Hasta La Gadget!

Fennec (a.k.a. Firefox Mobile) goes alpha for Android and Nokia N900 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This article was written on September 14, 2009 by CyberNet.

Welcome to the WrapUp by CyberNet. This is a collection of news stories, downloads, and tips that we have collected over the last few days, but never got around to writing about. Don’t forget to send in your own tips, or just leave a comment on this page if you think you’ve got something we should include.

–News–

Windows 7 Relaxes CableCard Restrictions
Microsoft released information last week stating that Windows 7 would give all PC owners the ability to add CableCards to their machines. Prior to this you could only buy CableCards with select OEM PC’s. What does this mean? Basically with CableCards you’re able to record encrypted cable channels using Windows Media Center. This could prove to be some stiff competition for Tivo considering there are no monthly service fees associated with a Media Center PC.

Leaked iPod Touch with Camera Photos were Real
Last week Apple released new iPod Nano’s with video recording capabilities, but many people were left puzzled when the same functionality was left out of their high-end iPod Touch product line. The internals of the new iPod Touch show striking similarities to the photos that were leaked prior to Apple’s announcements, and provide some solid evidence that the iPod Touch was indeed supposed to have a camera.

Dropbox Adds More Functionality
Dropbox is an amazing way to keep files in sync between all your machines, but their web interface has always been a little lackluster. They’ve added some new functionality including keyboard shortcuts, interface and usability improvements, and true bulk operations that make their website a lot better.

Attach 100MB Files in Yahoo! Mail with Drop.io
Yahoo! only lets you attach files up to 20MB to your emails, but thanks to some third-party integration that limit is now five times larger. To use the service you’ll have to click the “Get Started” link on this page to enable the use of apps, and then you should see an option in your mail sidebar to “Attach Large Files.” It’s not as integrated as I’d like to see it, but it’s still nice being able to send 100MB attachments without leaving the Yahoo! Mail interface.

Google’s “Jump to” Option in Search Results
When performing certain searches on Google you may find a “jump to” option offered right before the description of the result. Clicking on this link will take you directly to the part of the page related to what you’re searching for. For this to work Google is looking for “internal bookmarks/links” on a page. That’s why you’ll often find that Wikipedia results will show up with this option since it uses internal links in their table of contents to jump to various parts of the page.

–News in Brief–

Opera to Unveil “the Next Generation in Mobile Browsing”
Opera has put together a teaser page for something they will be unveiling very soon.

Chrome Turns Extensions on in Dev Channel
Google Chrome users running the developer version of the browser should be pleased to hear that you can now install extensions by default, which means this feature should be getting closer to prime time.

Windows 7 RTM not Affected by Latest Flaw
A recently discovered vulnerability makes it possible for a hacker to remotely control a system, but only affects Windows Vista, Server 2008, and pre-release versions of Windows 7.

Android has 10,000+ Applications Available
The Google Android mobile OS now has over 10,000 applications available for download, and 65% of those apps are free.

Firefox 3.5.3 Introduces Flash Update Notifications
In an attempt to keep users safe, Mozilla will now display a notification for anyone running Firefox if they have an old version of the Flash plugin. In the future the browser will also look for updates to other common plugins.

Facebook Lite Keeps Things Simple
Facebook users in the U.S. and India can now take advantage of a simpler Facebook interface that feels a bit Twitter-like.

Hotmail Getting More Improvements
Hotmail is rolling out some changes including auto-saving of drafts, keyboard shortcuts that closely match what’s used in Gmail, mobile improvements, and more.

Opera Unite Hits Beta Stage
The first Beta of Opera Unite has finally been released, and it’s significantly more stable than previous versions according to Download Squad.

Hubble Takes more Amazing Photos after Repair Mission
These are the first photos sent back from the Hubble Space Telescope after undergoing a rather extensive repair and service mission.

Google Earth 5.1 Gets Faster
The newest Beta of Google Earth not only uses less memory than previous versions, but is also 25% faster at starting up.

