Firefox 4

We take a look at the first public beta of Mozilla's Firefox 4 browser to see what new features and functionality it delivers.

Gone are the days when Mozilla Firefox could make a splash simply by not being Internet Explorer. Today it must compete not only with Microsoft’s plodding browser, but also with the likes of Google Chrome, Apple Safari and the Opera browser – a rather taller order.
Yet for now, Firefox 3 still boasts a market share of around 30 per cent, while its newer rivals have yet to break out of single digits. For that reason, the arrival of Firefox 4 is big news for the web, and this first public beta is a preview of what’s to come.
User interface
Immediately on opening Firefox 4 you’ll spot one change – at least, you will if you’re using Windows. On this platform the tabs now sit above the address bar, rather than below it, and for the final release both Mac and Linux versions are set to follow suit. That may spark accusations of plagiarism from fans of Chrome, which has had them there all along; but the designers insist it’s a change based purely on usability analysis. If you’re interested in the full story behind the change, there’s a video presentation on the Mozilla blog that discusses the decision in depth.

We found it took no time at all to get used to, and was arguably more intuitive than the older design – but if you hate it, you can simply untick the “Tabs on Top” menu option to return to the old arrangement.
More subtly, Firefox 4 on Windows also abandons the traditional menu bar, tucking its advanced controls away in a small drop-down in the top left corner, à l’Office 2007. Further space is saved by hiding the bookmarks bar by default. These two changes maximise the area available for viewing web pages, but they could be confusing for novice users switching from Firefox 3. That’s a shame, as until now the Firefox interface has been the most consistent among the non-Microsoft browsers.

[pb/New technologies
For businesses, Firefox 4 brings no major enhancements – there’s still no management framework – but some of its under-the-bonnet improvements could be invaluable in certain scenarios.
One such feature is enhanced support for the JS-ctypes library. This cryptically named resource enables developers to write advanced extensions – of the sort that would previously have required delving into C++ – in JavaScript. Since no platform-specific compilation is required, this makes it much easier to develop and maintain cross-platform extensions. The latest release of Safari also offers a JavaScript-based extension API, but using it means submitting to the legal and practical strictures of Apple’s developer programme. With Firefox you’re much freer, especially if you’re developing extensions for internal use.
Another new technology in Firefox 4 is WebSockets, a communication protocol that lets the browser exchange data with a server with an overhead of just two bytes per message. To put that in context, Mozilla developer Christopher Blizzard[/a] estimates that “Google Wave, which tries to do real-time communication with keystrokes, has a several-kilobyte overhead for just about every keystroke.” WebSockets is already implemented in the latest versions of Chrome and Safari, and for both in-house web applications and offsite services it has clear potential to slash network bandwidth requirements.
Firefox 4 also brings a degree of crash protection, so if a Flash, Silverlight or Quicktime plugin encounters a problem it shouldn’t take down the whole browser. And an update to CSS closes a loophole that previously made it possible for websites to snoop details of other sites that you’d previously visited.

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iPod nano 6th

This year brought dramatic changes to Apple’s iPod product line, with the most notable being the changes made to the 6th generation iPod nano. There are a host of new features added and some removed. Read on for our take on the 2010 iPod nano.





With the advent of the 6th generation iPod nano, Apple has decided to drop the familiar clickwheel interface, replacing it with a new multi-touch capable touchscreen user interface. While it’s not technically running iOS found on the iPod touch, it looks and feels like iOS. The new iPod nano looks as if the iPod touch and iPod Shuffle had a child. The squarish nano has a clip reminiscent of the Shuffle and a multi-touch display found on the more expensive iPod touch.

Press the sleep/wake button on the top right of the device and you will be greeted with:

• Playlists: A list of all your iTunes playlists. Swipe down and you can add, edit playlists.
• Now Playing: Brings up current song being played and playback controls.
• Artists: Scroll list of artists.
• Genius Mixes: If enabled in iTunes, you’ll find a list of mixes created for you by iTunes.

Swipe to the right and you’ll find access to:

• Radio: FM Radio
• Podcasts: List of subscribed podcasts.
• Photos: Yes, you can view your photos on this super small display.
• Settings: An assortment of settings.

