Phillip Juan McClore's blog

Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

We've all thought it, but never dared think it could be true: what if Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL actively monitor our instant messenger chats? What if mentions of 'bomb' and 'underage' are tracked and sent to law enforcement agencies? What if chat providers don't agree with the things we say, or the links we share, and filter or censor the content of our transmitted messages?

Well, it looks like our fears may actually have some basis in reality: Yahoo Messenger strips FilesTube links from instant messages. It doesn't tell either party that a URL has been removed from chat -- it just deletes it. Poof. FilesTube, in case you were wondering, is one of the largest file hosting meta search engines on the Web -- it indexes RapidShare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and many other 'cyberlocker' services.

It's fairly obvious why FilesTube links are being removed -- the Censor General at Yahoo is probably one of those perplexed primates who think all uses of BitTorrent are illegal -- but this situation poses a far more important question: is Yahoo censoring messages on the client side, or the server side. Does the messenger client itself maintain a list of 'blacklisted' words -- and if so, why are we not told that FilesTube links are banned? What other words and terms does Yahoo protect us from?

Continue reading Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only

It's hard to believe: our world-spanning network, our Internet, which is the cornerstone of free speech and free society -- which, on a good day, is capable of causing populist revolutions -- is still crippled by banal geolocation restrictions. We are, of course, talking about Amazon's two latest offerings, both of which are only available in the United States. Last week it was the excellent Android Appstore for Android, and today it's the Amazon Cloud Player for Web and Android.

Along with Cloud Player, Amazon also launched Cloud Drive, which is basically just like any other cloud storage digital locker. It's not particularly feature rich, and there's no real reason to use it over something like SugarSync or SkyDrive -- it does work outside the US, however.

Its primary purpose, as far as we're concerned, is that it stores your your Cloud Player music in a subdirectory. You get 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, and then it's $1 per gigabyte per year if you need more space.

The Amazon Cloud Player itself will not, to put it bluntly, blow your mind. It works, but it's very much an early, and possibly rushed, release. Let's dive in to the Web and Android players for a closer look.

Gallery: Amazon Cloud Player and Cloud Drive: on Web and Android

Continue reading Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only

Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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SAIC SATYAM COMPUTER SERVICES

Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus

Once upon a time, there used to be a DOS game with a caveman and a human powered helicopter. The caveman would shuttle around the screen, madly trying to get customers to where they wanted to go.

Jetbus is not that game, but it's obviously inspired by it. You're driving a yellow school bus which has jets. I guess the jet engine takes quite a bit of space inside the bus, because you can only pick up one person at a time.

There are several doors on the screen, each with its own number. As you pick up a person, the status bar at the bottom of the screen shows you which number door you have to take them to.

You must fly your bus carefully, because if it gets bumped around too much, you lose. You earn money on each level, and can visit the garage to buy better jets and damping, power-ups, or even a whole new vehicle.

So while this game isn't made as well as the original that inspired it, it does provide a few minutes of fun. And now, which one of you guys remembers the original and feels like pointing to it in the comments?

Jetbus is a retro-tastic physics game, with a bus originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The original Angry Birds and Angry Birds HD are now free for the first time in the App Store

The original Angry Birds game is now free in the App Store. The game that was first released over three years ago has seen some phenomenal success on every platform that it has been available on. Now for the first time ever, Rovio has decided to make it free.

The good news doesn?t stop there either, Angry Birds HD is also now available for free too so if you would rather grab it for your iPad and play it on the big screen then it won?t cost you a penny. Angry Birds has already hit the top of the App Store charts for the most downloaded free game

The Angry Birds franchise has to be one of the biggest success stories in mobile gaming history, Angry Birds is one of the first apps anyone downloads when they buy a new iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. What all started over three years ago as an unknown new game has now become a household name with spin off movies, plush toys and everything else in between. The original Angry Birds was followed by other games based on the same theme like Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Space, Bad Piggies, and most recently, Angry Birds Star Wars.

If you haven?t played the original Angry Birds yet, you are in for a real treat. Make sure you grab it while it is free, as we don?t know if this is a permanent move by Rovio.

