Microsoft Office

In fact, an article from Inc. announces that Office 2010 will be rolling out with free versions of Word and Excel to compete with Google Docs and Spreadsheets. These “stripped-down online programs,” says Inc., “will be accessible on computer browsers and Web-enabled mobile phones.” Continue reading at Inc.com.

Big changes have been happening over at BlackBerry and they have decided to make one of its most popular products completely free. BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express provides advanced BlackBerry smartphone features with no additional software or user license fees. It also works with any Internet-enable Blackberry data plan. Download it now at the BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express site.

If you’re looking for more oomph from your BlackBerry software, try the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and package it with a bit of technical support.  As always, we have that great satisfaction guarantee and a software licensing price guarantee.

TechCrunch uncovered this recent no-no after developed Jon Atherton, Wooble iBoobs, received a letter from iPhone App Review. Then there was the letter from Apple, that didn’t explain much. And today, a few guidelines have been uncovered through Atherton’s blog, ChilliFresh, regarding his app.

• No images of women in bikinis
• No images of men in bikinis
• No skin
• No silhouettes that indicate that Wobble can be used for wobbling boobs
• No sexual connotations or innuendo
• Nothing that can be sexually arousing
• No apps that in any way imply sexual content

Is Apple going too far? Can we call it censorship? I don’t think I can say they don’t have a right to regulate the Apple App Store… but I can definitely see how they are going too far. As a recent owner of an iPod touch and somewhat recent user of Google Voice (thanks to Michael, one of our IT guys at SoftwareMedia.com), I was completely shocked when I found out there was no Google Voice app — yes, iPod and not iPhone, mostly because my phone is just that… a phone (no data, no text, I’m the worst software techie ever, I know)! Okay, that has nothing to do with these new rules. But still!

C’mon Apple! We already own your expensive toys, can’t we play with them as we see fit (okay, NO pun intended there…)? If you’re curious where (some of) the public stands, CNET started a poll on whether Apple should ban adult-themed apps from the App Store. I agree with the current majority: No, but there should be age restrictions on them. Because you know, then parents don’t have reason to complain (and if kids get to it anyway, maybe your kid is too smart and should build a startup like Chatroulette). Thoughts?

Chinese Schools Spurred Online Hacking
Remember the series of cyber attacks not too long after Google first threatened to pull out of China? Although it was never proven at the time, China was highly suspected of launching those attacks. It’s recently been discovered that two schools in China may have been responsibly. According to the New York Times, “a series of online attacks on Google and dozens of other American corporations have been traced to computers at two educational institutions in China, including one with close ties to the Chinese military.”

Google Goes (and Gets More) Green
The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission has given Google the power to “sell energy, capacity and service at market rates,” according to Wired. And now, it can start going green like they’ve been hoping… In the summer of 2007, they had 9,212 solar panels powering their Mountain View headquarters. With the FREC order, the entire Google-polis could be solar powered and maybe even your home! Of course, consumers will have to pay for service… Again, another step in taking over the world.

Photoshop Turns 20 (and transforms into an iPhone app)!
Okay, it’s really not that much of a headliner… but I thought it was cool. There’s a dedicated 20th anniversary site that Adobe created, complete with an informative and interactive timeline. Who knew, layers didn’t appear until five years after the birth? A specially created iPhone app was also given out to a group of selected attendees at the National Association of Photoshop Professionals 20th Anniversary Event. “I really wanted to do something special to commemorate 20 years of Photoshop, and the best thing I thought of was a nostalgic iPhone app,” says Russell Brown, Adobe’s Senior Creative Director.

• Wirelessly sync email, calendar, contacts, notes and tasks
• Manage email folders and search email remotely
• Book meetings and appointments
• Set up out-of-office replies
• Edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files with Documents to Go
• Access files stored on the company network
• User mobile apps to access business systems behind the firewall

BESX releases in March. Visit the site to learn more about BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express features in the meantime though… While BESX has “the same robust security architecture found in BlackBerry Enterprise Server,” BESX only features 35 “IT controls and policies” whereas, the full BlackBerry Enterprise Server version has over 450 tools. But those 400+ features come at a price… If you are unsure whether or not BESX will suit your needs, check out RIM’s spiffy BlackBerry Comparison Chart.

