Yahoo widgets for the iTunes fanatic

If you're a frequent iTunes user, you're probably looking for some helpful tools that will allow you to get more out of the software. If so, you might want to check out Yahoo Widgets. They're simple, fast applications that run on your desktop to provide a little more functionality than you'll find in iTunes itself.

To save you from doing all the footwork yourself, I've compiled a list of some really neat Yahoo widgets that extend the functionality of iTunes. Let's check them out.

Music time

iPhones: If you're wondering what the top songs are on iTunes at any time, iPhones is for you.

iPhones is designed like an iPhone. It displays the top 10 albums and songs, as well as new releases, featured content, and more. When you click on one of those options, you'll be brought to the song's individual listing page in iTunes. There's not much more to the app than that.

iPhones shows off all the top content on iTunes.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

iTunes Alarm Clock: If you want to personalize alarms and reminders with your favorite songs, try out the iTunes Alarm Clock widget.

iTunes Alarm Clock is what you might expect: an alarm clock that uses your music to wake you up or alert you to an event. In the app's preferences, you can set the alarm, choose any song you want from your catalog, and have it play at a specified volume. It's an extremely simple app, but I found it useful.

iTunes Alarm Clock is what you might expect.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

iTunes Bar: iTunes Bar is simple: it adds a taskbar to your desktop, allowing you to control iTunes without opening the application.

When you start using iTunes Bar, the app will display a particular track's artwork. Above that, you'll find a bar that displays the track's singer and name. You can turn the volume up or down, change songs, shuffle tunes, access your playlists, and more. It's like having all the most often used features of iTunes with you when it isn't up. It's highly useful.

iTunes Bar gives you control over your favorite songs.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

iTunes Companion: Unless you purchased a track in iTunes, finding the album art for all those other songs can be time-consuming. But with the help of iTunes Companion, all those headaches go away.

iTunes Companion analyzes the song you're playing and automatically finds its album art on Amazon.com. If it can't find the album art, you can search for it yourself and drag-and-drop the image into the widget. That drag-and-drop option worked beautifully, in my experience. The app also features song lyrics. All that content can be quickly downloaded into your iTunes library, making the art and lyrics available anywhere you listen to the song. It's a great app.

iTunes Companion is a really helpful app.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

iTunes Remote: If you're having trouble controlling the songs in your iTunes library, iTunes Remote is the tool to use.

Once downloaded, the widget displays a remote that lets you play or pause songs, skip through tracks, or shuffle tunes. There isn't much to it, but thanks to the ability to place it over any window on your computer, you can quickly play the songs you want without much trouble.

iTunes Remote helps you sift through songs.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

SongWidget: SongWidget is easily one of the most capable widgets in this roundup. It allows you to do much more than simply control iTunes.

SongWidget recognizes all the tracks you're playing in iTunes. It gives you the option of playing or pausing songs, and skipping to find the song you want. But where SongWidget shines is in all the extras. The app provides a direct link to the track's Amazon MP3 page, customer reviews, and (my favorite feature) YouTube videos of the songs you're listening to. When you click on that option, the video is automatically played in your browser. If you like a particular track, you can even search for the artist on Google. I really liked SongWidget.

SongWidget displays all kinds of useful information.

(Credit: Screenshot by Don Reisinger/CNET)

My top three

1. SongWidget: With so many neat features, SongWidget is a must-see.

2. iTunes Companion: iTunes Companion makes finding album art and lyrics much easier.

3. iTunes Alarm Clock: iTunes Alarm Clock is simple and easy to use. I like it a lot.

Originally posted at Webware

Symantec says beware of rogue security software

If you've ever gotten a pop-up message warning that your PC is infected, it could very well be an advertisement for rogue software that can do a lot of harm and absolutely no good.

Symantec has just issued a report saying that the company has "detected over 250 distinct rogue security software programs." These scams try to convince users that their machine is infected and offer software for purchase that will take care of the problem. But instead of removing security threats, it can create them by installing malicious code that can allow criminals to take over the victim's computer. In addition, a user who provides a credit card number to buy the software is not only out the cost of the software but has just provided credit card information to thieves who can misuse it or sell it to other thieves.

The "security software" often has a legitimate sounding name and may even quotes what appears to be a review from a legitimate source.

In a podcast interview, Symantec Security vice president Vince Weafer warns users not to respond to security messages that they view as pop-ups or on websites, especially if they look like a hard-sell. Instead, rely on legitimate security software. If you have any doubts, Symnatec and other legitimate security companies offer free scanners that can tell you if you have any infections. Also, Microsoft now offers its free Security Essentials that can detect and fix many security threats.

