January 23, 2009

Adobe Flash Player (IE, AOL) 10.0.12.36

Publisher: Adobe
Last updated: October 15, 2008
File Size: 1.8 MB
OS Support: Windows (all)
License: Freeware
Downloads: 30859
User Rating:   (133 votes)
Click here to begin download

Publisher's Description

Gain unprecedented creative control with expressive new features and visual performance improvements in Adobe Flash Player 10

Adobe® Flash® Player software is a cross-platform browser plug-in that delivers breakthrough web experiences and is installed on more than 98% of Internet-connected desktops.

Top features

3D effects

Create more intuitive, engaging interfaces using built-in support for 3D effects. Get started quickly without being a 3D master by designing in 2D and easily transforming and animating in 3D. Fast, extremely lightweight, and simple-to-use APIs, along with 3D tools in Adobe® Flash® CS4 Professional software, make motion that was previously accessible only to expert users via ActionScript® language or custom third-party libraries available to everyone.

Custom filters and effects

Create high-performance, real-time effects for cinematic experiences cialis mail order that quickly engage users. With new Adobe Pixel Bender™, the same technology behind many filters and effects in Adobe After Effects® software, these dynamic and interactive effects can be used both in production with After Effects CS4 and live with Flash Player 10. The Pixel Bender just-in- time (JIT) compiler can also be used to process other types of data, such as sound or mathematical functions, asynchronously in a separate thread.

Advanced text support

Take advantage of a new, flexible text layout engine that brings print-quality publishing to the web, building on more than 25 years of Adobe expertise in typography. Gain more control over text layout using an extensible library of ActionScript 3.0 text components to flow text and sophisticated typographic elements such as ligatures across multiple columns, around inline images, bidirectionally, vertically, or chained together. Create multilingual rich Internet applications (RIAs) using device fonts that can now be anti-aliased, rotated, and styled, or build your own unique text components.

Dynamic sound generation

Use enhanced sound APIs to dynamically generate audio and create new types of audio applications such as music mixers and sequencers, real-time audio for games, and even audio visualizers. Work with loaded MP3 audio at a lower level by extracting audio data and supplying it to the sound buffer. Process, filter, and mix audio in real time through the Pixel Bender JIT compiler to extend creative freedom beyond the visual experience.

Drawing API Enhanced

Perform runtime drawing more easily with restyleable properties, 3D APIs, and a new way of drawing sophisticated shapes without having to code them line by line. Developers can tweak parts of curves, change styling, replace parts, and use custom filters and effects, delivering improved throughput, creative control, and greater productivity. Enhancements to the Drawing API add the z dimension, real perspective, textured meshes in 3D space, a retained graphics model, read/write rendering, and triangle drawing with UV coordinates, while adding memory and improving performance.

Hardware acceleration Enhanced

Use the hardware processing power of the graphics card to paint SWF files into the browser and accelerate compositing calculations of bitmaps, filters, blend modes, and video overlays faster than would be performed in software.

Vector data type

Use the new typed array class for better performance, efficiency, and error checking of data.

Dynamic Streaming

Show exceptional video with streams that automatically adjust to changing network conditions. Leverage new quality-of-service metrics to provide a better streaming experience.

Speex audio codec

Take advantage of the new, high-fidelity and open source Speex voice codec, which offers a low-latency alternative for voice encoding. Flash Player also supports ADPCM, HE-AAC, MP3, and Nellymoser audio.

File upload and download APIs

Bring users into the experience by letting them load and save files from your web application. New file reference runtime access allows local processing of data without roundtripping to the server.

Filed under Adobe, software by al

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January 22, 2009

What are eBook Readers Anyway?

What are eBook Readers Anyway?

What are eBook Readers Anyway?

By Scott Nesbitt – Sunday, December 14, 2008

"Books are great. They’re portable, they’re wireless, and they have their own search engine in the back."

–Jim Greenlee, Georgia Tech computer science professor

 

Books definitely are great. But when you want to carry a bunch of them with you, that's when you run into problems. Books get bulky and heavy. A lot of them are awkward to carry, to say the least.

So, what if you could carry dozens if not hundreds of books with you? And what if they could fit into something the size of a small hardcover, but lighter? That's the promise an eBook reader delivers. While eBook readers are nothing new, they've really started to come into their own.

