Firefox 3.5 Finally Launches

After a lengthy waiting period, Mozilla is finally ready to release Firefox 3.5 to the public today on Tuesday, June 30. The latest edition of Firefox actually began its life as a straight-forward update to Firefox 3.1. However, the suggested changes became so extensive that Mozilla decided to modify the version number to Firefox 3.5.

Featuring a multitude of advancements, the open-source browser has already received positive feedback in terms of performance and speed. In fact, many sources agree that the improvements in speed alone make it well worth the upgrade. According to Mozilla, Firefox 3.5 is twice as fast as its predecessor, thanks to the brand new TraceMonkey JavaScript Engine.

The innovative browser now supports HTML5 audio and video, which is something that’s been discussed quite a bit lately. Plus, it will come with a private browsing mode, allowing users to keep it locked at their own discretion.

Some of the other new features include:


• Electrolysis, a new project that’s designed to improve isolation between plug-ins and tabs
• A project called Weave that synchronizes passwords, bookmarks, preferences, and several other settings across multiple browsers
• Snowl, a system that attempts to unify messaging applications from various sources such as email, RSS feeds, Web forums, social networks, etc.
• Jetpack, a new framework for add-ons that uses basic Web page design standards

In addition to those features mentioned above, Firefox 3.5 also comes with enhanced search tools, as well as new capabilities for playing audio and video files. Experts are now recommending that consumers download the latest version of Firefox right away. These days, websites are becoming extremely complex, meaning they require more efficient, more powerful browsers.

Within the last year, Firefox has gained roughly 3 percentage points of the market share, taking it to about 22.5 percent. Despite these significant advances, Mozilla’s newest release still faces numerous challengers, including Internet Explorer 8, Google Chrome, and Apple’s Safari—just to name a few. The upgraded Firefox browser is currently available for download for Mac, Linux, and Windows systems.

Ricoh Introduces New Line of Color Printers

On Thursday June 25, Ricoh Americas Corp. announced the release of its new color inkjet printer series, the Aficio GX e3300N/GX e3350N GelSprinter. These affordable printers are specifically designed to provide a high-quality, duplexing alternative to standard inkjet and laser technology. Unlike traditional toner cartridges, the new line of printers incorporate a quick-drying, water-resistant gel that eliminates blurring, smearing or smudging for more professional-looking results.

Ricoh is just one of many companies that are trying to enhance productivity without increasing costs. In an effort to help consumers deal with the challenging economic climate, the network-ready GelSprinters come with an economical color mode, which produces color graphics and crisp text for about the same cost-per-page as black-and-white printing.

As a leading provider of office equipment, Ricoh’s products help businesses share information by allowing users to control the input, output, and management of documents. Ideal for small offices and busy workgroups, the next-generation Aficio printers deliver 35-second warm-up times and print speeds up to 29 pages-per-minute. Plus, the 250-sheet paper tray ensures minimal interruption, so users can stay productive for longer periods of time.

The latest Ricoh printers also offer a variety of environmental benefits to help consumers “green” their home or workplace. For instance, the Aficio e3300N/GX requires only 36 watts of electricity when in-use, making it ENERGY STAR Version 1.1 compliant. In addition, the GelSprinter series reduces landfill waste by using permanent print heads and consumables that qualify for Ricoh’s recycling programs.

These environmentally-friendly printers are competitively priced and available for purchase now.

HP Introduces New Web-Connected Printer

Hewlett-Packard has revealed the world’s first Web-connected printer, a new multifunction touch-screen device that provides easy access to digital content without the need for a computer. Users can print recipes, directions, weather information, maps, and coupons with the simple touch of a finger.

Designed to empower busy families, the new HP printers allow consumers to view and print web pages on demand in an easy-to-read format. Whether you need to print coloring pages for the kids or movie tickets for the nearby theater, this Web-connected device is the ideal solution to your active lifestyle.

Hewlett-Packard has reinvented the consumer printing category with an entirely new platform that’s powered by touch and empowered by the Web. As with all HP printers, their latest product delivers laser-quality text and professional-looking photos from the first page to the last. With faxing, scanning and copying abilities, this all-in-one printer gives you the tools you need to stay connected wherever you go.

Later this year, Hewlett-Packard plans to release the HP Apps Studio, which will allow users to create and share their own apps. Consumers can then customize their printing experience using the extra-large and simple-to-use 4.33-inch TouchSmart panel.

