Google Suggest Tech Used At PHP.net

Google Suggest, as I am sure most of you know, gives you possible search terms as you type in stuff. Well it looks like the PHP site is doing the same thing (look at the search box in the upper right-hand)!

[Thanks J-Dawg's Blog!]

Save Up to 90% at CompUSA's New Year's Event (Two Days Only)

CompUSA is offering savings of up to 90% during CompUSA's New Year's Event, for Two Days Only. Among the savings are the following deals. All expire 1/01/04.

• Save Up to 90% on Select Video Games
• 50% - 62% on Select AT&T Wireless Networking
• 40% on All Centon 256mb Memory
  
• 60% on All US Logic MP3 Players (Good deal!)
  
• 10% on All All-in-1 Printers
• 10% on All Digital Cameras

Go here for product page.

15GB iPods Back at $189 Shipped

The Apple Store online has restocked the factory certified 15GB iPods for $189. With Free ground shipping, it's the lowest price I have seen and it sold out quickly after my last deal post. Go here for product page.

Nero 6.3 OEM Suite: Free (No Rebate Here)

ISellSurplus.com has the Nero 6.3 OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) Suite for free, and there is no rebate here! Nero 6.3 OEM Suite 1 Includes: Nero StartSmart, Nero Express 6.3, Nero Vision Express 2, Nero ShowTime, InCD 4, Nero Media Player, Nero Toolkit, and Nero Cover Designer. Shipping is about $7. Click above image for product page.


UPDATE: Only 253 left!

EFX Solar Charger

There is something of a review of the EFX Solar Charger at DavesiPaq.com. The EFX Solar Charger is a small pocketable solar charger that is advertised as having the largest area of polycrystalline solar cells than any other pocketable solar charger available today. The polycrystalline photovoltaic cells convert light into "free" electricity that is stored in batteries within the SolarEFX. A USB port allows for you to plug the charger into a portable electronic device like your PDA or cell phone.

Fight Phishing with the Netcraft Anti-Phishing Toolbar

The Netcraft Toolbar uses Netcraft's enormous databases of web site information to show you all the attributes of each site you visit on the Web, including the sites' hosting location, country, longevity and popularity. This is good for the exact reason the site mentions, clear display of sites' hosting location at all times helps you validate fraudulent urls (e.g. the main online banking site of a large US bank is unlikely to be hosted in the former Soviet Union). Also, the Netcraft Anti-Phishing Toolbar happily coexists with Google and other Toolbars.

Firefox users: Development of a Firefox version of the toolbar is underway, and started just before Christmas. It will available as soon as possible.

Get Your Gmail Invites!

Here are some Gmail invites I bet a lot of you have been waiting for! Rules are simple: One each, and the first person to complete the sign-up form for the invite gets it!

Invite 1: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-322cac01f9-7dbf94efae-1a9dad0689

Invite 2: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-322cac01f9-7ebdada293-c9c860dac5

Invite 3: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-322cac01f9-6775129a84-c9e6eb4f0b

Invite 4: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-322cac01f9-4ec42f1f76-5a8b6bab30

Invite 5: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-322cac01f9-8ab282d3c5-cde69b928a

Invite 6: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-322cac01f9-244d1a2067-3c777d9bb6

Gmail Invites (Soon)

11:00 AM sharp today, Eastern Standard Time, I will be posting some Gmail invites (taken on a first-come first-serve basis). You can use the "EMAIL THIS" button at the bottom of this post to tell all your friends the scoop too.

Playstation 3 Architecture Revealed

TheInquirer.net is reporting the specs for a new Playstation 3 from a US patent filed September the 26th of last year. The Playstation 3's computers are made of cells, each one containing a CPU, which will probably be a PowerPC, and eight APUs (vectorial processors) each with 128K of memory. It will run at 4GHz, producing 256Gflops, with the cells connected to the central 64MB memory through a switched 1024 bit bus.

Western Digital 250GB Hard Drive + FireWire/USB Enclosure: $196.00

PCMicroStore offers the Western Digital 250 Gigabyte Hard Drive bundled with a Triumph Venus 3.5" External FireWire & USB 2.0 Enclosure for $196.00. The drive operates at 7200 RPM and has an 8MB buffer. Note that the drive does not come pre-installed into the case at this price. Go here for product page.

Get Your Gmail Invites!

Here are some Gmail invites I bet a lot of you have been waiting for! Rules are simple: One each, and the first person to complete the sign-up form for the invite gets it!

Invite 1: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-a524860c1b-75d20ffa32-804c22376c

Invite 2: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-a524860c1b-e18cd837e8-81098b0bc1

Invite 3: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-a524860c1b-f81217d974-514ade68d2

Invite 4: http://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-a524860c1b-526a019cce-5a7f6ad13c


Did not get one? Meet at this blog tomorrow at 11:00 AM, Eastern Standard Time.


P.S. Sorry about being late.

Gmail Invites (Soon)

Looks like I am finally allowed to give out Gmail invites! So at 4:30 PM today, Eastern Standard Time, I will be posting some Gmail invites (taken on a first-come first-serve basis). You can use the "EMAIL THIS" button at the bottom of this post to tell all your friends the scoop too.

sub-$500 Mac Without A Screen to be Released at Expo

ThinkSecret is preaching (literally) that Apple is working on a screen-less Mac that will sell for $499 and will be announced at this year's Macworld Expo (January 11). The new Mac, code-named Q88, will be part of the iMac family and is expected to sport a PowerPC G4 processor at a speed around 1.25GHz. The new Mac is said to be incredibly small and will be housed in a flat enclosure (unlike the artist rendition I have) with a height similar to the 1.73 inches of Apple's Xserve. Its size benefits will include the ability to stand the Mac on its side or put it below a display or monitor. ThinkSecret is saying that the target market for this thing will be the Windows people who bought iPods and love the easy interface of it and its sister-software iTunes.

