[laatedaa?]

After months and months of talk the first public beta of the upcoming Firefox 3 is finally here. Like many I rushed right out this morning and downloaded it, because it’s a public beta, that means it’s got to be about done right? Maybe not so much. At first glance I can’t really tell it’s all that different from FF2, the interface does seem a bit sleeker but it’s hard to say. I guess I was expecting something drastically different. It does seem a lot more responsive than FF2 for opening large number of tabs but that might be because most plugins don’t work with it yet.Apparently not very many plugins aren’t working yet so it looks like I’ll have to do without StumbleUpon and CustomizeGoogle for a bit. Ummm, no, that’ll probably be enough reason to switch back to FF2 for now. So be warned, if you’ve heavily customized your FF then you may want to use an alternate machine to test the new beta because it totally overwrites the older version. It now installs into a new folder separate from FF2, so they can both co-exist on the same machine. Beyond that, it seems pretty good, based on only a few hours messing with it. The biggest thing people will want to know is, does it still leak memory like a rusty boat? According to the release notes over 300 individual memory leaks have been plugged.

Again, it’s hard to tell but this early look definitely has some promise to it. If your into ripping new software apart to find all it’s faults then you might want to give this a whirl. Otherwise, your probably better off just reading one of the in depth reviews that are starting to turn up. It’s worth a look but like I said, if you don’t want to lose any customizations you currently have, better to just sit this one out and wait and see.

A more in depth review is available from Zdnet.com, check it out.

You can download the beta here

They are now at Beta 2.

I have been frequently mountain biking while listening to my iPod.  I fear that if I fall, then my iPod will follow suit and thus damaging it severely (I have a case though).  I needed a portable speaker solution that I could clip on easily to my backpack or jacket and have somewhat decent speakers (portable speakers are always “crap”).  I searched around and I found that the Kensington FX 300 Speakers to Go was highly rated and it was at a very reasonable price ($29.95).

The speaker offers a climbers clip that can clip anywhere without interfering with your body and your actions.  Also, the speaker opens and closes, revealing a spacious space for any iPod that fits including iPod Touch and the full size iPod.  If your not an iPod owner and own another MP3 player with a RCA (3.5mm) headphone jack, your in luck.  The speakers does not use the standard 30 pin dock connector for the iPod.  It uses a headphone jack so it supports virtually all mp3 players.

It is powered off of 2 AAA batteries and I have found that the batteries last for a long time, probably about 4-5 charges of your iPod or (30-50 hours).  The speaker itself is internal, meaning it blows sound though a very thin nylon surface making it sound great.  The single speaker solution that Kensington used was a very efficient step as there is also a lot of bass in the speaker which you don’t get in most small speakers.  The FX 300 has great midranges and can be played loud enough if you are running/biking at high speeds or in a populated area.  With this, you can blast your tunes as loud as you can!

Some cons about this product are that the volume/on and off switch is very sensitive so you can accidentally switch it on if not in use.  Also,to get the best sound, you need to turn the speakers all the way up, while adjusting your iPod volume to max 75% or else fuzziness starts to occur.  Also, if you have a smaller iPod such as the Nano or the Shuffle, it may move around too much so make sure you have a case on it to protect it!

I give this product a 4.5-5 stars rating.

Pictures:

Now this is what I call a real race, an Aston Martin vs a guy with Rollerblades and a Jet Pack.

Check out the video here at Double Viking.

http://www.doubleviking.com/videos/page0.html/7833.html 

GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING

DONT SWALLOW

CHEWING GUM!!!

So I needed to get a headset for a foreign language program I used a few months back called Rosetta Stone.  This program allows you to learn different languages by hearing and speaking into the computer and it uses multiple ways of tracking your accent and your speech.  I went to Best Buy to pick up this headset.  Since I needed precision over price, I decided to go with the more expensive Logitech USB Headset that cost $49.95 an over the head design, as opposed to the behind the head.

One thing that is good about this headset is that it is USB powered so it is compatible on both Mac and PC.  This Mic is very clear, and great for any podcasts or Skype conferencing.  Also the Mic tilts to your face and picks up sound quite well.

A few cons about this product is that after an hour of use, the earpieces start to feel like they are crushing your head and it does not feel comfortable at all.  I would not recommend leaving them on too long as they may cause a minor headache.  Also on teamchat programs such as Teamspeak and Ventrilo, others have said my voice is clear but seems like as if I was very far away from the microphone.  I rate this product for it’s great sound and mic, but bad earpieces and comfortability, a 3 out of 5 stars.

Pictures:

Stay tuned, I am in the process of reviewing some Portable Speakers for the iPod made by Kensington and some USB headset from Logitech.

I recently purchased an external hard drive because I needed to do a restore on my Windows box. I found the LaCie 250GB external hard drive on TechBargains for only $75 dollars. Their list price on their company website is $99.99 but I am pretty sure you can find it elsewhere on the internet for cheaper.

I love this external hard drive because it is pretty fast and it is very quiet. In fact, my internal hard drive from Seagate may even be louder than my external drive. It uses only one interface, USB 2.0 but it’s 480mbps speed is adequate for pictures, movies, music and other files. It is powered by an AC plug, but the my main gripe about this product is that the power cord tends to slip off very easily. The size is just perfect too because it can sit above my computer nicely. It even has little slots above the hard drive so you can stack multiple of these together to make a large hard drive farm. With a nice silver polish touch to this external harddrive, I give this a 4-5 stars.

Pictures below:

I have had this mouse now for a few months and I really like it.  It is the perfect mouse for everyday work, gaming, or for a workstation such as Photoshop and Video editing.

The comfortableness of the mouse is one of a kind.  I personally love Logitech mouses as they are very ergonomic in shape and feeling.  This one, in particular is form fitting meaning the mouse “forms” into the palm of your hand with your thumb sinking in deep for that natural feel to it.  I always use the extra buttons it gives me such as the forward and backward buttons for web surfing.  The mouse also features a tilt wheel middle mouse button for those spreadsheeters who need to scroll side to side frequently.  One great thing I love is that it is wireless.  There are no wires to protrude from my computer and no worries of any wires getting stuck or tangled while casually playing a shooting game.   Unfortunately, the battery in the mouse is not rechargeable and uses 2 AA batteries.  The upside is that it does not consume much energy so it lasts for 3-4 months during normal usage.  Also, if you love to do Photoshop and need the precision of a tablet pad, this mouse is laser meaning every move is recorded with precise laser mechanisms inside the mouse.

I give this product rating a 4.5-5 stars.

Pictures:

You will need:

-One medium-large sized squarish or rectangular box.

-Poster Board Paper

-White Printer Paper (Super bright recommended)

-Scissors or Sharp Knife

-Invisible Tape

I just cut the sides of the box leaving rectangular holes, large enough for my white printer paper to fit over it.  The two sides of the box will be your light source.  Also cut the top part if you wish to take pictures from the above view or if you want to add more lighting options.  Tape down all sides of inside the box with white printer paper so it looks all nice and white.  Then get a few lamps (desk lamps work great) and position them to your desire.  Add your subject to shoot and shoot away!

This is my result:

Even adding a small riser or stand to your subject will make it look like you are not even taking the picture in this cheap DIY project.

I had learned some new tricks that I can do with my Canon PowerShot SD750. It is a great camera I have to say and it can do many cool picture taking techniques.

Time Lapse Photo with Red Laser Pointer

Color Swap Fun (take a color of one object and apply to another)