Flipboard for iPad

I have waited this for a long time. Finally a nice way to read news, tweets, and facebook updates. Visually appealing, photos and videos supported, it is a must buy for iPad. Actually, Flipboard is FREE.

It's TAX time

I have tried multiple online tax filing services, and decided that TaxSlayer is the best. Why?

• It is cheap compared to others ($15 in total for federal and state E-FILE for 2009 returns, and you can keep your PDF copy).
• It is convenient (asks questions that direct you to deduct relevant expenses).
• It does the job.

Give it a try:
http://www.taxslayer.com/

HP Slate TouchBook

Analyst: Nokia to launch Apple iPad rival

Analysts predict a swathe of me-too slates from big PC and smartphone makers such as Nokia and Samsung

[link to original]

Lightweight Security for Windows

We all think alike. We want to keep our computers secure, but we do not want to use those extreme resource-consuming anti-virus or anti-malware programs. We basically do not want our computers to slow down to stay secure.

We have an option: We can employ lightweight security tools, and still stay secure (maybe not as secure, but good enough for most cases). I highly recommend the following two programs:

SpywareBlaster: Secures Internet Explorer and Firefox for free against known malicious websites to keep your computer uninfected.
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html

a2free (a-squared): Free anti-virus and anti-malware detection and removal tool. The free version does not provide real-time protection, which means your computer will not slow down unintentionally. The scanning engine is good and very fast. Just run quick scan once in a while, if something is found, maybe try smart scan, and if you still suspect something, you can do a deep scan. You can also scan a single file or folder from the context menu.
http://www.emsisoft.com/en/software/free/

Browser wars in Europe

"According to usage-based statistics from Statcounter, Microsoft's IE has a 45.4% market share in Europe, followed by Mozilla Firefox (39.3%), Google Chrome (6.4%), Opera (4.3%), and Apple's Safari (3.7%)."

"If IE6 users are removed from Statcounter's statistics, then Firefox is already level with Internet Explorer (within 0.1%) in Europe, and the figures show that IE is in long-term decline."

Full post from the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/feb/21/microsoft-windows-browser-ballot

iPhone Apps of the Week

Vancouver 2010 Olympics Official Guide: No explanations necessary.

iCall Voice over IP: Using this program, you can make free phone calls to all phones within USA. There is some lag during the call, but otherwise it is pretty good for a free service. It also integrates with your iPhone contacts.

World Customs and Cultures (by Hooked in Motion): This free program lists some basic information about cultures and customs of various countries. It lists some taboos, greeting styles, smoking/alcohol/drug laws, and views of time (punctuality). The information contained is fairly accurate based on my personal experience (in other words, it is "accurate enough").

iPhone Apps of the Week

Today ToDo: The best todo app out there. Easiest to use, but at the same time the most functional. Try the free version to see with your own eyes, and then go buy the pro version, it's worth the money.

Tweetdeck: Twitter client with Facebook support, and it's free. What else do you want?

Blogpress: To update your blog. I use the lite version and it does the job.