.::REALITYRECALL::.

It's been debated for some time as to whether or not the Zune HD will feature apps, similar to its competitor, Apple's iPod touch; many people expected the more logical solution, that it would, though it had yet to be confirmed by Microsoft itself. A video has surfaced, as Zunited reported, showing a Zune HD sporting an 'Apps' menu, and a Microsoft representative saying that it would, indeed, have the capability. Having Microsoft include this with the Zune is nothing but a good thing; it opens up a new marketplace for developers to push their products on, as well as providing another competitor for Apple's App Store.

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Lackluster Gmail support has been a real pain point for BlackBerry users, and we’ve really been hoping that this new “Enhanced Gmail Plug-in” would solve all that. It’s out as of today, and we’ve certainly gotten some improvements, like support for archiving messages, marking spam and managing labels / stars. Unfortunately, these new management features are only live synced one way, from the phone to the Gmail server, so many of the actions that take place desktop side won’t be reflected on the phone once that particular message has been picked up by the BlackBerry Internet Service. There’s also the small problem of installing the thing: we haven’t been successful so far on two different BlackBerries, and you have to make sure to uninstall the existing Gmail Plug-in. Meanwhile, in BlackBerry Enterprise Server land, the Google Apps Connector has now gone live, which means Google Apps users get push Gmail and what seems to be much tighter Exchange-style syncing. Let us know if you get either of these things working with your particular setup.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Read – Enhanced Gmail Plug-in now available
Read – Google Apps Connector for BES now available

Filed under: Cellphones

Enhanced Gmail Plug-in for BlackBerrys arrives, but only syncs one way originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Aug 2009 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ever notice an annoying, persistent lag every ten seconds or so when you’re watching a YouTube (or other) video in Firefox? Reader Bernard Sandberg has, and he’s written in with a smart about:config that solves the problem for him.

Although Bernard’s talking specifically about YouTube, this tweak should help fix any similar jumpiness in Firefox.

Many users, myself included, visit YouTube on an almost daily basis. Ever since Firefox version 2.0 implemented the session restore function, when you are watching a video on YouTube (perhaps on other video sites as well, I haven’t really tested that), you may notice a tiny freeze-up of the video every 10 seconds or so. This happens because the session restore is by default set to save all open tabs every 10 seconds. This is especially noticeable if you happen to have a lot of tabs open at once.

The quick fix for this problem, at least for my own sake, is to increase the time between each of the saves performed by session restore. By opening about:config in your Firefox address bar, then typing browser.sessionstore.interval in the filter box, you’ll see a value of 10000, which is in milliseconds. (Meaning your session is saved every 10 seconds.) I changed this to 300000, or every 5 minutes, as I don’t have the urgent need for tab restoration. If you feel like being more on the safe side, try increasing it to something a bit lower, say 120000, or every 2 minutes.

We did a bit of research, and it looks like Bernard’s not alone with his solution. I’ve experienced this problem plenty in Firefox, so it’s great to see a relatively simple solution, even if it does mean sacrificing a bit in the way of up-to-the-minute session saving. If you give it a try, let’s hear if it does the trick for you in the comments (assuming you’ve experienced this problem in the first place).

The CRTC is refusing to identify three telemarketers accused of willingly violating the national do-not-call list, according to a report by the Toronto Star.

Firefox: Want to see what the net is saying about something you’re intrigued by in Google Reader? gReactions, a free Firefox add-on, gives you a glimpse at what’s being said on Twitter, FriendFeed, Digg, and other spots with one click.

It’s a fairly simple extension with no options, and only adds a single button to the bottom toolbar on Google Reader’s feed items. Hit “Show comments,” and you’ll see at a glance what folks are posting and discussing in relation to the main link from the RSS item. It doesn’t show these comments by default, which is a pretty great thing, and while it would be great to have a sorting option or two other than reverse chronological, gReactions delivers what it promises.

gReactions is a free download, works wherever Firefox does. While you’re adding to your own Reader’s abilities, check out our collection of custom Send To links.

