free

1-800-FREE-411 and Dial DIR-ECT-IONS connect

Mobile users away from their computers have had a handful of options for directory services in the past couple of years. There's TellMe (555-TELL), FREE-411, CALL-411, and GOOG-411 to name some of the free ones. There are also the official ones from each of the carriers that are billed a la carte--and usually at a high price.

This morning FREE-411 (one of the older services of the crowd) has announced a partnership with a useful driving directions service Dial DIR-ECT-IONS to help people find phone numbers and addresses for businesses or residential listings along with step-by-step directions for how … Read more

Dwight Yoakam, "Just Passin' Time": Free MP3 of the Day

Mixing uptempo quasi-rockabilly songs with introspective ballads that are heartfelt but never saccharine, Yoakam's got a rare ability to move both Nashville stalwarts and alt-country scenesters alike. This song's from his his stellar 2005 album "Blame the Vain."

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Guilty Simpson, "Getting Riches": Free MP3 of the Day

It's high time the J Dilla protege, a Jaylib contributor, got a feature full-length, and Simpson proves a muscular and engaging voice on "Ode to the Ghetto." Pouring years of Detroit wisdom into every track, he manages, with his powerful baritone, to both intimidate and endear.

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Miss Kittin, "FFFfff": Free MP3 of the Day

A goddess of contemporary electro, Miss Kittin embodies all that is cold, foreign, and simultaneously sexxxed up. New album "Batbox" sees her lightening up and adding an indie-rock edge. Make no mistake, though: She's still rocking the beats.

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Pinback, "Good To Sea": Free MP3 of the Day

In the world of math-rock, Pinback plays tutor, bringing high concepts down to digestible levels. Gloomy guitars, shifty rhythms, and murky vocals aren't ends in themselves but rather an ideal vocabulary for fragile melodies.

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Ghislain Poirier, "Blazin'": Free MP3 of the Day

This Montreal DJ makes avant-garde, industrial house-tronica cut in the lean lines of a recovering mimimalist. The thunderous warehouse beats are strangely sparse, a trick further enabled by the slippery rhythms of Poirier's other love: hip-hop.

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The Bell, "On and On": Free MP3 of the Day

The titular notion of "making some quiet" smartly captures this Swedish indie pop act, who rock out thoroughly, but in a genteel and frosty way. They'd blame that on winter darkness, we'd call it good taste.

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Updated: Skype for Mac

One of the best choices for online telephony for Mac just got better. The latest Skype update pushes the program to version 2.7.257 adding support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard and higher-resolution video for face-to-face video calls. The new default resolution is 640x480 pixels at 25 frames per second. You are only limited by your Webcam, so get out there and upgrade so that your friends and family can have a bigger, crisper view of your smiling mug on their desktop.

Skype has always been one of my favorite applications for its familiar chat-like interface, and … Read more

Ask the (music) editors live...today at 11am!

Are you new to Download.com Music and don't yet know what to do or where to start? Or maybe you're tired of iTunes and are looking for alternative ways to get new music. Or perhaps you're simply a Download Music regular who just wants to chat.

Whatever the case, join me today Thursday Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. Pacific time (2 p.m. Eastern) for a live online Q-and-A session, where I'll do my best to answer any and all music- or site-related questions you might have. To participate, just visit the live chat page … Read more

Slipknot, "Before I Forget": Free MP3 of the Day

Fans need no convincing: Slipknot rocks. Hard. The band's all about pounding drums, gritty guitars, growling vocals, and a loud, aggressive sound--though at the same time the songs sport undeniable hooks.

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