Ultra 512MB PC2700 DDR 333MHz Memory: $59.99 AFTER REBATE

TigerDirect is offering the Ultra 512MB PC2700 DDR 333MHz Memory for $59.99 after a $30 mail-in rebate. This price is $15 lower than other good deals. This deal expires 12/31/04. Click above image for product page.

Yahoo! Domains: $4.98 for a Year

Yahoo! is running a deal where you can get a .com, .net, .org, .biz, .info, or .us for $4.98 a year. Yahoo! Domains include 24/7 support, web page and forwarding. The second best deal I found on the net was $8.95 from GoDaddy (I use GoDaddy). The catch is: you can only sign-up for one domain and the offer is only available during the web browser session (when you click the special link at the end of this post) and ends if the you do not complete or interrupt the current order process. Go here for this deal.

Valve Disables more than 30,000 Steam Accounts

Today, Valve Software, renowned developing company behind the games Half-Life, Half-Life 2, and the Steam content system has banned another 30,000 Steam accounts who's users tried to illegally obtain their products. Finally, developers taking the offensive against game pirates!

How to Speed up Firefox

Someone (the site does not say) over at freerepublic.com has figured out how to change some settings in Mozilla's Firefox web browser such as the amount of requests at once and the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. These changes make surfing the web on a high-speed connection with Firefox much faster.

Dell.com: $35 Off Electronics and Accessories orders of $400 (+) Today Only

Today Only, Dell.com is offering an instant $35 off purchases of $400 or more in Electronics and Accessories. Enter coupon code "44MCC882N63CMF" during checkout to get the discount. Offer excludes Dell branded configurable items. This offer may not be combined with dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout, and this code becomes invalid after the first 2500 uses. This limited time offer expires 12/27/04.

P.S. Back from a well deserved vacation!

Dell.com Coupon Codes

Here are some coupon codes that can be used at Dell.com:
Limited time offer beginning 12/23/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY:  Save 15% on the purchase of select Inspiron notebooks priced at $999 or more before tax and shipping!  May not be combinable with Outrageous Deals, Deals of the Week, Inspiron 1000's, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View Details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: BWV845$ZXQKFMM

Alienware AMD-based SLI PC System

Tom's Hardware Guide is reporting: PC maker Alienware extended its systems offering dual graphic cards with the AMD-based Aurora 7500 model. The company previously had introduced an Area 51 Intel system equipped with SLI components. The standard system is priced at $2250 and includes an Athlon 64 3000+ processor, 512 MByte memory, two GeForce 6800 GT graphics cards, an Alienware-branded cooling system, an 80 GByte harddrive and a DVD burner. The Intel-based Area 51 ALX SLI ist priced at slightly more than $6000.

Norton Ghost 9: $4.99 AFTER REBATE Free Shipping

Amazon.com has the popular disk imaging solution Norton Ghost 9 for $4.99 after a huge $60 rebate. It also ships with free shipping. Go here for product page.

Slim 16MB USB Digital Camera: $24.30

ComputerGeeks has the SY-2180 Slim 16MB USB Digital Camera for $27.00. Use coupon code "DEALSONTHEWEB" to drop the price to $24.30. Shipping starts at $6.00. Go here for product page.

AOL Gets Ready to Launch Free Web E-mail

America Online is testing a Web-based e-mail service that will compete with Yahoo Mail, Microsoft's Hotmail and Google's Gmail.

Revisited: Gmail has a Atom feed

Even though most Gmail accounts don't have a little button that says "Atom" (as in the picture below), you can still access it using this link. If you put that link in your news feed reader it will ask you for you Gmail username and password. Then you will be able to see a small part of all you unread messages in Gmail. One thing that I find interesting about the Gmail Atom feed link is that if you use it when the option to "remember me" is on when you sign-in to Gmail it does not ask for a password related to your Gmail account, I guess this is becouse it looks for a cookie with you Gmail info in it.


UPDATE: Now all Gmail accounts, I believe, have meta info in the HTML tags that point to the Atom feed. This means that if you use a web browser like Mozilla Firefox it will give you a option to subscribe to Gmail's Atom feed and make it a Live Bookmark, which means you can get your eMail from your bookmarks!

Microsoft, Citrix Sign Collaboration Agreement

Yahoo! News is reporting that Software giant Microsoft Corp.and corporate network software provider Citrix Systems Inc. on Tuesday said that they had agreed to collaborate and license each other's technology.

Adobe Reader 7.0 Available for Download

Adobe Reader 7.0 is finally available for download from Adobe's website. Adobe Reader 7.0 has better overall performance for faster launch times and real-time zooming and panning, and improved search features — search for words in annotations, bookmarks, form fields, or metadata, and search within open PDF files or any PDF file residing on local machines.

Buy.com's "Before Christmas Blowout" 2-Day Sale

Today and tomorrow only, Buy.com
is holding a 2-Day "Before Christmas Sale" in conjunction with Cnet Networks. These sales are always our most popular deal post when they occur. You'll find exclusive price drops, rebates and free shipping offers on LCD displays, printers, handhelds, wireless gear, camcorders, digital cameras, DVDs, consumer electronics and more. Good only from 12/21/04 to 12/22/04.

P.S. Looks like Buy.com is down from all the traffic caused by this "Before Christmas Sale."

Viking 128 MB Compact Flash Card: $2.99 AFTER REBATE

Amazon.com has the Viking 128 MB Compact Flash Card for $2.99 after a $16 rebate. Go here for product page. A lot of resellers must have a lot of these left, Buy.com ran this deal a couple of weeks ago.

Glitch Blocks Some iTunes Music Sales

A story on New.com is reporting that some users of Apple Computer's iTunes for Windows say a glitch is causing the program to crash whenever they try to purchase songs.

In an e-mail interview, iTunes customer Sherman Hall said he experienced the glitch on Thursday.