The third pane reveals:

• Songs: Browse list of songs.
• Albums: Browse list of albums.
• Genres: Browse list of your music based on genre.
• Composers: Browse list of your music based on composer.

The fourth and final panes displays:

• Fitness: A built-in pedometer. Allows you to upload information to Nike, set goals or pair it with a Nike + running shoes.
• Clock: A great looking clock that has spawned a slew of iPod nano watch bands. Our advice: buy a Timex.

The icons within the four panes can be easily be moved. Press and hold an icon will cause the icons to giggle and you can reposition them to your liking. All of the features generally work like any iPod, with a few exceptions that we’ll touch on.

iPod nano in the gym and on the go

If you owned one of the previous generation iPod nanos, expect a complete departure from everything you know. I found navigating the screens  to be very fast. Gestures are easy to learn, swiping left and right to guide your way through the interface. If you press and hold, the iPod nano will return you to the homescreen. With the screen being so small, sometimes I found myself making an accidental selection while swiping.

There is no gesture to put to turn on the display when your in playback mode. You have to use the physical sleep/wake button. Located on the top right of the nano, the most natural way of pressing the button is to use two hands. For those of you who use your iPod nano while running or exercising, this is one a few drawbacks when compared with previous generations.
Upon seeing the clip, it reminded me of the shuffle, a great gym companion. I ran with the iPod nano and found myself resorting to old patterns of placing my MP3 player either on the treadmill or my pocket. While it’s super light, it flops around if attached to your shirt sleeve and at $180, I didn’t feel secure knowing that it it would hit the ground hard if it became detached. Typical places that you might clip the player are also areas that will introduce your shiny new iPod nano to sweat.

With other music players, I’ve had my device slip out of my pocket when using a weight bench. That’s not an issue with the iPod nano and the clip design. For those of you who use free weights, be careful where you position the nano as I was concerned when moving plates. I’m guessing the display would be no match for 45 lb plate. This was never a concern when using the Shuffle, likely do to it not being a super-expensive product and there is no screen to damage. If you use circuit weights, the clip is great. Clip it to your shorts or shirt and go lift.
The clip and size also opens up the iPod nano to a host of wearable options. A shuffle with a screen, I could see commuters clipping this onto a bag or front pocket. It also opens you up to snatch-and-grab thieves, so be careful out there.
Using multi-touch, the coolest trick is to position your thumb and fore finger on the display and twist to rotate. No doubt about it, these are nice touches and make the device fun. It’s also useful depending on where you are wearing your iPod, you can easily turn the screen and then make your selection.
The most familiar screen is the now playing screen. From here, you can you can pause, fast forward and rewind. Swipe right and it reveals repeat, genius mix, shuffle and audio scrubber. A single tap on the screen gets you back to the album art. Volume adjustments are now made using the two physical buttons on the top left of the device.

Previous iPod nano players allowed more options from within the playback screen. You could depress the center button and reveal options like Browse Artist, Browse Artist. It also reveals an option to Add to On-The-Go, a great way to make a quick playlist while you guessed it, on the go. It was also easier to increase or decrease volume.
The latest revision takes away On-The-Go, replacing it with an option to create as many playlists as you’d like. A handy option if you stationary, but real difficult if you are on the go. Let’s say you are listening to the new Lady Gaga album and want to tag a song for a future playlist. The workflow involves the following steps:

1. Tap, swipe back and select Playlists.
2. Drag down to reveal ‘Add’ and ‘Edit’ buttons
3. Select either and you are presented with a menu to navigate music. In this case, you’d navigate to Artists > Lady Gaga > Album > Press ‘+’ sign > Done

This is a glass half-full, half-empty situation depending upon your preference. You can edit all playlists and add as many as you’d like, but lose the ease of tagging songs on the go that was present in previous generations.
In our testing, the iPod nano was at roughly 50% battery life after roughly 7 hours of playback. After 16 hours, the battery was less than 10%. Usage was a mix of display on/off. According to Apple, the iPod nano offers up to 24 hours of music playback when fully charged.

