Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Second hand wedding dresses marketplace.

In these economic times, those looking to save money and do not mind wearing second hand wedding outfits or sell theirs after the big day, there is a growing marketplace for that. Whether you are buying or selling wedding outfits, various Web sites with different policies are available to let you do just that. What they all have in common, is to be a place where sellers and buyers can find each other.
If you are selling your wedding stuffs, your options will be between using a free or pay to list site.
For the first otion, you can choose between OnceWed.com or BravoBride.com.
For people willing to pay to list their items, two Web sites come to mind: PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com and SellYourWeddingDress.com.
Either way, all these sites require that you register and agree to the terms of service.

For more , see WallStreetJournal.com

Monday, June 29, 2009

HP new touchscreen wireless Web capable printer

According to PC World, printer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard is planning the release later this year of a touchscreen inkjet printer that is capable of letting users print documents from the Web without a PC.
Priced at $399 , the printer will allow users to br0wse some specific Web based content on a 4.33-inch touchscreen panel. Some of that content is provided by an initial selected group including Google, USA Today, Coupons.com and DreamWorks Animation.
Additionally, users will be able to print or upload photos directly to HP's Snapfish photo-sharing and printing service.
The company will also provide applications so that users can personalize Web-based content such as coupons and calendars that can then be printed. Users will also be able to print customized news from USA Today based on their interests, HP said. Users will not be able to print articles from newspapers other than USA Today, but support for more sites and content will be added over time.
The wireless printer will also print pictures from PCs and the iPhone through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and like other all-in-one printers, it will also copy, scan and fax documents.

For more, see pcworld.com

Friday, June 26, 2009

Personal Finance Tools available Online.

In these tough economic times, people worried about personal finances have now more than ever, the tools to help them better manage them thanks to the Internet.Whether you want to plan a budget or track your spending or investments, there are a host of Web sites that help you do just that and more importantly, most of them are free of charge.
For instance, for budgeting, Web sites like Mint.com, Wesabe.com or Geezeo.com offer basic budgeting tools for those who sign-up with them. By signing with them, you create an account and these sites automatically aggregate all your Online financial data, giving you an bird's eye view on most of your expenses.
And according to the Wall Street Journal that has extensively studied the subject, "these sites will even alert you via email or text message when a bank account is too low or when a credit card is approaching its limit."
Some of these sites, like Geezo or Wesabe, also offer a social-network aspect that allow users to share tips and advices, the Journal reports.
Moving beyond budgeting and onto financial planning, a number of Web sites like SimpliFi.net, Planwithvoyant.com or Basic.esplanner.com offer different tools of various sophistication.
For people wanting to track their investments or just in need for more information about investing, the list of options is a long one and some of the most comprehensive are: SocialPicks.com, CakeFinancial com, PortofolioMonkey.com etc.
For investors scared by the recent financial scams and scandals, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or Finra, is the best place to go for tools to help monitor stockbrokers and learn about and avoid frauds.
According to the Wall Street Journal, you can check the professional background of current and former Finra registered securities firms and brokers, as well as find any regulatory complaints or customer disputes at Finra.org/BrokerCheck.
The Securities and Exchange Commission offers a similar tool for information about investment-adviser firms, at Adviser-info.sec.gov .

For more, see Wall Street Journal.com

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Skyfire is a fast mobile Web browser.

Looking for a fast Web browser that can run Flash videos and therefore give you access to sites you could not open before? Skyfire, a mobile browser in its beta or test phase, may be the answer.
People who have tested it, are blown away by its speed which they say is faster than any built-in browser in the market, and even faster than the popular Opera browser.
Although it works for both Windows and Symbian operating systems enabled phones, Skyfire browser seems more suited for smartphones.
It is free and downloadable at Skyfire.com

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Career Builder asks the public to create Super Bowl Ads.

Last month, Career Builder, the Web jobs site lunched a contest asking the public to create 25- second commercials for the company. The entries will compete for a chance to run during next year Super Bowl in February with a grand prize of $100,000 for the winner and $50,000 for the first place finish.
Potential contestants have until July 3 2009 to enter their videos. A special Web site, hire mytvad.com has been created just for the contest.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Google plans to sell E-Books.

