remove the labels - Gadgets and Life

Mozilla Firefox Updates to Version 10.0

2012-01-31T22:31:19Z

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 ]

Internet Sites Blackout in Protest of SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T08:03:32Z

January 18th marks a day that huge sites like Reddit, Wikipedia and many others – just noticed that OSNews.com is also protesting as well as a black bar over Google’s logo at Google.com – plan to shut down their sites in protest of the highly controversial Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act. Why should you care?

(SOPA) would authorize the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders against websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of infringing on copyrights, or of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. After delivering a court order, the U.S. Attorney General could require US-directed Internet service providers, ad networks, and payment processors to suspend doing business with sites found to infringe on federal criminal intellectual property laws. The Attorney General could also bar search engines from displaying links to the sites.

Effectively, all it would take would be a complaint from somebody in the MPAA and RIAA, or some intellectual property (proven or not) holder will be able to complain that your website is an agent of some form of piracy. This is an oversimplified look at what these bills provide and attempt to do; however it’s an attempt to stop foreign websites from pirating American software, movies and music. And to do so, it grants these rights holders the ability to influence your ISP to block sites as well as disallow search engines to display results that they deem are infringing on their rights.

To date, DNS/ISP blocking has been removed from these controversial bills. But there’s still a lot of “teeth” in the bills that allow intellectual property and copyright holders the ability to point their finger and have a website deemed a website that’s committing piracy.

You don’t have to imagine where this is going. Go to YouTube now and you will not being able to hear some more music since the Universal Music Group (UMG) has disallowed uploading any of their catalog. Now imagine that power Internet wide. That’s just the start. And there are no provisions against false accusations. The burden of proof is on the site to prove their innocence.

So what is piracy? We all know websites that allow wholesale downloading of movies, music and software ~~*cough*PirateBay*cough*~~ but with highly visible sites like YouTube being monitored already, imagine the entire Internet under that type of scrutiny. Love a song, link to a YouTube video that’s not yet censored, you might be considered contributing to piracy. That’s a bit extreme, but who’s saying that it will not end there. Sure, some sites do nothing but link to pirated material. There’s no use for those sites other than assisting piracy. Fine, go after those sites.

But SOPA and PIPA are structured mainly to restrict access to the Internet based on rules, accusations and the lawyers that they employ that are always shifting to support their agendas. And that agenda is simply to make money from what they consider lost sales to piracy. In many cases, historically, it’s been proven that those that will pirate were not going to buy the software/music/movie anyway. And in the end, those that are paying customers walk away with the feeling that they are being treated like criminals.

Bills like this have existed in one form or another for the last decade. Ten years ago, SSSCA was another attempt at such a law that empowered the film and music industry and regulate all digital media via restricting and downright crippling copy restriction preventative measures. Think DRM on a much more invasive level – but not as invasive as Sony Music putting a rootkit on your PC.

Learn more about PIPA and SOPA. Write your representatives, even the ones that do not support PIPA/SOPA. Boycott the companies that support SOPA and PIPA. Make your voice and opinion known. And find out why Lamar Smith (Republican – Texas) is so damn hung up on this bill.

[ Links: SOPA, SOPA and PIPA: Just the Facts ]

The Best Apple iPad Accessories for Business

2012-01-11T04:43:04Z

The Apple iPad has clearly taken the crown in the fight for tablet domination. Its speed and feature set are complimented by the Apple App Store’s huge variety of time-wasting and time-saving apps. The iPad is a fantastic device, but anyone who has ever used the device to try to conduct business that is more involved than sending an email might have found it to be a little less than satisfying. Technology currently limits just how many business-friendly features are available on a device as slim as the iPad, but there are a few add-ons that the business types out there might find helpful.

Touchscreens are great, but it is hard to replace the tactile experience of pushing your fingers down against little pieces of plastic to type out your sentences. The great minds at Apple probably had a feeling that consumers would feel that way. So, they have put out the Apple Wireless Keyboard, which uses Bluetooth to allow for typing within a ridiculously long range. As long as you are within the same zip code as your iPad, you’ll be able to type on your Apple Wireless Keyboard. You’ll no longer have to smudge up your screen while typing up those business proposals or reports.

Anyone who has ever had a transoceanic flight knows the terror of slowly watching the little battery icon in the top right corner slowly hemorrhage color until you’re hanging onto one little sliver of red. When you’re feeling powerless to plug in your iPad, look to the Morphie Juice Pack. This little wonder charges your iPad four times as fast as most portable chargers. This device powers via USB. So, it can also be paired with iPhones and most other USB devices.

Finally, when you’re typing on your Apple Wireless Keyboard, you don’t want to have to strain your neck and lean over your iPad or try to awkwardly balance it against something. You want the LUXA2 H4 to stand with its six rubber arms that support your iPad with 360-degree adjust-ability. The stand is priced reasonably at $59.99 and will save you a trip to the chiropractor.
In the race for business device supremacy, tablets are still lagging behind laptops and desktop computers, but with these iPad accessories, you can finally start to get down to business.

Author’s Bio: Ryan is a blogger who gets a kick out of writing about tech, smartphones, and how to get a bargain using an HP coupon for a new HP computer.

