ResComp Newsletter
February 2008
Table of Contents
- Tip of the Month: Integrate your to-do list into GMail
- Last.fm Lets You Stream Full Songs On Demand
- Use Online Tools to Stay Updated on the Presidential Race
- Tech News in Brief
Tip of the Month: Integrate your to-do list into GMail
In the December issue of the newsletter, we covered Remember the Milk (RtM), a web application geared towards managing all your tasks and assignments. RtM has recently released an addon for the popular Firefox web browser that integrates the to-do list into the GMail interface.
The addon lets you add tasks directly from GMail, as well as perform advanced operations on tasks without ever leaving GMail. It also lets you integrate GMail contacts and particular email threads into the taste. For example, if your task is to call a particular person, their contact information is automatically integrated into the task.
To install the addon, and to learn more about RtM, visit www.rememberthemilk.com.
Last.fm Lets You Stream Full Songs On Demand
While we've covered Last.fm's music offerings before, it has recently undergone an overhaul. Last.fm has partnered with many large music record companies to allow users to stream songs online for free. In the past, Last.fm had only a few songs available to stream, and most were 30-second sample clips. Now, full songs stream as instantly as you search for them.
Unlike Pandora.com or other music streaming sites, Last.fm does not function as an online radio station; it actually lets you play any song that you search for. With their new partnership with record companies, Last.fm's music offerings have grown substantially.
Last.fm also offers other features, such as matching users with others who share their musical tastes. It also suggests new artists and songs based on your listening habits. To learn more about Last.fm, or to sign up for a free account, visit www.last.fm.
Use Online Tools to Stay Updated on the Presidential Race
Excited about the 2008 Presidential Election? If you want to learn about the candidates' positions on various topics, or if you want to stay up-to-date on delegate counts and each cadidates' progress in getting closer to the White House, your first course of action would be to Google them. However, there are some excellent sites specifically catering to keep users up-to-date on the race. More information about a few of them can be found in the spread below.
- Yahoo! Election Dashboard: With up-to-the-minute polling information and delegate counts, the Yahoo election dashboard keeps you on top of the latest developments in the Presidential race. [http://news.yahoo.com/election/2008/dashboard]
- CNN Election Headquarters: With an emphasis on news coverage of the election, CNN's election website keeps users updated on all the latest movements of the candidates. CNN also features a Political Market, a sort of fantasy football/faux-betting arena for the 2008 election. [http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/]
- New York Times election results and map: Unsure whichcandidate won a particular caucus or primary? With color-coded maps and in-depth results from state and local elections, the New York Times has got you covered. [http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/delegates/index.html]
- The Onion's War for the White House: Aren't really into politics? Check out satirical newspaper The Onion's take on the election, which they dub "The War for the White House". Beware, though, almost all the news on this site is indubitably fake. [http://www.theonion.com/content/whitehousewar]
Tech News in Brief
Don't have the time to keep up on what's new in technology? Below are three important news items from the past month.
Microsoft tries fails to acquire Yahoo!
Microsoft offered Yahoo! $44.6 billion dollars in a bid to acquire the company earlier this month. Yahoo's Board of
Directors, however, said that the bid undervalued the company, and rejected the offer. It also claimed that the merger would
not be in the best interest of Yahoo shareholders. Microsoft is now pursuing legal action to force a merger.
Starbucks teams up with AT&T to provide WiFi in stores
Previously tied to T-Mobile, the coffee giant is now
partnering with AT&T to provide two hours of free wireless
internet access per day to its customers. Additionally, AT&T
subscribers will get unlimited internet access. T-Mobile
customers are expected to continue getting access to
Starbucks WiFi? spots via an agreement with AT&T.
Google Android premieres at Mobile World Congress
The Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona in February
featured new offerings from many cellphone manufacturers.
However, the surprise star was Google's new cellphone
operating system, named Android. Android is open-source,
meaning that developers around the world are free to modify
the OS to fit their particular needs.
- Articles by: Krithika Muthukumar.
- ResComic and assorted graphics by: Elizabeth Eady.