Download Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/media/feedlogo.gifDownload Squadhttp://www.downloadsquad.comen-usCopyright 2008 Blogsmith, LLC. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only.Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Court: Veoh did not infringe on copyright by transcoding videoshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/28/court-veoh-did-not-infringe-on-copyright-by-transcoding-videos/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/28/court-veoh-did-not-infringe-on-copyright-by-transcoding-videos/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/28/court-veoh-did-not-infringe-on-copyright-by-transcoding-videos/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Veoh
There's good news today for user generated video sites like YouTube, DailyMotion, and MetaCafe. A federal court in California has ruled that Veoh did not violate the copyright of a pornography company by automatically transcoding video uploaded by a user.

Let's back up a second here. If you upload copyrighted material to an online video site to share with others without the copyright holder's permission, you may be breaking the law. But the question of whether the video site itself is violating the law is a bit murkier. The IO Group, which owned the video in question filed a suit agains Veoh in 2006 claiming that the video service could not hide behind safe harbor laws by saying that the user, not the video site was responsible because Veoh took the action of transcoding the video into Flash for online viewing.

Of course, the process of transcoding a video is pretty much automatic, and the judge in this case seemed to understand that Veoh's action in transcoding the video were about as deliberate breathing. The ruling basically states that as long as a video site can demonstrate that it warns users that they should not upload copyrighted video without permission, removes copyrighted videos promptly when faced with a DMCA takedown notice, and at least makes some effort at sniffing out illegally uploaded videos, the company is lawsuit-proof. Or at least lawsuit-resistant up to a few meters.

[via TechCrunch]
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]]>copyrightdmcaonline--videoveohvideoBrad Linder2008-08-28T15:00:00+00:00Newegg says 'No' to NY sales tax lawhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/22/newegg-says-no-to-ny-sales-tax-law/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/22/newegg-says-no-to-ny-sales-tax-law/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/22/newegg-says-no-to-ny-sales-tax-law/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

At the beginning of the summer, a new sales tax law went into effect in New York State, requiring online retailers who have some sort of presence in the state (like shipping centers or affiliate programs) to charge sales tax on any item shipped to New York residents. Big e-tailers like Amazon.com and Newegg complied with the new law, although Amazon is still suing the state of New York, claiming the tax law is unconstitutional.

Today, Newegg, a favorite shop amongst Download Squad's staff, has decided to stop collecting those taxes. According to PC Magazine, Newegg wrote an e-mail to customers, explaining, "After careful review and consideration, we are pleased to inform you that we have stopped collecting New York sales tax, effective August 21, 2008."

Although Newegg will no longer be charging sales tax on orders shipped to New York, New York residents may still be required to pay sales tax for those purchases (usually when filing annual income tax statements). Much of the rationale for the tax bill in the first place, as I understand it, was to force businesses to do what residents were not doing: paying sales tax on online goods ordered from out-of-state.

It will be interesting to see if Newegg's decision has any trickle-down effect on any other shops that are currently complying with the law. Although I can't see Amazon following suite -- that could potentially harm its legal case -- perhaps retailers like Overstock.com, which temporarily suspended affiliate-agreements with New York residents as a way of avoiding the tax issue, will re-evaluate the situation.

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]]>amazonnew yorkneweggNewYorksales taxSalesTaxtaxtaxesChristina Warren2008-08-22T18:00:00+00:00Fuelly - finally a gas mileage social networkhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/22/fuelly-finally-a-gas-mileage-social-network/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/22/fuelly-finally-a-gas-mileage-social-network/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/22/fuelly-finally-a-gas-mileage-social-network/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Fuelly
Look out Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook, Pownce, there's a new social network on the interwebs soon to take over all chatter channels - it's Fuelly, the social network devoted to tracking, sharing and comparing gas mileage.

If you engage in small talk at the water cooler about the rising cost of gas prices, and enjoy comparing odometer readings with your friends, Fuelly could be your next favorite social network.

Built over a 2 week period in July, Fuelly was designed so users can track their mileage between fill-ups and compare notes with one another. For added convenience, Fuelly has a mobile version.

Recent activity from the site shows various users either adding a car to their garage, filling up their car, reporting on their best tank ever, or newly joining. You can befriend people based on their car type, gas mileage and odometer checks. Man, this is fun!

Hot tips such as use cruise control often and keep your tires properly inflated are among the many not so obvious suggestions to keep you more gas efficient.

