Since Google enabled us to customize the background of their homepage (much to Jon's disappointment), my favorite search engine looks much happier and more colorful. I've heard a lot of criticism about this new feature, about how it kills Google's traditional minimalist spirit in web design, but the truth is that I like Google's backgrounds. And if you also like them, you'll be glad to know there's a little trick to download Google images to your hard drive.

After right clicking everywhere on the image, trying to get the "Save Image As..." menu without success, I happened to click right at the bottom of the browser, just by chance, and voilà! The desired context menu opened up for me.

This menu lets you open the image in full screen or save it to your hard drive straight away. It's as easy as that! The only problem is that you'll need to manually perform this operation with all of the images you like, one by one. But I'm sure it won't be long until a smart developer comes up with a handy app that makes the job much easier - and I'll be happy to review it for Softonic!

In case you hadn't noticed the World Cup kicks off today in South Africa. And those lovely folk at Google have fixed it for everyone to travel there, thanks to some special features they've added to Google Maps, Street View, and Google Earth.

Google Street View's South Africa Soccer Stadiums page will give you a pitch-side view of all the grounds, including the impressive Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg, where the opening ceremony and first match take place today. The feature allows you to stand in the center of the pitch and pan around 360 degrees to acquaint yourself with the layout of each venue.

Even more impressive is the 3D stadium view you can access in Google Earth. Simply download this KMZ file, load it up in Google Earth, and you'll be able to see the location of all 10 venues in South Africa. Click on any of the stadium links in the Places window, and you'll be whisked off to that ground, where you can marvel at the 3D views, read information about each place, as well as flicking through a gallery of photos and videos taken inside the stadium. Be sure you have the 3DBuildings layer selected in order for this to work properly.

Proving that Google has well and truly gone football crazy, the search giant has also released a World Cup widget, which you can add to your iGoogle home page. The tool displays the latest schedule information, current standings, and the latest news from the tournament.

via OnSoftware France

With Apple's WWDC already well underway and iPhone fever rising, the big news for Safari users on both Mac and Windows is that they can now get their hands on version 5 of Apple's elegant web browser. Faster than ever and with a new intelligent Reader, Safari 5 looks and works better than ever.

The most significant addition is the new Reader which is accessed by clicking Reader which appears in the URL bar on supported pages or by going to View and then Enter Reader. It isn't available on all sites but when it is, it allows you to read only the text in an article. It removes distracting ads, pictures and sidebars so that the experience is closer to that of reading a newspaper than before:

The other big changes are that Safari 5 is now 25% faster at loading Javascript than the previous version and extensive support for HTML5. I was a bit skeptical about the speed improvements at first but now that I've been running Safari 5 for a few hours, it has to be said it's lightening fast. However, whether it's twice as quick as Firefox and 3 percent quicker than Chrome as Apple claim, I'm not so sure but it is easily the fastest Safari ever. Greater HTML5 support is something developers will mainly appreciate allowing users to watch HTML5 video in full screen and access HTML5 geo-tagging.

There are many other great additions such as the possibility to use Bing as your default search engine in Safari:

And Safari is now far more intelligent at finding bookmarked and cached webpages searching for keywords within pages as you type them in the URL bar.

Give it a test drive and tell us what you think!

If you live outside the US then you're probably aware that not all iPhone apps are available in your country's store. This can be pretty annoying when you read reviews about great apps only to find out you can't access them. Don't worry though, because there is a simple trick within iTunes that lets you register for a US iTunes account without using a credit card. By entering a fake US address you can fool the system and complete the registration. Here's how it's done:

1. First, make sure you're signed out of your iTunes account. Click the flag that appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen in iTunes and select the US Store from the list that appears.

 2. Browse to a free app you want to download from the US Store and click on the Free button. You'll now be asked to sign in or register. Click on the Create New Account button.

 3. After clicking Continue and accepting the terms and conditions, you'll be invited to create a new Apple ID. Enter an email address (separate to the one for your existing iTunes account), password, verification question and date of birth.

After finally implementing a tool to rename folders in Google Reader (what took them so long?!), Google has also introduced a new feature: the option to customize the background image in the Google homepage.

The feature is being slowly rolled out, so don't worry if you don't see it yet. For those who already have it enabled, you should see a Change background image link in the bottom left corner of Google's homepage.

Clicking this link brings up Google's background image menu, with four options: using an image saved on your computer, using an image from your Picasa Web Albums, selecting a wallpaper from public photos featured in Piacasa Web Albums or selecting it from a set of Google recommended wallpapers.

Images you use as Google background must be at least 800x600, preferably in landscape orientation - that is, wider than taller. Several formats are supported, including JPG, BMP, GIF, PSD and even some selected RAW formats. Also, you'll need one of the following browsers: Google Chrome, Internet Explorer 7 or later, Firefox 3.x and Safari 3 or later.When you want to change the image, or you feel like going back to Google's original minimalist design, simply click the Remove background image link at the bottom of the page.

