Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com Download Squad http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/%SiteURL%/media/feedlogo.gif Download Squad http://www.downloadsquad.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Mac-clone company Psystar loses big in Apple lawsuit]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/15/mac-clone-company-psystar-loses-big-in-apple-lawsuit/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/15/mac-clone-company-psystar-loses-big-in-apple-lawsuit/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/15/mac-clone-company-psystar-loses-big-in-apple-lawsuit/#commentsFiled under: ,

You may have heard of Psystar, an infamous manufacturer of Mac clone "open computers." They're best known for frequently getting into legal hot water with Apple over everything from trademarks to copyrights to selling Apple's OS X operating on non-Apple computers. Apple just took Psystar to school on that last issue, winning summary judgment in a California court on copyright violations and Digital Millennium Copyright Act Violations.

Psystar's losing argument really splits some hairs, and the court wasn't buying it. Here's what happened: Psystar bought one copy of OS X and loaded it onto a Mac Mini. They then transferred it from the Mini to a non-Apple computer, where they modified the kernel so it would run on the computers they sell. Psystar argued that they were allowed to sell their (legally-purchased) copy of OS X, but the court recognized that the copies made from the Mini and the second, non-Apple machine weren't made legally. Advantage: Apple.

Judgment in Apple's favor means Psystar will likely have to pay damages at minimum. This could potentially sink their entire ship. The takeaway, according to an article on Groklaw? Don't mess around with licensing agreements, especially Apple's.

[via Slashdot]

Mac-clone company Psystar loses big in Apple lawsuit originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applecopyrightlawsuitos xOsXpsystarSun, 15 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Make your small business sound big with Grasshopper]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/14/make-your-small-business-sound-big-with-grasshopper/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/14/make-your-small-business-sound-big-with-grasshopper/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/14/make-your-small-business-sound-big-with-grasshopper/#commentsFiled under: ,

GrasshopperOne of the challenges small businesses have is in developing trust in their customer base. While some customers are happy to work with the small guy, others need the impression of size to help them feel comfortable that they're not dealing with a fly-by-night organization.

This is a particularly difficult challenge for virtual companies, which are companies consisting of team members that are spread out geographically.

How do you have a single company phone number for a team of people that are spread out in different cities? One solution is Grasshopper. In fact, that's exactly how 37signals' CEO Jason Fried decided to manage his phone for his office hours, where he sets aside dedicated time to speak with customers, prospective customers, or anyone with an interest in or question about 37signals.

While Google Voice seems to be getting all the press these days, it's a solution that focuses on the individual. If you're trying to run a team and present a cohesive, "bigger business" image to your customers, you might need to step up to something like Grasshopper. While not free, Grasshopper has plans starting from $9.95US per month, making it accessible to even the earliest of startups.

Make your small business sound big with Grasshopper originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>business imagebusiness-imageBusinessImageceocustomercustomer basecustomer-baseCustomerBasedeveloping trustdeveloping-trustDevelopingTrustgooglegrasshopperjason friedjason-friedJasonFriedsmall businessessmall-businessesSmallBusinessesstartupsteam membersteam-membersTeamMembersvirtual companiesvirtual-companiesVirtualCompaniesSat, 14 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[With AdMob purchase, there's really no escaping Google advertising now]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/09/with-admob-purchase-theres-really-no-escaping-google-advertisi/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/09/with-admob-purchase-theres-really-no-escaping-google-advertisi/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/09/with-admob-purchase-theres-really-no-escaping-google-advertisi/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Anyone who owns an iPhone or iPod touch is all too familiar with AdMob. Their tiny "don't mind me, I'm not really all that intrusive" ads power truckloads of freebies in the App Store.

While you might not love AdMob, someone does. That someone is Google.

Drawn together like half-cut, lonely singles in a dimly-lit bar at happy hour, the two are about to enter a long-term relationship. As in permanent. Today, Google announced that they have purchase AdMob for the tidy sum of $750 million dollars.

That's a whole lotta dough, but keep in mind that Google is ultimately an advertising company. AdMob's strong position in mobile ads is a juicy acquisition, especially with 1) the number of Android-powered handsets rapidly rising and 2) AdMob's recent launch of its Android advertising platform.

