What’s New in Safari 4?
The new public beta is available as a free download from Apple’s website for both Mac and Windows.
Apple details the new features found in Safari 4:
- Full History Search, where users search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages to easily return to sites they’ve seen before;
- Cover Flow, to make searching web history or bookmarks as fun and easy as paging through album art in iTunes;
- Tabs on Top, for better tabbed browsing with easy drag-and-drop tab management tools and an intuitive button for opening new ones;
- Smart Address Field, that automatically completes web addresses by displaying an easy-to-read list of suggestions from Top Sites, bookmarks and browsing history;
- Smart Search Field, where users fine-tune searches with recommendations from Google Suggest or a list of recent searches;
- Full Page Zoom, for a closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site’s layout and text;
- Developer Tools – built-in web developer tools to debug, tweak and optimize a website for peak performance and compatibility; and
- Windows-native look in Safari for Windows, that uses standard Windows font rendering and native title bar, borders and toolbars so Safari fits the look and feel of other Windows XP and Windows Vista applications.
WTF: $10k crocodile laptop
Read
Rumor: Windows 7 Release Candidate on April 10th
Whoa. Time flies. We gave you the direct download links. We taught you how to get a Beta Key. Now, multiple sites, including Ars Technica and Neowin.net, are claiming that the Release Candidate will be a public one, and be released on April 10th. The Release Candidate will have the build 7048, while the first public beta version had a build number of 7000.
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My Wi-Fi Driver Problem (And How I Fixed It!)
I recently got an old laptop from my dad. The first thing I realized was that the the Wi-Fi wasn’t working really well, if working at all. At first, I thought that it was just acting up, and it’ll be fine after a restart. Not happening. The laptop was as stubborn as hell. I could see my Wireless Network, but I could never connect to it at all.
So then I thought that there could be a problem with an outdated driver, or worst, a corrupted driver. Of course, being a Compaq laptop, I headed straight to HP.com to download the latest drivers. I downloaded them and hoped for the best. But luck wasn’t on my side. The Wi-Fi problem was still there. The driver had to be outdated on HP’s website, especially considering how old the laptop was (It’s the Compaq Presario B1900 shown above, in case you wanted to know).
Secondly, I searched and combed all over Broadcom’s website for Driver downloads. There wasn’t any downloads for my specific wireless card. Broadcom is more an OEM parts (i.e. Wireless Cards) manufacturer, thus I’m guessing they provide the downloads straight to the Computer Hardware brands like Dell, HP, lenovo etc. So, back to square one.
I was stuck. I googled the web for “Broadcom drivers”. Trust me, that was completely useless. Third party sites either had the outdated driver as well, or only had it for a specific Operating System (except for mine).
I guess all that googling led me to UniBlue. I used to use their RegistryBooster and knew I could trust them. They’re not your typical Internet Software scam, claiming to give you a “new computer” whilst the software did nothing. I knew their software actually worked.
I found out that they released a new product called DriverScanner and downloaded it RIGHT away. A quick scan of my drivers showed that I had numerous outdated drivers. And guess what? I saw that my Wireless Card was on that list!
Like I mentioned, I knew I could trust UniBlue from my previous experiences with their software. I went straight to their website and purchased DriverScanner 2009 with the little money I had in my PayPal balance. I then got the full version, which actually allowed me to download the Drivers.
I know what you’re going to say right now – “I bet that still didn’t work” or “back to square one”. Well, for once, you’re wrong. After the driver installed (The latest version was 4.170.77.3, while I had 3.xxx.xx, which was pretty outdated in terms of version number), I re-entered the Wireless settings and waited patiently for the dreaded Connecting dialog box in Windows XP. “Connected!” it finally read! I was so happy, as it meant I could take the laptop to school, as the only way to connect is Wi-Fi there. As I bonus, I downloaded the Bluetooth drivers as well, as to my surprised, the Bluetooth started working as well! (I previously thought there wasn’t any Bluetooth on the laptop)
Disclaimer: This is a true story. I truly, from my heart, recommend UniBlue 100%. If you have any driver problems, I suggest you download DriverScanner first to check how outdated your drivers are, then buy the program if necessary.
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Is this the New Mac mini?
The original leaker also claimed the following specs:
- Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2GHz
- 3MB L2 cache
- 2GB RAM DDR III, 1066MHz
- Super Drive is SATA
The port configuration is consistent with previous rumors that the new Mac mini would bring improved specs. Specifically, the new Mini was described to have 5 USB ports, FireWire 800, and two Display ports (Mini DisplayPort and Mini DVI). All these can be found on the leaked photograph.
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HTC Magic is official!
Vodafone just got the world’s first touchscreen-only Android phone: HTC’s Magic. The phone comes with a 3.2-inch HVGA screen front and center, HDSPA, GPS, 3.2 megapixel camera (no flash), and a G1-style trackball. Details on pricing and availability will be unveiled for local Vodafone markets as they see fit, but pricing in Spain will be from 99 to 199 Euro, depending on contract. Initial markets to nab the phone will be UK (due in April), Spain, Germany, France and Italy, with more countries to follow, and the phone will be a timed exclusive with Vodafone. But at least this one will ship with a touchscreen keyboard out of the gate — it’s running Cupcake.
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Mobile World Congress: Microsoft Roundup
Microsoft announced four major new products at Mobile World Congress: Microsoft Recite, Microsoft My Phone, Microsoft Windows Marketplace and most important of all, Windows Mobile 6.5.
