Dell Adamo Notebook Out Now For Australia

I am not sure how many people have heard of Dell computers amazing looking Adamo notebook PC, I only heard of it the other day. Dells release date is today and you can have a look at it on their Adamo website. I think it is pronounced Ah Dah Mo.

The notebook looks amazing, made of milled aluminium like some of the Apple notebooks and super thin – thinner than Apples Air PC !wow! A 13.4 inch HD screen that is flat glass to the edge, a fair number of ports and includes adaptors to use them (no extra cost I think) – eSata is great, my Toshiba has it and I connect my External HDD to it (and it can be used as a normal USB if needed) and the whole thing only .6inches thin (the air was a fat .76 🙂 ) .

The packaging is very iPod like and a first I would think for notebook marketing, I am betting others start doing it soon. The outer faces of the aluminium are an etched finish and look superb. A backlit keyboard with nice scalloped keys, I wish my current notebook had backlit keys, including my Netbook. Dell say the Adamo will get about 5 hours on the battery, not bad if true.

There are a few photos around but not many, I have taken stills from the Adamo video and it’s in black and white. Actually the computer will be available in two colours as well, Onyx and Pearl (black and white really).

The price will be around $1,999 US, not sure about Australian prices for the Adamo, hope it is not too bad as I would like to buy one if it is cheap enough with the Australian dollar as it is.

Windows 7 Beta, Download ISO From Microsoft Direct

Reading around the place the public release of Windows 7 Beta is out right now. Unfortunately Microsoft is having a little trouble with their site because of the massive traffic and interest of Windows 7.

They have posted

Due to very heavy traffic we’re seeing as a result of interest in the Windows 7 Beta, we are adding some additional infrastructure support to the Microsoft.com properties before we post the public beta… best possible experience when downloading the beta.

Windows 7 looks to be a must have OS even though I am completely happy with Vista (and my guess is the ones whinging about Vista haven’t really used it – I know this from friends that bag it but have never used it!)

If you are one of those types that must have the latest and greatest and must have it right now, here is a little help.

Here is the direct download link from Microsoft that they have removed from their site for Windows 7 Beta Public 32bit and Windows 7 Beta Public 64bit . Go get them now!

Also don’t forget to update Windows 7 when you have it installed as there is a bug the could currupt your MP3s (info here http://support.microsoft.com/kb/961367 )

Review Top 10 Best Online Multiple-Services Blog Pingers

Blog and Ping! Blog and Ping! I have read about doing this to increase your blogs popularity. I don’t know how true it is but I thought I would list what I think are the Top 10 Online Multiple-Services Blog Pingers. The Best there is.

So what does pinging do? Well a Blog Pinger lets a service, which tracks and connects to blogs, to know you have updated you blog (made a new post) so they can come and visit to check you out. In other words they crawl and index your site, publishing your blogs contents, and in turn increase your blog’s popularity. I have used Pingomatic and as it goes it is pretty good but maybe too many bloggers use it because, for me, it does not connect sometimes.

So I have put Pingomatic as one but what are other alternatives to Pingomatic, the other 9 of the top 10 Best Online Multiple-Services Blog Pingers?

Ping-o-Matic is one of the best known blog ping services around. It pings to 19 general services and 5 specialised services. It says on the site they regularly check downstream services to make sure that they’re legit and still work. So while it may appear like they have fewer services, they’re the most important ones.

BlogBlip is the big one for me. No fancy logo – It currently sends pings to 44 web services plus it says you can request addition of more directories to its list using the form on the site. Not all services work (well not for me) but still, it’s very, very good.

Feed Shark Is number three. It pings 16 services that accept blogs as well as 12 services that accept RSS feeds and a further 8 services that accept podcasts. Impressive and with a neat page that shows your submission status on the same page as the entry.

Autopinger is a little different from most. It handles the pinging task for you automatically, Autopinger will check your blogs and podcast feeds every 30 mins. and if you have posted it then pings a variety of services (25 English services , almost as many non english) – no need to manually ping. (well, if you need to ping immediately you can do manual pinging as well).

