I give up. I can’t keep up. Mozilla Firefox has upgraded their browser to version 10.0. Didn’t version 4.0 come out in March of 2011?!

Most of the updates surround the handling of extension auto-updates and the refinements around the Orion code editor/scratchpad with new page and style inspectors, WebGL anti-aliasing and enhancements, CSS3D transforms and an easier thank you lord! method to sync with other browsers including the updated Android Firefox – also at version 10.0 today too which adds multi-touch gestures and other enhancements.

Simply put, this is a slight upgrade on Mozilla’s new 6 week or so upgrade path. But it’s on the path to an updated tab system in version 12 and leaner memory usage. So far, it is a good update for me. Click the bottom links to download your proper version for your desktop. Download via the Android Market for the upgrade for Android based tablets and phones.

[ Links: Firefox 10 PC, Firefox 10 Mac ]

Nokia has already released their Lumia 800 with its 3.7″ AMOLED screen, Nokia N9 polycarbonate derived body in Europe. But for the US, Nokia has released at the CES the oft-rumored Nokia Ace, now known as the Nokia Lumia 900.

Tech Specs

• Networks: GSM/EGSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900/2100, LTE Band 4 (1700/2100) & 17 (700)
• OS: Windows Phone Release 7.5 – Mango Commercial Release 2 (Mango + LTE)
• Memory: 512MB RAM
• Storage: 16 GB internal memory (14.5GB user memory) + SkyDrive cloud storage
• Weight: 160g (5.6 ounces)
• Dimensions: (max): 127.8 x 68.5 x 11.5 mm (5 x 2.7 x .45 inches)
• A-GPS
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
• USB 2.0 high-speed
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR

Sporting larger 4.3″ AMOLED screen and larger single polycarbonate body than the Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800. Also comes with the standard 8mp camera (at least for the Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800) as well as a larger battery and a forward facing 1.3 megapixel a must have for the upcoming Skype release for Mango/Tango – the Nokia Lumia 900 will hopefully reinsert Nokia as a household name in the US.

[ Links: Nokia Conversations ]

It was with the launch of Apple iPhone that the real craze for smart phones began. Mobile phones were just meant for calling and sending text messages but Apple iPhones are mini computers themselves. Equipped with every program or application these phones help in performing multiple things at a time. But the thing that hampers the ability of the iPhone to be a complete productive device is its battery life. Though it depends how a user uses his iPhone, here are a few tips that may help one to increase the battery life:

• Keep the Apple iPhone away from heat. The smart phone is at its best from 32° to 95° F.
• Update It Regularly: Make use of the latest firmware to update your iPhone to ensure that your phone has the latest technology to maximize the battery performance.
• Turn off the vibration of your phone unless it is necessary.(I keep my vibration on when I am attending any important conference or meeting)
• Turn off the Auto Brightness: Auto Brightness is responsible for changing the screen brightness of iPhone on basis of the surrounding light. This consumes a lot of battery power while changing from low to high level of brightness. Turning off will put an end to this process thus saving a lot of your battery life.
• Downloading From App Store Or iTunes irelessly Is Not Suggested: Downloading applications consumes a lot of battery power. Use your computer for downloading is always suggested for Apple iPhone users.
• Vibration In Games Should Be Turned Off: A number of games come with frequent vibrations that drain battery life. If it is possible, then turn the vibration off in game settings. Playing too many games is not advisable.
• Turn off 3G: Your battery is low and you want to keep your iPhone alive in case of emergency situations, turn off 3G.
• Keyboard Clicks should be turned Off: If the keyboard of your phone is frequently used then just turns off the keyboard clicks. This can be done by going to Sounds pane of setting and searching the particular option.
• Use Of Third Party Application Should Be Limited: The third party apps such as games prevent the options for auto power savings such as switching off or screen dimming.
• Directly Charge The iPhone From the Computer: When you are connecting the iPhone to a wall socket for charging it, it is advisable not to connect it to the keyboard or some other USB bridge. It should be directly connected to one of the USB 2.0 ports of your computer.
• The iPhone Should Be Used Regularly: Weird but true! If the iPhone is not being used for a long time at a stretch then it results in decreasing the battery life of the phone.
• Turn off EQ: A lot of battery power is consumed when the EQ settings is applied to the phone. For keeping the phone alive throughout the day, the EQ settings should be turned off.
• Always Use Your Discretion: Being a user you can decide best how to improve your battery life. If you do not have enough time to charge your battery, do not play too much games or go for downloading apps. Do not even pass the phone to friends who always look out for new games and apps. Be smart with your smart phone!

Author Bio:Emma Hamilton is a freelance content writer and she writes articles and blogs on behalf of Charter internet and others cell phones related technologies.

