Microsoft has shared some news about the state of its most and least loved Web browsers -- Internet Explorer 9 and 6, respectively. Even with IE9 only recently exiting beta, Microsoft reports that 3.6% of Windows 7 users are now running the new browser (no mention of Vista... what's with that?). The post also reveals that the adoption rate is almost five times what IE8 garnered in the early going.

It's also interesting to note that there are now more than 1,000 sites utilizing Internet Explorer 9's Windows 7 integration features -- like the new desktop notification support we showed you in Hotmail.

But perhaps the best news of all is that Microsoft's IE6countdown.com now has more than 400 partners and is generating nearly two million pageviews per month, helping to lure users away from the woefully out-of-date browser. Can the end come soon enough, DS readers?

Internet Explorer 9 nears 4% share on Windows 7, IE6 extinction countdown picks up steam originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/internet-explorer-9-nears-4-share-on-windows-7-ie6-extinction/

STANDARD MICROSYSTEMS SRA INTERNATIONAL SPSS SPANSION

Come one, come all, app lovers. Let's check out some of our favorite applications from this week, in hopes that some of them may end up becoming some of your favorites as well!

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/GC_A9GT-nE0/android-central-editors-app-picks-oct-1-2011

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We might not have chosen the above weird baby chick to pitch our autostereoscopic technology to the world, but at least it makes for some memorable imagery. The hatchling is a 3D image generated by projectors, overlayed on top of a real world object, which can be viewed by multiple people at multiple angles without the need for 3D glasses. Built-in sensors detect the viewer's positions and adjust the viewing angle accordingly. Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen this sort of technology -- heck, this isn't even the first time we've seen this sort of thing from Hitachi, but the company says it's continually getting better, with a marked depth resolution improvement over a technology shown off this time last year at CEATEC. The company is looking to implement the technology for both digital signage and entertainment purposes, eventually revolutionizing the way the world looks at 3D baby chickens.

Hitachi glasses-free 3D technology lets you view weird chicken things from multiple angles originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Sep 2011 22:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/30/hitachi-glasses-free-3d-technology-lets-you-view-weird-chicken-t/

TNS ZIONS BAN YAHOO YAHOO

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

It's been an epic week for green building and clean-tech, as the 2011 Solar Decathlon showcased 19 of the world's most stunning sun-powered prefab homes in Washington DC -- and Inhabitat brought you up-to-the-minute coverage on winning home designs. Several of the houses feature remarkably unconventional designs -- see Sci-Arc and Caltech's puffy inside-out prefab and Team Canada's teepee-inspired TRTL home -- while others like Purdue's INHome relied upon tried-and-true building typologies upgraded with state-of-the art solar systems. Ultimately the University of Maryland's innovative WaterShed House won first place in the competition with their greenery infused, water-focused, living home. Purdue University's more traditional INHome took second place, and Team New Zealand (Victoria University of Wellington) placed third with their beautiful wooden First Light home.

Speaking of major feats of renewable energy, this week Iceland announced plans to construct the first zero-carbon data center and Germany opened the world's largest solar park on top of an abandoned open-pit mine. We also took a look at the innovative new SeaTwirl turbine, which could be the most cost-effective wind energy generator to date, and we watched Pavegen reveal plans to power a shopping center with tiles that harvest energy from pedestrian footsteps. Google also made a major investment to bring solar power systems to 3,000 homes, MIT developed a working "artificial leaf" that generates hydrogen fuel from water and sunlight, and Axeon unveiled a new battery that could extend electric car range by 35 percent.

In other green transportation news, sun-powered vehicles soared towards the stars this week as NASA announced plans to launch the largest solar sail spacecraft ever created, and Japan's TOTO unveiled a crazy talking poop-powered motorcycle topped with a toilet. We also took a spin in the world's strongest electric train (which has over 10,000 horsepower), and we launched a competition to win a one year Zipcar membership. We also spotted a milk truck mobile breastfeeding unit, while scientists discovered a passive virus that can destroy breast cancer cells. Finally, from the realm of high-tech textiles we shared a student's plan to turn textile factory effluent into clean water, we showcased Janet Echelman's massive jellyfish-shaped string sculptures, and we dialed up an online tool capable of measuring your wardrobe's environmental impact.

Inhabitat's Week In Green: eco abodes, world's largest solar park and Axeon's new EV battery originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 02 Oct 2011 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ek5ka_dpc-Y/

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A good mobile application is a fine balance between simplicity and functionality. You're using it on the go, so you don't have a lot of time to sit there and fumble with the phone to figure it all out. But you also need it to be powerful enough to let you do whatever it is you're trying to get done.

Hello Expense is one mobile app that gets it right. It's an expense tracker that lets you use your Android-powered phone to quickly log the money you spend and then analyze it and see where it all went.

I recently had the chance to use it in a real-life situation - a road trip that took a few days and involved quite a few expenses. Logging each expense took seconds, and at the end of each day I could get a great overview of how much money I spent on each category so far.

Categories and tags are user-configurable; the app also sports its own number pad to make number entry easy, regardless of what keyboard you're using.

