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File delivery service YouSendIt announced Thursday that it has released a plug-in (download) for Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007 that will allow users to send any file from Word, Excel, or PowerPoint to recipients through the company's service.

Based on my testing, the plug-in, which requires registration to download, works quite well. After surfing over to the company's plug-in page, which is already populated with other plug-ins for iPhoto, Outlook, Photoshop, and others, I downloaded the file in seconds.

Once installed, the plug-in embeds itself in Microsoft Office. On my version of Office 2007, I found YouSendIt's … Read more

Apple reporter Tom Krazit drops by the studio to talk about how Apple's iPhone, largely ignored by IT departments in its first generation, is now making its way into more and more companies' tech arsenal.

Also in this podcast: Sun Microsystems announces it's laying off up to 6,000 employees; Barack Obama says he'll post his weekly public addresses to YouTube; eBay shuts down inauguration ticket scams; and Netflix's CEO dreams of radical change in the realm of home TVs.

Today's stories:

Businesses warming up to the iPhone

Sun chops heads: Can it get any respect?… Read more

On November 13, digital picture frame (DPF) manufacturers PhotoVu, Smartparts, ViewSonic, Pandigital, Aequitas Technologies, and others announced that they do or will have DPFs that take advantage of Microsoft's FrameIt application. Part of Microsoft Live, FrameIt will not only allow consumers to directly send and open photos on a supported Internet-connected frame (good), they'll be able to view other content such as news, traffic, and weather (unnecessary).

While DPF sales continue to grow steadily, the way to continue the growth isn't to turn a basic product (an LCD, a card reader, and some software) into another Internet … Read more

All indications are that IT spending growth will be below the rate of inflation in 2009, thus budgets will actually decrease in real terms.

If things get worse as many experts predict, it could get really ugly. Nevertheless, there are some technology areas that are close to a sure thing in 2009. Here is my non-exhaustive list:

• Virtualization. This ship has sailed and is producing real benefits. The only thing holding up massive virtualization thus far is immature management and operations tools, which will also improve throughout the year. Look for users to buy bigger Intel servers in 2009 … Read more

Taking a cue from real-world Post-It notes, Stick provides an equivalent product for your computer desktop. A few differences from other sticky note programs make this a valuable asset for any PC.

The most noticeable is that notes, when closed, turn into tabs you can then append to the sides of your screen. This makes keeping your desktop tidy a snap. In addition to basic text notes, you also can create Explorer notes, which are actual Windows Explorer windows. You can navigate the file system from within these or even use them for Web browsing.

Each note features a variety … Read more

A few days ago I blogged about the Open It, a package opener. I thought it was a pretty good product, partially because it was designed by a group of women.

Soon after I posted the blog, I was solicited to review the OpenX opener. On Tuesday, I received a few samples.

The OpenX comes in a box that you can open without any tools, which is a good start. It has an ergonomic shape with a good grip and two cutting blades. The first blade stays retracted, and you need to push it out with your right thumb to … Read more

When Google, Yahoo, or any other major search engine overwhelms you with so many matches it offers more results than dollars in the national debt, ChunkIt might be the plug-in for you. Available for Firefox and Internet Explorer, it "chunks" up your search returns, providing snippets of relevant text.

The add-on splits your browser tab into two vertical sections, the left side with the ChunkIt results and the right with unchunked returns. Clicking on the text of a ChunkIt result loads the text in the right pane, highlights the relevant bit in yellow, and scrolls directly to it. … Read more

Regardless of whether you favor Barack Obama or John McCain, you have to admit that the next president will inherit a monumental mess.

Each candidate has been scrambling to explain how he plans to right the financial ship, reign in growing health-care costs, improve education, and balance the budget. Yikes!

As if this wasn't enough, the new president and Congress also have an obligation to figure out how to proceed with a strategic plan for IT and information security.

Now I understand that economic, social, and national security issues should have precedence, but the fact is that the federal … Read more

It's reached the point where I don't trust any of the big research houses to get it right when it comes to IT spending.

Last month Forrester reduced its 2009 IT spending forecast while at the same time upping its projections for the remainder of this year. (I should add that Forrester issued its declaration just before the big financial meltdown got going in earnest.)

Meanwhile, tech CEOs gathering this week at the Gartner Symposium ITXpo conclave in Orlando are moping around as they regale each other with ever more depressing tales from the trenches. The Gartner graphic … Read more