Freeware World

Today sees the start of the 21st Winter Olympics, in Vancouver. If you’re thinking of following the Games on TV or, if you’re lucky enough in Whistler, then I can heartily recommend the official iPhone app. The 2010Guide – Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games application is the perfect companion for anyone who is dipping their toe in the icy waters of alpine sports for the first time.

Not only does the app provide a full calendar of events, but it offers concise and succinct guides to each discipline so you can tell your skeleton from your two-man bob. The great thing about the Winter Olympics app is that it allows you to add events to your favorites, building a schedule of all of the competitions you want to watch.

Once you start getting into the Games, you’ll find the Headlines section very handy. It allows you to view all of the latest news from Vancouver, as well as viewing medal tables and following the Games on Twitter.  The 2010Guide isn’t just about sport either, and the app also contains lots of information about all the off-piste activities that will take place over the course of the Games. You can view dates and descriptions of all the dance, comedy, music and arts that will take place.

This afternoon I claimed ownership of The Pentagon, Windsor Castle, and Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona. Don’t worry, I’m not part of some evil terrorist plot, I’m just playing the new Buzz graffiti game that’s sweeping the World*. The object of the game is to be the first to tag a famous building, government office or monument, using the new Google Buzz feature within Google Maps for Mobile.

Google’s new Buzz geo-tagging feature has today been added to the latest versions of Google Maps for iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian devices. It allows you to post details of where you are and what doing, for the whole World to see. Your phone will auto-detect your location and you can simply hit the ‘Add Buzz’ button to put your comment on the map.

More interestingly though, you can now search Google Maps for any company or famous building and get an option to ‘Buzz about this place’. And this is where the game comes in. According to the rules of Buzz graffiti, if no one has buzzed about it before, you can claim control of it simply by tagging it with a comment to the effect that you’re the new owner. OK, so go get the new Google Maps for your mobile and start tagging. I’m off to take over all the Starbucks in my town…

*Actually, I’m the only competitor in Buzz graffiti at the moment, but all the more reason for you to start playing, before I take over the planet - mwah hah hah hah!

Windows: Do you find yourself writing the same bits of text all the time, day after day? Then you need PhraseExpress, a highly configurable tool that helps you insert frequently used text automatically on any Windows app. PhraseExpress works with keyboard shortcuts and is very easy to configure and use. A handy tool that will save you loads of time!

iPhone: TweetDeck is one of the most popular desktop Twitter clients out there - and at long last an iPhone version of the app has arrived. It hasn’t half bad either. TweetDeck displays everything that’s going on on Twitter in a highly organized way. As with the PC and Mac versions, TweetDeck for iPhone uses a system of columns to make it easy for you to track who’s doing what.

Mac: EyeConnect (now updated to version 1.6.5) is a media server application. By scanning your network for UPnP AV digital media devices, it can detect any available device to which it can serve multimedia content, and thus share all your Mac’s video, TV, music and photo content with your TV or stereo. EyeConnect is compatible with pretty much any media content including DivX, Xvid, WMV, JPG, iTunes library etc.

Windows: Tired of your old media player? Looking for something else? Then you should give JetAudio Basic a try. This awesome app has recently been updated to version 8.0.4 and features everything you could expect from a media player. Plus you’ll also find a series of extra tools to rip audio CD, burn your own disks and convert files from one format to another, among others.

iPhone:  Doodle Jump has been one of the most popular games in the app store for some time - and it’s easy to see why. It has what I like to call the ‘just one more game’ factor, in the sense that it’s very difficult to put down. Doodle Jump casts you as a little green man in a cartoon sketchpad world. The object of the game is to get as high as you can up the scrolling screen by bouncing on platforms. Just don’t fall down!

Mac:Mass Effect 2 could be the game of the decade, and it’s only just begun! This is a selection of 24 official wallpapers for your desktop. Set in 2183, just after the end of the first Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 is a huge game, which sends players all over the universe involved in a real space-opera of a story that is just as dramatic as it is action packed.

Windows: Tired of your old media player? Looking for something else? Then you should give JetAudio Basic a try. This awesome app has recently been updated to version 8.0.4 and features everything you could expect from a media player. Plus you’ll also find a series of extra tools to rip audio CD, burn your own disks and convert files from one format to another, among others.

iPhone:  Doodle Jump has been one of the most popular games in the app store for some time - and it’s easy to see why. It has what I like to call the ‘just one more game’ factor, in the sense that it’s very difficult to put down. Doodle Jump casts you as a little green man in a cartoon sketchpad world. The object of the game is to get as high as you can up the scrolling screen by bouncing on platforms. Just don’t fall down!

