Daily Bits

Fennec Alpha Mobile: Firefox for Android

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Considering just how dependent we are on the Internet, it is not a surprise that browser developers are in a perpetual race to deliver the “best” browser to consumers. With mobile phones being used by more and more people to get on the Internet, mobile Internet browsers, naturally, are in demand. While going online via your phone is quite convenient, sometimes, the features of mobile browsers are simply incomparable to the experience offered by browsers for computers.

Here’s a bit of good news for those of you who are yearning for a better browsing experience on their Android phones – Mozilla has just released the alpha version of mobile browser. Dubbed Fennec Alpha, the mobile browser can be used on Nokia N9000 mobile phones as well. The exciting thing about Fennec is that it is based on the same technology that is used for the Firefox we all know and love.

By the way, this mobile browser is not the first version. In April, Fennec prealpha was released. Early reviewers had a lot to say about that version – many of them negative. The Fennec Alpha, however, is set to offer enhanced performance and is supposed to be more responsive to user needs. More specifically, the newer version includes Firefox Sync capabilities, making browsing more convenient for users. Android users will also be happy to know that the Fennec Alpha supports browser add-ons – one of the main reasons that Firefox is such a joy to use.

You may download the mobile browser from Mozilla’s web site, but if I were you, do not expect too much. The software is intended for testing purposes and not for regular use.

Bit of trivia: Fennec comes from the Arabic word for fox. 😉

Facebook Chat: Is It Really Going to Be Better?

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We’ve all experienced it – one minute you’re chatting with a friend via Facebook chat, and the next minute, you’re cut off. Worse, you might be typing in novella detailing the funny experience you had during the day, and then having to refresh your browser because the chat window just froze and wouldn’t respond no matter what you do. Yes, no one is denying it – Facebook Chat is as buggy as stale bread full of weevils. (So why do we continue using it? Darned if I know!)

Anyway, if Rodrigo Schmidt of Facebook is to be believed, we are soon going to enjoy an uninterrupted chat experience. Right on our favorite browsers. He says:

The good news: We’ve already made progress, and we’re taking some more big steps in the coming weeks. For example, in the past couple of weeks, we’ve already made Chat faster and more stable, fixed bugs and improved the technology on which it runs.

We know you want Chat to be hassle-free and uninterrupted. In the coming weeks, we will be making important improvements in the way connections are established and messages are sent, so that Chat will be much more stable for you and your friends.

The biggest improvements come from changes that aren’t supported on older web browsers. After evaluating the alternatives, we’ve decided to make rapid improvements and provide the best Chat experience possible, which means we will no longer support Internet Explorer 6 browsers.

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t really seen any improvements in the past couple of weeks. It’s not any worse, but it’s not any better either. Still, if Facebook wants to keep their users happy, they definitely will work on this feature. In the meantime, if any of you are still using IE6 (I highly doubt it), then you have a couple of weeks to switch.

The big question remains: will this move really make Facebook Chat better for all of us (regardless of the browser being used)? You tell me.

Photo credit: Greysquare

i3Space: Touchable 3D

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Who is not into 3D? Movies – and even TV series – are jumping into the 3D bandwagon, and people are only clamoring for more. Now, we have something to make us even more excited about the 3D realm. Leave it to Japanese inventors to call dibs on “touchable” 3D technology!

Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) just announced this new technology that they have been working on. Dubbed i3Space, this will allow people to experience 3D on their television sets in a way they have never done so before.

How does it work?

You will need a device that you have to attach to your fingertips. This device will give the person using it a sensory experience – both tactile and kinesthetic – as if he/she were touching the 3D image in real life. Talk about a “real” virtual experience (yeah, that oxymoron, I know). The technology makes use of multiple cameras, ensuring that there are no blind spots.

For now, we do not have all the details about the system, but news is that the Institute will be sharing more information on i3Space later on this month at the CEDEC 2010. This event is going to be held from August 31 to September 2, 2010 at Yokohama City, Japan. In case you’re wondering, the CEDEC is a conference for game developers.

That caught your attention, didn’t it? Yes – just imagine how awesome your gaming experience will be if i3Space were supported by your favorite gaming platform? The system is in its very early stages, but if things go according to plan, we should have something in the near future.

