DesktopTwo (mentioned before in the comments) is an online desktop (“webtop”) that is robust and very easy to use. Currently in beta, DesktopTwo is chocked full of useful features including an easy to use 1GB hard drive, RSS reader, a POP mail reader, MP3 player, calendar, IM, and more. DesktopTwo is free, flash-based, and very responsive. If you’re looking for an easy way to play your MP3s anywhere, you’ll be up and running in about 2 minutes with DesktopTwo.
DesktopTwo has a few bright spots like full-screen mode, desktop search, extremely easy bulk uploading of files (just select a group and upload) and an impressive MP3 player that will stream your music skip-free and lag-free. Now for the downsides.
DesktopTwo doesn’t save your session when you leave, and the MP3 player does not let you subscribe to podcasts. Also, DesktopTwo has a heavy list of requirements including Flash, Acrobat Reader, Java, pop-ups must be enabled, and you have to punch open more than a few ports (80, 5222, 8888, and 11500 – 11600) if you’re running a firewall. I’ve been impressed with DesktopTwo the last few weeks I’ve been using it. Even with the heavy list of requirements I had absolutely no problem getting DesktopTwo going. What’s your favorite “webtop”? Let us know in the comments.
You can bring your desktop too [DesktopTwo]
El organismo ARIN (American Registry for Internet Numbers) ha confirmado no habrá más direcciones IPv4 en 2010, y que la migración urgente hacia la versión 6 del protocolo es muy necesaria.
Según Ars Technica, hay gente que ofrece información fraudulenta al ARIN para obtener un espacio de direcciones mayor de lo realmente necesario, y a medida que las direcciones IPv4 se van reduciendo, eso ocurre con más frecuencia.
Esta asociación es la que da las direcciones IP en Norteamérica y hay cuatro organizaciones equivalentes para gestionar esas direcciones en el resto del mundo: LACNIC (Caribe y Latinoamérica), AfriNIC (África), APNIC (Asia y Pacífico) y RIPE NCC (Europa y resto del mundo).
El mayor problema para ARIN es que las direcciones IPv6 no ofrecen demasiadas ventajas y hay muy pocos usuarios. Según las estadísticas de ARIN, el 19% del espacio de direcciones IPv4 está aún disponible, con un 13% no disponible y un 68% ‘localizado’.
La empresa de Redmond ha anunciado públicamente que no tiene intenciones de comprar Yahoo!, y de hecho presumen de que su portal es más grande que el de ellos. ¿Alguien se lo cree?
La pregunta real es si alguno de los dos, incluso juntándose, podrían ser mayores que Google.
Según el Wall Street Journal, un directivo de Microsoft llamado Yusuf Mehdi dijo en una videoconferencia por Internet a Goldman Sach que en realidad no tenían tanto interés en esa posible compra.
En Microsoft creen que tienen todo lo necesario para continuar en la brecha, según la noticia del Journal.
Y nosotros nos preguntamos qué entienden ellos por eso. O si Yahoo las tiene, de hecho.
¿Hay alguien capaz de detener a Google?
Movie studios and film companies are reportedly supporting a licensing agreement that’s in the final stages of completion, and it might just let you legally copy HD DVDs and Blu-ray discs. This could be a crack in the armor, a compromise for the mess that is digital rights management (DRM). What, did hell freeze over?
Michael Ayers, speaking for the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) licensing group, said Hollywood film studios and content owners may allow buyers of HD DVD and Blu-ray discs to make one backup copy of each disc, and one digital copy to reside on a home media server. Studios may charge more for these Managed Copy privileges, and will be able to dictate just how many copies you make of your movies you bought.
This is a step in the right direction. After all, DRM can go beyond an all-or-nothing equation. If the studios would simply let people make enough copies so they can use their paid-for media on whatever hardware they own, the problem of oppressive DRM restrictions might be closer to a solution. At least, this would be a better deal for the honest people.
One studio said it’s hoping this Managed Copy system will be in place for the 2007 holiday season. Meanwhile, the HD DVD Promotional Group added that Managed Copy will be backward compatible on HD DVDs, while it won’t be on Blu-ray discs. No matter what, there will still be DRM slathered all over both formats.
How many times do these copy protection schemes need to be cracked, hacked and sacked before the movie studios realize it’s not going to work? The studios and the AACS licensing group might have finally seen the futility of trying to completely lock up their content. Let the people fairly use their media, and maybe it won’t be so tempting to steal it.
Copying HD DVD and Blu-ray discs may become legal [Macworld, and Ars Technica]
Los rumores sobre la potencial adquisición de Yahoo! por parte de Microsoft siguen apareciendo. Una analista de Goldman Sachs afirma que la reciente compra de aQuantive no ha hecho sino aumentar las posibilidades de que el rumor se haga realidad.
Microsoft pagó hace pocos días la cifra de 6.000 millones de dólares para comprar la empresa de publicidad online aQuantive, una medida que responde claramente al interés del mercado publicitario en Internet y que hizo que Google comprara DoubleClick por 3.100 millones de dólares.
Fueron los primeros, pero no los únicos: Yahoo! compró RightMedia por 850 millones y la empresa WPP Group compró a 24/7 RealMedia por 649.
Todos esos acuerdos multimillonarios han revolucionado el mundo de la publicidad online. Y Anthony Noto, un analista de Golden Sachs afirma que el paso que acaba de dar Microsoft no cubre el ‘agujero estratégico’, y que esa compra no hace sino confirmar el probable interés que el gigante del software mundial tiene por Yahoo!, una empresa que seguro que le saldría, mucho, mucho más cara.
Panasonic rolled out its highest-end point-and-shoot digital camera, the Lumix DMC-FX100, and managed to pack 12.2 megapixels into its diminutive form factor. This one’s built for speed, able to snap eight frames per second through its unusually wide 28mm f/2.8 lens with 3.6x optical zoom. And hey, the camera itself doesn’t look half bad, either, and gives you 2.5 inch viewscreen out back but lacks an optical viewfinder.
Of course, it has Panasonic’s tricked-out optical image stabilization, and it’s also touted to be able to shoot HD photos, that is, you can set the same resolution in the camera that a 1080p TV set can do, 1920×1080. The thing even makes an effort at shooting HD video, giving you the option of laying down 720p video, but unfortunately it’s only at 15 frames per second. As usual, Panasonic was coy about pricing, but did mention we’d be seeing the FX100 shipping in July.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 [LetsGoDigital]
