MagicJack MagicTalk: Finally, Totally Free Calling with Your PC

Today VocalTec Communications Ltd., makers of the low cost VOIP USB phone device known as MagicJack, have announced unlimited free calling within the United States and Canada starting next week.

The new service, called MagicTalk, is separate from their USB MagicJack device, and requires a free software download to your computer. The software allows you to:

1. Get a free phone number
2. Make and receive an unlimited number of calls in the US or Canada
3. Talk for an unlimited number of minutes

This makes VocalTec Communications (MagicJack) the first true provider of unlimited free calling! (Excluding the few of us who remember dialpad).

MagicTalk also let's you import your old phone number or call internationally by paying a small fee.

MagicTalk will be compatible with Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac O/S based PC's immediately. In September, VocalTec Communications (MagicJack) will also release a version for smartphones including the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Android, and Windows Phone 7 (yes - that means unlimited free calling on smartphones, too!).

12 New Super Long Battery Life Netbook Computers Released

Today Intel has announced that over a dozen new netbook computers will be available by year's end with super long battery life. These laptops are made possible by their new ULV Atom dual core N550 processor running at 1.5ghz x 2, with a 1mb cache. The chip is remarkable for it's low power dissipation (8.5w TDP). Portable computers which use it run significantly cooler and longer on battery.

AMD's own ULV Neo series chips (competitor to Intel's Atom) are also found in a large number of long battery life netbook computers, and actually preceded the Intel ULV chips.

The longest battery life ULV notebooks now last over 10 hours, and most last no less than 5 hours. There are now hundreds to choose from with screen sizes ranging from 8 to over 14 inches. Thus they're perfect for everything from portable media playing to office and design work.

Click here to see a review list of ULV notebooks on About.com via Google Search...

Firaxis Games Announces Civilization V Release: September 21th 2010

Firaxis Games, makers of the Civilization series of turn based strategy video games for the PC, has announced Sid Meier's Civilization V will be released on September 21st, 2010 (September 24th world wide).

Most notable in their newest edition perhaps are the graphics. According to one source, both resolution and detail have been dramatically improved leading to immersive, realistic worlds.

More notable game improvements include the following:

• Self Organizing Units: each unit type now occupies its own square. Units also positive themselves according to type, with archers and artillery in back, calvary and infantry in front.
• Self Defending Cities: cities can now defend themselves, without having units stationed inside, against small attacks by enemy forces.
• Non Player Civilizations: There are now small city-states which act as their own entities in the game. These can be conquered, destroyed, and partnered or traded with.
• New Grid Design: The map is now divided by hexagonal tiles (rather than 8 sided octagons). Preview players report more intuitive, 'fluid' unit movement as the result.

While not on par with the newest cutting edge games, Civilization 5 certainly requires more from your computer than previous versions. Thus if you have a barely adequate machine for your current version of Civilization, upgrading would greatly enhance game enjoyment.

Basic System Requirements for Civilization V:

• Operating System: Windows® XP SP3/ Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
• Processor: Dual Core CPU
• RAM Memory: 2GB RAM
• Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
• DVD-ROM Drive: For DVD-based Installation
• Video: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB nVidia 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better integrated graphics
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
• DirectX®: Version 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements for Civilization V:

• Operating System: Windows® Vista SP2/ Windows® 7
• Processor: 1.8 GHz Quad Core CPU
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Hard Disk Space: 8 GB Free
• DVD-ROM Drive: For DVD-based Installation
• Video: 512 MB ATI 4800 series or better, 512 MB nVidia 9800 series or better
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card
• DirectX®: DirectX® version 11

And in case you were wondering - yes, higher computer specs will make a noticeable difference. However, the biggest difference in system performance will come from your RAM and video card - as long as you have a dual core Athlon or Pentium class processor running at more than 2 gigahertz.

Microsoft Announces Internet Explorer 9 Beta Release: September 15th

Microsoft has announced Internet Explorer 9 Beta version will be released in mid September. Something millions of current Internet Explorer users can look forward to, the new browser version will feature:

• Faster Javascript
• Faster Graphics (hardware acceleration via DirectX)
• Full CSS 3 support (advanced website designs)
• HTML 5 Video Support (simpler video implementation)
• Open Font Format support
• Support for Windows Vista and Windows 7 (not Windows XP!)

In addition to being more standards compliant, Internet Explorer 9 will also feature a new user interface, although exactly how it will look is still a matter of speculation.

Microsoft expects to release IE9 in early 2011.

Read more at their official blog...

Twitter @Anywhere Lets You Tweet from Your Website

Twitter @anywhere service now lets you tweet right from any website you visit.

