Adobe Apollo Alpha Released

Adobe has finally given us developers something to work with. The alpha version of Apollo was released tonight on Labs. Download and rejoice. And love the fact that they're still not giving us file access.

Firefox + Adblock + FiltersetG Updater: Web Browsing Bliss

I've decided to create a series of screencasts I've dubbed "Tech Essentials" illustrating some of the applications and services I consider essential to keeping my PCs and other gadgets running at their best. The first-Firefox + Adblock-can be found by clicking the badge at the bottom of the post. I've always considered dedicating a blog just to this sort of thing. If there's enough interest in "Tech Essentials" I'll consider doing it on an ongoing basis. Are there any applications you consider essential for your OS to run its best?

Google Reader Adds Buttons

Upon logging into Google Reader tonight, I immediately noticed that the team had added stylized buttons to some of the command links. Nothing major, but nice to see the Google Reader team at least giving some attention to UI. I've recorded a screen cast, which can be seen here or by clicking on the badge below. Again, nothing earth shattering; I just needed a good reason to test Vista and Camtasia Studio.

Digg - gSyncit for Microsoft Outlook

Looks like someone has finally been able to get Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook to play nice with each other, and by play nice I mean two way syncing. Spanning Sync has been doing this for iCal on the Mac, albeit in beta, for a while now. It's just a shame that somebody hasn't given us a one stop shop for multi-platform PIM syncing. Yes, I'm talking about you Plaxo.

Digg - gSyncit for Microsoft Outlook

Update: Just saw this over at macosxhints.com. It looks like a Java daemon that runs on a user's local machine that allows them to sync iCal and Google Calendar. According to the hint, it also allows the user to use GMail as an LDAP server in Address Book.

Skype Prime: What took so long?

Perusing through the Skype Garage this morning, I noticed that a new beta of Skype 3.1 has been released today. Hot on the heels of Skype Find, Skype Prime is the beginning of the long overdue Skype-eBay-PayPal integrations so many have been waiting for since eBay purchased the two companies. Skype Prime allows Skype users to charge for services offered through voice and video calls on Skype.



This idea isn't new, however, as Ether has been providing essentially the same service since last year. The big difference here, of course, is the integration with PayPal. Users' service fees are collected in their PayPal accounts where they can be transfered, spent or saved. The next logical step is for eBay to provide sellers with dedicated virtual stores from which services and/or goods can be provided. This seems to be the most logical implementation of the "power of three" integration. The question is, will people use this and will the average user be as apt to buy a conversation online as they are a good or product. I hate to toot my own horn, but I predicted this some time ago. It's nice to be right sometimes.

Digg - It's kind of official: Apple iPhone & JAJAH VoIP

Digg - It's kind of official: Apple iPhone & JAJAH VoIP

Looks like someone is trying to ride the coattails of the iPhone's popularity. Even though this was announced on January 9th on the company's blog, there seems to be a bit of buzz today about JAJAH announcing official support for the iPhone. They even included an artist's rendition of
what the JAJAH application icon might look like on the iPhone Home UI.



Unless they have struck some sort of secret deal with Apple and/or Cingular, or whatever their name is now, this is a weak PR stunt which just oozes of desperation. Technically, JAJAH calls can be initiated from the iPhone through Safari and JAJAH's web-based dialer. Technically, the iPhone will support any website in which you can fill in two form fields and click a submit button to initiate an action. I fail to see why JAJAH had to announce this support. I guess it's time for me to announce that Not Quite Right will officially support the iPhone from day one. Look for a press release soon.

Update: It seems as though a number of people have picked up this "story" and run with it. It seems to get even more unbelievable by the post. The latest I post I read claimed that all calls will truly be free because "...most providers don't charge for incoming calls..." Is this some kind of coordinated joke? First, which providers in this country don't charge for incoming calls? I have T-Mobile and they sure as heck do. Of course, it only really matters if Cingular gives away incoming minutes since they'll be the provider all iPhoners are using, at least initially. However, I can't find anything in any of Cingular's documentation that makes any mention of free incoming calls. Can anyone show me where I'm wrong or might be missing something?