–Tips, Tutorials, and Reviews–

Windows 7 Login Background Changer
Want to freshen up that background image you see when you login to Windows 7? This free and open source application will let you select an image you want to use when logging into your machine. What I really like about this WPF-based solution is that it doesn’t modify any system files on your machine.

iTunes 9 Introduces a “Watched” Folder
iTunes 9 has finally added a highly requested feature: a watched folder. This folder resides in your music library, and any music added to it will automatically be imported into your library. Unfortunately this directory cannot be changed, and I suspect that Apple added it for the new “Home Sharing” features that let you automatically add music from other libraries on your network. It’s still nice to have though.

How to Access Gmail when it’s Down
With the recent Gmail outages some people are trying more than ever to make sure that they’ll still be able to access their messages even when the service is down. Normally when Gmail’s web interface goes down the IMAP/POP3 is still functional, and that’s what most people turn to. This article provides a few other alternatives such as checking the mobile version, using the iGoogle gadget, and more.

Postbox Email App Leaves Beta, Charges $40
Over the last few months Postbox has definitely been one of the most talked about desktop email clients. It was available for free when it was in the Beta stage, but now it will run you $40 for a license. It is definitely a nice email client, but they are in a tough spot. There are a lot of free desktop email clients out there, and I’d venture to guess that a majority of the money spent on desktop email clients goes towards Outlook. And then there’s also the fact that the web interfaces for email services like Gmail are evolving at a rather rapid pace.

Google Spreadsheets Gets SQL-like Syntax
Anyone familiar with SQL might enjoy the new “QUERY” function that was recently added to Google Spreadsheets. This function uses Gviz syntax to imitate SQL syntax right there in your document. It’s still a bit limited at this point… “SELECT” statements are the primary use, but you can add “ORDER BY,” “GROUP BY,” “LIMIT,” and more within your query. Hopefully it will branch out to become even more powerful.

–Tips in Brief–

iTunes 9 has Jump List Support in Windows 7
iTunes 9 was released last week, and anyone using Windows 7 can already take advantage of the included Jump List support. If you hover over the icon you can pause, play, or skip music, and you can receive additional options by right-clicking on the icon.

Pause Incoming Emails
This Outlook 2007 add-on from Microsoft will let you pause incoming emails so that they are not shown until you are ready to read them. This keeps you from getting distracted while you’re trying to work, and can also keep things quiet while you’re giving a presentation.

Coral IE Tab for Firefox
This Firefox extension is based on the popular IE Tab add-on, but takes it one step further. It is able to save your cookies and also works with Adblock Plus, which are things the original extension can’t boast.

Google Voice Adds Email Forwarding/Replies to SMS
Google will now let you view and reply to any SMS messages received through Google Voice right from your Inbox.

Another Free Backup Utility
As we’ve said in the past… there’s never a shortage of free backup utilities. What makes this one a bit different is that you can use it to backup and restore an entire partition or drive.

–Downloads–

• Avant Browser 11.7.37 [Mirror]
• Avast Home 5.0.104 ^Beta [Mirror]
• CDBurnerXP 4.2.5.1541 [Mirror]
• FeedDemon 3.0.0.35 ^Pre-Release [Mirror]
• Firefox 3.0.14 [Mirror]
• Firefox 3.5.3 [Mirror]
• Google Chrome 4.0.206.1 ^Beta [Mirror]
• Google Desktop 5.9.909.8267 [Mirror]
• Google Earth 5.1.3506 ^Beta [Mirror]
• iTunes 9.0.0 [Mirror]
• Maxthon 2.5.7.1143 ^Beta [Mirror]
• Maxthon 3.0.2.2 ^Alpha [Mirror]
• QuickTime 7.64.17.73 [Mirror]
• Sandboxie 3.39.13 ^Beta [Mirror]
• uTorrent 1.8.4.16381 [Mirror]
• uTorrent 2.0.16407 ^Beta [Mirror]
• VirtualBox 3.0.6.52128 [Mirror]

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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Don’t type when you can talk, says Google. The search giant has strengthened its existing voice-command feature on Android and introduced a new application called Chrome-to-Phone, for syncing with Chrome browsers.

