Google Desktop Search plugin for Firefox

Google Desktop Search in Firefox via Mycroft

Danny Dawson came up with a Mycroft Plugin for GDS. According to him, it requires slightly more work to install than the standard Mycroft plugin (three short steps instead of one). In Firefox, GDS displays 100 results by default per page as opposed to 10 that the standard GDS shows. Click on the link above to get the files.

Source: Web Development News

Some concerns addressed about Google Desktop Search

InsideGoogle: Digital Life: How Google Desktop Works, And How It Will Work (InsideGoogle)

Nathan Weinberg at InsideGoogle had a chat with Marrissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer web products regarding GDS functionality. Some of the important points are:

• Right now, GDS can read Hotmail and Yahoo Mail pages right now, but not GMail since it is heavy on Javascript. According to Marrissa, "We should be able to search Gmail in the next few weeks".
• While PageRank doesn't apply to your computer, Desktop does make use of nearly every other method of determining keyword relevance Google uses, from titles to bold text.
• Google Desktop Index maxes out at 2 GB.
• "For now Desktop is only for one user on the computer... the other person can't install it". If you use multiple usernames, only one can install and access the data while the others are plum out of luck. Obviously, they are working on fixing this as soon as possible.

Go ahead and read the complete article. Thanks to Nathan.

Google Desktop Search is also Spyware

Google Desktop Search: Security Threat? (PC World)

Tom Spring writes, "using GDS, I was able to bypass user names and passwords that secure Web-based e-mail programs and view personal messages sent and received on public PCs". Hmm.... that's something to be concerned of. But, I think Google is not concerned about this. Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products, says "this is not a bug, rather a feature". It that's a feature, I think that's really a bad feature. But, actually, you could configure GDS such that it does not index web pages or specific domains. Tom continues, "On one computer alone I was able to access no less that 10 personal e-mails that had been sent using password-protected Web-based e-mail accounts". Check out the PC World article for user comments. You will definitely find useful information so that GDS shall not spy on your personal data.

Source: Slashdot

Men lose after Four successive wins in "Apprentice"

So, finally men lose. Actually, I think I'm not surprised at this. Right from the designer, clothing and price, they were beaten by women. I got the feeling that they are going to loose when they made total chaos during fabric selection. Women made a thumping victory by gaining three times the sale that of men. That was huge.
Firing John was correct. He should have brought Wes to the board room. That was the biggest mistake on his part. I liked Trump's post-firing comments for this episode, "I think John is outstanding, I'll have to tell you. I hate firing people that are that good".
Tailpiece: I think Carol is better when she is not laughing. She just can't laugh good enough, she is not used to.

Lycos Circles - Share With Your Favorite Circles Of People

I wouldn't have mentioned about Lycos Circles in my Blog if not for it's great features. First off, I never used any service from Lycos. I really didn't like any of those. They all look crappy. But, Nathan Weinberg from InsideGoogle has somehow got hold of this great Integration Product and put up a review in his Blog. The review is pretty comprehensive and it makes you really start thinking about Lycos, if you are like me.
Circles makes it easy to share things, discuss, stay in touch and make plans by bringing your favorite people together. You can share whatever you want, with whomever you want, and you control who sees what. You can even reach out and meet new people that share your interests. Circles is in beta right now and shows lots of potential for growth. It has eight types of things that you can share - Text, Photos, Websites, Clips, Invitations, Cards, Prediction and Poll.
I would like to quote Nathan about the best part of his review, "Circles is Lycos's central interface now, a "structured, centralized interface". It is exactly what Google wishes they had; a base on which to place everything. Google has many disparate products that don't work together; Gmail doesn't work with Desktop Search, Google Images doesn't work with Picasa, and Google Groups doesn't work with Blogger. Lycos has solved every one of those problems, and now has an interface that will only get more powerful as time goes by". Honestly, I can't agree more. Go ahead, and read his review.

Atomic clock on your wrist

I like the clock on my computer and my wrist watch to show accurate time as precise as possible. The system clock on my computer is always synced to Internet Time Server of National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST). And there are few wrist watches that get synced to NIST's Atomic Clock in Boulder, Colorado. Now, scientists at NIST have taken portable time keeping to new levels of accuracy with the creation of the device, which is driven by inner workings barely bigger than a grain of rice. CNN says the complete working watch would be the size of cube-size and would run on just 73 milliwatts. So now we can expect such a small chip to be integrated into cell phones and handhelds to get the devices synced to the Atomic Clock.