According to the New York Times, following discussions last month with publishers, Google is leaning towards introducing its own e-book program that would enable publishers to sell digital versions of their latest books directly to consumers through Google.
As opposed to Amazon's, Google e-book program is planing to let publishers set their own prices.
Another difference from Amazon's e-book program, will be the option offered to consumers to read books on the device of their choice, as long it has Internet access.
The new program is set to start by the end of this year.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Garmin Oregon 550 is a hand held GPS that can snap photos.


Garmin's Oregon 550 combines rugged outdoor touchscreen navigation with a 3.2 megapixel digital camera. Add high-sensitivity GPS, barometric altimeter, 3-axis electronic compass and microSD™ card slot. The result? A multipurpose device that will make your biggest adventures even more memorable.
According to the New York Times, the Garmin’s $500 Oregon 550 can snap photos and geotag them.
The Oregon 550 is a waterproof hand-held device that’s perfect for hikers, bikers, backpackers and boaters. Its camera offers four-times digital zoom and 850 megabytes of internal memory; it also includes a microSD slot for additional photo storage. Every photo is automatically geotagged with the precise location where it was taken.
The Oregon 550 has a three-inch touch screen that Garmin says is readable in bright sunlight, and also includes a built-in compass. The device employs a barometric altimeter that can help you determine altitude (and, Garmin says, be your own weatherman by plotting barometric pressure to predict weather conditions).
The device comes loaded with a worldwide base map and enables you to add maps (via the microSD slot) that meet your navigational needs, including street maps that offer turn-by-turn directions and maps for rivers, lakes and oceans.
Garmin also unveiled the Oregon 550t, a $600 version of the navigator that is loaded with topographic data for the continental United States and a worldwide base map with shaded relief.


For more, see NYTimes.com

Friday, June 19, 2009

Virgin and Universal offer unlimited music downloads.

To help with struggling sales and illegal music download, two major players in the industry, Virgin Media and Universal Music Group have teamed up to offer a new music download subscription service. The service is described by the companies as a first and will allow Virgin Media's broadband customers in Britain to stream and download as many songs and as they like from Universal's catalog for a fee.
Talks are ongoing with other music labels to include their catalogs into the new service due to start later this year.
The music will be available to download in an MP3 format which will give users the ability to listen their selections on a range of devices including iPods, cell phones, PCs and other MP3 players.

For more, see news.yahoo.com

Thursday, June 18, 2009


With the competition heating up in the smart-phone sector, Apple, the maker of iPhone, the market leader, is trying to keep its contenders at bay by offering frequent upgrades of its upstart product. So, just a year after the latest version, Apple is at it again with its new offering of the iPhone called iPhone 3G S.
According to a review in the Wall Street Journal, "it looks the same, but offers more speed, more memory, more battery life and a few new features, including video recording and a better camera for still photos."
The new phone comes with a new operating system called OS 3.0, the third version of the iPhone's operating system, and is standard on the 3G S.It can also can be downloaded free on all prior iPhones and Touches models.
Still according to the Wall Street Journal, the new phone " includes a much longer list of added features, some innovative and some long overdue catch-ups to other phones. These include such widely requested capabilities as cut, copy and paste; system wide searching; a wider virtual keyboard; and a feature called MMS that allows users to send photos and videos directly to other phones without using email."
To maintain its market share if not increase it, Apple made the decision to sell the new phone at last year model's price -$199- , and cut that model's price by half. The new phone is slated to go on sale June 19 starting at $199 for a version with 16 gigabytes of memory, and $299 for 32 gigabytes.
A two year contract with AT&T is still required and current iPhone 3G owners eligible for upgrade can do so at the current new price up until September 30.
For more, see WSJ.com

Wednesday, June 17, 2009


Early this month, Sony announced it's plan to introduce a new version of its hand-held PlayStation Portable console this fall.
The new version, called the PSP Go, is scheduled to debut in the United States and Europe in October and cost $249. The unit is smaller, lighter and more expensive than the current version, the PSP-3000, which costs $169.
While previous versions of the PSP have games stored on small optical discs, the PSP Go is meant to download games and store them in its internal memory. The bottom of the console slides out from the main body to reveal game-control buttons.
Sony said it would continue to manufacture and support the PSP-3000 even as it aimed the new version at Internet-savvy consumers who prefer to shop for their entertainment online

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Palm Pre is an worthy alternative to Apple's iPhone.


