Firefox 24 ships with Close Tab to Right and tear-off social chat window features
Mozilla has launched Firefox 24.0 FINAL for Windows, Mac and Linux. There are no major surprises in the final build, with all new and changed features highlighted in the Beta migrating across to the new version.
Two changes that are exclusive to the final version are removed support for the Revocation Lists feature, and the promise of performance improvements when loading new tab pages, attained simply by enabling new tab page preloading as the default behavior.
Microsoft, end the stupid roll outs, just release stuff!
If there's one thing that I wholeheartedly dislike about the tech world it's being told about a brand new product that really appeals, and then having to wait ages for it. It's like that someone who told me about it wants to toy with me, psychologically torture me and, when I couldn't care less about that new and shiny thing, give it to me. Of course, I'm now blowing things out of proportion, but I want you to understand, at some level, how it feels when I'm entrusting part of my tech life to Microsoft.
For some incomprehensible reason, in 2013 Microsoft is still using the expression "rolling out". It defines a vague date of availability for any new changes that it announces. How outdated is that? You may think that Microsoft's roll outs have a specific role, of insuring extra stability and providing a seamless transition, to the new version for its users. But that is, in my opinion, such a pathetic excuse that only a two-year old who is baited with candy by his parents might be inclined to believe.
Microsoft does a Yahoo -- reveals a new logo, new look for Bing
Microsoft's new Bing logo brings the search engine in line with the look of Office, and also heralds the introduction of a new interface and new features. Gone is the rounded, bubbly typeface, replaced with a new angled appearance that matches other products from Microsoft's stables. Taking a leaf out of the Modern design book, the Bing search page mirrors elements found in Windows Phone and Windows 8, and also includes the now-familiar Segoe font.
A new two-column design aims to ensure that the information you need is always at hand -- the second column is used to display information related to the search that's being performed such as photos and status updates. Part of this is the new Page Zero feature which Microsoft describes as "finding without searching". Enter the name of a celebrity to see a snapshot of pertinent information about that person.
Meet the Logitech Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630 [Review]
I love laptops for their portability, but I despise touchpads. Every laptop I use gets the same treatment -- a micro-sized USB receiver and a travel-sized mouse, with the laptop touchpad disabled. In other words, I am a mouse person. The mouse, as an input device, is not new and has changed relatively little in the course of modern computing history. So while my phones, tablets and computers move forward, a trusty and cheap Logitech M185 has been hooked to each PC.
Now Logitech has decided to thrust me into the modern computing era by shipping a brand new "Ultrathin Touch Mouse T630" right to my doorstep.
Both basement nerds and major corporations contribute to the Linux kernel
When it comes to Linux, people tend to picture pale nerds in a basement coding away; which is only partly true. You see, in addition to those independent basement nerds, major companies such as Google and Samsung are also involved. The Linux foundation periodically publishes a report on who contributes to the Linux kernel. Today, the foundation releases the newest report titled "Linux Kernel Development: How Fast It is Going, Who is Doing It, What They Are Doing and Who is Sponsoring It."
According to the report, "The Linux kernel is one of the largest and most successful open source projects that has ever come about. The huge rate of change and number of individual contributors show that it has a vibrant and active community, constantly causing the evolution of the kernel in response to number of different environments it is used in. This rate of change continues to increase, as does the number of developers and companies involved in the process; thus far, the development process has proved that it is able to scale up to higher speeds without trouble".
Google acquires file transfer service Bump
Today Bump becomes the latest addition to Google's portfolio. In a blog post, Bump CEO David Lieb reveals that the company has been acquired by the search giant. Bump is known for two tools -- the eponymous Bump file transfer service, and Flock for sharing photos.
But it is the Bump transfer app that is most famous, making it possible to shift files from one device to another with a gimmicky bump together -- using "a matching algorithm" rather than NFC. The blog post assures users that "Bump and Flock will continue to work as they always have for now", and it is the "for now" part of this announcement that is intriguing. Google has yet to make an announcement of its own, so it is not yet clear whether Bump's tools will live on under the same name, get rebranded, or disappear into Google's fat folds.
iolo System Mechanic 12 promises deeper repair tools, better system stability
Los Angeles software developer iolo Technologies has released System Mechanic 12.0 and System Mechanic Professional 12.0, major updates to its flagship PC stability and optimization tool.
Also available in cut-down freeware form, version 12.0 boasts major new stability tools, improved cleaning and expanded malware engine, plus full certification with the forthcoming Windows 8.1.
Jolla announces its Sailfish OS is now compatible with Android apps (Instagram included)
The most difficult problem to deal with when launching a new mobile platform nowadays is the initial lack of apps. It is a chicken and egg sort of issue where tier one developers -- the ones who are behind the most popular offerings -- refuse to develop software for the new platform unless there is a large-enough userbase and users refuse to buy devices sporting the new platform unless it offers them access to the most popular apps. To put that into perspective, it's similar to the problem BlackBerry is facing now with BB10 OS (no major developers, no major apps, no user growth).