Archos and Dell unviels iPod Mini competitors

Archos joined the group of competitors to compete against iPod Mini. It announced Gmini XS200 which is comparable in size to Apple's iPod Mini. But the killer is the capacity. Whereas iPod Mini has 4GB capacity, Gmini has 20GB..... that's 5 times. Gmini costs $250, same as iPod Mini.
Dell has also unvieled it's Pocket DJ 5 that offers 5GB storage, but costs $50 less than both Gmini and iPod Mini. Both the players supports MP3, WMA and WAV formats.

Source: CNET

GMail Hack for Firefox: Hide Text Ads

Remove Text Ads from GMail (Digital Media Minute)

Digital Media Minute has come up with a Firefox hack that allows you to hide the text ads in GMail. It is a simple 2 line code that you enter in userContent.css. They advice you to get ChromeEdit extension before you enter this, though in my view it is not needed (If you have already created this file from Firefox help page for web content display). Note that you might be violating the Google TOS for GMail. So, use at your own risk. Personally, I don't mind Text Ads. They are least intrusive compared to Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail. Sometimes, they don't even appear.

Source: Web Development News

"Mini" Apple Stores

Apple Unveils New "Mini" Retail Store Design

Keeping up with the tradition from iPod to iPod Mini, Apple plans to start Mini Stores. According to Apple, each Mini Store will have a stunning all-new design featuring stainless steel walls and seamless white floors and ceilings. Apple will open its first six mini stores this Saturday at 10 a.m. in Palo Alto, CA; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; Tukwila, WA; Bridgewater, NJ; and Rockaway, NJ.
The new Apple mini stores feature:
* Apple’s full line of portables plus the new iMac® G5 desktop computers;
* Apple’s full line of iPods;
* an assortment of the best third party products to help customers get more out of their iPod® or Mac®;
* the Genius Bar, where anyone can get their questions answered by an Apple “Genius;” and
* on-site repair on all Apple products, including next day turnaround for customers with a ProCare service card.

Source: iPodlounge

Is Small really better?

Smaller Can Be Better (Except When It's Not)(The New York Times)

New You Times has an excellent article where it talks about how small various gadgets are getting smaller and smaller. I personally do like small things that are portable. Though they are little bit difficult to handle initially, by using them regularly, I could get hold of them. Personally, portability is very important for me.
Though they were critical of most gadgets, the article mentions Apple's iPod Mini as an excellent case of a "marriage of form and function that makes a lot of sense". Hmm... can't agree more.

Source: pocketnow

Google Desktop Search - My Wish fulfilled, but I'm not happy

Ever since I was using Copernic Desktop Search Engine that I posted some time ago, I really started appreciating the features. It was like I could search for anything that is on my computer in seconds. Then I began to think since this is a search feature, why Google didn't think of it in the first place. I love Google, I can't imaging doing a search without Google. I wished, really wished and hoped Google to come up with this kind of software so that I can search for anything on my computer.
And today, it was like my wish was fulfilled. Google launched Google Desktop Search. As soon as I saw this in Google weblog, I immediately uninstalled Copernic and installed Google. I couldn't be much happier. But, my happiness was shortlived. I'm really really unhappy about Google version. First off, it runs inside browser. So, you have to open up the browser to start searching. The URL will be something like http://localhost:xxxx/&s=xyz&q=. They type of files it searches are TXT, HTML, DOC, XLS, and PPT formats (Office 2000+). So, no PDF files and other kind of files. Copernic is very good in this aspect. It searches for all kinds of files. Not only that, it even shows preview of these files. On top of that, Copernic supports even video files. This is missing in Google's.
Google only supports AOL Instant Messages files. Well, I wonder how many people are still using AOL. But, the biggest downer is Google only supports web pages viewed in IE. I'm off of IE. There are so many people using Firefox now, and still growing, somehow Google doesn't think the same way. But, I'm sure somebody at Firefox will definitely come up with a supporting extension.
But, actually the way Google does searching is very different the way it should be. Take for example Copernic. It doesn't search for files. It actually filters. The files are already listed, it filters the files according to your search. This way you can find the files in seconds. The Google's way will be almost like the regular windows search, in my opinion. I think I'm disappointed with Google for the first time. You really have to try Copernic Desktop Search to see what I'm talking about and appreciate it. It supports almost all file types - docs, audio and video unlike Google that doesn't support audio and video. Looks like I'm about to download Copernic again.