King Ping is a free automatic pinging service that makes pinging faster and easier for bloggers and online publishers. A huge 57 web services are available.

PinGates has 44 pinging services listed and notifies them to auto-ping your blog. Neat layout and works well for me. This site has been around for a while now.

MyPageRank Ping is a very simple pinging service – well to be honest they are all simple aren’t they – and it pings 25 different services.

Ping.IN is another blog ping service that notifies Blog Services like Blog Search Engines and directories that your blog has been updated. This lets them index your blog fast and make your content available for larger audiences ie: more popular.

iPings is just a plain old ping service. Pinging around 31 services. the reason I have included it here is probably because of the Apple type name 🙂

Pingoat – a strange name but is another site that pings a number of services that keep track of weblogs and publish them. By pinging, you let the services know that your blog has been updated and so, they crawl and index your site, publishing your blog contents, and then increasing your blog’s popularity. I have to say this is not my favourite.

Googles New Adsense For Feeds

I was just checking my adsense account and noticed a new option – Google adsense For Feeds, it wasn’t there yesterday! I remember reading over at Feedburner ages ago that this was going to happen , well it has arrived.

Ads in RSS Feeds, good or bad? To be honest ads in feeds don’t worry me except for some animated types. One RSS feed I have has certain ads that keep refreshing (something like that) and this makes the page scroll back to the top 😦 – so when I start reading down it pops back to the top again every few seconds, very annoying!

Hopefully Googles version will be fine. You can only have one ad and can choose whether it is placed at the top or bottom. you can also say ads only go in posts of a certain size and every X amount of posts. Also the ads are auto sized – which is good , no huge ads spamming everyone. Not bad at all.

 

If you want any help about it just ask and I will try. You can also try Google’s help page.

Hack AntiVir – disable the nag screen

I have just bought a new notebook pc and was looking for a FREE antivirus program to install.

I have used AVG free before but since it went to V8 and you had to upgrade I haven’t liked it. It just seems a bit too big and lumpy now. Search Search Search and I found Avira AntiVir.

But the one thing I don’t like, fairly minor I guess, is the “Buy the Pro Version” nag screen that pops up after it updates each day .

Well, here is a little work around hack to stop it popping up.
My PC has Windows Vista Home Premium by the way, please no Apple Macs don’t get viruses comments 🙂 .

Go to C:\Program Files\Avira\AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic\avnotify.exe

Rightclick avnotify.exe and chose Properties then Security

Under the “Group or Username” SYSTEM click Edit

Put a checkmark under the Deny column for “Read and Execute” (one will also check at Read automatically)

FairUse4WM replacement FreeMe2

I have posted plenty of times about FairUse4WM, the tool to take protection off Windows Media files – both video and audio files. Well, I have been slacking off and there seems to be a newer version of this tool – I guess not a new version but a completely different tool .. and it is open source so updates should flow through more often.

The tools name is FreeMe2 and it seems to do the same job as FairUse4WM plus it has the ability to unprotect streaming media as well (I didn’t know there was protected streaming media!).

From the author – After many hours of fighting with WM-DRM protection I decided to create new tool that would allow people to remove it from from files and streams. Of course FairUse4WM is great tool and it works nice but there are few reasons why have decided to create a new one:
1) FairUse4WM is closed source. Everytime MS releases new version of IBX people have to make binary patches or start from scratch.
2) FairUse4WM doesn’t work with video streams since it wasn’t intended to. Of course it is possible to record video stream and then undrm it but this is pointless when we are talking about tv channels.
3) There is no platform independent tool for ms wm-drm. There is no point of running windows every time you want to undrm some file or stream.

Freeme2 is a program based on famous freeme app created by Beale Screamer and based on viodentias (FairUse4WM) findings. It strips wm-drm protection from wmv/asf/wma files as well as video/audio streams. 

