The Good NET Guide

Posts Tagged ‘program’

If you’re a photographer and use a Mac, chances are you’re using Lightroom or Aperture. Probably Lightroom, since Aperture is less popular among pros — and the latest version seems to be an acknowledgment of that. The features added in version 3 are clearly intended to draw casual shooters using iPhoto to the paid image editing honey pot.

Since so many of these amazing new features are direct side-loads from iPhoto, it smooths the process and makes the program as a whole more approachable, though whether existing Aperture users will find them helpful is questionable. Brushes, on the other hand, are a welcome addition to any photographer’s toolset, and depending on how dedicated you are, may be worth the price of admission.

Continue reading…

Augmented reality app Layar hit the App Store in October 2009, only to be withdrawn by the eponymous Dutch developer of the program a month later due to repeated crashes reported by users.

It’s been quiet since, but an update for the app just popped up on my iPhone, with the concise and crystal clear description: “We’re back!”.

Pretty huge news in our book: Skype has published a free mobile application for Symbian in the Ovi Store, basically enabling over 200 million Nokia handset users to easily download the program and start making free Skype-to-Skype calls from their phones.

If I were a carrier, I’d probably be feeling rather nervous right now - and / or infuriated.

Skype for Symbian, which you can also download the app straight from the Skype website, will run on any Nokia smartphone using Symbian^1, the latest version of the Symbian platform.

So you’re in a submarine, safe beneath the ocean waves. You’re pretty safe, right

Here is the original:
Things That Can Kill You In the Ocean, Part XII: Sea Drones

This evening Y Combinator opened up applications for its Summer 2010 round, marking what will be the fifth anniversary of the program, which has funded 171 startups to date. This round is bringing an important change: the program calendar has been moved up by a month, which means that startups will find out if they’ve been accepted at nearly the same time that they’ll hear back from competing programs like TechStars and DreamIt Ventures.

The move stems from the growing competition between Y Combinator, which pioneered the startup mentorship model, and similar programs that have sprung up in its wake. Last March, Y Combinator issued an advisory to prospective applicants warning them of exploding term sheet offers from some of these competitors. These exploding term sheets are nullified within a day or two, which forces startups to quickly decide if they’d like to accept the offer. Because Y Combinator’s acceptance dates have historically been later than those of some competitors, this led to some startups joining programs that may not have been their first choice.

It’s worth pointing out that Y Combinator itself encourages startups to make up their minds quickly once they’ve received a funding offer. But YC founder Paul Graham says that the program will give startups more time if they have a reason for needing it, and that they’ve never used exploding termsheets.

Companies that have been accepted to Y Combinator will be notified the weekend of March 26-29. TechStars will be extending their offers on March 28. And DreamIt Ventures will make offers between March 25-31.

This session’s application includes one other notable change: startups are being encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible. Before now, half of all applications have been submitted in the last two days before the deadline as founders work to polish their applications. This time, the YC team will be reviewing applications earlier and interacting with founders before the deadline, so it’s in your best interest to apply as early as possible. Applications are due by March 3.

“This will be the most important thing I’ve ever done” – Steve Jobs, referring to the soon-to-be-launched Apple Tablet.

We haven’t heard this first hand, but we’ve heard it multiple times second and third hand from completely independent sources. Senior Apple execs and friends of Jobs are telling people that he’s about as excited about the upcoming Apple Tablet as he’s ever been. Coming from the man who has created so much, that’s saying something.

If Steve Jobs thinks the iPhone was just a warm up act to this device, I can’t wait to see what it can do. As if our expectations weren’t already set high enough. We’ll all know a lot more this Wednesday.

You’ve probably heard about the BMW Mini E lease program — 500 or so of the little buggers were let into the wild to be given real-life, long-term testing by regular people.

See more here:
BMW expanding its electric presence with Active-E leases

Bungie has done a great job of making fans salivate over Halo: Reach by keeping most the aspects of the game under wraps. Thus far, all the info we have been able to discern has come from the trailers which Bungie released–until now.

Original post: 
Everything you need to know about Halo: Reach

Ever tried to get rid of an old, sack o’ crap computer? It’s not as easy as it sounds. You can’t just throw it in the garbage (legally), charitable organizations have finally realized that it takes more time and effort than it’s worth to refurbish a 486 DX2/66 machine that nobody’s going to use anyway, and dumping the computer at your municipal recycling center often costs a pretty penny.

Original post:
Dell and Goodwill add more free computer recycling drop off sites

True story: About two months back I was walking through my house with the then-new Viliv S7 convertible netbook. I started babbling to my wife while she was tending to the kids about how much I loved this little netbook

Here is the original: 
Review: Viliv S7 Premium