Tech Pulse 20071018: Amazon.com DRM-free MP3s, eBay Hacked, Zune Adds Podcast Support, and more!

Lots of news including the Amazon.com DRM-free MP3 store, eBay was recently hacked leading to stolen credit card information, iPhones were unlocked then bricked then unlocked again, Zune adds podcast support, Bungie might split from Microsoft, Mac OS X Leopard is coming, and more!

Notes and links related to this episode:

Tech News

• iUnlock released: the first free, open source iPhone SIM unlock software
• But then Apple announced that iPhone hacks (including SIM unlocking) void your warranty (further reading)
• Firmware 1.1.1 turned a lot of hacked iPhones into shiny, expensive bricks
• New hacks have resurfaced for 1.1.1 - see iphoneSimFree.com (and thus the cat-and-mouse game continues...)
• In related news, Steve Jobs announced via Apple's Hot News page that native third-party applications (i.e. not merely Web-based apps) will be coming to the iPhone (and iPod touch) in due time, and a software development kit (SDK) is planned for a February 2008 release
  
• Google Docs added support for slideshow presentation documents (including the ability to import PowerPoint files)
• Zune adds podcast support
• Bungie might split from Microsoft... which could potentially mean the return of a strong Bungie presence on the Mac
  
• eBay Hacked, personal credit card and contact information of at least 1,200 users stolen
  
• Amazon.com releases its own DRM-free, multi-OS compatible MP3 music download service
• Individual track purchasing is platform-independent (i.e. Linux compatible), but so far album purchasing is only available on Windows XP, Vista, and Mac OS X
• 
  

• Apple seems to have responded to market pressure by dropping the price of iTunes Plus tracks (which are also DRM-free but come in the less ubiquitous AAC format) to 99 cents, the same price as DRM-encumbered iTunes tracks, and down from $1.29
  
• Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard" is nearing release: Friday, October 26th (get $20 off for a limited time through this link!)
  

Tech Tips
Josh's

• Task Manager tricks for Windows
• What happened to my Task Manager?? If your task manager's tabs and buttons seem to have mysteriously vanished, don't worry—you probably just accidentally double-clicked somewhere in the window. This is a feature, not a bug. Double-click in a blank area of the window to restore the default view.
  
• Can I go straight to the Task Manager in Vista? Yep; the keystroke Ctrl+Shift+Esc instantly brings up the Task Manager in Windows Vista, without going to a list of options first. The same command also works for Windows XP/2000 PCs, which bypasses the option list screen if the PC is on a domain (of course, if your Windows XP or 2000 PC is not on a domain, then the command does the same thing as Ctrl+Alt+Del).

Anthony's

• On newer Macs, if you have the volume muted and then plug in headphones, the Mac will automatically unmute so you can hear through the headphones. Then if you unplug your headphones, the Mac will mute again instantly!
  

Big-O's

• On Macs with volume keys on the keyboard: Hold Shift while pressing a volume key to temporarily disable the volume-change sound effect)

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Tech Pulse 20070809: Netflix Hacked, Uninterruptible Power, Sweet Firefox Add-ons, and more!

Josh talks about Apple's new iMac and other product upgrades, Netflix getting hacked, future huge-capacity notebook drives, the safety of using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), Firefox add-ons to block ads and increase Internet safety, and more!

Notes and links related to this episode:

Tech News

• Apple's Tuesday event stuff:
• New iMac, redesigned to look more like the iPhone with a glass screen, and a new, much flatter keyboard
• iLife '08 with new automatic "Events" in iPhoto, redesigned iMovie, and more
• iWork '08, now with Numbers (Apple's answer to Microsoft Excel), simpler word processing with Pages, and more
• .Mac now has 10x the storage and bandwidth (increased to 10 GB storage and 100 GB/month bandwidth)
  
• Netflix's streaming movie service (which relies on Microsoft DRM) has been hacked
• Fujitsu developing 1.2 TB notebook HDs

Tech Tips
Josh's

• Hacking Safari 3.0.3 Beta to work on Mac OS X 10.3.9
• Josh couldn't get it to work. =(
  
• Consider getting an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for your desktop PC
• What should you plug into the battery backup outlets? (Anything that might cause data loss if power is lost unexpectedly)
  
• Desktop PC
• External hard drives, NAS
  
• Networking equipment (router, modem, and/or switch)
  
• What only needs surge protection?
• Monitor (would suck a lot of power from the UPS, and you can set up your PC to shut down automatically when UPS power is running low)
  
• Printer
• Speakers
  
• Laptop (has its own battery backup!)
  

Software/Hardware/Site etc. Picks
Josh's

• Favorite Firefox Add-ons (aka extensions):
• Make the Web enjoyable
  
• Adblock
• Adblock Filterset.G Updater
• Flashblock
• Manage bookmarks across multiple computers and browsers
  
• del.icio.us buttons
• Add-ons that are useful to install and train people to use after cleaning up spyware infections:
  
• McAfee SiteAdvisor
• *FAR* from foolproof, but can be useful to identify many harmful sites
• Shows its ratings next to sites in search results
  
• Netcraft Anti-Phishing Toolbar
• The same people who get a lot of spyware are often likely to click on phishing links as well. Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 have anti-phishing features built in, but it doesn't hurt to add another layer of protection
  

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• Don't forget to Digg us, blog about us, tell friends about us
• Add us on MySpace / follow Josh on Twitter / follow Big-O on Twitter
  
• You (our listeners) can submit story ideas by tagging pages with "techpulseideas" on del.icio.us