As of this writing, 5,389 Fuelly users have tracked 17,203 fuel-ups in 6,006 vehicles over 4,375,464 miles of driving.

[via popurls]
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]]>Fuellyonline mileage per gallon calculatorsonline mpg calculatorsOnlineMileagePerGallonCalculatorsOnlineMpgCalculatorsDolores Parker2008-08-22T15:00:00+00:00One in three new Vista machines downgraded to XPhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/21/one-in-three-new-vista-machines-downgraded-to-xp/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/21/one-in-three-new-vista-machines-downgraded-to-xp/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/21/one-in-three-new-vista-machines-downgraded-to-xp/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

You probably knew that a lot of dissatisfied WIndows Vista users had downgraded -- some might say "upgraded" -- to Windows XP. It was never clear exactly how many people took that step, but it was enough that Microsoft extended the shelf life for XP for a while. Now we have a number, thanks to a survey by Devil Mountain Software: nearly 35% of new Vista machines are being downgraded.

The survey used data from PCs that have been shipped in the last 6 months, and included machines that were downgraded by vendors before delivery or by users after the fact. The Register seems to think that Microsoft is shifting focus away from Vista, and instead increasing the marketing effort for its next major OS release, Windows 7. I hardly think these numbers spell doom for Microsoft, but they hopefully provide some incentive to look at why customers are ditching Vista and address their concerns.
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]]>downgrademicrosoftvistawindowswindows 7Windows7xpJay Hathaway2008-08-21T09:00:00+00:00Mygazines - read magazines online for free until?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/19/mygazines-read-magazines-online-for-free-until/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/19/mygazines-read-magazines-online-for-free-until/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/19/mygazines-read-magazines-online-for-free-until/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Mygazines
Mygazines.com is a Flash based site where you can read most of your favorite magazines online for free. The big question is for how long, since this is copyrighted material after all, and as Folio reports, the magazine trade association MPA has already threatened legal action against the site.

Content on the site is uploaded by users and then displayed in a neat Flipbook reader with lots of tools like zoom, search, keyboard shortcuts, article directory, etc. You can also create your own magazine with content you supposedly own, upload it and share with others.

Since the site was registered in the Caribbean island of Anguilla, and is hosted by PRQ of Sweden, the same web host of Pirate Bay infamy, does the piracy theme apply? Although there are arguments aplenty for why publishers should be happy about their content being shared online - increased readership, more ad views, ability to go viral, etc., there is still that pesky copyright infringement argument that just won't go away.

[via popacular]
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]]>copyright infringementcopyright violationCopyrightInfringementCopyrightViolationmagazine sharingMagazineSharingmymagazinesp2pDolores Parker2008-08-19T15:00:00+00:00You're never too old to have a Facebook pagehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/15/youre-never-too-old-to-have-a-facebook-page/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/15/youre-never-too-old-to-have-a-facebook-page/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/15/youre-never-too-old-to-have-a-facebook-page/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Facebook

If you think you're too old to do something like go back to college, learn how to scuba dive, or be social on the interwebs, you can either think again or stay beholden to your self imposed rigid beliefs. One person who throws such nonsense to the wind, is Ivy Bean, a 102 year old former mill worker, who has the distinction of being the oldest person on Facebook.

With 1,217 friends on Facebook (and climbing), Ivy's story has definitely resonated with people. She started with just 9 friends when her story was first published today. It just shows, even if you're late to the party, it's getting there that matters.

To find out more about Ivy and be her friend, check out the Oldest person on Facebook - Ivy Bean group.

Do you want to be Ivy's friend? Why or why not?
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]]>Facebookoldest person on FacebookOldestPersonOnFacebookDolores Parker2008-08-15T13:00:00+00:00US Court rules in favor of "open source" copyrighthttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/14/us-court-rules-in-favor-of-open-source-copyright/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/14/us-court-rules-in-favor-of-open-source-copyright/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/14/us-court-rules-in-favor-of-open-source-copyright/#commentsFiled under: ,

CC GPL
Over the past few years, we've seen a number of artists, software developers and others release their work under non-traditional copyright licenses. Historically, copyright laws have been used to prevent others from redistributing your work. But Creative Commons and the GNU General Public License allow content makers to distribute their work for free -- while insisting upon certain conditions.

For example, there are Creative Commons licenses that would let you write a poem and allow anyone to publish that poem on their web site as long as they provide proper attribution. Or you can use the GNU GPL to release a piece of software that others can distribute for free, or even charge a fee for -- as long as they continue to make the source code available for free.

