safari's address bar handy. Ever scroll pretty far down a Web page, only to find that the address bar has disappeared? No need to scroll back up—instead, tap the top part of the screen. The address bar will reappear, regardless of where you are on the actual Web page.
9. Enter punctuation quickly. To enter a period while using the on-screen keyboard, hold down the Punctuation key and slide your finger over to the Period button. Then release it. (This works for all punctuation, of course.)
10. Ride the dot-com wave. When keying in Web addresses, the iPhone gives you a very useful .com button that lets you add the four characters in one press. But as with the desktop version of Safari, you can even leave that out: Safari will automatically add it for you. Bonus tip: hold down the .com button; you'll be presented with a list of alternate domain endings, such as .net, .edu, and .org.
Don't miss our full reviews of the Apple iPhone 3G, the iPhone 2.0 software revision, and Apple's updated MobileMe service. And be sure to visit Smart Device Central, PC Magazine's dedicated site for smartphones and mobile technologies, for opinion, reviews, tips, how-tos, and news on the iPhone and other mobile devices.
(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326544,00.asp)
As the cliché goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Round 2 of the iPhone revolution brought fans a 3G-capable model with a built-in GPS radio—not to mention plenty of software enhancements that work on both the new model and the original version.
Of course, that means there's more to learn. But that's where we come in. We assume you already know how to make calls, surf the Web, synchronize your music and photos, and generally have a good time—but you want to learn some real shortcuts. If that's the case, here's a list of our top tips and tricks for iPhone 2.0, geared toward more advanced users. Want to become a real iPhone power user? Read on.
1. Force-quit an application. Now that the iPhone is a real handheld computer, it's not immune from the occasional misbehaving application. If one freezes up on you, force-quit by pressing and holding the Home button for 6 seconds.
2. Make reservations the easy way. If you're looking up a phone number for something in Safari—say a restaurant or a hotel—there's no need to leave the page when you find it. Simply tap the number right on the page; the iPhone will dial it automatically.
3. Double-down with scrolling. Many Web pages contain separate text boxes with their own scroll bars. If you're trying to move around in one, try this: Zoom in, and then scroll with two fingers instead of one. That will let you scroll just inside the box and not affect the position of the entire page.
4. Maximize battery life, part 1. iPhone and iPhone 3G models have more sensors than just the accelerometer. For example, they have a separate sensor, situated right above the earpiece, that detects ambient light. The iPhone uses this sensor only once per session, though, just as you unlock the handset. But if you cover the sensor as you unlock the phone, you will trick the handset into thinking it's in a dark room, and it will power down the screen brightness as a result.
5. Maximize battery life, part 2. The iPhone's newfound e-mail synchronization abilities are useful, but they also drain the battery more quickly. If that's a concern, under Fetch New Data, set e-mail fetch time to Hourly, and turn Push off.
6. Grab a screenshot. The latest iPhone software lets you easily take screenshots of just about anything. To grab one, hold down the Home button and press the Sleep/Wake button. The iPhone will deposit a photo of the current screen in the iPhone's Photo application.
7. Get a bigger keyboard in Safari. Before you begin browsing, rotate the phone horizontally. Now tap the address bar. Voilà: a wider keyboard. Now if Apple would only add this feature in more applications instead of just Safari….
8. Keep Safari's address bar handy. Ever scroll pretty far down a Web page, only to find that the address bar has disappeared? No need to scroll back up—instead, tap the top part of the screen. The address bar will reappear, regardless of where you are on the actual Web page.
9. Enter punctuation quickly. To enter a period while using the on-screen keyboard, hold down the Punctuation key and slide your finger over to the Period button. Then release it. (This works for all punctuation, of course.)
10. Ride the dot-com wave. When keying in Web addresses, the iPhone gives you a very useful .com button that lets you add the four characters in one press. But as with the desktop version of Safari, you can even leave that out: Safari will automatically add it for you. Bonus tip: hold down the .com button; you'll be presented with a list of alternate domain endings, such as .net, .edu, and .org.
Don't miss our full reviews of the Apple iPhone 3G, the iPhone 2.0 software revision, and Apple's updated MobileMe service. And be sure to visit Smart Device Central, PC Magazine's dedicated site for smartphones and mobile technologies, for opinion, reviews, tips, how-tos, and news on the iPhone and other mobile devices.
(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326544,00.asp)
Firefox Alpha Improves the AwesomeBar
by Michael Muchmore
Though it's been less than a month since Firefox 3's blast-off into the Internet and a software download record, Mozilla developers have already distributed a very early preview of the next upgrade to the increasingly popular browser, code-named Shiretoko.
The alpha version will be designated as Firefox 3.1 at final release and at this point is strictly intended for developers and testers. The underlying Gecko page-rendering engine is also being updated to version 1.9.1.
The most noticeable enhancements in the release involve the much lauded Smart Location Bar, often referred to by Mozillaphiles as the "awesome bar." Users will have more control over what links the bar presents when they start typing in it. They'll be able to restrict suggested sites to history (rather than including unvisited bookmarks) and to specify whether to find URLs or page title text. Smart keywords—for example, preceding text in the location bar with "g" to perform a Google search on the term—will now get bookmarks that enable more than one choice for the keyword (or key character).
