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insideTonic

insideTonic
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Only 40 days left for Windows XP
2008-05-20 17:03:00
I remember when I first used Windows XP. As a poor student in 2001, I wasn’t likely to upgrade to the new OS and instead had the glorious Windows 98 SE installed on my laptop, a device with the physical of a London telephone directory made of black lead. So it wasn’t for a few months that I actually got to grips with XP, on a new machine at the company I’d started working for between classes. From the beginning, XP represented a clear improvement on its predecessors. Its massively improved user-interface, for example, made XP feel like an operating system made by a company that finally understood something about what users wanted. Other new features like smart new graphical effects, fast user switching, faster startup and so on really added to a general feeling that XP was good. Then the years started to pass. And some of the things I hadn’t worried too much about back in 2001 started to look like major problems. Security, especially, became a concern and it ...
More About: Left , Days , Windows Xp

Three alternatives to Front Row
2008-05-20 08:41:00
Let’s face it: if you have an Apple Remote, Front Row is a much better way to enjoy all your media files. The media viewer has an interface that is both attractive and simple, and you can quickly reach all your tunes, videos and photo albums by the flick of your thumb. And on a big screen it really looks impressive. Front Row has become the de facto interface for anyone owning an Apple TV. Like Exposé it’s also the typical application you show off to your friends who still haven’t switched to Mac. That doesn’t mean you should stick to it though. Here we take a quick look at three similar applications. SofaControl SofaControl’s interface is very similar to that of Front Row, and it even includes a link to the application from its menu. However Sofa Control isn’t limited to media files. The program lets you reach any file or application on your Mac. Call it a Finder with style, or a Finder for the lazy, because in the end it means you’ll only...
More About: Alternatives

How to: apply a watercolor effect to your photos
2008-05-20 08:40:00
Photography can be as artistic as any other discipline, such as painting. However sometimes we feel like we could transform our best shots into actual paintings, made with real brushes on a canvas. So either you hire a painter to copy your pictures or you simply follow these easy steps to convert your photos into a watercolor painting with Photos hop. (more…)
More About: Effect , Watercolor

Turn your Word documents into talking books
2008-05-19 18:41:00
If you are hard of hearing or are writing a letter, article or any other kind of Microsoft Word document for someone who has reading difficulties, then what you need is the latest version of DAISY. DAISY (Digital Audio-based Information SYstem Consortium) is a file format standard that Microsoft have supported to enable any Word document to be converted into a talking book. Once installed, the plugin adds a “Save as DAISY” option to Word which then enables DAISY to translate it into the spoken world or make it easier to navigate for those with reading difficulties. The DAISY XML format is structured to help the blind to navigate text via page numbers and headings and use indexes and references that are embedded into documents. However, the XML file itself is not a talking book but by downloading and installing DAISY Pipeline, you can translate it into one. This latest release of the DAISY features several usability improvements including a new Windows installer, partial ...
More About: Books , Talking , Turn , Documents

Load Google Reader in the Firefox sidebar
2008-05-19 18:20:00
Google Reader has recently launched a revamped version of their iPhone interface in an attempt to make iPhone users’ experience in Reader much easier and far more comfortable. But what they probably didn’t think of is that this mobile-friendly version can also be loaded in the Firefox sidebar, just like we learned last week from the guys over at MozillaLinks. If you want to add Google Reader to your Firefox sidebar, simply open the bookmark manager (Bookmarks > Organize bookmarks) and create a new bookmark with the Google Reader for iPhone URL. Make sure the “Load this bookmark in the sidebar” option is enabled and click on the OK button. There! Next time you load this bookmark it’ll open right in the Firefox sidebar, enabling you to always keep en eye on the latest headlines in your feeds. Of course, you can also use this tip with other sites and make them open in the sidebar. This trick works better with websites that have been specifically design...
More About: Google , Sidebar