"The program stopped with a memory exception after downloading two songs," Hall said. "Attempts to restart the download, access my account information or any other one-click activity were also met with the same memory error."

Bionic Dolphin Design Fulfils Lifelong Dream

Thomas "Doc" Rowe dreamed of building a bionic dolphin. Now 52, Doc has dedicated most of his life to building the machines. The concept recently made waves -- literally -- around the world when one of the bionic dolphins, built by Doc's protégé Rob Innes, appeared at a New Zealand expo named "Big Boys' Toys."

iPod Photo 40GB: $470, 60GB: $560

Costco.com has deals on iPod Photos. The 40GB version is $469.99 and the 60GB is $569.99. Both are $30 less than the retail price and the best deal I have seen to date. You must be a Costco member to get this price, otherwise it's 5% extra. Search for "iPod" to find the deals. Thanks, Monty!

Give the Gift of Google

Google has a page where you can download Gift Certificates and CD artwork to print out and use to create a free Google CD with the latest Google software (Google Toolbar, Google Desktop Search, Picasa Photo Organizer, Google Deskbar, and Gmail Notifier) and give it to someone for the holidays. I think this is a great Idea and very cute!

iTunes Music Store Tops 200 Million Downloads

Apple Computer Inc. on Thursday said that its online music store has topped 200 million downloads. The 200 millionth song was part of "The Complete U2," according to Apple.

Google: We've Fixed Desktop Search Tool Flaw

An article explains that Google says it has fixed a flaw that could have allowed hackers to search the contents of PCs running the company's desktop search tool. The vulnerability was found by Dan Wallach, an assistant professor of computer science at Rice, while working with graduate students Seth Fogarty and Seth Nielson. Wallach describes it as a composition flaw--where a security weakness is caused by the interaction of several separate components. According to The New York Times, which first reported the discovery of the flaw, Wallach, Fogarty and Nielson found that the Google desktop tool looks for traffic that appears to be going to Google.com and then inserts results from a user's hard disk for a particular search. They managed to trick the Google desktop search program into inserting those results into other Web pages where an attacker could read them.

Website of the Day!

Today's Website of the Day!

Digg

Digg is like Slashdot for links, except it's users are the editors by voting on each link submitted (making it come up on the front page). I also love the site design.

P.S. Here is my Digg user profile so you can see what stories I have rated and what stories I have submitted.

Dell.com Deals

I found these Dell.com deals this morning:
Enter coupon code NC6F4XV$$ZF2CF to save 25% off select systems and servers.

Enter code 4FQ5GW3Q8L5$L2 to save 20% off select systems and servers.
Use those codes here.

Enter coupon code $J7K9CHH64672M at checkout to save 20% on select software and peripherals (this deal comes up a lot, but it is good).
Use that code here.

Google Indexing Flash Sites?

I couple of days ago I saw the words "Flash" by a search result in Google's listings. I looked around on the Google Information for Webmasters page and it say's this at the bottom:

At Google, we are able to index most types of pages and files with very few exceptions. File types we are able to index include: pdf, asp, jsp, html, shtml, xml, cfm, doc, xls, ppt, rtf, wks, lwp, wri, swf.

For those that don't know; swf is flash.

Week In Review

• Stretch Your Wi-Fi Signal
• Google Suggest Dissected
• Fantom Special Edition 250GB FireWire Drive: $164.49 AFTER REBATE
• 5-Head Laser Pointer: $3.99 Shipped
• iPod Alert: New Shipment Just Arrived
• Dell.com Deals
• HP Compaq Presario SR1200NX Sempron 2800+2.0GHz 256MB: $419.99 AFTER REBATE Shipped
• Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL 802.11b Gateway Router: Free AFTER REBATES
• Some info on Asimo 2 (Not Covered on Other Sites, I Think)
• $75 in iTunes GC: $60 from Amazon
• Symantec Set to Buy Veritas (for $13.5 billion)
• iCard?
• RealNetworks Promises iPod Lockout Fix
• Agent18 ClickShield 20GB
• Google Wins Court Battle of Using Company Names in Keywords
• 17in Princeton SENergy 714 Flat Panel Display: $234.99 AFTER REBATE
• Apple 20GB iPod from HP: $289.99 Free Shipping
• Britney, iPod, Ugg Boots Top This Year's Searches
• 1TB of Free email Storage!
• Dell 15" Flat Panel LCD Monitor: $227.00 Shipped
• Gold (Only) iPod Mini in Stock at $229 Shipped
• Logitech X-220 2.1 Speaker System: $29.99 + Free Philips PCI Sound Card
• Xandros Linux Desktop OS 3 Deluxe Edition Reviewed
• iPod Firmare Update Blocks Use of Songs from RealNetworks' Online Music Store
• Sidebar 2.0 is here!
• Dell.com Deals
• Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Standard: $19.99
• Apacer 256MB Handy Drive + MP3 Player: $42.00
• Altec Lansing 2100 PC Speaker System 26 Watts: $29.99
• Modded Apple Mac Tablet
• Sidebar 2.0 (Soon)
• Apple's Motion (1.0.1) Demo Now Available
• 
  

Stretch Your Wi-Fi Signal

An article over at PCMag.com talks about how to get the most out of your Wi-Fi signal. Looks good, I will have to play around w/ mine.

Google Suggest Dissected

Google suggest Javascript code dissected and rewritten for all of you web developers out there. Cool piece of web reverse-engineering!

Fantom Special Edition 250GB FireWire Drive: $164.49 AFTER REBATE

MegaMacs has the Fantom Special Edition 250GB FireWire for $164.49 after a $20 mail in rebate. It's the lowest price I have seen, and the rebate expires on 12/31/04. Go here for product page.

