Just a few days after pushing out the first release candidate for Firefox 3.5 to beta testers, Mozilla has made Firefox 3.5 RC2 available to the general public. While the only way to test out the first release candidate was to install Firefox 3.5 beta 4 and upgrade from within the browser, anyone can download and install the latest release candidate... or you can just wait until the full version of Firefox 3.5 is released, which should happen any day now.

Firefox 3.5 offers a ton of bug fixes and new features including:

• Private browsing mode that doesn't save your history or cached data when your browser session is over
• Tab tearing feature that lets you drag a tabs between browser windows or drag a tab into a new window
  
• Watch a video in your browser without any plugins or external programs

Sure, some of these features have been available in other browsers like Google Chrome since day one. But it's nice to see them coming to Firefox. Firefox 3.5 RC2 is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Venerable New York Times technology columnist David Pogue recently posted a list of his productivity tips and tricks that allow him to be uber productive. The list is good in that he tries to generalize and talk about ways of doing things instead of specific software or hardware. For example, Pogue talks about using macro utilities instead of specifically naming utilities like Quicksilver for the Mac or Launchy for Windows.

While some of his tools seem somewhat outdated, it's not a surprise given the time investment he has in them. And really, although we all to a greater or lesser extent have a case of "shiny object syndrome" and need to try the latest and greatest of everything, the truth is that if a tool is working, the most productive thing to do is to just leave it alone.

Of particular note (at least for me) is Pogue's first tip that he uses text expansion software. It's not so much that he uses it, but how he uses it that intrigues me; Pogue has expansion words configured for even the smallest word. For example, to type the word "the" he needs only type the letter "t". That's some serious configuration, but I can definitely see how it could be very useful once in the mindset of always using abbreviations.

What do you think of Pogue's tips, and what is your best productivity tip?

Glow Doodle is a quirky drawing app that lets you draw with light, and you can try out if you've got a webcam. If you've ever taken a photograph of something moving and seen the streak effect, you'll get how it works. Open up the app, and get some kind of light source, like a cellphone, and move it around in the air. It will leave a trail, and you'll have a light drawing.

The controls for Glow Doodle are pretty simple: click to clear, s to save, and space to upload to the online collection of glowdoodles. Experiment with different objects to see what kind of results you get. The reflection from my glasses worked pretty well, and I imagine a shiny watch face would be pretty good, too. I didn't have a laser pointer on hand - I know, I'm such a bad geek - but I'd like to try different light colors and see how those work.

You may not have read much about Lotus Symphony - OpenOffice.Org casts a pretty big shadow over other free Office competitors. Like OpenOffice, IBM's cross-platform office suite is based on the Open Document format and is a very capable alternative to Micorosoft Office.

Symphony doesn't provide the same number of tools as Office or OpenOffice, but it does handle word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tasks. The latest release adds a much needed piece of functionality to Symphony - the ability to open files created using Microsoft Office 2007 (though files can only be saved in 2003 or 2000 formats). A Flash-based presentation of Symphony's features is available for viewing, and there's also a transcript available if you would rather read them yourself.

One I particularly like is the tabbed interface. As with the tabs in my browser, it keeps my workspace just as tidy whether I've got a single document or dozens open at the same time.

The suite is roughly a 200Mb download for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and is available from the IBM web site. There's also a large, online library of clipart for you to utilize in your documents.

VirtualBox is a free virtualization application for Windows, OS X, or Linux. Like VirtualPC, or VMWare, VirtualBox lets you run an operating system within an operating system. Say, for example, you want to test out Ubuntu Linux without installing it or even logging out of Windows. Just download the Ubuntu installation disc image, fire up VirtualBox, and load the disc image.

Today VirtualBox 3.0 beta 1 was released. The update brings:

• Support for up to 32 virtual CPUs
• Direct3D 8/9 applications on Windows guests
• Support for OpenGL 2.0 for Windows, Linux, and Solaris guests

There are also a number of bug fixes including better virtual mouse drivers, improved suspend/resume functionality on Solaris hosts, and GUI enhancements. You can read a more detailed list in the release notes.

VirtualBox 3.0 beta is pre-release software, and it could contain some bugs. I wouldn't recommend using it if you're afraid of mucking up your system, but the beta does provide a sneak peek at where this program is heading. The beta is available for download for a number of platforms including Windows, OS X, Solaris, and a whole slew of Linux distributions.

Remeber the announcement last week that Windows 7 upgrade coupon plans are falling into place? Buy a machine with Windows Vista within the specified window, and you'll get a voucher for a free, spankin' new Windows 7.

What about Apple hardware currently sporting Leopard? Snow Leopard is due soon, after all. So will you get a free upgrade?

Not so much.

It'll cost you $9.95 - not a huge premium, obviously, but it's still more than free. While I'm not an Apple user and not in the market for a new notebook anyway, that offer stinks.

Leopard to Snow Leopard isn't quite the same evolutionary step as Vista is to Windows 7, but that upgrade won't cost a cent? I like the sound of that much better.

