Bye-Bye Exchange, Hello Google Apps Sync

Posted on June 10, 2009 by OmniSpear

I’ve have always been a fan of Microsoft Exchange, primarily because it works so well with Outlook on the desktop and OWA (Outlook Web Access). Once again the developer gods at Google have changed that with the release of Google Apps Sync, merging the affordability of Google with the familiarity of Microsoft Outlook.

What is It?

Google Apps Sync is a workstation plug-in that allows you to sync your Outlook and Google web-based apps such as e-mail, calendar and contacts.

How easy it is to set up?

Setup is cake, taking me about 5 minutes to install the Sync plug-in on my workstation. Once logged in, your existing Outlook contents (e-mail, calendar events, and contacts) are imported to the Google Apps servers automagicaly.

What Versions of Outlook does it work with?

Outlook 2003 SP3 or 2007 SP2

Google Apps Sync has the ability to question the need for Exchange, especially in a small business environment where the initial software purchase and upkeep is a large percentage of an IT budget.

How it Works Video:

More Information ->

Download Google Apps Sync Plugin ->

Fedora 11 – Coming to a desktop near you?

Posted on June 9, 2009 by OmniSpear

I’ve been messing around with the beta release of Fedora’s latest version 11.0 and found it to be one the fastest and polished operating systems I’ve ever used. It takes 20 seconds or less to load the entire operating system, from power on to log in – Let’s see Windows 7 do that.

The features are not bad either, most of what you would need to accomplish day-to-day tasks. Firefox 3.1, Eclipse IDE, etc.

With the move towards browser-based computing it’s only a matter of time before the lines between the operating system and browser begin to blur. Microsoft’s days of being the primary desktop OS will surely come to an end using their current pay-per-device model.

Fedora’s Website

Download Fedora 11

Desktop Screen Shot:

11fedora

Wordnik.com = Dictionary 2.0

Posted on June 8, 2009 by OmniSpear

Check out Wordnik, a new dictionary website that not only gives you the definition of the word but ties Flickr images and Twitter matches as well.

http://www.wordnik.com/

The Most Dangerous Search Terms

Posted on June 4, 2009 by OmniSpear

A recent report from McAfee outlined search terms that have the highest probability of leading you to websites full of spyware and malware. Most of the terms are related to downloadable contact such as screen savers, music lyrics and free music (imagine that).

The study pulled this data from 5 search engines (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft Live, Ask and AOL)

Click Here to download the full study from McAfee.

Alfresco – Open Source Document Management

Posted on June 3, 2009 by OmniSpear

Are you or your clients looking for a better way to keep track of a large amount of documents? Check out Alfresco, an open source alternative to Microsoft’s SharePoint product. Top 6 features:

Simple document version control that everyone can understand
Integration with Microsoft Office
Access files via the web interface or traditional shared network drive
Create workflows to approve document changes and more
Blog, Wiki and discussion support
Personalized Dashboard that can show recent activity for the specific project / files

This is a great open source project that keeps on getting better each version. It now even supports the Microsoft SharePoint protocol!

Go to www.alfresco.com for more information.

Taj Kreuzers SpeedFest Car Show

Posted on May 22, 2009 by OmniSpear

OmniSpear is sponsoring the Taj Kreuzers SpeedFest Car Show this Saturday: http://ping.fm/6QDOP