Digsby Installation

* Pidgin- This program, which was formerly known as Gaim, flies under the name Pidgin. Pidgin is an open source instant messaging program that seeks to combine all of your other messengers. Do you have friends on both MSN and AIM? Well that’s no problem because one of Pidgins defining features is its ability to important your friends from both AIM and MSN and let you talk to them simultaneously! Being open source, Pidgin is completely free and has an army of mod developers who are constantly developing upgrades that you can optionally download. Pidgin is compatible with either a Windows of Linux OS.

* Trillian- One of the first cross-networking instant messaging networks, Trillian is still a favorite that’s slowly losing popularity, but it’s not dead yet. Trillian is expecting a huge rebirth with the release of Trillian Astra which boasts to have over 400 new features for its users. Coupled with the fact that Trillian is completely free of cost this creates for a powerful incentive to use Trillian. Trillian is currently available for Windows and will soon be starting its beta testing for Mac OSX.

* Digsby- The newest competitor the instant messaging front, Digsby is bringing something a little different to its users. Digsby has integrated Facebook, as well as Myspace into its instant messaging service while also including email capabilities. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one program for messaging, social networking and emailing? Digsby thinks so. Digsby currently has a Windows release out and is working on both a Mac and Linux release.

* Adium- What list would be complete without mentioning at least one messaging program that is native to OSX? Adium is extremely similar to Pidgin because you can develop plug-ins for it creating a very heavy mod community. Also like Pidgin, Adium strives to sync all of your favorite instant messaging programs together by offering you one networking solution. Adium is currently only available to Mac OSX users.

While these products may have not reached any highly publicized success, they’re gaining popularity by the minute because they’re so much more effective than AIM and MSN. You owe it to yourself to try these instant messaging programs because they’re completely free, and I guarantee that you will like them more than your other messenger.

Photo Credits: adria.richards

Originally posted 2009-10-27 03:39:25.

Twitter

Facebook

By far the most popular social networking site currently, Facebook is currently holding onto a user base of millions of people. Why are people so interested in Facebook though? Facebook allows users to become connected with their friends, family, school and community by joining groups, posting messages and adding friends to their personal account. You’re able to add your picture when you make an account and add details about who you’re as a person. This is an ideal way to keep up with old friends and even to meet new friends over a website. Facebook has even created an app for the ever popular iPhone, which has been downloaded and is currently being used by over 1.5 million people.

MySpace

MySpace is the second most popular social networking site after Facebook according to the complete.com rankings. Like Facebook, MySpace offers its users with the ability to locate friends, family and schools and join up in groups and have discussions. MySpace offers more customization when it comes to its personal profiles because it allows you to custom its CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) which allow you to embed music, videos and even change the color of your profile. This customization has received both praise and criticism by users. Despite these features, MySpace lags behind Facebook in terms of total users.

Twitter

The newest competitor to enter the social networking arena, twitter is a much different experience than Facebook and MySpace. Instead of having long discussions and near message boards like on Facebook, Twitter offers its users the ability to create short messages that can be read by anyone. This has led to many celebrities and notable people leaving messages of their daily happenings by sending a Twitter update through their phone. These constant updates, combined with the fact that you can follow an individual, make for a powerful social network.

Social networking is clearly the way of the future in terms of online communication. It’s free, it works, and most important it’s fun. So what’s stopping you from starting your free account and networking with your friends?

Photo Credits: Mykl Roventine

Originally posted 2009-10-28 03:50:27.

Got parts?

Building your own computer has become more and more common as the economy has forced us to look for cheaper solutions. Where can I buy computer parts though? Is it cheaper online or offline? The answer is that it’s definitely cheaper to buy computer parts online from many of the trusted companies. This article will introduce you to 3 companies that have notable reputations among online computer component buyers.

Newegg.com

Newegg is the premier stop for all of your computer part needs. With warehouses located all over the country, Newegg is able to offer great prices and shipping times on any parts you may need. Notable advantages to buying from Newegg include there Newegg Deals, mail-in rebates and great prices. That’s why they’ve declared their slogan “Once you know, you Newegg”. Newegg has over 26000 reviews on resellerratings.com and a 9.85/10 rating and an A rating on the Better Business Bureau website (BBB). If you’re looking for a highly reliable and popular website, look no further than Newegg.com.

Tigerdirect.com

A competitor of Newegg, Tigerdirect has become another popular website to buy anything from computer parts to TVs. Tigerdirect offers back to school specials that students may find especially appealing as they’re much discounted. In addition to offering discounts for students, Tigerdirect often has deals on parts and sets just like Newegg. Like Newegg, Tigerdirect often includes mail-in rebates on many of their products saving you money. Tigerdirect has 6000 reviews with a 9.16/10 rating on resellerratings.com as well as an A rating from the BBB.

NCIX.com

NCIX.com is a lesser known vendor, but that doesn’t mean it is any less powerful than Newegg or Tigerdirect. A defining feature of NCIX.com is the ability to create your computer and pay an extra $50 to have NCIX assemble it for you. This makes NCIX the choice for casual buyers who don’t understand how to put a computer together. NCIX often has specials of the week or month that offer lower prices on pre-built computers, and even bundle deals for certain computer components. NCIX has 600 reviews with a 9.76/10 rating on reseller ratings and an A rating from the BBB.

When build your own computer, these three websites can offer you any parts you need as well as fantastic service. You can also take advantage of their great deals and services such as computer building making them a much better choice than going to your local computer vendor.