Also implemented is a new tab switching behavior, called Control-Tab. This lets users view tabs in a filmstrip view, offering tab previews similar to those in Opera. Formerly a Firefox add-on, Control-Tab will be a built-in feature of the browser's next version.
Other enhancements have been implemented affecting improved Web standards support in the Gecko layout engine, and support for CSS border images and JavaScript query selectors. Though none of the changes is massive, it's good to see the folks at Mozilla continually making a good product better.
Versions of Firefox 3.1 Alpha 1 are available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. You can read more details about the changes on Mozilla.org.
(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326835,00.asp)
Though it's been less than a month since Firefox 3's blast-off into the Internet and a software download record, Mozilla developers have already distributed a very early preview of the next upgrade to the increasingly popular browser, code-named Shiretoko.
The alpha version will be designated as Firefox 3.1 at final release and at this point is strictly intended for developers and testers. The underlying Gecko page-rendering engine is also being updated to version 1.9.1.
The most noticeable enhancements in the release involve the much lauded Smart Location Bar, often referred to by Mozillaphiles as the "awesome bar." Users will have more control over what links the bar presents when they start typing in it. They'll be able to restrict suggested sites to history (rather than including unvisited bookmarks) and to specify whether to find URLs or page title text. Smart keywords—for example, preceding text in the location bar with "g" to perform a Google search on the term—will now get bookmarks that enable more than one choice for the keyword (or key character).
Also implemented is a new tab switching behavior, called Control-Tab. This lets users view tabs in a filmstrip view, offering tab previews similar to those in Opera. Formerly a Firefox add-on, Control-Tab will be a built-in feature of the browser's next version.
Other enhancements have been implemented affecting improved Web standards support in the Gecko layout engine, and support for CSS border images and JavaScript query selectors. Though none of the changes is massive, it's good to see the folks at Mozilla continually making a good product better.
Versions of Firefox 3.1 Alpha 1 are available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. You can read more details about the changes on Mozilla.org.
(http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2326835,00.asp)
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What follows is the Privacy Statement for all Page Posting websites (a.k.a. blogs)
including all the websites run under the http://page-posting.blogspot.com domain.
Please read this statement regarding our blogs. If you have questions please ask us via our contact form.
Email Addresses
You may choose to add your email address to our contact list via the forms on our websites. We agree that we will never share you email with any third party and that we will remove your email at your request. We don’t currently send advertising via email, but in the future our email may contain advertisements and we may send dedicated email messages from our advertisers without revealing your email addresses to them. If you have any problem removing your email address please contact us via our contact form.
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Comments/Message Boards
Most Page Posting websites contain comment sections (a.k.a. message boards). We do not actively monitor these comments and the information on them is for entertainment purposes only. If we are alerted to something we deem inappropriate in any way, we may delete it at our discretion. We use email validation on most of our message boards in order to reduce “comment spam.” These email addresses will not be shared with any third party.
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We will make every effort to preserve user privacy but Page Posting may need to disclose information when required by law.
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Bluetooth speaker looks like a futuristic torch
Armed with futuristic looks and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR compatibility is this wireless speaker. It supports A2DP/AVRCP/HFP/HSP profiles and seamlessly pairs with a compatible mobile phone or PMP. In addition to this it also has a stereo mini input for good old wired connectivity. The speaker delivers an output of 2W×2ch with a frequency zone of 20Hz - 20kHz. The speaker can be powered by an onboard Lithium battery or AC adapter or USB. The Japan only product will sell for 7980 Yen ($ 76)
(from http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/bluetooth_speaker_looks_like_a_futuristic_torch.php)
Spammer walks away from slammer
Federal authorities are looking for Colorado's most notorious spammer.
Eddie Davidson, 35, of Louisville walked away from a minium security prison camp in Florence on Sunday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The agency did not release the circumstances. He had been in the work camp about five weeks of a 21-month sentence.
Davidson was sentenced in April after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion and falsifying information in e-mail pitches for low-cost, high risk "penny" stocks.
Investigators said Davidson's company would change the header to make the spam appear to be from more credible sources, such as America Online.
Davidson said he sent the pitches on behalf of a Houston company he did not identify.
Besides prison time, Davidson was ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service $714,139.
Federal agents seized property Davidson had bought with his penny-stock spam profits, including gold coins, to help settle his tax debt. The amount he still owes, if any, was not available Monday night.
Court filings showed that Davidson's spam operation grossed about $3.5 million between 2003 and 2006.
Davidson's Bennett-based business, Power Promoters, sent hundreds of thousands of unsolicited sales pitches to e-mail addresses around the world, selling a variety of products.
(from http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_9953100?source=commented-news)
Eddie Davidson, 35, of Louisville walked away from a minium security prison camp in Florence on Sunday, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The agency did not release the circumstances. He had been in the work camp about five weeks of a 21-month sentence.
Davidson was sentenced in April after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion and falsifying information in e-mail pitches for low-cost, high risk "penny" stocks.
Investigators said Davidson's company would change the header to make the spam appear to be from more credible sources, such as America Online.
Davidson said he sent the pitches on behalf of a Houston company he did not identify.
Besides prison time, Davidson was ordered to pay the Internal Revenue Service $714,139.
Federal agents seized property Davidson had bought with his penny-stock spam profits, including gold coins, to help settle his tax debt. The amount he still owes, if any, was not available Monday night.
Court filings showed that Davidson's spam operation grossed about $3.5 million between 2003 and 2006.
