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Skype For Web BETA Available For All

skype for web betaIt’s been one of my most long lived frustrations with Skype. Sure I have apps that run on phones, tablets, and PC’s, but sometimes I just want to check a message from a browser. It never made much sense to me that when I would get an email alerting me to a voicemail, I couldn’t just check that voicemail from the browser I just got the email in.

Better late than never, Skype is now delivering their Skype for Web BETA plugin for everyone. Installing a little piece of software in Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari will now give you a pretty complete Skype experience.

In early use it’s been a nice way to balance notifications and alerts without having to keep the Skype client running constantly in the background on my PC. We still don’t quite have the dream of just being able to log into Skype on the web from any browser to check our messages like Google Voice, but this is a nice step in the right direction.

You can catch the full Skype press release below.

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Waze Delivers Arnold Schwarzenegger Celebrity Turn by Turn Voice

“Make a U-turn then GET TO ZE CHOPPA!!! Yeaaarrggghh!!!“

Teasing their new celebrity voice, the Waze team tweeted this pic out today.

I honestly haven’t been this excited for a turn by turn voice since I first got the John Cleese upgrade for Tomtom back in the day.  We’re really curious to see how “funny” the directions might be, we’ll find out tomorrow, but until then, the jokes just write themselves…

“Who is your daddy, and what does he drive?”

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Do You Feel More Free? Net Neutrality Rules Go Into Effect Today!

FCCThe FCC’s new rules protecting Net Neutrality go into effect today.

The rules were published in a 400 page document back in March, detailing all of the web protections. To oversimplify, reclassifying the Internet as a utility means carriers and ISPs will no longer be able to prioritize some services over others. Nor can they degrade a service for the benefit of another.

Internet Service Providers are challenging these new rules, claiming they overstep the FCC’s authority and violate federal law. The United States Telecom Association requested a hold on implementing these rules as they try to fight them in court, but a three judge panel Appellate Court in DC denied their stay. We will see an accelerated time table for litigation however, in two weeks the Telecom Association and the FCC will present schedules for additional briefing.

In the meantime however, Net Neutrality will be the law of the land. The real test will come from this first year of implementation, to see if any of the doom and gloom predictions of the Telecom industry come true.

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Microsoft Security Software Will Now Remove ASK Toolbar and Search Hijacking

It’s kinda sad how far ASK has fallen. From the cute Ask Jeeves to now being considered malware by Microsoft.

And with good reason. The Ask toolbar is an insidious little piece of software which hijacks your search options and adds an ugly bar to your browser.  I once reinstalled an OS just to completely rid a system of browser add ons, of which Ask was one.

java-ask-toolbar-installationIt’s exceedingly rare to find knowledgeable computer users who intentionally use it. That was likely Ask’s problem. Not enough people using their search engine, so they partnered with other companies to try and sneak their software onto your computer. The frustration of clicking through a program installation, and having to pay close attention to make sure no crapware is included.

Thankfully Microsoft Security Software will now scan for and remove search hijacks like these. It’s a long overdue move, but a welcome one. Microsoft’s free security software is actually quite good, and this makes it a little better at helping users with a very common security concern.

(via Microsoft Protection Center)

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DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals 2015 Wrap Up and Results!

One of the coolest events I’ve ever had the privilege to cover. I’m a robot NUT, and the DARPA Robotics Challenge brought the best teams from around the world to see who could create the best robot for disaster relief and assistance.

More info on the DARPA Robotics Challenge – http://www.theroboticschallenge.org/

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Apple Charging Developers $100 a Year to Make Free Plugins for Safari Browser

apple-safari-logoWant to develop Safari browser apps or plugins? It’s going to cost you.

As Apple rolls Safari development into their overall dev program, folks working on the Apple browser will have to pay the same fees app developers pay, namely $100 a year.

Reddit user HonestBleeps, who produces the free Reddit Enhancement Suite is detailing his experiences regarding the transition:

So it used to be free to be a part of the Safari developer program. That’s being folded into Apple’s dev program now, and I’m required to pay $100 to join if I want to continue publishing Reddit Enhancement Suite – which is free.

$100 would be several months worth of donations, on many/most months, and only to support less than 1% of RES users.

We’ll have to wait for these Apple developer programs to officially merge to see if this will throw cold water on Safari development, force formally free services to start charging, or if Apple will continue to allow developers to publish Safari plugins for free.

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Lenovo LaVie Z Ultrabook Review: Shockingly Light, Powerful Portable Laptop

It’s insane how light this laptop is. Lenovo and NEC partnered to build a notebook PC with one goal in mind: The World’s Lightest Laptop. No performance compromises as the LaVie Z is packing a Core i7 processor, but did they have to skimp elsewhere? Let’s take a look!

Shop the LaVie Z on Amazon.
LaVie Z Speaker Test.
More info on the LaVie Z.

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LG G4 Mega Collection of Reviews, Comparisons, and Videos

Hello Folks! We’ve been having a blast running the LG G4 through tests and comparisons, and here’s our mega collection post of everything we’ve shot on LG’s newest flagship phone!

Are you curious about camera performance, how it compares to other phones, speaker performance, or want to see our review? We’ve got that! It’s embedded below for your enjoyment! Remember, sharing is caring, especially if you know anyone shopping a new phone!

LG G4 Review

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