Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com en-us Copyright 2008 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Songbird 1.0 released]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/songbird-1-0-released/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/songbird-1-0-released/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/02/songbird-1-0-released/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Songbird 1.0
Just over a month after the first release candidate made its ways to the masses, Songbird 1.0 is available for download. Songbird is an open source music player built on Mozilla code.

The cross-platform music player comes in Mac, Windows, and Linux versions, and can handle playback of most music formats. Like most Mozilla-based software, Songbird supports plugins, including a QuickTime Playback plugin that adds the ability to play music purchased from the iTunes store. There's also a plugin that allows you to sync your music with portable media players including an iPod.

Songbird is much more than a music player. It's also an online music browser. You can visit web sites using the built in browser and automatically stream or download MP3 music from those pages. And thanks to the Last.fm integration, you can get additional information about songs and artists you're playing, or stream related songs from Last.fm.

Songbird 1.0 released originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>itunesmozillamusicsongbirdsongbird-1.0Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:14:00 EST<![CDATA[WinFlog powers up your Windows context menus]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/winflog-powers-up-your-windows-context-menus/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/winflog-powers-up-your-windows-context-menus/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/winflog-powers-up-your-windows-context-menus/#commentsFiled under: , ,

WinFlog
WinFlog Extreme is a tiny Windows utility that lets you add a handful of useful items to your right-click context menus. That includes the ability to turn Aero desktop effects on or off in Windows Vista, eject a CD or DVD, or turn on the Flip 3D Windows switcher in Windows Vista. You can also add an option to turn off your display from the context menu. Don't worry, it will come back on as soon as you move your mouse.

The utility lets you pull up these features when you right click your My Computer icon, when you right click on your desktop or a Windows Explorer Window, or when you click your middle mouse button or scroll wheel.

The only feature that actually seems to work for Windows XP users is the option to turn off the monitor by right-clicking on the My Computer icon. So if you're running Windows XP, I'd recommend downloading the lite version of WinFlog, which offers just a few features, rather than the full WinFlog Extreme. Of course, both versions take up less than half a megabyte, so unless you're on a dialup connection where every KB counts, you might want to just go ahead and splurge and get the full version.

[via Download.com]

WinFlog powers up your Windows context menus originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>context-menuwinflogMon, 01 Dec 2008 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[FluidTunes: when iTunes meets Minority Report]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/fluidtunes-when-itunes-meets-minority-report/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/fluidtunes-when-itunes-meets-minority-report/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/fluidtunes-when-itunes-meets-minority-report/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


FluidTunes is an app that lets you control iTunes from a webcam, using your hands, head or feet. The main screen looks like CoverFlow, with the image from your camera image lightly visible behind it. You can swipe across the album covers to navigate, or swipe the large forward and back buttons for finer control. Play is at the bottom of the screen, and stop is at the top. It reminds me a lot of the display from Minority Report.

FluidTunes can be a little bit difficult to control. It's quite responsive, but it's easy to hit a few buttons at once, or accidentally scroll past the song you wanted. Also, don't rock out too wildly in front of your camera, or you're liable to change songs with your head. For right now, Fluidtunes is an impressive showpiece, but it's not entirely practical for everyday music browsing.

FluidTunes: when iTunes meets Minority Report originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coverflowfluidtunesisightiTunesminority-reportmusicwebcamMon, 01 Dec 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[BuzzBox Fast Forward adds smarter "Stumbling" to Firefox]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/buzzbox-fast-forward-adds-smarter-stumbling-to-firefox/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/buzzbox-fast-forward-adds-smarter-stumbling-to-firefox/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/12/01/buzzbox-fast-forward-adds-smarter-stumbling-to-firefox/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

First off, let me clarify: I'm not saying that StumbleUpon isn't a very complex, smartly built addon. It's just that I don't go stumbling off to a (somewhat) randomly selected site all the time. Sometimes I'd like walk a path that has been trodden by others searching for the same things I am.

Fast Forward by BuzzBox is an excellent alternative, suggesting possible destinations based on where other surfers clicked through. The addon installs as both a drop-down menu in the main toolbar and as a simple button in the status bar.