Pros

• Small, fun
• Great fit and finish. Feels like a high end device.
• Multi-touch display looks and feels like iOS
• Ability to edit, add playlists

Cons

• No video recording
• No On-The-Go playlist
• Sleep/Wake button requires two hands
• No way to browse artist from playback screen
• Multi-touch makes navigating clumsy. Loss of one hand navigation from previous generation.

Conclusion

The iPod nano is a new class of device, somewhere between a Shuffle and iPod touch. Outside of the price tag, the nano shares very little with previous generations. I’d be ok with shedding features like video recording if the result were a superior portable audio device. The first time you lay hands on the device, it’s hard not to be impressed with the build quality, multi-touch and overall good looks. Once that wears off, you’re left with a capable iPod that will leave you wanting either the previous generation or next. A good first effort, but poor update from the feature-rich 5th generation iPod nano.

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iPod nano 6th Gen Unboxing (2010)

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Gibson Self Tuning Guitar

Gibson's Self-Tuning Guitar

A new line features advanced electronics that automatically tune the instrument.

It's every guitar player's nightmare: you step onstage, strike your rock-god pose, triumphantly strum the first chord of a song--and discover that your guitar is out of tune.

A new line of instruments from Gibson Guitar now promises to banish this scenario to the dark ages with high-tech self-tuning technology built into the company's flagship electric-guitar models.

The idea is drawing both kudos and criticism from guitar professionals and purists. On blogs and forums around the Web, some players call it an inexcusable crutch for sloppy players. Others, particularly those who use different tunings for different songs, say it could be a godsend.

Either way, the system is a sign that the music world's digital transformation is reaching ever deeper, even into the rarefied circles of high-end analog instruments.

The Powertune system, to which Gibson announced exclusive distribution rights in January, was developed over the past 10 years largely by German engineer Chris Adams and Tronical, his small company based in Hamburg, Germany. Adams, a guitar player himself, says that he'd looked around for an automatic tuning system, found nothing that suited him, and simply decided to make one himself: "I thought, if we can fly to Mars, it must be possible to do something like this."

Easier said than done, as it turned out. Adams says that it took years to develop a system that doesn't affect the balance or sound of the guitar but is powerful enough to stand up to the stresses of string tension and playing.

The system begins with an additional set of pickups mounted underneath the strings that are used specifically for the tuning process. But unlike conventional pickups for electric guitars, which are magnetic, Adams uses piezoelectric pickups. These pickups are made from a material that creates an electric charge when stressed or pressured, such as by the sound waves coming from the guitar's strings.

Typically used on acoustic instruments, piezoelectric pickups tend to focus on the single string above them rather than on bleed from neighboring strings. This allows them to isolate the sound of each string more exactly, Adams says.

The pickups are connected to digital signal-processing electronics mounted in the guitar body's cavity. The pickups separately identify the frequency of each string.

Adams says that because the system is automatic, his company had to develop a tuning algorithm more sensitive than that of most external digital tuners. All guitar players are familiar with the waver of a tuner's indicator needle even when a string is in tune: the waver results from the minor fluctuations in a string's vibrations. A human tuning manually can easily ignore these fluctuations, but an automatic system must be programmed to discount them.

As the strings are played, the Powertune processor compares their actual frequencies with the desired notes and sends instructions--tighten the string this much, loosen the string by that much--to tuning pegs equipped with strong, tiny servo motors mounted on the back of the guitar's head. Because onstage interference could potentially degrade a wireless signal, the system uses the strings themselves to send the signal.

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Top 10 Laptop Design

The ranking chosen for this top is based on how cool these concepts are but also on how realistic their design is, because in our view it is more important that such a machine to be functional and reliable, rather than just futuristic looking.


10. On the last position we decided to place the Anna Lopez's concept, a notebook designed with the focus on car drivers' needs, for which would be helpful a mobile device easy attachable to the rudder.



As the use of this lightweight laptop is limited, because of its special design dedicated to mobile workers, with a full screen keyboard and a transparent display, capable to work in your car with the possibility to catch your attention from driving, we had to leave it at the end of the list of the top 10 coolest laptop concepts.