A little history

eBook readers have been around since the late 1990s. Many of the early models looked either like oversized Palm Pilots, or took the book metaphor a bit too seriously and literally had two hinged covers – either with a screen on one or both sides. For better or for worse, none of them survived. Either the technology wasn't quite ready for prime time (for example, the screens didn't have enough contrast or were hard to read over long stretches), or they were introduced around the time of the dot-com bust, when a variety of promising technologies fell by the wayside because their developers went under or were forced to abandon them due to cost-cutting measures.

Some of the pioneering eBook readers, which influenced today's crop of devices, included the eBookMan, the Rocket eBook, and the SoftBook Reader.

 

Why not use another device?

Like a smartphone, a PDA, a netbook, or even a laptop computer? Good question. Let's be honest, a laptop is portable, but not that portable. People use smartphones, like the BlackBerry and the iPhone, as eBook readers but their screens are small and can be tough to read for any length of time. You might remember a previous TechTip that looked at how to turn an Eee PC into an eBook reader. A clever solution, but it's also a tad awkward.

eBook readers, on the other hand, have a solid form factor. They're light, the size of an actual book, and have large screens. They also fit into a bag or knapsack quite comfortably.

Note: cialis in usa An upcoming TechTip will look at some of the eBook readers that are currently on the market.

The technology

eBook readers are essentially small, single purpose computers. Like a computer, they have a CPU (which runs in the range of 200 MHz to 400 MHz) and pack anywhere from several hundred megabytes of storage space to a few gigabytes of memory. You can expand the storage with an inexpensive SD card. Many readers run the Linux operating system, and have built-in viewers for a number of document formats. More on these formats in a little while.

But, the really interesting aspect of ebooks isn't the devices themselves but the display technology that is used. This technology is called ePaper or, sometimes, eInk (which is the brand name of a technology developed by E Ink Corporation).

ePaper, short for electronic paper, is a display technology that tries to closely imitate the look of actual ink on physical paper. It was first developed in the 1970s at the famed Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, which also developed the early graphical user interface and the mouse.

While many other devices use a backlight for illumination, ePaper consists of a conductive plastic film. Embedded in the film are oil-filled capsules that contain a mix of white, dark, and clear pigment. The capsules can hold an electric charge, and the pigment in the capsules simulate the black or white dots that make up letters on an actual paper page.

The capsules can hold a charge for quite a long time. This ensures that a page remains static, even when you're not reading it. On top of that, the fact that the capsules hold a charge for so long means that the eBook reader consumes very little power. You can literally read thousands of pages on a single charge.

On top of that, ePaper doesn't use a backlight. You need a source of light – whether sunlight or indoor lighting – to read the display. An ePaper display actually reflects light. But light shining directly on the display can make it hard to read.

Amazon_kindleFormats

As you can probably guess, there are well over two dozen formats for eBooks. Most readers support a handful of these formats, and have software built in to display them. To be honest, though, a majority of eBooks come in three or four of those formats.

The most prevalent eBook format is the Portable Document Format from Adobe. PDF is the original device-independent document format. No matter what operating system or what reading software you're using, a PDF will look more or less the same. The only thing that will cause some problems is the choice of fonts. PDF is a fairly universal format. There are readers available for a number of platforms, including the Nintendo Wii!

Another popular format is MobiPocket. The name refers not only to the format (which has the extension .mobi or .prc), but also the company that originally developed authoring and display tools for the format. MobiPocket is a very compact format, with files weighing in at considerably less (sometimes half or more) than a comparable PDF. Like PDF, there are MobiPocket readers available for a variety of operating systems.

eBookIn the last while, the Amazon Kindle has become a popular eBook reader. And it has its own format called AZW. AZW is based on MobiPocket (Amazon bought the company in 2005), with a few minor changes at the file level.

One interesting aspect of PDF, MobiPocket, and AZW are that they support DRM (short for Digital Rights Management). DRM is designed to protect the rights of the people who create content by restricting how someone can use that content – for example, copying it to another device. DRM is quite contentious. Opponents say that it treats legitimate customers like potential criminals. You can learn more about the controversy here.

As mentioned earlier, many eBook readers also support other formats. These include plain text, HTML (the language used to create Web pages), Microsoft Word, Rich Text Format, Microsoft LIT, and ePub to name a few. You can learn more about many of the available eBook formats here.

