Facebook Competitor?

Ok, to start off, I’m not a big ‘Tech Rumor’ guy, in the sense that I don’t like to spread potentially false or misleading information out there, but this rumor intrigues me. The rumor started from Kevin Rose (founder of Digg) who sent a tweet saying: “Ok, umm, huge rumor: Google to launch facebook competitor very soon 'Google Me,' very credible source.”

This one sentence has set the internet ablaze with all kinds of talk. The reality of the situation is Google is probably the only company right now that has the resources to take on Facebook. And between Android OS for smartphones and soon-to-be-released Chrome OS for PCs, this would make a perfect addition to their offerings. Stay tuned as I’m sure there will be more to this as time goes along.

Adobe Reader 9.3.3

Be sure to go out to Adobe and download the latest version of Adobe Reader (version 9.3.3). Also, if you didn't install the Adobe Flash update, now is a good time to do that as well. If you need help with this, Contact Me.

FarmVille, Flash and Firefox

If you’re not on Facebook, I’m sure you know someone who is. If you are on Facebook, you probably have heard of a game called FarmVille. FarmVille is a game where you run what I would call more of a ranch than a farm, but you raise crops, raise livestock, plant fruit trees, and build buildings. Well, due to some security issues of late with Adobe Flash, and to increase browser stability, Firefox recently gained a feature called ‘out of process plug-ins’ which will give running plug-ins, such as Flash and Quicktime, 10 seconds to become responsive if they ever get stuck or the plug-in would shut down.

The good news is it made the browser more stable and crash-resistant. The bad news is, it caused some major issues with FarmVille. Due to the size of the FarmVille community, Mozilla (the company that created Firefox) has changed the time limit from 10 seconds to 45 seconds. This changed seems to have resolved the problem.

Android App Review: Ringdroid

Ah, those pesky ringtones. They either cost you an arm and a leg, or you just can't find the song you want. I don't know about you, but it drives me crazy! Fortunately, there is an answer to this: Ringdroid.

Ringdroid allows you to take songs/audio files you have on your Android phone, select what part that you want, and use it for a ringtone, alert, alarm, or pretty much anything you could ever need.This has saved me alot of money and headache in getting just the right sounds for incoming calls.

Ratings
Market: 4.5/5

My Ratings
Business: 3/5
Education: 4/5
Gaming: 5/5
Casual: 5/5


In short, this app is something that any Android user could find useful!

Android App Review: Scanner Radio

Some of you know about my hobby of radios and scanners. This app falls right in line with that hobby, yet it is very useful for just about everyone. Scanner Radio lets you listen to volunteer's scanners across the country. The only real downfall to this app is it doesn't cover everyone, due to it being volunteer submissions. Even so, it can be a useful tool when large events are taking place, like highway closures or severe weather.

Also, some areas are going to digital radio systems, which require expensive scanners to listen to. Locally, KDOT, KHP, Reno and Russell counties have switched, or are in the process of switching.

I can say that Reno and Saline counties are covered by this app locally, as are almost every larger city you would visit. Pawnee County and LaCrosse are listed, but were offline at the time of writing this article.

Ratings
Market: 4.5/5

My Ratings
Business: 2/5
Education: 2/5
Gaming: N/A
Casual: 4/5

This application isn't for everyone, but whenever you want to hear something, this app is here to help.

Adobe Flash 10.1

Security is always a major concern on Windows PCs these days. Flash, no matter what Apple may say, is a staple platform for most people on the internet. However, since it is software, it has security holes in it.

Anyone that spends any time on the internet should get the latest version of Flash...VERY SOON. The security of your PC is at stake, and it is a very simple download which takes very little time.

With these kinds of updates becoming more frequent, I will be looking into making an update checklist of sorts to help people keep their machines stable and secure.

Android App Review: Air Control

Being that it's a Saturday, I thought I would review a game. Air Control is a surprisingly addictive game. There are three spots to land a variety of aircraft. Helicopters being the slowest land on a helipad. Small planes land on the small plane runway. The two remaining planes, large prop planes and jets land on the large runway. All you do is drag the planes to their destinations, and the planes follow their flight path. The game starts out pretty slow, but adds aircraft more quickly over time.

Rating
Market Rating: 4.5/5

My Ratings
Business: N/A
Education: N/A
Gaming: 4/5
Casual: 3/5

Since this is a simple game that can be played in about 5-10 minutes, it makes it a perfect game to take a breather in the middle of a day.