Major Update to Firefox
Mozilla has released Firefox 2, a major update to its free, open source web browser. Translated into more than 35 languages at its release, Firefox 2 is available in a native language version for more people around the world than any other web browser. Firefox 2 is immediately available for Windows, Mac or Linux operating systems as a free download from www.getfirefox.com.
Improvements to the user interface, security tools and options for customization, combine to deliver a rich, safer and more productive web browsing experience with Firefox 2. In Firefox 2, tabbed browsing has been improved with the addition of individual close buttons on each tab, enhanced tab navigation features and a session restore system that automatically restores previously-open windows and tabs when a new browsing session is started. Inline spell checking in Firefox 2 automatically checks for spelling errors and suggests corrections as users interact with websites, bringing a common desktop feature to the web.
In addition to its safeguards for blocking drive-by installation of spyware and unwanted pop-up windows, Firefox 2 helps protect users from identity theft by quickly informing them when they surf to a questionable website. To protect users’ privacy, Phishing Protection is active by default with a local blacklist that updates hourly, rather than sending information to an external online service. An enhanced mode is available where users may optionally elect to have Firefox check the validity of websites with a third-party web service, such as Google, prior to loading the site. Phishing Protection provides warnings, advice and guidance when Firefox encounters a website that appears to be fraudulent or malicious.
Warm Up With Your iPod
From earthly browns, cool grays and lustrous blacks to electric green, dazzling winter white and icy blue, Kenpo’s 2006 line-up of iPod enabled jackets come in a vibrant array of colors and new signature styles including: Fluffy bubble jackets, sleek sprinter’s jackets, show-stopping snowboarding jackets and wind battling windbreakers.
Kenpo’s all new styles provide wearers with a warm, secure and stylish way to listen to and change their tunes, beats or tracks using the fully integrated and seamless iPod control panel located on the lower portion of each jacket’s sleeve. Wearers can pause, skip tracks and adjust volume, without fumbling with awkward zippers or hard to get to pockets, all the while leaving one’s iPod tucked away in the jacket’s inner padded pouch. And, the new locking feature prevents the settings from being changed due to accidental bumping.
Allowing iPod-users to wear their music on their sleeve, Kenpo’s technology-enabled line of jackets employs ElekTex patented “smart fabric” touch pad technology to transform the sleeve into a five-button electronic control panel for use with all iPod models (expect for the iPod Shuffle). The discreetly placed 100 percent fabric interface utilizes touch-sensitive buttons that are identical to those found on an iPod. Absent of any wires or a metal contact, the jacket is machine-washable, completely self-powered and requires no batteries. Kenpo’s Jacket for iPod is available in 15 men’s and women’s styles, has a suggested retail price range depending on style from $89 to $189. Go to www.kenpojacketforipod.com for details.
Next-Gen Technologies in Fedora Core 6
The Fedora Project, a Red Hat sponsored and community-supported open source collaboration, has begun download of the latest version of the popular Fedora Core distribution, Fedora Core 6. An increased focus on the entire user experience has yielded benefits on the desktop, in performance, for systems administrators and developers and across virtualization.
Fedora Core 6 provides a noticeable performance increase during the start-up of applications such as OpenOffice.org. In addition to the previously supported x86, x86-64 and Power PC chip architectures, this release features support for Intel-based Macs. Fedora Core 6 also introduces a new GUI virtualization manager.
The primary enhancement to the installer is the ability for a network-accessible installation to access third-party RPM repositories, such as Fedora Extras or a local repository, at install-time. The impetus for this change is quite simple — choice. Fedora installation is now more customizable than in previous releases. For more information and to download, click to http://fedoraproject.org.
New Website Simplifies Product Research
Wize.com offers a way to conduct product research that is better than using a search engine. Wize.com saves time and allows people to make better product decisions. First, the website consolidates high-quality expert and consumer-written reviews for more than 10,000 consumer products. Then, products are sorted by Wize Rank — a score that represents the public’s collective wisdom, good or bad, for each item. Wize Rank is determined by the content of the consumer and expert product reviews and allows people to quickly determine which products are worth further consideration.