The world’s first Web-connected printer features both wired and wireless capabilities, and it can print from either Bluetooth-enabled devices or WiFi-enabled computers. This innovative printer has been dubbed the HP Photosmart Premium with TouchSmart Web, and it will hit store shelves in the fall for a hefty $400.

Acer Launches New Aspire One D250 Netbook

Acer just launched its new Aspire One D250 netbook, which features a large 160 GB internal hard drive and a built-in card reader for additional storage options. With only a 10.1-inch form factor, the Acer D250 is the ideal solution for users who need to be online at all times. Acer has successfully combined style and functionality in a slim, sleek design—without sacrificing performance. This refined, ultra-portable PC is available to consumers in four different colors: black, white, blue, and red.

Take a look below to learn more about the product’s technical details:


• Processor: Intel Atom N270 (1.6 GHz, 553 MHz FSB)
• Memory: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM 667 MHz
• Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition
• Display Resolution: 1024 x 600
• Network: Fast Ethernet 10/1000Mbps Integrated; Wi-Fi Certified
• Battery Life: Approximately 3.2 hours
• Webcam: Integrated CrystalEye Webcam 0.3 Megapixels

The Acer Aspire One D250 also includes the following software: Microsoft Works with Office Home and Student 2007 Trial; Acer Recovery Management; Google Setup; Google Desktop; Adobe Flash Player 10; Adobe Reader 9; McAfee Internet Security Suite; plus a few others.

The integrated webcam comes with a digital microphone, so you can stay connected through video calls, consultations, and conferences. Plus, users can navigate with a multi-gesture touchpad that enables zooming, browsing and flipping through pages.

Consumers can purchase this netbook along with a one year warranty for about $500. Measuring only 1-inch thick and weighing just 1.11 Kg, the Acer Aspire One D250 makes the perfect traveling companion and helps you increase productivity wherever you go.

Adobe Acrobat Now Offers Paid User Accounts

Today on June 14, Adobe is removing Acrobat.com from beta and converting it into a business with paid user accounts. The Web-based productivity services will offer paid subscriptions, giving business users a new way to collaborate on document creation. The 5 million currently registered users can still keep the free version, but there are a few limitations which can only be unlocked by upgrading to one of two premium plans.

The first option is Premium Basic, which enables users to convert 10 PDFs per month and to join online meetings with up to 5 people for a monthly fee of $14.99. Premium Plus, on the other hand, allows users to convert an unlimited number of PDFs and to join online conferences with up to ten people for $39 per month.

The present version of Adobe Acrobat provides numerous services including a Presentation application (similar to Microsoft’s PowerPoint), a Web meeting application called Adobe Connect Now, and a word processing application named Buzzword. In addition to these features, Adobe will introduce a spreadsheet service called Acrobat Tables, which can be previewed starting today.

In the long run, Adobe wants to give people a new way to work together and edit documents simultaneously with frequent updating. This will let users know who’s working on what parts of the document, and it will also give them the ability to speak with one another from within the application. Users will also have the option of switching to “private view,” which lets them make changes without pushing them live to the main document.

Ideally, the new features will help people cut down on the number of emails or meetings that are typically required when creating any sort of business document. Erik Larson, the director of product management and marketing for Acrobat.com, hopes to provide people with simple, easy-to-use tools for collaboration so that consumers can actually enjoy working together when using them.

The company also expects to give people access to these applications and files on mobile devices. Although this feature won’t be available until later in the year, it’ll allow users to edit existing documents and even create new ones.

Intel's Next-generation Atom Processor

Earlier this month, Intel previewed the next-generation Atom processor chips, which will give rise to superior performance and lower power consumption. Code-named “Pine Trail,” these new processors will be a two-chip platform instead of today’s three-chip platform, enabling smaller and thinner designs with a lower overall cost.

Thanks to their reduced size, Intel's new N450 chipsets, will generate less heat than the existing Atom N270 and can therefore operate in laptops without a fan. Experts agree this will allow manufacturers to design even thinner and smaller notebooks. Other changes include support for faster DDR2 memory and integration of the processor, graphics and memory controller onto a single chip.

Below is a comparison of the N270 and N450 processor chips.

Intel Atom N270:

• CPU + Chipset: 3 Chips
• Clock: 1.6GHz
• Memory: DDR2-533
• IPG Clock: 1.33MHz
• Average Power: 4 Watts
• Cooling: Fan

Intel Atom N450:

• CPU + Chipset: 2 Chips
• Clock: 1.66GHz
• Memory: DDR2-667
• IPG Clock: 2.0MHz
• Average Power: 2 Watts
• Cooling: Fanless

With all these changes, the new Atoms will be cheaper for Intel to assemble and more energy-efficient. Intel has also revealed plans to dispense new chipsets that will allow desktop computers to access HD content by the end of the year. The new “Pine Trail” Atom is expected to hit shelves around Christmas time, though a specific date has not yet been determined.