You can choose 4 different appearances Twitter @anywhere:

1. Auto-Link all Twitter usernames
2. Auto-Link usernames and show a hoverbox (Hovercard) on mouseover
3. Follow-without-leaving buttons
4. Live Tweet Box

If you have Wordpress, it's very easy. Start by registering a free API key at Twitter. You'll need to sign in (click here).

Then simply install a plugin for instant @anywhere features. Click here for a list of Twitter @Anywhere Wordpress plugins.

If you do not have Wordpress or do not wish to use a plugin (huh?), you'll need to add some code. Let's go step by step.

1. Begin by adding the following to your header, inserting your API key (the number) where it says 'YourAPIKey'.

2. Next, choose one of the 4 options, copy the accompanying code, and paste it below the previous code (in your header).

1. Auto-Link all Twitter usernames This option will automatically link all Twitter usernames on your website to their respective accounts.


2. Auto-Link usernames with Hover box In addition to the above, this option will make a 'hovercard' appear when you hover over the username with more information.


3. FollowMe-without-leaving button This option will add a small button for users to follow you on Twitter without leaving your actual website. When clicked, a small pop up window appears.


4. Live Tweet Box Finally, this option lets visitors tweet right from your website!

Twitter has become a quintessential content provider. These tools will enable you to maintain a connection with your audience while not being lost in a sea of tweets.

See updates from Twitter about @anywhere...
If you need additional instruction, click here...

Bill Gates Details Free University Education Online

It's been the dream of techno-hackers for ages: unlimited free professional level education on any topic. And according to Bill Gates it will soon be on the Internet.

"Five years from now on the web for free you'll be able to find the best lectures in the world," he said. "It will be better than any single university."

It's not hard to imagine, given the technology already exists. It's simply a matter of implementation.

The real question is: will it transcend currently available education? Not just in college, but during primary school: k through 12. Will it finally allow us to once again use all our modalities for learning, rather than just one or two?

Either way it will certainly have substantial positive impact upon education, something we've awaited a long time.

Web Search Engines: Good Alternatives to Google, Yahoo, MSN

Since 1998, web search has been dominated by a single term: Google. It has become almost synonymous. We now 'Google' everything: websites, recipes, weather, any question we have. Almost as if it were some kind of oracle.

But has Google become too good? Are we missing something in the cast iron integrity of their results?

The answer is: it is very possible. As any average web searcher knows, there are times Google's results are very repetitive in terms of what the linked pages say. Though relevant and high quality, they can bury less popular content - even if it's unique. And that's not even mentioning censorship - a critical subject whenever dealing with a single source.

So how do we find these 'gems in the rough? Despite a market eclipse by the 'big 3' (Google, Yahoo, MSN), there are definitely a few very good alternatives left.

Cha Cha

Ask Cha Cha any question and a trained human guide will provide you with a high quality answer (it's better than most tech support)! You can also search through pre-existing questions for quick results. This is an excellent choice for newbies and experts alike.

Website: http://www.chacha.com/

Cuil

Cuil is a relative newcomer to web search, claiming to now have the largest index in the world (over 120 billion pages). Theirs is a unique search engine, attempting to 'analyze' the results and reduce repetitive content. This is most noticeable in their Internet encyclopedia - cpedia. Definitely good for 'alternative' search results that you might not find elsewhere.

Website: http://www.cuil.com

EntireWeb

Having undergone several major revisions, EntireWeb is now a serious competitor in the search engine market. Theirs is a mid-size index (over 100 million documents) that prides itself on scouting the best pages and keeping them current. They also offer a visual 'glimpse' of the websites in the results.

Website: http://www.entireweb.com

Gigablast

Gigablast is an advanced search engine that was very popular a few years ago. Today they remain a leader in relevant search results. They are also the leading 'clean energy search engine' - running almost entirely on wind power. As such, their search technology is designed to be as fast and efficient as possible. Definitely try them when looking for an alternative to your usual search results.

Website: http://www.gigablast.com

IxQuick

Ixquick is a highly advanced 'meta' search engine known as IxQuick. They pride themselves on privacy - as they do not record your IP address. They also rate every result - one star for every search engine that chooses it for the first page. Thus, if a result is found on the first page of Google, Yahoo, MSN, and 7 others, it gets a 10 star rating - a sort of 'concensus' between major engines.

Next to Google, this is my personal favorite, and a tremendous alternative for the privacy-conscious among us (if there are any? feel free to comment!)

Website: http://www.ixquick.com

See a list of all current search engines...