Davidson's Bennett-based business, Power Promoters, sent hundreds of thousands of unsolicited sales pitches to e-mail addresses around the world, selling a variety of products.
(from http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_9953100?source=commented-news)
Yahoo! Music Store Support Dead by Sept. 30
by Chloe Albanesius
Has Yahoo learned nothing from Microsoft?
Several months after the Microsoft MSN Music Store snafu, Yahoo announced Wednesday night that support for the Yahoo! Music Store will shut down as of Sept. 30, 2008.
"After the Store closes, Yahoo will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for music purchased from Yahoo Music Unlimited, and Yahoo will no longer be able to authorize song playback on additional computers," the company said in a Thursday e-mail to customers.
Yahoo announced in February that its Music Unlimited customers would be migrated to Rhapsody via a "simple click-through process that will automatically recreate the user's library within a new Rhapsody account."
According to Wednesday's e-mail, however, after Sept. 30, "you will not be able to transfer songs to unauthorized computers or re-license these songs after changing operating systems."
What does this mean for your music?
Songs purchased through Yahoo Music will "generally" continue to play on existing authorized computers, but if you get a new computer or update your operating system? Goodbye music. The only other option is to burn the music to a CD and re-upload the songs to your new computer to play on Rhapsody.
Microsoft pulled a similar move in April when it announced that it would delete its MSN Music license servers on Aug. 31, so music purchased from the now-defunct Music Store would be accessible only via the five computers you authorized to play the tunes.
The news prompted user backlash and a call from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to issue refunds for the lost music. As a result, Microsoft backtracked and decided to allow access until the end of 2011.
EFF was similarly outraged by Yahoo's move.
"Here we go again," staff attorney Corynne McSherry wrote in a Thursday blog post.
Sherry demanded that Yahoo take several steps: issue a full apology to Yahoo! Music customers; offer a refund for purchased music; ensure that all Yahoo! Music buyers have receipts; and/or cover their legal costs if they are hit with copyright infringement claims; and widely publicize the above measures so Yahoo! Music users know their options.
"At the very least, this announcement is further evidence (if such evidence were needed) that DRM is just bad business," McSherry wrote.
This post originally appeared on AppScout. (from www.pcmag.com)
Has Yahoo learned nothing from Microsoft?
Several months after the Microsoft MSN Music Store snafu, Yahoo announced Wednesday night that support for the Yahoo! Music Store will shut down as of Sept. 30, 2008.
"After the Store closes, Yahoo will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for music purchased from Yahoo Music Unlimited, and Yahoo will no longer be able to authorize song playback on additional computers," the company said in a Thursday e-mail to customers.
Yahoo announced in February that its Music Unlimited customers would be migrated to Rhapsody via a "simple click-through process that will automatically recreate the user's library within a new Rhapsody account."
According to Wednesday's e-mail, however, after Sept. 30, "you will not be able to transfer songs to unauthorized computers or re-license these songs after changing operating systems."
What does this mean for your music?
Songs purchased through Yahoo Music will "generally" continue to play on existing authorized computers, but if you get a new computer or update your operating system? Goodbye music. The only other option is to burn the music to a CD and re-upload the songs to your new computer to play on Rhapsody.
Microsoft pulled a similar move in April when it announced that it would delete its MSN Music license servers on Aug. 31, so music purchased from the now-defunct Music Store would be accessible only via the five computers you authorized to play the tunes.
The news prompted user backlash and a call from the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) to issue refunds for the lost music. As a result, Microsoft backtracked and decided to allow access until the end of 2011.
EFF was similarly outraged by Yahoo's move.
"Here we go again," staff attorney Corynne McSherry wrote in a Thursday blog post.
Sherry demanded that Yahoo take several steps: issue a full apology to Yahoo! Music customers; offer a refund for purchased music; ensure that all Yahoo! Music buyers have receipts; and/or cover their legal costs if they are hit with copyright infringement claims; and widely publicize the above measures so Yahoo! Music users know their options.
"At the very least, this announcement is further evidence (if such evidence were needed) that DRM is just bad business," McSherry wrote.
This post originally appeared on AppScout. (from www.pcmag.com)
First Pictures Of Turbo-Boosted Super Pursuit KITT At Comic Convention, KITTchero Teased
Those on the fence about the new Knight Rider television show need look no further than these shots of the newly upgraded KITT from Popular Mechanics shot at Comic-Con 2008. At a panel discussion in front of Knight Rider fanboys-girls they showed video of KITT employing Turbo Boost (before a very long press conference where the actor that plays Mike Tracer admitted he drives a supercharged Bullitt). The video apparently also featured the actors getting into a truck version of KITT — a KITTchero if you will. (from http://jalopnik.com/399299/first-pictures-of-turbo+boosted-super-pursuit-kitt-at-comic-convention-kittchero-teased)
15 Web Sites for Managing (and Saving) Money
Get on the right financial track with these 15 online resources, which can help with money management, investing, and smart spending.
by Jennifer L. DeLeoBuzz up!
on Yahoo!
In these trying economic times, it's more important than ever to manage your finances. That means saving your receipts to track what you've spent, cutting back on electricity, and thinking twice before buying that shiny new gadget. According to a recent AP article, "consumer prices rose 1.1 percent in June from the month before, far faster than the expected rate of 0.7 percent." Rising consumer costs have led to millions of families struggling to keep up with their mortgage, credit card, and loan payments every month.