If you're anything like the Softonic team, you'll have a Google Reader account packed with important, interesting and at times esoteric RSS feeds that you like to stay up to date on. And given that you've got so many feeds, you like to be able to organize them with folders and tags. And given that up until now, folders and tags have been uneditable, you've been forced to resort to very useful guides like this in order to 'rename' folders.

Well, those days are over. At long, long last, Google has added a rename feature for folders and - yes - for tags. At last.

The feature is easy to use: simply select a folder, click the Folder settings menu and select Rename folder. A small dialog box will pop up where you can enter a new folder name. Alternatively, just access this settings page to see all your folders and tags.

And in case you're wondering, renaming a folder or tag with a name that already exists will merge the two tags/folders in question. Which is also really cool.

Thanks, Google! But don't take so long next time.

[Via: Google Reader blog]

Security company Intego today warned that a malicious piece of spyware for Macs has been packaged with some screensavers, mainly from the company 7art Screensavers. The spyware, an application called OSX/Opinionspy is downloaded during the installation of these screensavers, that are listed here.

This is a piece of marketing spyware, that secretly collects and sends data about your online activity, meaning entering your credit card details with it installed could be very dangerous. The Guardian have posted a useful guide to removing the spyware, so head over if you're worried.

However, we tested two of the listed screensavers, 'Emerald Clock ScreenSaver', and 'Silver Snow ScreenSaver', and found no evidence of any spyware, and nor did Intego's software detect any. So currently we cannot confirm if this story is true or not. We will update when we've figured out what's going on!

This story does highlight that you should always be careful about what you install on your computer, and don't blindly agree to everything an installation asks.

Update:  The company 7Art appear to have changed their downloads, and also Intego have removed their blog posts listing dangerous applications. Whether this was a genuine threat or just a piece of marketing is difficult to clear up, but it does seem like 7Art downloads are safe.

[Image via the Intego blog]

In case you didn't know, today is Quit Facebook Day: a date many Facebook users have chosen to abandon the popular social network. Their reasons? They seem to be  unhappy with the way Facebook is dealing with their data. According to the official statement, Facebook "makes if extremely difficult for the average user to manage their data" - that is, decide what's visible and what's not. They're also worried about "the usage Facebook could make of these data in the future".

With all due respect, this is just nonsense. If you're worried about online privacy, why did you join Facebook in the first place? You don't need to be there, just because everyone else is. Want to find old friends from school or keep in touch with workmates? There are plenty of other ways you can use: email, IM clients, Twitter... not to mention Google's recent social tools like Buzz and Wave. You can also use these to send interesting links, share videos or exchange messages.

In any case, if you still want to be on Facebook but don't want to be concerned about privacy, you only need to configure your profile settings accordingly. Luckily Facebook has made it easier for the user - maybe in response to people threatening to quit their service. Simply click the Account link on the top right corner of the Facebook main page and select Privacy Settings.

If you visit the same websites regularly, it's a good idea to bookmark them so that you don't have to enter their address in the browser every single time. You can then add these links to the bookmark bar, and open those websites with just one mouse click.

But there's a trick to open websites up in your browser that's even faster and easier than clicking an icon on a toolbar: adding a keyword - that is, an alias - to each web page you bookmark in Firefox. Simply open the Bookmark Manager in Firefox (Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks) and search for the website you want to create an alias for.

Highlight the selected bookmark with the mouse and click the black arrow button besides "More" at the bottom of the window. This will display more text fields, including one that reads "Keyword". Enter the alias for the website here - you can use a word or just a single letter.

Close the Bookmark Manager and you're done! Now every time you enter that letter or word into the address field in Firefox, you'll be immediately taken to the associated website.

As a goodwill gesture for forcing my girlfriend to watch every World Cup match coming this summer, I've agreed to let her turn on the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday. I'm not normally one for monster rockers or dancing turkeys but I thought I'd at least try to get into the swing of the contest this year.

I've just discovered Google's Eurovision Predictor gadget and it's really helping my preparations for the world's campest contest. The tool provides a real time forecast of who is going to win the tournament based on searches for all the different artists on Google. You can view graphs of the search evolution, to chart the acts' popularity over time. Best of all, the Eurovision Predictor includes YouTube videos so you can familiarize yourself with all the songs ready to belt them out loud on Saturday night. Um, not that I'll actually be doing that, you understand.

Last year, Google was spot on when its gadget predicted that Norway would scoop the title. So, according to this year's forecasts, it should be Germany's Lena who claims Eurovision glory. Maybe we'll even find out where she picked up that ridiculous English accent.

You may have been using Photoshop for a while now, but you may have not noticed all the possibilities hidden behind one of Photoshop’s most powerful tools: the brush.

Brushes in Photoshop are much more than just a tool to draw. They can be used to create decorative frames, add pre-made shapes and customize your images in many different ways. But if you want to make use of all the potential in this tool, you need to know how to configure and use it properly.

