Why wait until tomorrow, when you can download Firefox 6 today

Although not due to be officially released until tomorrow, Mozilla has placed Firefox 6 Final on to its download servers. The latest version of Mozilla's open-source browser -- the third major release in five months -- sports a brand new Permissions Manager, which allows users to set privacy controls on a site-per-site basis.

Developers can make use of a new scratchpad window for testing Javascript snippets, while domain names are highlighted in the Address bar to aid identification of websites. Other changes are mostly beneath the hood, designed to improve compatibility, performance and security.

Firefox 6, which will be officially unveiled tomorrow, currently launches to a window telling you that you're running a beta version. Once the app is officially launched this should subsequently point to a new page introducing you to the latest version.

Its most notable new feature is the new Permissions Manager. This is accessible by typing about:permissions into the Address Bar, and allows you to set up customised privacy settings for individual websites. These cover passwords, cookies, pop-up windows, offline storage and shared location settings. A global setting for all non-configured sites is also available, making it possible to set up highly restricted settings for unknown websites to improve privacy and security.

Other visible changes include a subtle change to the way URLs are displayed in the Address Bar, with the main domain highlighted to make it more obvious which site you're on, allowing users to confirm the identity of sites visited through clicking links. Developers will find the new Javascript Scratchpad window accessible by clicking the Firefox button or opening the Tools menu (Mac) and choosing Web Developer > Scratchpad.

Most of the improvements in Firefox 6 are behind-the-scenes, with performance improvements of up to 20 per cent over Firefox 5 being debated. Add-on compatibility is now tested automatically by a plug-in checker, while WebSockets are now supported and HTML compatibility is extended further.

With the move of version 6 to the release channel, expect Firefox 7 to switch from Aurora to Beta, with Firefox 8 taking its place in the Aurora channel shortly. Firefox 7 will finally take steps to address the memory leak problem that has plagued Firefox, while version 8 should see major changes to the way add-ons are installed and updated, with silent installs blocked and users having to manually select which add-ons are retained from previous versions.

Firefox 6 Final is available as a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Top three reasons why Google is buying Motorola

This morning Google announced that it was spending $12.5 billion to acquire Motorola Mobility(MMI). In cash. Clearly Google must see a lot of value in Motorola that shareholders didn’t see as late as Friday, when the company was valued at “only” $7.7 billion. Why does Google want Motorola so badly? I believe there are 3 main reasons:

1. Patents. The US patent system provides government-sanctioned monopolies, ostensibly to protect the little guy that comes up with a truly novel and unique invention in his workshop from having his idea stolen and replicated by robber barons without giving the original inventor a cent. At least that was the intent when the first patent was granted on US Soil to Samuel Winslow in 1641 for a new way of making salt.

Lately, though, patents have been less about protecting the little guy and more about generating revenue and protecting markets. IP holding firms buy up patents and then use them to extort money from companies that actually make products, and big companies encourage their employees to submit thousands of patents that are then used to sue their competitors. Compounding the problem is the lack of quality in patents granted. It’s all-to-common for the patent office to grant multiple overlapping patents covering basically the same invention, or granting patents for ideas that are obvious to anyone skilled in the field.

As a relatively new company that started with the silly notion that it was more important to do innovative work rather than lock up the work in patents to prevent others from doing it, Google has found itself on the short end of the patent stick more often than not. The purchase of Motorola gives the company a much bigger stick with which to fend off attackers. As sole owners they can also pass on this protection, if they wish, to Android licensees down stream.

2. Enterprise features. One area where Google has been lagging is security and other features that are required by Enterprise customers. For example, plain vanilla Android does not support some of the most popular VPN protocols used by big business. Motorola, Samsung, and others have been working hard to differentiate themselves by providing packages of Enterprise ready features on top of the base features supported by Android. Now Google can take the Motorola offering and fold it into Android, making these features available for free to all Android licensees.

3. Home devices. So far, Google’s efforts to break into the home market have been a flop. Google TV and Google @ Home could both benefit from Motorola’s expertise in making consumer devices and exploiting Internet technologies in smaller and more personal ways. I’m doubtful this will ultimately be a success, but certainly the Motorola purchase will give it a shot in the arm.

So those are the reasons why Google is buying Motorola. How about the reasons that they shouldn’t have made the purchase? The main one is possible damage to Google’s partnerships with Android phone makers. Google claims that the Motorola purchase will not hurt its relationship with Motorola’s competitors such as HTC and Samsung. But how can it not? Before today’s announcement were rumors that Google would buy Motorola but divest itself the phone making parts, keeping only the software and patent parts. But today Google says Motorola will continue doing what it’s doing as a “separate business“. That’s going to be a tough balancing act.

Source : zdnet

Google buys Motorola Mobility, Android's top supporter

Google thoroughly rocked the smartphone world on Monday morning by announcing it will be acquiring Android phone maker Motorola Mobility for approximately $12.5 billion. Motorola Mobility has existed as a standalone entity for just 8 months, and has produced some of the most successful Android smartphones such as the first Droidwith Verizon Wireless.

