Saturday, February 27, 2010

We go one week without Google

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A Microsoft executive recently compared quitting Google to quitting smoking. As I approach the 10th anniversary of my last cigarette, I decided to put that to the test.     From search and Google Maps to Gmail and YouTube, it can be difficult to steer clear of the Google experience during a daily trip around the Internet.     But it's not impossible, and it's not even remotely comparable to giving up one of the most addictive drugs on the planet. During a week in which I pledged to avoid using anything made, owned, or otherwise produced by Google, it was surprisingly easy to cut ties.
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February 27, 2010
One week without Google. Can we do it?
A Microsoft executive recently compared quitting Google to quitting smoking. As I approach the 10th anniversary of my last cigarette, I decided to put that to the test.

From search and Google Maps to Gmail and YouTube, it can be difficult to steer clear of the Google experience during a daily trip around the Internet.

But it's not impossible, and it's not even remotely comparable to giving up one of the most addictive drugs on the planet. During a week in which I pledged to avoid using anything made, owned, or otherwise produced by Google, it was surprisingly easy to cut ties.


Read more

Tom Krazit
Tom Krazit
CNET.com
New on Webware
Facebook to developers: Get ready for Credits
Posted by Caroline McCarthy
Facebook's virtual currency, "Facebook Credits," is getting very close to its full launch: a post on the Facebook developer blog explains some of the full terms of the system and what developers can expect as the currency continues to roll out slowly. Some developers have already denounced Facebook's plan to take a full 30 percent cut of Credits transactions as too expensive.  Read more 
Taxes 2009: TurboTax vs. H&R Block vs. TaxAct
Posted by Jessica Dolcourt
We know, tax time is the pits, but if it makes you feel better, we did ours six times while researching the pros and cons of TurboTax, Tax Act, and H&R Block At Home, formerly called H&R Block Tax Cut. So we know a thing or three about taxes. (And we hate them six times more than you do.) Read on to find out how well each of these services' online and offline tools worked out this time around.  Read more 
Scribd goes mobile, adds sharing to iPhone, Kindle
Posted by Josh Lowensohn
Scribd's newest feature lets people send digital documents to a handful of portable reading devices with just two mouse clicks. Compatible devices include Amazon.com's Kindle, Apple's iPhone, and Windows Mobile devices, alongside newer products like Barnes & Noble's Nook.  Read more 
Internet Explorer gains modicum of HTML5
Posted by Seth Rosenblatt
Internet Explorer fans can now get a taste of the video elements in HTML5 without having to switch browsers. Through a new in-development plug-in bundled with codecs from Xiph.org, users can activate rudimentary support for OGG-formatted HTML5 video on Windows 32-bit and 64-bit computers.  Read more 
Read It Later turning bookmarks into news pages
Posted by Josh Lowensohn
Read It Later's new trick is one that longtime users with little time to waste are likely to enjoy. The bookmarking service, which was designed to help people organize and view bookmarks from multiple computers, is launching (in beta) a "digest" that will convert a person's bookmarks into a news page sorted by category.  Read more 
Hot Web app updates
Skype prepares for HD video calls on Windows
Posted by Jessica Dolcourt
This week, Skype noted in a blog post that when high-defition Webcams pop onto the market, Skype's update "includes almost everything you'll need" to place HD video calls. Longtime Skype fans will also be pleased to see the return of two features that have been absent since a significant update to Skype 4.0 just more than a year ago. These are Skype Access, a pay-per-minute Wi-Fi hot-spot connector, and call transferring that kicks active calls to another Skype number, mobile phone, or landline.  Read more 
New Seesmic Web out-features Seesmic Desktop
Posted by Rafe Needleman
Can a Web-based Twitter client do a better job than its downloadable stablemate? With Seesmic, it appears so. The new update to Seesmic Web does some handy things that Seesmic's two download apps, for AIR and Windows, don't do.  Read more 