Hello Expense is a simple, reliable expense tracker for Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/hello-expense-is-a-simple-reliable-expense-tracker-for-android/

VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC VERISIGN

One click; just one single well-aimed click. That's all you get in Boomshine.

That single click triggers a chain reaction; circles start exploding, and other circles colliding with the shockwaves explode as well, creating their own shockwaves, which then catch other circles.

It's been done before, yes, but this one is a great iteration. The soundtrack is mellow, with lots of piano and some nice percussion (not electronic - it sounds like drums).

At each level you need to make a certain number of circles explode to go on to the next level. I got up to level 12, where you get 60 circles and need to make 55 of them explode. And then I kept trying and trying, but simply couldn't get it. I did get to 54 circles a couple of times, but as they say, you don't get points for trying.

There's no time limit, so you can carefully study the pattern of motion and place your click at the exact right place to create the best chain reaction. I've found that clicking near the middle of the screen works quite well, especially if the balls are slowly moving in that direction. By the time the first shockwave dies off, the oncoming balls usually hit it and the chain reaction continues.

What level did you reach? Screenshots please!

Boomshine is a soothing-yet-frustrating time waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/16/boomshine-is-a-soothing-yet-frustrating-time-waster/

ACCENTURE ACER ELECTRONIC ARTS ECLIPSYS

Version 5.3 of Skype for Windows has just been released, with the main emphasis of the new release being improved call quality, and the quality of video received by mobile Skype users. Presumably one party of the video call must be using Skype for Windows 5.3, though.

Beyond improved call quality, not much has changed. You can now see your friends' presence icons when contact cards are collapsed, and the topic editing button is now always visible on the conversation header. For a complete list of changes, hit up the Skype Garage blog.

Download Skype 5.3 for Windows

Skype 5.3 for Windows released, improves mobile video call quality originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/skype-5-3-for-windows-released-improves-mobile-video-call-quali/

SILICON LABORATORIES SI INTERNATIONAL INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES

The wait is over if you're an AT&T subscriber who's been itching for the Samsung Galaxy S II.  Considering it's one of the best phones available for the death star nation's number two network, I'll wager that's more than a few of you.  If you need a refresher, your $199 (on a new contract, $549 outright) gets you a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED plus display, 1.2GHz Samsung Exynos processor (zoom zoom!), 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear HD camera and a 2MP front camera, running on AT&T's HSPA+ 4G network.  It's no wonder these things are selling like hotcakes around the rest of the globe.

Once you get your ATTSGSII (no comma), or while your waiting after you've ordered online, we're ready for ya in the forums, where the wait has been driving the rest of us Android fans half insane and giddy.  And if you're still on the fence, you gotta check out 25 reasons to consider the AT&T Galaxy S II to help make up your mind.  Hit the source link to order yours.

Source: AT&T

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/kZiZkCLkFkg/att-galaxy-s-ii-now-available-online-199-contract

FIRST SOLAR FINISAR MOTOROLA MOODYS

Just two months to go, and gamers of the Sony persuasion can get their thumbs-on the PS Vita. While we were getting comfy with the available list of this PSP successor's dos and don'ts, out comes further info to rain on our anticipated PlayStation Suite parade. According to a report from ASCII, game downloads over 3G connections will be limited to a max of 20MB. What does that mean for you, prospective buyer? Well, kiss that 500 - 600 strong library of PSP titles goodbye, and say hello to a catalog of minis. Sure, you could always hook up to some decent WiFi to purchase and play those old favorites uninterrupted, but that kind of defeats this portable's on-the-go design. Rest assured, this download cap could still change before the handheld launches in the US and UK. And anyway, you didn't think you were going to get far on that three to five hour charge, now did you?

Sony PS Vita caps 3G downloads at 20MB, encourages extensive mini play originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 08:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/9yJBrUR19k4/

FISERV FIRST SOLAR FINISAR MOTOROLA

With the tagline 'The easiest way to get a girlfriend is to already have one,' Cloud Girlfriend promises to be a very interesting startup indeed. The brains of the operation, David Fuhriman, speaking to CNET, says it's all about fulfilling Maslow's hierarchy of needs. "CloudGirlfriend.com can fulfill Maslow's higher needs, even though the users know that the interaction is virtual. They will interact with a real person and see real profile images of the girl with whom they interact. This interaction can build confidence and esteem as well as provide real training experiences in navigating a friendship and a relationship."

Our concern, of course, is that it's very nearly April 1. We're also worried by the fact that Fuhriman has a name that sounds ominously like a social subculture that we've grown strangely attracted to here in the Download Squad bunker.

Finally, just stop and think about it for a second. Because your cloud girlfriend will be entirely virtual, she could be based anywhere. She could be underage -- or overage -- or she might be someone who you know in real life. She could even be a relative of yours, and you'd never know.

Let's not forget this is the Internet we're talking about, folks. Worst case scenario, she could turn out to be a hairy, male truck driver from Texas. Such as... your dad, perhaps?

Cloud Girlfriend will use a swarm of females to satisfy men originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/cloud-girlfriend-will-use-an-army-of-females-to-please-lonely-me/

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