5-Head Laser Pointer: $3.99 Shipped

SurplusComputers has a 5-Head Laser Pointer for $3.99, with free shipping. This device comes with 3 LR44 (AG3) 1.5 volt batteries and a Key ring attached to it. Package comes with 5 heads. Click here for product page.

iPod Alert: New Shipment Just Arrived

Buy.com is reporting that they just received a new (limited) shipment of iPods. Go here
for the 20GB version. And go here
for the 40GB version (note: all iPods are the HP version, but that simply means that it has a HP logo on the back).

Dell.com Deals

Here are some Dell.com deals I got my hands on.

Limited time offer beginning 12/16/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save $300 on the purchase of select Dimension¿ desktops $1199 or more (before tax and shipping)! May not be combinable with Deals of the Week, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: 30FLBQ?X?ZM42R

Limited time offer beginning 12/16/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save $500 on the purchase of select Dimension¿ desktops $1849 or more (before tax and shipping)! May not be combinable with Deals of the Week, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: ?N2M0QT3PJ34M$

Limited time offer beginning 12/16/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save $700 on the purchase of select Dimension¿ desktops $2299 or more (before tax and shipping)! May not be combinable with Deals of the Week, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: G04C5Q?R?VLSB$



DO NOT POST THE BELOW CODES TO YOUR SITE OR DISTRIBUTE THE CODES IN ANY FORM UNTIL 12/16/04 6:00am CST. We intend to run these through 12/20/2004 5:59am CST, but may end them sooner or run it longer if business conditions require it. We will attempt to notify you of any changes as soon as we are aware of them. Please post only "limited time offer" for customers. The below Offer Details and Restrictions are NOT Optional, they must be posted, if you post the coupon codes.

OFFER DETAILS AND RESTRICTIONS:

Limited time offer beginning 12/16/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save 20% on the purchase of select Inspiron¿ notebooks priced at $999 or more before tax and shipping! May not be combinable with Outrageous Deals, Deals of the Week, Inspiron 1000's, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View Details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: JR$6G50XBXSR3B

HP Compaq Presario SR1200NX Sempron 2800+2.0GHz 256MB: $419.99 AFTER REBATE Shipped

Buy.com has the Compaq Presario SR1200NX Sempron 2800+2.0GHz with 256MB RAM for $419.99 after rebate. It also ships for free. Click above image for product page.

Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL 802.11b Gateway Router: Free AFTER REBATES

PC Connection has the Belkin Wireless Cable/DSL 802.11b Gateway Router for free after two rebates. The original price is $49.95. Click the above image for product page.

Some info on Asimo 2 (Not Covered on Other Sites, I Think)

I am sure most of you have heard about Asimo, Honda's humanoid robot. Well Honda has made some improvements to it. They include better turning, faster walking/running (3km/hour), more aware to surroundings, and bunch of other stuff. The improved version has been reported about a lot in the news lately, but all the reports I saw never had a link to Honda's Asimo web page. The site has short vidoes showing Asimo running and and how it uses it's facial recognition technology among other things, it also has tech specs of the new Asimo.

$75 in iTunes GC: $60 from Amazon

Just in time for those last minute gifts, Amazon.com is offering a deal on iTunes Gift Certificates. Buy four $15 iTunes GCs and get an additional $15 GC at no charge. You'll need to use promo code "ITUNES544DEC" when ordering to take advantage of the offer. Expires 1/2/05. Click above image for product page.

Symantec Set to Buy Veritas (for $13.5 billion)

Cnet has reported Symantec saying Thursday that it will buy storage specialist Veritas Software in a deal worth roughly $13.5 billion. The combined company will form a powerhouse in security, systems and storage management software with about $5 billion a year in revenue. And will operate under the Symantec name, with John Thompson, Symantec's chief executive, serving as chairman and CEO.

iCard?

With all this talk of a Flash iPod or whatever you want to call it David Vogler has created a very good looking mockup of a iCard (a Mac the size of a card). Here is what he says about it:

It's the hot new product from the folks who brought you the iPod. The ultimate PDA that will kill the Palm. It also runs a “lite” version of Panther. The product will also help introduce the WindowsPC world to the Mac OS by having a sample of “Panther” in the palm of their hands!

RealNetworks Promises iPod Lockout Fix

A story from MacCentral says that RealNetworks is working on a fix for their Harmony software program that lets users play RealNetworks' DRM music files on Apple's iPod (which Apple does not want you to be able to do). Apple broke Harmony's functionality in their latest firmware release for the iPod.

Agent18 ClickShield 20GB

The Apple.com website shows this listing for some so called "ultra-durable polycarbonate cover for your iPod.":

The Click Shield by Agent 18 is an ultra-durable polycarbonate cover that is strong, light and practically invisible. Supports 20GB iPod with Click Wheel.

This sure looks like something cool (and will probably save many iPods world-wide)! I went to the companies website and they said they will be taking orders for it soon.

Google Wins Court Battle of Using Company Names in Keywords

A story over at News.com explains that Judge Leonie Brinkema of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia granted Google's motion to dismiss a trademark-infringement complaint brought by Geico. The trademark-infringement was because of Google using the word Geico in keyword marketing, a major source of revenue. The Judge said that "as a matter of law it is not trademark infringement to use trademarks as keywords to trigger advertising,"

17in Princeton SENergy 714 Flat Panel Display: $234.99 AFTER REBATE

Buy.com has the 17in Princeton SENergy 714 Flat Panel Display for $234.99 after a big $75 rebate. Click the above image for product page.

Apple 20GB iPod from HP: $289.99 Free Shipping

Buy.com has the Apple iPod from HP. From HP simply means that it has a HP logo on the back. It also means that it comes with very cool iPod tattoos! Ships with free shipping. Click above image for product page.

Britney, iPod, Ugg Boots Top This Year's Searches

Here are the most searched terms according to AOL (these numbers were just released by AOL but Google has a ongoing list here):

• The low-carb craze replaced the no-carb craze, as "South Beach Diet" became the No. 1 search term for dieters. The Atkins Diet topped the list last year.