Three software freebies worth $1,089

A one-year IOBit Security 360 Pro license normally costs $29.95, but right now it's free.

(Credit: IOBit)

Nothing thrills me like getting something for nothing. Yesterday, for example, I redeemed the last of my birthday coupons, wolfing down a free scoop of Cold Stone ice cream (Fudge Brownie Batter with brownies mixed in--yum).

Today I've rounded up three software freebies that have a combined value of $1,089. Seriously! Take a look:

• IOBit Security 360 Pro Normally $29.95 for a one-year license, this security app is free until Nov. 11. It promises "advanced malware and spyware removal," along with protection from all manner of threats: trojans, keyloggers, worms, etc. I haven't found any reviews to speak of, but the always-free, non-Pro version earned four stars from CNET users. So it must be halfway decent.
• WinX DVD Author Remember WinX DVD Ripper Platinum from last month? (Since expired, sorry.) The same developer, Digiarty Software, is now offering its DVD-authoring tool, normally $29.95, for free until Oct. 31. Use it to turn AVI, MPEG, FLV, and other kinds of video files into menu-enhanced DVDs. I haven't tried it myself, but DVD Ripper Platinum was a little gem.
• Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard This might be the weirdest and most surprising giveaway ever. Microsoft's DreamSpark program is offering this new Windows Server release to eligible high school and college students. Why? To learn IT skills, I reckon. Obviously not everyone needs or wants this OS, which is worth $1,029, but I had to mention it. Anyone who does want it will need a Windows Live ID, a valid student e-mail address, and a way to burn the downloaded ISO file to a CD or DVD.

Well, what do you think? Anything here suit your freebie fancy? Let me know which one(s) you'll be downloading.

Originally posted at The Cheapskate

Wordpress makes blogs more mobile-friendly

WPtouch from Wordpress.

(Credit: Wordpress)

In an attempt to make its blogs more mobile-friendly, Wordpress has launched two themes that will automatically be displayed when a Wordpress.com blog is accessed from a cell phone, the company announced Tuesday.

The type of mobile phone a user employs dictates what the different blogs will look like, the company said in a blog post. A modified version of WPtouch will be displayed on phones with "modern Web browsers like those on the iPhone and Android phones," the company wrote. A second, unnamed theme from an old version of Wordpress Mobile Edition will be displayed on all other mobile devices.

The themes will be displayed automatically, regardless of the themes used for normal browsing.

According to Wordpress, those who access Wordpress.com blogs from their iPhone or Android-based devices will be able to access the particular blog's "posts, pages, and archives." WPtouch will also support AJAX-based "commenting and post-loading." Header images will be scaled to fit the device's screen.

Those accessing blogs on other phones won't be treated to all the bells and whistles. According to the company, those visitors will see a simple page that focuses mainly on loading blog content as quickly as possible.

The decision to automatically display two themes was rooted in the success of mobile devices, Wordpress said in the blog post. So far, the company said, mobile devices have helped its Wordpress.com blogs generate 60 million page views per month. But content was loading slowly or, in some cases, not at all. By automatically displaying these two themes, Wordpress can limit those issues.

If you're a Wordpress.com blogger and you want to learn more, click here.

Originally posted at Webware

Which Windows 7 is right for you?

Windows 7 officially will be released to the public on Thursday, and judging by our poll, most CNET readers have already decided to upgrade. For those who haven't, or for those who want a bit more information on just what you're getting with your Windows 7 Starter, Home Premium, Professional, or Ultimate, take a look at the chart and explanation below.

. Starter Home Premium Professional Ultimate . 32-bit and 64-bit versions 32-bit only Both Both Both . Maximum physical memory (64-bit mode) N/A 16 GB 192 GB 192 GB . Maximum physical CPUs supported 1 1 2 2 . Home Group (create and join) Join only Yes Yes Yes . Backup and Restore Center Cannot back up to network Cannot back up to network Yes Yes . Multiple monitors No Yes Yes Yes . Fast user switching No Yes Yes Yes . Desktop Wallpaper Changeable No Yes Yes Yes . Desktop Window Manager No Yes Yes Yes . Windows Mobility Center No Yes Yes Yes . Windows Aero No Yes Yes Yes . Multitouch No Yes Yes Yes . Premium Games Included No Yes Yes Yes . Windows Media Center No Yes Yes Yes . Windows Media Player Remote Media Experience No Yes Yes Yes . Encrypting File System No No Yes Yes . Location Aware Printing No No Yes Yes . Remote Desktop Host No No Yes Yes . Presentation Mode No No Yes Yes

