Switched has an article that states that 8 in 10 businesses use Macs instead of PCs.  Read it for yourself here:

According to a new survey by the Yankee Group, a Massachusetts research firm, the Apple-made desktop computers, previously only the favorites of graphic designers and layout specialists, are now becoming the quiet favorite among network administrators.

The Macs are said to provide a more stable computer environment and are more resistant to security threats and common flaws than computers outfitted with Windows XP or Vista.

According to Laura DiDio, a Yankee Group research fellow, 8 in 10 U.S. Businesses now use Macs in a significant way. While the Macs only make up about 10 percent of all the computers used by businesses, this represents a major increase from the 2 percent they represented only just a few years ago.

Many businesses are even using the Macs to load Windows, since these computers are able to load both kinds of operating systems courtesy of the Apple’s “Boot Camp” utility.

Why do they choose Macs? Stability and reliability.  Don’t believe me?  Read the full article!

Welcome to another Link Away post!  This one is (just like last time) is part of the AOL Tech Network.

Any Apple fans/geeks out there?  Well, TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog - will keep you covered with the latest news, reviews, and info for all Apple users.

Check it out at tuaw.com!

Montreal is dealing with the high gas prices and public transportation needs by creating what they call a “Public Bike System”.  This high-tech system uses a check out website, solar powered docking stations, and RFID tagged aluminum bikes.  Each station has six docks and six bikes.  You can drop off the bike at any other docking station (with a dock available), and you can pay using credit, debit, or a “member” card.  This is a very cool project that could either be amazing, or a complete flop.  We’ll see!

[Source: Switched]

A recent McCain Campaign Ad uses music composed by Christopher Lennertz for “Medal of Honor: European Assault”.  Lennertz is upset about this, yet he owns no rights to the music - EA, the games publisher, does.  Lennertz did release a statement about this, saying:

“I would like to think that someone who believes in the American ideals of business and creativity like Sen. McCain supposedly does, would not want to disgrace or inflict any hardship or ill-will on the artists who create in this country by using their works to promote products and agendas which with they disagree.”

He closed this by stating he is an Obama supporter.

[Source: Slashgear]

This powerful 4″ flashlight will do more than help you see in the dark.  It could help you save someone’s life.  Meet the talking CPR flashlight.  Not only does it have a super bright LED light beam, it can guide you through basic CPR.  Handy, isn’t it?  With a clear female voice, you can hear CPR instructions for an adult, child, and baby.  It also features a handy pause button in case she gets talking a little to fast.  And at just under $36, it could pay to have this gadget with you at all times.  2 AAA batteries included.

[Source]

Here comes another series at the Blog of Tech, called “Link Away”.  This is where I give you links to cool sites that have something to do with technology.  No reviews or anything - just links.  Here’s one that’s part of the AOL Tech Network.

This is a website and a podcast just waiting for anyone who is into the latest games and gaming technology.  Check out the site/blog that is updated very frequently right here.  Or you can check out their podcast blog here.  Enjoy!

Boston.com has a new idea for news.  Don’t you hate it when your searching for news, and all you get is a small thumbnail image to look at?  Well, this site realizes that no one likes that, and that’s where “Big Picture” comes in.  Big Picture is a blog with the latest news from around the world - with one goal - to give big quality images to go with news stories.  And it works.  There are nothing but positive comments on this new idea; it seems to be a hit!  Want to see for yourself?  Check it out at the Big Picture site right now!

Over at Switched.com, part of the AOL Tech Network, is a post called “Best Free Downloads for Your Computer”.  I found this interesting and very useful.  So here are about ten handy downloads completely free that actually come in handy.  None of that free trial stuff.  I mean good, useful, free downloads. Many of these are open source, meaning you can alter the code of the program to customize it for your specific needs.  Let’s take a look, shall we?  Just click the link below to continue reading the article.

Read the rest of this entry »

You can help set a Guinness World Record by downloading the latest version of Mozilla Firefox (FF 3) on Download Day 2008!  It will set a record for most software downloads in 24 hours.  Just click here to pledge to download Firefox 3 on Download Day.  How many people have pledged?  Exactly 360,966, but just about every time you refresh the page, it keeps going up.  Wait!  Make that 361,104 pledges.  That’s all.

