Geek Software of the Week: SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive!

SlySoft Virtual CloneDriveThis is awesome FREE software! Very, very useful. I needed to pull one file out of an ISO image that I had. I was able to install Virtual CloneDrive, mount the ISO as a drive letter, and get the file! “Awesome!,” I say!

SlySoft Virtual CloneDrive

“Virtual CloneDrive works and behaves just like a physical CD/DVD drive, however it exists only virtually. Image files generated with CloneDVD or CloneCD can be mounted onto a virtual drive from your hard-disk or from a network drive and used in the same manner as inserting them into a normal CD/DVD drive.

Probably the best virtual drive software, Virtual CloneDrive allows you to enjoy the freedom of a virtual drive and is completely free.”

Features:

  • Supports all common image formats such as ISO, BIN, CCD
  • Supports up to 8 virtual drives at the same time
  • Easy to use – just double-click an image file to mount as a drive
  • Virtual CloneDrive is freeware, you may use it at no cost.

Sony is Considering an Internet-based “Cable Network!”

Cable content via the Internet. I want it! I would love to be able to “tune it in” on my Roku. I am sure that Time Warner, DirecTV, etc. are not thrilled, however!

Sony Weighs Assault on Cable TV

“Sony is considering launching an internet-based alternative to cable TV, according to people familiar with the situation, the latest threat to cable and satellite operators that now dominate pay television.

The Japanese electronics and entertainment company approached several big media companies that own TV channels to negotiate the rights to offer TV channels over the web to US consumers, the people said.
Sony is proposing to beam the channels over internet connections to Sony-made devices including PlayStation gaming consoles, television sets and Blu-ray players.

Sony has sold approximately 18.1 million PlayStation 3 consoles in the US, according to the latest data from tracker NPD Group, and many homes have other internet-connected Sony devices.
The biggest US cable operator, Comcast, has about 22.4 million video subscribers and serves a geographic area with over 52 million homes.”

Facebook Says That They Have Stopped the Porn Spam That Has Plagued Them

Ouch… Facebook is supposed to be pretty much “family friendly.” But ugly porn images sent by anti-Facebook spammers have hit the web site, and cluttered up user’s “walls” with porn images.

Facebook users reel from porn spam attack

“Computerworld – After being bombarded with hard-core pornographic and violent images on their news feeds, some Facebook users may change how and if they use the social network, according to industry analysts.

For the past few days, Facebook has battled an attack that flooded the site with explicit and distressing images. A Facebook spokeswoman told Computerworld that its security team has identified ‘many of the actors responsible’ and is working on an ‘appropriate action.’

And while the social network’s lawyers are looking for ways to handle the spammers, many users are reeling from the images they saw in their news feeds. Some of them took to Twitter to vent their frustrations and connect with others.

‘Facebook use to be friends and family, now Facebook = porn site,’ XtinaSayWhat tweeted, And kimpoyfeliciano also tweeted, ‘That awkward moment when your Facebook Newsfeed turned into a porn site.’

Others went further and said they might quit Facebook altogether over the spam assault.

‘I’m considering deleting my facebook because of all the porn/ dead animals and babies. its disgusting,’ tweeted sarahjacobss. And UP4RUNWAY tweeted, ‘I might deactivate my Facebook soon…all these porn going around and ending up on my wall…it’s ridiculous.’

Zeus Kerravala, principal analyst with ZK Research, isn’t surprised that users would consider dropping Facebook over the attack. If similar attacks follow, many may do it.”

However, Facebook now claims that they have stopped the attack. The Star-Tribune now reports: “Facebook said that it has stopped most of the spam that has flooded many users’ pages with pictures showing graphic sex and violence. The social-networking company urged its 800 million-plus users to remain vigilant to keep their accounts from being hijacked. That includes reporting suspicious links on friends’ pages and not clicking on links that offer deals that are too good to be true.”

Google Launches a Music Service

Looks like the “Music Wars” are heating up… now Google is getting into the fray. What will this mean (ultimately) for Apple?

Google launches music service

“(Reuters) – Google Inc has turned on the music at its new online store, aiming to wrest the lead from Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc in audio entertainment distribution despite the absence of a major record label.

Google Music, with more 13 million songs, will be integrated with Android Market, the company’s online store for smartphone apps and videos as it plays catch-up with its rivals. Apple, Amazon and Facebook have to varying degrees integrated music into their core online and mobile products.

Google Music will allow the Web search leader to do the same by letting consumers access music from various Internet-connected devices and easily share tracks with friends.

But analysts said the lack of soundtracks from Warner Music – a major label whose artists include Led Zeppelin and Prince, among others – will limit the appeal of Google Music.

‘They’ve got to get that catalog filled pretty quickly,’ said Mike McGuire, an analyst at industry research firm Gartner. ‘It’s a launch, but it’s kind of like a work-in-progress.’

Google Music was unveiled at a splashy event at the Mr. Brainwash Studios in Hollywood, California on Wednesday.

Google has negotiated U.S. deals with three of the four major music companies: Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group; Sony Corp’s Sony Music Entertainment; and EMI. It has also signed deals with the increasingly influential independent label group Merlin and London-based Beggar’s Banquet label group, home to the year’s biggest selling artist, Adele.

Analysts say selling online music is unlikely to provide much of a lift to Google’s revenue. But they say Google needs to be in the market to ensure that its Android-based mobile efforts can match offerings from competitors.

Android is the world’s No. 1 smartphone operating system, powering about 200 million devices worldwide. But without a music service, Android-based smartphones and tablets may not be as attractive to consumers seeking a product that offers a seamless media experience.

And with music storage increasingly moving to remote Internet servers in ‘the cloud’ rather than on the device itself, companies like Google and Apple have a way to keep users locked in to their respective mobile services, said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.

‘Everyone is using music and media as a jail. Ultimately, this stuff is going to be stored in the cloud and it becomes harder and harder to switch systems,’ he said.

To help jump-start the new music store, Google said it will offer one free song for consumers to download every day.

Google will also allow consumers to share purchased songs with friends on the Google+ social network. The feature will give users of Google+ a ‘free, full-play’ of songs purchased by their friends.

‘Recommendations from friends are the single most important way that people discover music and we think that this feature has the potential to really transform purchasing behavior,’ said Zahavah Levine, Google’s director of content partnerships for Android, at Wednesday’s event.

Music executives said that even though sales have struggled in recent years, music usage has never been more popular on different types of formats like social networks and mobile devices.”