The move also gives Google easy access to gobs and gobs of delicious usage data from zillions of mobile users that they may have been missing out on. That data gets fed into AdSense, making it an even more attractive option for advertisers.

Here's a thought, though... At $750 million, Google could have simply bough 3.9 million people an iPod Touch and said "here you go, but we're going to track everything you do!" Hell, I would've signed up for that.

With AdMob purchase, there's really no escaping Google advertising now originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>admobadsenseavertisinggoogleiphoneipod touchIpodTouchmobileMon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Amazon affiliate links now post to Twitter in two clicks]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/amazon-affiliate-links-now-post-to-twitter-in-two-clicks/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/amazon-affiliate-links-now-post-to-twitter-in-two-clicks/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/04/amazon-affiliate-links-now-post-to-twitter-in-two-clicks/#commentsFiled under: ,

In an email to members of its Amazon Associates program, Amazon.com started promoting Twitter integration for affiliate links. People have been posting Amazon links to Twitter for just about as long as Twitter's been around, but now it's an insanely easy two-click process, using the toolbar on any product page. This is good news for Associates, making Twitter a viable place to pick up some extra clicks and sales.

It's bad news if you hate product spam, though. Get prepared for a whole mess of folks starting up spammy Twitter accounts to take advantage of the new feature. Also get ready for well-intentioned friends who don't grasp Twitter etiquette to post some product links here and there. I'm not predicting a big storm, just a new minor nuisance.

The messages don't auto-post to your account, they just redirect you to Twitter.com with a pre-filled tweet. The text before the product names seem to rotate, and it includea stuff like "Great deal on," "Check out," and "Just saw on Amazon." I guess that'll make people who post frequent product links look a little bit less like spammers.

Amazon affiliate links now post to Twitter in two clicks originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>affiliateamazonAmazon associatesAmazonAssociatessalestwitterWed, 04 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Download Squad job boards, whether you're hiring or looking for work]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/download-squad-job-boards-whether-youre-hiring-or-looking-for/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/download-squad-job-boards-whether-youre-hiring-or-looking-for/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/11/03/download-squad-job-boards-whether-youre-hiring-or-looking-for/#commentsFiled under: ,


Need a sysadmin, coder, designer or other web working new hire? Virtual, on-location or whatever, the Download Squad job boards have you covered. Post your resume using emurse, or (better yet) post a job position in no time and immediately get an engaged, targeted audience of job seekers. We'll also start showing some search-powered job results on posts, like what you see here, but with a relevant job find:

Still not convinced? Did I mention that those looking for hires will see their jobs on our boards, on the boards at TUAW, plus those jobs are sent over to Juju, Simply Hired, Indeed and other job aggregation services. TUAW and Download Squad together serve up over ten million views a month, and serve over a million visitors each month. If you don't think your job posting will get seen, think again. We'll also write up interesting and amazing people and positions right here on the main page of Download Squad from time to time, further extending your hiring reach.

Try it and let us know what you think!

Download Squad job boards, whether you're hiring or looking for work originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businesscontractdownloadsquademploymentemursefeaturesfreelancehirejob boardsJobBoardsjobsworkTue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Microsoft to discontinue Office Accounting next month]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/microsoft-to-discontinue-office-accounting-next-month/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/microsoft-to-discontinue-office-accounting-next-month/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/30/microsoft-to-discontinue-office-accounting-next-month/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2008
Microsoft is killing off its small business accounting product, Office Accounting. The company will no longer distribute Office Accounting Professional or the free version, Office Accounting Express after November 16, 2009.

According to Microsoft's FAQ, the company as determined that free templates that work with Excel are a better option for small businesses than the Office Accounting application. That's kind of true, in that you can customize Excel templates any way you like. But Office Accounting provided a full featured suite of accounting tools that would be pretty difficult to replicate by building or tweaking your own spreadsheets. Really, Microsoft has determined that it's not worth continue developing this product for one reason or another, and I suspect more people will switch to using QuickBooks or another competing package of accounting software than will choose to use Excel.

Microsoft will continue to offer 5 years of support for Office Accounting, and users will still be able to bill customers using PayPal, although eBay and credit profile information from Equifax won't be available after December 15, 2009.

