In a move that more than likely should’ve caused a black hole or a rift in time, finally got the (yesterday) released Microsoft Windows 8 Developer’s Build to work on Apple OS X 10.7 via VMWare Fusion. The kicker was that VMWare Fusion 3.1.3 wouldn’t work; luckily enough, VMWare Fusion saw fit to releasing their $49.99 update to VMWare Fusion 4.0.1 today, one day after Windows 8 was made available for download and guess what?

It works!

Even though Microsoft stated that Windows 8 will work on an Intel Atom with only 1gb of RAM, I truly suggest giving it way more RAM than that. And the final install of everything is a shade under 7.5gb in total, with the Windows folder being around 4.93gb of space used. Off the bat, Internet Explorer 10 is included in the install. The new Start Menu is what looks like the Windows Phone 7 interface of oddly shaped squares that are somewhat interlocked together. But the regular, “looks like Windows 7″ desktop is still in there.

I’ll definitely have to give this a more in-depth look in a bit. But so far, this is only adding to my anticipation for Microsoft Windows 8.

[ Links: MSDN Windows 8 Developer Edition Downloads, VMWare Fusion 4.0 ]

If you like hip-hop, rhythm and blues, a touch of jazz and folk, all wrapped up with adult themes and lyrics and music that’s as modern as it is a throwback to better times; Foreign Exchange comprised of Little Brother’s Phonte Coleman and Dutch producer Nicolay are coming out with their third album “Authenticity”.

Picking up where their 2008 Grammy-nominated “Leave It All Behind” set left off, “Authenticity” is the group’s most diverse work to date, with a tight, 11-track song cycle spanning the duo’s trademark brand of lush electronic soul, to stripped down acoustic pieces that recall the heyday of 70′s singer-songwriter driven folk.

Tracklisting:

• 01. The Last Fall
• 02. Authenticity
• 03. Eyes To The Sky
• 04. All Roads
• 05. Fight For Love
• 06. Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me
• 07. Don’t Wait
• 08. Make Me A Fool
• 09. Everything Must Go
• 10. Laughing At Your Plans
• 11. This City Ain’t The Same Without You

I don’t mind admitting that I’m a fan. I don’t need to listen to a whole bunch of “yeah’s” screamed at me nor way too explicit lyrics being in music that I’d rather relax with my friends and/or lady with. And from what I’ve heard thus far, Foreign Exchange will be Grammy nominated, if not Grammy winners this next time.

Click “Maybe She’ll Dream of Me” above for a free download and introduction to the latest Foreign Exchange sound which comes out tomorrow, October 12th in stores and iTunes.

[ Link: Foreign Exchange Authenticity ]

Broadband speeds are increasing steadily all the time, though recent surveys show that countries in the eastern half of the globe are trouncing their western counterparts in terms of average connection capabilities. However, all nations are attempting to push through the next generation of broadband technology, well aware that consumers and businesses will be able to thrive on high speed connections. For the time being you may feel that you are faced with a fairly standard range of interchangeable providers offering virtually indistinguishable packages, but this is a slightly simplified view.

Different broadband technologies offer different speeds and different internet service providers can produce varying results even over the same connection. As such choosing a new package with speed in mind can be difficult if you are not privy to the real life download speeds that your current connection is capable of. Believing the advertised theoretical maximums promoted by ISPs is never sensible, so you should find out on your own by using a broadband speed test.

A broadband speed test can be performed quickly and easily online in a matter of minutes. First you need to find a speed test that is operating within your region or nation, to ensure that the results are not biased in any way by distance. Then you should be able to click a single button to initiate the test. First the speed test site will send a file from its servers to your computer at home and the download speed at which this occurs will be recorded and displayed on screen, usually in megabits per second or Mbps. Next the reverse will occur, with a smaller file sent from your PC to the speed test site and the upload speed your connection is capable of will be noted.

So with the real-time download and upload speed of your connection, you are better prepared to make a choice when looking at new broadband providers or contacting your existing provider with a query about your service. If you feel that you are being overcharged for an improperly advertised broadband connection, then it is best to have proof of this gathered using a broadband speed test.

The main question you may face at this point is `What broadband download speed is right for me?` This really depends on the type of activities which you will be using your internet connection to perform most frequently. If you are simply looking to do some light surfing and check your email once or twice a day then a minimum of 1 or 2Mbps will be basically satisfactory. However, for heftier tasks such as music and video streaming, peer-to-peer downloading, online gaming and VoIP calls, you will require a faster download speed and upload speed to achieve the most consistent service, of 6Mbps or more. If you have a landline connection provided by ADSL or Cable broadband then higher speeds are usually accessible, but for the best mobile broadband connection you will need to seek out a provider offering a high speed network and operating within your area. A broadband speed test can help you to assess how appropriate your current connection is for you and which deal you might want to switch to in the future.

Hiphop isn’t dead. Hell, it’s not even on life support. Hiphop hasn’t even really stubbed its toe. However hiphop has gotten very boring… but Southern California’s team of two brothers, Like and Mibbs with longtime friend BeYoung rounding out the trio that makes Pac Div… hiphop just might have gotten more interesting.

Sounding like a mix of some of your old school favorites, Pac Div mixes in lyrics and a cadence that’s not only easy to listen to, but doesn’t sound like a whole lot of mumbling about bling, women and escapades in cars that are rented or stolen. In fact, listening to Pac Div takes me back to when I first heard Tribe Called Quest (NYC), The Roots (Philadelphia), Binary Star (Michigan), or more recently Little Brother (North Carolina) and H.I.S.D. (Houston).

Simply put, you like actual hiphop, you’re going to love these dudes and you can’t go wrong with a free download either – Pac Div “Church League Champions” – and their Universal Motown Records debut album “Grown Kid Syndrome” comes out later this year.

Hiphop ain’t dead at all y’all…

We want to set a Guinness World Record for the most software downloaded in 24 hours. With the backing of our community and your help we know we can make it. What else can you do?

Yep… this means that Firefox 3.0 (final) is quickly approaching. It also means that Mozilla wants to set a download record.

You heard it here… download it folks. It’s tons faster and uses less memory than Firefox 2.