Zoom into your Mac
2008-05-19 12:48:00
If you have one of the smaller Macs, like the 12″ MacBooks, and you’re not graced with perfect 20/20 vision it’s not always easy to see what’s on your screen. There are ways to change that though. First off, and this is a never-ending debate among Mac fans, is the issue of which screen you have chosen for your new Mac. I personally recommend getting a matte screen. Although the glossy one looks nicer, it also tends to reflect light more, making it harder to see. Second, make use of your screen’s real estate. I recommend hiding the Dock (Apple Menu>Dock>Turn Hiding On) and getting every application in full screen (the green + dot at the top left). Still squinting at your screen? Go to Universal Access, located in System Preferences>System. From there turn zoom on. As you’ll see, zooming in and out can be activated easily via hotkeys. Then make sure to go into the options and choose the right maximum and minimum zoom for you. Test it out o...
More About: Zoom

A quick look at Thunderbird 3 Alpha 1
2008-05-19 08:56:00
Thunderbird 3 Alpha 1, code named Shredder, is available from the Mozilla site. It’s highly unstable and far from complete (hence why it’s in Alpha) so I don’t encourage you consider it for normal usage. Also beware that if you have a previous version of Thunderbird, installing Shredder might overwrite it. However it’s worth trying it out to see some of the new features we can expect in Thunderbird’s next iteration. That’s what I did. First thing, under the hood, Thunderbird 3 has the same engine as Firefox 3 and for Mac users it now runs under Cocoa, whereas the previous version was on Carbon. The mail client integrates Apple’s Address Book, so importing and exporting your previous contacts is a snap. Similarly, the Add-ons manager is much improved, just like in the Firefox 3 Beta. It now features ‘Get Add-ons’, extensions, themes and plugins. You can search for new add-ons straight from the manager without opening up your bro...
More About: Thunderbird , Quick , Quick Look

Today’s downloads for Windows, Mac and Mobile
2008-05-18 17:07:00
Windows: A hat, a whip, a rhythmic trumpet melody sounding in the background… need more clues? Yes, Indy is back! The fourth movie is only a week away but meanwhile you can have fun with LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, a fun 3D platform game that includes the most famous scenes in all three previous movies, all recreated with Lego blocks. Mac: Want to make a comic strip out of your holidays pictures? Comic Life Magiq is what you need. This highly intuitive app makes great use of Leopard technology and offers loads of templates and original text bubbles. The effects you can add to your photos are really impressive. Plus it’s very easy to use: drag and drop your images, add in text and you’re done! Smartphone: All too many of us know how annoying it is when your phone gets stolen, but thanks to RobLock you can now minimize the damage if thieves strike. The program sends an alert to a predefined number (a friend’s phone, for instance), when your p...
More About: Windows , Mobile , Downloads , Today

The Sex and the City software kit
2008-05-16 15:17:00
Sex and the City has been recently in the news for the world premier in London of the cinematic follow-up to the successful TV series. According to the film’s marketing team, they are creating smallish premieres in Europe, the next one will be in Berlin, in order to create enough suspense for the New York premier which will be ‘enormous’ and will happen just before the film opens worldwide, which is set for May the 30th. For all the millions of fans of this fantastic series, I’ve found a great screen saver which will bring to your desktop all the allure of the four stylish women and that feeling of friendship, love and disillusion-illusion, that so appealed to so many of us. Although the screensaver should allow you also to save the images as wallpaper, this function didn’t work when I tried it, so I though of making your life simpler by taking screenshot and zip them in this Sex and the City wallpaper collection, which I’m sure you’ll love. If you really are a fan of ...
More About: Software , Sex and the City

TwitterFox versus twhirl
2008-05-16 13:33:00
If you’re a Twitter fan then you’ll know that it’s not particularly well integrated with your desktop. However, there are two very simple solutions which can transform the way you use twitter - Twhirl and TwitterFox. Thanks to Adobe Air, you can now integrate twitter with your desktop much more easily courtesy of twhirl? By doing so, you can keep your status constantly updated quicker, improve your communication options and even change the look of twitter. In particular, it makes adding new friends much quicker and easier than in Twitter’s standalone version. In addition, this is a cross platform Twitter extension that works on both Windows and Mac and connects to multiple twitter and Friendfeed accounts. It provides instant desktop notification of new tweets and even allows you to post images to TwitPic. Also useful is the fact that if you’ve been pestered or bothered by either spam twitters or just someone really annoying, the most recent version also...
More About: Versus