The move comes less than half a year after Microsoft discontinued its personal finance application, Microsoft Money.

[via ZDNet]

Microsoft to discontinue Office Accounting next month originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accountingmicrosoft-accountingmicrosoft-accounting-expressmicrosoft-office-accountingmicrosoft-office-accounting-expressmicrosoft-office-accounting-professionalquickbooksFri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Bing makes search deals with Facebook and Twitter]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-makes-search-deals-with-facebook-and-twitter/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-makes-search-deals-with-facebook-and-twitter/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/21/bing-makes-search-deals-with-facebook-and-twitter/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

With so much hype about real-time as the future of search, it makes sense that the major players in search would make moves to partner up with real-time networks like Facebook and Twitter. What's surprising is that the first big move is coming from Microsoft Bing, and not from Google. At today's Web 2.0 summit, Bing announced deals with Twitter and Facebook, which will allow Bing to start searching those sites' status updates. The Twitter search was demonstrated at the conference, and you should be able to play with it later today at bing.com/twitter. The Facebook product isn't due out until later, but it will give Bing access to all Facebook's public status updates.

Bing showed off some impressive features of its Twitter search product at the conference, including filtering of duplicate tweets and adult content. It also expands bit.ly URLs, so you know where those shortlinks lead. Unlike Twitter's own search, Bing's product attempts to deliver not just the most recent tweets, but the most relevant.

Apparently, both Twitter and Facebook have been talking to Google as well, but Bing is first to make a deal. The two deals are separate and non-exclusive, meaning that Twitter and Facebook aren't getting into bed together (yet) and that there's still room for Google to make a play like the one Microsoft just pulled off.

[via CNET]

Bing makes search deals with Facebook and Twitter originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bingfacebookreal-timerealtimesearchtwitterWed, 21 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Wikia gets into the lyrics business, acquires LyricWiki]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/20/wikia-gets-into-the-lyrics-business-acquires-lyricwiki/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/20/wikia-gets-into-the-lyrics-business-acquires-lyricwiki/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/20/wikia-gets-into-the-lyrics-business-acquires-lyricwiki/#commentsFiled under: ,

Most people have heard of Wikipedia, but Wikia (co-founded by Wikipedia's Jimmy Wales) is a little bit less well-known. It's a collection of fan-based wikis where people can obsessively catalog info about sports teams, bands, movies, and all kinds of other pop culture material. The latest addition to Wikia is song lyrics, now that the company has purchased LyricWiki.

In the process of snapping up LyricWiki, Wikia also negotiated a licensing deal for the song lyrics themselves, so there's no worry about record companies trying to shut the site down. Wikia runs on open-source wiki software and doesn't show tons of ads, like every other lyric site you'll stumble upon if you try Googling for song lyrics. It also has the advantage of a large number of users to correct the lyrics, so you're likely to find more accurate results than on sites that function more as banner-ad billboards than lyrics collections.

[via VentureBeat]

Wikia gets into the lyrics business, acquires LyricWiki originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>lyricslyricwikimusicwikiwikiaTue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Twitter's Jack Dorsey working on a pay-by-iPhone system]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/19/twitters-jack-dorsey-working-on-a-pay-by-iphone-system/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/19/twitters-jack-dorsey-working-on-a-pay-by-iphone-system/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/19/twitters-jack-dorsey-working-on-a-pay-by-iphone-system/#commentsFiled under: ,

Jack Dorsey, one of the founders of Twitter, is rumored to be working on a new project that will let you use your iPhone to pay for things without a credit card. This system, code named "Squirrel," might end up being called Square and using SquareUp.com as its primary domain. Square payments have both a software and a hardware side: there's an app to enter the amount of the payment and sign for it, and a dongle that attaches to the iPhone and reads your card.

Square basically turns your iPhone into a pay station. You swipe your card, have the employee enter the amount to charge, and sign with your finger. From there, the cost of your purchase goes straight into the store's bank account, minus a little bit off the top for Square.

The info on Jack's new business was pieced together by Engadget and Mashable, with some help from Coolhunting (who wrote about the Square payment system before anyone knew Jack was involved).