Source: Google Blog

Google wants a reflection of it in the East

Google Founders on Hiring Trip to India (Y! News)

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin wants to tap Indian market by recruiting "extraordinary talented entrepreneurial people who want to make a big change in the world". They realized that they were too late to understand the potential of Indian market. Brin told "One approach we are taking is that Bangalore is where we run a mirror exactly of what we have in the United States in terms of development". Right now, they have two offices set up in India earlier this year - at Bangalore and Hyderabad. The founder of Google News, Krishna Bharat, is busy hiring potential candidates in Bangalore. But, I hope they maintain the same working culture that they have in Mountain View, CA in India too.
According to the founders, "Researchers in Bangalore will work with their counterparts in Google's U.S. offices to conceptualize new services and develop software. This includes developing search engines that will present results based on speech input or drawings, ones that will work in more languages than at present, personalizing search results to suit individual preferences, and new features for Google's new e-mail service".

Netscape's original browser press release

Netscape's original browser press release (CNET)

"Netscape is the first Internet tool that lets the average user with a 14.4 kb modem work with the Internet interactively," said Todd Haedrich, principal of Point of Presence Company in Seattle. "It's fast, simple and elegant. The resources that Netscape Communications provides for its novice users in Netscape, such as the Internet directories, rival any other site on the net for their quality and depth. Netscape will help bring more people on the Internet than any program since the original NCSA Mosaic."
Check out how they entered into internet arena with a big bang what was totally pushed into ground my Microsoft.

GMail Bugs list is out

Gmail: Help Center

Google listed a good number of GMail bugs under different catagories. I'm not sure if they are working on all these bugs. Note that you must be logged in to view full bug details.

Source: InsideGoogle

Apple responds to Microsoft's "Closed" comments

This is related to my earlier post about Microsoft's statement that Apple is closed system. I said that people do have choice and they chose iPod. Now, Apple responded with similar statement "Ninety-two percent of customers buying hard-drive based music players are choosing iPods, and over 65 percent of customers buying any type of portable digital music player including flash-based players are choosing iPods". iPod is still anybody's choice even with so much choice. Microsoft and Real Networks can only attempt to win over iPod, they can't succeed. That's for sure.

Source: MacMinute

Comprehensive list of Dell Axim X50 and X50v Reviews

Dell Axim X50 and X50v Pocket PC reviews roundup (Engadget)

Visit Engadget for most comprehensive list of review for X50 and X50v. That should be enough for anybody I guess.

Source: Pocket PC Thoughts

Want to see Apprentice 2 Finale live?

Win a trip to The Apprentice 2 Live Finale (The Apprentice Blog)

The Apprentice Blog reports that both QVC and P&G have come up with contest for a chance to witness the Apprentice 2 Finale live on December 16th. QVC's contest is pretty simple, just go to their site and make an entry. The deadline is on October 17th. The P&G's contest is REALLY a contest. It is "your innovative launch event" idea, in under 100 words, for Crest Whitening Expressions - Vanilla. The deadline for P&G is on October 15th. I'm not talking part in either contest.... I'll rather watch on TV.

Microsoft enters into music service officially

Microsoft officially launches music service (CBSMarketWatch)
MSN Music Service, which was running "beta" until now since September 1st, is officially launched today by Microsoft. "attunes has done a great job of helping to elevate the [digital music] market," said Christine Andrews, lead product manager of MSN. "We're different because Apple is a closed system. If you want Apple, you have to use the iPod. A lot of people want choice and we offer that." What choice he is talking about? People do have choice and people chose iPod as their music player. CNET reported "Research company The NPD Group said in a report released Tuesday that various versions of the iPod accounted for 92.1 percent of the market for hard drive-based music players, up from 82.2 percent a year ago. Players from Creative Technology and Digital Networks North America's Rio were a distant second and third, with 3.7 percent and 3.2 percent of the market, respectively". Apple has perfect companion to iPod in iTunes. And all other crappy players are going to have a perfect crappy companion in MSN Music Service. Way to Go!!!