Microsoft Recite
First of all, Microsoft released a Technology Review of their new voice note taking app for Windows Mobile 6.0 and above. The special thing about this app though, is the ability to search your previously recorded notes with just your voice. Remember, it’s not a final product yet, and Microsoft is looking for your feedback. Read
Microsoft My Phone
As previously seen, Microsoft My Phone is a private beta MobileMe-like syncing service for Windows Mobile phones. If you want to enter the beta, register here.
Microsoft Windows Marketplace
Everyone’s copying Apple’s App Store. Seriously. Microsoft announced Windows Marketplace, a unified storefront for the over 20,000 Windows Mobile applications. As rumored, that means you’ll be able to get apps directly from your phone, and Microsoft has also promised new and better tools for developers in the future.
Windows Mobile 6.5
Last but not least, the most important announcement of all. Microsoft announces the new Windows Mobile: 6.5.The latest rendition of Microsoft’s mobile platform puts an emphasis on touch-friendliness with a honeycomb-style main menu that the company says is easier to finger than a traditional grid layout; a new lock screen that can be slid on different alerts to automatically call up texts, voicemails, and so on; a thoroughly-restyled cut of Internet Explorer Mobile that features a touchable zoom slider and frequently-used commands; redesigned menus that don’t need a stylus to actuate; fingerable home and contacts screens, and more. It’s not the thorough gutting of the platform many were hoping for, but for anyone thinking that Windows Mobile 6.1 can stand another facelift without ending up looking like Joan Rivers, 6.5′s clearly your baby. Sadly, Microsoft’s saying that no devices in the market today will receive official 6.5 updates, but don’t pull out your wallets just yet, though – the first devices with Windows Mobile 6.5 preinstalled should be available in the fourth quarter of the year.
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Mobile World Congress: HTC Roundup
HTC released 2 phones at this year’s Mobile World Congress: the HTC Touch Diamond 2 on the left, and the HTC Touch Pro on the right.
The Touch Diamond 2 comes with a huge 3.6-inch 480 x 800 LCD up front, and around back there’s a 5 megapixel camera with autofocus. The other main addition is a “touch zoom bar” below the screen. There’s also the new version of TouchFLO 3D running on Windows Mobile, but under the hood there’s the same old 528MHz processor, and the whole kit is actually a tad thicker a 0.54-inches. Still, memory is up to 512MB ROM and 288MB RAM. This phone should hit major markets in Europe and Asia in “early Q2 2009,” with more spots to follow later in the year.
Meanwhile, the Touch Pro 2 now has a 3.6-inch 800 x 400 screen, with 512MB of ROM, 288MB of RAM, microSD expansion, and a 3.2 megapixel cam. The phone still has a QWERTY keyboad, just like the old one. It’ll launch early in the second quarter in parts of Asia and Europe with other “major global markets” following in early Summer.
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Mobile World Congress: Samsung Roundup
Okay, so Samsung announced two phones at Mobile World Congress: The “Memoir ” OmniaHD on the left, and the M7600 Beat DJ on the right.
Here’s all we know so far:
The OmniaHD has a 8 megapixel camera (with Xenon flash, CMOS auto focus, 16x digital zoom, blink detection, face detection, anti-shake and geotagging inclusions) and a a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, while it can record a whopping 720p HD video, which makes it the first ever phone to do so. It has 3G, a full touchscreen, TV out function, TouchWiz user interface, integrated AGPS, full HTML browser. It’s coming to T-Mobile on February 25th (in the US) for a price of $249.99, with a $50 mail in rebate.
As for the Beat DJ phone, this Quadband GSM / HSDPA music phone sports a 2.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, GPS, 3 megapixel camera, and Bang & Olufsen amplifier. It’s also got codec support for DivX and XviD, microSDHC card slot for up to 16GB, Bluetooth A2DP, FM radio, and a very welcome 3.5mm headphone jack. As for those DJ features, the turntable-inspired “Disc UI” uses a spin wheel for navigation, and the included software lets you both create your own music and sounds as well as remix other songs by adding effects and filters. Unfortunately, mum’s the word on pricing or availability.
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Monetizing Methods: WidgetBucks
In the blog post series entitled Monetizing Methods, Josh will review and explain ways of making money online.
WidgetBucks is the so called “Internet’s fastest growing ad network”, although their ads are a little different to other Ad Networks. Instead of displaying text link
ads or image ads, it displays Flash widgets with Shopping (or Local or Travel) content related to your Blog/Website. For example, if I have a blog about the latest gadgets, the widget might show MP3 Players for sale. Meanwhile, if I had the Local Widget, it’ll display Local Content (e.g. Local Gas Prices, Weather) according to the visitor’s location.
PROS
- More earnings as it is PPC, not PPA
- Widgets are easily customizable
- Payment by PayPal or Cheque
- Earnings only need to reach $50 before you can cash out
- Referral Tools available
CONS
- Long Widget Loading Times (therefore, some Page Impressions may not be counted, which leads to less Earnings)
- Cluttered Interface
- Hard to use/read Stats
- United States/Canada Visitors’ Page Impressions are counted only
- Long Time to accept new Sign Ups (It took me 4 days)
Overall, I use this on Josh’s Blog too, although the earning are really low, even lower than Google AdSense. If you’re interested, Sign Up for WidgetBucks here. Just make sure you make enough Orginal Content on your ste first.
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