Photo credit: Tech-On

iTunes Is Safe. Are You?

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If you have an iTunes account that you use to purchase apps, songs, etc. for, then you were probably one of those who have been anxious in the past day or so.  Reports that iTunes has been hacked spread like wildfire the other day.  Posts in mainstream sites such as TechCrunch probably served to make people more anxious and alleviate fears at the same time.  I say people probably got more anxious because TechCrunch showed proof that unauthorized (at least by the account owners) purchases had been made, but at the end of the post, there is a statement from Apple saying that they have not been hacked (which is still kind of a good thing).

So what is really happening?  What happened?  If iTunes has not bee hacked, then why have so many people lost money via “illegal” purchases?

John Paczkowski of Digital Daily offers an explanation:

…not much to their assertion that Apple (AAPL) is at fault here. There’s no security hole in iTunes, and if you’ve been unfortunate enough to have hundreds of dollars in unauthorized purchases charged to your iTunes account, it’s likely because you’ve fallen victim to a bot attack or phishing scam–a variation on the one that’s been around for years now. Sources close to Apple tell me iTunes has not been compromised and the company isn’t aware of any sudden increase in fraudulent transactions.

More likely than not, the PayPal accounts of the affected users are the ones that had been compromised.  Bottom line: iTunes is safe.

The question is: how secure are your PayPal accounts?  This is happening now, it has happened before, it will happen again.  Remember all those tips about passwords and phishing.  They just might save you a whole load of money.

Picplz: New iPhone App

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Apps for the iPhone are all over the place, and yet people are on the perennial quest to find a new one that they will obsess about.  For those who cannot get enough pictures and cannot wait to upload them to the Internet as soon as possible, here is a new iPhone app that will satisfy your needs easily: picplz.

This app has been around for a while, but not specifically for the iPhone.  It is developed by the founders of Imeem, the social media service that gained popularity several years ago.  In its heyday, lots of people availed of Imeem’s sharing service – videos, music, and photos.  It has been closed down, though, thanks to its acquisition by MySpace.

Anyhow, the same people behind Imeem have made picplz available for use on the iPhone.  It’s really not that revolutionary if you think about it  -it functions much like Twitter, except that it’s meant especially for photos.  Now that the iPhone has a decent camera, it is a simple matter to snap pictures and share them with your friends anytime.

You may be thinking – but there is a host of other apps that offer a similar service.  So why should anyone bother to give picplz a try?  For now, the value lies in instant uploading and tagging the location (which seems to be all the rage these days).  The founders are also working on providing more features in the future.  Besides, the app is FREE, so you really have nothing to lose by trying it out.  Oh, and this app is also available for Android phones.

CopyTrans: The Easy Way to Back Your iPod Up

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Everyone loves just how easy it is to transfer songs to Apple iPods. Whichever kind of iPod you are using, the interface that iTunes offers is so simple and intuitive that even the most technologically challenged people I know do not have many problems filling their iPods up with music, images, and videos.

The reverse process – transferring files from an iPod to the computer – is a whole new story, though. I still remember when I got my first iPod (it was the black and red U2 one). I had no inkling about this “issue.” Needless to say, I got frustrated in the beginning.

Today, though, this is not really a problem anymore. With a single click, you can easily back your iPod up and make sure that its contents are accessible on your computer as well. CopyTrans is a piece of software that can do this for you without you wanting to tear your hair out.

There are two modes – Smart Backup and Manual Backup. The first one is highly recommended for beginners. You simply click a button and you can make sure that your iTunes will have everything that your iPod has. It is the perfect choice if you just bought a new laptop (or you reformatted your hard drive) and your iTunes library is empty. It is also an easy way to “fix” your iTunes library if it is missing some songs that are in your iPod. No thinking necessary – just click and CopyTrans will do it for you! The Manual Backup mode is great for more advanced users who want more control over which files to transfer to the computer.

However way you want it, CopyTrans can do it for you. No more fussing about how to get those tracks from the iPod onto the computer! Oh, and yes, the newest version is compatible with the new iOS. For a mere $19.99, you get the convenience that you’ve always wanted. I want a copy myself!