Drawbacks and criticisms

eBook readers have always had their detractors. One of the main criticisms has always been the price of these devices. In the past, you had to drop $500 or $600 to get one. Nowadays, a good one will cost you between $300 and $400. Still, that's a lot of money for a gadget that only has a single use.

On top of that, while there are a large number of free eBooks available for download off the Internet (at Project Gutenberg and FeedBooks, just to name two sites), not all contemporary books are available in eBook format. And the ones that are can cost as much as their dead-trees counterparts.

eBook readers can also be fragile. They're light, and made of plastic. A drop from a sufficient height or a strong enough bump can damage the internal workings or the screen.

Speaking of the screen, while ePaper is a great technology reading off a screen (even one the size of most modern eBook readers) can be hard on the eyes. Eye strain is a common complaint, as are occasional headaches.

With the success of the Kindle, which supports the wireless downloading of content (at least in the United States), some deem an eBook reader inferior if it doesn't come with wireless capability.

Final thoughts

eBook readers have their drawbacks. But, if you're a serious book hound and want to combine that interest with your interest in technology then an eBook reader is definitely a worthwhile investment. You can carry around literally hundreds of books – novels, non-fiction, technical tomes, and more – all in less space than your average trade paperback. That, in itself, is worth the price.

Filed under software by al

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eBook Readers: What’s on the Markey?

eBook Readers: What's on the Market?

By Scott Nesbitt – Sunday, January 18, 2009

A previous TechTip introduced the eBook reader, a powerful and portable device for reading electronic books. After reading that article, you might be wondering what devices are on the market. Once upon a time, pickings were quite slim. Not any more.

You now have a range of choices. Different manufacturers, different models, different capabilities. There's an eBook reader for every gadget lover – from the person who wants every feature to someone who wants a simple but functional gadget. This time around we'll be looking at some of those choices.

Amazon Kindle

If there's a poster child for the new generation of eBook readers, it's definitely the Amazon Kindle. Since it's release in November, 2007 the Kindle has not only become a best seller (it's consistently sold out), but has also set the standard by which other eBook readers are judged.

What makes the Kindle special? Besides being backed by online retailer Amazon.com, the Kindle stands out because of its wireless capabilities. The Kindle uses the high-speed EVDO mobile phone network. You can quickly download books directly to the Kindle (well, only if you live in the U.S.). That means you don't have to fiddle with USB cables or worry about having to download the books to your PC and then syncing the Kindle.

One of the other main strengths of the Kindle is the Kindle bookstore. You get access to over 200,000 newspapers, magazines, books, and even blogs. Retailing for $359, the price isn't too bad.
The Kindle's specification's aren't too shabby, either. It packs a six inch screen, a full QWERTY keyboard, 64 MB of memory, and 265 MB of internal storage (which can hold about 200 books). You can expand that storage with an SD card. It's not spectacular, but it's not bad.

Drawbacks? One is the limited number of eBook formats that the Kindle supports – including one that supports the much-maligned DRM. Some people have complained about the ergonomics of the device. The keyboard, they claim, is hard to use.

BeBook

I've got a soft spot in my heart for the BeBook. It's the eBook reader that I've been using for the last few months. So much so that I've rarely picked up an actual paper book in that time.

The BeBook isn't an original device. It's a rebranded version of a device called the Hanlin eReader. The main difference is that the BeBook uses custom firmware which expands the capabilities of the device.

When you look at the specs of the BeBook, you'll notice that they're a little better than those of a lot of the competition. It packs 512 MB of internal storage (enough for anywhere from 500 to 1,000 books), a six inch screen, and the ability to expand the storage with an SD card. On top of that, it supports a wide range of eBook formats – more than most readers on the market. It's also a little cheaper than the competition, costing $349.99 (U.S.) plus shipping (the company is in the Netherlands).

The BeBook has something else going for it: a passionate and active user community. The BeBook forum is filled with tips, tricks, and advice from users as well as technical support information. I've always thought that a measure of a good product is the passion of its user community. And the BeBook definitely has that.

On the downside, the BeBook can be a bit slow when turning pages and sometimes hangs. The built-in readers occasionally don't play well with certain files. I've had trouble with a few PDFs and one or two eBooks in Mobipocket format.

iLiad

Ever watch Star Trek: The Next Generation or its spinoffs? Remember those little devices called PADDs that everyone did their reading on? Well, the iLiad from iRex Technologies is a lot like that.

