How To Optimize Your Ad Position

In this video you'll learn how to optimize your ad position

How To Use The Ad Preview And Diagnosis Tool

In this video you'll learn how to use the Ad Preview and Diagnosis tool

Mozilla Releases Thimble Web Page Creation Tool

How simple does Mozilla’s newly released Thimble make creating fully functional web pages in just minutes? “Ridiculously simple,” says Mozilla. The company says the tool bypasses learning HTML and CSS, struggling with servers to preview work, and other obstacles to make it “easier to create your own projects quickly and learn web skills in a way that’s easy, visual, and fun.” Beyond writing and editing HTML and CSS directly in a browser, Thimble enables sharing pages in one click. By default, Mozilla hosts the pages (which aren’t indexed by search engines), though users can host them elsewhere. Thimble also doesn’t support uploading video or images, but you can link those hosted elsewhere. The project includes hackable web pages dubbed Projects that help sharpen HTML and CSS skills. Overall, Thimble is the core of Mozilla’s Webmaker (webmaker.org) mission to transform people “from using the web to making the web.” Hundreds of Summer Code Party events are planned throughout the summer in various communities.

Google Threatens Conversion Sites With Lawsuits

If you’re a fan of YouTubeMP3, you’re not alone. The site estimates 200 million users globally use services of its kind, and bills its own as “the easiest online service for converting videos to mp3.” Google apparently has a problem with that. In June it delivered cease-and-desist letters signed by Harris Cohen, YouTube associate product counsel, to You- TubeMP3 and Music Clips demanding each stop offering functionality to download YouTube content or risk legal consequences. The letter, which TorrentFreak.com posted, stated such sites violate YouTube’s terms of service, which prohibits downloading any video from the site not accompanied by a download link. Further, such sites violate You-Tube’s API’s terms of service, which prohibit applications that “separate, isolate, or modify the audio or video components” of YouTube audiovisual content provided via the API and application and that “store copies of YouTube audiovisual content.” In an open letter, YouTubeMP3 stated it believes its service is legal and has never used the YouTube API “to pull any videos.” YouTubeMP3 also cited Google News and Google Books as examples of Google not practicing what it preaches.

Spotify Charts New Course With Free Web Radio

Spotify let fly in early June with what could be a significant blow in the streaming music wars by launching a free web radio service for mobile listeners (U.S. support only). Initially available for Apple devices (Android

support coming), the free web radio will include
advertising but marks a major departure from the paid monthly plan Spotify users previously had to possess for mobile listening. In addition to the inclusion of ads, the free offering limits track skips to six per hour. (For $9.99 per month,  Spotify Premium subscribers get unlimited skips, can access auto-generated playlists based on songs they’ve heard via the radio service, and more.) Users can select from Recommended stations, Genre stations, or create stations by selecting an artist. This free Web radio feature puts Spotify in direct competition with Slacker, Pandora, and other web radio services
with free mobile listening. In its favor, Spotify reportedly has 16 million tracks in its library vs. Pandora’s 1 million.

Velocity Micro Brings Back “Extreme Luxury”

Been in search of “the most extreme, most refined, most powerful PC on the planet?” Well, look no further than Overdrive PC, the brand Velocity Micro purchased in 2007 and resurrected recently with the Overdrive BigBlock. GTX, which Velocity Micro states continues the Overdrive PC “ultra-performance desktop legacy” dating back to 2003. Starting at a cool $7,999, the Big- Block.GTX is preconfigured with 
a six-core 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition that’s Hyper-clocked to 4.6GHz. Other goodies include an ASUS Rampage IV Extreme motherboard, 32GB of DDR3-1600MHz quad-channel memory, three 2,048MB EVGA NVIDIA GTX680 GDDR5 cards in tri-SLI, two 240GB Intel 520 Series SSDs, a 2TB Hitachi SATA 300 HD, 1,500W PSU, a Logitech G110 keyboard, and a Razer DeathAdder 3G infrared mouse. The aluminum OPC Performance Case, meanwhile, includes custom fans, aluminum wheel kit, and availability in four colors.