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Saturday, February 20, 2010

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Yahoo, Microsoft make search pact official

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 It took eight months, but the search strategy that Microsoft and Yahoo settled on after years of flirting is about to get started.     The U.S. Department of Justice and European Union gave their blessing to the deal late this week, paving the way for Microsoft to take over the business of providing search results to Yahoo while Yahoo will get to sell search ads on both Yahoo and Bing. Yahoo is busy reminding anyone who will listen that it will still control the way search results are presented on its pages, while Microsoft thinks it can improve its search algorithms with access to Yahoo's massive audience.    It will take some time for the companies to implement the complicated deal. In the meantime, we've got a list of questions and answers that are sure to arise now that the deed is done.
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February 20, 2010
Yahoo, Microsoft make search pact official

It took eight months, but the search strategy that Microsoft and Yahoo settled on after years of flirting is about to get started.

The U.S. Department of Justice and European Union gave their blessing to the deal late this week, paving the way for Microsoft to take over the business of providing search results to Yahoo while Yahoo will get to sell search ads on both Yahoo and Bing. Yahoo is busy reminding anyone who will listen that it will still control the way search results are presented on its pages, while Microsoft thinks it can improve its search algorithms with access to Yahoo's massive audience.

It will take some time for the companies to implement the complicated deal. In the meantime, we've got a list of questions and answers that are sure to arise now that the deed is done.


Read more

Tom Krazit
Tom Krazit
CNET.com
New on Webware
Google buys Remail, nears On2 deal
Posted by Tom Krazit
Google snapped up Remail this week, and the first thing it did was to cut Remail's ties with Apple's App Store. That's a pretty big hint as to what Google has in mind for the technology behind Remail, which developed an e-mail search application for the iPhone.  Read more 
Salesforce.com gets social with Chatter beta
Posted by Dave Rosenberg
Salesforce.com this week announced the launch of a private program to 100 beta customers for Chatter, the enterprise collaboration platform first announced last year.  Read more 
Digsby update brings Windows 7 features
Posted by Seth Rosenblatt
Digsby released a new update recently, focusing on enhancements specific to Windows 7, as well as tweaking several of the social-networking features in the controversial multiple-protocol instant-messaging client. Social-networking changes in this build of Digsby include adding a "dislike" button to Facebook, bringing commenting to updates from MySpace friends, and revamped Facebook notification pop-ups.  Read more 
ShadyURL makes URLs entertainingly suspicious
Posted by Josh Lowensohn
ShadyURL is a wonderfully satirical link service that turns even legitimate URLs into something that even the least tech-savvy friend or family member would know better than to click on. It inserts anything from what appear to be hijacking commands, to profanity and the names of well-known malware. In other words, whomever you send one of these links to is likely to say "there's no way I'm clicking on that," even though it's likely to lead to a safe site.  Read more 
CheckoutCheckins maps your Foursquare travels
Posted by Josh Lowensohn
Foursquare is great for telling people where you are, but short of its badge system, which awards heavy use with virtual trophies, the service has always been lacking a sense of reflection--a way for users to look back on all their check-ins and gain something from it. That's where CheckoutCheckins can help. It tracks your last 50 check-ins on a map.  Read more 
Tweaking Google Buzz
Google makes it easier to disable Buzz
Posted by Jessica Dolcourt
Last week we took you through a laborious step-by-step process to disable Buzz, Google's new social network. Google's engineers made some quick changes as a result of the backlash, including fixing a security flaw affecting mobile Buzz users, tweaking a setup process that has you manually accepting followers, and providing an easier way to disable Buzz if you want to give it the heave-ho.  Read more 
Parlor trick: Buzzzy searches Buzz
Posted by Rafe Needleman
U.K. search firm WorkDigital has launched Buzzzy, a search engine for Google's Buzz. You should use it if you want to see what's buzzing on a topic and, for some reason, don't know that Google Buzz already has its own search function.  Read more 

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