Nokia Lumia 900 – Exclusive to AT&T

2012-01-10T01:03:47Z

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 ]

Tips and Tricks to Improve Apple iPhone Battery Life

2011-12-23T09:56:12Z

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.

Apple Releases iOS 5.1 Beta 2 to Developers

2011-12-13T05:05:58Z

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 ]

blk. – The Dark Side of Water

2011-12-13T05:18:11Z

Every instinct that I have tells me that I should avoid water that’s black in color. Not because of food coloring, nor because of something I’d rather not be in the water making it black… but because of fulvic acid and 77 trace minerals.

Our proprietary blend of Fulvic Acid (a derivative of plant matter) is mined from a 70 million year old source deep within the earth. Naturally black in color, the formula binds to the molecules of our pure Canadian Spring Water turning it naturally black, with no artificial dyes, coloring, or additives. Fulvic Acid is critical in growth of plant life, helping the transportation and absorption of nutrients. Fulvic Acid’s small molecular structure allows for the fast absorption of over 77 different trace minerals and elements, powerful electrolytes, antioxidants, and free radical scavengers.

Found a bottle at Whole Foods for about $2 a bottle and amazingly enough there’s no weird taste, you look totally cool while drinking it and it’s supposed to be doing your body a good thing. It even has electrolytes!

[ Links: blk. | The Dark Side of Water ]

8 Tips to Get the Best Deals on Black Friday

2011-11-25T07:29:39Z

The guys over at Dealnews have published a rather nonsensical list that will probably help you discern what exactly is a good buy and what’s not on Black Friday.

1. Know the Price History for the Item
2. Consider Other Colors
3. Compare to Prices on Similar Items
4. Consider Bundle Offers
5. Look for Coupons That Apply to Your Selection
6. Look for a Coupon for Competing Stores
7. Does Shipping Kill the Deal?
8. Don’t Forget Sales Tax

Sounds like common sense, sounds like something we all should already know, but let’s be honest. If you have 16 screaming, kung-fu grip mommies around you grabbing everything around you and you get caught up in the fever of purchasing a $79 dollar point-and-click camera made by a name brand that’s only sold in certain stores and perhaps isn’t the best name brand out there ~~I’m not talking from experience… I’m really not… damn cheap friggin’ camera~~…

So yes. Head over to Dealnews.com and read the whole article. Who knows, you might be able to save some money on some rather useless ~~camera~~ gadget and buy more bang for the buck.

[ Links: Dealnews - 8 Tips to Get the Best Deals on Black Friday ]

Fall Cocktail Idea from Kahlua Cinnamon Spice

2011-11-10T05:21:14Z

I’m old-fashioned. Kahlua splashed into some decent coffee and I’m good. Well, in case you haven’t heard, Kahlua has released a Cinnamon Spice version of their ubiquitous coffee

Montanya Mermalada

1 oz Kahlúa Cinnamon Spice

1 oz Avión Tequila Blanco

1 oz lemon juice

6-8 concord grapes

Muddle Grapes. Add rest of the ingredients. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass

Created by mixologist Lynnette Marrero

While the above sounds high class and expensive, Kahlua Cinnamon Spice liqueur costs about $20 for 750ml.

[ Links: Kahlua ]

Polaroid Z340 Instant Digital Camera Released

2011-11-10T04:38:23Z

Remember the Polaroid Spectra from the 1980′s? And no, I don’t mean those hipster versions that kids are wearing for belt buckles. Well, Polaroid has shoved a very modern 14 megapixel and a Zink printer into a decidedly retro case.

Camera Features:

14.0 megapixel digital camera

2.7” bright color LCD for viewing images

SD compatible for expanded memory

Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Integrated Printer Features:

Snap, print, share—no computer connections needed

3X4” full-color prints

Smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear-resistant photos

No Ink. No Hassles.™—no ink cartridges or ribbons to throw away using ZINK® Zero Ink® Printing

Technology from ZINK Imaging

View and crop images on camera before printing

Option to print date, file number

Add a fun and useful border to your photo including the Polaroid Classic Border Logo format

Upload custom borders

Print up to 25 photos per full battery charge

Costing $299, with the Zink printable paper costs about $20 for a pack of 30, this is a cool way to get back that old school Polaroid feeling. Even shake and blow on it for old times sake.

[ Links: Polaroid ]

Mozilla Firefox 8.0 Released on November 8th

2011-11-08T22:03:18Z

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 and elements

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 ]

Skono Showcasing Revolution Indi Lace

2011-10-30T06:28:53Z

Skono, a Norwegian fashion brand (www.skonokorea.com), launched at the end of October, fashion item “Revolution Indi Lace” to lead the trend this winter.

The “Indi Lace” for both men and women is made of suede to keep warm in the winter with weaving of a peasant feel. It provides shoelaces of two colors for different looks.

It comes in five colors of yellow brown, dark brown, khaki, navy and purple, and it is sold in Skono shops and shopping malls (www.skonokorea.com) nationwide. It costs KRW 99,000, or about $90 USD.

Skono, which was born in 2003 in Norway, is a practical and modern looking fashion brand with chick points for the lifestyle of the new generation particular to Northern Europe.

It is both casual, career wear, and sporty wear with various styles. Its modern and classic design is distinctive and it has about 400 stores in Korea.

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