Unfortunately, money management doesn't come naturally to most people. NY Metro recently quoted a panelist at the annual U.S. Department of Labor conference on financial literacy as saying that much of America's recent economic woes could have been avoided if everyone simply learned financial planning.
So what can you do to protect your home from foreclosure, provide food for your family, and secure your retirement fund? PC Magazine found 15 great Web sites that offer advice and tools to help with your financial well-being, including money management, stocks and investing, general finance, and smart spending. Check out these apps, blogs, and Web sites so that you can live a more frugal life.
These great resources will help you track your finances, balance your checkbook, and link you with other financially concerned individuals.
1. Mint.com
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by PC Magazine, the free Mint.com Web service automatically tracks your monetary life for you. If you feel comfortable with handing over your banking and credit-card account log-ins to the site (according to the company, it never has direct access to your accounts and employs bank-level data security), you'll be able to see your assets and debts in total for each account—conveniently on one screen. Mint.com sets up your budget based on your average monthly spending. Then you can easily customize it, if need be. An interesting section of the site is "The Ways To Save," which compares the terms of your current financial accounts with those of other companies, looking at details like fees and minimum balances, to see if you can save money by switching.
2. ClearCheckbook.com
Managing over two million transactions for over 17,800 active users, ClearCheckbook.com is a simple-to-use Web app that lets you balance your checkbook from anywhere you have Web access; view your spending habits in charts and line and pie graphs; manage your finances from your mobile phone via ClearCheckbook's mobile app; set up reminders to pay your bills; and CheckBot 2.0, which lets you update your account from your mobile phone via SMS or AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo!, and Google Talk Messenger services. Simply set up an account to get started. In addition, you can set monthly spending limits to see how much you have left to spend within your budget and export your transactions into a CSV or QIF format.
3. Wesabe
Wesabe is part financial software, part social networking community. Download Wesabe to your Mac or Windows machine for free, and you'll be able to see all your bank accounts and credit cards in one place, categorize your transactions with tags, set spending targets and goals, and receive saving and spending tips based on your purchases. Peruse the Groups section to chat with others about debt, savings, and money management. One discussion group recommends not getting a WaMu credit card; another provides the Wesabe community with tips on paying off a car loan
(read more at www.pcmag.com)
by Jennifer L. DeLeoBuzz up!
on Yahoo!
In these trying economic times, it's more important than ever to manage your finances. That means saving your receipts to track what you've spent, cutting back on electricity, and thinking twice before buying that shiny new gadget. According to a recent AP article, "consumer prices rose 1.1 percent in June from the month before, far faster than the expected rate of 0.7 percent." Rising consumer costs have led to millions of families struggling to keep up with their mortgage, credit card, and loan payments every month.
Unfortunately, money management doesn't come naturally to most people. NY Metro recently quoted a panelist at the annual U.S. Department of Labor conference on financial literacy as saying that much of America's recent economic woes could have been avoided if everyone simply learned financial planning.
So what can you do to protect your home from foreclosure, provide food for your family, and secure your retirement fund? PC Magazine found 15 great Web sites that offer advice and tools to help with your financial well-being, including money management, stocks and investing, general finance, and smart spending. Check out these apps, blogs, and Web sites so that you can live a more frugal life.
These great resources will help you track your finances, balance your checkbook, and link you with other financially concerned individuals.
1. Mint.com
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars by PC Magazine, the free Mint.com Web service automatically tracks your monetary life for you. If you feel comfortable with handing over your banking and credit-card account log-ins to the site (according to the company, it never has direct access to your accounts and employs bank-level data security), you'll be able to see your assets and debts in total for each account—conveniently on one screen. Mint.com sets up your budget based on your average monthly spending. Then you can easily customize it, if need be. An interesting section of the site is "The Ways To Save," which compares the terms of your current financial accounts with those of other companies, looking at details like fees and minimum balances, to see if you can save money by switching.
2. ClearCheckbook.com
Managing over two million transactions for over 17,800 active users, ClearCheckbook.com is a simple-to-use Web app that lets you balance your checkbook from anywhere you have Web access; view your spending habits in charts and line and pie graphs; manage your finances from your mobile phone via ClearCheckbook's mobile app; set up reminders to pay your bills; and CheckBot 2.0, which lets you update your account from your mobile phone via SMS or AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo!, and Google Talk Messenger services. Simply set up an account to get started. In addition, you can set monthly spending limits to see how much you have left to spend within your budget and export your transactions into a CSV or QIF format.
3. Wesabe
Wesabe is part financial software, part social networking community. Download Wesabe to your Mac or Windows machine for free, and you'll be able to see all your bank accounts and credit cards in one place, categorize your transactions with tags, set spending targets and goals, and receive saving and spending tips based on your purchases. Peruse the Groups section to chat with others about debt, savings, and money management. One discussion group recommends not getting a WaMu credit card; another provides the Wesabe community with tips on paying off a car loan
(read more at www.pcmag.com)
Gateway to End Its Online Sales, Shift to Retail Company Follows Acer into Channel, Retail Sales
by Mark Hachman
Gateway is planning to discontinue online and phone sales of desktop PCs and notebooks, and move entirely to an indirect channel model, the PC vendor plans to announce on Friday.
