Courtesy of Google Street View
Here’s a first look at Google’s Street View, a feature of Google Maps. This definitely adds more value and it’s a welcome feature as it opens up the possibility of turn by turn navigation based on Google Maps. Some interesting things to note tho – faces and vehicle license plates have been blurred out, although it will probably not take long before gems (interesting pictures) will be discovered 
Have a go at it online – it’s pretty addictive!
Local geeks/entrepreneurs/engineers/techies hackers have banded together and are working to get a local hackerspace up and running. What’s a Hackerspace? Hackerspaces are physical places where people with common interests, usually in science, technology, or digital / electronic art can meet, socialise and collaborate.(from wikipedia )
Hackerspace in Noisebridge, San Francisco
A local space for the geek / hacker community to work, collaborate or just chill. This is going to get pretty exciting if it comes to pass – something built and managed for the community by the community.
Join the group and get into the discussions at the following links:
Hackerspace.sg (Main website)
Hackerspace.sg Wiki
Google Groups
GadgetDotRed – Now looking even better on your iPhone, iPod Touch and Android phones :) With the new mobile theme, our site looks even better, and is easier to navigate. Many thanks to WPTouch. Give us a whirl on your iPhone, iPod Touch or Android Phone today at the same web address – www.GadgetDotRed.com
Microsoft’s MSN Messenger 2009 has been available for some time, and now includes an install of it’s attempt at an iLife suite it’s software bundle. As you can see below, the bundle includes Mail, Photo Gallery, ANOTHER Toolbar, Writer, and a bunch of other bloatware which some users might actually find useful…
All these options are enabled by default...
BUT WAIT!! There’s MORE!
Users who are installing this latest and greatest version will be presented with the opourtunity to change their browser settings according to Microsoft’s recommendation, perhaps for the full MS Experience?
The great and complete MS Experience
Unfortunately, perhaps it was due to the new update and the rush to Live the new experience (pun intended), We keep having connection issues. Well look on the bright side, at least it’s a pretty face – Just like Vista!
The Internets are buzzing with updates from Apple and Microsoft.
Apple – Safari 4 Beta is out – Argumentatively the current fastest browser available mainstream.
Some of the reported 150 new features include Full-Page Zoom, a improved JavaScript engine (part of the webkit), pin-top sites, web page cover flow and full featured RSS reading capability.
Microsoft – Internet Explorer 8 RC1 is also out for Microsoft fans and includes features such as a Web Slices (with subscription options), improved JavaScript and Ajax processing, automatic Crash Recovery and Private browsing.
Apple – iPhone OS 3.0’s features are finally out of the bag, due to for a Summer 09 relase and will have long awaited features such as Cut, Copy & Paste, A2DP Bluetooth, P2P Connectivity over Bluetooth, Landscape Typing in all the core apps, MMS, Spotlight Search and Phishing protection.
Google recently launched Mobile Sync (in beta), a free service which synchronizes contacts and calendar entries /alerts between mobile phones and computers, with changes pushed to all devices. Currently, the service supports the iPhone, Blackberry, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms. For more details, check out Google Mobile Sync.
Google has released an offline mode for Gmail via Google Gears, which lets users read their emails offline and even send email (cached until an internet connection is available).
To enable this functionality, log into Gmail, click on settings, and enable ‘Offline’ in the ‘Labs’ tab as shown.
Additionally, Google has also introduced Measurement Lab (M-Lab) – an open, distributed server platform for researchers to deploy Internet measurement tools. The M-Lab has many features for testing an internet connection, but one particular feature – ‘Glasnost’ has everyone talking. Glasnost allows anyone with a Java enabled browser to test if their ISP is manipulating BitTorrent traffic. All results are made public in the spirit of full disclosure.
Microsoft gets it’s feet wet with recent changes to Windows Live and a whole lot of changes in the works. Leveraging on their huge base of Messenger users, Microsoft is transforming modifying the Windows Live service by linking its ‘related’ services such as
- Hotmail – The same old, same old
- Photo Gallery – A Photo sharing and basic editing web application
- Spaces – Personal web space ala Myspace
- SkyDrive – Sharable space online (5GB free)
- Events – Basic calendaring and group planning web application
- Mail (any see a repetition here?) – Multiple account handling / access
- Mobile – Mobile device interface for messenger, spaces and search
- Forums
- Online Auctions
- VOIP Telephony
- VPN ala Hamachi
- Video Sharing / Streaming
- Social Applications
- Music and App Store
This would be the second time the Microsoft has rebranded the Windows Live service, this time integrating it with other web services and basing most of their offerings from what is already available out there such as Picasa, Friendster, Facebook, Gmail (and the host of Google’s services), Calendaring and online storage.
Nothing new, just consolidated.
A Trojan has begun making it’s rounds within Facebook. Named ‘W32.Koobface.A‘; the Trojan apparently enters the victim’s system by tricking the victim to install a ‘video player’ upgrade in order to view a video apparently sent by a Facebook contact. Once in the system, the Trojan propagates itself by sending itself out to various Facebook contacts and apparently also destroys the victim’s Facebook profile.
Symantec has removal information available on their website and the latest virus definitions should detect it. This is an interesting twist on the ‘don’t download untrusted software’ as it uses a ‘plugin’ which is in all forms, software itself.
P.S : This only affects windows machines. (obviously)
Apple’s done it again! No, this isn’t usual Apple fanboy news. – If you have installed the latest version of iTunes ( Windows ) via their convenient update service, chances are, you have the “MobileMe Preferences” control panel installed without any warning whatsoever! Bad news folks, such activity is going to be commonplace until something really bad happens.
