Windows Vista is set to launch by january 2007.There has been alot of hype about the new features and improvements made by microsoft .The dreaded five years wait has produced a worthy system in the eyes of many but not revolutionary enough for some.

PC World has accquired a copy of the windows vista operating system and has included some insights into the added features compared to its predecessors.These screenshots simply highlight the many features to look forward to in windows vista.

From the first look,Vista seems to be a real eye candy much like the MAC operating system.Many even argue that microsoft has simply copied several of the features found in the mac interface.One of the key features in the new editon is the extended support for gadgets like clocks,stock tickers,RSS Feeds and much more.

[More Info at PCWORLD]

With the recent purchase of YouTube by Google,it’s set to be offered in cell phones. Verizon wireless users will be able to use YouTube along with their cellphones.The service is set to launch by early next month.

Full features of YouTube will not be available on the mobile service.Instead a portion of the videos available at the YouTube website will be approved by the company to be viewed.

The service is being offered to only those verizon costumers currently subscribing to the vcast feature.This service alone costs $15 dollars a month.

YouTube would be a great edition to the mobile network offered by verizon. However,the inability of users to view the videos of their choice would greatly limit the success of this feature.

[via New York Times]

Google has several abilities that are not commonly known to its users.Most google users are aware of some of the many tricks for google searching but not all.Previously I have posted some of the many ways to effectively increase your search accuracy.

Other than the ability to search the web,google has certain additional features that I find useful.Here I have taken the time to compile a list of my favorite google shortcuts.

»Get information about a vehicle:

Typing in the Vehicle Identification Number(VIN) in the search box would provide a link to view information about that specific vehicle at carfax.com 

»Track Packages from FEDEX,United Parcel Service or United Postal Service:

Typing in the tracking number along with the packaging service in the search field would result in a link directing you to the website specifically tracking the package.Example:search google by typing “fedex 999444666222″ without the quotes in the search box.

»Find a U.S Phone Number or Address:

Typing in the name of a person or buisness along with the state,city, or zip code in the search box would result in a link listing the phone book results. An example of a search would be “Bill gates Washington” without the quotes.

»Find Stock Quote of a company:

Enter one or more NYSE, NASDAQ, AMEX, or mutual fund ticker symbols and Google will return the latest stock price (with a 15-minute delay for NASDAQ or a 20-minute delay for AMEX and NYSE), along with an intra-day chart, the daily high and low, the volume traded, the company’s market capitalization, as well as a link to other financial information. An example of a search using a ticker symbol would be “goog” without the quotes.

»Find information about a product using the UPC code:

Typing in the UPC code of a product inside the search field will show a link providing information about the product listed under that upc code.

»Use Google for making calculations:

Google can be used as a calculator.It’s not an advanced calculator but it can do some basic functions such as addition,distance convertions,and evaluating mathamatical expressions.

Basic addition would be something like 20+30+90

Distance convertion would be something like “20mph in kph”(no quotes)

An example of a mathamatical expression would be:(G * mass of earth)/(radius of earth^2)

[More Info]

If you have been using google gmail,you are aware of the difficulties of managing mutiple accounts.Tyler hall of sitening.com has recently switched to using gmail and have tweaked it to best suit his needs.Basically he wanted a quick method to view his work inbox and send email.

He created a greasemonkey script for firefox called work buttons to accomplish this task.The script adds two new buttons to the upper top bar of your gmail interface.The two new buttons link his main account to his work email account for easy accessibility.

In order for the script to function you would need to install the greasemonkey extension and ofcourse be running firefox.Simply install the script and follow the instructions mentioned in the script itself.

Download Script       [More info]

Often publishers of PDF files do not take into count the basic idea behind creating pdf files for the web.When creating pdf files you are trying to make them easily accessible.There are many tips that can be used to help optimize your pdf files for web use.If implemented correctly pdf files can even increase your site traffic significantly.

I am still suprised to find that many people out there still do not realize that google bot can crawl and index pdf files.In fact google claims that pdf files are second most common filetype in their database after html files.

Other than google itself,major search engines including yahoo and msn are capable of indexing pdf files.If you have any doubts regarding this information,just enter a query such as SEO filetype:PDF in google,which will display results containing the PDF format. 

When creating PDF files to be used in your website or blog,you should keep in mind some of these tips:

»Limit the size of your pdf files to be as small as possible.Keep in note a large portion of the web is still using traditional dial up lines. 

»Create pdf files using programs that are completely text based, instead of graphic based ones such as photoshop.Photoshop converts your pdf files into a image file,which can be a hassle for search engines to crawl. 

»Place a link to your pdf on your homepage for easy crawling by spiders.Visibility is everything in search engine optimization,so you want your files available at a page you know is crawled regularily.

»You should also place a link to your website inside the pdf file for visitors seeking more information about you.This could in fact turn that viewer into a regular visitor to your site.

»If you are placing images inside pdf files,you should provide a caption for each image.This helps search engines better index your page.However, avoid using alot of images inorder to preserve your file size.There are ways to compress the size of pdf files using various programs.I really haven’t tried using any of these tools.

»You should always add keywords relating to your topic in the document properties.

Using these simple tips could bring about significant results in the accessability of your pdf files.

The make blog has an interesting post regarding a visual guide made with Comic Life, which is a comic book creation software for the mac.Lock picking has produced a large amount of enthusiasts,who come together and share their knowlege of Lock Picking.It is described as being a fun/challenging hobby and some even go to the degree of claiming it as a sport.

This comic verson is simply a brief introduction to the art of lock picking by Locksport International.It shows a visual step by step guide into picking locks.The comic is catagorized into chapters from introduction to locks,various picking methods,necessary tools and even a membership application to join Locksport International.

In my view,Lock picking would be fun to do,but not to the degree of my complete devotion.However,I wouldn’t mind picking couple of locks for fun.

Download Guide (PDF)      

Talkonaut is a java client that can be installed into your mobile phone to allow you to access Google talk.It is a completely free application that can be used to extent the abilities of Gtalk2VOIP,a service that enables google talk users to make phone calls around the world for cheap rates.

Talkonaut is compatible with almost any J2ME complient device.This applications can be used with any jabber account such as Google Talk. Using Talkonaut you may now talk from your mobile to other Google Talk or MSN/Live Messenger users or even to any SIP phone.You may even make VOIP calls to any mobile or landline phones using the application.

At present, Talkonaut utilizes “callback” technique to make voice calls. This means, when it is necessary,GTalk2VoIP gateway is utilized by the system to call back to your mobile phone, then to your recipient, afterwards it merges two voice calls in one.This seems to be similar to the way “Click to call” feature functions in Google Maps.

All though instant messages through the service is free,SMS and voice calls have to be paid.Another point to note is that IM voice calls and calls to SIP phones are free.There is also a official list of supported handsets at the website, which is constanstly updated.

[Download Talkonaut]    [via:Google operating system]