mSpot is a cloud based music streaming service that lets users play their favorite songs across multiple devices like PC, Android phones and Mac.

1. Download the mSpot client for your device and install it.

2. Once the installation is finished, you will be asked to sign up. Go through the steps to sign up for a free account.

3. After registration is complete, you will have to choose the sync settings. You can choose to sync Windows Media Player or iTunes library or just select some specific folders. Since I am using the free plan that allows only 2GB cloud storage, I will be selecting a single folder.

4. Whenever you choose to upload a song to mSpot cloud, just copy it to the synced folder. You will notice an animated icon as the uploading starts.

If you wish to play the songs, just open your browser and point it to www.mspot.com and sign in to your account. You will now see the list of songs in your account. Double click to play them.

The browser based media player is equipped with basic controls. You can create playlists, unload items from the playlist. You can also download the mSpot app for Android from the Android marketplace.

Techie Buzz Verdict:

mSpot is a perfect tool to stay tuned to your favorite tracks anywhere. With 2GB free storage you can carry almost 1500 songs, which is a good score for me. If you are still not satisfied, go for the 40GB plan for just $3.99/month. I wish the service brings support other popular mobile platforms. The tool is a must for every music lover.

Techie-Buzz Rating: 4/5 (Excellent)

Have you ever heard of DVDShrink? It’s a freeware program that allows you to make backup copies of your movie DVDs. The shrinkpart of the name of this software is the real power behind it. Movies are usually distributed on dual layer DVDs, while most blank DVDs are only single layer. The DVDShrink program can allow you to shrink a dual layer movie onto a single layer blank disk. However, there are a few tricks you need to know if you want to do it the right way and get the best possible copy.

I’ve used DVDShrink for years, but I never did know the finer points to using it. I always used it to create backup ISO files that I stored on my hard drives. Fortunately, I know someone who does know a good many tricks for using this freeware. Jim Hillier has posted a complete how toon one of my favorite newsletters Dave’s Computer Tips.

Here’s that post: How to use DVDShrink… The Right Way!

Wait! Before you head over there, here are a few things you might want to know.

• Where is the download for DVDShrink? The home site of DVDShrink is at dvdshrink.org, however, you won’t find a link to download it there. I always go to the DVDShrink page at Afterdawn to get the latest version.

• If you have any questions about DVDShrink, just post a comment below and I’ll ask Jim to lend a hand.

• If you’d like to read a good monthly newsletter, be sure to sign up for Dave’s Computer Tips.

Do you like to read? I love to read, but I have trouble making time for it. Typically, I’ve always read books, and only recently, have I moved to reading on my laptop or netbook. While using a computer, I wondered why so many people preferred using an e-book reader application. I always found most books in PDF or plain text.

Now I know why. An e-Reader can be your best buddy if it’s a good one. It keeps track of all your books, keeps track of where you are in each book, and it may also help you find more books. That’s certainly the case for FBReader, a free and open source (FOSS) e-book reader.

As you may already know, besides plain text or PDF, e-books come in many formats. FBReader supports html, chm, plucker, palmdoc, oeb, rtf, tcr, OpenReader, non-DRM’ed Mobipocket, and fb2. It also supports reading from tar, zip, gzip, and bzip2 archives. It also has automatic language and encoding detection, automatic hyphenations, full-screen mode, and screen rotation.

Perhaps the best feature for FBReader is that it’s available for many platforms and operating systems. Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Android, Sharp Zaurus, Siemens Simpad with Opensimpad ROM, Nokia Internet Tablet (Maemo platform), Archos PMA430, Motorola E680i/A780/A1200 smartphones, PepperPad 3, Asus Eee PC, IRex iLiad, UMPC. There’s also a Java version that likely works on a Mac OS.

The FBReader menus and help are available in 13 languages; Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Lithuanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Ukrainian.

If may have spoken too soon, when I said best feature. I also love the fact that I don’t even have to leave FBReader to go and look for more books. It’s able to search several online libraries and download new books for you. You can even add libraries, as if there wasn’t enough to read already.

