MAME is an arcade emulator that allows you to play a whole host of arcade classics straight off your PC. Gone, it seems, are the days when arcades ruled the graphic and game play wars, and this emulator certainly does a very good job of replicating all the magic. With over 3000 unique (and over 5400) games spanning three decades, if you were ever an arcade junkie as a kid then this program could well take over your life. For copyright reasons, MAME does not provide the original ROM’s with the download, although these can be obtained easily through the ever trusty Google.

Download here.

Mozilla announced today the last installment of its’ 1.5 version of Firefox. Firefox is clearly tying up the loose ends and readying itself for the major 2.0 release, currently codenamed “Bon Echo” and available as a public beta. Naturally, the updates show no visible changes but do fix persistent security failures and memory leaks that have proved tricky since the 1.5 release. With Firefox 2.0 likely to be delayed until September, this is a recommended update for those who don’t have the guts to chance it with the new beta.

Download here.

The prospect of setting a webpage as your screensaver may not sound like the most exciting thing in the world of screensavers, but with new web 2.0 technologies making the most of widespread broadband use, there are quite a few web pages out there that will amply do the job. One of the newest examples is the flashy Digg labs, coming courtesy of Kevin Rose et al at the phenomenally popular Digg.com. With Digg Stack and Digg Swarme, users can see in real time what stories are getting the most attention. Swarme, for example, draws circles around stories and gives bright colours to those that are the most popular.

In an impressive display that looks like something from a magnified petri dish; using the free IdleWeb software supplied by Mac for live web page screensavers suddenly makes a lot more sense.

Download here.

Apple users left feeling cold with Skype’s recent updates can now rejoice with the 1.5 beta release that finally enables video calling with the world’s favourite VoIP service. Sporting an improved UI and smoother than expected video; this software will allow you to hold calls with anyone using the Sype software, regardless of what platform. However, Skype do stress that is only a preview version, recommended for experienced users who will not rely on it as their sole VoIP application.

Download here.

CinemaNow yesterday began the big step of offering legal DVD’s for download across the web. In a move that will surely have others reacting quickly; CinemaNow edges ahead of the competition by virtue of their agreements with big-name movie companies and modest prices. With fully featured DVD’s going for as little as £5, users will receive all the benefits they would come to expect from a retail copy, with the added bonus of having it on your computer and on a burned DVD disc that can be played on any standard DVD player. Launch titles include “Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle” and “Scent of a Woman”, with CinemaNow expecting over 1,000 titles to available over the coming months.

This could well be the beginnings of an industry sea change that the music industry has been experienced ever since the introduction of downloadable music. Rumours are rife that Apple plan to introduce a similar service that would integrate with iTunes and a new video iPod. However, don’t get carried away just yet – CinemaNow’s service is limited and only available in the U.S.

More info here.

Download it here.

Ultimate developer lists from eConsultant.com provides a very useful and extensive resource for everything “Web 2.0”. Despite the vagueness of the term and its’ ubiquitous nature; this resource at least sheds some light on what can be achieved. In particular, “Top 71 CSS Menus Navigation Tabs” pools together the best hints and tips, letting you realise flashy and slick navigations and menus with the minimum of fuss in CSS. The tutorials are generally straightforward and jargon free, meaning that anyone with a grasp of basic web technologies can pick up new tricks pretty quickly.

Download tutorials, code and more here.

Mozilla finally released the public beta 1 of its popular Firefox browser today, showcasing a few of the features users can expect to see in the final 2.0 release in late August. Along with some expected UI improvments, you also get phishing protection for the first time, safeguarding you from information stealing websites. RSS also gets a major upgrade, coming complete with a built-in manager. Bookmarks are now more intelligent, giving a microsummary of a given webpage and when it was last updated.

However, don’t expect the jump from 1.5 to 2.0 to be as massive as it looks on paper. Mozilla never intended this to be a major upgrade, rather something that paved the way for the major 3.0 release next year.

Download it here.

Apple today released an update for Boot Camp, its popular dual booting software that allows users to boot Windows XP on any Intel based Mac. However, the updates remain a bit of mystery, with Apple releasing no additional notes with the new beta release. If personal experience is anything to go by; hopefully this version will fix a few of the glitches experienced with the original release.

Download it here. 

Suitable Systems has released SeisMac, a new program which harnesses the power of your in-built remote sensor to detect nearby seismic action. Available as a free download; this may not be of great use to those living in Britain, but it might just be a lifesaver for those geeks in San Francisco.

Download it here.

From July 1st to 23^rd, every stage of this year’s Tour De France can be visited virtually within Google Earth. From the grueling mountain stage to the finale in Paris, users will be able to get information on the race of the day and the various stages (town of arrival, town of departure, average time of the riders…). Don’t expect to being seeing riders moving in real time just yet, but this again demonstrates the capabilities of Google Earth as something much more than just an application to look at your house with.

Available from the official Tour De France website