Source: MacMinute

Technology sites float with Axim X50 reviews

I think today almost every technology site is busy with Axim X50 and X50v. Their traffic is so much that their servers were unable to take load and some of them were even down for sometime. PocketPC Thoughts even put a post saying, "Our server is creaking and groaning because we're getting absolutely slammed at the moment - so things will be slow to load. Please be patient with our sorely overwhelmed server". Almost all the sites dedicated to PocketPC have put up review by now. Continue to read for their comments on these beauties.
According to pocketnow.com, "The X50 is a perfect dual-slot successor to the X30 Pocket PC, and the Axim X50v gives me serious reason to leave my HP iPAQ hx4700 on the shelf. Besides the fact that the battery life is poor, I find the Axim X50v to be the perfect day to day Pocket PC. When using it, you won't find yourself wishing you had another feature or better performance, and that's a really nice thing".
According to Brighthand, "If there's one thing Dell does well, it's give you a lot of bang for your buck. The X50v is $499, a whopping $150 less than the iPAQ hx4700. As I mentioned before, the X50v has a smaller screen that its chief competitor, and the iPAQ has some additional features, like a trackpad, flipcover, and larger battery. But anyone thinking about a VGA Pocket PC must think hard about the X50v. It's a solid device and an excellent value". I agree with these guys, the price is the best thing in X50v. iPAQ is easily out of my wallet.
CNET surprised me with same day review. Normally they are slow in coming up with reviews compared to device only dedicated sites. Anyway, CNET were not too happy with X50 because of, understandably, the battery life and performance.
According to BargainPDA.com, "Dell has managed to create competitors for two of the most popular models of PocketPC in one fell swoop, and on top of that imbue them with a new operating system, faster processors, and larger batteries. And as the final clincher, the high-end unit is pretty close to the Holy Grail of the current PocketPC world: a small, fast unit with dual slots, dual wireless, and VGA, all for $500". Like I said, the best thing I like in X50v is it's price.
Chris Leckness at Aximsite.com mentions, "This is the part of this review I have been dreading to report. While the VGA screen is superb in comparison to QVGA Screens on any other device I own, the color is not as vibrant as the color on the iPAQ HX4700". Though he continues, "I do not think the difference in the 2 brands is a breaking point for the X50v, I just thought it was worth noting". Well, I don't think I too care that much about the difference. I'll vote for $150 price difference between the two though.
According to Pocket PC Thoughts, "Despite the minor niggles I have with some of the design decisions they made, the X50 is a strong performer and a great value for the price, especially when compared to the over-priced offerings from HP. As much as I liked the speed of the X30, I never liked the way it felt in my hand and always longed to go back to the iPAQ 4150 that I gave to my wife to use. The X50, while being a big bigger than the 4150, feels good in the hand and has everything I need: WiFi, Bluetooth, gobs of ROM space for program storage, and both a CompactFlash and Secure Digital slot". They didn't review X50v yet, that was the review of midrange X50.
PDAGeek was the first one to get their review online. According to them, " I think Dell hit the ball out of the park with these new X50 machines due to the inclusion of dual wireless functionality, dual expansion slots, fast processors, and ample memory--all in an extremely comfortable and classy form factor. It is amazing to see what Dell was able to pack into a device like the X50v and still price it at $499. At $150 less than the iPAQ hx4700, Dell is definitely serious about the Windows Mobile market. With the X50 running at $399 I don't see how palmOne can compete, since the T5 lacks Wi-Fi and a second expansion slot. Even if you want to spend less, the X50 Entry model still includes Bluetooth, a fast 416MHz processor, and is priced at $299". Need I say more about this?
Among all these reviews, I liked pocketnow, PDAGeek and Pocket PC Thoughts, in that order. They are comprehensive and have most pictures online and they do even compare with other devices pictorially. Get busy with these reviews.