The only rumor I've seen that doesn't make sense here is Mashable's assertion that Jack's new company is called Self Edge NYC. Self Edge is actually an upscale denim shop that started in San Francisco, and it looks they'll be accepting Square payments. Self Edge is listed and linked on the SquareUp website.

Twitter's Jack Dorsey working on a pay-by-iPhone system originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>businessiphonejack dorseyJackDorseypaymentsquaresquareupMon, 19 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[BSA loves irony, disproves link between piracy and malware]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/17/bsa-loves-irony-disproves-link-between-piracy-and-malware/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/17/bsa-loves-irony-disproves-link-between-piracy-and-malware/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/17/bsa-loves-irony-disproves-link-between-piracy-and-malware/#commentsFiled under: ,

I know, sometimes it's hard to believe that the "BS" in BSA stands for business software when they publish reports like the one Wired shared with us this week. Entitled Software Piracy on the Internet: A Threat to Your Security, the BSA's latest tour de force is fine example of propaganda gone wrong.

Wired highlights this quote from the report: "Globally, there is a significant evidence to link software piracy with the frequency of malware attacks. While this correlation has not been measured with precision, the evidence from industry sources suggests that markets with high software piracy rates also have a tendency to experience high rates of malware infection...."

Not measured with precision? Adam and Jamie would call this thing busted on that point alone.

What the hell, fellas. In addition to your own admission that you weren't particularly careful in how you calculated your figures you obviously didn't look too closely at your charts.

Continue reading BSA loves irony, disproves link between piracy and malware

BSA loves irony, disproves link between piracy and malware originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 17 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bsafailmalwarepiracyreportSat, 17 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Apple allows free-to-paid demo apps on iPhone]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/16/apple-allows-free-to-paid-demo-apps-on-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/16/apple-allows-free-to-paid-demo-apps-on-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/16/apple-allows-free-to-paid-demo-apps-on-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , ,

One of the biggest complaints about Apple's iPhone App Store has been the lack of any way to try an app before you buy it. Apple has addressed that issue by allowing free-to-paid app upgrades. This means apps that used to have two separate versions, free and paid, will now be able to merge into a single download, with the ability to buy an upgrade from within the app.

Apple has been pretty strict about rejecting demo versions of apps although "lite" apps have been allowed. Basically, developers weren't allowed to give away a feature-crippled free version of an app for the purpose of upselling customers to a feature-complete paid version. That rule made Apple look harsh compared to competitors like Android, which offers a trial period after which users can get a refund on an app they don't like. If Apple isn't going to do something like that, allowing demo capabilities is the next best thing.

[via TUAW]

Apple allows free-to-paid demo apps on iPhone originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>app storeappsAppStoredemofreeiphoneliteFri, 16 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Google announces new e-book store, competes with Amazon]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/15/google-announces-new-e-book-store-competes-with-amazon/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/15/google-announces-new-e-book-store-competes-with-amazon/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/15/google-announces-new-e-book-store-competes-with-amazon/#commentsFiled under: ,

Amazon's Kindle might have some competition on its hands. Google has just announced a new e-book store called Google Editions, that will deliver books to any device with a web browser. Although Google isn't launching an e-reader device like the Kindle, it will support e-books that customers buy from stores like Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Google Editions is slated to launch in the first half of 2010.

This obviously won't hurt Amazon's e-book sales too much, but it might cut into sales of the Kindle. Why buy a really expensive device when you can read the same books on the devices you already have? From what we've seen in the past, though, Amazon is much more concerned with book sales than device sale. They did create the Kindle app for iPhone, after all. Also worth noting: Google's history with electronic versions of books isn't entirely a successful one. They're still resolving legal issues over Google Books, a project which has already scanned over 10 million books and made them searchable.