Corsair Debuts Neutron SSDs, PSU With DSP-Based Design

Corsair unveiled several new products at Computex this year, including its Neutron Series SSDs and the AX1200i Digital ATX PSU, both best-of-show winners. The Neutron Series, which include flagship GTX models, use Link_A_Media Devices’ LM87800 6Gbps controller. Expected in July (pricing to come), the GTX models will hit 120, 240, and 480GB sizes and support 90,000 random read/write IOPS and 555/500MBps read/write sequential rates. The Neutron Series will include 120 and 240GB models with 90,000/85,000 random read/write IOPS and 555/370MBps read/write sequential speeds. The AX1200i, meanwhile, combines a DSP-based design with Corsair’s Link technology to support real-time temperature, current draw, and power efficiency monitoring; fan speed adjustment; and switching from a default single +12V rail config to customized multi-rail mode. Corsair also debuted the Dominator Platinum DDR3 memory line in dual- and quad-channel kits spanning 8 to 64GB sizes, reaching up to 2,800MHz frequencies, and including a customizable light bar with “user-swappable light pipe” for matching the sticks with other PC lighting and components.

GIGABYTE Touts World Records Charted On Its Mobos

In late May, GIGABYTE announced that “renowned overclocker Hi- Cookie” recorded the highest validated CPU clock speed (per CPU-Z and Canard PC) for Intel’s 3.5GHz Core i7 3770K. Using a GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H motherboard and liquid-nitrogen cooling, HiCookie took the Ivy Bridge chip to a clock of 7.032GHz, good enough to set a world record according to the global overclocking website HWBot.org. On June 13, however, the GIGABYTE Tech Daily blog reported that HiCookie bested his own effort by hitting 7.089GHz using the same board. Incidentally, this wasn’t HiCookie’s only record-breaking effort recently. The overclocker also topped the world’s previous highest mark for memory speed on the Ivy Bridge platform by reaching 3,280MHz on all four memory slots on GIGABYTE’s GA-Z77XUD5H mobo using G.Skill Trident X DDR3-2800 4GB sticks.

ZEO SLEEP MANAGER MOBILE

The Sleep Manager Mobile ($99) uses the same technology found in Zeo’s Sleep Manager – Bedside ($149), which relies on a wireless sensor and online analytical tools to track, analyze, and enhance the quality of your sleep. Specifically, the system tracks sleep patterns by measuring how much restorative REM and deep sleep you get nightly to help better manage sleep practices. The Mobile product works with iOS and Android devices and in association with a free Sleep Manager mobile app. Other features include a free coaching program and SmartWake Alarm, which wakes a sleeper at the optimal point in the sleep cycle.


$99 | www.myzeo.com/sleep

STRIIV

Billed as the “world’s first smart pedometer,” the palm-sized Striiv uses an “activity motivation system” and has a 2-inch high-resolution touchscreen that grants access to built-in apps that track your steps, calories, distance, and minutes of activity. Striiv claims its Trumotion technology accurately detects walking and movement up or down stairs without false steps. The device learns a user’s behavior and offers motivation to walk more, take routes with stairs, and live a generally healthier life through personal challenges and goals, walkathons, various games, sharing results, and viewing friends’ activity.


$99.95 | www.striiv.com

WITHINGS WIFI BODY SCALE

Using a Wi-Fi connection, the Withings WiFi Body Scale automatically records your weight, lean and fat mass, and BMI and sends the data to your Apple or Android mobile device where you can manage and view it via a free WiScale app. Additionally, you can view your information via a Web dashboard from a computer using any Web browser. Withings states the scale is compatible with a Wi-Fi access point other than public hotspots, disconnects from the network after a weigh-in, and stores up to 16 measurements in memory if the connection is off. The scale can manage up to eight users.
$159 | www.withings.com