Rumors were already swirling before the official word was out, but it is finally out. Robert Scoble has left Microsoft to join PodTech. Robert Scoble says it wasn’t a defection. We all know the code words: “left to pursue other opportunities.” But in the truest sense of those words, Robert says he leaves Microsoft because his work there was done and he comes to PodTech to participate in a nascent industry that promises to go nova. IP-based digital media is more than–and will be more than–just a delivery mechanism. Digg This. Read more »

The guys over at 37Signals have released a video showing off the new calendar feature they are planning for Backpack. From the video, it looks pretty slick. We’ve mentioned it in passing before, but Backpack is about to get a calendar. Yet another calendar you ask? Yup, another calendar. But this one is nicely integrated into Backpack and has some nice little twists. It’s on the way soon. I wonder if this will be available to all Backpack users, or only those one the paid plans? Read more »

If you are using a Mac on any type of widescreen display, and Mail.app is your weapon of choice for the daily task of e-mail, you may be interested in this little plugin. By default, the preview/reading pane for Mail.app opens below the message list. The Letterbox plugin will re-arrange Mail.app to have a 3-column layout, making it more suitable to widescreen displays. Read more »

Microsoft has finally released Vista Beta 2 as a custome preview, initiating its Customer Review Program. This release is numbered 5384, which is the save build made available at WinHEC. If you want to get a look at what Vista Beta 2 is all about without having to download the 3+ GB file and install it, check out the Tour of Windows Vista Beta 2 over at Ars Technica. Read more »

Google has released a tool for syncing information like bookmarks, history and persistant cookies between multiple copies of Firefox. Google Browser Sync for Firefox is an extension that continuously synchronizes your browser settings – including bookmarks, history, persistent cookies, and saved passwords – across your computers. It also allows you to restore open tabs and windows across different machines and browser sessions. Read more »

Everyone knows that you can install XP on the new Intel Macs now thanks to BootCamp. This guy was able to get Vista to install. Read more »

If you do a lot of traveling, like to take pictures under water, or are just really clumsy, this is a nice concept for a camera. It is waterproof up to 10ft, as well as being shock proof. Olympus Stylus 720SW is a waterproof, shockproof digital camera just in time for spring break or your summer roadtrip. To be clear, we do not mean water resistant – you can actually submerge this camera (up to 3m/10ft). Or, drop it from 1.5m/5ft. This 7-megapixel camera is 19.8mm (0.78ï¿œ) thick, and features a 2.5 TFT display. Direct from Japan, this camera comes in aqua blue (perhaps most fitting), shiny silver, or rose Read more »

Google has released a Mac version of its video player, which can be used to playback videos downloaded from the Google Video site. Watch videos downloaded from Google Video Browse scenes within a video using thumbnails Skip to anywhere in the video, even if that portion hasn’t downloaded yet Sit back and watch videos in full screen mode Resume video downloads automatically Read more »

Google has inched further in to the realm of the web-based office with the launch of Google Spreadsheets. Create basic spreadsheets from scratch. You can start from scratch and do all the basics, including changing the number format, sorting by columns, and adding formulas. Upload your spreadsheet files. Upload spreadsheets or worksheets from CSV or XLS format – all your formulas and formatting will come across intact. Familiar desktop feel makes editing a breeze. Just click the toolbar buttons to bold, underline, change the font, change the cell background color and more. It is an invite-only service right now. I am guessing that Google learned from the past when they Read more »

A few weeks ago, Slashdot czar CmdrTaco, aka Rob Malda, decided that he wanted to give the information dinosaur known as Slashdot a face lift. He set up a very specific set of guidelines for what he wanted, which resulted in more of a reskin rather than a redesign. He has announced the winner and will be implementing the new design in the next few days. You can see the winning design here. Read more »