Managing your finances is usually about as exciting as watching grass grow, but if you’re armed with the right tools then at least you can make it quick and painless. iBank is a smart finance app for the Mac which covers a broad range of fiscal matters, including credit cards, bank accounts, and income and expenses. Thanks to live updating charts, you can work out how your finances will look over time.
Month: June 2007
It’s all about Web 2.0 – weekly roundup
This week insideTonic reported several big announcements and releases, particularly related to the latest moves in the Web 2.0 world.
Google made perhaps the most significant announcement with the release of the Google Gears plugin which enables you to use Google applications offline. Facebook also announced it’s own Web 2.0 ambitions, aiming to become more than just a social network by also letting users access applications that work on and offline.
In the meantime, Microsoft didn’t do a very good job of keeping the new version of MSN Live Messenger under wraps. Version 8.5 was leaked onto the internet more than a day before Microsoft issued the official Beta release. Not to be left behind in the Web 2.0 revolution, the new Vista optimised version features ‘Live Folders’ which users can upload to Live Messenger from their PC. Cyril took this opportunity to bring you some great alternative messenger applications.
Mozilla also made the headlines with the latest developments on Firefox 3. The Alpha 5 release of the Mozilla browser will include Places, a new bookmark and history feature. Talking about bookmarks, Cyril posted a tip on how to export your Firefox livemarks to your Google Reader. Nick also wrote about QT Tabbar, an application that brings tabbed browsing to your Windows Explorer.
Finally, we brought you a list of 10 excellent applications to customize your desktop and Elena commented on the new release of iTunes, 7.2, which features a service to buy DRM-free tracks.
Have a good weekend!
Take Firefox with you wherever you go
If you can’t get enough of the gorgeous Firefox browser then fear not because you can now take it wherever you go courtesy of PortableApps.com. Firefox Portable features all the same time-saving tools locked within Firefox except you can transport it, along with your personal browsing details on an external device, such as a USB stick. This means you can take all your favorite bookmarks and extensions wherever you go!
Watch subtitled movies in iTunes with Submerge
Submerge merges your subtitle files with your movie files so you can play them on your iTunes or Apple TV. You can easily add subtitles to any video format and merge multiple files. Submerge shows a little video at start up to explain how the program works. You can open up a side bar where you’ll be able to set font size, type and style for your subtitles.
Photoshop CS3 Extended adds Google 3D plug-in
Adobe have announced a new plug-in for Photoshop CS3 Extended which will enable users to import a huge range of 3D images from Google’s 3D Warehouse. With the plug-in, users will be able to query and download free 3D content from Google’s online repository for 3D models and content. The 3D Content can then be placed, manipulated and used in composites within Photoshop CS3 Extended.
Mark Limber, product manager at Google said of the deal:
The Google 3D Warehouse repository, combined with Photoshop CS3 Extended, allows creatives, architects, manufacturers and others to find exactly what they need to bring their virtual worlds and conceptual designs to life.
3D Warehouse is a free service which allows anyone to search for and download 3D models. Users can also submit their own models to share within the community by uploading them from Google SketchUp into the 3D Warehouse. Models include everything from buildings and houses to people and pets. If the model has a location on earth, such as a building in New York city, you can also download and view it in Google Earth.
This announcement does at least justify some of the extra cost between Photoshop CS3 and Photoshop CS3 Extended. However, at a whopping $999, it doesn’t come cheap and I’m sure many Adobe fans will be less than impressed at what may be seen as a token gesture. It also raises the question, is this really necessary when After Effects can manipulate 3D images anyways, albeit mainly for video?