speeds

Speed test your CPU with CPU Speed Professional

CPU Speed Professional tests your PC's processor and compares its results against other users' CPUs and systems via an online rankings site. This free tool stresses your CPU with a variety of tests designed to reveal strengths and weaknesses, but it doesn't hurt or change anything. It's basically foolproof to use and compatible with both Intel and AMD processors.

This software's user interface resembles a car's analog instrument cluster, with tachometer-style displays for both % CPU and MHz. A menu offered controls for initiating the scan and viewing and sharing the results. We ran the test, … Read more

Thorough thumbnails

Anyone who's used Google Chrome for any period of time has likely encountered its "Most Visited" landing page, which displays thumbnails of your most visited Web pages for quick and easy access. Speed Dial is an extension for Firefox that mimics this feature of Chrome--sort of. Instead of displaying your most visited sites automatically, Speed Dial lets you create your own sets of thumbnails. It's a great way to organize your favorite sites and access them quickly.

The extension installed without issues but, like all Firefox extensions, required us to restart our browser. A small configuration … Read more

Clean the bad apps from your Mac

If you're looking for a Mac uninstaller with a little extra under the hood, CleanApp offers all the features you need to get rid of unwanted apps once and for all.

With CleanApp, you drag and drop apps to the interface, and then you can view them and their associated files before you decide what to do. But unlike other uninstall utilities for Mac, CleanApp offers a few extras across the top of the interface, so you can zero in on what you want to uninstall. The Applications button displays all installed apps; a System Accessories button lets you … Read more

High-speed rail to get $336 million more from feds

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Wednesday announced his office is dispersing an additional $336.2 million in funds toward the massive U.S. high-speed rail public works project underway.

This time, the money is going for the trains themselves.

Including this latest release, $782 million has been dispersed for purchasing 33 locomotives and 120 bi-level train cars for California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington.

The federal government has now allocated a total of $10.1 billion, set aside via the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009, for the introduction of high-speed rail as well as updates … Read more

Broadband subscribers mostly get what they pay for

Good news for U.S. broadband customers: On average major Internet service providers are delivering up to 80 percent of advertised broadband speeds, according to a study by the Federal Communications Commission.

This is a big improvement over 2009 when the FCC noted as part of its preparation for the National Broadband Plan that actual download speeds for broadband service were often about half of what broadband providers advertised as their maximum speeds.

"Most major ISPs are providing service close to what they're advertising," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in prepared remarks at a Best Buy store in Washington, D.C., today, … Read more

3DS price drop

RIM releases the "more social" BlackBerry Messenger 6 service to share apps, the BBC launches a paid version of its iPlayer service for the iPad, and Nintendo dramatically drops the price of its 3DS handheld game device after lackluster sales.

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Nintendo loses money, drops 3DS price RIM releases BlackBerry Messenger 6.0 Verizon and AmEx partner on mobile payments Google Page Speed Service Sprint and LightSquared sign pact BBC iPlayer goes global Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

Google to speed up, host customers' Web sites

Google, banging its make-the-Web-faster drum again, announced a new service today to rewrite and host others' Web pages so browsers can load them faster.

But this time, the service isn't free.

The company's earlier moves in this area haven't cost a cent, but Google will charge for the new Page Speed Service when it arrives for the masses at some undefined time in the future. In the past Google used the argument that a faster Web leads to more activity and, ultimately, more ad revenue for Google, but with Page Speed Service, Google is going the old-fashioned … Read more

Update to Trapster lets Android users vet road hazards

The Trapster app for Android has received a major update with a new user interface, a new widget for your home screen, and an emphasis on helping users confirm or deny reported road hazards with a turning of a digital thumb.

New to this version 3.0 update (dated July 21, according to the Android Market) is a refreshed interface that makes it easier to report road hazards while on the go. The map can now display satellite and terrain data in addition to the standard street data. New onscreen elements include icons on the left edge of the map … Read more

Universities to bring 1Gbps broadband to local communities

A group of 29 universities in the U.S. is banding together to bring ultra-high-speed broadband access to the communities surrounding their campuses in an effort to attract start-ups and spur innovation.

The project, called Gig.U, was announced today and aims to build world-class broadband infrastructure to attract high-tech start-ups to areas close to universities. Some of the sectors the project directors hope to target are health care, energy, and telecommunications.

Several of the universities participating in the program, including Arizona State University, Duke University, and University of Michigan, are not in a major metropolitan areas. And others, such … Read more