Jolla, with its Sailfish OS-based smartphone, is a newcomer on the smartphone market. And, it too faces the same problem as every other platform developer that ventures into new territory -- the big app titles are nowhere to be seen. But, instead of following the same troubled path as Microsoft which tries to lure developers into releasing Windows Phone 8 apps, Jolla says it has a different way, a better way. The Finnish company announced that Sailfish OS is now compatible with Android apps.
Will you buy iPhone 5s?
Preordering has just started on the colorful iPhone 5c, but anyone interested in getting their hands (and fingertips) on the "forward thinking" flagship iPhone 5s will have to wait until Friday, September 20, when ordering officially begins.
The iPhone 5s is available in three colors -- space gray, silver and gold -- and three capacities -- 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. It also boasts a new A7 processor which is currently the world's only 64-bit chip in a smartphone.
Droid Maxx -- Moto X's big brother [Review]
When it comes to Android, bigger is usually better. Bigger screens, improved specs, more features -- experience is often an afterthought. The wonderful Moto X was the first Android device in recent memory that had the user focused on the experience rather than the specs. However, some users will still want the biggest and baddest device and that is where the Droid Maxx comes in. You can't review the Maxx without comparing it to the X, so the question becomes, which is better?
By the end of this review, I hope to have an answer for you. After all, on paper, the Maxx has a bigger screen, bigger battery, and wireless charging while retaining the voice interaction of the Moto X. Surely the Maxx is better right? Read on...
How to set up Outlook.com with IMAP in OS X Mail
Despite pitching Exchange ActiveSync as the better protocol, Microsoft has turned the lights on IMAP support for its Outlook.com consumer-oriented email service. The newly added protocol brings along with it a slew of benefits, including support from services like Unroll.me, and an improved user experience for those who connect to Outlook.com from a number of third-party clients such as the Mail app from OS X.
Setting up Outlook.com, using the IMAP protocol, in the OS X Mail app is not a straightforward process, as either the needed configuration settings are missing or the software automatically chooses POP as the unchangeable, de-facto protocol. A bit of trickery might be involved. Here is what you need to know.
Piracy isn't theft… but its effects are wide and far-reaching
Philip Pullman -- UK author of His Dark Materials and Golden Compass fame -- is upset. In a column for the Index On Censorship he bemoans the invention of the Internet as a vessel that makes the lives of thieves easier, saying that piracy is theft "as surely as reaching into someone’s pocket and taking their wallet is theft".
Often, the argument against piracy is a slightly odd one. For many people it is a simple black and white affair -- it's not yours, and if you take it without paying for it you are stealing. But for others, online piracy -- be it movies, music or software -- is not tantamount to theft. It is the ethereal, non-physical nature of these types of goods that seems to bring about confusion.
Taking programming back to the 1980s -- hands on with the FUZE [Review]
Back in the late '70s at the tender age of 19 or so I learned to program in COBOL on a system that used punched cards -- a Sperry UNIVAC for those who care about these things. There was no instant gratification to be had with this method, non-essential (i.e. student) programs were run as overnight batches so you had to submit the cards holding your carefully-crafted code in a cardboard box. You went back the next morning (OK, afternoon) to collect your output which, naturally, came on blue and white striped continuous paper.
The next generation were able to learn the joys and frustrations of writing code in the comfort of their own bedrooms and lounges thanks to home machines that ran BASIC, no longer did it take 24-hours to fix a bug. Today though affordable PCs and off-the-shelf software for just about any purpose mean that everyone can use a computer without having any need to understand what makes it work.
Microsoft admits its pulled anti-iPhone ads were 'off the mark'
On Friday, Microsoft uploaded a series of seven videos to its Windows Phone channel on YouTube. The videos, headed "A fly on the wall in Cupertino" poked fun at the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c’s features and were, depending on your point of view, hilarious, genius, spot-on, unfunny, pathetic, and wide of the mark.
My colleague Alan Buckingham watched them all and then started to write a story, adding all the videos for your viewing (dis)pleasure. Unfortunately, before he got to post it, Microsoft switched all the clips to private in yet another of its now frequent U-turns.
Panasonic announces new headphones for iOS -- Palm and Blackberry along for the ride
Panasonic has introduced its new lineup of headphones, including four over-ear, or monitor styles, and two in-ear, or earbud, models. In-ear has become quite popular after the success of the iPod and now many smartphones even come with an included pair, albeit generally of questionable quality.
My Galaxy Nexus included a set that has proven to be quite a bit better than average, even featuring a remote button on the cord that allows for play and pause -- well, most of the time anyway.
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