Tech Today w/ Ken May

File syncing is a godsend when you work on multiple computers or devices and want to make sure you have the most up-to-date files wherever you log in. While online services like Dropbox may be the most convenient options, there are plenty of reasons you may want to “roll your own cloud” and sync your files to your own web server or just on your local network. Below, we’ll detail how to set up a Dropbox clone, complete with instantaneous, encrypted syncs, cloud backups, and file versioning, using cross-platform software GoodSync. More

Music service Spotify has finally arrived in the U.S. In case you haven’t heard, Spotify has made its free version invite-only, but you can access the music service now if you shell out $4.99-$9.99. If you don’t want to pay for Spotify, and don’t have an invite in your inbox, don’t worry. There’s always Klout Perks.

Klout, the startup that measures influence on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, has a limited number of free Spotify account invitations to pass out via its Klout Perks. Klout Perks are exclusive offers or experiences, given as a result of your Klout.

Klout CEO Joe Fernandez says that Klout has partnered with Spotify to offer free invites to those Klout users who have hight scores in topics relevant to music/entertainment. We don’t know the exact number of invites, but Fernandez says Klout is working with Spotify to scale the invitations further. Apparently, if your friends end up downloading Spotify, your account might even be upgraded to Spotify Premium.

This isn’t the first cool offer from Klout Perks. The initiative has offered free tickets on Virgin America, a laptop from Hewlett Packard and a weekend in a Audi A8. For Klout, it’s a way to engage brands with the platform, and connect to users.

You can see if your Klout qualifies for your free invitation here.

See original article:
Don’t Have A Free Spotify Invite? Use Your Klout Perks

Remember when our iPhones were keeping a detailed history of everywhere we’ve ever been, and we were all disturbed by it? Well there’s finally some sweet, sweet justice, courtesy of a South Korean lawyer. His payout? $946! Yeah! Wait, what? More

We knew it was coming, but Europe’s beloved music service just officially launched stateside, bringing with it 15 million tracks with on-demand access, MP3 import, an offline mode, and social media integration. The streaming music service is currently in an invite-only beta phase, but you can sign up for an invitation or jump the queue right into the service’s Unlimited ($5) or Premium ($10) monthly subscription tiers. Groove on over to the source link to sign up, and start piping millions of free tunes directly to your desktop — once Spotify sends the welcome nod to your inbox, of course.

Update: Logitech announced that it will be offering Spotify service on both the Squeezebox Touch and Squeezebox Radio. Hit up the source link for the full scoop.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading It’s here! Spotify lands in the US (video)

It’s here! Spotify lands in the US (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows: Spending a half-hour slowly downloading a huge Zip archive only to discover its corrupt is a pain. Avoid it with Zip2Fix, a utlity that won’t fix corrupt archives, but will extract any and all undamaged files from it. More

Remember that ridiculous Steven Slater rap video promoting Line2’s in-flight texting app? Well, the VoIP company just dusted off the point-and-shoot and hopped back over to YouTube, this time peddling a complete telephony solution for iPad. Launching July 28th, the service will let you place phone calls using a wired headset or the built-in speaker and mic, listen to voicemail, and send texts from a single HD interface. After a one-week trial, you’ll pay $10 per month (or $100 per year) for the privilege, though with free number porting and unlimited domestic calling that’s a fairly solid deal. Many of us barely use our cell phones to place phone calls anymore, but if you’re looking to extend that little-used functionality to your tablet, then Line2 for iPad may be ringing. We haven’t had a chance to go hands-on just yet, but click past the break for a comprehensive video demo, complete with in-app email and an iTunes-like contacts carousel.

Continue reading Line2 brings phone functionality to iPad for 10 bucks a month (video)

Line2 brings phone functionality to iPad for 10 bucks a month (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Deleting files and sorting out disk-space is one of those tasks most people dread, so I can definitely appreciate that DaisyDisk has tried making it as fun (and beautiful) as possible. And what better time to download it than now? More

Have you heard of Evolio? Neither have we, but it might be time we all start paying attention to this Romanian start-up if its grandiose claims of tech stardom prove true. Heralding it as the “most powerful Android tablet” — and the one ring to rule them all — the Neura is a 1GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor-packing, 9.7-inch full HD displaying, Flash-capable slab of Eastern European engineering. Since its been (self-)declared king of the little green robot OS hill, the company’s aiming this market entry squarely at Apple’s iPad 2 — hoping its powers of 1080p and expandable memory can best that category titan. Unfortunately, the company’s proud boast only covers its hardware specs, leaving Froyo to underpower what could be a truly premium experience. A September update to Honeycomb is loosely mentioned, but with 3.2 already rolling out to Xooms, this baby’s starting to look dated. If owning an exotic tablet strikes your cooler-than-thou fancy, get your credit card set to import mode on July 25th. Informational video and its excellent Romanian-electro intro after the break.

Continue reading Evolio’s Neura making a foolio of other Android tablets (video)

Evolio’s Neura making a foolio of other Android tablets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 23:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has seen the future of personal computing, and it’s a world with a single Windows ecosystem. Windows Phone head honcho Andy Lees — who said that we won’t be seeing WP7 on tablets during Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference yesterday — still sees slates, phones, consoles, and PCs playing together in perfect harmony. His plan is to provide users with a consistent experience across all Microsoft-powered devices, though he didn’t flesh out exactly how this singular ecosystem will work. Given recent evidence indicating Xbox integration in Windows 8 and the UI similarities between the forthcoming desktop OS and WP7, it seems that Microsoft is well on its way to a consolidated future. But, only time will tell if Mr. Lees’ can deliver us from fragmentation with a unified Windows.

Microsoft’s Andy Lees on Windows’ future: one ecosystem to rule them all originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T might be done teasing us with their fake '4G'. Well, hopefully. Today, AT&T unveiled their first two 4G LTE products: the Momentum 4G and Elevate 4G. It's the real LTE, super fast, blazing speed 4G we want. More