Quite possibly the worst kept secret ever, Apple continues to provide developers updates to their upcoming dot release of their mobile OS, iOS for the Apple iPhone and iPad in a recently announced 5.1 Beta 2. So far the updates have been coming rather rapidly, most centering around jailbreaking security updates, but here’s to hoping that 5.1 brings performance enhancements too.

[ Links: Apple, Apple iOS Dev Center ]

Man, this is getting ridiculous! From March of this year when 4.0 was released, Mozilla has hit a new high gear and released version 8.0. Yes… 7 months, 4 major versions and Firefox is not hitting version 8 – something that took Microsoft almost a dozen years to do.

Firefox 8.0 adds the following improvements:

• Add-ons installed by third party programs are now disabled by default
• Added a one-time add-on selection dialog to manage previously installed add-ons
• Added Twitter to the search bar for select locales. Additional locale support will be added in the future
• Added a preference to load tabs on demand, improving start-up time when windows are restored
• Improved performance and memory handling when using
• Added CORS support for cross-domain textures in WebGL
• Added support for HTML5 context menus
• Added support for insertAdjacentHTML
• Improved CSS hyphen support for many languages
• Improved WebSocket support
• Fixed several stability issues
• Fixed several security issues

So far, I’ve seen improvements in memory. And knowing that it’s also more secure, I’ll rest easier. You know where to get it, but just in case: Download Firefox 8.0 from Mozilla.org

Also updated for Android too.

[ Links: Mozilla Firefox 8.0 Features ]

Halloween is around the corner (it’s on Monday) and instead of wearing some geeky costume with zero scare appeal, why not get a free application for your iPhone that assists in your scare endeavors?

NameScreamer yells popular names combined with horrendous phrases that send shivers down the spine. There are 6 chilling voices, 9 hair raising phrases and 6 dreadful animated characters to choose from: Ghost, Banshee, Zombie, Devil, Creeper or Raving Lunatic.

The timer button can be used to postpone the scream allowing users to hide their devices and horrify unsuspecting victims. There is also a possibility to send screams via email or post them on Facebook to terrify people who stay up later and live by themselves.

Name Screamer is free and currently available in the Apple iTunes Music Store. Go get it and scare some folks!

[ Links: Name Screamer at iTunes Music Store, Name Screamer ]

We all have credit cards, debit cards, passwords and other stuff we’d love to keep secure someway, somehow. OneSafe for all of the iOS devices – iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch – can do just that.

Lunabee Pte Ltd is proud to announce the release and immediate availability of oneSafe app, a reliable and secure password manager and data vault that securely stores confidential information relating to credit cards, bank accounts, logins as well as various types of documents and images. With a great interface and functionality, the powerful and feature-rich application is truly the place to store anything private or in need of high security.

OneSafe delivers a broad range of possibilities, enabling users to securely store passwords and logins, bank account numbers, loyalty cards, access codes, IDs and may more. The app protects the sensitive information using 256-bit AES encryption and locks the data behind a four-digit unlock code, visual pattern or an alphanumeric code. With unique browser technology, oneSafe automatically logs users into websites where they used those passwords. Ready-made templates are designed to enter the details and keep them in order. The data can be organized by categories, marked as favorite and easily searched.

The guys over at Lunabee have crafted OneSafe to be as easy to use and secure as you can be on your iOS device with an easy to use and remember pattern or alphanumeric code as well as browser integration for ease of automatic sign-ins.

Best of all, it’s free. But if you want additional capacity, you will have to purchase that via an in-app purchase.

[ Links: OneSafe via iTunes Music Store, OneSafe ]

Samsung and Google have announced the newest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich aka 4.0 and Samsung has popped up with the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus, probably the worst kept secret in history.

4.65-inch 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED HD screen
1.2GHz dual-core processor
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
5-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash
1.3-megpaixel front-facing camera
1080p HD video capture and playback
1GB of RAM
16GB or 32GB internal memory versions
1750mAh battery
Bluetooth 3.0
NFC support
Barometer
8.94mm thick
135g (weight)
Pentaband HSPA+
LTE available by region

There’s USB 2.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, a compass, a barometer!?, and perhaps one of the best looking, high resolution screens on any phone out there. Google Face Unlock also comes with the phone to provide for a cool and secure unlock system.

Rumored prices start at $299 on-contract, no word about the unlocked price yet.

On September 4th, AT&T unveiled its first 4G LTE/HSPA+ tablet, the HTC Jetstream. It’s also the first 4G tablet to run on the Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system (which is specifically designed for mobile devices and tablets).

The JetStream comes pre-loaded with AT&T Family Map, HTC Hub, HTC Watch, Friendstream, AT&T Navigator and Android Market. Thanks to the Honeycomb OS, the JetStream also includes easy access to Google Talk (including video chat), Chrome browser and the new Google Maps 5.0.