In many ways, the iLiad comes close to being what many enthusiasts would consider to be the ideal eBook reader. It has one of the biggest screens of any eBook reader out there (eight inches) and has wireless capabilities. But what really sets the iLiad apart from the competition is its touch screen. It has a built-in Wacom graphics tablet. Yes, similar to the ones that graphic artists use. With the stylus that comes with the device, you can write and draw on the screen, or just use the iLiad's menus.

The rest of the iLiad's specs are pretty much par for the course for an eBook reader. These include 256 MB of internal memory (which you can expand using a USB flash drive, an SD card, or an MMC card), 64 MB of cialis generica target=”_blank” title=”http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=RAM&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-techtips-_-18JAN09_techtips-_-storylink”>memory, and a 400 MHz processor.

The main drawback? Price, of course. It's one of the more expensive devices out there, costing about $699 (U.S.) or $899 for the tablet-like Digital Reader.

Sony Reader

The Sony Reader is the latest in electronics giant Sony's line of eBook devices. The latest one lies somewhere between the BeBook and the iLiad and Kindle. It's packed with a number of features, but lacks certain bells and whistles.

The Sony Reader (also called the PRS-700) isn't too bad a device overall. It has a six inch touch screen – which you can use as a virtual keyboard a la the iPhone, to take notes, or to turn pages – an LED light for reading in low light, 512 MB of internal storage, and the ability to expand the device's storage up to 32 GB using a Sony Memory Stick or an SD card.

It also has a decent range of supported eBook, image, and audio formats. Surprisingly, given Sony's checkered past in this area, the reader only supports three Digital Rights Management-enabled eBook formats. On top of that, it's overly expensive at $399 (U.S.). And Sony has its own eBook store with a strong selection of titles.

A big disappointment with the Sony Reader is that it lacks wireless capabilities. In the past, the refresh rate of Sony eBook reader screens (the number of times that the screen needs to draw the screen to render a page) left something to be desired. This has gotten better with the PRS-700, but it's not on par with some of the device's competitors.

On the horizon

Like any other area of technology, there's always something new on the horizon for eBooks. Most of the upcoming eBook readers aren't that compelling. But I found two very intriguing devices that are poised to hit the market.

First off is the Foxit eSlick. It's a light, thin, and very simple little device from a company that's better known for its PDF software than for putting out hardware. The eSlick packs a six inch screen, can display PDF and text files, and has one of the simplest interfaces around – a couple of buttons and that's about it. With a pre-order price of $229.99 (U.S.), it's the least expensive eBook reader that I've seen.

The Readius, on the other hand, is one of the more innovative gadgets that I've seen in a long time. It's billed as the first pocket eReader. From the photos at the product's Web site, it certainly looks that way. The Readius fits in the palm of your hand. But that's not where the innovation lies. The Readius has what's called a rollable display. You literally pull the screen out of the device. On top of that, it will support wireless and Bluetooth. It will also pack an email client, an image viewer, and an RSS reader.

Finding out more

This TechTip only touched the surface of what's available on the eBook reader market. If you want to learn about the other devices out there, then check out the eBook reader matrix at the Mobileread wiki, or take a peek at this article at Wikipedia.

Filed under software by al

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November 19, 2008

John’s Background Switcher

I love WorldStart's wallpaper, but every month, I’m faced with a huge dilemma: which one to use as my desktop background. Do you know what I mean? After all, it’s the photo I’ll be staring at every time my computer boots up. Luckily, I recently found a program called John’s Background Switcher and I haven’t stopped using it since! Not only does it change your background periodically, but it also allows you to use photos from Flickr, Picasa and even RSS feeds. Cool, huh? Here’s how you can get it!

1.) First, click here to go to the Web site.

2.) Next, click on Run (for Internet Explorer) or Save and double click on the file (for Firefox).

3.) Now, simply go through the installation.

4.) To start John’s Background Switcher, right click on the icon that appears in your system tray (where the clock sits) and choose Settings.

5.) To get WorldStart's wallpaper on  John’s Background Switcher, you’ll have to save the ones you want first. To do that, go to http://www.worldstart.com/wallpaper and click on one of the backgrounds you’d like to include in your rotation.

6.) When you get to the image’s page, right click on the photo and select Save Image As (it could also say Save Picture As).

7.) Do that for all the images you want to place in your rotation. When you’re done, go back to John’s Background Switcher’s settings and click on Add.

