Free Soft

Whether you are a KISS fan or not, you have to admit that this Rock Band and Guitar Hero compatible replica of his signature bass is just...plain...awesome. I know it is hard to look away, but if I could have your attention for just a moment you might be interested to know that it also features a bi-directional strum bar, ultra-responsive fret buttons, an analog whammy bar and an $80 price tag. Appropriately enough, it is set to be released on Halloween. [Amazon via Kotaku]

Tagi: whammy bar, signature bass, guitar hero, reica, gene simmons, amaz, kou, fret, rock band, price tag, axe, halloween

Dash express got a "permanent" price drop to $300 just back in June, but for today only an Amazon Gold Box deal means it'll have $100 shaved off that. Yup: it's just $200. That price has been available for Trafficgauge.com subscribers previously, but not on Amazon. Freakishly good deal, given that we labeled the GPS unit a fantastic traffic terminator. [Amazon]

Tagi: gold box, gps unit, amaz, dealzmodo, amazon, yup, terminator, subscribers, traffic

We made some big announcements this week at our annual developer forums, CommunityOne and JavaOne. I thought I'd highlight a couple in particular.

We announced the first commercial release of OpenSolaris - targeting high speed developers and development teams (not consumers...). OpenSolaris focuses on developers wanting to be freed from proprietary software models, who see innovation and automation in operating systems as a source of competitive advantage.

If Solaris 10, OpenSolaris's older brother, is for IT departments prioritizing carrier grade stability over rapid innovation, OpenSolaris targets the exact opposite - developers, from high performance computing to social networking, that prioritize a constantly refreshing repository filled with community innovations (and ZFS-based automated rollback) over an unchanging qualification target. Go to OpenSolaris.com to download a free copy, or click on the OpenSolaris logo to have a bootable CD delivered to you (free of charge). Or if you want a simpler way of trying it out... just go to Amazon!

We also announced a partnership with Amazon, through which we've made OpenSolaris, alongside MySQL and Glassfish, available with commercial support on Amazon's elastic computing cloud. From where I sit, this is a profound change in the industry - the world's most popular database is now available, and commercially supported, as a cloud service. As is the fastest growing Java container, and a redefined OpenSolaris for the modern world.

The traditional software industry, first revolutionized by open source, next by software as a service, is now embarking on a third revolutionary change... infrastructure as a service.

Sure feels like the clouds are parting.

(And again, if you'd like a free copy of OpenSolaris sent to you on a bootable, "live" CD, just click on the OpenSolaris logo above.)

Tagi: innovatis, software models, amaz, coue, glassfish, amazon, social networking, target, developer forums, profound change, bootable cd, proprietary software, rollback, software industry, competitive advantage, repository, high performance, clouds, operating

Whoooooa. That was my reaction as I surfed from tile to tile in Amazon's WindowShop, which is the most eye-popping online shopping experience I've ever seen. It's a collection of their most popular movies, books, music and other media arranged in a huge 3D grid, where every tile is a tiny demo of the product—a trailer, snippet or clip—and it's incredibly fast and smooth to dart from one to the other, with no lag at all.

It kinda reminds me of Google Earth, but if the world were made up of copies of Dexter and The Godfather. While the idea is definitely still in its infancy—navigation is far from in-depth—check it out, it's an awesome, visually delicious experience that is totally what online shopping is going to look like in the near future—and it's perfectly suited for a multitouch UI too. Update: As people have pointed out, it's verrry similar to Cooliris.[Amazon Windowshop via TechCrunch]

Tagi: delicious experience, 3d grid, amaz, google, amazon, techcrunch, snippet, shopping experience, infancy, godfather, dexter, tile, windowshop, dart, mdash, demo, earth

Shopping isn’t what it used to be for iPhone owners. With the Internet in your pocket and the functionality of some great iPhone App Store applications at your fingertips, you are now much better equipped to make intelligent purchasing decisions, whether shopping online or at an actual store.

Below are five ways you can improve your shopping experience using your iPhone:

1. Keep track of what you need with a shopping list app

Let’s face it, your memory can fail you and sometimes you’re in too much of a rush to look for a pen and paper to write things down. Instead, use the classic Notes app or download an application from the App Store that will keep track of things for you.

If you’re pressed for time, write your list as you wait at stop lights on the way to the store (but don’t do it while driving, for safety’s sake). Jotting your list down on your iPhone ensures that you don’t waste time and gas to make a return trip because you forgot something.

If you want something more advanced than Notes, try the Shopper app, which you can download for $4.99 from the App Store. Shopper lets you organize your shopping lists based on categories.

You can also add prices for tracking your budget, notes and photos if necessary. The Shopper iPhone app is a powerful tool that helps me stay organized and is worth the price in my opinion. Visit MidCentury Software to see demos of the software.

Alternatively, you might be interested in the Grocery Gadget app, which is free for a limited time; or ShoppingList which costs $1.

2. Search for product reviews on Safari

Use Google or Amazon to find out how other people rate the item you’re considering. Sure you can ask a salesperson at the store for their opinion of a product, but don’t rely solely on that.

Yes, some employees are honest of course, but sometimes store reps make commission if they sell you something, so how can you be sure that they are not just trying to make a sale, or that they don’t have too much pride to admit they don’t know anything about the product you’re asking about. Verify that you are not wasting your money by going online and searching for product reviews.

Amazon.com has an iPhone version of their site that is simple and easy to navigate, so looking for other people’s experience of a product can be done in a matter of seconds, especially at 3G speeds.

3. Do some comparison shopping on the web

Let’s say you’re looking to buy a new camera and you see one you like at Circuit City. Before you take the plunge, go online and see if Best Buy, for example, offers the same item at a better price. Perhaps you can even find a better deal on Amazon or eBay, if you’re willing to wait for shipping.

4. Research food safety with the Food Additives app

If you are a health-conscious grocery shopper, maybe you’ve come across foods containing additives you wish you were familiar with. Sure you could search Google and try to come up with some info on these additives… or you can use the handy Food Additives iPhone app.

The Food Additives app gives you access to a searchable database that will tell you about the origins of many additives, as well as potential risks, symptoms and whether the additive has been banned in any countries. Each additive in the application also has a Wikipedia link pointing to additional information.

Now you can confidently avoid additives that might pose a danger to the health of you or your family. Not bad for $3.99.

5. Use the Balance app to track your purchases

Balance is a simple iPhone app that lets you keep track of deposits and withdrawals from your bank account.

Not only does it save you paper and the inconvenience of carrying around a checkbook — who uses those anymore anyway? — but if you check your Balance before making an impulsive purchase, it could serve as a reminder that you’d be better off saving your money.

I would have been happy to pay for such a useful app, but it’s free through the App Store.

*Bonus Tip* - Use iPhone’s camera to get opinions from house mates

Say your roommate or spouse is at home and asks you to pick something up at the store for them. When you get there, you see two similar items and you don’t know which one they’d prefer. Uhhh, what to do?

With the iPhone, it’s easy. Snap a photo of the items in question, touch “Email Photo” and problem solved. (Of course, this would be easier if the iPhone did not lack support for MMS — just one of several things wrong with the iPhone.) But you can tell your recipient to check their email and get back to you.

Conclusion

These 6 tips can help you use your iPhone to save money and shop more wisely, which could be especially important today if you live in the US or another country where the economy is slow and the price of gas is high.

So how has iPhone made you a smarter shopper? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Tagi: budget notes, store shopper, classic notes, amaz, google, decis, return trip, iphe, pen and paper, shopping experience, waste time, fingertips, gadget, safari, limited time, sake, lt, rush, pride, product reviews