SongBird-the open source media player

Song bird is mozilla's offering in the media player category. In other words, it is the musical cousin of Firefox. It has an interface similar to that of iTunes but it does its job pretty neatly and has its own charm and unlike iTunes, it is open source.
Here's a tech sheet of what this media player has to offer:


*
Media Importing

Add media to Songbird by importing from your file system or iTunes.
*
Media Playback

Songbird supports MP3, FLAC, and Vorbis on all platforms; WMA and WMA DRM on Windows; and AAC and Fairplay on Windows and Mac.
*
GStreamer

Songbird uses GStreamer as the main media playback system, across all platforms.

*
Gapless Playback & Replay Gain

Skips padding data due to encoding and chains files for gapless playback experience. Adjusts the playback gain appropriately if a track's metadata contains replay gain information.
*
Album Artwork

Display the currently playing track's album art and write new artwork back to the file. Automatically fetch missing album art from the web.
*
Watch Folders

Automatically import media from a defined folder.

*
Smart Playlists

Create dynamic playlists that automatically update based on criteria you set.
*
Web Browser

Songbird includes an integrated web browser with features like bookmarking, tabbed browsing, and more.
*
Cross Platform

Songbird runs on Windows, Linux and Mac.

*
Multi-language Support

Over 25 completed, community-contributed localizations and growing!
*
Automatic Updates

Always stay up to date using Songbird's built-in automatic updates.
*
Setup Assistant

Quickly setup Songbird for the first time.

*
Custom UI

Make Songbird your own by choosing from dozens of different skins feathers.
*
Library Management

Browse, organize, sort and search your media.
*
Developer Support

Songbird is getting better everyday thanks to its open platform and growing developer community.

In Progress

*
Device Support

Songbird's device support is limited. The Device Support wiki has additional details about what's supported. Apple iPhones, iPod Touch and Microsoft Zune devices are not yet supported.
*
Metadata Management

Songbird supports reading from and writing metadata to many music file formats. We still need to support the ability to fetch additional metadata from popular lookup services.
*
Subscriptions

Subscribe to music blogs and download music directly to your library. We're working on ways to improve this feature.

*
Performance & Stability

Improving the performance and stability of Songbird is an ongoing focus. Each release we set aside dedicated cycles to ensure we're making progress.

Coming Soon

*
CD Rip

CD Rip and encoding are forthcoming.
* Video

On the Way but still not home :(
On the whole, its no Cowon jet audio or an iTunes but it does what it boasts of like a pro. More hits and few misses from songbird for now but i expect more soon!

View Old websites with Web Archives

Turn back time to visit those old webpages on the internet with this very simple online service called WAYBACKMACHINE on www.archive.org. This website lists all the old webpages which are now not available because the sites might have been updated. It works just like those magazine archives in a library. You can view the pages datewise and each significant update on a website in history is marked by a '*'. So revisit those webpages and bring back a few nostalgic memories. And, I hope that even the cyber cops would find this useful.

Allok Video to iPod converter

Allok Video to iPod Converter is a powerful and handy video converter for Apple iPod Movie and Apple TV Video.

It can convert almost all video format, e.g. DivX, XviD, AVI, WMV, MPG, MPEG, MP4, M4V, FLV, 3GP, ASF, RM, RMVB, MOV, MOD, ASX, MKV, OGM, SVCD, VCD, VOB to iPod Movie /Apple TV Video format.

Integrated H264/MPEG-4 encoder which has super fast conversion speed with high quality plus advanced video editing features give you everything you need to turn iPod into a portable media center.

And the output iPod movie/video supports iPod screen, you can enjoy your favorite movie on your iPod as a MPEG-4 Player. Now you can watch TVs, movies, home videos on the go, using the iPod Video converter.

Win AVI video Converter 9.0

Have you ever been limited to the videotape format? Especially when you really wanted to share films with your family and friends.
WinAVI Video Converter can help you solve your problems!
It is a software program for converting video formats at fast speeds and high quality.
WinAVI Video Converter supports almost all formats of video including :
AVI, MPEG1/2/4, VCD/SVCD/DVD,
DivX, XVid, ASF, WMV,RM,
QuickTime MOV, and flash SWF.

Features

WinAVI Video Converter is software for video conversion. By using our product, users are released from the limitations and difficulties of video formats. It can support almost all formats of video including AVI, MPEG1/2/4, VCD/SVCD/DVD, DivX, XVid, ASF, WMV, RM, QuickTime MOV, Flash SWF. Also, it allows you to burn to VCD/SVCD/DVD. A powerful AV compress engine can complete a whole AVI movie conversion and burn it to DVD just in 1 hour. You can enjoy the film with your home & PC DVD Player.

* AVI to DVD
* AVI to MPEG
* AVI to VCD
* AVI to MPG
* Flash SWF conversion
* It can convert all formats to MPEG1/2, VCD, SVCD, and DVD and burn to VCD, SVCD, or DVD disc.
* It can convert all video formats to AVI/WMV/RM/ASF/Divx/Xvid
* QuickTime MOV conversion.
* Real DVD Navigator encoder included.
* DirectAC3 technology supports AC3 5.1, which is state of the art technology. It is up to 20% faster with AVI files including AC3 audio.
* Real Dolby AC3 audio encoder included.
* Burning VCD/SVCD/DVD at a great speed.
* Stunning video and audio quality.
* User-friendly interface that is easy to use.
* Has the option to preview the video in real-time.
* Has the option to automatically shutdown your computer when the conversion has been completed.