9. Again a very futuristic system that Hewlett Packard liked a lot and exposed it at the HP Invent event last year.



The company didn't talk much about this notebook but it wanted us to have a view about how the future HP notebooks would look like. 



8. V12 Design, an industrial and engineering studio from Italy presented the Canova Dual Touch Screen Laptop to show us all how a futuristic 2-displays system would look like, and indeed it is interesting, but not that close to the near future's reality to deserve a better position in our top. 



This notebook would have 2 touch-sensitive displays and more than that they would support the multi-touch technology. 



The concept would be helpful for those that work with graphic editors - one of the 2 displays would be the monitor while the other one would transform into a keyboard but it'd also provide sketch pad, graph paper, music score, the electronic pen and a special hardware configuration to meet the smooth functioning requirements.

7. On the 7th position we have the concept coming from Fujitsu, exposed at CEATEC, designed with the focus on one large sector as you would see. 
It is equipped with touch keypad, backlit display, a 5.1 surround sound system, music keys, and second display for showing detailed information about the song playing. In conclusion it would be the perfect mobile digital player.



Fujitsu DJ laptop, as it was called, has a 20-inch primary LCD display easily folded closed to enable the turntable function, which can be accessed via a touch-sensitive screen on the outside.
This concept is focused on the music sector but has other impressive capabilities so we decided to leave it on this place in our top, and to search for something with more functionalities and dedicated to all domains.

6. Now comes the Flexi PDA concept which is very cool but not for those that prefer something stylish or neutral.
What's unique here is the flexible display that would allow us to open the system and change its form, as Daniel Alexander, its designer describes it. 



According to him, this laptop would fold base on the flexible screen technology, allowing us to use it as a mobile phone even outside because it is also waterproof.



It occupies place number 6 because its look would not be on everyone's taste.

5. The green concept here is called Gelfrog and was conceived by the Frog Design team that made it so lightweight and thin so anyone could carry it as a news paper.
It's made from a super-pliable rubberized material that would act like a mobile mirror, picture slide show and even a video projector.



And now the unrealistic part:
Gelfrog uses something like a cloning algorithm that scans people's outfits to project a matching pattern on its own surface, allowing people to scan images from around and then study different subjects using the same interface.



Too futuristic but cool enough to be on the 5th position.

4. Closer to reality is Fujitsu Fab PC laptop concept that has an electronic paper display type, e-ink, with tissue covering, which makes it very flexible and lightweight. 



It would look like an office folder when opened.

3. Intel had a great idea too, after collaborating with Ziba Design, and came up with this 0.7 inches thick laptop having a width of 17.7 inches and a weight of 2.25 pounds (1Kg). 
Again we encounter the e-ink material for an external display that would show a photo, the calendar, or your daily schedule.



The Intel Mobile Metro notebook meets the following requirements: it is modern, supports all wireless network types and the latest mobile computing capabilities.
According to Roger Kay, the president of consultancy Endpoint Technologies Associates, for this concept, Intel used high quality resistant materials such as champagne-colored magnesium and decorated it with gold accents. 

In Ziba's view, this notebook is like a jewelry.
Intel Mobile Metro has a diary-like folder attached to it via magnets, capable of wireless charging.

2. Compenion prototype is on the 2nd place because of its two OLED touch-sensitive displays from which one would be used as keyboard, while the other one as an additional display. 
Felix Schhmidberger wanted it to have a slider design and to serve as a series of docking stations.



The home dock would have a projector for viewing videos, and the office would have an ergonomic keyboard for example. 
The multi-touch screen would be accessed with both fingers and a senstylus.



This notebook could have many different functionalities and has a great look too but we had to put it in the same balance with the Vaio Zoom concept, and you will see why Compenion remained on this position.

1. For this beautiful glass display that becomes completely transparent when the laptop is not in use, the touch-sensitive keyboard that becomes opaque when not in use, and it's extremely thin shell, the Vaio Zoom Holographic Concept notebook deserves the first position in top 10 coolest laptop concepts of all times.



We think that this concept is showing us how future laptops would look like, while the designer wanted to create something that satisfies the requests of people for a perfect designed notebook. 
Such a system would be extremely thin, the lightest, and would look exactly like in these pictures.

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