Source: VGA Pocket PC

iPod rivals compete among themselves

Onslaught of rival players threaten iPod dominance (MacMinute News)

MacMinute lists the iPod competitors which, I should say looks shaky on the first read. But, honestly, I don't think anyone of them will threaten iPodmini. More than beating the iPod, they are going to compete among themselves because the only people who want to even consider one of them is the one who don't want to buy an iPod. Otherwise, there is no point to even consider them as an option. Some do good look from specs, but they don't show promise like iPod.

Can't wait for Longhorn's WinFS? Try Copernic Desktop Search

Longhorn, new OS from Microsoft, is not due to release for atleast 2 years. And it may not even come with the most talked feature, WinFS. Using WinFS, you can search for any files on your desktop in seconds, unlike the search program that came with Windows Operating Systems until now. So, if you can't wait for that long, try Copernic Desktop Search Engine for PC. Right now, it is free, but Copernic plans to offer a paid version with advanced features in future.

Source: InsideGoogle

New iPod ads feature U2

Apple - iTunes - TV Ad - U2 Vertigo

Apple has got two new iPod ads - one 30-second QuickTime video and the other 2 minute video that's only available in iTunes Music Store. Although the ads follow the same format as before, members of U2 are clearly visible as they sing and play their instruments.

Source: Yahoo! News

Google results are almost half when searched from the Firefox search bar

Client Parameter Makes Google Report Fewer Matches (SearchEngineWatch)

Here is an interesting find. If you do a Google search from the search bar within the Firefox browser, the search results are cut down by half, or even less than half sometimes. According to the article, it has to do with the client parameter that goes along with the search string. When a search is done from the search bar, the string &client=firefox-a is added along with the search string, and this is the culprit. Not only Firefox, ANY client parameter will reduce the search results by half. "Why would Google's clients/partners hit less than the entire Google database? In the past, search providers have done this to save burden on their servers. Rather than query the entire database, only a portion might be hit -- and that portion might be deemed good enough", says Danny Sullivan. Search for "Firefox" from the search bar gave me 2,250,000 results, where as the same search from the Google website gave me 5,310,000 results - more than half.

Source: Webstractions

New iPod mini competitor from Virgin Electronics

Now, Virgin Electronics is coming up with iPod mini competitor. Rio Carbon still is my best choice among iPod mini competitors. Virgin's doesn't impress me at all. I thing I like in this one is integrated FM tuner and Dual stereo headphone jacks. It uses 1.0" 5GB Seagate hard drive. It is compatible with only Windows 2000 and XP, though Virgin says Mac supporting is coming soon. The price is $249.99. You know what's their caption? "Plays MP3's and FM radio. It's 1GB more than 4".

The Beauty comes out

Official Dell Axim X50v Pictures, Specs (Gizmodo)

Here it comes.... The official picture of Dell Axim X50v. The official release is tomorrow. But, the pics have been released at PocketFactory with official PDF document today.
According to Gizmodo, "There are two models with three different processor speeds—624MHz, 520MHz, and 416MHz—no huge surprise there. The Axim X50 and the X50v will differ mainly in their screens, with the former sporting a 3.5-inch 240 by 320 pixel QVGA screen, with the latter rocking a 480 by 640 VGA screen. Wi-Fi is standard on the X50v and optional on the X50, and Bluetooth 1.2 is built-in. Both have CompactFlash Type II and SDIO slots, and run Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC with Media Player 10 Mobile".

Google founders were supposed to meet Manmohan Singh?

IndiaDaily - Google founders'' meeting with PM called off

I didn't know that. Didn't make to any major news headlines too. But, the news seems to be interesting..... They quoted D Frost, spokesperson from Google in US as "They are in India. The founders visit their offices worldwide". But, they also seem to contact Krishna Bharat, Google's head of Bangalore R&D centre to ask "whether their visit to India has been called off". But, then he apparently seems not to take any query.... quite understandable, doesn't want to answer such silly questions.

Source: InsideGoogle (Don't forget to check this out)

Turn your camera phone into personal barcode scanner

Optical Intelligence for your mobile devices (Scanbuy)

I don't know if this technology is already there, atleast in Japan. But, you can actually turn your camera phone into a personal barcode scanner. This technology is by Scanbuy's Optical Intelligence, which reads and translates barcodes on-devices through the use of low-cost CMOS imager based digital cameras. It is also available for PDA with integrated camera and Webcams. The software is currently available for Symbian UIQ, Series 60 and palmOne Treo.

