generator

Cluttered interface design

The name of this password and number generator is fitting, because it seems as though its overall design is truly random. Nevertheless, it proved to be a worthy tool for coming up with unique combinations.

Truly Random has a very cluttered user interface. Luckily, it can be resized, which also increases the font size for better readability. Still, we found it awkward to navigate. Check boxes let you select the characters that you wish to include: uppercase, lowercase, special characters, numbers, spaces, and pronounceable. The length and number of characters can also be manually inputted. There is a wizard that … Read more

Generation G: Wired to care, wired to share

Trendwatching gets it right (again): "Giving is the new taking, and sharing is the new giving." That's the key assertion in this month's trend briefing, which describes the characteristics of Generation G (for generosity) and offers eight ways for brands to join: from Tryvertising to Brand Butlers to Random Acts of Kindness (RAK).… Read more

Omnifone rolls out music service for broadband

U.K. music provider Omnifone, which offers unlimited music downloads to cell phone users, on Monday extended its reach to the broadband arena.

A new service called MusicStation Next Generation will let European consumers stream songs and music videos to their computers and television set-top boxes.

Omnifone is teaming with Internet service providers and cable companies to provide the service, but it did not yet name those partners. It did say it is in talks with satellite provider British Sky Broadcasting.

At a time when ISPs and cable providers are under increasing pressure to eradicate piracy over their networks, Omnifone … Read more

Get a TinyURL for every page you're on

TinyURL Generator is a new experimental Firefox extension that makes it easier to grab a TinyURL of whatever page you're on. Once installed it will automatically create and save a smaller, shorter URL from TinyURL.com when new pages are visited. The TinyURL is then copied to your clipboard for easy copying and pasting in an e-mail or IM conversation.

For frequent TinyURL users this might be a better route than using one of the many available bookmarklets since it saves you a click and a copy/paste. On the flip side, it doesn't work so well when … Read more

Report: YouTube may usher in Hollywood stars

YouTube reportedly wants the William Morris Agency to make it a star.

The video-sharing site is reportedly close to clinching a deal with the William Morris Agency, in which the talent agency's clients would create videos for YouTube, according to a report Thursday in The New York Times.

The deal apparently would give William Morris Agency clients an ownership stake in videos they create for YouTube, and, in return, YouTube would receive professionally produced videos, according to the Times report.

For YouTube and its owner Google, the question is whether such efforts will eventually generate advertising revenue.

YouTube and … Read more

Wikipedia considers limiting user edits

Just as Encyclopedia Britannica is moving in the direction of user-based entries, Wikipedia might soon be clamping down on theirs.

Wikipedia is apparently considering instituting a new editorial process that would put better safeguards in place and require all updates to be approved by a "reliable" user. The so-called Flagged Revisions process would allow registered, trusted editors to publish changes to the site immediately. All other edits would be sent to a queue and would not be published until they get approved by one of Wikipedia's trusted team of editors.

The proposal comes in the aftermath of … Read more

Limited features for password generation

If you just don't want to come up with your own passwords, this simple app may help solve your problems.

Tukanas installs a goofy pink octopus icon on your desktop, which launches a simple but functional interface with easy-to-understand functions. The large buttons and fonts also make the interface easy to read for people with vision problems. The focus of the interface is a large pane in which it lists the passwords it generates.

This free app has a limited feature set: it generates passwords. However, you can direct the number of passwords to create at a time, how … Read more

Works, but nothing special here

It falls squarely in the middle of the pack as far as password keepers go, but easy to learn pull-down menus, and simple program operation make the application one for less experienced users. Nothing truly special here, but no out and out flaws either.

Right off the bat, Scarabay proves to go only half way. The app allows users to drag and drop Web site, login, and password data onto your favorite browser. Unfortunately, users must perform the work with three steps. A front runner would open the page and fill in the data with one double-click. The application also … Read more

Run-of-the-mill security program

It's less an advanced security application than an odd grouping of tools: this utility suite simply bundles together a group of so-so functions. Advanced Security Tool's multitabbed check-box laden interface offers no Help manual or much in the way of onscreen instruction. Intermediate users will pick up the basic functions with a few minutes of click and watch. Advanced users have the option of a custom install, but then the program doesn't offer any customization. It doesn't get much better from there. The functions are not well-explained or very useful to experienced users.

The app places … Read more

JibJab jacks up $7.5 million

Because we need to ensure that silly do-it-yourself comedy will stay alive during these harrowing financial times, the magic venture capital fairies have infused JibJab.com with a $7.5 million Series C round. And by "magic venture capital fairies" I actually mean Overbrook Entertainment, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and existing investor Polaris Venture Partners.

Founded in 1999 by brothers Gregg and Evan Spiridellis, JibJab started as a hub for funny political song-and-dance videos that the two created, but in 2007 the company began an e-card service called "Starring You!" in which visitors to the site could … Read more