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Brandstar have recently released a brand new Software page!  The software page attempts to tackle the problem of not knowing which software is worth buying and downloading.  After all, there are so many options to choose from!  It covers a variety of both free and commercial products in the genres of Computer Security, Media, Office Applications and System Tools.

It’s worth checking out!

Apple have released the latest version of the music software iTunes.  iTunes isn’t something we give much time to but credit has to be given to Apple really because it is a brilliant bit of kit and if you have an iPod it works seemlessly. Allowing you to fully manage your music, videos and podcasts!

Their latests version I have to say I am very impressed with, which is why I thought it warrented a mention in today’s tip!  I haven’t played with it properly but iTunes Genius claims it can create great playlists based on the song you are listening to! So far I have been impressed but let me know what experiences you have had!

The other thing they have done is changed the way we browse our music, implementing a grid view which is far more graphical that the old big long list!

But this is a quick tip…head over to the Apple iTunes Site and download it for yourself, or just read about it

Enjoy!

Tuesday of this week saw Google release their own web browser! Arguably the best search engine on the web has produced a very nice browser. I have only been using it for a few days now but I am loving it. Most noticably two things visually that stand out to me are

• There is not a big toolbar at the top, so more of my screen is filled with the web page, therefore less scrolling so that is great!
• When opening the browser you get your most recent websites shown to you with little scrrenshots!

Sorry, running a bit late with this one. Flock – The Social Web Browser works with Windows, Mac AND Linux, so something for everyone here. It is specifically desiged to really integrate into the social networking sites like facebook and make your browsing experience “fast, convienent and fun!”

It is built on the Firefox technology and the current beta version is based on firefox 3. For those that use the web a lot for networking with people, shareing photos, using a web based email account then Flock is well worth considering.

Something I like is that Hotmail works better in Flock that it does in Firefox, so if you like your hotmail or live account but don’t like Internet Explorer then download Flock for free and see what you think

Let us know if you use it…what you think…etc

I think a large majority of us have downloaded a track or two in the past before buying it but there are some who download a little more than one or two tracks!

You are probably aware from the press this week that the government is talking about plans to require Internet Service Providers to take action on users that are downloading music and films illegally. Will it happen? I will believe it when I see it, however I do think it would be a good thing!

People just say that the record labels and some artists are just being greedy but in my opinion they are working for that money and none of us would be hugely impressed if we weren’t getting money for work we were doing!

After listening to a show about this on the radio during the week I thought I would share some of the “excuses” that people give for downloading illegally and my responses!

• I don’t want to spend money on a whole album when I only like a few of the tracks.
  • Download legally from somewhere like iTunes then!
• Record labels and artists are loaded, they don’t need the money
  • True there are some very rich artists and record companies, and I believe it is their responsibility to use that money wisely and generously. Not our right to prevent them from having it. Plus what about the little record labels and new artists…
• I have an 80GB iPod and it would cost thousands of pounds to fill it.
  • So over time spend the money or don’t have a full iPod. The 80GB iPod has the ability to have movies on it as well as music and photos so how about putting some pictures of your loved ones on there. <note sarcasm>

Ok, so my responses might be a bit harsh there, but I just thought those excuses were the ridiculous!

My advice…get itunes and an iPod and start downloading a few at a time! If you are used to downloading all the latest albums as soon as they are released then it is time for a change of mind unless you have a large amount of disposable cash!

Ok, so not everyone has Microsoft Office 2007 yet, but it is rapidly becoming a popular Office Suite. So the Quick Tip this week is for those who have taken the plunge! Office 2007 will allow you to save documents as a PDF file, so rather than spending out on a PDF writer or even rather than using a freebie you can use an in-built function.

Not sure why, but Microsoft in their infinite wisdom haven’t included it as standard so you need to download it from the Microsoft Site for free. Then run the download and you’re away! Quick and Easy

Yesterday Brandstar launched a free download of an Access Database that has been specifically written to allow people to easily manage their address list. Perfect for anyone wanting to fast track the printing of addressed for their Christmas cards! But it also has the capabilities of managing Newsletters for small firms or charities, including the option to email the newsletter rather than post it!

You don’t even need to own Microsoft Access to use this tool, you can simple download and install the free Runtime environment and the Access database will run!

Well worth checking out: Brandstar Address Book Tool : Standard Edition

Quick Tip this week: Nearly everyone now has a nice fast broadband connection, but are you using it for more than you would use your old dial-up connection for? For many the answer is no! So here are a few suggests to start making the most of your broadband connection:

1. Film Trailers – Watch the film trailers on the Apple website of the newest films released or coming out soon!
2. XBox Live – Make the most of your XBox and your internet connection
3. How Stuff Works - Find out how virtually anything works!!
4. Facebook – Share photos and messages with all your mates – possibly the biggest time waster on the web.
5. YouTube – Amongst a fair amount of drivel there is a load of amusing stuff on You Tube
6. BBC iPlayer – Watch the last 7 days ofBBC TV!

Let me know if you have a better suggestion!