• "Ugg boots" were the top fashion trend, and tattoos were hot as well, with tribal and butterfly designs the most popular.

• Cooking remained decidedly old fashioned, with recipes for cookies (not the ones on your computer) and Crock-Pots topping the recipes category.

The highest-ranked movies were "Harry Potter," "The Passion of the Christ" and "Lord of the Rings," while the top television shows were "American Idol," "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "Survivor." The most searched-for male overall was musician Usher.

1TB of Free Email Storage!

Have you already used up all your storage on your Gmail account? Then you need a Hellacious Riders account! They offer 1TB of free storage! However, my friend didn't find the user interface very friendly. See for yourself.

[Thanks, Technology News, Etc.]

Gold (Only) iPod Mini in Stock at $229 Shipped

Computers4Sure.com has stock of Gold iPod minis for $249. Add something to your cart for $1 or more, then use coupon code "EBC635" during checkout to take $20 off your order. Coupon expires 1/5/04. Go here for product page.

Dell 15" Flat Panel LCD Monitor: $227.00 Shipped

PCMicroStore has the Dell E153FP 15" Flat Panel LCD Monitor for $226.00. This display features a 400:1 contrast ratio and a resolution of up to 1024x768 pixels. With $1.00 shipping, it's among the best deals I have seen. Go here for product page.

Logitech X-220 2.1 Speaker System: $29.99 + Free Philips PCI Sound Card

PCMicroStore has the new Logitech X-220 2.1 PC or Game Console Speaker System for $29.99. Also get a Free Philips Rhythmic Edge 4-Channel PCI Sound Card with this purchase. The 3-piece system has a maximum of 64 watts with 2 satellite speakers and 1 subwoofer. With the Free Sound Card, it's one of the best deals I have seen. Go here for product page.

Xandros Linux Desktop OS 3 Deluxe Edition Reviewed

ExtremeTech has a review of a possibly Windows killing Linux distribution called Xandros. The review says that Xandros is very easy to install, and that the interface is very good. It also comes built-in with CrossOver Office, a program that lets you run Windows apps.

iPod Firmare Update Blocks Use of Songs from RealNetworks' Online Music Store

Back in Augest, I believe, RealNetworks created a software program called "Harmony" which let users put music from RealNetworks' online music store on their Apple iPod. Well an article over at News.com says that a recent update to the iPods firmware released by Apple brakes compatibiltiy of the Harmony software. Here's the kicker: Apple did not mention anything about Harmony in the release notes for the firmware, imagine all the people who used their iPods' with RealNetworks' online music store and now it just stopped working?

Sidebar 2.0 is here!

I have just finished uploading the new sidebar! Lets take it for a spin. At the top it has some navigation stuff, and sponsor links. Then there are previous posts and archives. Then at the bottom we have some buttons, other site stuff, some websites, and recommended reading. A colophon and more recommended reading to come soon.

P.S. The other site stuff in the sidebar has things like this which let your track this blog in various ways:











Review this Site on Blogarama

Add to del.icio.us

Dell.com Deals

Here are some Dell.com deals:

Limited time offer beginning 12/09/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY:  Save 20% on the purchase of select Dimension¿ desktops $1499 or more (before tax and shipping)! May not be combinable with Deals of the Week, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code:  GFC40WCZ4NZKBX


Limited time offer beginning 12/09/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY:  Save 30% on the purchase of select Dimension¿ desktops $1999 or more (before tax and shipping)! May not be combinable with Deals of the Week, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code:  ?3N8TXR15?G?33

Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Standard: $19.99

MegaMacs has the Encyclopedia Britannica 2005 Standard Edition for $19.99. This software is Mac/PC compatible, and it comes in a 2-CD pack. Shipping is around $7.00. Go here for product page.

Apacer 256MB Handy Drive + MP3 Player: $42.00

SupermediaStore is offering the Apacer Audio Steno AV220 256MB All in one Handy Drive+MP3 Player for $42.00. Use coupon code "apacer5" to get the discounted price. This deal expires 12/15/04. Click above image for product page.

Altec Lansing 2100 PC Speaker System 26 Watts: $29.99

Buy.com has the Altec Lansing 2100 PC Speaker System 26 Watts for $29.99 and there is no rebate here! There is also free shipping on it. Click the above image for product page.

Modded Apple Mac Tablet

Macmod.com has a story of a wedding photographer who needed something of a Mac tablet, so he got his hands on a empty iBook shell and made it himself! He made it with a card reader, click button, built-in microphone, and many other cool little things. It also looks very professional.

Sidebar 2.0 (Soon)

For the last week I have been working on a new sidebar design (a sidbar is the thing on the right- hand side of this blog that has things like "Contact Me" in it). I am almost done and hope to have it on this blog by Tuesday. If you have any idea as what may be a good idea for something in the sidebar just leave a comment on this post.

Apple's Motion (1.0.1) Demo Now Available

You would think that Apple would have a demo of Motion available from the start? Well today they just made a demo of Motion available. So if you use Mac OS X (you can still download it if you don't use OS X it just won't run) you can download the demo here.

Week In Review

• Toshiba Supplying Chips for Flash iPod
• Apex DRX-9200 DVD Recorder/Player: $129.99 AFTER REBATE
• Great Dell.com Deals!
• Google Suggest
• Buy.com Deals
• Poll Time!
• AOL Locks Out IM Users
• Apple iPod Mini: $199.20
• Website of the Day!
• Great Web Hosting from our Sponsors
• Gmail Update
• PCMag.com Review of Mozilla's Thunderbird 1.0
• MSN Bot (0.3?) Does Exist!
• BenQ Double Layer 16X Internal DVD Drive w/ Software: $66.00
• IBM sells PC group to Lenovo
• 128MB Secure Digital Card: $1.95 AFTER REBATE
• Buy.com & CNet's Two-Day Sale - Get Up to 70% Off
• Holiday Tech Toys
• iPresent It
• Apple Goes After iTunes.co.uk Owner
• Up to $300 off Dell Desktops. Up to $250 off Dell Laptops
• Kodak EasyShare CX7430 4MP Digital Camera: $169.15 Free Shipping
• Google Bombing?
• Apple iPod from HP 40GB: $369.99
• Amazon lists PlayStation 3
• Firefox users avoid ads
• Some Dell.com Deals
• Peek-A-Boo Comments
• IBM Selling PC Business?