The dropdown presents the top destinations for you to choose from, while the status bar icon zips you off to the most popular one with a single click. Two other nice features of Fast Forward are its small size (the .xpi is only 69kb) and the fact that no registration is required.

There is a privacy policy that you may want to read - this is, after all, a recommendation engine and it needs to gather information about your browsing. According to the policy, "BuzzBox does not attempt to determine the identity of any BuzzBox user by analyzing Web usage paths. "

With only 245 total downloads from Mozilla's site, it's going to take a little while before you start seeing suggestions on every site you visit, but Fast Forward has tons of potential and is well worth a download.

[ via TechCrunch ]

BuzzBox Fast Forward adds smarter "Stumbling" to Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 01 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>addonsbrowsingfirefoxsite-recommendationsuggestionsMon, 01 Dec 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[PhraseExpress is so much more than an autotext app]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/30/phraseexpress-is-so-much-more-than-an-autotext-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/30/phraseexpress-is-so-much-more-than-an-autotext-app/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/30/phraseexpress-is-so-much-more-than-an-autotext-app/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

A good snippet manager or autotext tool can save just about anyone a little time and effort. For those who do a lot of typing, it can even help prevent repetitive stress injuries. If you're looking for an application like this, take a look at PhraseExpress.

Apart from point and click insertion of pre-defined text and auto-completion of recognized words and phrases, Phrase Express packs a clipboard monitor, macro support, and system-wide spell check.

Though the settings window presents only two buttons - new folder and new phrase - you're able to do a whole lot more than add commonly used text. PhraseExpress' included macros provide a wide array of powerful functions, including:
  • launching external applications
  • changing window focus
  • opening files, folders, and web pages
  • trimming, formatting, and replacing text
  • embedding autotext suggestions
  • time and date stamping
  • inserting Windows environment variables
Since hotkeys are also supported, you PhraseExpress makes a very capable launcher application as well. Unlike some other launcher/hotkey apps, you're able to utilize the Windows key. Despite its numerous features, resource usage is very light - about 10mb of memory on my Vista install.

PhraseExpress can be installed, or you can download the portable version and extract it to your USB flash drive. It's free for personal use and $49.95 to register for commercial use. There's also a network edition that allows groups to access a shared library that runs $44.95 (or less, based on volume) per seat.

If you're already using PhraseExpress, share your experience. If you don't, what apps do you use (if anything) to handle these tasks?

PhraseExpress is so much more than an autotext app originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>autotextclipboardlaunchermacroportablesnippetSun, 30 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Cubic Explorer is a highly customizable portable file manager]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/cubic-explorer-is-a-highly-customizable-portable-file-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/cubic-explorer-is-a-highly-customizable-portable-file-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/cubic-explorer-is-a-highly-customizable-portable-file-manager/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


There are plenty of Windows Explorer replacements out there, and most of you probably have a favorite. While I'm normally content to use what Windows gives me, I'm always looking for a good portable replacement to help ease file management tasks on customer computers.

Cubic Explorer has a number of options that have earned it the job. While it's packed with functionality and can be customized any number of ways, the interface remains mostly uncomplicated. It's a given that when you add tabs, breadcrumbs, bookmarks, previewing, folder trees, and everything else normally found in an Explorer replacement that the interface will become cluttered, but Cubic keeps things under control.

I've added all the folders I normally need to access during a repair to the favorites, like c:\windows, control panel, network connections, and my network app shares. After launching Cubic, hitting the bookmarks menu and open all in tabs quickly displays everything. It's much quicker than using start -> run every time I need to open a folder.

Cubic also supports sessions, allowing you to have several customized sets of tabs, bookmarks, and layouts. It's a handy feature for moving between customer systems, our office machines, and my home computers. Several themes are included, and your choice is saved with the session.

Cubic Explorer is freeware for Windows only, and both an installer and portable version are available.

Cubic Explorer is a highly customizable portable file manager originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>explorerfile-managementfile-managerportableFri, 28 Nov 2008 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Automate your drive re-organizing with Download Mover]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/automate-your-drive-re-organizing-with-download-mover/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/automate-your-drive-re-organizing-with-download-mover/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/automate-your-drive-re-organizing-with-download-mover/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

I've been writing about plenty of manual ways to keep your hard drive neat and clean recently. That's a nice start, but what about some automated help along the lines of Auto-Delete?

