Direct Download Links for Final Version of FireFox 3.5 leaked

FireFox 3.5 is scheduled for an official release in a few hours from now – but I have got the leaked links of the direct download installers from the Mozilla website. So, all you folks don’t have to wait for the official release or the update notification – go ahead and download the latest and most awaited version of Firefox right away.

Here are the Direct Download links for the Final version of FireFox 3.5

• Windows Version of FireFox 3.5 : http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.5&os=win&lang=en-US
• Linux Version of FireFox 3.5 : http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.5&os=linux&lang=en-US
• Mac OS X Version of FireFox 3.5: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.5&os=osx&lang=en-US

Go ahead and download the next major version of Firefox and take it for a spin.

Micro USB to connect most of our devices in future

Almost 10 leading mobile / mobility device manufacturers have formally signed a European Commission Memorandum of Understanding which curbs the creation of e-waste by making manufacturers of mobiles to use the standard (Micro USB) for charging the devices and also for connecting them to computers for data exchange.

Micro USB are not to be confused with Mini USB which is already available in many phones especially from Motorola and BlackBerry. Mini USB has a very super cool option that will seamlessly allow different mobile devices to be connected with each other without the actual need for a host computer. The Micro USB is already in use in the Amazon Kindle which has a craze following in the US market.

Some of the company’s that have signed the agreement include Apple, LG, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Research in Motion, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Texas Instruments. These are the same company’s which are members of the OMTP Forum.

As per the commitment on the MoU signed the manufacturer’s need to roll out all their products with support to Micro USB from the year 2010. This is really a very exciting news since we don’t have to anymore worry about different sets of cables for charging or data transfer purposes. Currently, I have atleast 3-4 sets of chargers for my Sony Ericsson, BlackBerry and Nokia mobiles and another equal number of cables that are needed for syncing each of these devices with my PC / Laptop.

Once, we have the Micro USB standard we can have a single charger and data cable for most of our devices. Imagine using the same charger to charge ur Sony Ericsson mobile as well as your BlackBerry and also your iPod – now that’s gonna be super cool. But, you’ll need to purchase the new models that are released post 2010 (Now that’s a catch).

FireFox 3.5 to officially release today

The latest and most anticipated version of the popular Mozilla browser FireFox 3.5 is gearing up for a possible release today – if all goes well. The Geek world atleast is waiting for this significant release since it will give the users at large a first opportunity to not only see a completely stable version of Firefox but also a couple of new features like the support for the new TraceMonkey JavaScript engine and also the HTML5 web standards.

There is already a demo posted on the website about dynamic content injection for all to see. This clearly demonstrates the new version of Firefox's native support for HTML5 with just not embedded video, but also with the ability to have JavaScript that can embed graphics or video in an embedded video – all this can be achieved in real-time and also at speeds of several frames per second.

So, this is gonna be an important release to watch out for. I have been running the Firefox RC2 on my Windows 7 NetBook for a few days but to be frank – I don’t see any speed improvements with the 3.5 release. Not sure if the 3.5 release is not tweaked well for the Windows 7 environment. Let’s wait and see if the newer releases help Mozilla gain more market share.

You can test the Portable Version of Firefox 3.5 RC release here - "Download the Portable FireFox 3.5 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) for Free".

Things to look out before purchasing a NetBook / Netop

The current wave of mobile computing has turned towards NetBooks or Netops for sure. The NetBooks’ on offer are from almost all the major brands like HP, Dell, Lenovo, Asus, HCL, Sony, Acer, WIPRO and MSI. Almost all these brands have atleast 2-3 models on offer with varying configurations and setups.

Well – what is a NetBook or Netop?
NetBook’s are basically mini laptops that usually run on the Intel Atom Processors and have features that are most needed for people on the go and need a computer to do some basic operations. They come in a variety of Intel Atom Processors ranging from the 1GHz to the latest 1.66GHz (N280) one. NetBooks also come with a choice of hard disks from SATA drives to SSD (Solid State Drives). They have 1-2GB of RAM and usually with no CD / DVD ROM Drives. But what actually sets them apart is the shear size of these beauties – they have screens varying from 7 inches right upto 11-12 inches.

Hope that was quite an explanation – Now getting back to what was on offer and how I zeroed in on one… Here it goes.

Processor :
There isn’t much options on this front – the only contenders are from the Intel family currently. We have the Intel Atom architecture that was conceptualized / designed specifically for the NetBook market. The Atom range of processors are pretty small in footprint and also consume way too less power than conventional processors. The latest Intel Atom Processor on offer is the N280 which runs at 1.66GHz

RAM :
We have a choice of the older SDRAM as well as the DDR RAM’s. But there is a cap of a max of 2GB RAM. All the NetBooks I researched came with 1GB of RAM.

Hard Disk :
The minimum that was on offer was at 80GB and the max was at 320GB. But do you really need that much of memory on the go? Well, that depends on an individual’s needs – as for me, I had a requirement of a minimum of 100GB. So the higher capacity I get – the better bang I get for my buck :)

Display :
Now this is an area where you least expect to have choices – but you really have a competition here too. There are the touch screens that have become the latest fad and then you have the BackLit LED displays and the regular LCD displays. Though touch screens have a lot of takers but do you really need it? We all know that hand-writing recognition has always been unpredictable at the most needed hour. Also, all the extra care that you need to take care from fingerprints and the gloss.

