Earlier today we featured the first release candidate of Songbird, an open-source, cross-platform media player cut from the same cloth as Firefox. Songbird has been in development forever, but now the exciting media player is finally approaching its 1.0 release, and we were eager to sink our teeth into it. Keep reading for a closer look at Songbird—including where it soars and where it sucks.
While mathletes, scientists, coders, and statisticians will appreciate Windows 7′s built-in calculator’s programmer, statistics, and scientific modes, everyday people will love figuring out things like hourly wages and mortgage payments without a spreadsheet. Yes, it may seem ridiculous to give more than a few lines of attention to something as minor as a calculator, but until you’ve seen the built-in calculator in the Windows 7 Preview, you’ve haven’t known pure calculator bliss. This default calculator goes above and beyond the brick on your desk by including unit conversions, date calculations, and a neat new set of “templates” that let you do things like figure out gas mileage, hourly wages, mortgage payments, leases, and more. Check out some of the calculator goodness in the Windows 7 Preview.
Last month, we told you how eBay Australia was introducing limits on the postage that could be charged in a number of product categories, including books, CDs and DVDs. While the limits remain, eBay has slightly increased the maximum amount you can charge for flat-rate postage, raising the limit for books from $6 to $8, and DVDs from $8 to $10 (though this only applies to box sets, it seems). CDs are still limited to $5. Note that if you have a bulky item, your best bet is to list it with “calculated postage”, which should reflect the final cost more precisely. eBay
Windows only: If you can’t always get online to read your feeds, and would prefer to browse more than just post headlines, check out GreatNews. The default browsing view opens up feeds in a two-column, full-post view that’s more reminiscent of newspaper site layouts than long lists of post headlines. I had no trouble importing my collection of subscriptions from Mac’s NetNewsWire using an OPML file, though it took a long time — even though the product’s site declares “GreatNews is extremely fast. Even with hundreds of rss feed subscriptions.” For Bloglines users, GreatNews will actually synchronise with your the online feed reader — so that you don’t end up reading the same posts twice, and can keep reading even if you aren’t connected to the web. Other helpful features include labels for articles, great search functionality and the ability to watch particular sites and keywords to make relevant articles stand out and harder to miss. Any GreatNews users out there willing to share their experiences, good and bad? GreatNews is a free download for Windows. Thanks, CharityAethalides!
GreatNews: The Intelligent RSS ReaderThe Wall Street Journal walks through its own Budgeting 101 course, examining what makes a budget so hard to stick to and how to create realistic budgets that actually fit your fluctuating spending habits. Think about your life for a moment. Do you make the exact same purchases every single month? Of course not. What you buy differs from one month to the next. Yet many people use the “average cost per month” approach to budgeting, so that in any given month they can spend an average of $150 on clothes, and an average of $100 on a vacation, and an average of $300 on eating out, and so on.
Windows only: If you’re looking for an alternative to the image viewer and editor built-in with Windows, try FuturixImager. Open images from your machine to create a slideshow or import images from a camera or scanner. View file information including EXIF image meta-data, print images, and even edit them with the simple image editor that allows you to crop, rotate, and add filters. A set of lossless JPEG transformations will also allow you to make some edits (like rotation) while preserving file data. Additional plug-ins can be downloaded as well. FuturixImager is a free download for Windows. Thanks, slikvic2002!
FuturixImagerWindows only: Free system tray utility Analogue Clock replaces your default Windows date and time display with a classy new clock complete with a pop-up calendar. The app comes packaged with several customizable skins you can tweak to your liking, and though the analogue version seems like the biggest draw, Analogue Clock also comes with digital skins that still improve on the Windows default. The new looks are great, but the best feature may be the pop-up calendar that appears when you hover your mouse over the clock (a real godsend in XP). Analogue Clock is freeware, Windows only. If you’re looking for a bit more control and want to go really classic, check out the old-timey woodworked desktop. Thanks equazcion! Analog Clock
If you’ve gotten your paws on the Windows 7 Preview release, you’ll be disappointed to see the regular old boring taskbar you already know and love from Vista in the default installation, not the new flashy Aero features you’ve been hearing all about. Fear not, friend: the advanced Aero goodies ARE included in Build 6801, and you just need the key to unlock ‘em. Windows expert Rafael Rivera provides an EXE file that does just that. Be warned, though: using the unlocker involves some command line gymnastics, but it worked in my test on first pass. Keep in mind the advanced Aero functionality in the test build isn’t quite as complete or stable as what you may see in some of the PDC videos, but it’s pretty far along. Flashy Windows 7 bits protected by elaborate scheme, workaround [Within Windows via BetaNews]
Hardware web site Phoronix pits Mac OS X 10.5.5 against Ubuntu 8.10 in performance benchmark throw-down on a Mac Mini. Leopard was faster in some tests, but it looks like a close match all around. It may not be scientific, but if you’ve used both, which feels snappier to you? [via]
Dear Lifehacker,
Let’s say, just a hypothetical, that you have a newspaper that you want to save for posterity. Anyone have any tips on doing so, cheaply?
Signed, Give ‘Em Hell Harry