Up until now, the validity of these licenses hasn't really been put to the test. But on Wednesday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned a San Francisco court ruling dealing with just these issues. Basically, a software developer who published model train software was using code that had been released for free. But he did not give credit to the developers of the original software, despite the fact that the license required him to do so.

When the guy who developed the open original application filed suit, the San Fransisco court ruled that the terms of the license were too broad to be enforceable. But this week's ruling overturns that decision which means that software developers, musicians, artists, and others who release their work under an "open source" license have a reasonable expectation that the terms of the license will be enforceable -- at least until some schmuck comes along and takes the case to the Supreme Court.
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]]>copyrightcreative-commonsgnu-gplgpllicensesopen-sourceBrad Linder2008-08-14T10:30:00+00:00Steve Jobs confirms iPhone app "kill switch"http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/12/steve-jobs-confirms-iphone-app-kill-switch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/12/steve-jobs-confirms-iphone-app-kill-switch/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/12/steve-jobs-confirms-iphone-app-kill-switch/#commentsFiled under: , ,

There's been some debate about whether Apple's ability to remotely disable apps on users' iPhones is for real. At Download Squad, we've had readers both affirming and denying the "kill switch" rumors. For a while, it seemed like an app blacklist had been found, but it turned out that it was just a list of apps that aren't allowed to access Core Location. Steve Jobs finally ended the debate today in The Wall Street journal, where he admits that the kill switch is real.

In the WSJ piece, Jobs "argued that Apple needs it in case it inadvertently allows a malicious program -- one that stole users' personal data, for example -- to be distributed to iPhones through the App Store. 'Hopefully we never have to pull that lever, but we would be irresponsible not to have a lever like that to pull,' he says." This shouldn't be a big deal, since Apple already has some control over what becomes available through the App Store. If something nasty does sneak by them, though, at least there's a countermeasure available.

[via Daring Fireball]
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]]>AppleiPhone app storeiPhone appsIphoneAppsIphoneAppStorekill switchKillSwitchSteve JobsSteveJobsJay Hathaway2008-08-12T02:00:00+00:00Useless $1000 iPhone app disappears - did Apple remove it?http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/07/useless-1000-iphone-app-disappears-did-apple-remove-it/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/07/useless-1000-iphone-app-disappears-did-apple-remove-it/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/07/useless-1000-iphone-app-disappears-did-apple-remove-it/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It looks like Apple has removed one of the most talked-about iPhone apps in its app store. The app doesn't do chat, it doesn't connect you to any web services, and it doesn't even let you enter any text. It's called I Am Rich, and it does absolutely nothing. The price tag? A reasonable $999.99. Apparently having its red gem icon on your iPhone's home screen is supposed to bring you a grand worth of prestige.

When this app was first discovered, there was an immediate flurry of folks wondering how it got past Apple's screening process. Although I can't find any comment from Apple, and the app's creator hasn't updated his website, the app store link to I Am Rich no longer works. I wonder whether the author made any sales before it was removed. At around $100 to develop, a single sale would leave him with 10 times what he put in.
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]]>funnyiPhone appsIphoneAppsoverpriceduselessJay Hathaway2008-08-07T09:00:00+00:00When on Twitter, beware the Pretty Rabbits bearing giftshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/05/when-on-twitter-beware-the-pretty-rabbits-bearing-gifts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/05/when-on-twitter-beware-the-pretty-rabbits-bearing-gifts/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/08/05/when-on-twitter-beware-the-pretty-rabbits-bearing-gifts/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Mad Bunny by chelzerman, click for link to Flickr page. This bunny is safe, reallyI've been hanging around Download Squad HQ enough to know that our readers love hearing about Twitter ad nauseam, and that none of those readers fear being RickRolled or ever click on links originating from profiles they wouldn't trust. But just in case you should happen upon this post from an outside source, and you aren't a regular DLS reader (gasp), there's something you need to know.

The BBC reported today that the first Twitter-specific attack has been discovered by the fine folks at Kaspersky. The fake profile uses the name "Pretty Rabbit" in Portuguese -- and it's frustrating me to all ends that I can't seem to find a reference or semi-accurate translation of what that user name might actually be -- and claims that clicking the tweeted link will take the viewer to YouTube for some adult video action.

But because there is so much wrong in this world, errant clickers don't get to see the adult video -- at least, not without paying the price. Instead, a fake version of Flash is downloaded, which has the hidden skill of harvesting all sorts of data and transforming your beloved Twittering machine into a zombie node, allowing bad men, women and rabbits to wreak criminal havoc all over the web.