"We are planning to issue a news release tomorrow morning about Gateway's move to a 100 percent indirect model, focusing exclusively on retailers, e-tailers and channel partners," Gateway spokeswoman Lisa Emard said in an email Thursday night.
"This change will dramatically simplify Gateway's business model and deliver significant cost savings, ultimately resulting in an improved value proposition for consumers," Emard said.
The shift will take place over the weekend, Emard said, and the PCs and other products Gateway previously offered online and through the 1-800-GATEWAY service will be shifted to the company's channel partners, she said.
Gateway products may still be found online, but only through the company's partners. The channels include Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Costco, HSN, Newegg, Tiger Direct, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Wal-Mart and many other retailers and e-tailers, Emard said.
It's a coming-home of sorts for Gateway, which was famous for its family of retail stores the company opened in the late 1990s and early 200s. However, Dell and its direct sales model forced Gateway to ditch the stores and their high overhead, and move back online. Only recently have direct sales vendors like Dell begun embracing the channel yet again.
The move aligns Gateway with Acer, which purchased Gateway in August 2007. At the time, some thought that the purchase indicated that Gateway had failed to develop a successful direct sales model. Instead, Emard said that Acer's business was built upon indirect channel sales, and that Gateway would now be aligned with that strategy.
"This shift better aligns with the company's successful global strategy, which was built upon an indirect model," Emard said. "The company believes that its retail and e-tail partners offer consumers the best, easiest and most effective way to purchase Gateway products."
"This move also makes Acer the only top-tier PC company fully committed to the channel without a competing U.S. direct sales force," Emard said. (from www.pcmag.com)
Gateway is planning to discontinue online and phone sales of desktop PCs and notebooks, and move entirely to an indirect channel model, the PC vendor plans to announce on Friday.
"We are planning to issue a news release tomorrow morning about Gateway's move to a 100 percent indirect model, focusing exclusively on retailers, e-tailers and channel partners," Gateway spokeswoman Lisa Emard said in an email Thursday night.
"This change will dramatically simplify Gateway's business model and deliver significant cost savings, ultimately resulting in an improved value proposition for consumers," Emard said.
The shift will take place over the weekend, Emard said, and the PCs and other products Gateway previously offered online and through the 1-800-GATEWAY service will be shifted to the company's channel partners, she said.
Gateway products may still be found online, but only through the company's partners. The channels include Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Costco, HSN, Newegg, Tiger Direct, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Wal-Mart and many other retailers and e-tailers, Emard said.
It's a coming-home of sorts for Gateway, which was famous for its family of retail stores the company opened in the late 1990s and early 200s. However, Dell and its direct sales model forced Gateway to ditch the stores and their high overhead, and move back online. Only recently have direct sales vendors like Dell begun embracing the channel yet again.
The move aligns Gateway with Acer, which purchased Gateway in August 2007. At the time, some thought that the purchase indicated that Gateway had failed to develop a successful direct sales model. Instead, Emard said that Acer's business was built upon indirect channel sales, and that Gateway would now be aligned with that strategy.
"This shift better aligns with the company's successful global strategy, which was built upon an indirect model," Emard said. "The company believes that its retail and e-tail partners offer consumers the best, easiest and most effective way to purchase Gateway products."
"This move also makes Acer the only top-tier PC company fully committed to the channel without a competing U.S. direct sales force," Emard said. (from www.pcmag.com)
Samsung's i8510 Boasts Almost Everything, Plus An 8 Megapixel Camera
Samsung has a new slider on the market in Europe and we're hoping it finds its way over here. The i8510 is a S60-powered GSM phone with very fast 3G speeds and Wi-Fi, as well as GPS. What makes this high-end phone lust-worthy, though, is the 8 Megapixel multifunction camera with Xenon flash that can record video at up to 120 frames per second. It also has image stabilization and face recognition as well as other features. Couple that with Bluetooth 2 and 16GB of internal flash storage and you've got a serious, slim phone for T-Mobile users. And it looks really nice, too
(http://www.symbian-guru.com/welcome/2008/07/samsung-i8510-gets-real-in-nyc.html)
Intel Welcomes Home Integrated Chips
Intel's plans to bring system-on-a-chip (SOC) devices to market have come to fruition, with the company introducing its first eight products for the embedded market. New devices for the consumer-electronics market are due later this year (http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,24,00.asp)
Intel Slices Core 2 Duo Price
Over the weekend, Intel made a few price adjustments to its microprocessor lineup, with the largest cut being made to its E8500 Core 2 Duo processor.
That chip, the fastest (3.16-GHz) Core 2 Duo processor that Intel sells, was trimmed 31 percent to $183. Intel also cut the price of the E8400 (a 3.00-GHz version) to the same $183 price point -- when Intel does that, it's a signal that the E8400 will be soon phased out in favor of the faster processor. Intel also created a bit of a logjam at the low end of the family by slicing the E7200 13 percent to $113, the same price as the E4600 and E4500, which run slower and only have 2 Mbytes of level-2 cache.
The cuts to the Core 2 Duo line are simply Intel making a bit of headroom for its Core 2 Quad lineup; the slowest processor in that product family, the 2.4-GHz Q6600, was reduced by a scant 14 percent to $193.
