Here’s a free $4.00 gift card code for you guys to use. I’m not 100% positive, but I think it may only be good for digital products such as mp3’s. I haven’t used my credit yet. Either way, it’s a free $4.00!
1) visit this page here
2) Enter the code AVODGIFT
3) $4.00 is applied to your account
Merry Christmas everybody!
I spent most of my night looking for a simple Gmail notifier that is compatible with Windows 7. After trying multiple different search terms, I grew tired of seeing results for “Gmail Notifier Plus for Windows 7″. It seemed to be just about the only solution as far as a Gmail notifier goes, except for browser plugins, but I did not want that. I would like to be notified about new email even if my web browser is closed.
Gmail Notifier Plus has potential, but I just hate how it sits in the taskbar rather than the system tray just getting in the way of my open programs. I never pin programs to the taskbar. Here’s a screenshot:
Screw that..
Another problem with Gmail Notifier Plus is that everytime I click on new mail and when gmail opens in my browser, I always have to type in my password. So that just sucks. I don’t know if it’s because my Gmail is through Google Apps or what. Anyway, it is a problem for me.
I finally came across the Wp-Corp Mail Gadget (<– download there) that was made for Windows Vista, but it also works with Windows 7! It’s not just a Gmail notifier, but it is an Email notifier. So no matter what email client you use, this little gadget will notify you right on your desktop. It’s simple, it doesn’t get in the way of anything and it damn sure gets the job done!
I think I’ve had my Palm Pre long enough to give it a proper review. For those of you that have been living under a rock, I’ll quickly tell you what the Palm Pre is. What is the Palm Pre?
Answer: It is a smartphone that gives the iPhone a run for it’s money. It is currently only available on the Sprint network, but will make its way to others in the near future.
Now that you know what it is, let me go over some of the features!
3.1″ touchscreen
Palm webOS™ platform
3.o megapixel camera with LED flash
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
8 GB of memory
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth
Email
GPS
All in-one calendar
Universal search
Mp3 player
Combined IM, MMS and SMS text messaging
Palm synergy™
Multi-touch gestures
Included accessories:
Standard Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) Battery
AC Travel Charger
Carry Pouch
USB Cable
3.5mm Stereo Headset
The Palm Pre runs on the webOS platform. webOS is a mobile operating system running on the Linux kernel. The design and features are without a doubt incredible and easy on the eyes. Multi-tasking on this device is a breeze with the “activity cards”. What are activity cards? When you run an application (eg: the camera, text messaging, web browser, mp3 player, etc), you can minimize the programs and see them all in a card view, kind of a like a deck of cards. Navigate through them and touch which ever one you want to maximize. If you want to close an application, simply swipe it off the top of the screen. It is so simple and fast, you won’t believe it until you use it!
Design & Slide-Out QWERTY KeyboardI am in love with the design of the Palm Pre. The shape, size and weight is what I would describe as the nearly perfect smartphone. It just feels very comfortable in the hand. Comparing it to the iPhone, it has a much “cooler” design and is not blocky like the iPhone is. The keyboard is a little small. However, it’s not so small that it messes me up when I text. I prefer this physical keyboard rather than a virtual one. I never accidentally hit the wrong key. I also like this vertical slide-out keyboard better than the kind that slide out with the phone tilted horizontally. After a little use, you’ll find it to be very comfortable to use.
The touch screen is very touch sensetive. Some might say that it’s not quite as sensetive as the iPhone, but I find it to be just as sensetive to the touch. It’s not like those cheap touchscreens in which you have to literally press down. A light touch on the screen works just fine. The finish is a beautiful glossy black – This does make it a fingerprint magnet! When you slide out the keyboard, the phone takes on a slight “banana” shaped curvature to resist glare.
The universal search feature is one of my favorites. From the home screen, simply begin typing something and a screen pops up with results as you’re still typing. It searches your contacts and applications and then offers to search Google, Google Maps, Wikipedia, or Twitter for the search term you typed in.
The 3 megapixel camera has a built in LED flash. The iPhone camera is 2 megapixels and has no flash at all (ha!). I have found the photo quality to be quite amazing. Here’s a photo of my little cousin that I took with my Palm Pre just before his school concert last night:
The Palm synergy feature links things together to be in one place for you to view. For example, if you’re having an AIM conversation with a buddy, you can continue that conversation via text messaging in the very same chat window. To put it simply.. Synergy combines user data from a variety of sources. Sync your phone with Google, Facebook and more. It’s a very powerful feature!