Top 5 iPod transformation tools
2008-05-16 12:21:00
If you only use your iPod to listen to music, you’re missing out on loads of extra things you can do with it. There are many utilities out there to help you convert and transform your iPod into an array of tools such as a video player, storage device, news reader and note taker. Of course, if you’re going to fill it with movies then you’ll need to delete all those albums that are hogging space on your iPod’s hard drive but it’s worth doing, considering you can get all of this out of it: iPod Video Converter For Free - No ads or fees - just convert films to watch on your iPod PodPlus - Allows you to transfer everything from e-mails to RSS feeds to your iPod MojoPac - Transform your iPod into a secure USB storage device todoPod - Use your iPod to compile lists and store your thoughts on the move iPodifier - Grab TV streams on your PC and watch them later on your iPod
More About: Tools , Ipod , Transformation

Today?s downloads for Windows, Mac and Mobile
2008-05-16 10:33:00
Windows: Security is probably one of our main concerns as computer users. This is why we all should take it seriously and use the necessary security apps to protect our system and personal data. AVG 8 is an excellent choice to avoid virus infections and stay safe while browsing the web. This last version features ...
More About: Software , Windows , Internet , Mobile

Today’s downloads for Windows, Mac and Mobile
2008-05-16 10:33:00
Windows: Security is probably one of our main concerns as computer users. This is why we all should take it seriously and use the necessary security apps to protect our system and personal data. AVG 8 is an excellent choice to avoid virus infections and stay safe while browsing the web. This last version features a totally revamped interface and a new anti-spyware tool. Mac: Do you find you’re having a hard time remembering login info for all your domains? DomainBrain is a smart little app that lets you store all your precious information and easily protect it with a password. You can organize entries in nested folders and view all your information in one go. DomainBrain should ensure you never forget login info again. Pocket PC: If you can’t afford to hire a personal assistant to take care of your daily schedule then simply install Pocket Informant on your PPC to do the job for you. The application offers a more powerful alternative to the built-in Calendar/Contacts/Tas...
More About: Windows , Mobile , Downloads , Today

Give Office 2007 a fresh new look
2008-05-16 08:23:00
If you haven’t upgraded to Office 2008 yet, then you’ll still be stuck with the templates offered by Office 2007 for your letterheads, envelopes and business cards. However, Microsoft have just released 6 free new professional looking templates for Office 2007 that can spruce up your presentations and business materials. If you haven’t even got Office 2007 yet, the template download page offers a free sample. Once you’ve downloaded the templates there’s a slightly different installtion procedure depending on which Office application you want to use them in. In Powerpoint, simply click on the “Design” menu and in the Themes group, click the “More” button. From there, you’ve got an option to add custom templates. In Word or Excel you’ll need to use the Page Layout tab and in the Themes group, click Themes and browse to the themes you’ve just downloaded. Note that you may receive the error message “The templ...
More About: Give , Fresh

Chameleo mixes widgets with video
2008-05-15 16:07:00
Widgets are all the rage now enabling users to drag and drop their favourite applications and functions onto their desktop for easy access. However, until now, the widget phenomenon hadn’t caught up with video players (except arguably Joost) but new open source player Chameleo enables users to watch and create visually-rich video applications with interactive widgets. Chameleo is based on GStreamer and supports just about every codec out there so there are virtually no playback problems. What makes it interesting however is that it offers a variety of widgets which enable you to perform a variety of tasks from taking instant screenshots to blogging about what you are watching. Even more exciting, you can create your own widgets because it takes it’s plug-in architecture from Eclipse to make it easy to extend with a minimum of programming experience. One warming however - it is extremely resource hogging so make sure you’ve got plenty of RAM! You can see Chameleo in...
More About: Video , Mixes , Widgets