While Download Mover is no longer actively developed, it's still good at what it does. Download and extract the zip file and launch the executable, and DM will ask you where and what you want to monitor. Specify the interval for checks and set your notification options, and you're done.

You can specify multiple folders to watch and specify different targets for each file type you add. I often forget to change my Firefox download preferences to save things in my d:\downloads folder. Setting Download Mover to scrape .exe and .zip files into the proper directory keeps my desktop nice and tidy with no interference.

If you've got another automated tool for handling chores like this, please share it! I'm always on the lookout for another app that can tackle tedious tasks like directory cleanup.

Automate your drive re-organizing with Download Mover originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>automateautomationfilesfoldershard-drivemoveorganizationFri, 28 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[FileAlyzer shows you detailed info for any Windows file]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/filealyzer-shows-you-detailed-info-for-any-windows-file/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/filealyzer-shows-you-detailed-info-for-any-windows-file/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/28/filealyzer-shows-you-detailed-info-for-any-windows-file/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


FileAlyzer is a Windows utility from the makers of Spybot Search & Destroy, which provides you with all sorts of information about any file on your computer. Once you install FileAlyzer, just right click on any file and click the Analyze with FileAlyzer button to see detailed information that goes far beyond the usual size and last modified date.

The utility can display the contents of archived files, display audio tag information, and a whole bunch of other information that I'm not smart enough to understand.

The latest beta version of FileAlyzer adds the ability to analyze multiple files in one window.

[via Life Rocks 2.0]

FileAlyzer shows you detailed info for any Windows file originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>filealyzerfilealyzer-2Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[16 (or so) apps I'm thankful for]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/16-or-so-apps-im-thankful-for/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/16-or-so-apps-im-thankful-for/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/27/16-or-so-apps-im-thankful-for/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

It's Thanksgiving day for those of you in the United States, time to reflect upon the things for which you're truly thankful. While I'm sure there are many more noble things to list, this is Downloadsquad, after all, and what would be more fitting than a list of programs I appreciate?

16. Cabos. I rarely use a Gnutella client any more. When there is the odd song stuck in my head that necessitates a one-off download, Cabos is what I use. It's got a clean, simple interface, and it works - and that's really all I'm after.

15. Flash Player. Damn you, Adobe. Now that v10 has taken care of some of the CPU and memory issues, it's hard to begrudge Flash. There are just way, way too many addictive little games and excellent web applications that have been built using it.

14. FastCopy. My boss also runs a DJ business, and transferring his multi-hundred gig library from drive to drive was starting to drive me insane. After stupidly giving Windows a crack at the job once, I quickly hunted down a better tool for the job. FastCopy with the buffer cranked up made (relatively) short work of the task.

13. Find and Run Robot. It's not quite a flashy as the more popular Launchy, but it's much lighter on resources and gets the job done just as well. There are also tons of great extensions for it. For those who swear by the power of the keyboard, FARR is a must have.

Continue reading 16 (or so) apps I'm thankful for

16 (or so) apps I'm thankful for originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 27 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>appsfavoritelistsThu, 27 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Wavexpress retires TVTonic online video service]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/wavexpress-retires-tvtonic-online-video-service/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/wavexpress-retires-tvtonic-online-video-service/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/wavexpress-retires-tvtonic-online-video-service/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

TVTonic
TVtonic is a Windows application for finding, watching, and downloading online video. The software can be integrated with Windows Media Center, which makes catching episodes of RocketBoom just as easy as recording episodes of The Office. But for financial reasons, Wavexpress, the company behind TVTonic has decided to retire the service.

If you've already installed TvTonic, you can still use it as a video podcatcher by subscribing to RSS feeds. And the download link for the Windows XP version of TVTonic still works, but the download link for the Windows Vista version appears to be dead.