[via Mashable]

Google announces new e-book store, competes with Amazon originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>amazon kindleAmazonKindlebooksebookgooglegoogle editionsGoogleEditionskindleThu, 15 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Marketing firm sues pizzeria in Facebook libel case]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/07/marketing-firm-sues-pizzeria-in-facebook-libel-case/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/07/marketing-firm-sues-pizzeria-in-facebook-libel-case/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/07/marketing-firm-sues-pizzeria-in-facebook-libel-case/#commentsFiled under: ,

A marketing firm in Knoxville, TN, is suing its former client, a pizza place, over negative comments left on Facebook and Twitter. Even if this lawsuit weren't doomed to fail, and even if the marketers, Low and Tritt, had asked for less than an absurd 2 million dollars from The Pizza Kitchen, this would still be a terrible, useless bit of litigation. Without this lawsuit, I would never have heard of either of these businesses, and I certainly wouldn't have known about these supposedly libelous comments.

Without this lawsuit, you wouldn't be reading this post. If their goal was to avoid a negative image in the media, this marketing firm has failed on a grand scale. In fact, they could learn a thing or two from The Pizza Kitchen. Even though they only have one store, attracting this lawsuit has led to global media attention beyond anything Low and Tritt could have landed them when they were still a client.

Marketing firm sues pizzeria in Facebook libel case originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>facebooklawsuitlibelmarketingpizzatwitterWed, 07 Oct 2009 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Eolas v. Everyone you've ever heard of]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/06/eolas-v-everyone-youve-ever-heard-of/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/06/eolas-v-everyone-youve-ever-heard-of/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/06/eolas-v-everyone-youve-ever-heard-of/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,


Tireless patent troll Intellectual Property holder Eolas has filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas against, well.. nearly everyone. The issue at hand deals with two patents in Eolas' possession -- the first of which was the subject of a successful lawsuit against Microsoft back in 2004.

The second patent, what Eolas refers to as "a continuation of the '906 patent" claims to hold as the sole intellectual property of Eolas, "fully-interactive embedded applications [...] through the use of plug-in and AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) web development techniques." The second patent is so far untested in court -- and ostensibly covers more popular websites than you can shake a knock-off Louis Vuitton handbag at.

I haven't had time to delve into the language of the patent, but this reeks of utter nonsense to me so far. In my layman's oppinion, Eolas may have made a crucial mistake however, taking aim at so many large targets at once -- with one untested patent, and another which Microsoft already came rather close to beating.

Take the leap to read the whole extortion demand press release, and see the enormous list of publicly traded web firms included.

Continue reading Eolas v. Everyone you've ever heard of

Eolas v. Everyone you've ever heard of originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ajaxeolaspatentpluginstrollweb browserweb devWebBrowserWebDevTue, 06 Oct 2009 11:15:00 EST<![CDATA[iPhone Maps app now showing "sponsored links"]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/05/iphone-maps-app-now-showing-sponsored-links/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/05/iphone-maps-app-now-showing-sponsored-links/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/10/05/iphone-maps-app-now-showing-sponsored-links/#commentsFiled under: , ,

It's no secret that Google's in the ad business, but it looks like they've snuck ads into an unexpected place: the Maps app on the iPhone. Maps is powered by Google - for now, anyway, because Apple has purchased its own map company, PlaceBase - and so Google has the ability to drop "Sponsored Links" into the system. You might not see them everywhere, but you can test for yourself by searching for things like food, sushi, and diners in NYC. You'll see some automatically highlighted results pop up, marked as sponsored.

None of the sources writing about this development seem to know whether Apple is getting a cut of the profit from these advertising placements, but Apple and Google have a complicated relationship. Although it's tempting to think that Google is trying to be pesky to Apple on the iPhone because Apple rejected the iPhone version Google Voice, I suspect there's something more going on. For now, though, we'll have to wait for one of the companies to comment, and see what Apple does with PlaceBase.


[via The Apple Blog]

iPhone Maps app now showing "sponsored links" originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applegoogleiphonemapsMon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Tell DLS: What are your Top 10 Web Apps?]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/28/tell-dls-what-are-your-top-10-web-apps/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/28/tell-dls-what-are-your-top-10-web-apps/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/28/tell-dls-what-are-your-top-10-web-apps/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

We're continuing our Tell DLS column by leaving the desktop and heading to the web. There's tonnes and tonnes of webapps out there -- however here's just 10 that I use day-in, day-out. If you're got any other favourites, be sure to leave them in the comments!

Continue reading Tell DLS: What are your Top 10 Web Apps?

