Reviews

One of the problems I have with file sharing is that more often than not, it’s rather slow. When I say file sharing, I mean between one person and a friend, not bittorrent, eDonkey or Gnutella. For this you usually have to go through an Instant Messenger’s file sharing program or through sites like Rapidshare or Megaupload. The problem with IM file sharing is that it’s usually slow and if it gets interrupted, often you’ll have to start all over. The problem with sites like Rapidshare is that they don’t stream, which can be frustrating. Yes, there are sites like Streamfile that try to fix that last problem, but it can still mess up and you have to start all over! [click to continue...]

This is a list of five of my favorite webcomics. They were chosen because they update regularly, have great art, and have a good story to go with it all. I also tried to stay away from the well known comics (like Questionable Content). They are listed in alphabetical order, not by how much I like them :) [click to continue...]

OpenArena is an open source First Person Shooter based around a Quake engine. It’s fast, violent, and very entertaining. And best of all, it runs on Windows, Linux, and OS X! It also has very low system requirements and can is portable, making it perfect for passing around the office and playing a few games while the boss isn’t looking. Not that I encourage that type of thing. [click to continue...]

World Golf Tour is a free, Flash based (no download required) online golf game. You can play up to 9 holes on one of two courses (with more to be added soon) in a “closest to the pin” match. The “getting started” tutorial will walk you through how to play the game and explain each feature (club selection, swing type, aiming and striking).

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I’ll be the very first to admit it: I stink at video games. Flash based web games, console games, PC/Mac games. All of them. Not since the days of NES have I been even half-way decent. And even then, it was probably the hours and hours of time I put in that allowed me to finish games (usually on the “easy” level). That doesn’t stop me though - I still find the hugely entertaining, and World Golf Tour is no exception.

In this article you’ll find brief reviews, screenshots and download locations for 10 different Windows application launchers. If you can’t find one you like in this list, I’ve also included links to 5 6 (thanks Vince!) more at the very bottom.
 

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Since moving back to Canada, I haven’t been able to get my music fix with Pandora (listeners located outside of the U.S. can’t use Pandora). I’ve never been a huge Last.fm fan - the catalog of streamable music doesn’t include a lot of my favorite bands. In general, I’m just not a huge fan of online music services. Until now. Spotify, a lightweight Windows and OS X client, connects you to a vast collection of music. And it works outside of the US. Keep reading for my brief overview. [click to continue...]

The first public beta of 360desktop was made available today. I downloaded it, played around, and uninstalled it. Neat concept, not even close to ready for daily usage.

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Recently a former co-worker of mine contacted me to tell me about his new startup - BackBlaze. I gave the service a try, and I have to admit - this is by far the easiest backup service I’ve ever used. Keep reading for the full review and a link to give the service a try. [click to continue...]

Using the new service Hellotree.com, you can quickly and easily create a family tree. Now I know what some of you might be thinking - booooooring. Well as it happens I agree. But I have to tell you - my mom, grandmother and aunt absolutely love this service. They’ve created a family tree that goes back 7 generations and includes relatives in 8 different countries. And the very best part is that Hellotree is so easy to use, they don’t constantly bother me to “help”. Keep reading for an overview with screenshots etc. Note: this review/overview was not paid for, sponsored or endorsed by Hellotree. I just thought that if my family gets such a kick out of it, yours might too. [click to continue...]

Another possible name for this post could be “SmartToolkit review with a tour of its features and lots of screenshots”, because that’s essentially what it is. Though I’ve only had a Smartphone for about a month and a half now, SmartToolkit is by far the best piece of (free) software I’ve found for Windows Mobile devices.

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John Boxall and Igor Faletski of Handi Mobility (a local British Columbia company) are about to release Live Vote - a free SMS voting system similar to the one used in “American Idol”.

Live Vote was recently demonstrated at DemoCampVancouver, and was well received. I requested a beta invite a couple of days ago and have been playing with the service ever since.

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I’ve been using Joost on and off for about 4 months now. More off than on. It’s not that I didn’t like the app - it was pretty slick and quite solid for an early beta. It’s that there wasn’t a heck of a lot to watch. At some point over the last few weeks, they’ve added a lot of channels/content, and the latest version (beta 1) is even slicker than before.

Note: Invites aren’t required any more - Joost is now open to anyone who wants to sign up. Just head over to joost.com and sign up.

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Delicious Library has been out for a while. I know this. I’ve had their site bookmarked for months, and during my last ‘bookmark cleanup’, I decided it was time to finally time to download and install it. The following article is part tutorial, part overview, and has lots of screenshots. If you’re a serious DVD, book or CD collector, you may want to take it for a spin. [click to continue...]

Mailplane is a stand-alone Gmail client for OS X. Besides including all of the great features of Gmail, Mailplane adds extras such as built-in drag-and-drop attachments, quick import from iPhoto and iTunes, Growl notifications when you get new messages and much more.

Update: All 5 of my invites have been given away. If you’d like to sign up for an invitation to the beta program please visit http://mailplaneapp.com/beta/request_invitation.php. If you’d like an invite to the beta program, leave a comment. I have 5 invites to give away to the first 5 commenters. [click to continue...]