[via AppScout]

Wavexpress retires TVTonic online video service originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>online-videopodcatchertvtonicvodcastwindows-media-centerWed, 26 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Color Infection - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/color-infection-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/color-infection-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/color-infection-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Color InfectionI hope the genre of physics-based games on the web never dies, because they're just too damn fun. Color Infection is just such a game, where the object is to "infect" all of the yellow balls by turning them brown. Yellow balls are turned brown when they come in contact with brown balls, so the object of the game is to release the balls in such an order that every yellow ball is at some point touched by a brown ball.

Because much of the game relies on balls slowly rolling down slightly inclined planes, the game can become very slow. Luckily, the game designer anticipated that problem, and if you tap one of the number keys on your keyboard while you are playing, the game speed will multiply by the number you pressed. I found the game to be mostly playable at 5x regular speed, but there are moments requiring very careful timing where I had to slow it down to 2x or even 1x.

Color Infection - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>color-infectiononline-gamephysics-gametime-wasterWed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Use Folder2Iso to declutter your hard drive]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/use-folder2iso-to-declutter-your-hard-drive/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/use-folder2iso-to-declutter-your-hard-drive/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/26/use-folder2iso-to-declutter-your-hard-drive/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

When I first came across Folder2Iso I wasn't convinced of its usefulness. The author proposes using it in combination with DVD Decrypter and ImgBurn to copy DVDs and CDs, but I'm guessing most of you have a more streamlined system for doing that.

Recently one of our readers wrote in looking for help in tidying up a disorganized hard drive. I thought back to that post, and figured I might be able to use this app to further my organizational efforts.

Instead of leaving multiple folders of installers that I may only require once in a blue moon on my drive, I can use Folder2Iso to quickly convert the whole lot into individual ISO files. If I need and app in a particular category later, I just mount it with Daemon Tools and share it.

My tools folder is quite a bit more streamlined now. Everything I need on a daily basis is in a common folder, and anything else has been dumped to a single ISO file and labeled appropriately.

It's a nice bonus that I can also quickly burn an entire set of tools to give to a friend if I need to using ImgBurn. Folder2Iso is freeware for Windows only.

Use Folder2Iso to declutter your hard drive originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>isoorganizationvirtual-cdWed, 26 Nov 2008 09:12:00 EST<![CDATA[HandBrake now encodes any video file, not just DVDs]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/handbrake-now-encodes-any-video-file-not-just-dvds/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/handbrake-now-encodes-any-video-file-not-just-dvds/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/handbrake-now-encodes-any-video-file-not-just-dvds/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

HandBrake
HandBrake is a cross-platform utility for ripping and encoding DVDs in high quality, compressed video formats including XviD and H.264. And the latest version of HandBrake lets you use the powerful application to encode any video file, no DVD required.

There are a handful of other changes as well, including a GUI for the Linux version, improved video quality, and more control over audio tracks. Queued jobs are also saved to your disk so that if Handbrake crashes, you'll be able to recover the list of queued jobs without starting from scratch.

HandBrake 0.9.3 is available for Windows, Linux, and OS X with Intel and PPC versions available for OS X 10.5.

[via TUAW]

HandBrake now encodes any video file, not just DVDs originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>compressiondvd-rippingencodingh.264handbrakehandbrake-0.9.3xvidTue, 25 Nov 2008 16:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Newzie RSS reader will monitor pages without RSS feeds]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/newzie-rss-reader-will-monitor-pages-without-rss-feeds/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/newzie-rss-reader-will-monitor-pages-without-rss-feeds/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/newzie-rss-reader-will-monitor-pages-without-rss-feeds/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Newzie
It's been a few years since we last checked in on RSS reader Newzie. And it turns out the developers weren't sitting on their behinds for the past three years. Because the latest version of this free RSS reader for Windows is even cooler.

First up, Newzie has all the same basic features we loved, including color coded indicators that let you know at a glance how new an item is. But it also has one awesome new feature: the ability to monitor pages without RSS feeds. Just click the add button, select webpage, and then decide what kind of changes you want to monitor. You can get alerts when a certain keyword pops up on a page, when new images are uploaded, or when anything at all changes.

