BlakeBrannon.com

Adobe released a new version of its popular Flash player, previously owned by Macromedia. If you are an avid Flash player user, I would suggest upgrading to the newest version. It is free and available for OS X, Windows, and Linux.

If you have never used the Flash player before, I recommend installing it because it enables you to have a richer web experience when visiting certain web sites. Although many web sites offer non flash versions of their site, they typically are watered down versions with limited features and control. Most web sites however don’t contain Flash components so if you only check eBay and the news, you probably won’t notice a benefit from installing the player.

Skype has been available for a while and with SkypeOut, anyone with a computer can make free phone calls to any US or Canada phone number. Of course you can also call computer to computer for free. If you are interested in using Skype, it is available for Windows, OS X, and Linux. All versions work across different platforms so you on your PC won’t have a problem talking to me on my Mac. You can download the latest version of Skype here.

Requirements

To use Skype, all you need is a computer with a microphone and speaker setup. A headset is preferred to be used so that the microphone doesn’t pick up the speaker output and retransmit it to the other user. Although Skype works fine using regular speakers, the other user will hear themselves echo with about a 1-2 second delay. Quite annoying! Once you have the requirements, you will need to setup a Skype account from their web site. Now you are ready to use Skype.

Read the rest of this entry »

According to a press release this morning, Steve Jobs plans to kick off WWDC2006 with a preview of Apple’s latest OS update, 10.5 code named Leopard. The event starts on August 7 and spans five days until August 11.

Like always, Apple has kept secret about the new features and products they will be releasing in the upcomming quater. Below are some of the new products/features rumor sites are claiming will be released.

Read the rest of this entry »