Feel free to mosey on over and take advantage of SoftwareMedia.com’s software licensing price guarantee! We have BlackBerry Enterprise Server products at competitive prices and you can’t beat that satisfaction guarantee!

The interface is stunning and the features are a brilliant combination of firsts and smart design. Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft, tells us, “In a crowded market filled with phones that look the same and do the same things, I challenged the team to deliver a different kind of mobile experience.” It’s a phone that’s been designed for life in motion. “Windows Phone 7 Series marks a turning point toward phones that truly reflect the speed of people’s lives and their need to connect to other people and all kinds of seamless experiences,” Ballmer continues. The Windows Phone 7 also brings Xbox LIVE games and the Zune music and video experience to mobile phones for the first time.

Unable to attend the Mobile World Congress and review the product myself, I point you in the direction of TechCrunch, Gizmodo and Business Insider.

Windows Phone 7 phones will hit stores by the holiday season this year. For those who are antsy to play with the interface, head over to the Windows Phone 7 Series site for an interactive demo. Steve Ballmer’s press conference at Barcelona can also be replayed in full at Microsoft.

For those of you on the go (with fancy phone in tow or laptop or what not), here’s a gather guide of how to enjoy your Olympics sans the television set.

NBCOlympics.com
The obvious choice for those of us in the United States. Although most of NBC’s coverage will only be aired on TV (advertising revenue), there’s a handful of video content on their just-the-Olympics website. Tonight, they are also blogging live throughout the opening ceremonies.

Mobile.NBCOlympics.com
NBCOlympics.com for your mobile! Everything is bigger (text, graphics, etc.) so that it’s easier to view on your phone.

YouTube.com/olympic
Highlights from the games from the International Olympic Committee. Unfortunately, they don’t go live until March 1st despite what’s said in the Wired wiki. I want to say NBC’s exclusive rights are behind this…

YouTube.com/CTVOlympics
Content from the Canadian CTV Channel. Note that these videos are blocked in the United States “on copyright grounds.”

audiski on Justin.tv
Follow U.S. Ski Team members TJ Lanning and Resi Stiegler in brief webcasts produced by Audi (the car guys). The two skiers, who are recovering from injury, will be in Whistler hosting 15-minute dailies called “Live at the Lodge with TJ and Resi.” The webisodes air starting tomorrow at 6:30pm PT/9.30pm ET and continue through February 27th (same time each day).

Justin.tv
Streaming coverage here… possibly?

Ustream.tv
Looks like there was a live broadcast of ski jumping earlier. This streaming video site looks promising for more streaming coverage…

AT&T Mobile TV
According to NewTeeVee.com, AT&T Mobile TV will be carrying the NBC Olympics 2Go Channel. Another outlet for live video coverage from your mobile.

Olympic-Games-2010.info
There are links that show the site is ready for live streaming of Curling, Bobsleigh (is it not Bobsled?) and Biathlon. Might be worth checking out…

Vancouver2010.com
Collection of video content from different sources. There doesn’t seem to be anything that’s live but it’s worth a shot for highlights and informational reels.

Not quite getting what you are looking for? There are a few international sites that may carry more streaming coverage, but you’ll have to find a way around the regional restrictions. Try TechCrunch, Business Insider or LifeHacker for more links and tips on staying in touch with the Games.

The Hearts for Haiti campaign will take place in the SF Bay Area at three specified locations — two Peet’s coffee shops and the Barenaked Ladies concert. When someone uses Gowalla to check-in at one of those locations during the event, $50 will be donated in to the Red Cross in that person’s name. Gowalla hopes to reach $20,000. In addition to Gowalla’s charitable efforts, the two Peet’s locations will also be donating 10% of sales towards Haiti efforts. Details on when to go where can be found over at the Gowalla Blog.

