AOL goes fishing for new users

Forget the search data spill, which gave away the browsing habits of nearly 65,000 users in August. AOL is trying to woo users by offering its online services for free. This means you get access to AOL video, a free email account, more than 200 internet radio stations and use of AOL’s security tools. Those of you that already use AOL Explorer, AOL Media Player, or Triton and trust the AOL platform will be glad to see the company making some effort.

Jeffrey Bewkes, chief operating officer of Time Warner, is optimistic and believes that going free has also brought new types of people to AOL. He revealed that “40 percent of new users were not former subscribers” but still hoped that old users who had gone off to other internet providers would be encouraged to “come back and reclaim old email addresses”. After what happened in August, I doubt ex-customers will confidently flock back to AOL though.

Adobe Acrobat to include online conferencing

PDF fans are in for a treat this November with the release of Acrobat 8, which promises to introduce new web conferencing facilities. Adobe‘s ubiquitous documentation app has been pumped up to include the new Adobe Connect software service, which allows users to set up personal online meeting rooms via a customizable web address.

The software is designed to bring users closer together, enabling them to collaborate on documents with just a single click. Presumably Adobe will take no responsibility for any messy bust-ups that will inevitably occur as a result. Acrobat 8 Standard is expected to set you back an estimated $299, or $99 as an upgrade for registered users.

Browse in Peace

It seems you can’t go anywhere on the internet without being followed – just ask Gary Glitter. Whether it’s marketing companies tracking your surfing habits or spyware saving and transmitting your personal details, most current browsers leave behind a trail of footprints leading back to your PC. That’s why programming collective Hacktivismo have released Torpark – a new browser that uses its own network of net routers to allow users to surf without leaving a trace.

Even more impressive, Torpack can be stored on any USB pendrive or external storage device meaning you can surf in peace from any PC, anytime. The browser works by encrypting traffic between a computer and the Tor routers owned by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It also regularly changes the user’s IP address to leave a “smokescreen” for any potential intruders. The makers admit however that data exchanged between websites that do not use encryption to secure login sessions and the Tor network remain vulnerable. They proudly claim however that unlike other similar applications such as Anonymizer and SecretSurfer, Torpark is 100% clean and free of spyware/adware.

Firefox users have been able to access the Tor network via a plugin for sometime now but this is the first time the browser has been available for download. The new package also features a special tab that allows users to switch between anonymous and normal surfing. The two major drawbacks are that in exchange for anonymity, surfing is somewhat slower and some sites act badly thinking you are constantly logging-in and out again like some kind of paranoid lunatic. That said, if you’ve been particularly plagued by credit card fraud or security issues, this could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Web 2.0 winners and losers

The viral growth of Web 2.0 sites and apps has seen some incredible innovation as mobs of freshly graduated geeks dive head first in to new technologies and languages in the quest to attract the masses as well as the millions that will make them the next Bill Gates. While the cream of the crop has been hitting the headlines, there have been many ideas that are so far outside the box that they can’t even see it anymore! That’s the premise for a recent Wired News Rant and Rave based on a poll taken of Web 2.0 winners and losers.

Of course Flickr comes in as a clear winner with its friendly design, buzzing community and open API. Not far behind is another Yahoo! owned venture – del.icio.us, which really defines what social bookmarking is all about. The number of downloadable plug-ins and add-ons for these winners is testament to their success, something that can’t be said for the “Web 2.0 Losers”, most notably myspace.com. Blasted for its “clunky interface and intrusive advertising”, Myspace somehow became popular while going against just about every convention of Web 2.0. As for wacky ideas, how about fo.rtuito.us, the social network that didn’t bother joining people of common interests but went down the random path with disastrous results. Sticking two complete strangers together for four days to see if they hit it off was more of a Big Brother approach and as with the TV show, it wasn’t a pretty sight.

For me though, a whopping great omission was made by not including the phenomenal last.fm – a site that unites music lovers (and there are a few of them) in the search for audio enlightenment by way of their own personalised and perfect music stream. Finally the clear proof that Web 2.0 has not been a waste of time.

From iTunes to iCan’t play my music

This past week it was nearly impossible to miss the announcement of Apple’s array of new iPod products. Along with all the reworked, shiny gadgets came the latest version of its slick media management software, iTunes. Over the course of the last six versions, iTunes has been progressively gaining hefty features to match the meteoric rise of the iPod. Music, photos, podcasts, album art, song lyrics, TV shows and now finally movies have all ambushed camp iTunes, and it seems that in version 7, feature creep has finally breached its walls.

After the initial elation died down, several reports surfaced about slow performance, iPods not being recognized and horror of horrors – at least for a music player – a “scratchy” sound during music playback! Granted that these problems are usually amplified by a vocal few and that most issues will be fixed in the inevitable patch, it does however raise the question of “When do you stop adding new features so as to maintain the original simplicity of a program?”

To be certain, this is a careful dance between the status quo and selling more iPods but when basic features such sound quality start to take a dive, perhaps it’s time to take a break.