Allok AVI to DVD SVCD VCD converter

Allok AVI to DVD SVCD VCD Converter is a powerful tool to convert AVI, DivX, XviD, MPEG, VOB, DAT, WMV, ASF to DVD, SVCD, VCD formats that can be played on your VCD/DVD player.

Integrated High-speed MPEG encoder which let you make DVD-Video files(VIDEO_TS, AUDIO_TS) and VCD/SVCD image(*.bin,*.cue), so you can burn VCD/SVCD/DVD disc easily by using third-party burning tools.

The main features include: add subtitle onto your output movie, adjust 4:3 or 16:9 video aspect, adjust output video quality, all encoders/codec are built-in and any supported conversion can be done once you downloading the software .

It's very easy to use and fast with high quality.

Advanced windows Vista optimizer

Advanced Vista Optimizer is a comprehensive set of 25+ tools to boost up your system's performance. Its powerful optimizing features like Disk Defragment and Memory Optimizer make your computer always perform like new. The security tools like Privacy Protector and File Encryptor ensure that your private data is always safe. Advanced Vista Optimizer gives you access to 35+ tweaks and tuning options, in one program, so that you can customize your copy of Windows Vista to be your personal copy. It can be scheduled to automatically maintain your system in perfect health by running the optimizing tools without regular user action.

Desks and Walls!----Bump top

BumpTop is a fun, intuitive, 3D desktop that keeps you organized and makes you more productive. It combines the look and feel of a real desk with the power of your PC. You can pile your files, flip through websites and toss your photos up to Twitter or Facebook quickly and easily, right from your desktop. Advanced search and sort capabilities make sure you can find your files when you need them. Personalize your desktop with custom themes, sticky notes and photo slideshows and turn your desktop into a useful, fun space instead of a graveyard of lost or forgotten files. An upgrade to Pro version will add such features as unlimited sticky notes and enhanced productivity and piling features.

Trend setters in the Tech World

There are firsts in every walk of life. They set an example, are revolutionary and they set a new trend. In the tech world too, there are some examples which have been trend setters. They have been revolutionary. Here are my favorite picks.

YAHOO! MESSENGER

When you think of instant messaging, the first thing that flashes across your mind is the yellow smiley with an exclamatory mark. I am a big fan of this messenger. Yahoo redefined instant messaging with its messenger service. The concept of IMvironments was awesome. It meant that users could now do instant messaging in customised environments. Also, yahoo messenger had chat rooms, online games on the go, and many other innovative features like staying online in invisible mode. The invisible mode feature is something which is still not available in many IM clients. And the smallest yet the most useful feature in the yahoo messenger is the "Buzz!!" button. Its the best way to get the attention of some sleepyheads on the other side of the conversation.Also,the audibles are always funny. This is the best messenger one can have. Three cheers for YM and we hope to see more soon.

MOZILLA FIREFOX
This browser reminded us why internet explorer sucked and showed how a browser should be. It was one of the first successful open source browsers. Firefox introduced the concept of tabbed browsing and this revolutionized the way we browsed the net. Whether it was the feature of using add-ons and plug-ins or the feature of multiple search engines in a single browser , Firefox had it all. Needless to say, just a few days after its launch, people knew that this was the most secure browser on earth. For many, its like "we love the internet because we love firefox" kinda thing. With every update, Firefox leaped to higher levels and went onto become a very stable browser after every release. Its a must have browser in every computer. As a matter of fact, i would like to point out that even though IE still holds 70% of the share in browser market, it has still not gained the status it enjoyed in the pre-Firefox era. KUDOS to FF!

YOU TUBE:
Videos, videos and more videos. There is no other possible way to define this online video site. This online service solved the problem for those who didn't have enough space on their hard disk, but still wanted to watch videos. You tube offers some quality videos. It also allows copying of video codes to be embedded in various websites. You tube offers a plethora of videos in very category imaginable. You tube now even offers HD videos. Truly, Youtube has redefined our online video viewing experience. What more, You tube is in talks with sony entertainment to bring full length movies online in high quality!

ORKUT:
Social networking = Orkut = Social networking. There's no space for argument in this equation. Orkut disproved those who said that people who are online do not interact with friends and their dear ones. What could be a better possible way to express your thoughts for your friends than writing them a testimonial. And, your profile is the best space to express yourself and make others aware of your interests. It allows people to stay connected to each other. Remember those good old slam books? Orkut brings in the joy of all that and more. Orkut gets updated pretty frequently with new and innovative ideas, and has grown as the #1 social networking site on the net now. So, keep orkutting friends!

iPhone:
Does anyone know the reason why there are so many touch screen phones in the market these days? Well, there aren't many "million button" phones in the market these days. A whole new generation of mobile phones has born: The Touchscreen Generation. iPhone is the father of all the touchscreen phones available in the market today. It sparked off the competition between mobile phone companies to roll out a whole new array of touch phones. iPhone revolutionized the mobile phone industry with its state of the art, first of its kind technology on a portable device. Multi touch, Accelerometer, intelligent sensors, ...gawd! this has to be the portable device of the decade. Of course, it does lack some of the basic features other phones do, but come on, it does have something out of the box. The interface is awesome and its performance is perfect. Whatever features it offers, it does them perfectly. It has been known for its ease of use ever since its launch. The touch sensitivity is better than and not mastered by any other touch phone in the market(is Nokia listening?). With Apple trying to iron out some drawbacks in the iPhone with the release of its OS 3.0, the competition seems to be ever growing.