Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on June 12, 2008 by CyberNet.

So it was just announced that Firefox 3.0 will be coming on Tuesday, but lets not get ahead of ourselves… Opera 9.5 is here today! The Opera team has worked tirelessly to bring you the next generation browser that millions of people will find comfort in using, and what they have to show for their work is something they can really be proud of. The new Opera 9.5 not only looks great, but it also harnesses the speed and power we’ve come to love in the browser.

Before we jump right in to what’s new, lets first take a look at some of the things the development team wanted to point out:

• The number of Opera users has more than doubled since the release of 9.0
• We fixed a new record of bugs, including 2350 showstoppers
• The desktop team ate 12 pizzas while fixing bugs in 9.5 RC
• IMAP is up to 4 times as fast in 9.5 than in 9.2
• Almost 500.000 of you were already using betas of 9.5

Just 12 pizzas in two days? Come on guys… here I thought you were real programmers! 😉

A complete list of changes is available, but here’s a general overview of what’s new according to Opera Watch:

• Opera Link synchronizes your bookmarks, Speed Dial, and notes between Opera on different computers, and even links to Opera Mini on your mobile
• Enhanced address bar searches your entire browsing history, including the contents of each page
• Security enhancements: malware protection, improved fraud protection, and support for Extended Validation SSL Certificates
• New rendering engine with improved site compatibility and performance
• Opera Dragonfly, the long-awaited tools for web developers
• New skin

I strongly believe that the Opera Link technology is going to be something that will attract a large number of new users, especially those that use Opera Mini on a mobile device. That way they’ll be able to keep their bookmarks in sync no matter where they are at.

In addition to that list I would like to add that the mail client has undergone a tremendous overhaul that brings both performance and feature enhancements. If all of this sounds like something you want to try then maybe you should go grab yourself a hardy helping of Opera 9.5. Otherwise you can hold out for Firefox 3.0 which will be here in just a few days!

Thanks to Oropher, Omar, and Cody for the tips!

Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

This article was written on June 04, 2008 by CyberNet.

Mozilla has released Firefox 3 RC2 today which is right on schedule, and that means we might still be on for a June launch of Firefox 3! It’s even possible that this could be the last Release Candidate before Mozilla shoots for their world record.

This time around there’s probably nothing that you’ll notice as being different from Release Candidate 1, which is a good thing. At this point they are focusing only on bugs that could keep the user from having a great experience with the browser, and if all looks well in this release it could be signed-off on to be the final version. *cue marching band*

Mozilla hasn’t officially made the Firefox 3 RC2 announcement yet, but it will be coming in the next day or so. That also means the automatic update to RC2 won’t be available until then, but they have posted the files up on their FTP. Just like with previous releases I’ve put together a downloader for those that want to give the new version a whirl right now. And don’t worry, it balances the load between all of the mirrors unlike some of the sites that post direct links to the FTP:

For those of you waiting for your favorite add-ons to get upgraded… hopefully you won’t have to wait too much longer! I do have to say that the add-on developers are much more attentive to the release of Firefox 3 compared to that of Firefox 2.

And once you get Firefox 3 RC2 up and running I highly recommend that you checkout the AwesomeSearch extension. It’s quickly become a must-have for me.

Thanks to Cody for the tip!

Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

This article was written on January 18, 2008 by CyberNet.

TG Daily has gotten there hands on a valuable piece of information … an early roadmap for Windows 7! Microsoft previously said that general availability of Windows 7 will be in 2010, which may still hold true. Here’s the milestone estimates that was outlined in the roadmap:

• Milestone 1 – Already available to Microsoft Partners.
• Milestone 2 – April/May 2008
• Milestone 3 – Third Quarter 2008
• Beta – To be determined
• Release Candidate – To be determined
• RTM – Second half of 2009

It’s likely that if Windows 7 gets sent to the manufacturer late in 2009 that a consumer release will follow in 2010. As we saw with Vista, the consumer availability was over 2 and a half months after the operating system RTM’d.

All of this will be confirmed when Microsoft announces the requirements for the Windows Logo Program for Windows 7, which they say will be available at least 18 months before the RTM date. If the 2009 RTM date holds true we should hear about the Windows 7 Logo Program by July 2008.

In terms of new features and functionality in Windows 7 there has been little information leaked. The most we know at this point is that Microsoft plans on adding touchscreen features to the operating system. They are probably doing that in hopes of boosting Tablet PC sales by introducing devices that can receive input from both a stylus and by touch.

Hopefully more information regarding Windows 7 will leak soon, because I’m anxious to see what Windows 7 might include. 😉

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

This article was written on November 11, 2007 by CyberNet.

I thought it might be fun to do a quick walk through on the history of Windows. Microsoft already has a slightly outdated history page setup, and I wanted to do something a little different than them.

So the first thing that I’ve got below is a video that has both screenshots from Windows Operating Systems over the past 20 years, including the startup sounds once they had become available. Below the video I’ve got a bulleted list of release dates for all of the major milestones.

Can you believe that Windows has been out over 20 years already?

–Video–

Here is a video with a lot of screenshots from past versions of Windows. It also gives you the history of Windows startup sounds once you get to Windows 3.1 and beyond.