Will the fee hurt Apple sales? Likely not. Most consumers probably either won't bother with the update or won't think twice about shelling out ten bucks to get current. But can you imagine the crap storm that would ensue if Microsoft was to pull that when transitioning from one OS to another?

We'd never hear the end of it.

Everyone had a bit of a chuckle when Opera coyly announced that they were about to "reinvent the web," the other day. I certainly had my doubts. After all, we had nothing to go by other than a bright red background, a little cloud, and some comments buried inside HTML code.

While I'm not certain I would call what Opera has done with Unite (version 10 of its browser) a reinvention of the web, it's certainly a clever, inventive twist on the run-of-the-mill web browser.

So what is it?

Unite sits in Opera's side toolbar and adds various server features to the browser. By default it includes file, media, and photo sharing, a web server, chat room, and "fridge" for storing notes. There are no additional Unite services available yet, though it's safe to assume that community-produced options will start appearing soon (developer resources are listed here).

You configure your sharing options - choose a base directory, set access permissions - and Opera provides a URL you can provide to your friends. Sure, there are hundreds of websites we already use to share media, leave each other messages, and chat, but Opera Unite lets you do it with a single registration and without uploading any of your content to a remote server.

Unite's sharing pages render just fine in other browsers, so you friends don't have to be running Opera. As with previous Opera releases, it's available for Windows, Linux, and Mac.

The browser itself hasn't changed - it's still Opera 10, love it or hate it. The new Unite functions are very clever and do add a certain amount of cool factor. It will be interesting to see if the new features can increase the size Opera's fan base.

Take Unite for a spin and share your thoughts, or have a look at the gallery (work in progress)!

If you've been looking for a way to stream music from your iTunes library on the web that "just works," you should give pulpTunes a look. With pulpTunes, it's extremely easy to set up a stream at a private URL, and even password protect it. Even better, it's available on all platforms.

The basic premise of a web server for your music is pretty cool, but pulpTunes throws in a lot of other iTunes-ish perks, including AAC support, album art, and iTunes DJ support. You can also download songs from your iTunes, or share a direct link to a song or playlist with your friends. That's a lot of features for an app that's so simple to set up.

[via AppScout]

Intego, a "leading internet security and privacy software" publisher dropped a press release on my inbox this morning that might as well have read, "Hey, Apple.. Gotcha!"

Beyond recognizing the malware threat to Macs, Apple goes further, admitting that the techniques it includes in Mac OS X aren't enough to fully protect Macs from viruses and malware. The company provides security advice, as Intego has said for many years, saying, "since no system can be 100 percent immune from every threat, antivirus software may offer additional protection." (emphasis Intego's)

Complete with footnotes, Intego uses the feature list for Apple's upcoming OSX 10.6 release to essentially say, "There, we told you so! Apple put thought into securing its operating system therefore it must be vulnerable!"

How does an enumeration of security features imply a susceptibility to malware? That's like calling GM to the carpet for agreeing that a car parked in a locked garage is more protected than one parked on the street. The very concept of a garage offers additional protection, it however doesn't imply that the protection is actually necessary.

Maybe it's me. Maybe I expect too much from a company who sent out a press release about Conflicker which read in part, "This worm, which affects Windows computers, has no effect on Mac OS X; at least not yet. Intego's Virus Monitoring Center is on full alert in case a Mac OS X variant of this worm should appear"

Wait, is this thing going to magically change from a worm written directly to the vulnerabilities of Windows into some shape shifting super worm that defies the all the reality of modern computing, as well as all common sense and logic? Does anyone else picture Intego's "Virus Monitoring Center" as some overweight bald guy trolling Slashdot while eating Cheetos?

My advice? Save your money for magic beans. And, if the nagging voice inside your head absolutely won't be quiet until you buy quasi-useful anti-virus software for your Mac, don't buy it from Intego.

Intego were contacted for comment, but failed to respond prior to publication

Mozilla has just pushed out a new version of Firefox 3.5 beta, which it's dubbing beta 99. Now, the last public beta was Firefox 3.5 beta 4, so either Mozilla went through 94 builds that they didn't feel like telling you about, or this is pretty close to the final product.

There's not a lot of information about the changes between 3.5b4 and 3.5b99. But several users have reported problems displaying some web content including errors with Wordpress 2.7.1's admin pages and problems displaying some elements of web forum pages.

You might want to hold off on upgrading until the kinks have been worked out. But if you just can't resist, you can upgrade from Firefox 3.5 beta 4 to beta 99 by clicking the Help button in the menu bar and then selecting "check for updates." You can also download Firefox 3.5 beta 99 from Filehippo and several other file download sites, although it's not yet available from Mozilla's Firefox beta download page.

Update: It looks like the preview release includes bug fixes, JavScript engine updates, and improved support for OGG based audio and video playback.