Tell DLS: What are your Top 10 Web Apps? originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>basecampfacebookflickrinstapaperliststumblrupcomingweb-applicationsweb-appsMon, 28 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Starbucks lets customers pay for coffee via iPhone]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/24/starbucks-lets-customers-pay-for-coffee-via-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/24/starbucks-lets-customers-pay-for-coffee-via-iphone/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/24/starbucks-lets-customers-pay-for-coffee-via-iphone/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Starbucks is late to adopt the branded iPhone app trend, but now the coffee giant has entered the mobile market in a big way. Starbucks just announced two iPhone apps: myStarbucks and Starbucks Card Mobile. myStarbucks is pretty boring, unless you're completely addicted: it lets you know where nearby stores are located, when they're open, and what amenities they have. Starbucks Card Mobile, on the other hand, is pretty cool: it lets you pay for drinks using your phone.

Starbucks Card Mobile allows you to manage your Starbacks card from your iPhone. Anybody can enter the number of a physical Starbucks card to check the balance and reload the card with more money. Soon, you'll also be able to pay for your drinks without a card at all, just using the iPhone. This mobile payment feature is currently being tested in three major tech (and coffee) hubs: Seattle, Cupertino and Mountain View.

[via AppScout]

Starbucks lets customers pay for coffee via iPhone originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>coffeeiphonemobilestarbucksThu, 24 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Webmaster 101: Keyword Metatags don't mean a thing]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/21/webmaster-101-keyword-metatags-dont-mean-a-thing/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/21/webmaster-101-keyword-metatags-dont-mean-a-thing/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/21/webmaster-101-keyword-metatags-dont-mean-a-thing/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

No matter whether you're a web-developer, blogger or website owner, you've no doubt heard of metatags. These small snippets of information are great for hinting at the page's content - however since their inception, these tags have been open to abuse in attempts to game search engine results, none more-so than the "Keyword" metatag.

In recent years, Google has long-ignored the keyword metatags - and a post today from Google's Matt Cutts confirms that the search engine's results remain unaffected by any keyword metatags you may place in a page (and it's important to remember that Google continues to support other metatags as part of their Page Rank algorithm). One other metatag - the description metatag - is also ignored in determining results, but normally the description tag's data is used as a snippet to describe each hit on a results page.

Webmaster 101: Keyword Metatags don't mean a thing originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>GoogleMetatagsSEOMon, 21 Sep 2009 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Adobe gets into advertising biz, teams up with Gigya]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/21/adobe-teams-up-with-gigya/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/21/adobe-teams-up-with-gigya/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/21/adobe-teams-up-with-gigya/#commentsFiled under: , ,

After Adobe's recent acquisition of analytics giant Omniture for $1.8 billion, there was a lot of speculation that Adobe was beginning a foray into the advertising. Now we've got some more clues, since Adobe's partnering with Gigya, a company that distributes widgets and advertising. Now, Adobe's got its fingers in every part of the process, from content creation to ads to analytics.

Adobe's new Distribution Manager lets developers share their Flash widgets on 70 sites, tracks traffic for the widgets, and serves ads. Destinations include Facebook, MySpace and iGoogle, amongst others. It also supports mobile devices, including Windows Mobile and Symbian phones. The iPhone is also (sort of) supported, but without Flash, the widgets have to be part of approved app store apps. Developers can follow their traffic and ads with - what else? - an Adobe Air app.

[via Techcrunch]

Adobe gets into advertising biz, teams up with Gigya originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adobeadsadvertisingdistributionfalseflashwidgetsMon, 21 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Week in Review: 19th September 2009]]>http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/19/week-in-review-19th-september-2009/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/19/week-in-review-19th-september-2009/http://www.downloadsquad.com/2009/09/19/week-in-review-19th-september-2009/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Shiver me timbers! It's been a swash-buckling week here aboard HMS Download Squad, but if you've been off plunderin' other shores and missed the maelstrom of news here's a fair summary of what's been happening..
It's International Speak like a Pirate Day so forgive the introduction. We're back to regular programming after the jump!

Continue reading Week in Review: 19th September 2009

Week in Review: 19th September 2009 originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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