Toshiba Supplying Chips for Flash iPod

There is an Article over at xinhuanet.com that says that Toshiba will be supplying ships to Apple to use in a flash-based iPod that will sell for US$149 to US$199.

Apex DRX-9200 DVD Recorder/Player: $129.99 AFTER REBATE

Amazon has the Apex DRX-9200 DVD Recorder/Player for $129.99 after rebate. I don't know much about this item but it looks like a good deal. Go here for the product page.

Great Dell.com Deals!

I got a email from Dell with these deals in it:

$499 Dell Desktop!

$499 (after 10% instant discount) Dell Dimension™ 3000 with FREE 15" flat panel monitor upgrade and FREE 2-Day Shipping when purchased online from Dell Home Systems. Some offers end 12/15.
Go here for product page.


$699 Dell Notebook!

$699 (after 10% instant discount) Dell Inspiron™ 1000 with FREE Dell™ Wireless 1300 Wireless PC card and FREE 2-Day Shipping from Dell Home Systems. Some offers end 12/15.
Go here for product page.


Up to 25% Off Electronics & Accessories!

Up to 25% Off almost all Electronics & Accessories from Dell Home. Some offers end 12/15.
Go here for product page.

Up to $500 off select Dell™ TVs

Up to $500 off select Dell™ TVs and Free 3-5 day shipping. Offer ends 12/22.
Go here for product page.

Google Suggest

When searching using Google Suggest it shows you search phrases you might be looking for as you are typing. My name, Sam Krupa, even comes up!

Buy.com Deals

I got a email today with these deals in it, enjoy:

You can find the deal blowout page here


Konica Minolta Dimage G600 - Digital Camera - 6 MegaPixel: $299.99 (free shipping) Go here
for it.

Sungale DVD2026 Progressive Scan DVD Player with On Screen Display, NTSC, PAL & Karaoke Features: $24.99 Go here
for it.

Poll Time!

I am thinking of having a tech news site syndicated to the sidebar of this blog so you can read its top headlines without moving a muscle! If you what to read the rest just click through. But what site do most of you what to read? Answer the poll question below, whichever site gets the most votes has a good chance of being syndicated to the sidebar!

[Poll Closed, Thanks to all who voted]

AOL Locks Out IM Users

When AOL was doing its every 12 month deletion of old, abandoned IM accounts they accidently turned off an undisclosed amount of active (still used) IM accounts. AOL is working to restore the mistakenly turned-off accounts by Monday. To those who have had their account(s) turned off they issued this apology:

"We sincerely regret the interruption of service which some users may have experienced as a result, and we apologize for the inconvenience this interruption may have caused,"

Apple iPod Mini: $199.20

BloomingDales has the Apple iPod Mini for $249.00. Use coupon code "FF4PCC" to drop the price by 20% to $199.20. It's the best price I have seen on this item. This code will take 20% off any purchase until 12/16/04. Please note that some colors are backordered (like pink); others are readily available (like blue). Click the above image for product page.

Website of the Day!

Today's Website of the Day:

TinyPic

TinyPic will for free host any image for you. And it is unbelievably easy to select a image off your hard drive and hit "Host!" But don't be fooled by the name TinyPic. This does not mean your picture will be tiny, it means the direct link for the picture will be tiny (http://tinypic.com/1). The url is also guaranteed to be unique, so go try it!

Great Web Hosting from our Sponsors

Want to have your own website? Dot5Hosting.com is one of the industry leaders in Web Site Hosting. Our affordable packages, low cost domains, and value added services are one of the reasons that Dot5 Hosting has become one of the most popular web hosting packages on the internet today. Another reason our customers are so happy with our services is that we have terrific 24 / 7 customer support, we have a 99.9% uptime and a Money Back Guarantee. Our lowest priced plan offers 750 megs of space & 50 gigs of transfer for only $5 / month (you even get a free .COM domain!) you must sign-up for a year to get this price. Click the above image for product page.

Gmail Update

I have recently noticed some changes in Gmail (Google's 1000mb free email service). Sometimes when I open up a spam message Gmail pops up with a window asking if I would like to report that message to Gmail's anti-spam team. Also I have lately been getting a lot of false positives in my spam folder. Has anyone else noticed these changes in Gmail?

PCMag.com Review of Mozilla's Thunderbird 1.0

PCMag.com has a review of Mozilla's Thunderbird 1.0 up. It says that overall it is a good free email program more flexible than Outlook Express, but Junk-mail catcher needs training.

MSN Bot (0.3?) Does Exist!

I found this line in my web stats 3 days ago:

msnbot/0.3 (+http://search.msn.com/msnbot.htm)

I guess that MSN bot is hard at work trying to compete with Google's 8 billion website index (MSN only has 6 billion).

BenQ Double Layer 16X Internal DVD Drive w/ Software: $66.00

Meritline has the BenQ DW1620 Double Layer 16X Internal DVD Drive with DVD Burning Software for $66.00. Use coupon code "benq3off" to get the discounted price. This drive is PC compatible, and it's among the best prices I have seen. This deal expires 12/12/04. Click here for the product page.

IBM sells PC group to Lenovo

IBM said that they might sell their PC department but they have never clarified it, until now. Here is the info from Cnet.

IBM will sell its PC division to China-based Lenovo and take a minority stake in the former rival in a deal valued at $1.75 billion, the companies announced Tuesday. (in a rush, sorry)

Go here for more info.