Source: Geekzone, mobile forums

Is Ganguly right about Irfan?

Irfan Pathan: Rising sun of India (Indiatimes)

Ganguly wants to make Irfan Pathan an all-rounder. Irfan is for sure a great bowler, no doubt about that. This 19-year old lad has come a long way and getting applauds from greats like Kapil Dev and Wasim Akram. But, is it wise to burdern him with batting so early in his career. Ifran is a bowler first. We need a McGrath for India, and Irfan is definitely showing promise in that. Use him wisely and he will definitely do wonders.

Kapil was right when he said "His focus has to be on bowling. The runs are a bonus. Irfan is India’s key bowler. There should be no pressure on him as a batsman". Even Imran Khan and Wasim Akram were of same opinion. "He’s an all-rounder but a bowling all-rounder", said Akram.

Can Dell DJ beat Apple iPod?

Dell Pocket DJ 5: Dell’s 5GB competitor for the iPod mini. Plus a new slimmer 20GB Digital Jukebox (Engadget)

Looks like Dell is coming up with iPod mini competitor, Pocket DJ 5. Though it looks good on paper with respect to specs ($199, 9 hours battery life), I don't think it will shake iPod. Dell doesn't have any appeal whatsoever. I would rather say Rio Carbon 5GB Player could be iPod mini competitor. It's specs (5GB, 20 hours battery life, $250) are better than Pocket DJ 5 and even iPod mini. But, I don't think iPod will be shaked by any competitor this season. It still holds good market. According to BusinessWeek, "A recent survey of teens by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray showed roughly 75% of respondents who were planning to buy a digital-music player said they wanted to get an iPod. And an iPod was the fourth-most desired Christmas present teens listed when asked."

Generate E-Mail Icons for your GMail, Hotmail and Yahoo!

E-Mail Icon Maker

This is simple........ Just enter your ID to create the E-Mail Icons using E-Mail Icon Generator.




Source: Webstractions

Mail Notifier supports GMail, Y! Mail, Hotmail and others

DynAdvance has released new software dubbed Mail Notifier that pretty much works like GMail Notifier from Google. But, Mail Notifier supports others too, like Yahoo! Mail and Hotmail. Not only that, it supports POP3 accounts also. It pretty much looks like Windows Task Manager. The big news is that it even supports multiple GMail accounts. Well, the bad news is that it works only on Windows machines. Well, I don't have to complain, coz I'm using Windows.

Source: InsideGoogle

Dell Axim X50 Another Photo

Dell Axim X50 Another Photo (VGA Pocket PC)

VGAPocketPC.com has posted the latest pic of Axim X50. The form factor has changed. I think it's going to be a bigger hit compared to HP's hx4700. They have even a comparision chart comparing 6 major VGA Pocket PCs.

StopIE

StopIE gives comprehensive reasons to stop using IE and switch to other browsers. It stronly recommends Firefox, though it provides list of other browsers too. Looks like IE is going to get hit pretty hard. All this thanks to Spread Firefox Campaign.

Create PDFs for free

Create Free Acrobat PDFs With PDF/TextBox

Webstractions has story, where it writes about PDF/TextBox. Now, you don't need Adobe Acrobat Creator to create PDF files. But, this is only for Windows. It also requires Microsoft .NET runtime. PDF/TextBox is free to download, it doesn't contain any spyware or ads.

Use your GMail account as Harddrive

GMail Drive shell extension (viksoe.dk)

I think my weblog is becoming like a Googleblog. Don't blame me...... Google has so much craze that so many people are developing something for Google all the time. The latest is GMail Drive - it simply adds a new drive to your computer (like C drive), where you can just copy or drap'n'drop files into it.
I think this is really cool. If you don't have storage in your computer, just create new GMail accounts (ofcourse, from invites) and store files into it. I'm not sure how large individual files can be. Also, I don't think I'm gonna use it as IE is required for it - I switched to Firefox.

Source: InsideGoogle

Now Tungsten T5 comes out buggy

Pocketfactory - Serious Tungsten T5 Glitch

Seems like PDAs are coming out buggy into the market. First it was HP, not it's PalmOne. Seems like there is a serious glitch with T5's calendar application. I didn't expect this from PalmOne atleast.

Source: pocketnow.com