So far, I have talked about some of the main features, but have not mentioned one thing about the sound quality, which is ridiculous because it is a phone. After comparing the call quality to the iPhone, I can say that the quality was better on the Palm Pre. This may have something to do with the different networks (Sprint vs AT&T) and the area I was in. But the Palm Pre was definitely clearer.
One of the main things that the iPhone has over the Palm Pre is the huge number of apps available. The Palm Pre’s app store is in beta and the community is steadily putting out new homebrew apps, but it is still behind the iPhone. With webOS, the Palm Pre’s design and features, it is enough for me to choose it over the iPhone. The Palm Pre is lacking the ability to do video recording but there are hopes for it to soon be another feature as Palm is constantly updating the software. It’s an amazing phone that you must try for yourself!
The last hour or so has been an emotional one. My dog Jake passed away this evening. Jake has been my pet since I was around 12 years old, so that makes him about 11 years old. The cause of death is unknown but my best guess right now is that he simply died of old age.
I got Jake as he was a small puppy and was a bit crazy over him. Obsessed would be a better word to describe my feelings toward him. I was protective, always scared he would be harmed and did not want him running the woods which he loved to do. After he was a few years old, I decided to put him on a chain because I feared for his safety after one night he had been bitten by something on the leg. It caused his leg to swell up until it split open. I held him wrapped into my arms with a blanket the entire night.
Jake began living his life on a chain with his igloo dog house. We would let him off the chain occassionally so that he could run around. As he got older and I got older, I began fading away from him. The times we let him off the chain started getting less and less. I knew this was wrong, but his dog house was out under a tree sort of out of our way. It was easy for me to forget about him and not think of him but every once in a while when I would say “I need to let Jake off the chain. I don’t want him to die on that chain. He hasn’t had much of a life. He’s basically a prisoner.” With my life and problems, I hardly ever thought about it.
Two years ago I got a new dog. Her name is Zoey and she stays in the house most of the time but goes outside everyday. She’s a small dog and is my pride and joy. I often refer to her as my daughter. Today, December 13th is her second birthday and coincidentally it is the day Jake died.
Jake’s Death
This evening when my little cousin went out to feed Jake, he noticed Jake wasn’t moving. He was on the chain and lying on the ground with no movement. My cousin came running in to tell me that something was wrong with Jake. I put on my shoes and coat and ran out there with a flashlight to see what was going on. I see Jake laying on the ground with his eyes half open as he was taking in a breath every 5 seconds. I looked in his mouth to see if he was choking but saw nothing except his lifeless tongue. He wasn’t responding to anything. I knew he was passing away.
I then picked up his limp body and carried him to our back porch and wrapped him up in a blanket. I was not going to let him die out there on that chain on the cold wet ground. He layed there not moving or responding but still kind of breathing. Overwhelmed with sadness I had to walk away and cry. I kept coming back to check on him and pet on him because I didn’t want him to pass away alone. As I was sobbing, I apologized to him for not spending time with him anymore, or letting him live his life off the chain. I walked in the house to grab my guitar to bring out and play soft music for him as I figured that would soothe him and make him feel peaceful, but when I returned with my guitar, he was already gone.
I’ve cried off and on for the past hour and will never forgive myself for not letting him off that chain. I lost another peice of my childhood tonight.
If you have a pet that you keep chained or caged up, please let it run free. Don’t think about or talk about letting it off, just let the dog off the chain. Don’t make the same mistake I did. If you are in a circumstance where the animal must be on a chain or in a small caged fence, do yourself and your pet a favor and give him/her to someone you trust so that it can be free. If you love your pet then you will do that. An early death with freedom is better than a long life as a prisoner.
I originally created (edited) this image for my Palm Pre, but iPhones have the same screen resolution. So if you have an iPhone or a Palm Pre, you can use this image as a wallpaper.
Just right click the image and save it to your desktop.
The above guitar is a 1961 Fender Stratocaster that is owned by guitarist Larry Chaney from the Edwin McCain band.
