Aim Buddy Info Updates

Want to remove or delete Buddy Updates from AIM Buddy Info?
Click Here!

Aim 6 has a new feature called Buddy Updates. They are displayed below your buddy info profile and enable you to insert RSS feeds to display links in your profile. The product seems to be a bit buggy on the server end, sometimes its up and sometime I get, “400 Bad Request” error messages. Aside from these quirks the only major problems client wise is that the Myspace feed didn’t show up in the Updates. I had to add it manually just to get it to work right. So, if your a startup or just trying to steer traffic to your site, these little feeds come in handy.

http://buddyupdates.aim.com/settings

Aim 6 Beta Released

Aim Triton officially changed its named to Aim 6 to mark its close to Gold Master rekease. Or knowing AOL, it can take another year for this to finally be finished. For those who have tested Aim Triton before, Aim 6 doesn’t really add anything new aside from UI changes, and a webcam chooser in its settings. Other minor changes in the IM window  is "NEW IM" is off to the left, the buddyinfo button is missing, tabs are gone. Some of these changes sound temporary but still the UI in this version is far worse than the previous Aim Triton 3.10.3.

One of the biggest problems in the IM window is the lack of a buddy info button. With all that extra space they have left in the white section, some icons can be dropped in for ease of usability. You really don’t want your users to navigate through a menu when it can be simplified by just adding one button. Another design flaw is that the New IM button looks out of place, this can just be fixed by centering it.

The theme looks great on the welcome screen. The design looks more practical and ergonomic than Aim Triton. It fits the buddy list quite well, but contrasts alot with the IM window, where blue is still being used for the tabs. Other than that its a step in the right direction of how a buddy list should look like.

Aim Triton has been in beta for years now, and we still don’t have the most requested features in it yet, below is a list of features in Aim Triton that has been requested so much times, that even beta staff gets tired of seeing them.

Disable Sounds While Away
Set Buddy List Font
Fix Format Screen Name
Docking Buddy List

read more

PSP Tutorial: Windows Media Player 11 Navigation Bar

Hello! Our first tutorial for PSP9. It is compatible with other versions of PSP also. Windows Media Player introduced a slick Black Aqua look. What makes Black Aqua hard to create is its use of colors. You can’t really use pure white or else it will turn out as a strip of white,  and you can’t fade to white because it will come out embossed and unprofessional. As PSP Graphic Designers, you don’t really get much slack from the Photoshop Community as they really think PSP isn’t capable of anything. Sometimes they are right, but we still can push the limits when it comes to interface design, with the added benefit of more control from the vector tools. 

Vectoring isn’t pretty much heard of in the PSP community, and its widely avoided because it features alot of clicking and editing. Besides, making a bunch of rectangles just look uninteresting. I want you to think of vectors as rectangular boxes. Boxes that can be Opaque, and boxes that can be transparent. This Tutorial will also use layers for neatness, so make sure you are versed in using layers.

read more

Microsoft Patches VML

It was another scary week for IE6 where a VML exploit was found and being abused on a number of different russian porn sites and also making its way to infect home users. But most home users haven’t been stirred up by this exploit considering they don’t read much technology news anyway. The VML exploit could install malicious files and connect their PC to a botnet serving up spam and porn for all to see.

These types of exploits are critical mostly because the way of infection doesn’t require any user interaction. There is no downloading "google.com" file to your PC, or helping another user decide on "which pics to upload". All it takes is one little click and you’re owned. The Patch was officially released, and should be making the rounds to every WindowsXP Sp2 PC that has automatic downloads installed. Its just another reminder to put IE out of its misery and download FireFox or Opera. To stay on the safer side consider Opera since its market share is far below Firefox.

iTrip to the Apple Store

Today I took a trip inside the apple store that recently opened in the mall. Now most computer stores are basically, look at this, look at that, touch, lets go home. Instead apple builds up a social community in the store. It was more about what Apple can do for you, and how to interact with it. Inside the store, they do things that are different and taboo in most computer stores; they let you actually surf on the internet, play with the ipod; set up the webcam and use it to take pictures of yourself to email back home; and play some little games while your at it.

The store is set up differently, where cash registers are replaced by laptops, and 3 TV screens actually show the status of products available in the store in real time. Every computer is entirably useable and has all the current and expensive software installed on it, unfortunately there is some kind of timer that blanks out all the computer to prevent you from doing too much. I got to play around with a webcam, and the piano which sounded a bit too synthesized for my tastes.

At the back of the store, all software was layed neatly in one shelf, and the other side included all the little accessories for your iBooks. Also had a run with their Mouse, which is a little strange and awkward at first but it did provide some cool little features. Well it was pretty engaging experience, but still in the end, Apple is too expensive to fill up with cool applications that I can easily find for free on Windows.

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!