Similar worms have been discovered on MySpace and Facebook, so please, choose your friends wisely.

The offending malicious applications only affect Windows-based systems. No word on whether the faux-Flash works with Linux or Mac, so while those users (who are over 18, of course) are safe from the malware, they will probably not get to see the exciting video Pretty Rabbit in Portuguese was referring to.

UPDATE: On behalf of everyone at DLS, I'd like to give a big thanks to Ed Mercer for the heads up that though the Portuguese username literally translates "Pretty Rabbit," the word "coelhinha" is often associated with Playboy Playmates/Bunnies. "Pretty Playmate" may be a more accurate translation in this case.
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]]>Kasperskymalwaresocial networkingSocialNetworkingtrojanTwittervirusKristin Shoemaker2008-08-05T12:30:00+00:00Radiologists using iTunes to organize medical PDFshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/30/radiologists-using-itunes-to-organize-medical-pdfs/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/30/radiologists-using-itunes-to-organize-medical-pdfs/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/30/radiologists-using-itunes-to-organize-medical-pdfs/#commentsFiled under: , , ,


We're willing to bet radiologists in Shanghai like to listen to music -- who doesn't? -- but that's not how they're using iTunes. At Renji Hospital and Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, they're using it to organize PDFs of important medical research and images that they say are more useful than many textbooks.

You can drop a PDF into iTunes and sort it just like you would with music. That means that the medical documents in Shanghai are searchable, ratable, and can be given multiple different tags. Before iTunes, they were keeping redundant copies of PDFs in directories by category. Now, they only need to keep one of each. So, if you've been looking for software that can organize your PDFs, think about an app you likely already have: iTunes!

[via Dr. Dobb's]
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]]>iTunesmedicineorganizationpdfJay Hathaway2008-07-30T13:00:00+00:00Live Journal offers basic accounts... againhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/18/live-journal-offers-basic-accounts-again/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/18/live-journal-offers-basic-accounts-again/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/18/live-journal-offers-basic-accounts-again/#commentsFiled under: , ,

20,000 a day blogDue to many complaints from users of LiveJournal the company announced it will again offer basic accounts. Unlike most other free blogging platforms, LJ's basic account has limited capabilities but the bonus of no advertising.

The option of signing up for a basic account was removed in March. Makes sense considering a free account with no advertising generates no money for LJ and in fact, probably costs the company money in storage space at the very least.

Apparently, LJ bloggers have grown accustomed to blogging without the distraction of ads. When the basic accounts were removed as a new user choice, many current users decided to hold a one day protest, refusing to blog or comment. In a news post LJ announced that basic accounts will return by the end of the summer for those in the Northern Hemisphere. The LJ team has also started a new blog specifically to discuss options and ideas for the future of basic accounts.

The LJ team admits it was probably a bad decision in the first place to remove the basic accounts but it looks like the developers plan to work with users on ideas to make things work to everyone's satisfaction.

[Via Profy.com]
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]]>blogfreeLiveJournalRussiaChristina Clark2008-07-18T14:00:00+00:0010 + tools to pimp out your Friendfeedhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/17/10-tools-to-pimp-out-your-friendfeed/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/17/10-tools-to-pimp-out-your-friendfeed/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/17/10-tools-to-pimp-out-your-friendfeed/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ducks
We're big fans of FriendFeed, the social network aggregator that helps you keep track of your friends' activities across different platforms like Twitter, LastFM, Flickr, YouTube, Facebook and about 1,000 36 others. If you're a fan or if you're just getting started, below are 10 tools to help you experience it just the way you like, after the jump.