Like all other tools in Photoshop, brushes have their own settings in the top toolbar: Size, Mode, Opacity and Flow.

Jumplists are one of my favorite features in Windows 7. They make apps easier to use by providing direct access to their most frequently used tasks and files. Unfortunately, jumplists are not available for all programs, which is why I've been searching for a way to add them to my favorite software - until I found Jumplist Extender.

With Jumplist Extender you can easily create custom Windows 7 jumplists for any program, with the commands and files you use most. I have to say the program is a bit rough around the edges - meaning sometimes it takes a while to make the jumplist work - but in general terms it's exactly what I was looking for.

Configuring Jumplist Extender is very easy. Launch the program and click "Start a new jumplist". Then select the executable file of the application you want to create the jumplist for. Jumplist Extender will ask you to click on its window, and will then let you start adding commands to your custom jumplist.

When you're done, go to File > Save and Apply to Taskbar and the jumplist should appear right on top of your app's icon in the taskbar, whenever you right click on it.

Now, I found a few glitches while testing the program. Creating a jumplist from scratch works fine, but editing it is a completely different story. Most of the times changes won't be saved until you "reset" the list by disabling and enabling it again. Besides those bugs, however, it's still a very useful app for all of us who miss jumplists everywhere!

Today I've been trying out the new Android FroYo OS, and guess what? It's delicious. Almost as tasty as an Apple, in fact. Standout features of the new Google Mobile OS include a much faster web browser with support for Flash 10.1, performance enhancements, and an beefed-up Android Market.

As you'll see from the video, Android 2.2 makes some significant changes over the previous version. But don't just take Google's word for it. Why not try out the new operating system yourself on your PC? All you need to do is download the Android SDK and follow this process:

1. Unzip the downloaded file and launch the SDK Setup executable. Highlight the Available Packages option in the left-hand column and expand the list within Sties, Packages and Archives. Check the option to install SDK Platform Android 2.2, API 8, revision 1. Now click Install Selected.

2. After the package has finished downloading, go to the Virtual Devices option and click on the New button. Enter a name for your virtual device and choose the Android 2.2 package from the Target drop-down list. Now click on the Create AVD button.

3. Your new virtual Android device, running 2.2 will be now shown in the main Virtual Devices panel. Highlight it, and click on Start to launch the new operating system in emulation mode.

4. It might take a few minutes to start the virtual device, but it's worth the wait. You'll get to try out the new helper, which explains how to get around the OS; take a peek at the new Car Mode; integrate your own email using the new Exchange settings, and even try and access Flash content in the web browser.

Not all of the new features of Android 2.2 can be tested, of course. You won't get an idea of the speed of the new browser, for instance; and the Market isn't accessible through the virtual device. However, it's worth checking out while we wait to see the OS actually running on a device.

We all have friends in our email address book that spend half of their lives composing PowerPoint presentations with images and music. Most of them go directly to the Trash folder, but you may find the odd PPT file from which you’d like to extract and save the images or the music. In those cases, the best option is to let PowerPointImageExtractor take care of the job.

This simple tool extracts all the photos and WAV files in PowerPoint presentations in just a few seconds. All you need to do is load up the file in the program’s interface and wait until the process is over. PowerPointImageExtractor will then display a report with the number of saved images and sound files, together with the full path to the folder where you can find them.

PowerPointImageExtractor works with PPT and PPS files, and as you can see, is really easy to use. So next time you get that presentation with cute kitten images from your aunt Susan, think twice before deleting it straight away!

[Via: OnSoftware FR]

If you've never heard of SeeSaw yet, then you will soon as the TV on demand service has just launched a premium service allowing users access to hundreds of British and American TV shows.

SeeSaw is only available to UK users and reminds me very much of the BBC iPlayer, the difference being that it hosts content from BBC, Channel 4, Channel 5 and other independent production companies, content isn't limited by an expiry date and you can watch now entire series including Doctor Who, Lost and Top Gear.

There is however lots of ad-supported free content for those living in the UK such as Men Behaving Badly, Spaced and Ugly Betty. New content is usually subject to a £1 per episode viewing fee or around £5 for an entire series (although this can rise to as much as £18 depending on the show). You get 30 days to watch an Episode and 90 days to watch a series.

According to Digital Spy, films are in the pipeline too making SeeSaw a competitor to the much hyped Voddler service:

The firm said that "several" other deals are currently in the pipeline with "major Hollywood studios" to offering around 2,000 of premium content in the coming months. The premium service will run in addition to the 3,000 hours of free-to-view, ad-supported content already available on the site from deals with BBC Worldwide, Channel 4, Five and various UK independent production firms.

Since I can't try the service outside of the UK, it's hard to gauge how reliable the streaming is or whether the amount of advertising is intrusive or not. However, it looks like an interesting project and with 1 million users since its launch in February already according to the company, its popularity is growing quickly.