128MB Secure Digital Card: $1.95 AFTER REBATE

PC Connection has a 128MB Secure Digital Card for $1.95 after a $20 rebate, a excellent deal. Go here for product page.

Buy.com & CNet's Two-Day Sale - Get Up to 70% Off

Today and Tomorrow Only, Buy.com, in conjunction with CNet, is having a Two-Day Sale. Get up to 70% off select merchandise during this sale. Click here
to shop. This sale ends 12/08/04.

Holiday Tech Toys

I have been looking around and have found a few Holiday tech toys that might just look good under the tree. Have fun.

1. Desktop R/C Mini-Rovers
2. Cox - Cox Electra J-3 Cub Radio Control Airplane
3. 512MB USB 2.0 Cruzer Mini Portable Storage Device
4. PHILIPS KEY01997 2 MegaPixel Wearable Digital Camera
   
5. Squeezebox Streaming Audio Player
   
6. Tivo (buy one now before they start resrticting them)
7. Namco TV Classics - Ms. Pac Man
8. Ambient Orb Device
   
9. James Bond Stealth Camera
10. MP3 Memory Music Watch
11. A Toy? A Game? A Gadget? The Addictive i-Top!
12. NINJA Electronics Duster
13. i read your e-mail. t-shirt
14. i read your e-mail. bumber sicker

iPresent It

Remeber the hack that let you watch short videos on your iPod Photo? ZapppTek has created a cool little Mac only program that lets you convert your PowerPoint, PDF and Keynote presentations into slideshows that are synced with your iPod photo. "Never carry a laptop into a presentation again; it’s all on your iPod!" they say. The only problem I see is that it might not be the clearest looking text in the slides.

Apple Goes After iTunes.co.uk Owner

From macobserver.com:

Apple Computer has accused a small British company of illegally possessing the domain iTunes.co.uk, and is taking on its owner, demanding it be given control of the Web address. Its owner plans to vigorously fight the iPod maker, saying he registered the domain a month before Apple's application for a British trademark was made public.

I was wondering what the legal grounds for this were, so here they are:

Mr. Cohen said Apple threatened to take other legal action against him, in addition to trying to get control of the domain.


"Initially they were talking about getting a court injunction against us to get control of the domain," Mr. Cohen commented. "They gave up on that idea, but frankly we would have preferred if they had tried to do that because we're actually more confident that we would win in a court in a domain resolution."


Mr. Cohen contends he has a strong case against Apple based simply on the fact he bought the domain before Apple filed for a trademark. He said he registered the iTunes.co.uk domain name on November 7, 2000 as one of a series of generic domain names to forward to various parts of what was then CyberBritain’s network of Web sites.

Up to $300 off Dell Desktops. Up to $250 off Dell Laptops

Click here for up to $300 off Dell Desktops, and up to $250 off Dell Laptops.

Kodak EasyShare CX7430 4MP Digital Camera: $169.15 Free Shipping

Dell.com is offering the Kodak EasyShare CX7430 Digital Camera for $169.15, after a 15% instant discount. The camera features 4.0 megapixels, 3x optical & 4x digital zoom, a 1.6" color LCD, 16MB built-in memory, and a Secure Digital memory slot. With Free Shipping, it's one of the lowest prices I have seen seen. Click the above image for product page.

Google Bombing?

Type "arabian gulf " into Google and hit "I'm Feelling Lucky". Looks like google bombing to me.

P.S. For those that don't know:

Google Bombing
Definition: (noun or verb) A technique through which a group of bloggers working together can make a webpage come up when someone searches Google for certain keywords.

Apple iPod from HP 40GB: $369.99

Buy.com has the Apple iPod from HP 40GB model for $369.99 (down from $399). The HP iPod is exactly the same as the Apple branded iPod but has a little HP logo on it. Click the above image for product page.

Amazon lists PlayStation 3

The Japanese unit of online retail giant Amazon has posted a product page for the PlayStation 3, more than a year ahead of the console's expected debut.

The page has no photos or links for placing advance orders and appears to offer no significant new details on the console, expected to go on sale in late 2005 at the earliest. But that didn't stop several visitors from posting five-star reviews of the gadget.

Sony has slowly trickled out details on the PlayStation 3 over the past year, confirming that the console will use the high-powered "Cell" processor--jointly developed by Sony, Toshiba and IBM--and Sony's next-generation Blu-ray DVD technology.

P.S. There is another article from Cnet News about the new Cell processor.

Firefox users avoid ads

According to a web-advertising firm, 0.11% of Firefox users click on ads, compared to about 0.48% of IE users. Part of the reason this is happening is because Firefox offers an integrated pop-up blocker, while IE does not (only the SP2 update provides one for IE).

Go here for some more info.

[Thanks Technology News, Etc.!]

Some Dell.com Deals

I got a email from Dell with these deals in it:

Limited time offer beginning 12/06/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save $200 on the purchase of select Inspiron¿ notebooks priced at $999 or more before tax and shipping! May not be combinable with Outrageous Deals, Deals of the Week, Inspiron 1000's, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View Details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: BF2?QSQFH9C51K

Limited time offer beginning 12/06/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save $250 on the purchase of select Inspiron¿ notebooks priced at $1499 or more before tax and shipping! May not be combinable with Outrageous Deals, Deals of the Week, Inspiron 1000's, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View Details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: TP8D6112PJ900Z

Limited time offer beginning 12/06/04 6:00am CST. ONLINE ONLY: Save $350 on the purchase of select Inspiron¿ notebooks priced at $1999 or more before tax and shipping! May not be combinable with Outrageous Deals, Deals of the Week, Inspiron 1000's, dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Offers subject to change. View Details in My Cart. Enter coupon code at checkout to receive this offer. Coupon Code: CB7Z$HT11BZ7VV

Peek-A-Boo Comments

I have added Peek-A-Boo Comments to my site. What I mean by that is: if you click the comments link at the bottom of this (or any post) instead of going to a separate to show you the comments the comments just pop out.