Most importantly, though, Motorola Mobility holds one of the most valuable wireless patent portfolios in the business, and this acquisition serves as a follow up to the Nortel Patent auction where Google placed bids, but lost out to a consortium of bidders that included Apple, EMC, Microsoft, Ericsson, Research in Motion, and Sony.

The results of that auction turned into quite a war of words, when Google publicly accused the consortium of buyers of wanting those patents strictly to sue Google for Android patent violations.

Irrespective of patents, Motorola Mobility has been a committed Android manufacturer that devoted one hundred percent of its catalog of devices to Android. Without the manufacturer's total support, Android's position in the smartphone market would no doubt look very different than it does today.

"Motorola Mobility's total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers," said Larry Page, CEO of Google in a statement on Monday.

Google's announcement said the transaction will close at the end of 2011 or beginning of 2012, and Motorola Mobility will run as a separate business.

Source : betanews

Firefox 6 available ahead of official launch

Eager to get your hands on the next version of the Firefox browser?  Mozilla is scheduled to officially launch the browser on Tuesday, but you can get your hands on it now … if you know where to look!

… and I just happen to know where to look!

• Windows
• Mac
• Linux

Ignore the ‘first run’ screen that appears telling you that this is a beta … this is normal and Mozilla won’t change this page until the official release.

There are a lot of changes made under the hood. For example, startup is faster as users can choose whether or not to load all the tag groups or not.

Another interesting change is the way Firefox shows URLs in the address bar. Domain names are now highlighted to make it it easier to see where you are on the web.

There’s also a new permissions tool that allows users to set site-specific permissions for things like saved passwords, cookies, popups and so on. Just type about:permissions into the address bar.

So, if you’re interested, hit one of the links above and grab a copy. If anyone asks, say a friend sent you.

Source : zdnet

Google calls for more network-friendly apps

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) director of Android global partnerships John Lagerling is urging developers to create mobile apps that minimize network data consumption.

Speaking at a recent Pacific Crest investment conference, Lagerling said the move toward metered data pricing models requires the introduction of thinner applications. More interestingly, he said companies such as Google must give partners the incentive to create mobile experiences that address network limitations and subscriber billing concerns.

"What we haven't done yet that I think is sort of in the pipeline is to incentivize everybody, including the developers as well, to be able to lean their applications," Lagerling said, according to ZDNet. "We haven't even augmented yet the possibility to show users how much each app is using. How much bandwidth is my Skype clients using as opposed to my Twitter clients or my Google+ clients? And it's more U.S.--specifically in the U.S., carriers move toward metered plans where you basically pay per gigabyte even or you start with a bundle and then pay for add-on gigabytes. I think we naturally need to give end-users better visibility on which apps are consuming more."

Lagerling's comments come as mobile operators are calling for collective action to solve the network overload problem. That could happen via the introduction of an operator-led initiative that could then publish best practices for app developers by an industry group such as the GSM Association.

Source : fiercebroadbandwireless

Apple to face fast Android tablets

 Apple's iPad will likely have to contend this year with new Android tablets sporting the latest high-speed silicon coming off production lines in Asia.

Nvidia is on the record saying that tablets powered by its quad-core Kal-El chip are arriving this year. "Kal-El-powered tablets are coming this fall, and phones around the CES 2012 timeframe," Nvidia said in a statement to CNET on Friday.

It's safe to presume that Nvidia isn't just blowing smoke. Its processors today power all of the most popular Android Honeycomb tablets, including the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Toshiba Thrive, and Acer Iconia Tab A500. Future Sony tablets will use Tegra too.

Nvidia claims its upcoming quad-core processor will offer higher performance while being more power efficient.

(Credit: Nvidia)

And listening to Nvidia's earnings conference call on Thursday provided some more food for thought. "Our next-generation Kal-El processor had a very strong quarter of design wins," CEO Jen-Hsun Huang said. "And we have a great working relationship with [Google]. And so as soon as our next generation processor Kal-El is ready for production, we can run like the wind."

One of the more intriguing points Huang made was about Kal-El's power consumption. The seemingly logical assumption is that a quad-core processor will be more power hungry. Not necessarily, said Huang. "Kal-El is so much better performance than Tegra 2. And so much lower power. Very few people have internalized that Kal-El is lower power in every use case compared to Tegra 2," he said.

So, now that we know that high-performance Android tablets are coming, we're left to speculate on brands. Motorola is one of those most likely candidates. The company will come out with "much more aggressive form factors" for tablets later this year, CEO Sanjay Jha said when speaking at a tech conference this week. Asus is another prospect.

Texas Instruments--likely a leading chip provider for upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets and smartphones--and Qualcomm also have plans for quad-core chips but, those aren't due until 2012 sometime.

How will Apple respond? Well, theories abound. One being that Apple will offer a premium iPad for professionals, sporting a higher resolution screen, among other tweaks. Then, of course, there are plenty of rumors about an iPad 3. But when that will land in Apple stores is a crapshoot. Apple may wait until next year when it can pack in plenty of new goodies like a quad-core A6 processor, better graphics, and a revamped design.

