Software posts

If you hadn’t had a reason to purchase an iPad up to now, this may be the one, guys. VLC is coming (we hope) to the iPad. Well, I mean, it is, but it isn’t. Or, it might. Assuming it’s approved. VLC, as you’re well aware, is inarguably the most ballin’ piece of video playback software available to man or beast, and its expansion to a new platform is more than reason to be excited. Considering the iPad is the world’s greatest device for content consumption, it’s only right it gets the best media player. VLC plays anything. VLC plays any codec you can name. VLC plays VIDEO_TS folders. VLC lets you stream Apple-hardware-only…

It’s the year 1936. The first freely programmable computer — the Z1 — is being produced. With the ability to run programs from punched tape, the idea of desktop applications is forever solidified. This is now the stepping stone for all future computing, and nothing in the foreseeable future can stop it. Until now. It wasn’t too long ago when downloading applications for various operating systems was a daily occurrence for me (as was reinstalling operating systems to rid them of those applications). So imagine my surprise when I realized that I had not downloaded a Mac, Windows, or Linux…

Say what you will about Apple and its ‘walled garden’ – because even if it’s true, it must be a really damn pretty garden. We seem to be liking it just fine. According to Asymco, a Helsinki-based industry analysis advisory firm, both total song and app downloads are on the rise. But the latter especially. Like… really especially. We’re talking more than twice as fast. While it took the iTunes store 5 years to push 6.3 billion songs, the App Store has done it in half the time and, assuming Asymco is on the money and the trend continues, it’ll have the former beat before the year’s end. That’s some kind…

More than a few times, Techi readers have called me out in the comments section about my abuse of the word ‘rad’. Indeed, some have even refused to believe my endorsement or recommendation of a service, product or idea unless I say it. Suffice it to say, it seems to be my catchphrase. But let me tell you about something that isn’t rad. Something that could be rad, but verifiably isn’t. For now. That something is iTunes 10. I literally stayed up all night, moving some new music and fiddling around with the latest version of Apple’s music player, and guys. I have got to say. I’m not impressed. Now, bear in…

It is a dark day when I can wholeheartedly admit that a Justin Bieber song is tickling my fancy in any way, shape or form, let alone being listened to by me. Until yesterday, when this first exploded onto the scene, it was entirely unhip to own up to any degree of Bieberism, but Soundcloud user Shamantis has ensured, at least, that the Canadian eunuch’s music is good for something. Using Paulstretch, an audio editor that specializes in slowing regular music to a grinding halt, Shamantis has taken Bieber’s hit ‘U Smile’ and stretched it to 800% of its normal length – and the result, surprisingly, is one…

It’s as if a million penguins cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. Dell has dropped Ubuntu-loaded machines from their online store – a head-scratching play, considering their original declaration that Ubuntu is safer than Windows. The move comes after Dell posted a totally compelling argument for each operating system on its website, advising that only open source programmers should consider Ubuntu. That’s not completely unwise advice, but it’s not like Ubuntu is an unsolvable puzzlebox, or something. The other bullet point in Dell’s two-bullet-point case for Ubuntu is “choose…

The other day, while digging around for the day’s news, I chose not to cover an iPad app that seemed to be grabbing a bit of attention. This iPad app was Flipboard, the social news doodad that presents your Twitter and Facebook accounts as a sexy analog of print media. ‘So what,’ I said, ‘it’s an app. Whatever.’ Boy, do I have egg on my face. Colour me all kinds of mistaken. Hype for the app has reached a fever pitch, and an ocean of users attempt to log in. ”Due to overwhelming interest,” the app’s error message reads, “we are currently limiting the rate at which we are accepting new Facebook and Twitter…

Quick: how many tabs do you have open right now? FOUR HUNDRED AND TWENTY-NINE?! You have sixty articles you wanted to read and another nine million links you wanted to check from Twitter and Facebook? Oh my. You, my friend, have a problem. But fear not! You are not alone! It’s a problem we all have. Despite the internet’s myriad benefits when it comes to informing and entertaining us, this limitless medium also has a downside. Too. Much. Information. Yep, from email inboxes that gush so uncontrollably it’s like they were designed by BP, to browsers flooded with things you’re ‘going to get to one day’,…

Foursquare’s looking for a search suitor, and Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo are all on board to whisper sweet nothings into the geotagging maiden’s ear. For the remainder of this post, I guess, ‘dollars’ will be referred to as ‘sweet nothings’. If only. Anyway, Foursquare’s dude in charge, Dennis Crowley, recently rapped with the Telegraph about the talks. “Our data generates hugely interesting trends which would enrich search,” Crowley said. “We can anonymize data and use it to show venues which are trending at that moment. Twitter helped the world and the search engines know what people…

Assuming you’re down with this whole ‘the internet’ thing, you’ve probably tripped and fell over this I Write Like site in the last week or so. Thing’s gone viral as hell. I Write Like doesn’t play around – it does exactly what you’d expect, analyzing and comparing writing (presumably, your own) to that of famous authors. Hm? What’s that? Yeah, fine, you go try that out. You already clicked on this article anyway – really, my job is done. But seriously, I Write Like is not without its quirks. Written by Russian programmer Dmitry Chestnykh, IWL appears to have little to do with actual writing style….