Voice Search, despite its name, now lets you do more than just search: It will let users send texts, compose e-mails, call businesses, navigate, jot notes, and set the alarm on their phone by just speaking into the device.

The voice commands, called “voice actions,” are part of Google’s effort to improve the user interface on Android and let consumers go beyond the traditional keyboard and touchscreen interface on their phones.

The Voice Search application is currently available only for phones running version 2.2 of the Android OS — which means HTC Evo, Nexus One and Droid 2 users can get it on their phones immediately.

Google also launched a mobile sync app to link its Chrome browser to Android 2.2 devices. The tool lets users on Google’s Chrome browser click an icon to send a webpage or a map to their phone. The page or map is then almost immediately available on the phone.

“This is a low-latency, super-fast app for pushing data to the phone,” says Dave Burke, engineering manager for Google.

Google debuted voice search for Android phones in the United States about two years ago. But voice recognition built as a feature into the operating system was limited. Still one out of every four queries, or 25 percent of queries, on devices running Android 2.0 OS and higher comes through the voice interface, says Google.

That earlier version of the voice command allowed users to do just three things: web search, call a specific contact and navigate to an address.

The new voice search app goes beyond that. For instance, you can speak the name of a song or a band into the phone and the app will go online, find the music and show a list of apps such as Pandora and last.fm that can play the music you want. About 12 voice commands are now available to Android 2.2 users.

For more details, check out Google’s list of voice commands available through the app.

But when it comes to the Chrome-to-Phone app, the service is more limited. It is currently available to only Chrome users, though some Firefox users are also using it. The sync feature is also only available for Android devices, though Google says it will work to bring the feature to iPhone users as an app.

To get a more detailed look at Google’s Voice Search app, check out their video:

See Also:

• Exclusive: How Google’s Algorithm Rules the Web
• Bloatware Creeps Into Android Phones
• Independent App Stores Take On Google’s Android Market
• Google Maps Finally Adds Bike Routes

Image: Screenshots of Voice Search courtesy Google.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion unveiled a new smartphone Tuesday that offers iPhone-like features to “crackberry” addicts — while adding a few unique touches.

The BlackBerry Torch is targeted at general consumers rather than BlackBerry’s traditional base of business users. It includes an updated version of the BlackBerry operating system, called OS 6. The phone will be available Aug. 12 for $200 with a two-year contract on the AT&T network.

The Torch is a big step forward for RIM, which has been working for nearly 16 months with AT&T to create a device that can compete not just with the iPhone but also with a host of snazzy Android devices that are fast gaining market share. RIM’s earlier touchscreen phones, the Storm and Storm 2 on Verizon Wireless, were popular, but drew criticism for their buggy OS, browser and hardware. Meanwhile, in 2009 RIM launched its app store and attempted to attract developers to build software applications for the phone.

The Torch helps brings all those efforts together. The device includes a new web browser, which AT&T has called a “generational shift” from previous BlackBerry browsers. For instance, the Torch offers tabbed browsing. And unlike most other BlackBerry devices, the Torch will have the BlackBerry app store, App World, pre-loaded.

Instead of just a touchscreen, the Torch includes both a touchscreen and a slide-out, physical keyboard. The design is evocative of the Palm Pre.

The Torch has three times the input options of the iPhone: You can tap on a virtual keyboard on the 3.2-inch, 480 x 360 pixel display, you can slide out the hardware keyboard preferred by most BlackBerry users, or you can use an optical trackpad to select menu items.

Overall, the Torch is slightly larger than the iPhone, even with the keyboard tucked in, and weighs 5.6 ounces to the iPhone 4’s 4.8 ounces.

BlackBerry 6 also sports a universal search feature. When you search, the BlackBerry Torch not only queries e-mail, calendar, and apps on the device, but also external services such as Google and YouTube. An API lets developers make other services searchable here, too.

Hands on With the BlackBerry Torch

I managed a brief hands-on during today’s press event. We will reserve final judgment until we get unfettered access to a unit for a full review. But in my quick test, the device was comfortable, especially if you’re used to BlackBerrys. That said, it failed one early test: Swiping my finger to the side to bring up a new screen of apps, I noted way more lag time than I did on my first-generation iPhone.