Okay, it’s great that these two rival apps are working towards a greater cause but… how do you check-in? What does it mean to check-in? Do you live in the dinosaur age and only use your cell phone for calls? It’s okay, because I live in that era as well. In fact, I don’t even do the text thing — I know I know, I get a lot of crap about it…

Well, Loopt and Gowalla are location-based mobile apps for the mobile user. Think of a “Super Twitter” (yes, I agree that Twitter is also very confusing) with an interactive map, sort of… Loopt and Gowalla allow you to share your location, status and photos with friends. These programs also allow you to share events and places with your friends. All this information is then provided conveniently on a detailed interactive map. There wasn’t much information on Gowalla, but Loopt describes itself as a “social compass.” I imagine it’s fairly useful when your friends are out and about and you are looking for something to do that night. Find out where your friends are and what they are doing through the app then, connect. Loopt even alerts you when a friend is nearby!

Anyway, when you “check-in,” you are basically sending an update to your friends. Does that make sense at all? If not, the Business Insider has a step by step slideshow of how Foursquare, a similar app, works. Sorry, this has been a very confusing post… Please comment if you can help explain things better!

Okay, tell me that ad won’t run through your head every time you hear “iPad” from now on?! iPad is a HORRIBLE name!! But the product itself is pretty snazzy, I admit.

The press event, held at Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, lasted about two hours. And to my slight disappointment, only included a long presentation about the the tablet. I was looking forward to hearing about the iPhone 4 and possible Verizon ventures, but I guess that will be later down the line. Nevertheless, my highlights for today’s event as follows…

“We call it the iPad.”

Basically, it looks like an over-sized iPod touch.

Maps. Address book. Calendar. iTunes, YouTube. Also syncs to iTunes like an iPod touch or iPhone. “More intimate than a laptop” and “more capable than a smartphone.”

Photo scrubber bar at the bottom is awe-some. And built-in slideshows!

It’s 0.5 inches thin, 1.5 pounds and green tech evolving. There’s a “9.7 inch IPS display.” 10-hour battery life (a month on standby) with the “latest in wireless: 801.11n, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR.”

Fancy apps, just like iPhone and iPod.

iBooks app that will give Kindle a run for its money.

AT&T team-up for a $14.99 250mb per month data plan or $29.99 unlimited data plan.

It starts at only $499. Not bad.

Thoughts? Comments? Let us know; we want to hear your comments! For more thorough coverage of today’s event, check out gdgt.com or engadget.com‘s live blogging coverage.

So, what would the aftermath efforts of the Haiti earthquake be like sans cell phones and Internet? I mean, text messaging has accumulated over $24 million in donations to the Red Cross alone. This is a significant jump from just one week ago when history was made with the $4 million record. And now, a man is telling his tale of how he survived the Haiti earthquake with the help of his trusty iPhone?! How can we not live without these modern conveniences!

Dan Woolley, a documentary filmmaker for Compassion International, had just finished a day of shooting before the earthquake struck. “I just saw the walls rippling and just explosive sounds all around me,” Woolley tells The View‘s Meredith Vieira. By using his digital SLR camera to illuminate his surroundings, Woolley was able to take refuge in an elevator shaft.

Woolley sustained a compound fracture of the leg and cut to the head while caught in falling rubble. Knowing that he could die, he downloaded a first-aid app on his iPhone. It was like if an EMT was right beside him. The app gave instructions on how to treat his wounds. With directions from the iPhone app, Woolley stopped the bleeding from his head and safely applied a tourniquet to his leg. The app also warned him not to fall asleep, a possible fatality for those going into shock. So, he programmed his iPhone alarm clock to alert him every 20 minutes.

For the next 65 hours, Woolley waited until a French rescue team pulled him out. Just last night, four days after his rescue, he returned home to his family in Colorado Springs. MSNBC has in-depth coverage, including Meredith Vieira’s interview with Woolley and his wife.

Would Woolley have survived without his iPhone? It’s amazing how far technology has come…