The idea of software as a service (SAAS) isn’t really new these days as more and more applications and services are delivered via the web and via a subscription model. Wikipedia defines SAAS as the following:

Software as a Service (SaaS, typically pronounced ’sass’) is a model of software deployment whereby a provider licenses an application to customers for use as a service on demand. SaaS software vendors may host the application on their own web servers or download the application to the consumer device, disabling it after use or after the on-demand contract expires.

The examples I illustrate above in the graphic (Dropbox, Vimeo, Skype, Evernote, Pandora, flickr) are just some of the services that I’m currently a happy user of, but have not upgraded to the premium versions of each across the board.

If I upgraded to the non-free subscription for each of the services above, I’d be looking at enough of an expense that I’d need to really start paying attention to it on the monthly budget. However, with all of these services, the value could be very well worth the expense over the long-run.

How many SAAS options are you currently subscribed to with this type of service?

Post from: EveryJoe

Software Can Be An Expensive Service

Video Lead via Engadget

Post from: EveryJoe

Palm Pre Running Wipeout XL

Normally when I’m working on my computer I’m listening to either my own music I’ve ripped to my hard drive or downloaded legally; or I’m streaming some great music from Pandora into my headphones.

The only challenge is that when I’m working I’ve also usually got a number of applications open and running to be productive. Right now I have 8+ applications going.

I started wondering which method of listening to my music required more system resources. I was surprised by what I found.

• Pandora Desktop App: 103,868K Memory Usage
• Windows Media Player: 18,685K Memory Usage

I’d always heard and thought that Windows Media Player was really a system hog and I expected the Pandora streaming app to be a little lighter on the requirements. Pandora is using 4x+ more system memory to function though.

The one thing I didn’t think about checking to see was how much memory was being used for playing an audio CD via Windows Media Player instead of ripped MP3’s. May have to check on that later, but then I’d have to go dig out a CD from somewhere.

Post from: EveryJoe

Using System Resources to Play Music

I’m attracted to it because it’s an RPG and I LOVE a good story. Also, the screenshots that I’ve found look pretty good and the gameplay [at the bottom] looks solid.

You can play the game as Seth, “an elite soldier with a dark past” or as Pandora, “an ambitious technomancer”.

From the press release:

In the destroyed world of Mars, two destinies mingle together. Two beings searching for their identity travel across a broken planet, constantly facing bloody political conflicts which tear the old colonies apart. Often divided, sometimes fighting the same enemies, both are the source of the advent of a new era…

Sounds pretty cool, don’t you think?

The video has no sound [which I find odd] but shows gameplay on the PS3.

Mars hits stores the end of 2010 on PC, Xbox360 and PS3.

Images|Spiders

Post from: EveryJoe

Mars-RPG with a lot of Killin’