Intel also made a few minor reductions to the price of its Xeon processors
(Originally published on http://www.gearlog.com)
That chip, the fastest (3.16-GHz) Core 2 Duo processor that Intel sells, was trimmed 31 percent to $183. Intel also cut the price of the E8400 (a 3.00-GHz version) to the same $183 price point -- when Intel does that, it's a signal that the E8400 will be soon phased out in favor of the faster processor. Intel also created a bit of a logjam at the low end of the family by slicing the E7200 13 percent to $113, the same price as the E4600 and E4500, which run slower and only have 2 Mbytes of level-2 cache.
The cuts to the Core 2 Duo line are simply Intel making a bit of headroom for its Core 2 Quad lineup; the slowest processor in that product family, the 2.4-GHz Q6600, was reduced by a scant 14 percent to $193.
Intel also made a few minor reductions to the price of its Xeon processors
(Originally published on http://www.gearlog.com)
Amazon's Asset Sales Help Double Profits
Amazon.com Inc's quarterly net income doubled from a year ago and beat Wall Street targets, though much of the gain was related to the sale of European DVD rental assets, confusing some investors.(http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,2806,24,00.asp)
Chitika’s Referral Program
The Publisher Referral Program rewards you for bringing new business to Chitika. Refer new Publishers to Chitika’s eMiniMalls service and earn 10% of what your referral earns. The referral makes the same revenue that they would normally and Chitika pays you for your efforts. It’s that simple!
Program Details
You’ll earn 10% of what your referrals earn - the more friends you refer, the more you make!
You’re eligible to earn commissions for each referral for 12 months following each referral’s approval date
Chitika will pay you 30 days following the end of the month that your commissions are earned provided that your total revenue has exceeded $10 (for PayPal) and $50 (for check where PayPal is not available)
You will be paid based upon audited revenue.
You will find your Referral reports in the “Reports” section when you log into your account
For more information, please read the program FAQ’s and the Program terms in eMiniMalls Terms and Conditions
Program Details
You’ll earn 10% of what your referrals earn - the more friends you refer, the more you make!
You’re eligible to earn commissions for each referral for 12 months following each referral’s approval date
Chitika will pay you 30 days following the end of the month that your commissions are earned provided that your total revenue has exceeded $10 (for PayPal) and $50 (for check where PayPal is not available)
You will be paid based upon audited revenue.
You will find your Referral reports in the “Reports” section when you log into your account
For more information, please read the program FAQ’s and the Program terms in eMiniMalls Terms and Conditions
Cheap Tech: The 20 Best Products Under $100
Celebrate America's independence by cashing in on these hot deals for phones, cameras, MP3 players, and more.
There's much more to celebrate this Independence Day than just our country's freedom: Just check out these hot tech deals! Before you light the grill for your Fourth of July barbecue or head off to watch the fireworks, be sure to set aside some time this weekend to take advantage of the best tech bargains happening right now on the Web.
To help you in the search, we've compiled a list of the 20 best tech deals so you can buy what you crave at a price you can afford. Whether you're in the market for a new smartphone, digital camera, computer peripheral, MP3 player, or printer, we've got you covered. The following products were all given a PC Mag rating of three or better, and the great news is that they're all under $100. Jennifer L. DeLeo
Mobile Phones & PDAs
Kyocera Wild Card
Price: $98.99
For Virgin Mobile users, the inexpensive Kyocera Wild Card excels as both a voice phone and a messaging device. It includes Bluetooth and a comfortable QWERTY keyboard.
Samsung SCH-U620
Price: $95
This Editors' Choice-winning phone for Verizon offers a 2-inch high-res screen, Bluetooth support, good voice reception, and true mobile TV.
Palm Centro (AT&T)
Price: $99
The Palm Centro is a great smartphone for first-time users, complete with a 2.2-inch touch screen, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and a good Web browser.
Motorola Q9c
Price: $99.99
The Motorola Q9c is a highly capable, inexpensive smartphone for Sprint users, with good voice quality, GPS and EV-DO radios, and a very comfortable keyboard.
RIM BlackBerry 8800
Price: $99.99
An excellent messaging phone, the BlackBerry 8800 for AT&T users features a trackball, music player, built-in GPS, and very good reception.
Computer Peripherals
Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000
Price: $79.95
Logitech's QuickCam Pro 9000 captures stellar video at a variety of resolutions under almost any lighting conditions. It features a 2-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens, an extremely fast autofocus, accurate auto-exposure, and fun capture software.
Saitek USB Multimedia Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Price: $29.99
The vibrant-colored USB Multimedia Keyboard and Optical Mouse set from Saitek is perfect for any tween's or teen's desktop. The keyboard set comes in four neon colors—blue, green, pink, and teal—and a mouse that's equally good for left- or right-handers.
Corsair Flash Voyager GT (16GB)
Price: $79.99
Protect your important files from the harsh elements with the Corsair Flash Voyager GT. This 16GB flash drive is encased in a rugged, rubberized enclosure to guard against moisture and shock. It also comes with the encryption software TrueCrypt, in case your data falls into the wrong hands.
SanDisk Cruzer Contour
Price: $44.95
The stainless-steel SanDisk Cruzer Contour is a 4GB USB flash drive that includes several software applications, such as a version of HP PhotoSmart, Avast! Antivirus, SignupShield password manager, Sudoku, and more. Performance-wise, it's at the top of the pack for sequential write times at 16.9 megabytes in our tests, and is no slouch at read times (25.7 MBps).