Continue reading 10 + tools to pimp out your Friendfeed

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]]>adobe airadobe air apps for friend feedadobe apps for friendfeedAdobeAirAdobeAirAppsForFriendFeedAdobeAppsForFriendfeedalertthingyBetter FF subscribed to meBetter FriendFeed subscribed to meBetterFfSubscribedToMeBetterFriendfeedSubscribedToMefeedalizrFF to GoFfToGoFilter FriendFeed by ServiceFilterFriendfeedByServiceFriend FeedFriendFeedFriendFeed Filters Friends and GroupsFriendFeed Google ReaderFriendFeed ProfileFriendFeed to GoFriendFeed Twitter ClientFriendfeedFiltersFriendsAndGroupsFriendfeedGoogleReaderFriendfeedProfileFriendfeedToGoFriendfeedTwitterClientGreasemonkeyGreasemonkey scripts for FriendFeedGreasemonkeyScriptsForFriendfeedMail 2 FFMail to FriendFeedMail2FfMailToFriendfeedPostytipsToolstricks for FriendFeedtweet-thistwhirlDolores Parker2008-07-17T11:00:00+00:00Yahoo! to Microsoft: No means no (until we say yes)http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/yahoo-to-microsoft-no-means-no-until-we-say-yes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/yahoo-to-microsoft-no-means-no-until-we-say-yes/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/13/yahoo-to-microsoft-no-means-no-until-we-say-yes/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Yahoo! stock
Yahoo! has rejected the 10,247th buyout proposal to date from Microsoft. The New York Times reports that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and investor Carl Icahn made another offer to purchase Yahoo!'s search business on Friday night -- and gave the company 24 hours to respond. Because we've seen how well ultimatums work in the past. Unsurprisingly, The Yahoo! board rejected the offer.

Now are you ready for the funny part? In a detailed press release, Yahoo! explains that the board would prefer an outright sale of the company. The asking price? $33 per share -- or exactly what Microsoft offered several months ago. Yahoo! has seen its stock price fall significantly since that offer, and probably one of the only surefire ways to boost the stock price is to sign a deal with Microsoft or another company. But there's really no reason for Microsoft to pay $33 per share for a company that's stock price would only actually be worth that much money if and when Microsoft ponies up the cash.
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]]>acquisitioncarl-icahnmicrosoftsteve-ballmeryahooBrad Linder2008-07-13T11:00:00+00:00iTunes App Store open for business, with 500+ apps for downloadhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/10/itunes-app-store-open-for-business-with-500-apps-for-download/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/10/itunes-app-store-open-for-business-with-500-apps-for-download/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/10/itunes-app-store-open-for-business-with-500-apps-for-download/#commentsFiled under: , , ,



Apple opened the iTunes App Store today, just ahead of the Friday release of the iPhone 3G. The phone is already out in some parts of the word -- lucky Aussies and New Zealanders! -- but while North America is waiting, there's the iPhone 2.0 firmware update and a new version of iTunes to play with. If you install these updates, you don't have to wait for a new iPhone before you start buying apps! iPod Touch users, however, will apparently have to wait until tomorrow for the firmware update, which will cost $9.95 -- compared to a free update for the iPhone.

What about the apps themselves? Well, for starters, there are over 500 of them, and 25% of those are free. So far, games are leading the pack, with Sega's much-hyped Super Monkey Ball as the most downloaded app. Other hot games in the Top 10 are Enigmo, Cro-Mag Rally and Bejeweled 2. Apart from games, the most popular download thus far is OmniFocus, the powerful productivity app from Omni Group, coming in at #4.
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]]>app storeAppleAppStoreiPhoneiTunesmobileJay Hathaway2008-07-10T21:00:00+00:00FreshAIRApps becomes RefreshingApps, under fire from Adobehttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/07/freshairapps-becomes-refreshingapps-under-fire-from-adobe/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/07/freshairapps-becomes-refreshingapps-under-fire-from-adobe/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/07/freshairapps-becomes-refreshingapps-under-fire-from-adobe/#commentsFiled under: , ,

FreshAIRApps is, as its name would suggest, a directory of new Adobe AIR applications. As AIR has grown in popularity, we've started following the site more closely to see what's new in the AIR world. The only comparable site out there at the moment is Adobe's own AIR showcase. Because FreshAIRApps is such a great resource, it surprised us to hear reports that Adobe is upset with the site's owner over his use of the "Adobe(R) AIR[TM]" trademark.

According to a message on the front page of FreshAIRApps, the site will continue as RefreshingApps.com, with the purpose of promoting the work of the developer community, not promoting Adobe. The site's owner says that the move caused him financial loss. No word from Adobe, although the message claims that the company's community evangelists think FreshAIRApps is good promotion for AIR.