You can also create several different types of custom channels. For example, if you subscribe to several similar RSS feeds that don't publish posts very often, you can combine them into a single "bulk" feed. Or you can create a "word watchdog" feed that monitors all of your feeds for certain keywords and creates a single feed displaying articles from any other feeds that mention that keyword.

[via gHacks]

Newzie RSS reader will monitor pages without RSS feeds originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>feed-readernewzierssrss-readerTue, 25 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[World Golf Tour - Time Waster]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/world-golf-tour-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/world-golf-tour-time-waster/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/world-golf-tour-time-waster/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

World Golf Tour
Just how far can you go with an online game? By some measures, World Golf Tour could be considered a Time Waster that is all grown up. It's trying to be a desktop-quality game provided online.

The game play is pretty much par for the course, as far as golf games go (sorry, I couldn't resist), and the course imagery is gorgeous, maybe a little too much so. As is typical in golf, there are only a few things that move: in this case the player, the ball, and the flag. Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious that these are rendered in 3D on top of a static image of the course, making them look out of place.

Worse, to achieve the beautiful effect of having photographic imagery for the game, you are confined to a set number of vantage points, many of which are fine when the ball lies in the center of them, but become very awkward when the ball is not. The terrain very obviously has undulations in it, and the ball seems to react fairly reasonably to the terrain, but you can tell that the ball's movement is somehow disconnected from the scene.

Although all of this seems like criticism, the truth is that these are compromises that are reasonable for such a beautiful free online game, if it wasn't for one fatal flaw: Flash. Unfortunately, on my reasonable speedy machine, Flash seemed to act up on every third shot, and would cause my shot meter to jump around sporadically, making it impossible to make a decent shot, never mind a good one. Now, I'm not very good at this as it is, but in one 9-hole round I had at least 8 shots completely ruined by a freezing display.

Now to be fair, World Golf Tour is still in beta, and hopefully they can iron out this very ugly divot in what is otherwise a fairly decent fairway.

You can play a skills game for free without signing up for an account, but to play a full round or to play with your friends, you'll need to sign up for an account and give away your email address and birthday. Is it worth it? I guess it depends on how much you like golf.

World Golf Tour - Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>golfonline-gametime-wasterworld-golf-tourTue, 25 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google Chrome gains a bookmark manager]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/google-chrome-gains-a-bookmark-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/google-chrome-gains-a-bookmark-manager/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/google-chrome-gains-a-bookmark-manager/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Google Chrome Bookmark Manager
Google Chrome 0.4.154.25 is now available. Aside from having a nearly impossible to remember version number, the latest version of Google's web browser also has a few important updates, the most noticeable being the inclusion of a bookmark manager.

The bookmark manager allows you to import and export bookmarks in HTML format, which makes importing your bookmarks from Firefox or another web browser a snap. Of course, you run the risk of realizing just how out of date your bookmarks are when you do this, but that's another story for another day.

Google has also changed the way its pop-up manager works, by displaying the number of pop ups minimized in the corner of your screen. Google Gears and the V8 JavaScript Engine have also been updated in this release.

[via WebWare]

Google Chrome gains a bookmark manager originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bookmark-managerchromegoogle-chromeTue, 25 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Lunscape - 1 browser, 3 rendering engines]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/lunscape-1-browser-3-rendering-engines/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/lunscape-1-browser-3-rendering-engines/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/25/lunscape-1-browser-3-rendering-engines/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Lunascape5 Alpha
Lunascape is a web browser for people who just can't decide which web browser to use. That's because the latest Alpha version of Lunascape supports three of the most popular rendering engines used in other web browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome.

Upon setup, you can select your default rendering engine. Geck or WebKit are known for their blazing fast performance when loading many web pages and web apps,. Or you can choose Trident if you frequently visit web pages that only work with Internet Explorer.

The browser also supports bookmarklets, has a built in screen capture utility, skins, and has a full screen mode. Lunascape5 Alpha also supports add-ons, but right not there aren't a ton of plugins available. Unfortunately it will not work with plugins designed for Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer.

