Firefox 4.0: Beta 2 released

Software | Written by Philip Jeavons on Friday, July 30, 2010


Mozilla has just made available Beta 2 of the up and coming update to its popular web browsing software, Firefox.

This update comes just over 3 weeks since Beta 1 was available, but what’s new I hear you ask?

The first major change is that the tabs have now been moved to the top of the browser. This was done to keep the controls together and to make sure the user is more focused on the web page they are viewings content.

The next feature is App Tabs. This allows you to turn the websites you visit frequently throughout the day such as e-mail, social sites, music or gaming into an App Tab specifically for that site.
If anybody has used Google Chrome you will be used to the design immediately.

What’s new for developers?

  1. Retained Layers.
  2. CSS3 Transitions.
  3. XPCOM Framework.

Download the new Beta 2 here.

Keep in mind though this is still a Beta and there are still bugs that will need to be ironed out.
Make sure you leave a comment below telling us what you think!

Source: Mozilla.

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Internet Explorer 9 beta coming in September

Microsoft, Software | Written by Eugene Cheung on Thursday, July 29, 2010

Internet-Explorer-9

Microsoft’s ninth iteration of their troublesome Internet browser is set to have a beta released to the public this September, says Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. Unlike the test previews currently available to the public, the beta build will feature a more usable user interface, making it more of a browser than a demo of the rendering engine.

IE9 will be far more standards-compliant compared to older versions, which is demonstrated through various demos in the test previews, showing off the new HTML5, SVG 1.1 2nd edition, CSS3 media queries, CSS3 borders & backgrounds, CSS3 selectors, DOM level 3 core, DOM level 3 events and DOM level 2 style abilities.

Neowin has also posted some screenshots of a leak, which can also be seen after the break.

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The Magic Trackpad: Teardown!

Apple | Written by Philip Jeavons on Thursday, July 29, 2010

As many of you are aware Apple has just released a new device, which essentially brings multi-touch to the desktop called the Magic Trackpad.

As much as I like to look at these products my inner geek begs to know the inner workings of them as well.

Thankfully iFixit have come to the rescue, with a full video step-by-step teardown of the new product!

iFixit’s Magic Trackpad Teardown! (External Video)

Source: ZDNet

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Nintendo announces a date to tell you the date of the release of the 3DS

Entertainment | Written by Stephen Bennett on Thursday, July 29, 2010

500x_3dsred2

If the title isn’t confusing enough, then prepare for what’s below. Basically Nintendo have announced a date at which they’ll announce the price and release date for their next DS, the Nintendo 3DS. It’s worth noting that this isn’t just a minor upgrade like the DSi to the DS Lite, this is a full blown new console, like the DS was to the GameBoy Advance.

So, date in your diary, 29th September is the date you need to remember. But Nintendo don’t do fancy keynotes like Apple, they just tell people and it feeds through the news. So stay tuned.

Source: Bloomberg Japan

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Safari 5.0.1 launches alongside Extensions Gallery

Apple | Written by Stephen Bennett on Wednesday, July 28, 2010

SafariExtensions

Apple has just launched Safari 5.0.1, which also includes a proper extensions gallery, version 5.0 did come with extension support but you’ve had to scour the internet to find some useful ones, taking risks in the process.

At the moment it has a few notable extensions, such as Twitter, Bing, MLB and the NYT showing their faces alongside more well known companies as well. Also this version fixes the AutoFill vulnerability. PR statement inside.

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Apple’s new 27” Cinema Display, other sizes to be discontinued?

Apple, Hardware | Written by Eugene Cheung on Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Alongside the slew of new and updated Apple products that were announced today, a new 27-inch model of the Apple LED Cinema Display was released. The mid-size model boasts a crisp resolution of 2560 x 1440 (16:9 ratio!), a higher brightness of 375 cd/m2, 1000:1 contrast ratio, and a speedy 12ms response time. Ports on the back remain the same as the older 24 and 30-inch models, and will become available in September.