If it takes off, the Torch has implications for web advertisers and publications. Its new web-browsing feature, Autowrap Text Zoom, reformats web pages with a more-suitable fonts for easier viewing. In the process, it strips all ads and images from web pages — something I confirmed during my demo.

The new BlackBerry Torch sports a virtual keyboard.

Gone are the days when folks used their smartphones only for e-mail and SMS. Now you also need to be able to link to Twitter, Facebook, IM and so on. BlackBerry Torch integrates multiple social feeds into a single dashboard, organized by time. Likewise, a native RSS reader and podcast manager handle the same tasks for your newsfeeds and podcasts. It’s about time the BlackBerry got these features, because most Android phones today do this out of the box.

RIM took several steps Tuesday to attract more app developers to the BlackBerry. RIM’s strategy for growing its app selection, according to software CTO David Yachs, is to make it easier for customers to find apps and to pay for them. RIM also wants to make it easier for developers to build both native Java apps and web-based, HTML5 apps using the company’s “web-kit platform.”

“Developers using the web-kit platform get all the capabilities our Java developers do,” said Yachs.

And the universal search feature certainly makes these apps easier to find.

To solve the problem of how customers will pay for these apps and how developers can hope to make money, RIM is working with AT&T to add a charge to a customer’s AT&T bill. Customers will also be able to pay for apps using Paypal or a standard credit card.

In addition, RIM allows developers to charge subscription fees and offer apps on a “try before you buy” basis. All of those options seem aimed at giving developers more options than Apple does, which controls all iPhone app payments through its iTunes store.

Music fans will be pleased to note that the BlackBerry Torch’s native music app carries metadata representing every song in your home computer’s library — a unique feature, as far as I know. No matter where you are, you can tag songs for downloading to the Torch by Wi-Fi, and the next time you’re on your computer’s network, it will transfer over automatically. That means you can use your downtime to prune and add to your mobile music library — a nice touch.

Other noteworthy inclusions: a 5 megapixel camera with flash, geo-tagging of all photos, two-fingered tapping for the selection of multiple onscreen elements (for instance to batch-upload photos to Facebook) and seamless switching between apps.

From what we saw, the BlackBerry Torch justifies AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega’s claim that this is “the best BlackBerry to date.” But I am not sure it can attract those who already have an iPhone or Android in mind –- and, crucially, the app developers that could draw them.

See Also:

• BlackBerry Maker Overhauls Phone Operating System
• RIM CEO Offers a Peek at New BlackBerry Browser
• 5 Things RIM Needs to Fix in its BlackBerries
• 5 Things RIM Needs to Fix in its BlackBerries
• Research In Motion Woos BlackBerry Developers

Photos: Eliot Van Buskirk/Wired.com

This article was written on July 17, 2007 by CyberNet.

One feature that Firefox users typically miss when transitioning over to Opera is the "View Selection Source" option. In Firefox this is used to view the HTML source code of a specific area on the page. For example, let’s say that you are visiting our site and see a Google Video that you want to embed on your own site. In Firefox you could highlight that video (and maybe some of the surrounding text), right click on the area, and choose the View Selection Source option. Firefox would then display the source code of the page and highlight the code corresponding to the text/video you highlighted.

This is extremely useful to both developers and casual users because it can save you from sifting through thousands of lines of HTML code looking for one specific part. At times it can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

If you’re using Opera you’ve probably noticed that this feature doesn’t exist in the right-click menu. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done though! Web Kitchen put together a bookmarklet that you can use to display the source code of a selected area. All you have to do is open this page, copy the text, and paste it into the address field of a new bookmark. It should look like this:

Then anytime you want to use it just highlight some text on the page and click the bookmark. Alternatively you can place this in the right-click menu, but it will take a few additional steps. Information on doing that can be found here.

I was rather surprised at how well this worked, and it filled one of the few empty voids that Opera has. There are also some things that you can configure, such as the window height or width, since the source code opens in a popup window. Heck, you can even choose the color schemes that are used for the syntax highlighting!

Copyright © 2010 CyberNet | CyberNet Forum | Learn Firefox

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