Digital Photo & Video
Canon PowerShot A460
Price: $99.95
Canon's 5-megapixel PowerShot A460 should please the average picture-taker, with very good picture quality, decent performance, and no shutter lag. It has a 2-inch LCD screen as well as a viewfinder for low-lit settings.
Fuji FinePix Z10fd
Price: $99
A snazzy-looking camera designed for casual, style-conscious shutterbugs, the 7.2-megapixel Fuji FinePix Z10fd has a 2.5-inch LCD for framing and reviewing photos, but there's no optical viewfinder. Still, it offers a bevy of features including anti-blur mode and face detection technology.
Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam
Price: $88
Creative's Vado improves on its prototype, the Flip Ultra mini camcorder, in a number of ways, including a sleeker and slimmer design and a larger (2-inch) screen. Viewed on a PC, its video quality is fairly decent for a sub-$100 camcorder.
MP3 Players & Headphones:
SanDisk Sansa Fuze
Price: $89.95
With a 1.9-inch screen and 4GB of storage capacity, SanDisk's Sansa Fuze delivers good audio quality and a slew of features, including a microSD slot for memory expansion, FM radio, Audible audiobook support, and voice and radio recording.
Samsung YP-U3
Price: $44.95
The Editors' Choice-winning Samsung YP-U3 flash player may be tiny, but offers plenty of features at an affordable price: a 1.8-inch screen with cool graphics, easy-to-use navigation, FM radio and voice recording, and 2GB of storage capacity.
Sennheiser MX75 Sport
Price: $22.96
The MX75 Sport from Sennheiser is designed specifically for the fitness enthusiast. These earbuds are comfortable to wear and don't fall out during exercise, not to mention they're also resistant to both water and perspiration. The 3.5mm headphone connector fits any standard portable MP3 or DVD player.
Sony MDR-NC40
Price: $99.99
The MDR-NC40 delivers quality audio performance and noise cancellation that's impressive considering its $99 price tag. With a supra-aural design (sits on the ears), the MDR-NC40 can be used without active noise cancellation to preserve battery life.
Printers
Canon Selphy CP740
Price: $79.99
A dedicated small-format photo printer at a bargain-basement price, the Canon Selphy CP740 is hard to beat. Designed to print photos on a variety of paper sizes up to 4 by 8 inches, the CP740 offers reasonably fast speed, true photo quality for most photos, and a 2-inch color LCD for previewing photos before printing.
Epson Stylus NX400
Price: $89.99
Although highly photocentric, the Epson Stylus NX400 also handles text and graphics reasonably well. Aimed squarely at home use, it offers smear-resistant ink and a 2.5-inch color LCD for previewing photos that are on memory cards before printing.
HP LaserJet P1006 Printer
Price: $96
An attractive choice as a personal monochrome laser, the HP LaserJet P1006 is both small and light—a perfect fit in any home office or on a desk. It has a 17-page-per-minute engine and an external wired network option and a Wi-Fi option to share it over a network.
Lexmark X3550
Price: $69.99
The Lexmark X3550 all-in-one is aimed at the home user or extremely light-duty office user. It's capable of printing, scanning, and copying, and is reasonably fast for the price. It's a particularly good choice if you don't need the Wi-Fi option now but might want to add it in the future.
There's much more to celebrate this Independence Day than just our country's freedom: Just check out these hot tech deals! Before you light the grill for your Fourth of July barbecue or head off to watch the fireworks, be sure to set aside some time this weekend to take advantage of the best tech bargains happening right now on the Web.
To help you in the search, we've compiled a list of the 20 best tech deals so you can buy what you crave at a price you can afford. Whether you're in the market for a new smartphone, digital camera, computer peripheral, MP3 player, or printer, we've got you covered. The following products were all given a PC Mag rating of three or better, and the great news is that they're all under $100. Jennifer L. DeLeo
Mobile Phones & PDAs
Kyocera Wild Card
Price: $98.99
For Virgin Mobile users, the inexpensive Kyocera Wild Card excels as both a voice phone and a messaging device. It includes Bluetooth and a comfortable QWERTY keyboard.
Samsung SCH-U620
Price: $95
This Editors' Choice-winning phone for Verizon offers a 2-inch high-res screen, Bluetooth support, good voice reception, and true mobile TV.
Palm Centro (AT&T)
Price: $99
The Palm Centro is a great smartphone for first-time users, complete with a 2.2-inch touch screen, a 1.3-megapixel camera, and a good Web browser.
Motorola Q9c
Price: $99.99
The Motorola Q9c is a highly capable, inexpensive smartphone for Sprint users, with good voice quality, GPS and EV-DO radios, and a very comfortable keyboard.
RIM BlackBerry 8800
Price: $99.99
An excellent messaging phone, the BlackBerry 8800 for AT&T users features a trackball, music player, built-in GPS, and very good reception.
Computer Peripherals
Logitech QuickCam Pro 9000
Price: $79.95
Logitech's QuickCam Pro 9000 captures stellar video at a variety of resolutions under almost any lighting conditions. It features a 2-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens, an extremely fast autofocus, accurate auto-exposure, and fun capture software.
Saitek USB Multimedia Keyboard and Optical Mouse
Price: $29.99
The vibrant-colored USB Multimedia Keyboard and Optical Mouse set from Saitek is perfect for any tween's or teen's desktop. The keyboard set comes in four neon colors—blue, green, pink, and teal—and a mouse that's equally good for left- or right-handers.
