A
Ablang
July 12th, 2006
Download This: Stay Connected
Assoc. Editor Laura Blackwell
These days, it's all about staying connected. Sometimes you're stuck
at
your desk and you need to ask someone an urgent question. Sometimes
you're on unfamiliar turf and you need a guide. This month, we look at
an improved instant messenger and a Wi-Fi service that helps you find
local businesses from your laptop. Both are as free as air.
Open This Window to Better IM
If you haven't checked out MSN Messenger recently, you're in for a
treat
and a trade-up: Windows Live Messenger. Fresh out of beta, this new
client for Microsoft's instant messaging service adds many
improvements
to an already-excellent piece of software.
MSN Messenger won our IM shootout earlier this year, in competition
against six other programs:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,124187,nl_srxrvw,00.asp
But Windows Live Messenger one-ups its former self on several counts.
It maintains the same clean, uncluttered look but refines it further
with smaller icons and a subtler color palette. Unlike some
hyperactive-looking IM programs, WLM doesn't appear out of place on a
workplace desktop.
WLM introduces new ways to locate and organize your cohorts. A search
box helps you find your contacts. If you know someone better by a name
other than the one they use as their handle, you can enter that name
(or
even just a few letters of it) into the search box, and WLM will pull
it
up for you. Better still, once you've found the screen name, you can
change it to whatever name you'll remember most easily.
My favorite new feature, though, is drag-and-drop file sharing. It's
dead easy to use, and it provides updated information about your
file's
status--waiting for acceptance, then transferring--so you know exactly
when your friend or colleague receives the file. PCWorld.com visitors
say that the new-to-Microsoft offline messaging feature helps them
out,
too:
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/002013.html?tk=nl_srxblg
Windows Live Messenger is free. If you're a regular MSN Messenger
user,
you've probably already received the upgrade. If you're not a regular
user, this new software may persuade you to give the service another
try.
You can check out a screen shot here:
http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/126262-wlm_b.jpg
And download the program here:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,63968,tk,nl_srxd
wn,00.asp
For more Windows add-ons, go to our Info Center:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/infocenter/0,ctrid,6,ic,Windows,tk,nl_sr
xctr,00.asp
Where the Heck Am I Now?
It's just you and your Wi-Fi-enabled notebook on the road--and you're
hungry, lost, and eyeing some gathering thunderclouds with
trepidation.
What to do? Skyhook Wireless offers a free and easy answer with Loki,
a
browser toolbar that pinpoints your location to give you the scoop on
local food, maps, news, traffic conditions, weather, and more.
On the toolbar, a button labeled 'Find Me' locates you with reasonable
accuracy; a Tuner button invites you to fill in a street address for
better results on services. By default, Loki shows maps in Google
Maps,
but you can switch to Windows Live Local, Yahoo Maps, or one of the
other three services that Loki supports.
Likewise, the channels that Loki offers through its Channels button
hail
from multiple sources. For instance, the Nearby HotSpots channel
searches for Boingo, GoogleMob, JiWire, and T-Mobile listings. If the
channels don't address a pressing need, type the object of your desire
into the 'Search locally for' field. Loki gave me solid results on
such
varied search terms as "haircut," "museum," and "comic books."
Loki comes in two flavors--an Internet Explorer plug-in and a Firefox
extension. Both are in beta form at the moment, but I've found the
Firefox version easier to install; the IE version seems a bit buggy.
(Perhaps this explains why the toolbar is named for the Norse god of
mean jokes.)
You can check out a screen shot here:
http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/126262-loki_b.jpg
The IE version is here:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,63283,tk,nl_srxd
wn,00.asp
And here's the Firefox version:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,63941,tk,nl_srxd
wn,00.asp
Have any thoughts on these programs? Want to make us aware of your
favorite software? URLs are welcome, but messages with attached files
will be deleted unread. Write to Laura Blackwell:
downloadthis at pcworld.com
Read Laura Blackwell's regularly published "Download This" columns:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/columnist/0,colid,7,tk,nl_srrsc,00.asp
==
"You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something in your life."