Mac:Mass Effect 2 could be the game of the decade, and it’s only just begun! This is a selection of 24 official wallpapers for your desktop. Set in 2183, just after the end of the first Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 is a huge game, which sends players all over the universe involved in a real space-opera of a story that is just as dramatic as it is action packed.

Windows: After a few betas and release candidates, our favorite torrent client has finally made it. uTorrent 2.0 is now available for download with the same speed, ease of use and simple interface we’ve grown to love. The new version also features support for UDP tracker and a completely overhauled setup menu, among other new features.

iPhone: Want a Kindle but can’t afford one? Then try Stanza. It’s ebook reader and library for your iPhone, offering commercial titles, which can be bought through bookstores in the app, and free titles from providers like the Gutenberg project. This is a really good application. It’s well organized, easy to use and makes reading on the iPhone as comfortable as possible on such a small screen.

Mac: Imagine if you could access your iTunes collection from any Mac, anywhere in the world. MyTunesRSS allows you to do exactly this by accessing your iTunes folder over a local network or the internet. Initial setup involves setting up a server using the IP address of the computer that contains your music. Once connected, the user interface is like a stripped down version of iTunes showing you your tracks and categories.

Windows: With the All-in-One Sidebar extension you can access a bunch of tools and features in Firefox in a much easier, more comfortable way. This add-on displays your bookmarks, downloads, history, add-on updates and more on a handy, customizable sidebar. All the information you’re interested in, just a glance away!

iPhone: Tumblr is a great micro blogging service, where you can share all sorts of media, from text to quotes and audio and video. Now you can blog from your iPhone with this great Tumblr app. Pretty much everything you can do on the website you can do with this app, including adding text, video, photos and audio.

Mac: If you’re both a Firefox user and a soccer fan, then this plug-in combines the best of both worlds into a great little plug-in. Footiefox allows you to keep up with the latest results and scorelines without changing a page or even leaving your desktop. Once installed, the plug-in sits discreetly at the bottom of Firefox in the status bar. You can configure it to follow the games of your choice so you’ll always know the score.

It’s amazing how quickly Super Bowl Sunday seems to come around. This weekend sees the Colts take on the Saints in a game which could be one of the most exciting ever given the offensive nature of both teams. Super Bowl night is always special, but to make it even more enjoyable, why not grab a hold of some football apps for your iPhone? Here are some choices that will help make this Super Bowl Sunday the best ever, regardless of what happens in the match. Note that many of these apps are only available on the US App Store.

Experience the magic with Madden NFL 10

EA’s John Madden series is one of the longest running in the history of sports games. For seven dollars you can experience the thrills and spills of an NFL season on your iPhone. With great graphics and real teams, players and stadiums, this is the most realistic football game you’ll find. The in-depth gameplay includes almost 300 different plays, and an Action Time Control slo-mo mode to help you perfect the.

Get closer to the action with NFL 2010

Although it lacks the ability to trade players like you can do in Madden, Gameloft’s NFL 2010 is an altogether more polished game. The 3D graphics are slicker than those in Madden, and the fact that there are three difficulty levels means that it’s a lot tougher. It’s also pretty addictive, so make sure you keep NFL 2010 well away from you during the game, or you’ll end up missing the whole thing!

Order food with the Pizza Hut app

Pizza is a key ingredient in the recipe for a good Super Bowl Sunday. Don’t even think about getting up out of your chair to get one though. Just install the Pizza Hut app on your iPhone and you’ll be able to order food from your local Pizza Hut without even speaking to anyone! Choosing what to order is as simple as spinning a wheel and tapping the item you want.

Get some virtual booze down you with iBeer

Drinking beer on Super Bowl night is great fun. However, drinking a virtual beer from your iPhone will make you look cooler. So, grab hold of iBeer, tilt back your phone and watch as the succulent amber nectar froths and disappears slowly just like a real beer. There are five drinks to choose from, and you can refill your glass as many times as you like - all for just 99 cents. How many bars offer a promotion like that?

