[Download Squad] 5 New Entries: EtherPad: worth giving up Google Docs for?

EtherPad: worth giving up Google Docs for?

Filed under: Text, Office, Productivity, Web

Hosting documents online is nothing new, and neither is sharing them for collaboration. Right off the bat, you're probably thinking of Google Docs. I was too, until I found EtherPad. It doesn't beat Google Docs at everything, but it does have advantages, like editing in real time, and using highlighting to distinguish who wrote which text. EtherPad is also faster to set up, since it doesn't require an account to use.

Just pass the URL to your collaborators, and everyone is set to start editing. There are stylistic limitations, with no fancy fonts and formatting, but edits happen in real time. There's also a handy chat box in the sidebar, in case you need to discuss your changes. Where you might want to use Google Docs instead is if you're writing something long that needs to be exported to Word or another file format. EtherPad does saving -- and infinite undos for all users, which is quite handy -- but it doesn't do exporting. You'll have to plug your document's URL in to pick up where you left off.

Complaints? Not many. The aforementioned exporting would be nice, and although it's great that you can quick-start with no accounts, they should at least be an option for privacy. And, speaking of privacy, users can see each other's IP addresses in the sidebar. I'm not sure what that adds. A built-in spellchecker would also be a perk, but it's not necessary. What EtherPad has so far is quite impressive, and I hope it continues to improve, while staying fast and easy to use.

EtherPad: worth giving up Google Docs for? originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FlyCast mobile radio app comes to the PC

Filed under: Audio, Internet, Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Freeware

Over the last year we've seen a lot of companies race to come out with iPhone-specific versions of their applications. But FlyCast is moving in the other direction. The company makes a mobile application for iPhone and BlackBerry users which provides easy access to hundreds of internet audio streams including music, news, entertainment, and tech podcasts. Now FlyCast also has a desktop client based on Adobe AIR, which means it can run on Mac, Windows, and Linux computers.

The FlyCast Desktop Player appears to be a direct port of the iPhone software. It would have been nice if the company had spent a few minutes coming up with a new design so that you didn't feel like you were playing with an iPod while flipping channels. But the application works as you'd expect, making it easy to find internet audio streams in a number of different categories.

[via Zatz Not Funny]

FlyCast mobile radio app comes to the PC originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google starts rolling out Gmail themes

Filed under: E-mail, Google

It appears that Google is starting to roll out a new feature that allows some users to choose themes for Gmail. Google has provided a set of themes that change the look of the iGoogle personalized homepage for a while now, but this is the first time we've seen official themes for Gmail.

The new option shows up in the Gmail settings menu, to the right of the Labs option. If you don't see a Themes tab in your settings, you're not crazy. Google has a tendency to roll out new features in phases, with some users getting the update before others.

Ashish Mohta at TechnoSpot is already seeing the new themes, and uploaded the images you see above. If you can't access the new themes yet, you might want to check out Gmail Redesigned, an unofficial theme that changes the appearance of Gmail when viewed in Firefox.

Update: It looks like these changes are rolling out quickly. Less than an hour after writing this post, the new themes tab showed up in my Gmail. Check out the gallery below for screenshots of some of the more unusual themes. OK, the Cold Shower theme isn't particularly unusual, but it's the one I plan to use as my default... for now.

Gallery: Gmail themes

Google starts rolling out Gmail themes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yang or no Yang, Microsoft still doesn't want to buy Yahoo! (Anymore)

Filed under: Microsoft, Yahoo!

If it seems like every few days we're checking to see if Microsoft plans to buy Yahoo!, it's because we are. Earlier this year, Microsoft offered to buy the search company for $33 a share, but Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang said that bid undervalued the company. After a little back and forth, Microsoft walked away.

Flash forward half a year, and Yahoo! stock is trading at around the $10 mark, Yang has announced plans to step down as CEO, and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the company still isn't interested in buying Yahoo!. Ballmer says Microsoft is still interested in pursuing a deal with Yahoo! to leverage the company's search technology. But that's not too surprising, since Ballmer's been saying that for months.

Does this mean that we won't see two of the largest companies in the software and internet space join forces? No, not really. Ballmer could just be negotiating or waiting for Yahoo! stock to drop low enough that he can pick up the company with nothing but spare change found in his couch cushions. But it is interesting to know that the departure of Yahoo!'s CEO seems to have no bearing on Ballmer's position.

Yang or no Yang, Microsoft still doesn't want to buy Yahoo! (Anymore) originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Casual Collective: Time Wasters from Dekstop Tower Defense makers

Filed under: Games, Internet, Time-Wasters

If you're the sort of person who can spend all day playing casual web games instead of getting any work done, I'd advise you to stop reading this post. Like now. Come back to it this weekend. Seriously.

OK, for the rest of you, the guys behind the insanely addictive Desktop Tower Defense game we told you about last year are back. This time they have a new web site and company called the Casual Collective that's choc full of similarly addictive games.

The games include an updated version of Desktop Tower Defense, which supports multiplayer mode, a run and jump game called Buggle Stars, a real-time strategy game called Minions, and 5 other games. In other words, you could easily spend an hour on each and ruin your entire workday. Or make it better...

[via GigaOm]

Casual Collective: Time Wasters from Dekstop Tower Defense makers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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