Here are four screen shots showing the major functions.

Finding New Books

Looking at Your Books

Book Cover Art

Reading a Book

In Windows, FBReader is offered as a 5MB installer. I found that the program folder can be copied to a flash card or USB drive and used as a semi-portable app as well.

On a final note, there is an active FBReader Group online, which can offer all kinds of help and advice, such as, where to find more cool books.

Download FBReader

Techie Buzz Verdict:

I haven’t been using FBReader long, but I have a feeling it’s going to be one of my favorite apps. The ability to read when I want, on the go, on any PC, and find more books easily is priceless.

Techie Buzz Rating: 4.5/5 (Excellent)

VLC the most popular Windows Media Player alternative is all set to get a new feature in VLC 1.1. Starting with VLC 1.1, users will be able to add extensions or add-ons to the media and audio player.

Starting with version 1.1, users will be able to write their own plugins for VLC, codenamed Extensions. The difference with other VLC modules consists in the language used to write these Extensions: Lua, a simple a lightweight scripting language, embbeded inside VLC media player.

Extensions in VLC can be written in the Lua, a lightweight, fast and embeddable scripting language. The new announcement was spotted on a VLC developers blog by our Linux Geek Sathya.

According to Jean-Philippe André, VLC Extensions idea came through because of the success of add-ons in Firefox and will allow users to have quick access to several features in a single click. For example, with the help of extensions users can quickly access subtitles for a movie, lyrics for a song or information about the current artist.

Jean also post some examples and screenshots of possible extensions that could be useful for users to use with VLC, they include:

• Wikipedia: get information about the artist, the album or the movie from Wikipedia.
• IMDb: read the plot summary, learn about the cast of a movie and get a direct link to the Internet Movie Database.
• Last.fm: Read useful information fetched from the artist’s page on Last.fm.
• Lyrics: Automatically get the lyrics of the current song.
• Subtitles: Find and insert subtitles on top of the video in two clicks.
• Concerts: Learn about the next concerts of this artist.

Users who want to try our extensions or create their own can download the latest nightly build of VLC from http://nightlies.videolan.org. For more information about extensions in VLC, visit this blog post.

Windows Media Player is the default media player in Windows. Sometimes you may come across issues with the player which may not allow you to play audio or video files due to corrupted dll (Dynamic Linking Library) files.

Fix WMP is a handy freeware which will re-register all the dll files associated with Windows Media player to fix any issues it has.

There are 40 dll files associated with WMP which can be easily fixed with FixWMP. FixWMP is a portable software, so you don’t need to install it. Fix WMP works on Windows 7 and Windows Vista Windows Media Player.

Download FixWMP

Looking to convert AVI files to Flash videos (FLV)? The freeware and open source AVI to FLV converter can come in pretty handy.

FLV Converter will take a AVI file and convert it to the FLV format. In addition to that, it can also extract a specific frame from the video, along with allowing you to customize the FLV video by adding your own logo to it. Want more media tools? Don’t forget to checkout the Ultimate list of Tools to manage your digital life.

Download Free FLV Converter

Watching movies and browsing Internet are the favorite pass time activities of most of the people of 21^st century. Then how does the idea of amalgamation of both the activities sound? Let me make it vivid, I am talking about watching movies on Internet for free. And yes, I am indicating towards all the legal ways. Now, you surely want to read this article to make the best of it. Below is the list of best 7 ways to watch movies on Internet for free:

Hulu

When I say free movies on Internet, there is nothing bigger and better than Hulu. Whether it would movies or TV shows, Hulu has got it all to serve your requirement of a free online TV.

But the main limitation with Hulu is that it serves only American audience. It is indeed a King Gorilla in America. So if you are an American resident, you can enjoy the Hulu services for free. Visit Hulu.

YouTube Movies

YouTube is the first name that pops out of your head whenever you hear the term Online Videosand that it the reason why there are more than 1 billion views on YouTube each day. YouTube hosts number of full length movies, documentaries and TV Shows.

You can find some geo-restrictions on some of the movies, but overall this is my favorite online movie destination. Visit YouTube Movies.

