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Palm shows Pre at D

CARLSBAD, Calif.--In one of the more anticipated chats at D: All Things Digital, Palm Executive Chairman Jon Rubinstein showed off the Palm Pre and talked about several features of the smartphone for the first time.

Rubinstein showed how the device can search Amazon's MP3 store and download songs directly to the device, a feature mentioned at the Pre's unveiling at CES in January. The Pre is scheduled to go on sale June 6 with a price tag of $199.99, after rebate.

He also showed a "media sync" feature that lets users grab nonprotected media … Read more

Not worth the price

This program offers people the ability to rename large batches of files in one fell swoop. After we put it to the test, we were left disappointed by its poorly designed user interface and trial limitations.

Batch FileName Editor claims to have an easy-to-use interface, but we found it to be just the opposite. The bright command buttons are vague and don't offer users much direction. We selected a folder that contained the files that we wanted to rename. The Insert command introduced a new window that was just as vague and confusing. We finally found our bearings, but … Read more

Acer's next-gen Aspire One Netbooks available now

We've already seen them previewed with the rest of Acer's upcoming lineup back in April, but the official release of the next generation of Aspire One Netbooks is finally here. Most notable is the inclusion of a new, bigger 11.6-inch model, the Aspire One AO751h; also new is a revamped 10.1-inch system, the Aspire One AOD250. (Confidential to Acer: we're available as product naming consultants for the low, low price of free).

Both new Netbooks are thinner than Acer's previous models, and the 11-inch AO751h has a full-size keyboard, along with a 16:9 … Read more

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Quickly change file properties

File Property Changer offers users a quick, efficient way to change a variety of factors related to files. While this program proved to be effective, it may not appeal to everyday users.

This program provides a clear interface that users can grasp quickly. The left-hand side of the program is dominated by a file tree listing every usable folder and file on the hard drive. Once users have selected the file they wish to toy with, its statistics instantly appear on the right side. There you are shown its file name, what format the file is in, when it was … Read more

The 404 318: Where we feast on cupcakes and golden oreos

Caroline McCarthy and Tim Geisenheimer join The 404 today, while Jeff pretends to celebrate the Passover with his family. The ace reporter brings in cupcakes made with bacon cream-cheese frosting and beer. Sounds incredibly healthy. Here's the recipe.

On today's show, we cover the news that Yelp is finally letting businesses respond to negative reviews that users write. Did you know that The 404 has a Yelp page? Wilson discovers that you can actually write reviews for almost anything, including homeless people. In the same vein, feel free to write Yelp reviews for your favorite 404 hosts.

In more outrageous news today, PETA is holding an animal protest rally in World of Warcraft. WoW players are slaughtering baby seals in the "Howling Fjord." We think PETA should spend its time trying to stop Tim from killing baby seals on the weekends, rather than virtual seals. Also, a man in Texas got stabbed for farting in the room with his buddies. This happens on a daily basis in Wilson's office. More from Texas: a state legislator says that Asian American names are too confusing. And South of the border, Mexican drug dealers are sending blatant death threats on YouTube.

Thanks for sending in your survival stories. Keep them coming. E-mail them or call us at the usual number. And be sure to RSVP for the upcoming 404 meetup on April 16 next week. Here's the link. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Megan Fox will be there! (Not really, but Natali Del Conte will be.)

EPISODE 318 Download today's podcast |  Subscribe in iTunes |  Subscribe in RSS… Read more

Namechk scours 84 sites to find open usernames

Namechk is a new service launching on Wednesday that helps you find open usernames at 84 different Web sites. Like UsernameCheck, a service we covered last year that has since shut down, it takes only a few seconds to come up with the results and provides a link to the page for each user at the sites where it's taken.

What's really impressive about this service is the speed. In a few sample searches, it averaged about 8 seconds from start to finish. And you don't even have to wait to see all the results because they … Read more

Web site builder SynthaSite rebrands as Yola

SynthaSite, a San Francisco-based company that lets users build Web sites with minimal technical expertise required, has changed its name: it has ditched the corporate-sounding moniker for the more Web 2.0-ish Yola.

"The name SynthaSite has brought us to where we are today, but it won't take us where we want to go," CEO Vinny Lingham said in a release. "We're reaching a global market and need a name that is easy to say, resonates in any language, and captures the creativity and excitement that our users bring to their Web sites."

Yola, … Read more

Palm distances itself from investor's boasting

Roger McNamee is about to learn that nothing can ever be withdrawn from the Internet.

In an SEC filing for the ages, Palm attempted to do just that on Monday, distancing itself from comments made by Elevation Partners' McNamee--Palm's primary investor--regarding Palm's Pre smartphone and Apple's iPhone. Palm is expected to launch the Pre at some point before the end of the first half of the year, and while the company's financial backer is understandably excited, he seemed to lose all sense of perspective during an interview with Bloomberg last week.

In the interview, … Read more