Become Google Earth-conscious

The latest Beta version of Google’s digital imagery app, available for PC and Mac, offers notable improvements, among which exciting support for HDTV, to record your “Earth fly-overs”, in case that’s how you get your kicks. Car owners, you won’t fumble for the next page of driving directions just as you come across an intersection anymore. In this new version of Google Earth you can print out your directions in a turn by turn layout. But the real improvement comes in the form of various overlays to add to the Google Earth experience. Whether you’re environmentally-conscious or a real traveler you’ll take a real liking to these.

Thanks to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and in a real effort of raising public awareness, “extreme environmental degradation” zones around the globe have been mapped out. I checked out a digital imagery comparison of Mexico City from 1973 to 1999. It’s impressive to see how much the city has sprawled out. The Discovery Networks World Tour is great for getting information on your future travel destinations. I watched videos on the Amalfi Coast in Italy and jotted down a few places that I might check out. National Park Service information is particularly useful if you decide to go trekking, say in Yosemite National Park and want to find out what trails you can take. The Jane Goodall Institute overlay will probably attract wildlife lovers. It picks out chimpanzee preserves around the world. If you’re just curious in general, the National Geographic overlay should satisfy your curiosity with hundreds of locations and landmarks pinpointed on the globe. But my favorite function is the Turn Here overlay because you can view short videos of cool spots in many cities. Anybody can submit a video to Google Earth thus sharing what’s cool with the rest of the world.

e-Donkey blinkered, RIAA are thrilled

What a pity it is to see the RIAA (those who would have you pay by the minute for listening to your own music) get their way every now and again, as was the case recently when they got one up on eDonkey’s creators MetaMachine. Before even reaching the court, the case was settled for $30 million in exchange for not being sued for what would more than likely be many times that figure.

This is a case of the fat cats using their weight to wipe out not only the misdoers but those who have been using the software fairly at the same time. MetaMachine have agreed to stop distributing the software, even though it is not illegal to download. On top, their web page has been liquidized and now contains a message that will have the executives at the RIAA grinning from ear to ear.

New features in iTunes 7

At its September 12 media event, Apple introduced new iPods, its future iTV release and a shiny new iTunes 7. According to some, this announcement was altogether disappointing and a sign of slowing down in Apple’s spectacular growth. We still couldn’t help getting all excited about the new version of iTunes, and here a few of its features.

The interface has been polished and, apart from the logo having swapped green for blue, there are plenty of cosmetic and under-the-hood tweaks. When you’re playing music, you get to choose between three different views: the classic list, Grouped Artwork view (a list revealing all album covers) and the cool CoverFlow view, great for skimming through your albums. The iTunes Store has lost the Music label because, true innovation, it will now offer movies and games for your iPod on sale. You also get a download manager, where you can organize the podcasts, audiobooks, movies and albums you download.

But the real buzz is in iTunes’ simplified iPod music management. It is now much simpler to organize the media on your portable MP3 player and you can sync your files downloaded from the iTunes store from one PC to another. Personally I like the restructuring of the player and the download manager works great when you’re getting loads of podcasts. I was disappointed when I realized though that CoverFlow doesn’t work with podcasts, even if you have the artwork. A great improvement is the chance to snatch artwork from the store, so no more endless hours spent on Amazon looking for all my album sleeves. iTunes 7 is getting better and I can’t really see any other media player/manager getting close to it.

Softonic’s Tip: Convert PPLive into English

The days of paying for TV subscriptions could be on the way out if emerging streaming media technology evolves sufficiently. PPLive is the most popular program to use peer-to-peer technology to allow you to watch movies, sports and TV shows from around the world.

However, unless you speak Chinese it’s likely to be the most irritating program you’ve ever used, as the interface and program lists are all written in the Eastern language. To save taking a crash course in Cantonese here is the workaround:

By loading up the PPLive TV Engine and right-clicking on the fourth option from the bottom (the one that looks like a squiggle) you’re presented with the chance to change the interface into English. Opening the Channel List menu in the program gives you even more Chinese to try and decipher but you can download a full translation of all the channels from here.

Windows Live out of Beta

In an attempt to gain back strategic ground from Google, their main competitor, Microsoft has officially moved Windows Live Search (previously known as MSN Search) out of Beta. The new search engine lets you find news, RSS feeds, images and videos. Local Search has been improved in terms of imagery and mobile integration and you can get answers to all your questions via the new QnA service. The new interface is sleek and customizable, so you can select what information will appear everytime you visit Windows Live, like adding weather information, sports updates and entertainment news. The menu from the top left icon allows you to check out your favorites, get a safety scan from Windows OneCare, save images in your gallery, trade and buy with Expo and Live Shopping and chat and blog on Spaces. Effectively, Microsoft aims to jump onto the web 2.0 revolution by encouraging users to carry out all their computer activities online.

According to the Redmond firm, image processing and search results should load faster, thanks to a new algorithm and “extensive feedback” from beta testers. Will Windows Live dethrone Google? Just how successful will the new platform be in changing users’ online experience? If you haven’t tried them yet, take a shot at Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Toolbar, and Windows Live Writer.