3D TV hardware still has a ways to go, but Panasonic’s vision is starting to congeal: It will require glasses, and—at least for some content—it will be awesome. But wait, quick question! What will we watch?

I spent a few minutes planted in front of Panasonic’s latest 3D TV hardware, with a similar demo reel to the one Mark saw back at CES, displayed with the same massive technology—Panny's "3D Full HD” system, which imperceptibly flickers between left and right video data channels to maintain genuine 1080p content. Since then, their first 3D Blu-ray player has come out of its shell, albeit in a disguised preproduction form seen above.

I came away from the presentation with a different feeling than Mark did— there were times when the imagery was awkward, but it never felt like "work." It was still clear, though, that some types of content weren't a perfect fit for Panasonic's—and probably anyone else's—3D standard. Deep shots where absolutely everything is in perfect focus, for example, were a little disorienting, and hard to fix my eyes on. The preview for Up! was chock-full of artificial depth of field effects that, despite being programmed for 3D display, somehow felt a little off.

Live filmed events, be it basketball or the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, are where the system really shines. No doubt helped by the fact that the TV was the size of a upturned car, these shots actually feel immersive—the basketball bit honestly gives the feeling of a courtside view, which is completely stunning. This is an effect which it at least seems like moviemakers ought to be able to replicate, once they've gotten used to how to film for 3D.

Therein lies a huge, looming problem: as it stands, the 3D content starts and stops at feature films, and specifically, Blu-ray. That’s it. Pressed about the prospect of 3D TV content, Panasonic’s VP of Consumer Electronics Bob Perry, couldn’t come anywhere close to making promises: from here, it’s up to the content providers to decide if they want to give their customers 3D. According to Perry, they will, but the day when cable companies or now-fledgling IPTV firms jump onboard is firmly in the future. For now, the outlook is a lot like it was for full 1080p video back when it first hit the stage: the display tech is ready, but the content won’t be there for a while. Remember, there are still only a handful of ways to get real 1080p content on your TV now; 3D, at least for a few years, will be way more niche than a simple resolution bump ever was.

That said, there’s still time. Panasonic’s mum on release dates, since they haven’t even announced a specific product line yet, but the story’s going to go something like this: They’ll release their first wave of 3D sets next year, all plasma, and all at about 50 inches and up, with accompanying Blu-ray players. And there will be Blu-ray movies to watch on them, but anything beyond that is totally up in the air. One way to look at this is that 2010 will be the year that usable 3D hardware hits the mainstream; another, that 2010 is the year that the content-producing world either chooses to let 3D TVs live, or they don’t.

If you like to keep multiple Windows installations running for software testing or go-to backup purposes, you’ll be glad to know that Windows 7, like its Vista forbearer, can be run without an activation key for up to 120 days.

The command line code (slmgr -rearm) that could be entered at the end of three different 30-day periods to give Vista 120 days without activation works just the same in Windows 7, and Microsoft even confirms the work-around to PC World, calling it a “grace period” for new users.

In the meantime, those who aren’t quite comfortable grabbing Windows 7’s final RTM build from less-than-legal sources, or waiting until Oct. 22 for the official release, have about one hour left to download the Release Candidate.

Earlier this year Gmail allowed new users to import contacts and messages from old email accounts to make switching easier. Today they’ve added that feature for everyone, meaning if you’ve got old email you’d love to import to Gmail, now you can.

Assuming you’re already logged into your Gmail account, just point your browser to the Accounts and Import tab of your Gmail settings and click the Import mail and contacts button to get started. Then just follow along with the simple import wizard; enter your other email address, provide the password, and tell Gmail what you want to import, how you’d like it labeled, and whether or not you want to keep bringing in new mail for the next 30 days.

You’ve always been able to import other email into Gmail via POP fetching, but this simple wizard simplifies and streamlines the process.

Todd Bertuzzi has rejoined the Detroit Red Wings, agreeing Tuesday to a one-year deal with the NHL’s Western Conference champions.