Learn your trivia with Super Bowl Winners

Now it’s time to bone up on your Super Bowl trivia. Install Super Bowl Winners, and you’ll have an at-a-glance reference to the outcome of every final, since Super Bowl I in 1967. Besides listing the winners, the app arms you with enough stats and data to be impressing your buddies all night with your “knowledge” of this great competition.

Scope out the teams with Pro Football Indianapolis/New Orleans Fan

The Colts and Saints versions of Pro Football’s series of fan apps for iPhone are perfect for brushing up on your knowledge of the finalists. They do cost two dollars a piece, but they provide so much information that they’re worth downloading even if you don’t support either team. You get all the latest news, player profiles, stadium plans, standings, plus detailed team histories.

Follow the action with Pro Football Live

Once all the hype is over and the game has started, you can follow all the action with Pro Football Live. The free app will provide live coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, offering end-zone to end-zone updates and impressive game time visuals. It’s packed with social networking elements too, so you can interact with other fans.

Listen live with ESPN Radio

Of course, you’ll almost certainly be watching the game on TV, but what happens if you need to go to the toilet or dash out for more popcorn? Well, just make sure you’ve got the ESPN Radio app installed and you won’t miss a second of the action. The station will be offering live commentary of the Colts v Saints, and the only costs three dollars then it’s yours forever.

Make some noise with Air Horn

The atmosphere is sure to be exciting in Miami come 7pm E.S.T. You can bring a taste of this excitement into to your home by installing Air Horn. Press down the horn and it will release a sound from your iPhone that’s just like the real thing. It’s guaranteed to provide endless amusement during the course of the game. Either that, or it will annoy the hell out of your buddies.

Make your point with 3D Foam Finger

If you forgot to buy the most crucial Super Bowl accessory of them all - the foam finger - then stop fretting because, naturally, there’s an app for that too. 3D Foam Finger places a giant hand on your screen which you can wave around to show your support. You can even change the color! It does cost 99 cents, but I guess you can’t put a price on fun.

Bored of your blog? All tweeted out? This week I’ve been having a second look at Tumblr, which sits somewhere between those two. When I first played with it over a year ago I wasn’t very excited. I don’t know what’s exactly happened since then, but Tumblr looks great now!

You’re not limited to 140 characters, but like Twitter the social aspects are central and built into Tumblr. Posts are split by category - text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio and video - and sharing any of these things is a breeze. The site gives you a Dashboard, which shows you a news stream of posts by you and the people you follow, like Twitter, but as it supports rich media, your Tumblr dashboard will be full of audio, video and images.

Go to the website to set up your account with an email address, and then off you go. The site looks good and is very usable, but even simpler is the Firefox add-on Tumblr Post. If you want to share something, simply drag it to the little icon in the status bar, and it will post on your Tumbleblog automatically! Until computers achieve sentience, I’m not sure blogging could be easier!

When away from your computer, that’s no excuse as there are Android and iPhone apps that allow you to blog just as easily on the move. The free iPhone app Tumblr is especially well designed, allowing you to record audio, photos and video on your phone and upload them, as well as use all the other Tumblr features.

While I love Twitter for keeping up with news, Tumblr seems much more fun. It doesn’t have the huge user base of Twitter but I’m sure it will grow as more people try it, as it’s so easy to get into. Come on, join in: Facebook and Twitter are so last decade!

iPhone: Guitar Hero and Rock Band are two of the most innovative console games of the last ten years. Now you can enjoy the wonders of virtual instruments on the go, by installing Rock Band on your iPhone. The Lite version lets you choose from four different instruments - bass, guitar, drums, and vocals - and all of them are excellently presented. From the animations above the game board to the vibrant neon colors, the graphics are almost worthy of a console - and the sound is superb too.

Windows:  Chrome users worldwide, rejoice! The latest stable version of Google’s web browser is already here. Google Chrome 4.0.249.78 includes a bunch of new features, such as enhanced developer tools, support for HTML5, performance improvements, full Acid3 pas and above all, support for extensions and bookmark syncing.

Mac: Mac fans have been able to try Google Chrome for themselves for quite some time now but this is the first unofficial portable version available that you can take anywhere. However, since it is still a beta version, Google Chrome Portable may be prone to bugs and instability but it’s enough to give you a good idea as to what the finished product will look and feel like. Note, it only works on Intel Macs.