A 23 year-old German woman attempted to sell her baby on Ebay.  Her reason?  It cried too much.  She told authorities it was just a joke, but they don’t believe her.  The child has been taken into the custody of the state.  The mother is set to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

Phillip over from Blogoscoped, said that a “source” told him that Gmail is getting themes.  That’s why I said “rumor”.  No one really knows for sure except Google themselves.  According to the source, this will be launced in the next couple of months, with twelve themes to pick from.  The themes will vary from “flowery” to “techie”.  The theme system should feel similar to iGoogle’s (Google’s personal homepage) themes now.  Will this happen for sure?  Only time will tell.  [Source - ZDNet]

[Flock is powered by Firefox, which automatically makes it good.]  I like Flock’s slogan that’s at the top of every page - “The Social Web Browser”.  This is completely true.  Flock really is a social web browser.  When you are updated to the latest version of Flock, it brings you to a page with five categories.  This page really gives you the big picture to what Flock’s all about.  I’ll briefly overview the page.

for SOCIAL ANIMALS: Flock gives you the ability to log in to your social accounts around the web.  However this doesn’t apply for ALL websites.  Currently, Flock only supports Facebook, Youtube, Flickr, and/or Twitter.  You can even drag and drop pictures from the web to share with friends.  Just log into your accounts, the sidebar appears, and you’re ready to roll.

for SHUTTERBUGS: Flock is also a great browser for those of us who get a little carried away with pictures.  To get started, just log into these services that are supported by Flock - Flickr, Photobucket, Facebook, Piczo, or Picasa.  Flock will then do the rest - it’ll set up your account in the browser, then you are ready to share your photos.

for BLOGGERS: Flock makes it easy to write and publish to your blog.  These are the hosts Flock supports - WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, Typepad, Blogsome, or Xanga.  Flock will then automatically set up your account.  Now you just have to open the Blog editor, type your post, hit publish, and it’s online without having to go to any website.  That’s simple.

for MEDIA JUNKIES: This one’s pretty simple.  All you have to do is open the Flock media bar, and you’re ready.  Just drag and drop images you want, and it’s simple to share, email, edit, ect.

for NEWS HOUNDS: Flock’s also great for those of us into RSS News feeds, ect.  Flock automatically detects RSS Feeds.  Click on the icon in the toolbar to read, subscribe, and more.

Flock also gives you a special homepage (about:myworld) that shows your RSS Feeds, Friend Activity, and Favorite Media.  I highly recommend Flock if you are at all interested in one of the above items.  At least give it a try.  You can always uninstall it if it doesn’t work out.  Click here to learn more.

Microsoft is at it again with Yahoo!  Why can’t Microsoft just decide already.  Here is the statement right from the Microsoft website:

“In light of developments since the withdrawal of the Microsoft proposal to acquire Yahoo! Inc., Microsoft announced that it is continuing to explore and pursue its alternatives to improve and expand its online services and advertising business.  Microsoft is considering and has raised with Yahoo! an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo! but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo!  Microsoft is not proposing to make a new bid to acquire all of Yahoo! at this time, but reserves the right to reconsider that alternative depending on future developments and discussions that may take place with Yahoo! or discussions with shareholders of Yahoo! or Microsoft or with other third parties.  There of course can be no assurance that any transaction will result from these discussions.”

[Source - Engadget]

Starting soon, I’ll be posting occasional posts entitled “Browser Hunt”.  These posts will talk about browsers that aren’t as well known as others.  By “others”, I mean Mozilla Firefox (pictured above) and Microsoft Internet Explorer.  These two are obviously the most popular.  Aside from that, I will also post cool add-ons for Firefox that may or may not be well known - just stuff that could make your browsing life a little easier.  Stay tuned!  A lot of this could come in handy!

Mozilla has finally released the first release candidate for Firefox Version 3.  Version 3.0 has been in Beta for a while (the latest was Beta 5).  To see which version of Firefox you are using, click help, and then About Mozilla Firefox.  Firefox RC1 looks a lot like Firefox 3 Beta 5, but with a few changes.  These include a better user interface, security improvements, improved performance (speed, memory usage, and reliability), and they even made it more “personal”, according to their website.  To get details about what’s new in RC1, click here.  To download Firefox 3 Release Candidate 1, click here.