. Windows Server domain joining No No Yes Yes . Windows XP Mode No No Yes Yes . Aero glass remoting No No No Yes . AppLocker No No No Yes . BitLocker Drive Encryption No No No Yes . BranchCache Distributed Cache No No No Yes . DirectAccess No No No Yes . Subsystem for Unix-based Applications No No No Yes . Multilingual User Interface Pack No No No Yes . Virtual Hard Disk Booting No No No Yes

This CNET-produced chart is based on a larger one from Wikipedia.

Windows 7 Starter is the lightweight version of the new operating system that only comes with Netbooks. It's not available for upgrade from Windows XP or Windows Vista, and it's fairly hamstrung. Sixty-four-bit isn't available, and the Backup and Restore Center won't work with network-based drives. It also lacks many of the key features that make Windows 7 appealing. Aero is disabled, as is the new theme manager.

Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player aren't included, and so it shouldn't be surprising that none of the more advanced features is baked in, either. XP Mode, which will allow Windows 7 to run XP-only programs, Remote Desktop Host, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and multitouch support are all not available in Windows 7 Starter.

So just what does Starter offer? Users can pin programs to the Taskbar, and the helpful jump lists remain active, too. Snap still functions for quickly resizing program windows, although it doesn't have its slick Aero look. The revamped Windows Search will work, and other under-the-hood improvements--such as better Wi-Fi and device management--are also fully functional. Users can use the in-place Anytime Upgrade option to buy an upgrade from Starter to Home Premium.

Windosw 7 Home Premium is the basic version that should appeal to most casual users, and retails for $119. Most of the big features that Microsoft wants you to know about are included here. Aero Peek for previewing programs and clearing the desktop, Aero Snap for resizing program windows, and the Aero skin with its translucent Taskbar and window borders are all in full effect. Aero Shake is also enabled, which is a quick way to clear the desktop by clicking and holding down on one program window and lightly shaking, hiding all the other open windows.

Theme switching and customization is activated, and the Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player will allow users to stream video directly to their desktops. Multitouch features are enabled, and Home Premium can be used to create a Home Group, which simplifies sharing music, video, and other files between computers that are all members of the same group. It's also available in 64-bit, but can only support up to 16GB of physical RAM. Home Premium can be upgraded using the Anytime Upgrade to either Professional or Ultimate.

Aero Peek is only available in Windows 7 Home Premium and above.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Although it sounds full-featured, Home Premium definitely offers less than Windows 7 Pro or Windows 7 Ultimate. Location-aware printing, presentation mode, and XP Mode are not available. Neither is BitLocker, AppLocker, the remote desktop host feature, nor Aero glass via remote. AppLocker is the new feature that allows system administrators to restrict program access from the Group Policy settings. You also can't use the Windows 7 Backup and Restore feature to work with network drives, just like Windows 7 Starter. That feature doesn't come in until the Pro version.

Windosw 7 Professional is the power user edition of the new operating system, retailing for $199.99. In addition to all the features in the Home Premium edition, Pro is designed to be flexible for dual use in the home and small business. It will support up to 192GB of physical RAM in 64-bit mode, it supports legacy Windows XP productivity programs via XP Mode, it can work with two physical processors, and it can back up your data to a networked drive. It still lacks the AppLocker and BitLocker features, it can't handle the pretty but superfluous remote Aero glass support, and it lacks the multilingual interface support pack.

Windows 7 Ultimate, retailing for $219.99, supports those features plus virtual hard-disk booting and a subsystem for Unix applications. Although it's possible to conceive of some home uses for Ultimate, the features that separate it from Windows 7 Pro set it in a class that's almost exclusively for intensive international or network use. For most office or home power users, it's not really recommended.

There are several other versions of Windows 7 available. Windows 7 Home Basic is for emerging markets such as Bangladesh, China, India, and Mexico, and places itself between the Starter edition and the Home Premium edition in terms of features. Aero is partially enabled, for example. Windows 7 Enterprise is identical to the Ultimate edition, but is only available via volume licensing. The Europe-only "E" version was going to come without Internet Explorer, but that has changed to the "N" version that lacks the media player.

If you're planning on buying Windows 7, tell us in the comments below which version you're getting.

