Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features

speedtest
Speedtest.net is pretty much the go-to site for quickly figuring out how fast (or slow) your connection really is and comparing the numbers your ISP boasts with what it actually delivers. And now it's got a new coat of paint and a couple of neat features. In brief:
  • New UI: The map widget is much improved; it actually looks like a map now, and it's easy to see where you are.
  • Smart server selection: If there are several test servers nearby, Speedtest will now ping each to see which has the least latency and use that for the test. You can still specify servers manually, too.
  • User accounts: You can sign up for a free account and aggregate results from several computers/connections.
  • Speed Wave: This new feature lets you add your test results to the results of many other users, and get a nice composite view.
All in all, you get some nice, new functionality and a snazzier interface to boot. Nice!

Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/07/speedtest-net-overhauled-with-new-look-new-features/

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Gladinet maps Amazon Cloud Drive to your Windows desktop

amazon cloud drive
Amazon's recently-introduced Cloud Drive is a great place to store your files online. It offers 5 gigs of totally free space, and U.S. users also get access to the handy Cloud Player app (for Web and Android!) which streams music you upload to your Cloud Drive.

The service could be a little easier to use, however. Until Amazon releases a desktop client, Windows users might want to take another look at Gladinet. The multi-service cloud connector has now added Amazon Cloud Drive support and will let you map a network drive letter to your account with minimal fuss.

Once you've added your credentials to Gladinet, just pick the letter you want to assign to the drive and you're good to go. You can then copy files to and from your Cloud Drive, rename items, and manage folders like you would any local hard drive in your system.

The only downside is that the free version of Gladinet gives you a limited number of cloud interactions. Once you use those up, you'll need to upgrade to the paid version, which costs $49.99. If you work with a number of cloud-based storage providers, however, it could be well worth the price tag.

Gladinet maps Amazon Cloud Drive to your Windows desktop originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/map-amazon-cloud-drive-to-windows-local/

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Microsoft Pitches Lowball Windows 8 Upgrade Price

An upgrade to the Pro edition of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 8, will sell for $40, a significantly lower price than what the company has charged for upgrade packages in the past. The offer applies to purchases made through Windows.com for PCs running Windows XP or a later version.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/20f8df7f/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C755420Bhtml/story01.htm

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‘Made in USA’ Nexus Q Teardown Reveals Many Overseas Parts

Stating that a device is "designed and manufactured in the USA" doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a purely stateside product. Kyle Wiens and his team at iFixit took apart Google's Nexus Q, and found that the company sourced several of the Q's components from China, Japan, and other Asian or European countries.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/made-in-usa-nexus-q-teardown-reveals-many-overseas-parts/

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The difference between iPad and Toshiba Windows tablet commercials

The difference between iPad and. Toshiba Windows tablet commercials

A while back we compared and contrasted the way Apple was selling the iPad -- as something experiential -- to how carriers were marketing Android tablets -- as spec lists. Now Toshiba has released a new series of ads for their Windows tablet that go in an entirely different direction. Buzzefeed has posted four of them. Here's a sample:

And here's Apple's new iPad ad:

Now I don't find anything aesthetically objectionable about a good looking woman doing yoga, and I'm from Montreal where we're far from puritanical so I have no problem with cleavage or entendres double, triple, or quadruple. But I also worked in marketing for a decade and what I do have a problem with bad marketing.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that some percentage of Toshiba's target audience finds these ads funny and/or titillating, how does that translate into tablet sales? Would you buy a Toshiba tablet over an iPad because a woman in yoga togs bent over it? Or is Toshiba's goal simply to raise awareness that they have tablets, and get articles like this one written about them?

If there's no such thing as bad press, have they succeeded? Or have they only succeeded in hurting their brand?

Source: Buzzfeed via @gartenberg, The Loop

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/DydzPyE7SNg/story01.htm

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ITU wants to bring smartphone makers to peace talks, hash out patent wars

ITU wants to bring smartphone makers to peace talks, hash out patent wars

The United Nations defines the stereotype of a peace broker, so it's not that far-fetched to hear that its International Telecommunication Union (ITU) wing is hoping to step in and cool down the rapidly escalating patent world war. The organization plans to convene a Patent Roundtable on October 10th -- in neutral Geneva, Switzerland, of course -- to have smartphone makers, governments and standards groups try and resolve some of their differences. Those mostly concerned about Apple's actions won't be happy with the focus of the sit-down, however. Most of the attention will surround allegations that companies are abusing standards-based patents, which will put the heat largely on a Google-owned Motorola as well as Samsung. Still, there's hope when the the ITU's Secretary-General Dr. Hamadoun Touré talks of desiring a "balancing act" between what patent holders want and what customers need. Our real hope is that we don't have to hear talk of customs delays and product bans for a long while afterwards.

[Image credit: Patrick Gruban, Flickr]

ITU wants to bring smartphone makers to peace talks, hash out patent wars originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Jul 2012 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/06/itu-wants-to-bring-smartphone-makers-to-peace-talks/

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How to Get One Of Dell’s Linux-Based Developer Laptops And Become A Sputnik Beta Cosmonaut

penguinDell has a skunks works project underway to offer a Linux-based laptop made for developers. Now it is offering a beta program that will allow a small group of developers to get one of the laptops and  join what it calls the Sputnik Beta Cosmonaut program. Project Sputnik signals Dell's changing focus to offer open-source technology that it can integrate into its servers, storage and networking offerings and solutions.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/heZ7bc7vN70/

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Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

corelvideostudiox4giveaway
This morning, Corel released VideoStudio X4. We've already published a quick overview and hands-on of the application, and now is the moment you've all been waiting for: We're giving away ten full licenses of this new version, each worth $99.99!

To enter our random draw, you just have to leave a comment. Full terms and conditions are after the break.

Continue reading Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway

Corel VideoStudio X4 giveaway originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/22/corel-videostudio-x4-giveaway/

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‘Made in USA’ Nexus Q Teardown Reveals Many Overseas Parts

Stating that a device is "designed and manufactured in the USA" doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a purely stateside product. Kyle Wiens and his team at iFixit took apart Google's Nexus Q, and found that the company sourced several of the Q's components from China, Japan, and other Asian or European countries.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/07/made-in-usa-nexus-q-teardown-reveals-many-overseas-parts/

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This Ship Flips to Rise Five Stories Above the Sea Surface [Video]

In the early 1960's, the US Department of Naval Research needed a new way to study the acoustic targeting for submarine rockets. The ship had to be silent and stable—more buoy than boat. The design that met the requirements became the world's only vertically-flippable research vessel. Either that, or the lamest Transformer since Bumblebee. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/rDKs4UtlEps/this-ship-flips-to-rise-five-stories-above-the-sea-surface

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