How to use any MP3 file as a free iPhone ringtone
2008-05-15 16:01:00
A few weeks ago I showed you how to create your own customized ringtones for the iPhone using a handy software tool called ToneShop. But I recently discovered a very simple trick that enables you to convert your favorite MP3 into an iPhone ringtone right from the iTunes interface, without any third-party apps. Launch iTunes and choose any MP3 you like. As the maximum ringtone length supported by the iPhone is 30 seconds, you’ll have to trim it a bit (don’t worry, this trimming doesn’t change your original song and can be reverted at any time). Right click on the file, select Get info and click on the Options tab. Insert the file’s start and stop time and click on OK. Now go back to your Library, right click on your chosen MP3 and select Convert selection to AAC. You’ll get an AAC file with exactly the same name under the highlighted file. Open a File Explorer window and browse to your iTunes music folder (usually C:Documents and SettingsusernameMy d...
More About: Iphone , Free , Ringtone

All you need to know about Adobe AIR
2008-05-15 15:38:00
Adobe AIR (which used to be know as Apollo, remember?) is slowly becoming a solid software platform for developers, especially those who work on their own and don’t belong to any big company. But what is this AIR thing about? AIR is a runtime coding environment that enables developers to create web software tools, working ...
More About: Software , Windows , Utilities , Internet , Mac

How to know everything about a web site
2008-05-15 15:08:00
Do you want to know what people say about a web site in terms of security, reliability and privacy? It?s not just a matter of curiosity: having user ratings on websites can save you lots of time and trouble. There are many services you could try to know more about the number of visitors ...
More About: Software , Internet , Tips , Review , Free

How to: Fix iTunes Library file error (-48)
2008-05-15 12:14:00
If you’re anything like me, you’ll find iTunes to be an essential part of your working day. Whether I’m listening to my favourite podcasts or concentrating with the help of some soothing music, iTunes stays running all through the day. Which is why I started to become pretty worried when a recurring error started to ...
More About: Windows , Audio , Itunes , Library , Tips

Add an instant restart option to Firefox
2008-05-15 10:56:00
It can be very annoying when you install extensions in Firefox , change themes or alter a configuration file and are then informed that you must restart it for the extension to take effect but are offered no option for doing so. The answer to this problem is - yes that’s right - another extension called ...
More About: Windows , Internet , Mac , Tips

Protect your network with Google Enterprise
2008-05-15 09:29:00
It was only a matter of time before Google announced the launch their own security product and Google Web Security for Enterprise is their rather long winded but comprehensive security solution aimed at large networks and businesses. The suite, which scans in real-time, stops web-borne spyware and viruses before they infiltrate networks and compromise or ...
More About: Software , Windows , Internet

Today?s downloads for Windows, Mac and Mobile
2008-05-14 19:17:00
Windows: If you’re tired of listening to music and would like to have a more active role, try mixing it! With Zulu DJ you can take your first steps into the world of music mixers thanks to its ease of use, variety of tools and special effects. The program supports many audio formats and lets ...
More About: Software , Windows , Mobile , Downloads , Mac

Microsoft Office 2008 SP1 for Mac released
2008-05-14 16:59:00
The first big revision of Office 2008 for Mac , Service Pack 1 was released by Microsoft this Tuesday. This release carries with it major revisions and improvements, notably regarding security, stability and performance. Microsoft also fixed a weakness in Office 2008 that allowed somebody to overwrite the content of your Mac’s memory with malicious ...
More About: Microsoft Office , Opinion

Customize Google Maps with new tools
2008-05-14 16:24:00
I’m a big fan of Google products in general. I use Gmail and Google Reader on a daily basis, not to mention my constant queries to the search engine. But due to a natural tendency to lose my bearings anywhere, I have a special predilection for Google Maps. This awesome world atlas can show you images ...
More About: Software , Windows , Utilities , Internet

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