Originally posted at Windows 7 Insider

DoubleTwist: Like iTunes for your cell phone

Yesterday, I blogged about how the forthcoming Droid won't be an iPhone killer because it lacks the simple sync interface provided by the iTunes desktop application. I neglected to mention an excellent application called DoubleTwist, which offers the easy sync experience of iTunes for a much wider variety of devices, including all the Android phones currently on the market, most BlackBerrys, Sony's PlayStation Portable, and a huge range of other non-Apple products--as well as the iPod and iPhone, if you're so inclined.

DoubleTwist has a large orange Sync button in exactly the same location as iTunes.

Created in part by Jon Lech Johansen (aka DVD Jon), who's best known for helping crack the encryption system used on video DVDs, DoubleTwist is available as a free download for both Windows (including Windows 7) and Mac. Plug in any supported device, and DoubleTwist immediately recognizes it, lets you choose content to sync (pictures, videos, and either all your music or select iTunes playlists), and then begins syncing that data with a single click of a button. It also boasts integration with Amazon's MP3 store, giving you a rough equivalent to the iTunes Store. DoubleTwist also has an interesting sharing feature that lets you select any piece of content from within the program and e-mail a link to a streaming version of that content to your friends (the content itself is stored on DoubleTwist's servers). This feature integrates with e-mail address books from Gmail and Yahoo Mail if you want to spread that latest remix far and wide.

DoubleTwist co-founder Monique Farantzos e-mailed me specifically about yesterday's post, so it's a safe bet that the application will support Droid. More to the point, as phone makers continue to miss the importance of iTunes, DoubleTwist is essentially becoming iTunes for those devices. There's one crucial difference: Apple either ships a disc with iTunes with its devices, or prompts you to download iTunes when you install them. For these other phones, you have to know where and how to get DoubleTwist.

Originally posted at Digital Noise: Music and Tech

Mozilla pushes for fast move to Firefox 3.6

Mozilla hopes to classify the upcoming Firefox 3.6 as a minor update, a move that may sound inconsequential but that in fact might have significant repercussions with Firefox users and the speed the open-source browser is developed.

Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's director of Firefox, in a mailing list discussion that he'd like to call the new version a minor release "to quickly migrate our user base to Firefox 3.6." Minor releases in the past typically have been steps from, for example, 3.5.3 to 3.5.4, but Mozilla is trying to speed up more significant changes and not just fixes for bugs and security holes.

"Firefox 3.6 will be primarily a release with security, stability, speed and capability enhancements, with no visible user interface changes over Firefox 3.5. As such, I think we should consider it as a candidate for a minor update, stretching our definition of what types of updates we can provide using that mechanism," Beltzner said.

Be default, Mozilla automatically distributes minor Firefox updates to be installed after a user prompt. Major updates initially require the user to actively retrieve the new version, though Mozilla gets more active as time passes and older versions reach the end of their support lifespans--January 2010 in the case of Firefox 3.0.

Why change the process? To keep up with changes in the browser world, Beltzner said.

"The pace of technology development in web browsers is speeding up rapidly, and we now face a challenge of ensuring that we can continue to deliver modern web browsing experiences to our users," he said.

And in a position that mirrors the rationale that Google offers for its automatically updating Chrome browser, he added, "Users' expectations of software have changed since the update mechanism was introduced in Firefox 1.5. Many applications that browser users interact with exist in the cloud, with updates pushed frequently and transparently, without consultation. That wasn't the case only a few years ago."

That sounds reasonable, right? Well, it turns out nothing is simple.

One problem is that add-ons won't work with the new version unless they're updated, too, and there are a lot of add-ons in the world. "Add-on compatibility is one of the large reasons why users do not move from one version to another," Beltzner said.

Sure enough, John Barton, an IBM employee who's a member of the group overseeing development of the Firebug add-on widely used in Web site development, raised concerns about moving quickly to 3.6 and the current version 1.4 of the add-on.

"We're a little confused by a Firefox 3.6 that can't decide if it is 3.6 or 3.5.5. If 3.6 is really minor, release it as 3.5.5. Else, well then it's not minor after all," Barton said, though adding, "I support shorter release cycles in Firefox."

Add-on compatibility problems is one reason Mozilla is moving to the new Jetpack extensions system in Firefox 4.0 next year.

One of the big new features in Firefox 3.6, code-named Namoroka, is the arrival of Personas, which lets people customize the browser appearance.

Mozilla said the first beta of Firefox 3.6 is due this weekend or early next week, and Beltzner said there currently are no plans for second beta. The final version is due by the end of the year.

Originally posted at Deep Tech