[via OStatic]

Lunscape - 1 browser, 3 rendering engines originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>geckolunascapelunascape5-alphatridentwebkitTue, 25 Nov 2008 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[New Digsby installer loaded with bloat and adverts]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/new-digsby-installer-loaded-with-bloat-and-adverts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/new-digsby-installer-loaded-with-bloat-and-adverts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/new-digsby-installer-loaded-with-bloat-and-adverts/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Until about 15 minutes ago I was a big Digsby fan. When I fired up the installer on my clean Vista x64 machine today, I was greeted with an unpleasant sight.

First off, you don't even download the actual installer from Digsby.com anymore - it's a downloader application. While I'm not a fan of downloaders in general, this one in particular got me all riled up.

Apart from half a dozen crapware install offers, the final screen before anything actually happened asked to change my homepage and switch my default search provider to Yahoo. I'm all for supporting an app, but this was more than I'm willing to tolerate from an installer.

Are you kidding me? Digsby, tell me you're kidding. Looks like it's time for me to give Pidgin another try.

What about you? Are you willing to put up with skipping over the crapware so that you can still install the latest version of Digsby? Sound off!

New Digsby installer loaded with bloat and adverts originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>digsbyMon, 24 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[FoxGLove is Firefox for Google addicts]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/foxglove-is-firefox-for-google-addicts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/foxglove-is-firefox-for-google-addicts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/foxglove-is-firefox-for-google-addicts/#commentsFiled under: , ,

FoxGLove
You would think that Google Chrome would be the perfect web browser for people who spend most of their day using Google applications like Gmail, Google Calendar, and GTalk. But Chrome lacks some of the features that draw many people to browsers like Firefox. So one Firefox user who uses a ton of Google services decided to mash the two together and create an alternate browser he calls FoxGLove, which you can download from Lifehacker.

The browser is based on the portable version of Firefox, which means you can run it without messing up your normal Firefox settings. You can also run it from a USB flash drive. At first glance, the browser looks a lot like Google Chrome, thanks to the ChromiFox theme. The home pages have been set to Gmail, Google Reader, and Google Docs, and there are bookmarklets that will open GTalk, Google Calendar, or Google Notes in your sidebar. But that's just the start.

FoxGLove also comes preloaded with a ton of Firefox addons that provide enhancements for Google applications. It also replaces the Firefox search bar with the Google Toolbar. And the developer even figured out how to make Google Gears portable so you can have online/offline access to web pages and applications that support Gears.

FoxGLove is Firefox for Google addicts originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>firefoxfoxglovegooglegoogle-appslifehackerMon, 24 Nov 2008 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Foxit PDF Reader 3.0 for Windows now works with Firefox]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/foxit-pdf-reader-3-0-for-windows-now-works-with-firefox/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/foxit-pdf-reader-3-0-for-windows-now-works-with-firefox/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/11/24/foxit-pdf-reader-3-0-for-windows-now-works-with-firefox/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Foxit Firefox
While Adobe may have been the driving force behind the PDF, Adobe Acrobat Reader has grown to be a bloated application which can take an excruciatingly long time to load. One of my favorite alternatives is Foxit Reader, which can open most PDF files in just a second or two, while providing many of the same features you'd expect from Adobe Acrobat Reader, like the ability to fill in text boxes or open password protected documents.

Last week the Foxit team released version 3.0, with a ton of updates. Possibly the most exiciting is a plugin for Firefox that lets you open documents in your web browser. Adobe has offered this feature for ages, but again, it often takes forever to load. To be honest, the Foxit plugin isn't exactly a speed demon. You may find it faster to download some files and open them in the desktop version of Foxit Reader. But it's nice to have the option of opening them in your browser.

Here are a few other new features:
  • Thumbnail previews of each page
  • Attachment panel shows list of files attached to a PDF and allows you to open, delete, or perform other actions on them
  • The text select tool now also lets you add annotations like highlights, strikeout, or underline
  • You can transfer your preference settings by copying an INI file
  • New Foxit OnDemand Content Management add-on allows users to share and collaborate on documents online
You can find a complete list of updates in the Foxit 3.0 release notes.

[via CyberNotes]

Foxit PDF Reader 3.0 for Windows now works with Firefox originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>firefox-add-onfoxit-readerfoxit-reader-3.0pdfMon, 24 Nov 2008 14:30:00 EST