[via ReadWriteWeb]
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]]>AdobeAdobe AIRAdobeAirFreshAIRAppsRefreshingAppstrademarkJay Hathaway2008-07-07T13:00:00+00:00The Really Slow Download Squad: 62% of dialup users don't want high-speedhttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/04/the-really-slow-download-squad-62-of-dialup-users-dont-want-h/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/04/the-really-slow-download-squad-62-of-dialup-users-dont-want-h/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/07/04/the-really-slow-download-squad-62-of-dialup-users-dont-want-h/#commentsFiled under: ,

As you might guess from the name of our blog, we download a LOT of software, and it's a little scary to contemplate how much bandwidth we collectively use every day. So, trying to imagine a time when we felt like a dial-up connection would suit our needs is pretty difficult. But that's exactly how 62% of U.S. dialup users feel, according to a new study from the Pew Internet and American Life project.

The economy isn't doing so hot these days, so you'd think that the additional cost of a high-speed connection would be the deciding factor for these folks, but it turns out that only a third of them cited cost as their reason for sticking with dial-up. 19% gave the mystifying answer that nothing -- not even a huge decrease in the cost -- would make them give up their dial-up. The study posited that they just don't spend enough time online to need it.

[via Slashdot]
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]]>broadbanddial-updialupinternet accessInternetAccessisptrendsJay Hathaway2008-07-04T09:00:00+00:00The users have spoken - Netflix is keeping profiles!http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/30/the-users-have-spoken-netflix-is-keeping-profiles/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/30/the-users-have-spoken-netflix-is-keeping-profiles/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/30/the-users-have-spoken-netflix-is-keeping-profiles/#commentsFiled under: ,

We recently reported on Netflix' decision to get rid of their profile feature, a decision that was not at all popular with customers. Here at Download Squad, we got several comments bemoaning the company's poor judgment and threatening to cancel their subscriptions to the service. Apparently, our readers were not alone. Thanks to pressure from calls, emails and petitions, Netflix has realize their error of their ways and agreed to keep profiles.

Today, Netflix users received this email:

"You spoke and we listened. We are keeping Profiles. Thank you for all the calls and emails telling us how important Profiles are.

We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. We hope the next time you hear from us we will delight, and not disappoint you.

-Your friends at Netflix"

This is completely brilliant on the part of Netflix. They're going to get more goodwill from listening to users and keeping profiles than they ever lost by theatening to take them away. For users, nothing has changed, but the public perception of Netflix is bound to go up, now.

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]]>netflixnetflix profilesNetflixProfilesJay Hathaway2008-06-30T18:00:00+00:00Ameritocracy: fact-checking for the masseshttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/29/ameritocracy-fact-checking-for-the-masses/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/29/ameritocracy-fact-checking-for-the-masses/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/29/ameritocracy-fact-checking-for-the-masses/#commentsFiled under: ,

Have you ever heard a public figure make a claim that seems a bit preposterous? In the year of a U.S. presidential election, more people are going to be scrutinizing candidates -- and political bloggers -- and wondering if what they're saying is true, exaggerated, or just completely made up. That's where Ameritocracy comes in. You can add a quote, and Ameritocracy users will rate its accuracy and its relevance.

We think this is great fun, because it takes a step toward realizing our fantasy of siccing Slashdot commenters on all of our nation's politicians. Sure, the accuracy ratings might be questionable, but they should continue to improve as the site gains additional users. Ameritocracy is full of diverse issues and opinions, so if you can't get worked up over the election, maybe you have an opinion on propositions like, "The mobile phone may be the most potent tool ever invented for the elimination of poverty."
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]]>Ameritocracyelectionfact-checkingpoliticspollingvotingJay Hathaway2008-06-29T10:00:00+00:00Wirewize - home theater setup help for the rest of ushttp://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/27/wirewize-home-theater-setup-help-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/27/wirewize-home-theater-setup-help-for-the-rest-of-us/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2008/06/27/wirewize-home-theater-setup-help-for-the-rest-of-us/#commentsFiled under: ,

Wirewize

Wirewize is here to help you put together your home entertainment center setup and tell you just where to put all those a/v cables that may be confusing you. If you're not savvy with input/output and reading tiny instruction manuals in Chinese thinly disguised as English isn't your cup of tea, Wirewize could be what you need.

The concept is great - you tell Wirewize what components you have by providing the brand and model and after you input all your components, Wirewize shoots out a detailed step by step instruction list. The best part is the instructions are complete with detailed illustrations of the cables and inputs and they're in color. Wirewize is also nice to include pdf manuals of your system's components, a list of necessary cables and a way to purchase the cables if necessary.

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]]>electronics component setup instructionsElectronicsComponentSetupInstructionshome theater setuphome theater setup helpHomeTheaterSetupHomeTheaterSetupHelpWirewizeDolores Parker2008-06-27T08:00:00+00:00