Welcome to Dooba Reviews

New Version of Google Chrome – Supports Bookmark Sync and Extensions

Author Thomas | 25.01.2010 | Category Freebies, Web

Well, the moment is finally here for Google Chrome aficionados.  What is Google Chrome?  Well, the following should help explain:

Google Chrome (the browser) now supports extensions which are really cool. Extensions can help you block ads on pages, track information such as prices on Amazon.com, and much more.

The second great addition is bookmarking sync. With bookmark sync, you can create a uniform experience across the different computers you use, simply sync your bookmarks (click the wrench in the upper right to get started).

Cool stuff.

Just Received Access to Google Wave – First Impressions

Author Thomas | 14.10.2009 | Category Web

After much anticipation, I received my Google Wave invitation from Google.  The service right now is in “Preview” which means some things may not work quite right until the official release.

Right from the start, I was impressed with how it works, and could see this being a game changer for the web.  Good for Google!  And good for us, since we as web users can benefit greatly from it.

I used Wave a bit but soon discovered that there’s not all that much that you can do until you have some contacts in your contact list.   I’ve started to see some of my Gmail contacts appear in the Wave contact list which means that they’re getting Wave too.  It’s great that they’re being added automatically.

I added pictures into a wave.  This feature will be very, very handy for sharing pictures.

I tested out the Yes/No/Maybe widget and it worked.  I did notice the following day that the profile images in the contacts took a while to load, but no other major irregularities so far.

Right now the extensions list has only a handful of extensions, but we hope that to grow quickly.

Google Wave will be incredible once the user base expands past the preview audience and all Gmail account have automatic access to Wave.

The trick will be how many people switch to Wave once it’s released.

Google Wave to be Released

Author Thomas | 29.09.2009 | Category Software, Web

Google Wave is set for release tomorrow to 100,000 lucky testers.

Like 100,000 Golden Tickets awaiting to be sent to the lucky winners who will find in their email inboxes tomorrow an invitation to the revolutionary new service/product.

Google Wave will combine in-a-sense, email, instant messaging, blogging, sharing, etc.  Email will work much more like a conversation.

A ten minute demo of wave from the developer tool:

From the Developer Conference (the long video):

Hopefully, we’ll all get one of the Golden Ticket invites to start testing, exploring, and enjoying Google Wave.

Aviary…Awesome

Author Thomas | 08.07.2009 | Category Freebies, Web

I stumbled upon some hilarious images at Worth1000.com today, and saw an interesting add for the first online vector editing program. Hmm…I’ve had need for some vector image creation, and I thus got my first look at Aviary. Aviary, in a word is AWESOME. Basically, Aviary offers a suite online tools for image editing and graphics creation.

Below are some of the FREE products they offer. The tools are built with Flash, so it had no trouble running in my Google Chrome browser. With the talk about the New Google Chrome Operating System, Aviary is more relevant than ever.

Phoenix

Phoenix is Aviary’s image editor. Bye bye Photoshop! Again, simply awesome that it’s being offered for free, and the pro version is a very small yearly subscription. I’m pretty cheap, but the yearly subscription price looks very good if you want to use it commercially.

Peacock

Peacock can be used to create backgrounds, effects, etc. It’s pretty amazing and even more amazing that it takes place within the browser.

Raven

Raven is the Vector editing program. Simply awesome.

Do these tools replace Adobe’s suite of tools that cost thousands of dollars? Perhaps not right now, but that’s the thing about disruptive technologies; Aviary may very well replace the need for the user that doesn’t need all of the features of the Adobe suite.

So, go Aviary! Sign up if you have the chance for a free account and test it out. If you really like it, sign up for the paid account. I’m sure they’d appreciate it, and that would help the community to keep going.

The Web Changes Everything: Logo Tournament

Author Thomas | 23.06.2009 | Category Web

Just a handful of years ago, this concept would have been very difficult to achieve, but with the Web, it’s easy.  LogoTournament.com lets you create a logo creation contest for about $250.  You have 30 or more graphic artists start creating logos for you business, website, organization, etc.  You indicate general ideas about the look and feel of the logo and what you want the logo to communicate.

The graphic artists from around the world start posting ideas for your logo.  You give feedback and start to rank the logos.  At the end of the contest (just a matter of days), you select a winner and the logo is yours and the developer wins the contest money you put up through the website.

