The one thing going for Firefox was the ability to customize the browser however you want. With the ability to install Greasemonkey user scripts out-of-the-box, there is little reason to continue using Firefox, unless you have a grudge against Google. If you aren’t familiar with the Greasemoneky extension, it was created in 2004 as a way to quickly customize pages using simple JavaScript, although it can really do a lot more than that. For example, you can see in the screenshot included the ability to see the people who have unfriended me on Facebook or view all the videos on YouTube in HD/higher quality.
I experimented with some of the scripts, but didn’t have any luck getting them to work. Many of these can be quickly written, and using a beta product doesn’t help. Aaron Boodman, who wrote the post explaining how these scripts work, states that between 15-25% of the scripts will not work in Google Chrome, and that you should consider letting the author know.
Recently, it appears as though Google is trying to be the new Microsoft. The company originally created a search engine to compete with Yahoo and similar companies, yet now it feels as though it is better suited at creating tablets and operating systems, which is the same market Microsoft is in. While Apple may also be seen as an opponent (at this point) of Google, there are some clear reasons why Google may not be a direct competitor.
Google’s latest project, which the company is putting a lot of emphasis on, is the Chromium OS, which is an open source project. The primary focus is on netbooks, but it may eventually scale to other devices, including tablets. A mockup and UI concepts have emerged on this page, which indicate the direction Google may be taking when it begins producing a device for market.
Late on Monday, Apple issued a 294KB update for all 27-inch iMacs, which were introduced in October. The first firmware update came in December, and didn’t solve any of the problems. Apple claims that the displays aren’t suffering from a hardware issue, but rather one on the software side. Therefore, they aren’t suggesting you to return the displays, but instead wait for a more permanent fix than they’ve provided so far.
As a precautionary method for preventing further problems, Apple is halting production of the 27-inch models for some time, to ensure the fix works. The main problem was that the displays would intermittently flicker, which can be a real problem when you are trying to get work done.
On the Apple forums, more than 4,000 replies were made, which makes the issue appear larger than it actually was. The issue didn’t affect all the 27-inch models, and there were plenty of working displays, but those who did experience the issue voiced their opinion.
Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system was expected to help boost the profits of the PC giants Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc., and others, but the end result is that the OS has only increased the profits of the Redmond-based giant. Laptop prices fell more than 23% year-over-year compared to the same quarter, resulting in an average price of $581. The increased sale of netbooks may have something to do with this, as well as more sales of $500-$700 laptops.
Deep discounts were given, although quarterly revenue is still much lower than in the 2007-08 time frame. Sales at electronics retailers like Best Buy benefitted from the surge in new customers with the arrival of Microsoft’s latest operating system, but largely, shipments vs. revenue has not been great for the PC manufacturers.
The Speak-er is a set of high-quality multimedia speakers that are compatible with your MP3 player or computer. They are designed to hep you make a statement, and will look good on any desk or environment. Just imagine using these to play one of your recorded speeches with!
They are constructed of polished white ABS plastic with a matte black steel grille. Each speaker is 4″x6″x2″, so they are quite small, but can still produce a good sound.
The speakers come from designers Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee, who have also designed Anti-Theft Lunch Bags, a “New” Lamp, and Stacked Cups.
Availability is by early summer for $120, although there will only be a thousand sets produced.
Images of The Speaker have been included below.
[via Unplggd]
PDFmyURL is a great service that makes creating and basic editing of PDFs extremely easy. For example, if there is a news story that you want to read later but fear that it won’t be there on the main page of the site, for instance, you can input the URL into the service, and a PDF will instantly be created. There is no waiting around for one to be created and no desktop application to download.
Advanced options are available, but they are only ideal for those who have a specific function in mind, like adding footers, changing the page height, or adding a table of contents. You can also drag the bookmarklet to your browser bookmarks bar, and you’ll have instant access to the tool, giving you the ability to create a PDF for any webpage.
The web is full of interesting stats and figures, and infographics are continuing to deliver this information in unique ways. Investment and savings companies like BillShrink and Mint often use them to illustrate popular trends in savings and economics. GOOD Magazine often publishes transparencies/infographics to illustrate what is going on in the world, such as what is causing airport security delays, who has donated the most to Haiti, and more. While some infographics are completely pointless, many of those showcased below have some meaning behind them. For the most part, they help one to visualize the figures being pointed out through illustrations and photos.
While there are plenty of new infographics being published each day, we feel that these are some of the best published in recent months, and we invite you to share your favorite from those showcased below or add your own through a comment.
Skilto is a US-centered classifieds service that makes it easy to browse through services being offered as well as making it easy to find people who may be in need of services. No matter who you are or where you may be located, there are people who are in need of skills, ranging from repair and maintenance to web designers. While there are many other categories available on the site, the main focus of the site is quite simple: help you discover people who have the skills and it’ll help you reach an intended market with your skills in hand.
Now, the site may appear quite similar to popular sites like Craigslist, although this site makes the whole process extremely social. You won’t need to create a new account using all-new credentials: simply use any other social networking site like Google, MySpace, or Facebook to login to the service and begin creating your own profile.
Sometimes I feel as though people try to repeat trends to be popular. The iPad brought a backlash from people on Twitter and respected news outlets, claiming the name was similar to a feminine hygiene product, although it is meant to represent a notepad, or a pad for consuming information on. Initial reaction surrounded around the device being a large iPod touch or a device meant for “old people” who may like to read or compose email messages. Others claimed that Apple would quickly “die” after having this product hit the market, and products such as the Mac or the iPod lineup are just fads.
The same reaction came when the first iPod was released, as well as the first iPhone. These two products revolutionized the two industries that they entered, and although there were other devices that allowed one to listen to music and answer phone calls, they were different, tying the software, hardware, and interface together. We’re at the point in Apple’s history where this same reaction is occurring again, and application developers: get ready!
Google and several other leading technology companies are trying to kill IE6 before any more users (and site/application designers) suffer. The main way these companies (plus the many individuals) will encourage businesses of both large and small to upgrade is quite simple: stop supporting the outdated browser, rendering online office apps unusable or lacking certain new features.
If stats are correct, anywhere from 11-14%, up to 21% of all Internet Users are still browsing the web with IE6. Generally, these are users in corporate and business settings, where the process of rolling out an update to IE7 or IE8 was skipped due to cost and compatibility issues. While the update is free, development on new programs to be compatible with the browser, including the support staff/development team costs can reach into the millions. Therefore, like Windows XP, these businesses will try to hang onto the version (as it works “perfectly fine”) for as long as possible.
