Software

The technological upgrades made to several U.S. airlines will not end with cellular paperless boarding passes. For the small fee of 10 dollars, passengers can now purchase in-flight Internet connections. JetBlue Airways was the first carrier to jump ... on board with the project, already offering their customers free email and instant messaging services. Virgin America also has major plans to link wireless technology directly into their back-seat entertainment systems. This would allow passengers not traveling with laptops or smartphones to still be able to transmit messages from the plane. ... (view more)

American broadcast heavy NBC recently launched the beta of a new direct-download initiative, NBC Direct , which offers many of the channel's new hits for free download. While functional and attractive, it doesn't hold up to the competition: NBC. The ... catch, in addition to the randomly-placed ads, is that it doesn't make sense when compared to the near-identical NBC Universal web app, Hulu , not to mention other "options". Unlike Hulu, which offers streaming episodes at any time, NBC Direct offers the ability to download episodes directly to your machine (which you can stream during download), ... (view more)

Although it seems as if everyone was wrong about the Microsoft purchase of Yahoo, there have been a few other notable acquisitions online in the last few weeks. First, there was Google's incorporation of advertising firm DoubleClick, a move that ... should consolidate the big G's hegemonic presence on the web. Now, there's word that major television broadcaster CBS has soaked up Last.fm, a hugely popular Internet radio project. So, what is Last.fm? We all know CBS for its Dan Rathers, corny holiday made-for-TV movies, and CSI crime-o-ramas, but many web users may still be unfamiliar with Last.fm ... (view more)

I've got some *very* exciting news to share today! The folks over at Ashampoo sent me a friendly email today to announce that the beta version of Ashampoo Burning Studio 7 -- their flagship, simple-to-use, feature rich CD / DVD recording program -- ... has now been released! Well, that may not sound too exciting, but read on -- because you won't want to miss this one! Ashampoo: Deal of the Century In order to celebrate the release of their flagship product, the company is offering an extremely generous discount of over 25% off Ashampoo Burning Studio 7 -- but only if you order Burning Studio 7 by ... (view more)

Patronizing is everywhere in the business world. It can happen between any two companies at any time, but there's always one reason behind it: money. Recently, the two competing Internet browsers from Microsoft and Mozilla were released to web users ... across the world. In the weeks since, two of the most popular search engines have "chosen" their favorites, with Yahoo recommending Internet Explorer 7 and Google pushing Firefox 2. The most recent finding is Yahoo's encouragement that searchers use IE7 over the competition. If a user decides to follow the engine's advice, he or she will find that ... (view more)

Here's one for the weird files -- Not only is Victor De Leon synonymous with Halo 2's most prominent game artist, it's also the real name of Halo's tiniest gunslinger. Just recently, reports have surfaced about Halo's 8-year old phenom, "Lil ... Poison," a frag master who is making some serious waves in the gaming world. Little Victor De Leon is officially a professional gamer, and might just be the world's youngest. Although he has to shave down the thumbsticks on his Xbox joystick to use them effectively, the tyke has been kicking arse at Microsoft's flagship game for a few years now. Halo ... (view more)

Without a doubt, the one device capable of interrupting a special, personal moment is Research in Motion's (RIM) Blackberry. The handheld device combines all of your typical PDA abilities, including: phone, schedule, email, and other features ... exclusively designed to ruin vacations. As if the Blackberry hadn't become popular enough with the world's VIPs, RIM has now unveiled a slimmer, sexier phone dubbed the "Pearl". Whether you're CEO of Best Buy or just digital media supervisor, the Blackberry has become a useful tool for every ambitious businessperson. The Pearl is meant to appeal to more ... (view more)

For the past few months, users around the world have become engrossed with an American home-schooled teenager named Bree who has been posting video blogs via YouTube.com under the screen name "lonelygirl15." There's just one problem -- Lonelygirl15 ... is not an American home-schooled teenager named Bree. Rather, lonelygirl15 is a Kiwi actress named Jessica Rose, and the scheme was the brainchild of independent filmmakers from California. (Source: theinquirer.com ) Lonelygirl15 has posted 30 videos over the past few months, discussing various topics such as her strict parents, sneaking out to ... (view more)

The Commodore 64, once the gaming system of choice in the 1980s (before the Nintendo Entertainment System boom), is now being connected to one of the strangest kidnapping cases in recent history. Across the pond in Austria, police are struggling to ... piece together the motivation of Wolfgang Priklopil, who held preteen Natascha Kampusch captive for a horrific eight long years. The main obstacle might be the aforementioned Commodore, which Priklopil used extensively. (Source: theinquirer.net ) In late August, Natascha Kampusch (now 18 years of age) escaped from her kidnapper. Held in a tiny ... (view more)