Meanwhile, the 24 and 30-inch models seem to be facing discontinuation, according to Engadget. So if you want one of these models, be sure to pick up one soon!

The 24” Apple LED Cinema Display costs $799, while the 30” Apple Cinema HD Display costs $1,799.

EDIT: Aaaand they’re officially discontinued.

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BlackBerry OS 6 preview shows off plenty more changes.

Mobile | Written by Stephen Bennett on Tuesday, July 27, 2010

RIM has high hopes with the next iteration of its BlackBerry OS, version 6. Adding a ton of new features and a completely new UI, this is going to be a major software jump to compete with the newcomers in iOS and Android. The Home Screen itself has undergone a major update, and this is what has been examined in detail by Inside BlackBerry. Head over there for additional information.

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Apple updates store, new iMacs and Magic Trackpad arrive

Apple, Industry News | Written by Austin Davies on Tuesday, July 27, 2010

As you probably already know the Apple store went down not long ago with everyone anticipating new iMacs, new Mac Pros and the Magic Trackpad. Apple fulfilled the updates and released a couple of new products.

They did however pack some more serious processing power into their iMacs. The 21.5 inch iMac found itself two new options one for 3.06GHz and the other for 3.2GHz from the Core i3 lineup. The graphics units on both are ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB and for the more adventurous, an ATI Radeon HD 5670 512MB. If that’s not enough to differenciate the two systems, one is kitted with a 500GB hard disk and one with 1TB.

The 27 inch iMac also features a 3.2GHz Core i3 processor with the 1TB hard disk and same ATI Radeon HD 5670 as the higher end 21.5 inch model. The titan 27 inch iMac now sports a mouth-watering 2.8GHz Core i5 quad core, and a ATI Radeon HD 5750 1GB. It should also be noted that all iMacs now come with 4GB memory as standard.

The Mac Pro range joins the iMac in terms of processing power, gaining quad core and six core Intel Xeon processors. The power doesn’t stop there though as the units can be configured to a stunning twelve cores, which can be expected to reach 3.33GHz. It’s also possible to fit the units with up to four 512GB solid-state drives.

If that’s not enough to ease the appetites of the Apple addicts, Apple also released the Magic Trackpad. The Magic Trackpad in basic terms is a huge trackpad that has the same characteristics as the one found on the MacBook Pro, with muti-touch and full gesture support.

That’s not all though, Apple also gave us a Battery Charger that is apparently a more environmentally friendly way to power your Apple devices such as; Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad, what can you say though, it’s just a battery charger.

Feel free to check out these fabulous new offerings at the Apple Store.

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Hotmail Wave 4 update

Microsoft | Written by Austin Davies on Tuesday, July 27, 2010

According to LiveSide many of their readers are reporting that they have been upgraded to the new Hotmail service known as Wave 4.

LiveSide also report that the amount of #NewHotmailHere tags have increased on Twitter since Monday morning.

Microsoft reported a while back that it would take a long time for all their servers to be updated with the new Hotmail, and that the US, UK and Canada would be the first to witness the changes.

Want to know more about the new Hotmail? Check out an overview of it here.

I myself have yet to meet the new Hotmail like many other users around the globe. Let us know in the comments if you have the new Hotmail, and what you think of it.

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Acer Stream smartphone

Mobile | Written by Austin Davies on Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Acer’s latest smartphone the ‘Stream’ is set to be an entertainment titan according to Acer, who say that the phone is perfectly equipped for watching movies, listening to music and web browsing.

Before you snub the phone for an iPhone let’s take a look at the specifications. The Acer Stream proudly boasts a 3.7″ WVGA display which is a touch screen of course and is partnered with AMOLED technology. In terms of connectivity the Stream uses 3G+, WiFi N and Bluetooth. Also under the hood we have a smartphone favorite, the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 512MB of RAM.

Read on for more specifications, price and launch date.

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