In addition, the HTC Jetstream uses the HTC Sense UX for a high quality graphical interface. The front facing 1.3 mexapixel camera (and 8 megapixel rear facing), in conjunction with the 10.1″ WXGA HD screen makes photography and online printing a breeze.

In fact, the only real drawback to the JetStream is price. Unlike other tablets such as the 32GB 3G iPad, the JetStream retails for $699.99 with a two year contract. Consumers aren’t happy with the on contract price, and with AT&T’s proposed purchase of T-Mobile, fear more price hikes in the future.

Contract Details:
The JetStream is $699.99 with a new two-year contract. AT&T offers two payment plans: prepaid and postpaid.

• Postpaid: $14.99 for 250 MB or $25 for 2 GB. Fee for going over their allotment: $10 per 1 GB of overage. Charges appear on monthly statements.
• Prepaid: $14.99 for 250 MB or $25 for 2 GB. Fee for going over their allotment: $25 an additional 2 GB of overage. Charges appear on monthly statements.

You can see full pricing details on the HTC JetStream here.

Adam Costa, our guest blogger. He is the co-author of Business In A Backpack, which explains how to market your business while on the road and a business consultant who helps small and midsize firms create high quality marketing materials, like booklet printing.

Our long, dark, and frequently-ridiculous Verizon iPhone rumor nightmare is over. Verizon this morning at a press event here in New York City confirmed longstanding rumors that AT&T has lost their exclusive arrangement with Apple, and that Verizon will be getting the iPhone. According to Verizon, the device will appear next month and will be CDMA/EVDO only not LTE. According to Verizon, this is the culmination of two years of discussion between the two companies. “We have enormous respect for the company this team has built and the hard-won loyalty they’ve won from their customers,” Verizon COO Tim Cook proclaimed on stage. “This is just the beginning of a great relationship between Apple and Verizon.”

Link to the original article…

Android and Me has noted that Best Buy will sell the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), ever-so-slightly curved 4″ Super AMOLED screen and other goodies that set the Nexus S as the standard for all upcoming Android phones.

Today Best Buy issued another statement to let customers know that all Best Buy stores and Best Buy Mobile stand-alone locations will be selling the Nexus S. Despite what your local store might say, this includes every location including those that do not regularly carry T-Mobile devices.

The important thing to note is that if your store does not regularly carry T-Mobile phones and you want to purchase one on contract for $199, you will not be walking out of the store with a device. Instead you will have to place your order online and then have the Nexus S delivered to your home. However, if you want to buy it off contract for $529 then it will of course go home with you on launch day.

Bad news.. T-Mobile only – I’m still on AT&T. Good news… it’s going to be sold in stores all over, much unlike the Google Nexus.

[ Links: Android and Me: Best Buy Will Sell the Nexus S ]

Verizon today unveiled more detail about their LTE wireless broadband launch, announcing that they’ll be offering the 5-12 Mbps service in 38 markets and 60 airports starting December 5. Most importantly, Verizon finally unveiled their pricing for the new service, which after a year filled with endless hints by executives about wanting to try something new winds up being somewhat underwhelming, traditional, and expensive.

The base pricing for LTE laptop connectivity via USB modem (there will be no smartphones at launch) is significantly more expensive than the 3G pricing they unveiled in October, though the caps are obviously higher. Verizon’s current EVDO USB modem plans come in two flavors: $40 for 250MB of usage and $60 for 5GB of usage. Verizon’s LTE pricing will now be $50 for 5GB of usage, or $80 for 10 GB of usage, with $10 per each additional GB. Sayeth big red:

Verizon Wireless customers can choose from two 4G LTE Mobile Broadband data plans: $50 monthly access for 5 GB monthly allowance or $80 monthly access for 10 GB monthly allowance, both with $10/GB overage. For laptop connectivity, two 4G LTE USB modems will be initially available: the LG VL600 is available at launch and the Pantech UML290 will be available soon, each $99.99 after $50 rebate with a new two-year agreement. Both USB modems provide backward-compatibility with Verizon Wireless’ 3G network. If laptop users travel outside of a 4G LTE coverage area, they will automatically stay connected on the company’s 3G network.

It’s interesting to note there’s not even really an entry level LTE plan (say $25 for a gig of use) after literally dozens of Verizon executive comments claiming usage-based pricing was going to be the future. We’ll assume this pricing may evolve as the company begins offering LTE smartphones, which Verizon today announced will arrive sometime in “mid-2011″. Verizon also again today confirmed these devices will initially use 3G/CDMA for voice until LTE voice standards are hashed out. As an added aside: the service will only support MS Windows based PC’s at launch.

Link to the original article…