Webware

Spymac gets less Mac-centric, aims for mainstream

My first run-in with Spymac was a completely accidental encounter a few years ago. I was pleasantly surprised to discover a site that had its own visual style and appeal. It pulled in some design cues from Apple but kept its own sense of personality. This week Spymac has relaunched itself as Leapfrog, a portal for user-generated media.

The old Spymac featured a variety of user services, including e-mail, blogs, and user forums. It was a community-driven site. The new Spymac Leapfrog is all about media. Think YouTube with Google's pastel color palete. Users can browse popular videos, pictures, … Read more

Webware Now on Original Signal

I'd like to welcome to the site any first time Webware visitors that have made their way here from Original Signal. Webware is now on the front page of Original Signal, and all of us here would like to say that we're honored.

If this is your first time here, be sure to check our About section, which will let you know who we are and what we're trying to do. There's also a contact link to submit your site for coverage.

Many of us here at Webware use Original Signal and check it throughout the … Read more

Ask gets pretty with Ask X

One of the things I love most about Google is how it has made other search competitors focus on simplicity and elegance in their interfaces. A prime example of this trend is Ask X, which can be described as the better-looking sibling of Ask.com.

Ask X uses Ajax to provide users with a refresh-free searching experience. Clicking among various search options such as images or video automatically refreshes your results without having to reload the page. The same goes for any new search you enter. Ask X has three window panes: one for typing searches, one for viewing results, … Read more

Skype set to launch Skype Pro service

Skype is set to launch a new version of its VoIP phone service for international customers in 24 countries. The new service, named Skype Pro, won't charge by the minute for its SkypeOut service, which lets computers call landlines. Instead, it will charge users a €2-per-month subscription fee and €3.9 cents-per-call connection fee.

There are some benefits to the new system over the old one: specifically, free Skype voicemail (which used to cost about $20 a year) and a large discount on a SkypeIn number at which regular phones can call you. All in all, it's a … Read more

See how big things are with Sizeasy

When new gadgets are announced, it's often weeks if not months before you can see them in person to gauge their size. Sizeasy is a slick and simple piece of Webware that lets you plug in the dimensions of any product and compare it to real-world objects.

What really makes it fun is selecting from a drop-down list of real products to measure your object against, such as a door, a mattress, a box of matches, or a wine bottle. You can include up to five objects for your comparison.

When you're done, you'll receive a link … Read more

News Roundup

-- Find toxic wastelands via Google Earth. The EPA released a master list of landfills and other offenders to the public today in hopes of getting some recognition on mapping services such as Google Earth and Windows Live Local. Here's hoping for a Toxic button next to the beloved satellite view on Google maps. (CNET News)

-- Global digital-music sales nearly doubled in 2006. It was a good year for digital downloads, but they're still coming in at only 10 percent of the total music market. (CNET News)

-- MTV to buy RateMyProfessors.com. With more than 900,… Read more

Motivation management with GradeFix

Gradefix is a Web-based organizational tool aimed at students who want to organize their schoolwork in a virtual assignment book. Users simply add their assignment info, and Gradefix prioritizes the projects that need their attention. Could this be simpler than a hard-copy day planner? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Gradefix separates schoolwork into four categories: homework, reading, quiz study, and exam study. Sorely lacking is scheduling for lab work and study groups, two activities that most college students likely would add to their schedules. In that regard, Gradefix seems suited more to the high school crowd.

After adding a new … Read more

Unofficial Child Surveillance Day: IMSafer and MySpace upgrade

-- IMSafer, the parental IM monitoring system we covered in October, got a big upgrade today with support for Mac OS X and Windows Vista. The app keeps an eye on your child's (or spouse's!) instant messages, and alerts you via e-mail if the analysis tool finds inappropriate content. Previously, there was no Mac support.

-- MySpace is planning to launch an app that lets curious parents or significant others track MySpace log-ins on the family computer. Code-named "Zephyr," the app will make note of username, age, and location, then save the data to your machine. … Read more

The latest in Facebook tweaks

Social networking site Facebook is one of those sites that tends to churn out a steady stream of small updates and modifications rather than releasing massive "2.0" and "3.0" revamps. It looks like they've recently gone through a few of them, too:

Easier "wall" posting. (See image at left.) Instead of navigating to a different page to post on someone's "wall" (basically a free-for-all bulletin board at the bottom of a Facebook profile), there's now a cool little text field that lets you post right from the … Read more