Battery BackUp :
Most NetBooks come with a 3 or 4 cell Battery that lasts for 3+ hrs. Again the hours that are claimed by different companies vary for the same specs. Also, on the higher end you have 6 cell ones that have 7-8 hrs of battery life. This is very important when you are shopping for a NetBook since the longer juice it has the better. The cost of the NetBook varies based on the cell that it has.

Wi-Fi :
Almost all of them have a Wifi receiver that have 801.1 g/n. This is very important when you are on the go, since you can easily access the internet from the free access points. Wifi does drain a bit of the battery.

USB Ports :
The number of USB Ports greatly varies from different models. 2-3 ports are usually present in the NetBook. A thing to watch out is that a few models have 1 USB port which has power and the rest don’t have power, which basically means that you can use only 1 USB port for charging an iPod or Phone – while the other ports can be used for connecting accessories that don’t need power for operation.

Hope these tips are useful in you making a more calculative decision. As always, feel free to contact me if you need any suggestions.

35 Interesting, Funny and Practical USB Pen Drive Designs

Here is a cool collection of 35 really hilarious, practical yet interesting designs of USB Pen Drives. Some of these designs are already available in stores and some of them are on their way.

This is more like when beauty meets the brains or do we call it when practicality meets new age design? Call it whatever you want, but you now have a lot of choice for sure.

Click on Image to Enlarge

How boring it is gonna be to carry that old pen drive any more - isn't it time to upgrade?

Some Easy Tips to wash a soiled techie’s blue jeans

Here are some very easy tips to wash a really soiled pair of jean's. Jeans have always remained in fashion for a couple of years now - and they find a very special place in the wardrobe of a techie. Techie prefer jeans as they consider it to be cool and the best part is that they are so much more easier to maintain (You don't have to wash them so often).

But this trend or perception leads to jeans getting soiled very much due to a long wear period by the user. Well, here are some general tips on how you can easy remove the stains off them and that too very easily.

• You can simply remove the stains with a pre-wash detergent (usually liquid detergents) and then rub some soap and brush into the stains.
• Then leave the jeans for a few hours in the washing machine.
• Once again dampen the spots and rebrush the stained area gently.
• Then put into the machine again and Wash in cold water.

Always remember that Hot water sets in stains but Cold water will clean well enough. Another tip to keep your pair of jeans looking newer longer always use a detergent made for dark clothing, then wash the jeans in cold water, and tumble dry.

Head over to online schools for learning computer software and repair?

With the advent of the internet, you have the  luxury of things arriving at your monitor-step literally and Online Learning has had no exception either. If you’d like learn by yourself(which most of us prefer to do) – all you need to do nowadays is that you need to simply register yourself Online for a Computer Course of your own and I believe there are a lot of software programming course online nowadays for you to find the right one.

Most of the Online Learning schools that are focussed on pc repair business have a wide plethora of courses on offer. k alliance is no such exception since they have been in this business for a very long time and have some very niche courses on offer too. There are courses that’ll help you to not only train you to be able to only be able to install any Operating system but also be able to trouble-shoot the issues in a jiffy.

You will need to spend some of your spare-time very religiously daily on some of the courses that they have to offer online. They have a wide variety of online courses and also easy schedules that will easily suit your time-lines. Some very niche courses that I have found here which are not available anywhere online include courses on the most popular virus, spyware, and advanced trojans which I am very sure you will not be able to get in any offline / regular school.

Even simple tips like “Getting yourself a wrist wrap to remove static electricity from yourself” before you start to do any PC repair are explained in such lucid terms.
Read and be ready for any task for make good income.

UnPacking the HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One Printer

Last week I received a very unusual package – guess what? It was a brand new HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One printer courtesy HP Imaging and Printing Group as well as their consultants Genesis Burson-Marsteller.

I received the unit to do my very own hands on assessment on how this printer performs and also answer the burning question “Is an Office Inkjet better than a Laser?”. I will be sharing with you folks a series of reviews over the coming weeks on each of it’s vast features. But even before that, I would like to clearly state that all my reviews on this product are entirely my OWN and are in NO way influenced by HP or it’s partners.

Having said that, lets begin unpacking the unit. I have created a small video of the entire unpacking exercise. Have a look at it below.

Some of the brief specs about the HP Officejet Pro 8500 are:

• Print capability of A4 duplex colour prints using inkjet features.
• High resolution 4800 x 2400ppi scanner.
• Integrated plain paper Fax.
• Print DPI quality of an amazing 4,800 x 2,400 dpi.
• Supports Wireless operation using WiFi.
• USB 2.0 connectivity.
• Computer-less copy/print operation both in B/W and color.
• Supports direct use of multiple data cards like SD, MMC, etc.
• Supports PictBridge operations.
• Sports a very large 250-sheet paper tray.

During the coming days I will be posting on how I set up the printer and how well it performs in my SOHO (Small Office Home Office) setup. Stay tuned.