Download and info at SourceForge 
More Instructions and information at Stream-Recorder.com

Get out and read not feed

This is my thoughts on what Richard at Untwisted Vortex has just written about. The only site I use on a feed is Untwisted Vortex because , I think, he asked a while back, but I prefer not to RSS feeds. At first, the reason was I thought it to be a bit techy or geeky but now I find that by using feeds people visit the actual site less and comment a lot less. Also if you have ads, I guess, less clicks on them. Well that’s what happens to me – I read the feed but visit very seldom.

I also find it a little impersonal because you don’t see the design/ layout of the person blog which shows a little of their personality. So come on do what Richard is doing and start looking at blogs and not feeds.

Get out and read not feed!

Foola the best iTunes replacement – updated

I have many posts about Foola (actually it is called Floola but I keep spelling it wrong 🙂 ) it’s the best FREE iTunes replacement out there.

There is a new update that covers the new model iPods now. The new models had a change in the firmware that stopped people using anything except itunes – this has been overcome. Version 2.1.1 of Floola is available and it now supports youtube and myspace videos!

Floola is a freeware application to efficiently manage your iPod (or your Motorola mobile phone that supports iTunes). It’s a standalone application that can be run directly from your iPod and needs no installation under Linux, Mac OS X and Windows (Windows Vista is supported).

Get Foola HERE

Leopard: 300 New Features, 300 New Bugs

Funny stuff from Mary Foley read the whole article and the crazy comments as well. I know I sound like an anti-Apple guy at the moment but I am not, I am more anti-fanboy. I think both OSX and Vista are fine operating systems.

I hope you like the leopard bug photo 🙂

….Apple advocates are doing the unthinkable: They’re complaining publicly about a new Apple product release.

Even typically staunch Mac backers are admitting that Apple’s new Leopard operating system is not perfect. It might even be as problem-prone (if not more so) as Windows Vista. Could Leopard go so far as to drive some switchers into Vista’s arms? Sounds crazy, but who knows….

Apple: being smug just makes you look a fool

I admit it, I don’t really like using OSx, not that I have used it for at least a year – I still have a Mac but just haven’t turned it on for ages. Anway, what peaves more than and awkward to use (for me) system is Apple itself.

I don’t like Apples full on idea that looks/design is everything over being functional – the silly one button mouse that they perservered with for years or even the silly two button one now – a cheap Logitech or Microsoft mouse works a million times easier (but of course doesn’t look as pretty). I don’t like Apples adverts, most are exaggerations and half truths but , I guess, it sells products. I don’t like the fact the Apple took ages (6 months after Vista was released) to make iTunes work on Vista and wrote on their site it was Microsofts fault.

I know I haven’t explained properly but here is a prime example of over the top Apple showing how smug (or stupid) they are. The new updated OSX that has just been released a few days ago – the icon they use for Windows computers (and for that matter, I have read, lots of Linux and other Unix machines show up as Samba file shares, meaning they’ll be presented as unstable blue-screening machines, despite the fact that they’re likely more stable than OS X) is an old CRT monitor showing a Blue Screen fault. It is like little kids fighting and teasing in a playground – really. (read Smug Ugly and and the icon fix here )

I must say, I do like my iPod Nano but some things about that erk me – the battery lost it’s ability to charge a week before the warranty ran out, a year later the replacement is the same – one year for the life of my Nano is a bit short and not being able to easily change the battery is a no-no.

Maybe what I really hate is the blind fans that think Apple is almost a religion and Steve Jobs is god. I remember talking to a blind Apple fan about that I need Windows because I need certain applications – he insisted that I could get all the application I ever need for the Mac – the apps I need are specially written for us at work they are not off the shelf things – why would we get these re-written for OSx or bother with running Windows on Apple hardware when a cheap PC does it anyway? He didn’t believe me!

And of course me saying all this now makes me a Microsoft lover, crazy, stupid and whatever else.