It's been a long-debated topic as to the pricing (and availability) of Apple's next operating system release: Mac OS X 10.6 - a.k.a. Snow Leopard. However at the annual Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco Apple has (if you'll excuse the pun) let the cat out of the bag and announced that Snow Leopard will be available in September for $29 (if you're upgrading from Mac OS X Leopard), with Family Packs for up to 5 computers costing just $49 - again, if you're upgrading from 10.5.

Long-touted as 'just' a behind-the-scenes update, Snow Leopard features support for Microsoft Exchange, a re-written Finder and an all-new QuickTime player with hardware acceleration and built-in YouTube uploading. There's also a tonne of new developer technologies to allow developers to handle multi-processor machines with Grand Central, and an all-round speed increase for all the OS components.

Apple's official web pages have yet to be updated with the pricing details or more information beyond the original holding pages, however in today's WWDC keynote Apple confirmed dates, pricing and some more features - as well as confirming that Mac OS X Snow Leopard is indeed going to only run on Intel-based Macs.

If you're running Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger on an Intel machine, the options are between a Mac Box Set (featuring Snow Leopard, iLife '09 and iWork '09) for $169 or 5-User Family Pack which brings you the iLife, iWork and Snow Leopard package for $229.

If you're wanting to stay up to date on everything at WWDC, be sure to stop by our good friends at TUAW who're covering the conference throughout this week.

The first line in the game description of Hedgewars is "each player controls a team of hedgehogs." Ok, where do I sign up? Hedgewars is similar to old-school games like Worms Armageddon or Scorched Earth, in that your weapons can remove chunks of terrain from the playing field, deforming the game board and destroying your opponents. Your hedgehogs take turns moving and attacking with everything from baseball bats to dynamite.

The game would be pretty fun to play against a computer, but it gets better with the addition of multiplayer online games, and even tournaments. Go tap into the community at Hedgewars.com to find teammates and opponents. Hedgewars is free and open source, and also has a recent Mac port, so friends on all operating systems can get in on the hedgehog-battling action.

Non-Windows users have been poking and prodding Google for quite some time now, wondering when they would be able to get their hands on an actual Google-branded browser for their operating systems. You may not have to wait too much longer

Google has taken the wraps off the alpha versions for Mac and Linux! In the official blog post, however, Google advises that you don't download the alpha unless you have a browser deathwish. Which you do, so the download links are at the bottom of this page.

I'm wondering what took so long, especially on Linux where the coders behind the PPA for Ubuntu Chromium have been hard at work. The open source project has been usable for quite some time, and I've been running it in Crunchbang and Ubuntu for almost two months. Considering its supposed alpha state, the core of the browser is very stable and feels just as fast as its Windows cousin.

Sandboxing has caused a bit of a hangup on Linux, plugins are not yet supported, and the options screen is MIA as well. Ok, so there's plenty of work to be done, but it's serviceable, and has been fun to use for weeks.

Those same features won't be working in Chrome, either, so don't expect to be able to do all your typical web browsing. No plugin support means no Flash, so YouTube and most of our addictive Time Wasters are all out of the question. Update: the options page is there in Chrome, and it's (partially) working!

It's a start at least, and shows that Google is, in fact, going to deliver a finished browser at some point.

Hey, they only promised "sometime in the middle of 2009," after all, and we're not quite there yet.

Linux gallery coming up after the break!

[via CNet]

As people discover that social sites can be pretty decent news sources, especially when it comes to event coverage, I think we'll start seeing a lot more projects like Almost.at. Almost.at uses text, photos, videos and links from sites including Twitter and Flickr to show as-it-happens coverage of everything from concerts to conferences to breaking news stories. Right now, for example, a Phish concert, the E3 expo and a missing Air France flight are all being covered.

Almost.at's three column layout and automatic refresh are nice, but the site goes beyond what you see on its web display. You can add usernames to an event on Almost.at, so others can see and follow people who are at the event, and you can also download a standalone Almost.at browser for OS X. If you're interested in a particular event, it beats opening sites and search results across different tab and refreshing them manually.

Adobe has been busily working away on the Flash/Flex platform, announcing late yesterday that three new releases were headed to Adobe Labs.

The Flex SDK has reached version 4, and Flex Builder has been re-branded as Flash Builder. The new version delivers loads of new functionality and focuses on three keys: developer productivity, designer-developer workflow, and data-centric development.

Since Flash Builder just hit labs, that means there's a free download for you. You'll need an Adobe account, but once registered you're free to download the Flash Builder 4 30-day beta (existing Flex 3 licensees will receive a serial number via email to extend the trial), the Eclipse plugin, a component kit for Flash Pro, and an HP QuickTest plugin.

On the workflow front, they have released Flash Catalyst, a tool which allows interfaces designed in Photoshop and Illustrator to be easily converted to SWF. The beta is available for download, and serial numbers are provided to extend your tryout beyond 30 days.

For a look at what's new in the Flex SDK, check out the post from Adobe's Matt Chotin and read up on the differences between version 3 and 4.