Apple Officially Releases Safari 4

On Monday June 8, Safari 4 finally came out of beta. In addition to several other enhancements, Apple has allegedly refined problems that users experienced with the beta. The most dramatic changes include a new interface and a new Javascript engine called Nitro. According to Apple’s claims, the Javascript performance has been upped by 50 percent, making the official version of Safari almost 8 times faster than Internet Explorer 8.

Many people will agree that the new look and feel of Safari is very similar to the other latest Web browser, Google Chrome. The unique curvature, black background, and reflective window bottom make this the most professional-looking browser on the market.

Users will also notice a slight modification in the progress indicator. Whereas Safari 3 displayed a blue bar that filled up as a page loaded, the new web browser does something slightly different. Safari 4 uses the small whirling circle that appears on the iPhone address bar, plus a solid indicator at the bottom of the page that says “Loading.” The latter indicator wasn’t part of the beta version, but instead was a last minute add-on due to user complaints.

The Top Sites feature, which was first introduced in beta, also appears on the Safari 4 interface. Top Sites displays your most commonly visited Web sites with a Cover Flow-style skin, which is basically a graphic way to browse your history and bookmarks. You can click the Edit button in the bottom left-hand corner to remove a site or to set it permanently in your Top Sites.

As the first non-beta browser to score 100/100 on the Acid test, Safari 4 is now a serious Web browser for serious Windows users, and its reputation among Mac users has certainly been bolstered. The completed version of the browser can now be downloaded from Apple’s website.

Google Squared Search Tool Goes Live

On June 3, Google Squared was launched, and it seems to have garnered mixed results. Google Squared is a new search tool that gathers information from various Web sites and displays it in an organized grid format. Designed to simplify the user’s search experience, Google Squared presents the information in an easy-to-read table with rows and columns.

A normal Google search will return an index of relevant Web sites, which the user then must filter through to find the information they need. With Google Squared, however, you could look at specific features of your search query or compare diverse attributes. For instance, if you were to type “computer printers” in the search bar, you’d get results for several different types of printers accompanied by a picture, a short description of its function, when it was invented, etc. Users can also customize the results table by adding a new column, such as a category for manufacturers or average price range.

The results presented in the table link to pertinent Web sites, which contain more detailed information on that specific topic. Users also have the option of saving their “Squares” or results grid, so they can come back to their findings later if they’re logged in. This feature will certainly come in handy for people that perform several different searches in a short amount of time.

Google Squared is far from complete, and early experiments left much to be desired. In fact, Google Squared did not come up with any results for “New York Mets third basemen,” but it did produce a list of prominent names when the query was widened to just “third basemen.” Most likely, this can be attributed to the fact that the Mets are known for having a revolving door at their third base position.

Numerous refinements still need to be made before this technology is ready for prime time. Nonetheless, this new tool could be of great use to those doing research on a particular subject matter—especially research involving historical and statistical data.

Microsoft Removes Three-App Limit for Windows 7 Starter

On Friday May 29, Microsoft announced its decision to lift the limitation from the Windows 7 “Starter Edition,” the entry-level version of Windows 7 designed specifically for netbooks. This restriction meant that users could only run three applications at once, which of course caused much uproar amongst consumers.

Microsoft originally added the limitation to try to encourage users to upgrade to a more expensive version of Windows. However, this 3-app limit probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference, since it didn’t include anti-malware services, Windows applets, or multiple incidents of the same application.

For the first time now, Microsoft is allowing Windows to be used globally, rather than just in emerging markets. The company is also positioning it as its least expensive Windows 7 option for netbooks.

Now that this three-application limit had been lifted, Windows 7 Starter will be even more appealing to consumers who want a small, portable PC for basic computing tasks, such as checking email, surfing the Web, and personal productivity.

Nonetheless, Windows 7 Starter is merely a subset of the other editions, since it doesn’t have:

• Multi-monitor support
• Personalization features for changing windows colors, desktop backgrounds, or sound schemes
• Aero Glass (which means you can only use the “Windows Basic” or other similar themes)
• DVD playback
• XP mode for those who want to run older Windows XP programs
• Domain support for business users

All in all, Windows 7 Starter should be decent for low-priced netbooks, but it offers virtually no room to grow before consumers are forced to shell out more money for a more expensive operating system.