The long-awaited Palm Pre lived up to the hype when it launched on June 6 with a responsive touchscreen and an engaging interface along with the company's much anticipated webOS operating system.
The Palm Pre which has had some buzz built up since its splashy lunch in January, isn't perfect but definitively does not disappoint.
The Palm Pre smartphone retails for $200 and comes with a two-year contract from Sprint .
For more, see engadget.com

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Windows 7 to be released sooner on October 22.

Moving ahead of schedule, Microsoft Corp announced last week that its much anticipated new operating system called Windows 7 , will be available in stores on October 22 to replace its often maligned current one, Vista.
Quoting Yahoo tech, by October 22, people will be able to buy new computers with Windows 7 installed, or pick up the software off the shelf to install on their old computer
Also, Microsoft confirmed that it will run a program whereby people who buy PCs with certain versions of Vista before October 22 can get a free upgrade to Windows 7, but it has not yet released details, nor any information on prices.

For more, see PCadvisor.com

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

A competition for Kindle e-reader is coming soon.

Plastic Logic, a 10 years old little known company founded by two Cambridge professors, just revealed the prototype of a new e-reader the size of the jumbo Kindle DX. It is extremely thin, has no keyboard, but does have a touch screen that displays a tool-bar along one edge and tabs for recently read books and documents. The device is WI-FI ready and will come with 3G cellular connectivity and users can turn the pages with the flick of a finger. The company said the device is designed mainly for business users and an e-commerce site which will allow owners to buy books, magazines and newspapers, is in its testing phase.
The device is set for release early next year and the company has not settled on a sale price yet.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Sirius radio coming to iPhone.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Sirius radio is planing to unveil an iPhone application in the coming weeks; a Blackberry version is already available. According to the WSJ, few details are shared about the new application but chances are that it will be a subscription based service. So for now and in the foreseeable future, one of the only options out there to get free and customizable music online, remain with services like Inernet radio Pandora.com.

Monday, June 8, 2009

New Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online game by EA Sports.

For the first time in the U.S., video game publisher Electronics Arts Inc just introduced an online version of the popular Tiger Woods golf game in what may be a subscription only version. As of now, it is in beta form and is expected to be available in the fall. People interested in testing the new game, can sign up to do so at Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online .

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Microsoft's Xbox 360 to broaden its appeal to non gamers.

Microsoft announced on Monday its plan to position its Xbox 360 game console beyond die hard video game players, to serve as a pass way to social networking sites, television shows or movies for the average consumer.
According to the New York Times, Microsoft is forging new relationships with social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as well as satellite television provider Sky of Britain.
"Facebook users would be able to access their profiles and share photos on their television through the Xbox Live network and that Twitter devotees would also be able to post and read messages through the service" said the Times. With the Sky deal, Xbox Live users in Britain will be able to watch live television, including professional soccer, over an Internet version of the Sky service still according to the New York Times.

For more, see NYTimes.com

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Google Wave, a new multi conversations service.



Last Thursday, Google announced a new service called Google-Wave designed to be a central place where services like email, instant-messaging and documents sharing can be all accessed by one person working alone or a group working collaboratively.
According to the Wall Street Journal," the service, will allow users to start a conversation, called a "wave," and to invite their contacts to join it. Any member of the wave can put photos, notes or other content into the group, which updates in near-real time...Participants can scroll through the wave and see what content has been added to it."
The service which is to be open-source, is in its early developments stages and is slated to be released to the general public later this year.
For more, see mashable.com

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Sony music back catalog available on eMusic.

On Monday, Sony Music Entertainment and eMusic.com, an online music subscription download site, have agreed to make Sony's back catalog of songs more than two years old, available on the the Internet company Website.
As part of the deal, eMusic plans to raise its subscription prices slightly and to limit the number of download allowed, according to NYTimes.com.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Airline tickets booking fees to be eliminated by Travelocity and Orbitz.

After a promotional period which started in March and following the examples of Expedia.com to get rid of the practice for good, online travel agencies Travelocity.com and Orbitz.com plan to announce the permanent elimination of airline ticket booking fees today according to the Wall Street Journal.
However, those fees ranging from $7 to $12 per ticket, will remain on flights not originating from the U.S., Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.
Still according to the Wall Street Journal, another change to be introduced by Travelocity on Monday, is the move to make its program called PriceGuardian, permanent. Under that program, Travelocity promises to refund between $10 and $500 if another Travelocity customer buys the same package at a lower price at a later date.

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