IMDB

Internet Movie Database popularly known as IMDB offers a huge collection of wonderful movies and TV shows for free. You will be surprised and thrilled by the collection of movies at IMBD. To be precise, it is simply HUGE and so does the tag line says, Earth’s Biggest Movie Database.

Visitors use IMDB as a trusted movie review destination but the count of the people using IMDB as online movie theatre is not less either. Visit IMDB.

Internet Archives

Internet Archives is the favorite stop of number of people who look for free online movies. And once you use it, it will soon become your numero uno free movie destination too. This portal features a huge collection of movies of almost all genres which include comedy, horror, action and many more.

I have found Internet Archives as the best place to relish foreign movies. Here is the complete video library of Internet archive.

Free Movies Online (FMO)

FMO is the abbreviation of Free Movies Online. The name itself tells you the story. This is the place where you can watch TV Shows, Cartoons, TV Series for free.

FMO is one of my favorite destinations for watching movies of all genres on Internet for free because of its classy collection of movies and TV Shows. Visit FMO.

Classic Cinema Online

If you love to watch classic movies, Classis Cinema Online is the portal that you will fall in love with.

This web site offers you with some wonderful movies which include Action to Westerns and even old cinema shorts and news reels. I recommend this site to your parents, grandparents and every other person who love watching classic movies. Visit Classic Cinema Online.

Film Annex

Film annex allows you to watch as well as download movies on Internet for free. Once you visit the site you will be surprised to witness its huge collection. All the films offered by Film Annex are made by independent directors living in different parts of the planet.

You can opt to watch them online or download them. If you own an iPhone, then this site can be accessed on your phone also.

These are some of the best web sites where you can watch online movies and TV shows for free. All you need is a computer and Internet connection, and you are on your way to relish some of the mind blasting movies for free. If you are aware of similar web sites which too offer such services, please share them with us. Visit Film Annex.

This is a guest post by Prasanth Chandra from  PCs Place who recently started  Review Unit , a blog about Gadgets, Software, Web apps. Want to guest post for us? Visit the Guest Post information page to read how you can submit guest posts to us.

Foobar2000 v1.0 beta has been finally released after 7 long years. Foobar2000 is a barebones player which is quite flexible and extendable. We had done a lengthy article on how you can convert Foobar2000 into a super music player. Don’t forget to check it out to turn this simple player into a music powerhouse.

Download Foobar2000 v1.0 Beta [via DSQ]

Podcasts are a series of digital audio or video files that can be downloaded using web syndication or RSS feeds.

You need a software such as iTunes to automatically update and download podcasts to your desktop.

Sansync is a simple freeware utility that will allow you to download and listen to podcasts on your PC or Mac.

Once you download and install Sansync, just add the podcast feed URL and it will automatically download the podcasts whenever updates are available.

Sansync is a pretty decent, easy to use application and it is also lightweight compared to other software that can be used to download and listen to podcasts.

Download Sansync for Windows & Mac

The WinX DVD Ripper team contacted us with an excellent offer that will allow you to download a excellent DVD Ripper costing $24.95 for absolutely free until September 30th 2009.

DVD Rippers basically allow you to save content from a DVD to your hard disk or portable drive.

WinX DVD Ripper Features

1. Rip DVD to popular video formats as AVI, FLV, WMV, MPEG, MP4, etc.
2. Rip DVD to popular portable devices including iPhone, iPod, PSP, PDA, Zune, Mobile phone, etc.
3. Support automatically detecting, connecting and transferring converted videos to portable devices.
4. Rip DVD audio into MP3 music file.
5. Support grabbing screenshot from DVD video.
6. Enable to remove or choose subtitles for output videos.
7. All video/audio parameters adjustable for users optimizing video quality.
8. Supper fast ripping speed, up to 300%-500% real time.
9. Best video/audio quality.
10. Easy to use and 100% stable.
11. Multiple DVD source supported as normal DVD, CSS protected DVD, region 1-6, commercial DVD, Sony ArccOS DVDs.

Download WinX DVD Ripper For Free