-- Winston Churchill
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 140,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account
Download This: Stay Connected
Assoc. Editor Laura Blackwell
These days, it's all about staying connected. Sometimes you're stuck
at
your desk and you need to ask someone an urgent question. Sometimes
you're on unfamiliar turf and you need a guide. This month, we look at
an improved instant messenger and a Wi-Fi service that helps you find
local businesses from your laptop. Both are as free as air.
Open This Window to Better IM
If you haven't checked out MSN Messenger recently, you're in for a
treat
and a trade-up: Windows Live Messenger. Fresh out of beta, this new
client for Microsoft's instant messaging service adds many
improvements
to an already-excellent piece of software.
MSN Messenger won our IM shootout earlier this year, in competition
against six other programs:
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,124187,nl_srxrvw,00.asp
But Windows Live Messenger one-ups its former self on several counts.
It maintains the same clean, uncluttered look but refines it further
with smaller icons and a subtler color palette. Unlike some
hyperactive-looking IM programs, WLM doesn't appear out of place on a
workplace desktop.
WLM introduces new ways to locate and organize your cohorts. A search
box helps you find your contacts. If you know someone better by a name
other than the one they use as their handle, you can enter that name
(or
even just a few letters of it) into the search box, and WLM will pull
it
up for you. Better still, once you've found the screen name, you can
change it to whatever name you'll remember most easily.
My favorite new feature, though, is drag-and-drop file sharing. It's
dead easy to use, and it provides updated information about your
file's
status--waiting for acceptance, then transferring--so you know exactly
when your friend or colleague receives the file. PCWorld.com visitors
say that the new-to-Microsoft offline messaging feature helps them
out,
too:
http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/002013.html?tk=nl_srxblg
Windows Live Messenger is free. If you're a regular MSN Messenger
user,
you've probably already received the upgrade. If you're not a regular
user, this new software may persuade you to give the service another
try.
You can check out a screen shot here:
http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/126262-wlm_b.jpg
And download the program here:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,63968,tk,nl_srxd
wn,00.asp
For more Windows add-ons, go to our Info Center:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/infocenter/0,ctrid,6,ic,Windows,tk,nl_sr
xctr,00.asp
Where the Heck Am I Now?
It's just you and your Wi-Fi-enabled notebook on the road--and you're
hungry, lost, and eyeing some gathering thunderclouds with
trepidation.
What to do? Skyhook Wireless offers a free and easy answer with Loki,
a
browser toolbar that pinpoints your location to give you the scoop on
local food, maps, news, traffic conditions, weather, and more.
On the toolbar, a button labeled 'Find Me' locates you with reasonable
accuracy; a Tuner button invites you to fill in a street address for
better results on services. By default, Loki shows maps in Google
Maps,
but you can switch to Windows Live Local, Yahoo Maps, or one of the
other three services that Loki supports.
Likewise, the channels that Loki offers through its Channels button
hail
from multiple sources. For instance, the Nearby HotSpots channel
searches for Boingo, GoogleMob, JiWire, and T-Mobile listings. If the
channels don't address a pressing need, type the object of your desire
into the 'Search locally for' field. Loki gave me solid results on
such
varied search terms as "haircut," "museum," and "comic books."
Loki comes in two flavors--an Internet Explorer plug-in and a Firefox
extension. Both are in beta form at the moment, but I've found the
Firefox version easier to install; the IE version seems a bit buggy.
(Perhaps this explains why the toolbar is named for the Norse god of
mean jokes.)
You can check out a screen shot here:
http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/126262-loki_b.jpg
The IE version is here:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,63283,tk,nl_srxd
wn,00.asp
And here's the Firefox version:
http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file_description/0,fid,63941,tk,nl_srxd
wn,00.asp
Have any thoughts on these programs? Want to make us aware of your
favorite software? URLs are welcome, but messages with attached files
will be deleted unread. Write to Laura Blackwell:
downloadthis at pcworld.com
Read Laura Blackwell's regularly published "Download This" columns:
http://www.pcworld.com/resource/columnist/0,colid,7,tk,nl_srrsc,00.asp
==
"You have enemies? Good! That means you've stood up for something in your life."
-- Winston Churchill
_________________________________________
Usenet Zone Free Binaries Usenet Server
More than 140,000 groups
Unlimited download
http://www.usenetzone.com to open account