Ironically, despite different production schedules, Apple and Nvidia may get their silicon from the same source. Nvidia historically sources its chips from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company or TSMC, one of the largest chip manufacturers in the world. Many industry experts believe that Apple will also consign production to TSMC of either a future version of the A5 processor or the next generation A6.

Linley Gwennap, who heads The Linley Group, a chip consulting firm, thinks Apple may turn to TSMC. "Nvidia quad-core late this year, Apple A6 early next year. So Nvidia could be out a little sooner than Apple, but not by much," said Gwennap.

As long as Apple gets the iPad 3 out reasonably soon after quad-core Android tablets begin to proliferate, most consumers probably won't care. That said, all bets are off with Windows 8 running on ARM processors like Nvidia's Kal-El.

Source: cnet

HTC Holiday Shows Up Bearing California Ass-Plate and 4.5-Inch qHD Screen - Unconfirmed

The Vigor isn't the only phone HTC seems to have in the pipeline, with the Holiday showing up sporting a California case/license-plate over its 4.5-inch qHD screen.

According to word on the street, there'll be a 1.2GHz processor whizzing away inside, so won't be quite as powerful as that rumored Vigor. A possible 8-megapixel camera on the back, and 1.3-megapixel on the front have also been suggested for this AT&T-bound behemoth.

Source: gizmodo.com

Pea pod, not iPod

It won’t be an Apple but you’ll be able to get a bite.

Borough President Marty Markowitz’s longtime bid to bring an Apple retail store to the Municipal Building across the street from his Brooklyn Borough Hall has failed — the city-owned office complex will get a restaurant instead, The Post has learned.

The Beep and Mayor Bloomberg today plan to announce that local developer Al Laboz’s firm United American Land has been tapped to build 49,000 square feet of retail space at the site at 210 Joralemon Street, across the street from Borough Hall, sources close to the deal said.

The firm is planning to transform the western end of the building’s first, second, and basement floors with yet-to-be-selected retail tenants, including the upscale restaurant.

Sources said Apple won’t be part of the plans.

The computer giant has four stores in Manhattan, one in Staten Island, and three in Long Island. Markowitz has been publicly calling on Apple to open its first Brooklyn store for at least five years, and tried convincing Apple to come to the city-owned site.

Construction is expected to begin in 2012, and the project will create 64 full-time construction jobs and 114 permanent jobs. The space is currently occupied by the city’s Finance Department, which will relocate to another city-owned facility.

Source : NYpost

McAfee Offers iPhone Security App for Consumers

Intel’s McAfee unit said on Sunday night that it will start selling a $20 app to help consumers make sure their iPhones are secure.

The WaveSecure software offers the ability to remotely back-up contacts, photos and other data as well as options like device tracking and remote-wipe capabilities.

Source : allthingsd

Get Started with Mac OS X Lion: Launchpad

If you use an iPad or iPhone then you will be familiar with the way in which the Launchpad – an important new element of Mac OS X Lion – affords control over apps on your computer.

Just as an iPad will display a view of all your applications as icons, so the Launchpad echoes the iPad home screen and allows you to create folders by dragging icons together and discard them when necessary.

The Launchpad is, of course, just one of the great new user interface enhancements that have been introduced with Mac OS X Lion. Coupled with the Mission Control tool and a focus on making the most out of the desktop space with full screen apps, the Launchpad is a very useful aspect of the new Mac OS X.

Opening the Launchpad

To get started with the Launchpad and to help you to understand why Apple introduced this key element of iOS to Mac OS X, click the Dock icon on your desktop or pinch your thumb and three fingers together on your trackpad.

Instantly a view of you applications will be displayed, just like on an iPad home screen, although in fairness the view isn’t too different from the old Applications shortcut in Mac OS X 10.6.4

The different here, of course, is that the list of app icons is horizontal, just as it is on an iPad. You can check how many screens wide the list is via the small dots below the apps list, and browse these using a swipe gesture or by simply tapping an arrow key on your keyboard.

Sorting and Managing Launchpad Apps

Naturally a new user interface brings a few new rules to how you manage your apps. While the Finder is still available in Mac OS X, the Launchpad is more than likely going to be your number one choice for finding and launching apps.

With the Launchpad open you can sort apps by clicking and dragging them. Similar apps can be grouped into a folder by dragging one onto the other, and the folder can be renamed by opening it and clicking the folder name.

Holding the COMMAND key while using the Launchpad will bring your app icons to life – they will wriggle about slightly and you can delete them from the Launchpad using the X button displayed next to each one.

Deleting apps from the Launchpad doesn’t just drop them from that view – they’re also removed from your Mac entirely. While this might not matter too much with the typical Mac App Store fare that you have been downloading, it might impact your computer more if you use this method to discard something more important such as iWork, for instance. As such, take care deleting items from the Launchpad!