IBM Selling PC Business?

IBM has put it's PC business up for sell. Here are a bunch of articles from Cnet News explaining it (I would go more in-depth, but it's the weekend and I am a bit tied up).

An unknown PC giant, Lenovo flexes its muscles
China's largest computer maker, which might acquire IBM's PC business, is virtually unknown in the United States.
December 4, 2004

IBM said to be eyeing a sale of its PC business
After years of frustration, Big Blue looks to sell its PC unit to Chinese manufacturer Lenovo, according to a report.
December 3, 2004

Big Blue news a sign of PC market's graying temples
A sale of IBM's PC unit would be the latest example of a move toward consolidation as the market reaches maturity.
December 3, 2004

Week In Review

• Western Digital 200GB IDE Hard Drive: $89.99 AFTER REBATE
• Internet2 Speed Record: 101 gigabits per second
• Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop (Includes Free 15" Flat Panel Monitor): $629
• Princeton LCD 15IN TFT Flat Panel Display (Black): $179.99 AFTER REBATE
• Benchmarking Half-Life 2: ATI vs. nVidia
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Standard Edition: $2.79 AFTER REBATE
• Get a Mortgage From Our Sponsors!
• Apple Opens iTunes Music Store in Canada
• Apple 20GB U2 Edition iPod: $331.55 Shipped
• eMac G4/1GHz: $549 Shipped
• Quick and Easy Websites with Publisher
• Top Threat: Java Plug-In Bug
• 'Blog' No. 1 word of the year
• SCO Site Attacked, Again
• Half Life 2 for PCs: $39.99
• Some more info on Slashdot article: AOL Releases Netscape Beta, Based on Firefox
• SimpleTech 256MB CompactFlash Card: $9.99 AFTER REBATE
• China blocks access to Google News, group says
• Dell Computer Coupon Codes
• Blitzz 108Mbp 802.11g Wireless PCI Adapter: Free AFTER REBATES

Western Digital 200GB IDE Hard Drive: $89.99 AFTER REBATE

TigerDirect offers the Western Digital Caviar SE 200 Gigabyte Internal ATA/100 Hard Drive for $89.99 after a $40 mail-in rebate. The drive operates at 7200 RPM and has an 8MB cache. It's the best price I have seen. Rebate expires 12/31/04. Click the above image for product page.

Internet2 Speed Record: 101 gigabits per second

A sustained transfer of 101 gigabits per second between Pittsburgh and Los Angeles on Internet2 was the record set by an international team lead by Caltech last week, the second year in a row the "High Energy Physics" team has won the Supercomputer Bandwidth Challenge.


Go here for some more info from ExtremeTech.

Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop (Includes Free 15" Flat Panel Monitor): $629

Dell.com has the Dell Dimension 3000 Desktop for $629 after a $150 mail-in rebate. It includes a Free 15" Flat Panel Monitor and a CD burner. Click the above image for product page.

Princeton LCD 15IN TFT Flat Panel Display (Black): $179.99 AFTER REBATE

Buy.com has the Princeton LCD 15IN TFT Flat Panel Display (Black) for $179.99 (killer price for a LCD) after a big $50 rebate. I am not sure of the quality of this monitor though, so research before buying, please! Click the above link for product page.

Benchmarking Half-Life 2: ATI vs. nVidia

Article on ExtremeTech comparing which graphic card comany, ATI nVidia, makes better cards for playing Half-Life 2.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Standard Edition: $2.79 AFTER REBATE

Buy.com has Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Standard Edition for $2.79 after a $20 rebate. What I don't understand is: the original price of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 Standard Edition is $17.21 then there is a $20 rebate, so it should be free right? This product is also eligible for free shipping on orders over $25. Click the above image for product page.

Get a Mortgage From Our Sponsors!

Get a Mortgage from LendingTree!

Apple Opens iTunes Music Store in Canada

After announcing on Wednesday that the Canadian iTunes Music Store had been postponed, Apple Computer Inc. has quietly launched the store.

[Thanks Your Mac Life!]

B.T.W. If you use the Tech info Blog! iTMS link on the right hand side to make your purchases we get a little commision.

Apple 20GB U2 Edition iPod: $331.55 Shipped

Amazon.com has dropped their price on the Apple 20GB U2 Edition iPod to $331.55, down from $349.00. This version iPod features a Black enclosure with red Click Wheel and autographs of all four U2 band members on back, and it holds up to $5,000 songs. And yes, there is Free Shipping. Click here for the product page.

eMac G4/1GHz: $549 Shipped

The Apple Store online has restocked the factory refurbished eMac G4/1GHz 128/40GB/CD/56k for $549.00 with free ground shipping. The systems include a 1-year Apple warranty. It's the best price I have seen and always sells out quickly. Click here for the product page.

Quick and Easy Websites with Publisher

There is a very interesting (and nicely sized) article about how to design a functional and nice looking website in Publisher 2003 at PCMag.com. It talks about using the "build navigation menu" feature and using templates.

Top Threat: Java Plug-In Bug

The big news this week is not a live threat, but a serious vulnerability with threats looming. The Sun Java Plug-in, which connects the Java virtual machine to Web browsers, has a hole that could open your system to attackers. Bassicly the Java plugin has flaws in the interface that allow an attacker to execute Java code outside of the protective Java sandbox. Learn more about it and how to fox the situation in the Top Threat section of PCMag.com.

'Blog' No. 1 word of the year

Here is the first couple lines of a CNN story about blog being the No. 1 word of the year:

A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year's presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster's list of the 10 words of the year.

There is even speculation that bloggers were part of the forces compelling Trent Lott to resign as Senate majority leader and Dan Rather to apologize to viewers on national television.