Photo Credits: ctitze

Originally posted 2009-11-18 03:55:07.

Rocketdock.

So you have a Windows computer and wish it was as flashy and cool as a Mac? Don’t worry, there are many ways you can spruce up your desktop quickly and easily that will give you the look you desire. This article will outline five awesome pieces of software that can give you an extremely customized experience.

* RocketDock- RocketDock is described on its website as an “application launcher” and gives a great feel of a Mac and essentially can eliminate the need for a taskbar and desktop icons. It can be used to launch any program by ‘docking’ them into your dock and can also put them into organized groups making for quick and easy use. Even windows can be minimized to the dock in any custom fashion. With a great modding community and completely free of charge, RocketDock is one of the best ways to liven up your desktop.

* Windows Sidebar- Windows Sidebar is a new addition to the Windows OS that appears in Vista and Windows 7. By default Windows Sidebar comes with a clock, calendar, and a few other ‘widgets’ that can be docked onto the side of your desktop. The power behind Windows Sidebar is that it has a huge community of widget creators that have made anything from digital clocks to widgets that can increase your computers fan speed. Windows Sidebar is free to use as long as you have a Windows Vista or 7.

* Rainy’s- Rainmeter is a customizable meter that can list many of the performance and specifications of your computer. You can set Rainmeter to display the current amount of memory left on your hard drive, or the load that is currently being put onto your CPU. The data can be posted numerically or graphically in a histogram or bar graph. Rainy’s is completely free of charge and can be further customized by the user.

* ObjectDock- A competitor of RocketDock, what could ObjectDock possibly change to make it worth your while? ObjectDock follows a similar example of using docks to organize programs and weather like widgets onto a dock. It’s praised for its high customization and great support by its company Stardock. ObjectDock is completely free, but limited unless you pay the $20 to upgrade to ObjectDock Plus. It’s well worth it, however, because ObjectDock is a very attractive program.

Keep in mind that many of these programs aren’t mutually exclusive and can be used in conjunction with each other to create a very powerful desktop. Be careful when combining too many to make sure you’re not eating up too much of your computers ram. Surely one of these programs can help you get a feel you desire

Photo Credits: worthe

Originally posted 2009-11-11 03:28:46.

Google Search

1. Google-Google is the search engine giant, in fact they’ve had such success with their search engine that they’re able to start competing in the realms of internet browsers, and they’re even making an operating system! Google even offers what’s considered to be the best email service on the net today. Gmail or Google Mail is praised for its easy to use interface and storage space. Google’s search engine has the highest number of available hits for your searches, meaning that it will bring up the most relevant pages based on what you enter to search for. Google also offers special translation and phrase searching which will further increase the productivity during use.

2. Yahoo!-Google’s largest competitor, Yahoo! is a very successful search engine that has the next largest number of available ‘web objects’ after a Google search. Yahoo has notable features such as Yahoo! Shortcuts which are designed to help you find the information you need by splitting categories up into commonly sought out information. Examples of Yahoo! Shortcuts include sports scores and the weather. Like Google, Yahoo! has ventured beyond just a search engine and offers you a myriad of devices from Yahoo! Mail an emailing service to an instant messaging service.

3. Bing-Bing is the newest player in the search engine business, being developed by software giant Microsoft to compete with Google. Many critics questioned what Bing could do differently to make the switch from Google to Bing, but thus far Microsoft has delivered creating an easy to use and efficient search engine. Bing allows you to narrow down your searches like never before and separates your searches into easy to understand categories such as general, video and image searches.

There is no correct answer to what the best search engine is. You can be sure though that there are many choices for you to choose from. Google, Yahoo!, and Bing all offer unique experiences that should all be tried before passing final judgment. They’re all free, after all.

Photo Credits: Bramus!

Originally posted 2009-10-29 03:53:46.

Firefox

1. It’s not a memory hog- One of the biggest complaints against Firefox 2 was the fact that if it was left open it continued to eat memory until you were forced to shut it down. Mozilla has addressed these complaints by making Firefox 3 an even more efficient browser than leading competitor Internet Explorer!

2. It’s Secure- The biggest gripe people have against browsers like Internet Explorer is that it seems like there is nothing going on to protect the user, but this isn’t the case with Firefox 3. If a website you’re visiting is seen as potentially dangerous Firefox will alert you that the website you are visiting has malware or may even be trying to steal information from your computer. It should be noted though that no matter what browser you’re using that you’re not immune to scamming, spyware, or virus breaches.

3. Plug-ins- Plug-ins are custom modifications that can be added to your Firefox 3 client. This means that you’re essentially creating your own custom browser. Plug-ins can affect anything from general appearance to actual features that you can interact with. Firefox is also open source meaning that anyone who knows how can develop a custom plug-in and share it with the world.

4. It’s simple- One of the best things about Firefox when you compare it to Internet Explorer is how simple it is. When you open up the browser there isn’t any clutter and everything is located exactly where you think it should be. With such an intuitive interface that can be modified by plug-ins it’s hard to find fault with Firefox’s simple approach.

5. It’s free-That’s right, this upgrade over the default Internet Explorer browser that is included with your computer is absolutely free. While most browsers are free, none of them are nearly as powerful or as customizable as Firefox.

With features like this it isn’t hard to think that Mozilla is taking users away from Microsoft. So what are you waiting for? Try Mozilla’s Firefox 3 and see if it’s right for you!

Photo Credits: nate steiner

Originally posted 2009-11-03 03:23:01.