News and reviews of Web Services, including cloud computing and online sites

Google adds captions to YouTube search

Jacqueline Emigh — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:53:00 -0800

In a step to make YouTube videos more accessible to deaf people as well as to anyone else searching for videos online, Google has launched an automatic video captioning service.

Twitter turns on geolocation functionality

Juan Carlos Perez — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:25:00 -0800

Twitter has turned on its geotagging functionality for external applications.

Google's Chrome OS stands to make waves

Dan Moren — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:57:00 -0800

Google's Chrome OS may be a year away from shipping, but the potent mixture of one of tech's most prominent companies and the mostly stagnant OS market is worth watching.

Google goes for speed, security in Chrome OS

Juan Carlos Perez — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:35:00 -0800

Google launched its Chrome OS, focusing on speed and security.

AOL looks to slash staff by a third

Juan Carlos Perez — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:09:00 -0800

AOL is looking to cut by a third its global staff.

Yahoo's search news shortcuts gain 'tweets,' videos, photos

Juan Carlos Perez — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:11:00 -0800

Yahoo has enhanced the news "shortcuts" it displays in Web search result pages.

Camino 2.0 adds Tab Overview, improved annoyance blocking

Dan Moren — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:30:00 -0800

The Camino Project has released version 2 of the Camino browser, adding a number of new features such as Tab Overview and improved annoyance blocking.

Google to provide update on Chrome OS

Nancy Gohring — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:39:00 -0800

Google may make an announcement about Chrome OS this week.

SSL flaw could have been used to hack Twitter

Robert McMillan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:54:00 -0800

A researcher has shown how to hack Twitter using a previously disclosed bug in SSL.

Google Earth updates iPhone app

Ramu Nagappan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:41:00 -0800

Google has announced an update to its highly popular Google Earth iPhone app. Version 2.0 lets users view personalized maps created on a desktop machine. The upgrade also adds 13 new languages to the mix, bringing a total of 31 supported languages.

iPhone Hints: Access MobileMe site via iPhone

Dan Moren — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:48:00 -0800

Apple doesn't normally let you access MobileMe via the iPhone's Web browser, but here's a way you can sneak around that with the help of several third-party applications.

Google Voice acquires VoIP purveyor Gizmo5

Jeff Porten — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:40:00 -0800

Google Voice moves to provide full phone service with the acquisition of Internet phone provider Gizmo5.

YouTube adds 1080p HD

Ramu Nagappan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:56:00 -0800

YouTube announced that it will allow users to upload and view video in full HD. The company plans to re-encode previously uploaded 1080p material so that viewers will be able to take advantage of its original resolution.

Flash flaw puts most sites, users at risk, say researchers

Gregg Keizer — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:49:00 -0800

Hackers can exploit a flaw in Adobe's Flash to compromise nearly every Web site that allows users to upload content, including Google's Gmail, then launch ilent attacks on visitors to those sites, according to security researchers.

Apple launches iTunes Preview

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:10:00 -0800

Apple has just quietly launched a service that makes links to the iTunes Store a little more informative by displaying information about the product in a Web browser.

Undercover 1.5 ousts iPhone thieves with push notifications

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:54:00 -0800

Orbicule's Undercover 1.5 for iPhone introduces clever push notifications to the iPhone tracking app, specifically made to fool a thief into exposing his whereabouts.

Mint puts Twitter to work

Ian Paul — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:40:00 -0800

The popular online finance service Mint launched a new feature on Thursday that uses Twitter's real-time information stream to keep users updated on the latest financial news and tips.

Vimeo rolls out mobile-friendly site

Ramu Nagappan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:04:00 -0800

Video-sharing site Vimeo has introduced a mobile version of its site. Newly-encoded versions of the videos are now accessible on the iPhone and on Android devices

For the enterprise, Google Apps fights uphill battle with Microsoft

Eric Lai — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:56:00 -0800

Microsoft's incumbent status as a provider of office productivity software gives it a leg up over Google Apps in the enterprise, Computerworld's Eric Lai reports.

Google Maps shows flu shot providers in the U.S.

Juan Carlos Perez — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:36:00 -0800

Google Maps now shows providers of flu shots in the U.S.

Bing to use Wolfram Alpha results

Nancy Gohring — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:05:00 -0800

Microsoft introduced some improvements to its Bing search engine, including integrating results from computational engine Wolfram Alpha.

Four ways to access files from afar

Glenn Fleishman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:00:00 -0800

If you work in lots of locations, you may find yourself wishing you could access your files from everywhere. Here are four ways to do just that.

Google offers free holiday Wi-Fi at airports

Lex Friedman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:23:00 -0800

As a holiday gift to weary travelers, Google's footing the bill for Wi-Fi at 47 airports from now through January 15th, 2010.

Business use of Twitter, Facebook exploding

Sharon Gaudin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0800

A survey of 200 companies worldwide found that use of social networks like Facebook and Twitter for business use has exploded in recent months.

Google, plaintiffs blow book search settlement deadline

Juan Carlos Perez — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:18:00 -0800

Google, the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers are asking for more time to revise their Book Search lawsuit settlement agreement.

