Ian Scott

It looks like Verizon isn’t taking those 700MHz spectrum open access rules very seriously, and a certain competing bidder isn’t real happy. In a petition filed with the FCC by Google, the company alleges that Verizon is willfully ignoring the ‘plain meaning of the [open access] rule’ by suggesting it will allow one type of access for users who use Verizon-approved devices, and another for those using third-party units. According to the document, ‘Verizon’s position would completely reverse the meaning of the rule such that the open access condition would apply to none of Verizon’s customers, and thereby render the condition a nullity.’ The search giant is calling for the FCC to block Verizon’s $4.7 billion bid on the spectrum unless the company agrees to comply with the previously-decided open access rules. Since this isn’t the first inkling we’ve had that Verizon wasn’t down with open access, we’re not surprised, but it looks like Google has a little more fight left in them — and that could make all the difference. [Warning: PDF read link]

(Via Engadget.)

Windows only: Instead of dropping cash on a new stick of RAM for that old computer, go grab a free license for the normally $20 memory manager TweakRAM—today only. TweakRAM speeds up your machine by optimizing Windows memory management, and when your computer slows to a crawl, you can use TweakRAM to manually free up memory. The developers say:

TweakRAM defragments your computer’s memory, increasing the efficiency of your CPU and Motherboard caches, recovers memory leaks from poorly behaved applications, flushes unused libraries temporarily out to disk and so on. By all this optimization tricks your favorite applications and games will run faster and efficiently even on old computers.

TweakRAM did in fact free up memory on my Windows PC, according to its own report, though I wasn’t able to test it in a real-world, total PC slowdown situation. The Giveaway of the Day web site is featuring TweakRAM today only, which means you’ve got about 12 hours or so to head over there, download, and install the free activation version. Otherwise, TweakRAM is available as a free trial, and costs $20 for a personal license, for Windows users only.

(Via Lifehacker.)

• Superior Alternatives to Crappy Windows Software
  ‘It may be the year 2008, but a whole lot of sucktacular software still rears its ugly head on PC’s everywhere, even when better-behaved options are freely available.’
• Top 10 Memory Hacks
  ‘Writing things down, on paper or on-screen, is the best way to make sure you remember important info and tasks, but sometimes you’ve got to rely on your plain old brain to keep essential data sorted and handy.’
• Do You Run Antivirus Software?
  ‘From the looks of our recent thread on software you should never install, several Lifehacker readers have given up on running antivirus software.’
• CCleaner 2.0 Decrapifies Your PC
  ‘Windows only: One of our favorite PC cleansers CCleaner (which stands for ‘Crap Cleaner’) saw an upgrade this week.’
• Field Guide to Windows XP SP3
  ‘Windows XP Service Pack 3 officially hit Microsoft servers this morning, and although it won’t be available through Windows Update today, it should be sometime soon.’
• Get Firefox’s Best Features in Internet Explorer
  ‘You already know that Firefox is a superior web browser, but you still have to use Internet Explorer on a daily basis.’
• Best Text Editors
  ‘From managing our to-do lists and writing code to jotting ideas and keeping a grocery list, nothing beats a solid plain text editor.’
• Hardy Heron Makes Linux Worth Another Look
  ‘If you’ve flirted with the idea of switching your desktop operating system to Linux but never took the leap, the time is now. This week’s release of Hardy Heron, an Ubuntu release that will be supported until 2011, offers a freer, more productive space for work and play than ever before.’
• Have Your Mac and Windows Too with Boot Camp
  ‘You can have both a Mac and a PC on a single computer, using Apple’s new Boot Camp software.’

(Via Lifehacker.)

Podcast Maker is a tool for Mac OS X that makes podcasting simple. Using Podcast Maker novices can becomes podcasters and professionals can podcast without having to do XML situps. You can also create enhanced podcasts with your images and links to take your podcast to the next level.

Features:

• Drag and drop podcasting.
• RSS feed generator.
• Make enhanced podcasts. (Again, drag and drop)
• Publish to a .Mac account.
• Publish to an FTP or SFTP server.
• Publish to a folder on your Mac.
• Preview your enhanced podcast.
• Preview what your podcast looks like on the iTunes Music Store.
• Automatically embeds metadata into MP3 and M4A files.
• Publish VODcasts, m4v files for video iPods, and PDF files.
• Import existing podcasts.

(Via MacUpdate - Mac OS X.)

Tech site Ars Technica runs down the basics of securing your home wireless network with the most secure and up-to-date methods. The main takeaway is that when you enable encryption on your wireless router, use WPA encryption instead of WEP, because it’s better and stronger.

Unlike WEP, WPA uses a 48-bit initialization vector and a 128-bit encryption key. More importantly, however, WPA uses what’s called the Temporary Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP). Whereas WEP recycles the same key for encrypting all the packets flowing across the network, WPA’s TKIP changes the encryption key every single time a packet is transmitted. This, combined with the use of longer keys, prevents a hacker from compromising a router simply by passively observing a large enough set of packet transmissions.

Ars lists common home network hardware—from an Xbox 360 to a Wii to an iPhone—and the various protocols they support. Luckily, most do speak WPA. Here’s our full guide to setting up a home wireless network. (Just, you know, use WPA instead of WEP like we originally recommended.)

(Via Lifehacker.)

Linkinus is a highly customizable and flexible IRC client for the Mac.

Features include:

• Complete OS X integration and Aqua look-and-feel
• Interface/Agent architecture (allows detaching)
• Dynamic content display with Styles
• Cross-session history capabilities
• Automated flood protection
• Aliases, Shortcuts, Highlights
• Cocoa Plug-ins, AppleScripts…

(Via MacUpdate - Mac OS X.)

Geeksugar’s got an interesting scoop on a supposed iMac refresh coming next week. Their guess is a speed bump and a storage increase, but the design will be exactly the same and will be priced the same as before. If you’re curious whether or not their source is accurate, it’s the same person that tipped them off to a MacBook and MacBook Pro refresh right before that actually happened. The tip was off by a slight detail (multitouch trackpad), but otherwise it was pretty legit. Unless you’ve got some stolen cash that you’re dying to change into a computer today, we’d recommend waiting just to be safe. [Geeksugar]

(Via Gizmodo.)

A group of users at web site EDCForums have tweaked their Leatherman (and Leatherman-like) multi-tools into the ultimate multi-key tools. The process appears to involve grinding the edges off your regular keys then bolting them in place of a few or all of the regular tools (you can mix and match keys and screwdrivers if you like, for example). If you liked our previously posted DIY compact keychain but wanted a little more robust key holder, the variety of user-contributed multi-key ideas at EDCForums are worth a look. It’s like a Keyport, only way less expensive and arguably more useful. Thanks Edney!

(Via Lifehacker.)

Firefox 3 introduces a few new features to bookmarks that I think makes them much, much easier to use, more useful in general, and much more useful in particular for catastrophically disorganized folk like me. The three main features being introduced are: Bookmark Stars, Bookmark Tags, and Smart Bookmark Folders.

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We’ve talked about building a Mac mini media center and other ways to pimp your mini in the past, but blogger Jon Hicks revisits the Mac mini media center with a focus on using it with Leopard and EyeTV (a Mac DVR solution). While Apple TV is doing its best to justify a place in your living room, it still doesn’t time-shift television, and many Mac enthusiasts still find that the Mac mini still outdoes Apple’s latest media center offering. On the other hand, if you’re still rolling Panther on your Mac, you could just install Apple TV on it and call it a day.

(Via Lifehacker.)