Blogger Update and Windows Live Writer

If you want to blog, there are lots of tools out there to help you, many of them free. In the news are two of those tools, Google Blogger and Microsoft Windows Live Writer.

Blogger is rolling out a new beta of its free blog service. The existing blogs will be transitioned over to the new format gradually, but if you want to try it out, go to the Blogger beta webpage and sign up to make a new blog using the new features. Blogger hasn't had any significant improvements since Google bought Pyra Labs in 2003, so this upgrade is overdue. Some of the improvements are the ability to easily categorize your post with labels, control who can see your blog, and more easily format your blog instead of having to be moderately knowledgeable with HTML. This and other upgrades which will likely happen in the next year will make Blogger more competitive with the other available blogging tools. (editor's disclosure: I use Blogger for the myDigitechnician blog, which you likely know if you read the blog...)

MS Windows Live Writer is a new Live tool for doing WYSIWYG writing and editing of blogs. One article said Writer is essentially MS Front Page Lite that looks a lot like MS Word. In addition to publishing on Windows Live Spaces blogging service, you can use Writer to publish to Blogger, Live Journal and other blogging services. Publishing photos, inserting Windows Live Local maps and making blog publishing easy with the WYSIWYG interface are some of Writer brings to you. Like Blogger, the Writer beta is free.

New and improved blogging tools is a Good Thing. Competition is great for the consumer when it forces rival products to continually upgrade and improve. Let's hope they keep improving.

My favorite two tech phrases in the last week were 'Hasta la Vista' and 'Dude, you're getting a recall!'

Here's the final weekly issues list for NEW NET's 15 August 2006 gathering:

• 1-terabyte drive to debut later this year http://news.com.com/2100-1015_3-6105515.html
• Key Linux programmer moves to Google http://news.com.com/2061-10795_3-6105286.html
• Microsoft Tests Desktop Blogging Tool http://www.betanews.com/article/Microsoft_Tests_Desktop_Blogging_Tool/1155571243
• Blogger in beta http://buzz.blogger.com/2006/08/blogger-in-beta.html#links
• Opteron is AMD's latest salvo http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/15278347.htm
• RIAA defendant dies, heirs given 60 days to grieve before depositions http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060812-7487.html
• RIAA drops suit against grieving family http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060815-7507.html
• Dell recalls fire-risk laptop batteries http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060815/ap_on_hi_te/dell_battery_recall
• K-Meleon: New Gecko-Based Browser Debuts http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20060815/tc_cmp/191902395
• Microsoft OneCare Jumps Out To A Big Start http://www.internetnews.com/security/article.php/3626326
• Net connection ‘Speed Test’ http://www.speedtest.net/
• Flash, Storage Vendors Eye Windows Vista http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,2003569,00.asp
• New router serves up files as well as network addresses http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060814-7494.html
• You can make 360 games with the XNA Game Studio Express software, but sharing them is quite the trick http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2006/8/14/4977
• Google Maps Gets Coupons http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/060815-053619
• Just How Many Windows Live Services Are There? http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,2003336,00.asp
• Google sees privacy threats http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/09/AR2006080901531.html
• F.E.A.R. Multiplayer to become free download soon http://www.techspot.com/news/22492-fear-multiplayer-to-become-free-download-soon.html
• AMD not eliminating ATI brand, reports false http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060808-7446.html
• What can stop a car-lifting robot? A licensing contract http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060810-7468.html
• Microsoft to offer free Vista upgrade coupons http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060810-7467.html
• Verizon wants gamers, and it's offering free servers to get them http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060810-7464.html
• Quality control problems or growing pains at Apple? http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060809-7457.html
• AOL To Offer Personal Email Domains http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20060810/tc_cmp/191900784
• Internet Activists, Bloggers Shaped Connecticut Senate Race http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20060810/tc_cmp/191900763
• The world's hottest startups (6 Web 2.0 categories) http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/09/technology/webaroundtheworld.biz2/
• iSkoot Allows Skype Calling On Regular Cellphones http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/iskoot-allows-skype-calling-on-regular-cellphones-193163.php
• Mozilla Postpones Firefox 2.0 Beta 2 http://news.yahoo.com/s/cmp/20060810/tc_cmp/191900128
• Asterisk wins $13.8M in venture funding http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060809/ap_on_hi_te/digium_vc_funding
• Microsoft Hosts Project to Run PHP on .Net http://news.yahoo.com/s/zd/20060810/tc_zd/185792
• AOL AIM Phoneline gives you a free phone number http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=291
• Talking Mono with Miguel de Icaza http://port25.technet.com/archive/2006/08/11/Let_2700_s-talk-Mono_3A00_--Sam-interviews-Miguel-de-Icaza.aspx
• Teen's warning on the gospel of Wikipedia http://news.com.com/2010-1038_3-6104446.html

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