The site has examples of logos that have won, and there are many, many logos.  There are thousands of graphic artists that have joined the site.

It’s a fantastic idea and business model.  Logo Tournament is located at http://www.logotournament.com

New Version of YouTube – YouTube XL

Author Thomas | 06.06.2009 | Category Web

YouTube, owned by Google, released a new look for their site made especially for viewing on television.  The new version of the site can be reached at http://www.youtube.com/xl

Our initial impressions are that it’s an improvement.  Although this view is made for visitors using their TVs to visit the site, there are none of the annoying comments that plague the site.  With such a clean look and easy navigation, many visitors will be using it as their default view.

Using the Wii, we (ha, ha) tested out viewing YouTube/XL.  What was interesting was that instead of a black background, YouTube XL was white.  The videos displayed nicely although, the low res videos were a little blocky.

All in all, it’s an improviement, and we like it.

New Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs for Android and iPhone

Author Thomas | 07.04.2009 | Category Software

Of course there are applications that you can use on your mobile phone to check your Gmail, but why enter all those settings, when you can point your mobile web browser to gmail.com and get the whole kit-n-kaboodle.

The new version of Gmail for mobile devices is much improved. It works on Android, iPhone, and probably other mobile devices. The difference in this version is that Google Gears is employed to help make checking email much faster and offer the ability to perform tasks even when off line.

The new web app offers quick links at the top for Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and “more.”

Gmail in this new version lets you see conversations more easily and allows for bulk edits. The follow bar is interesting when you open a conversation to read.

Google Docs looks great in the new version. The display icons add a lot to the design.

An improvement that could be made (on Android) is to make the links that you click behave more like buttons rather than hyperlinks that receive the standard link box around them when activated or highlighted.

Below is a demo of the new features.

Google Chrome Web Browser in 3D Really Works

Author Thomas | 01.04.2009 | Category Software

Google unveiled a new version of its stellar web browser Google Chrome 3D. The new 3D version lets you view web pages in 3D. Released on April 1st, the browser is obviously part of Google’s April Fools Jokes; however, the browser really does have a 3D setting that lets you view pages in 3D (just don’t print your own glasses. Go get some real ones.

Click on the screenshot below to see Dooba Reviews in 3D.  Don’t stare too long without 3D glasses!

The tweak to the browser is a pretty good idea as it will get more people to download and install the browser.

You can download the Google Chrome 3D here.

SkyDrive from Windows Live – 25Gig Free Storage

Author Thomas | 11.02.2009 | Category Software

I stumbled across SkyDrive today, and was surprised that 25Gig of online storage is available for free.  You can store pictures and/or files in your “SkyDrive” and there is also a shared folder you can use to store files for sharing.

I have to admit, I was very surprised that Microsoft would offer such large storage for free.

SkyDrive Screen Shot

Just login or create a free Windows Live (Hotmail) account and access http://skydrive.live.com

My only concern is that I’d hate to accidently hit the Public folder with information I really meant for the locked folder.

If you’re using Internet Explorer, you can drag and drop files into your folders.  At least that’s what I’m told.  I tried visting there in IE once and IE wasn’t downloading the stylesheet.  IE said there were errors on the page, etc.

So, back to Google Chrome and uploading files a few at a time.

Amazon Video on Demand

Author Thomas | 01.10.2008 | Category Web

iTunes of course has the market for music downloads on the Internet, but a winner is not so clear cut for video content. Video content can be rented from iTunes. The limitations and viewing period is somewhat bothersome, but you can watch your videos on an iPod.

Amazon has entered the game with their Video on Demand program. Visitors can select from videos within the On Demand library and rent or buy the movie.

One benefit of the Amazon Video on Demand is that the first 2 minutes are free to watch. With this benefit, you can start watching a movie, and if you find out in the first 2 minutes that it’s going to be a dud, you’re not out anything.

Videos can be watched without an Internet connection by using the free Unbox program. If you start watching a video, you can stop and come back where you left off. Another nice feature is that you can watch from different computers. If you’re going on a trip, you don’t have to download the whole movie before leaving, just log in when you reach your destination to watch.

You can connect you video stream to your Tivo or from your computer to your TV.