Corsair Flash Voyager GT (16GB)
Price: $79.99
Protect your important files from the harsh elements with the Corsair Flash Voyager GT. This 16GB flash drive is encased in a rugged, rubberized enclosure to guard against moisture and shock. It also comes with the encryption software TrueCrypt, in case your data falls into the wrong hands.
SanDisk Cruzer Contour
Price: $44.95
The stainless-steel SanDisk Cruzer Contour is a 4GB USB flash drive that includes several software applications, such as a version of HP PhotoSmart, Avast! Antivirus, SignupShield password manager, Sudoku, and more. Performance-wise, it's at the top of the pack for sequential write times at 16.9 megabytes in our tests, and is no slouch at read times (25.7 MBps).
Digital Photo & Video
Canon PowerShot A460
Price: $99.95
Canon's 5-megapixel PowerShot A460 should please the average picture-taker, with very good picture quality, decent performance, and no shutter lag. It has a 2-inch LCD screen as well as a viewfinder for low-lit settings.
Fuji FinePix Z10fd
Price: $99
A snazzy-looking camera designed for casual, style-conscious shutterbugs, the 7.2-megapixel Fuji FinePix Z10fd has a 2.5-inch LCD for framing and reviewing photos, but there's no optical viewfinder. Still, it offers a bevy of features including anti-blur mode and face detection technology.
Creative Vado Pocket Video Cam
Price: $88
Creative's Vado improves on its prototype, the Flip Ultra mini camcorder, in a number of ways, including a sleeker and slimmer design and a larger (2-inch) screen. Viewed on a PC, its video quality is fairly decent for a sub-$100 camcorder.
MP3 Players & Headphones:
SanDisk Sansa Fuze
Price: $89.95
With a 1.9-inch screen and 4GB of storage capacity, SanDisk's Sansa Fuze delivers good audio quality and a slew of features, including a microSD slot for memory expansion, FM radio, Audible audiobook support, and voice and radio recording.
Samsung YP-U3
Price: $44.95
The Editors' Choice-winning Samsung YP-U3 flash player may be tiny, but offers plenty of features at an affordable price: a 1.8-inch screen with cool graphics, easy-to-use navigation, FM radio and voice recording, and 2GB of storage capacity.
Sennheiser MX75 Sport
Price: $22.96
The MX75 Sport from Sennheiser is designed specifically for the fitness enthusiast. These earbuds are comfortable to wear and don't fall out during exercise, not to mention they're also resistant to both water and perspiration. The 3.5mm headphone connector fits any standard portable MP3 or DVD player.
Sony MDR-NC40
Price: $99.99
The MDR-NC40 delivers quality audio performance and noise cancellation that's impressive considering its $99 price tag. With a supra-aural design (sits on the ears), the MDR-NC40 can be used without active noise cancellation to preserve battery life.
Printers
Canon Selphy CP740
Price: $79.99
A dedicated small-format photo printer at a bargain-basement price, the Canon Selphy CP740 is hard to beat. Designed to print photos on a variety of paper sizes up to 4 by 8 inches, the CP740 offers reasonably fast speed, true photo quality for most photos, and a 2-inch color LCD for previewing photos before printing.
Epson Stylus NX400
Price: $89.99
Although highly photocentric, the Epson Stylus NX400 also handles text and graphics reasonably well. Aimed squarely at home use, it offers smear-resistant ink and a 2.5-inch color LCD for previewing photos that are on memory cards before printing.
HP LaserJet P1006 Printer
Price: $96
An attractive choice as a personal monochrome laser, the HP LaserJet P1006 is both small and light—a perfect fit in any home office or on a desk. It has a 17-page-per-minute engine and an external wired network option and a Wi-Fi option to share it over a network.
Lexmark X3550
Price: $69.99
The Lexmark X3550 all-in-one is aimed at the home user or extremely light-duty office user. It's capable of printing, scanning, and copying, and is reasonably fast for the price. It's a particularly good choice if you don't need the Wi-Fi option now but might want to add it in the future.
New Earn Modus. Pay Per Play. Not Per Click.
A revolution in advertising is taking place, millions of dollars are being earned, will you miss the boat?click here and here
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Colorful and Well Connected, a Laptop That Stands Out
It’s summer, so why shouldn’t one’s laptop match one’s hot-pink bikini?
Dell’s Studio line comes in seven colors and offers some impressive computing power inside.he laptops, which start at $799, use Intel Core 2 Duo processors and have up to 320 gigabytes of hard drive space. Optional Blu-ray or DVD recording drives ensure you can watch a movie under your beach umbrella, while built-in Wi-Fi, cellular broadband and Bluetooth keep things connected.
The Studio line comes in two sizes with 15- and 17-inch screens, and, like most Dell computers, the laptops can be modified and configured online at www.dell.com. Dell also offers color-coordinated accessories like bags and mice.
The laptops, available Thursday, weigh about eight pounds and are about an inch thick. They include a card reader and optional HDMI video output, and run Windows Vista.
You can opt for a staid graphite gray if colors like plum purple and ruby red fail to match your corporate color scheme. But Crockett and Tubbs from “Miami Vice” will especially enjoy the flamingo pink version. (JOHN BIGGS-The New York Times)
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