Finding your photos online

Dave Johnson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:15:00 -0800

Are you worried about photo theft? Check to see if your photos are being posted without your permission on the Web.

Domain auction site faces shill bidding lawsuit

Grant Gross — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:43:00 -0800

A Miami lawyer has filed a lawsuit against SnapNames.com, saying an employee bid against customers for domain names.

Integrate your iWeb site with Facebook

Adam Berenstain — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Here's a few tips on bringing iWeb and Facebook together.

Review: FreshBooks online bookkeeping software

Jeffery Battersby — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

FreshBooks is a Web-based and 256-bit encrypted accounting, time billing, estimate, and invoicing application that seeks to replace desktop-based accounting programs like Quicken, QuickBooks, FirstEdge, and AccountEdge.

Analysis: The search market created Microsoft's worst enemy

Juan Carlos Perez — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:35:00 -0800

Microsoft had a reputation for tenacity when it enters new markets. But its efforts have failed to pay off in the area of search.

Review: Bombia Design The Invoice Machine invoicing software

Jeffery Battersby — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:30:00 -0800

Simple to manage and easy to use, The Invoice Machine is a good web-based invoice application for very small businesses.

Google Dashboard gives you a bird's-eye view of your cloud

Jeff Porten — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:12:00 -0800

Moderate and heavy users of Google services will appreciate this master control panel view of their usage.

BlueBeat says Beatles songs are its own creations

Jonathan Seff — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:25:00 -0800

The man behind BlueBeat Website, which is accused of illegally selling MP3 of Beatles tunes (among other artists) says that he's only providing original creations and not infringing on copyright.

Viewfinder aids Flickr searchers

Dan Moren — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:52:00 -0800

Connected Flow's new Flickr browser, Viewfinder, makes finding images of particular license types or sizes a snap.

Vendors scrambling to fix bug in Net's security

Robert McMillan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:01:00 -0800

Vendors are now scrambling to patch a critical flaw in the SSL protocol.

Intuit to phase out Quicken Online in favor of Mint.com

Nicholas Bonsack — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:38:00 -0800

Intuit has announced plans to replace its Quicken Online Web service with the recently acquired Mint.com.

Orb for Mac lets you stream your media anywhere

Lex Friedman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:20:00 -0800

A new Mac version of the popular Orb software streams music, photos, and videos to any Internet device, including iPhone

Flickr plants an App Garden

Ramu Nagappan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:03:00 -0800

Photo-sharing site Flickr has launched an App Garden to show off all the third-party software that works with its service.

Review: Memeo Share for iPhone

Lex Friedman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:13:00 -0800

While it suffers from some oversights -- you can't upload multiple photos at once, for example -- this mobile image-sharing app is well-suited for viewing photos that you and your buddies share. You'll need to consider if the accompanying online service meets your needs, though.

Google Voice makes small businesses sound bigger

Tony Bradley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:00:00 -0800

Why is Google Voice worth a look? The free service gives small companies an opportunity to use advanced call management features typically reserved for big budget businesses.

Report: Apple pitching TV subscription service to networks

Dan Moren — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:12:00 -0800

According to reports, Apple is flogging a $30 per month television service to content providers—but will the networks bite?

Report: Hulu will not go pay-only

Dan Moren — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:50:00 -0800

A report in Entertainment Weekly claims that video-streaming site Hulu will not go pay-only, contradicting previous statements by one of the company's corporate owners.

BlueBeat sells Beatles MP3s, permission be damned

Jonathan Seff — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:40:00 -0700

A new Website called BlueBeat has begun selling Beatles MP3 albums. The only problem? The Fab Four haven't licensed their music for download to anyone yet.

Pirate Bay founders threatened with fine if site stays open

Mikael Ricknäs — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:20:00 -0700

File-sharing site The Pirate Bay should be closed, and if it isn't two of the founders have to pay a 500,000 Swedish kronor ($71,500) fine each.

Twitter rolls out Lists feature to most users

Dan Moren — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:08:00 -0700

Twitter began rolling out its new Lists feature, previously in limited beta testing, to most of its userbase this week.

Facebook offers up privacy policy for user review

Sharon Gaudin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:16:00 -0700

Looking to avoid user angst, Facebook unveiled a proposed new privacy policy on Thursday for review by its users.

Lala music streaming app awaiting Apple approval

Dan Moren — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:45:00 -0700

Online music service Lala has submitted its app, which allows you to stream tunes from the service's library, to Apple for approval.

Google launches music search

Aayush Arya — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:13:00 -0700

Google’s newfound music searching capabilities will allow you to preview and purchase tracks right from the first page of search results.

WordPress 2 hits the App Store

Scott McNulty — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:56:00 -0700

WordPress 2 sports a new user interface, better compatibility, and a few new features.

Review: MetaLab Ballpark invoicing software

Jeffery Battersby — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:35:00 -0700

Ballpark is a simple, Web-based estimate and billing application that allows you to manage estimates, bills, and payments from the Web.