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Filed under: Utilities, Windows, Troubleshooting

Teamviewer 5 beta gets faster, adds voice and video conferencing


I've been running TeamViewer as my go-to remote support app for a couple years now, and I don't see myself switching any time soon. It's fast, requires no configuration, and the additions of the Flash-based web viewer and partner list in version 4 were solid upgrades to an already good app.

Version 5 is now ready for beta testing, and it looks like Teamviewer is once again set for some solid new features and yet another boost in speed.

In addition to getting quicker, Teamviewer 5 now includes a major communications improvement. You're no longer limited to text-based chatting - v5 supports voice and video chat. Quality is good - about on par with Skype in my testing. It's still at the mercy of your ISP, of course, so the more bandwidth you have at your disposal, the better it will work.

Besides being a great app for remote support, Teamviewer evolved into an excellent screen-sharing and presentation tool in v4 and has just got even better with v5.

You can download the TeamViewer 5 beta right now and take it for a spin. As with previous releases, you can expect version 5 to be free for personal use, and there will be a portable version available as well.

Filed under: Fugly Friday

Fugly Friday: Carnage UK, best viewed when drunk -- blind drunk

Truly hideous - Carnage UK website. Does not do the blinking bits justice.
It probably says an awful lot that after spending ten (10) minutes on Carnage UK's website... I still don't know what they do exactly. I think they arrange wet t-shirt contests or something -- binge-drinking, wet t-shirt events for students in the UK.

Either way, their brutal, eye-gouging monstrosity is quite possibly the most garish and ugly site I've ever seen. I don't know if it's meant to scare prospective clients off -- or lure a very specific subset of the human species into their lurid, sweaty, drunken grip.

Further research shows that one of their clients/binge-drinking brain-dead student punters recently got into trouble for urinating on a war memorial. Why would I research such a debauched and drunken leper of a domain, I hear you ask? Because really, such a creation must be a front for something truly nefarious -- no one designs such vomit-inducing promotional material with benevolent intentions. No one.

So, if you're looking to get rip-roaringly drunk in the UK and wear 'fancy dress t-shirts', or if you're looking for a good excuse to piss all over our respected and revered military veterans, look no further than Carnage UK.

[Thanks to Irregular Shed (?) for the tip!]

Filed under: Microsoft, Browsers

Internet Explorer 8's SmartScreen blocks 2 million malicious URLs per day

While you might not be a fan of Internet Explorer 8, there's no denying it's a better browser than its predecessors. One key upgrade in IE8 is its improved security and safety features - like SmartScreen.

In case you haven't heard about it before, SmartScreen is designed to keep IE users from wandering onto malicious websites. Sites like those which repeatedly turn up in Facebook scams. And it certainly appears as though SmartScreen is helping, based on what Microsoft's Dean Hachamovitch posted on the MSDN blog.

According to Dean, SmartScreen blocks more than 2 million malicious URLs every day.

If you have friends or family who swear by IE but still haven't upgraded to version 8, this might be just the thing to change their mind. After all, is there anyone who doesn't want a little added security when they're browsing the web?

Filed under: OS Updates, Google, Open Source

Dell snuggles up to Google Chrome OS, offers customized download for its Mini 10V


In a display of surprising tenacity, Dell have gone ahead and distributed a customized version of Chrome OS for the Dell Mini 10V! Lilputing are reporting that all the necessary hardware support has been added, so in theory you could just whack the Chrome OS image onto a memory stick and boot it up right now!

Mind you, the image is 8GB so this is probably only of interest to enthusiasts -- but hey, it's nice to see a company like Dell catering towards that demographic for once, eh?

You'll need to follow the instructions on the Lilputing article to get the image mounted and ready to go, but it seems simple enough! You could be playing with Chrome OS this afternoon, while nibbling away on cold-turkey sandwiches...

[via Lilputing / Chrome OS image direct download]

Filed under: Video, Mobile, Android

Watch Ustream over wi-fi or 3G on your Android device

Android users have been able to broadcast video to Ustream.tv for a couple of months now, but there was no way to watch Ustream shows on your Android phone until now. Ustream Viewer has just hit the Android Market, allowing for free, unlimited on-the-go viewing of the popular video site.

Ustream Viewer will work over either wi-fi or 3G. The iPhone version of Ustream Viewer has been around since early this year, but Android still has the advantage, because Broadcaster is Android-only. It's not that the 3GS can't stream video, it's that Apple has been rejecting streaming apps. Mark this one down under "Droid Does," I suppose.

[via TechCrunch]



Pie Guy shows off the power of iPhone web apps

Neven Mrgan, a developer at Panic, as well as the co-creator of the popular Birdfeed Twitter client, has just released a fascinating new iPhone game. It's called Pie Guy, and the gameplay is reminiscent of classic Pac Mac games. You won't find Pie Guy in the App Store, though, because it's a web app. You can even add it to your home screen and play it offline. The game is fairly fun, but the ...

MOG announces All Access music subscription service

Up until now, MOG has existed as sort of a music blog network and news source, but starting on December 2nd, it's also going to be Napster-like music subscription service. MOG All Access will be a $5/mo subscription service that provides unlimited access to MOG's music library. The MOG music service offers personal playlists, but it also incorporates elements from existing music services. You can ...

Seven Mininova and Pirate Bay Alternatives to fend off P2P withdrawal

The Pirate Bay's torrents have gone forever and Mininova's turned legal. With the dams shattered you can be damn sure that other sites will now follow in their footsteps and shut down -- or go legal. But you -- and the draconian piracy lobby groups -- should be well aware by now that you can't stop piracy, you can only displace traffic from one site or service to another. Napster shuts down; ...

Black Friday software deals you can score online

This weekend signals the beginning of holiday shopping craziness in the U.S., and there's no shortage of deals to be had. We're scouring web sites around the 'net to find discount prices on games, apps, and operating systems - if you've found some, share them in the comments! Be sure to check back, we'll be updating this post as we find more savings to pass along! Applications and Operating ...

My iPhone is jailbroken - is it insecure?

There has been a lot of attention given to some recent iPhone hacks that potentially affect users of jailbroken iPhones, especially now that a malicious attack has been discovered. If you've jailbroken your phone, and you are worried about whether you are potentially vulnerable, here's a simple answer: If you have not installed OpenSSH (or any other SSH package), you are not vulnerable to the ...

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The World's Hardest Game 2.0 - Time Waster

So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do. Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...

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