–Release Dates–

Here is a Windows timeline of releases that span more than 20 years:

• Windows 1.0 – November 20, 1985
• Windows 2.0 – December 9, 1987
• Windows 3.0 – May 22, 1990
• Windows 3.1 – April 6, 1992
• Windows NT 3.1 – July 27, 1993
• Windows 95 – August 24, 1995
• Windows NT 4.0 – August 24, 1996
• Windows 98 – June 25, 1998
• Windows 98 SE – May 9, 1999
• Windows 2000 – February 17, 2000
• Windows Me – September 14, 2000
• Windows XP – October 25, 2001
• Windows Server 2003 – April 25, 2003
• Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 – December 18, 2003
• Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 – October 12, 2004
• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition – April 25, 2005
• Windows Vista (corporate launch) – November 30, 2006
• Windows Vista (consumer launch) – January 30, 2007

Copyright © 2013 CyberNetNews.com

Another year, another iPhone announcement. As expected, Apple today revealed their latest and greatest iPhone models – the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C . The 5S builds on the already solid iPhone 5, upgrading its speed, and throwing in a few new capabilities, while the 5C offers a low-cost alternative for markets where Apple isn’t yet a market leader.

“If you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should do something else wonderful, not dwell on it too long. Just figure out what’s next.” That’s the Steve Jobs quote that greeted visitors to today’s announcement event – setting high expectations for Apple’s hotly-anticipated next-gen mobile devices. So let’s see if today’s announcements live up to your expectations.

The iPhone 5S offers a 4-inch retina display, set into a slate, silver or “champagne” gold metal case, made from high-grade aluminum.

It’s powered by Apple’s latest CPU, the A7, a true 64-bit chip which is supposed to run dramatically faster than the A6 found in the current iPhone 5. Yes, the iPhone 5S is the first smartphone with a 64-bit CPU.

Apple claims that running true 64-bit apps, the iPhone’s CPU and GPU are both about two times faster than the iPhone 5 (and an astounding 40 to 56 times faster than the original iPhone if that really matters). Graphics are also now powered by OpenGL|ES 3.0, like the Nexus 7.

The iPhone 5S is also Apple’s first device to include their new M7 “Motion Processor” chip, which combines accelerator, gyroscope and compass in a single package. It works with a new CoreMotionAPI which can tell apps if you’re moving, walking, driving, running, etc, and use this data to drive applications – even going so far as to shut down features which are unnecessary during certain activities – like searching for Wi-Fi hotspots while driving.

iPhone 5S buyers will also be treated to an improved camera. It offers a new five-element lens with an F2.2 aperture, and its sensor is 15% larger than the one in the iPhone 5, allowing for larger pixels and improved image quality and low-light sensitivity. However, the camera’s resolution remains at 8 megapixels. One big change is the camera’s new flash, which now has two LEDs – one cool white, the other warm amber. This allows for over 1000 unique color variations to help the flash color match the colors of surroundings and improve skin tones in flash photos.

The camera can also capture multiple images simultaneously, picking the sharpest image automatically. When shooting in burst mode, the camera app automatically shows you what it thinks is the best shot. It can also capture 120fps slow-motion video at 720p resolution. While we’ll have to wait to see actual images from the iPhone 5S before passing judgment, the sample images shown at today’s press conference were impressive:

One new feature that’s been anticipated for a while is the ability to unlock your iPhone using your own fingerprint. Apple is calling this feature “Touch ID.” A 170 micron-thin fingerprint sensor has been built into the iPhone 5s’ home button, allowing easy authentication without having to remember an unlock passcode. You’ll also notice that the revised home button has a new look, foregoing the square icon in the middle, and adding a color-coordinated metal ring which makes the front of the phone look much more refined. As an added bonus, the sensor/home button now has a sapphire crystal to protect it from scratches.

You’ll also be able to use your fingerprint to authenticate within apps, so you’ll never have to type your password again when buying from iTunes or the App Store.

In addition to the iPhone 5S, Apple also announced the iPhone 5C, an inexpensive version of the iPhone – clearly targeting Asia Pacific markets. Hence the fact that Tim Cook specifically welcomed members of today’s press audience from Beijing and Tokyo locations. But that doesn’t mean Apple won’t sell a crapton of them here in the States this holiday seasons – especially to kids and those who don’t need top of the line performance.

The iPhone 5C is built using a plastic shell, and comes in a variety of colors. Under the hood, it uses the A6 CPU and video camera found in today’s iPhone 5, and still has a Retina display. Basically, the iPhone 5C is a colorful iPhone 5, though the 5C has also got an improved FaceTime HD camera with larger pixels and backside illumination.

The iPhone 5C will come in bright colors including lime green, blue, yellow, pink, as well as white. Contrary to previous assumptions, the build quality for the iPhone 5C looks very impressive, with its entire shell being made in a single piece of hard-coated polycarbonate, with a steel-reinforced structure underneath – which doubles as an antenna.

iPhone 5C users will also be able to pick up a colorful companion case for $20 which will allow them to mix and match colors.

Of course, the new phones will come pre-installed with iOS7, which adds a refined new user interface, an easy-to-access control center, improved notifications and Siri, AirDrop file sharing, iTunes Radio and hundreds of ther refinements. iOS7 should be available for download starting on September 18th. In addition, all newly-purchased iOS devices can download Apple’s popular iPhoto, iMovie, Pages, Keynote or Numbers apps for free.

The iPhone 5S will sell for $199(16GB), $299(32GB) and $399(64GB), and the iPhone 5C will sell for $99(16GB) and $199(32GB) – all requiring a two-year contract. Both the iPhone 5C and 5S will be available on September 20th in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, and the UK. Apple will begin to take pre-orders for the iPhone 5C on September 13th on the Apple Store, while you’ll just need to line up on the 20th for the iPhone 5S.

In addition, T-Mobile will offer unlocked versions of the iPhone 5S for $649 (16GB), $749(32GB) and $849(64GB), while unlocked 5C’s will sell for $549(16GB) and $649(32GB).

Unlike past generations, the iPhone 5 is being discontinued, instead of being offered at a discount, while Apple will continue to offer the old iPhone 4S (8GB) for free with a two-year contract.

[Image Credit: Engadget & The Verge]