8.) Once you’ve chosen the folder with all your rotation pictures intact, you’re done! Just sit back and enjoy the show. Happy background changing!

Filed under software by al

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November 8, 2008

Programs to play your music

Q:
Do you know of any alternative programs I can use instead of iTunes? I'm just ready for something a little bit different. Thanks for your help!

A:
That's a great question and it's one I tend to get on a pretty regular basis. I know a lot of you use iTunes, but maybe you're like the person who asked today's question and you're just ready for something new. There's nothing wrong with that! In this day and age, digital music is becoming a necessity and there's no shame in wanting it to be just right for yourself. I know you're not the only one who feels that way. I even get frustrated with iTunes every now and then. It just happens!

Now, before I go any further, I want to make sure everyone knows that if you use a Mac computer, you probably won't need to finish reading this tip. iTunes works perfectly with Macs, along with your iPod. The iTunes store is very easy to use with a Mac computer as well. On the other hand, things may be a little different for all you Windows users out there. I've heard a lot of stories from people who say iTunes is a little difficult to use on a Windows computer and it can bog down your memory quite a bit too. I mean, it makes sense. Since there isn't a Windows version of iTunes, you're just using a Mac application on a Windows PC and that doesn't always work out so well.

Along with the problems I mentioned above, there have also been some complaints about excessive resource usage, unnecessary programs running in the background and there are several compatibility issues with Windows Vista. If you try to use iTunes with Vista, your computer may end up crashing or at least freezing up. Plus, there's the whole DRM issue when it comes to "protected" music. If you download a protected song from the iTunes store on your Windows PC, you may run into some trouble when trying to transfer it to your iPod or MP3 player. Yuck!

With all of that said, it's no surprise that you want some alternative options to iTunes. Below is a list of music players that come with multi-platform compatibility and tools that will help you manage your digital music, as well as, keep it organized all at the same time. Let's check them out, shall we?!

1.) Foobar 2000 – This one is a digital music management program and it works with Windows 2000, XP and Vista. It is also compatible with several music platforms, including WAV, Ogg Valis, WavPack, AIFF, AU and many more. It also comes with full unicode and replay options, as well as, several other customizable features. You can check Foobar 2000 out for yourself right here.

2.) Songbird – This one is built off of the Firefox browser platform and it works with several media players, including the iPod. Songbird comes with many different add ons, with more added to the list everyday. It's an open source program, so it's very easy to work with. Check it out here.

3.) YamiPod – This particular player is a little different in that you don't have to install it on your computer. You can just copy it to your iPod's hard drive and use it from there. With YamiPod, you can manage your songs from any computer that runs Mac OS X, Windows or Linux. Just click on this link to check it out for yourself.

4.) Winamp – You may recognize the name on this one, because we here at WorldStart have talked about Winamp before. It has been around for quite a long time, but it is still one of the most popular music players out there today. It's a full featured music manager and it comes with complete iPod support. Also, if you have QuickTime installed on your computer along with Winamp, you are able to play protected songs. Cool, huh?! Take a look at it for yourself right here.

5.) Amarok – This one only works for Linux and Unix users, but it is a great iTunes alternative. It works with a wide variety of media players, including iPods, Zen players, Nomad players, USB players and more. It also comes with features like album covers, Wikipedia integration, awesome visual effects, lyrics support and so on. All of that just makes it ten times better. Check Amarok out today right here.

6.) Banshee – Banshee only works with Linux, so if you're a Linux user, I know you're just going to fall in love with it. It's a free download and it allows you to do just about anything with your music. You can import your music, organize it, play it back, share it and even rip it to a CD. So, if you want to manage your music with no limitations, Banshee is for you. Check it out here.

7.) Cog – Like iTunes, this is another music player that works perfectly with Macs. But, if you feel like you're being limited with iTunes, you cialis buy online may want to give Cog a look see. It takes care of all those problems and it allows you to actively manage your music. It is supported by several music platforms, including Ogg vorbis, MP3, FLAC, WavPack, Musepack and many more. It also comes with features like gapless playback, auto updating, Growl support, hot keys and seeking. It's definitely worth checking out, which you can do right here.

So, whether you're very unhappy with iTunes or you just want to try something different for awhile, the above seven players are worthy choices. There are so many alternatives to iTunes, you're bound to find one that fits perfectly with your operating system and your musical life. Give them a try today!

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