• Free - iPhone ? Download Now
• Free - iPad ? Download now

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Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted

With Windows 8 milestone 3 now up for grabs for select Microsoft Connect partners, it's inevitable that leaked bits and pieces will start popping up around the Web. In fact, the first "official" wallpaper image from the still-brewing OS is already making the rounds.

As you can see, it's got a similar feel to the good ol' Windows 7 default background, but features a more subdued smattering of cerulean hues. Those of you who want to use the Windows 8 wallpaper on your current desktop can download it from our file dump.

A few other details have been revealed, too. According to ZDNet's source, the Windows 8 Jupiter libraries and Twin UI are starting to take shape -- though all that's been located thus far are "[various files] scattered throughout the OS" and the aptly-named twinui.dll.

Windows 8 wallpaper available to download, Jupiter and Twin UI spotted originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gadget Lab Show: Facebook News Feed and Path 3.0

This week on the Gadget Lab Show, the gang talks Facebook's new News Feed, and Path version 3.0.

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MobileFun Ultimate Nexus 7 Accessory Pack review

With the exception of my cellphone, no other gadget spends more time in my hand than my Nexus 7. I use it for gaming, email, web surfing, social media engagement, music, videos, RSS reader, Skyping, and as a bedtime alarm clock. I am always looking for accessories for it.  Kinda like those people who are [...]

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Airbudz ? Replacement in-ear earphone tips for those times when you need to hear more than your music

Noise canceling earbuds are great for blocking out unwanted noise around us so we can listen to our tunes without distraction. But there are times when no distraction is not a good thing. Like while riding a bike, walking, running, etc. Airbudz, a successfully funded Kickstarter project, can turn your in-ear earphones into earphones that [...]

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Apple Maps surprisingly wins three way shootout against Waze and Google Maps

PC Magazine?s John C. Dvorak has tested three mapping applications available for iPhone and very surprisingly the much maligned Apple Maps came out on top in the tests. The testers were Leo Laporte from TWiT who was using the Waze app, John C. Dvorak who had Google Maps and finally Glenn Rubenstein who had Apple Maps. They each set off with several missions, one of which was to find Apple?s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters.

Leo was using Waze, which he thinks is great. He was misdirected in one instance and took forever to get there. He got lost for unknown reasons at another target location. Overall, he?and Waze?came in third (and last).

Glenn, who actually inspired my idea for the test, was using Apple Maps, which he switched to after iOS 6 dumped Google Maps. "I don't have any trouble with it," he said. "It works fine." In fact, it worked better than Google. On one leg from the Apple facility to a shopping mall, Glenn beat me, though just barely. Leo was the laggard. But then from that location to a lunch spot, Glenn and I followed each other. Suddenly, Glenn jumped on to the freeway as Google Maps directed me through the city streets for a cut across town. At the time, this seemed like a better route, not to mention a more scenic one. But the long stoplights in Sunnyvale are dreadful. Glenn arrived at least five minutes ahead of me. I gave the nod to Apple and now wonder what the fuss was about.

Obviously this is not a scientific test however it is a real world test and shows that Apple Maps is really not as bad as it first appeared. In time it will improve and it is improving as every day goes by. It will be interesting to see how it develops when Apple announces iOS 7 in the coming months. I am sure it will be getting a lot of attention.

One funny thing to note from the three maps app shootout. Google Maps on the iPhone showed Apple?s 1 Infinite Loop in Street view from behind the building, looking at a bin store. Not sure if this is deliberate or a genuine mistake, what do you think?

Source: PC Magazine

NETGEAR NCR

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

Having the right programs and hardware to keep the information on your display safe from prying eyes is never a bad idea, and new software from Oculis Labs offers a very interesting take on how to do just that. It's called PrivateEye, and it utilizes facial recognition to automatically pixelate the contents of your display when you look away.

If you step away from your system and someone else decides to sit down and poke around, PrivateEye will present a confusing jumble of garbled text. It'll even notify you if someone tries to peek over your shoulder -- and display a picture of your peeping Tom, throw up an alert, or sound an alarm.

Check out the video embed after the break, and share your thoughts in the comments!

Continue reading New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes

New software uses facial recognition to defend against prying eyes originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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