Ready or not, here it comes. And it is Firefox 3.0.1. Mozilla has been issuing automatic updates for Firefox for ages. If you're running Firefox 3, you were probably prompted to install version 3.0.1 a few weeks ago. But if you've been running an older version of Firefox, you might still be at version 2.0.0.16. Now Mozilla plans to push out an update to all Firefox 2 users that will prompt them to update to version 3.0.1.
The update could come as soon as next week. Firefox 3 offers a number of advantages over Firefox 2. First, and probably most importantly, it's the most up to date version of the browser when it comes to security features. But it also has improved JavaScript support, faster page load speeds, and improved performance with web applications like Gmail, Google Docs, and Zoho Office. Firefox 3 also has a completely redesigned location bar that makes it much easier to find pages you've recently or frequently visited.
Firefox 2 users don't have to update. If you're happy with your existing browser experience, you can either postpone the update or decline it.
While some of our favorite desktop applications automatically alert us when a newer version is available, many do not. Fortunately, there are severalutilities that will scan your PC, compare the version numbers of your installed applications with an online database, and let you know if new versions are available for download.
RadarSync does that, and more. Unlike other update checkers, RadarSync will scan not just for software updates, but also for driver updates. Once you scan your computer, you can either click the "Downlods all items" button (seriously, that's what it says), or click Details next to the items you're interested in. The details window will show you a brief description of each application, and even a list of alternate programs that do basically the same thing. For example, if you check the details window for Pidgin, you'll find Google Talk, AIM, and Meebo.
The utility will also let you download and install updates directly from the manufacturer's website. RadarSync's basic version is available as a free download. For $29.95 per year, you can get access to the full version, which gives you access to tech support and also lets you schedule automatic system scans.
If you're like us, which we hope you're not; you don't become writers for Download Squad by being handsome, well-adjusted, and sociable, (Ed: Speak for yourself), you like to keep your applications up-to-date.
AppFresh is a promising new application for the Mac that aims to keep all of your applications updated, or fresh (hence the name). The wonderful thing about AppFresh is that it doesn't limit itself to only applications; instead, it scans all widgets, preference panes, and plugins for updates as well.
AppFresh even scans your system for Apple updates, thus removing the need to run Apple's Software Update separately. It also takes the place of Microsoft's AutoUpdate, if you have Office 2004 or 2008 installed.
Another gold star for AppFresh: you can download and install updates from directly within the AppFresh interface.
AppFresh is currently a Development Preview, and will remain free at least until version 1.0 (the developers haven't promised anything beyond that). AppFresh works on both Tiger and Leopard.
Microsoft has pushed out an update to their browser-based local search and mapping site.
Enhancements include:
1-click directions for all businesses and street addresses in U.S. This is sweet; you can see directions to the particular location depending on where you are coming from: north, south, east or west. You also have the option to specify a starting location.
Additional details for U.S. businesses, including neighborhood, business category, cuisine (restaurants) and hours of operation.
Photos and reviews for U.S. businesses. The photos are nice; you can check out whether the place is a dive. Are the lights burnt out on the neon sign outside? Chances are the food is suffering as well. The reviews are also extremely helpful.
Improved movie show times Instant Answers (they now show critics rating; one thumb or two?)
Added interactivity to all maps (clicking on maps now zooms in/out to predefined levels, or advanced to the next waypoint for routing maps)
Traffic & map Instant Answers
Mobile search for the China market. Scopes offered are local (no maps, but coming soon), web, images, news and Spaces.
All in all, it's a very feature rich update, and it should make life in the fast lane a little easier to navigate.
Point your mobile browser to http://m.live.com/ for the experience. Don't forget, Windows Mobile Live Search also includes weather, web search, stock quotes, and more.
Microsoft has released Release Candidate 1 of Windows XP to it's official site. Anyone can now download this eagerly awaited update to the world's most popular operating system.
This update is sure to be a hit with consumers and professionals who have been less than enthused with Windows Vista. As we have previously covered, there is still a huge demand for Windows XP, despite the fact that it's successor has been in production for several months now.
The final release of Windows XP SP3 isn't expected until next year, but in the mean time, users who like to live on the wild side can feel free to install it now.
According to ZDNet, Microsoft could release Office 2007 SP1 the week of December 10. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley cites sources claiming familiarity with Microsoft's release window. Microsoft's previous official statements leaned towards an early 2008 release, making this an early Christmas (or late Hanukkah) present for users.
Last week, the SharePoint Server 2007 team blog suggested that SP1 was ready, leaving some to speculate an early release. A clarifying blog post re-stated the early-2008 release plan, adding that the product could be released anytime between now and Q1 2008.
So hedging release date issues aside what will be new in Office 2007 SP1? Well, although the beta has been unusually secretive (something we can attest), the SharePoint blog post and this post (also from ZDNet) give us some ideas.
In addition to the usual bug fixes and compatibility issues, WSS (Windows SharePoint Services) and Office SharePoint Server 2007 SP1 are reported to include AJAX support and new STSAdm commands. Looking at the list of SharePoint Server SP1 hotfixes, it looks like some of the bugs in Outlook/Exchange server, for example, the delayed event timers due to DST, have also been fixed.
Hopefully, these rumors are true, and Office 2007 SP1 will be out before the end of the year. As we mentioned in episode 3 of the Squadcast, we think it is in Microsoft's best interest to get the SP1 product updates (across the board) out sooner rather than later, as their release can only spur companies to upgrade their office suites, which like Vista, have lagged in comparison to prior releases. Furthermore, meeting or even beating an estimated release date can create an enormous amount of customer goodwill, especially since Microsoft is notorious for being late to the party, and not early.
If you want to stay on top of the latest and greatest from Download Squad, you can follow us on Twitter. This free online mini blogging tool lets us notify our friends and followers what we are up to in a short and sweet message.
Although we've been a bit lazy about updating our feed in the past, we are now on a mission. You can follow us at http://twitter.com/downloadsquad
After all that teasing, 37signals has flipped the switch on a major upgrade to Backpack, their incredibly popular web-based PIM service that can store and organize lists, notes, pictures and files. As if features like sharing / collaboration and mobile phone access weren't cool enough, this major release takes Backpack productivity to entirely new heights.
One of the most interesting on the list of new changes is a much-updated UI, from a movement of the toolbar to the top of the pages (pictured) to the much-requested ability to drag and drop any list, note, pictures or file from one page to another. While the toolbar's new location initially feels like a good move, we find ourselves missing the authority of the previous design, as the buttons to create new lists and notes stood out a bit better.
Almost as drool-worthy as drag and drop abilities, users can now also search across all their Backpack pages. A new searchbox mounted in the upper right (directly underneath the 'Make a new page' button) should satisfy most users who use Backpack for more than a few tidbits of info. Searching seems pretty zippy, and your search term is highlighted among the listed results.
Continuing the healthy list of changes are other welcome new features, such as multiple photo galleries per page and RSS feeds for shared pages so you can keep an eye on changes made by everyone else. Altogether, this is a great update and we're very satisfied with the new features. With accounts ranging in price from 'free' up to $14/month, we recommend Backpack more than ever for anyone from casual users who need a simple web-based locker for storing bits and pieces of their daily adventures, to power users with a serious case of GTD or project management on their back.
The instant messaging application isn't even available to the public yet, and it's being integrated into social networks.
It didn't take someone long to wrap up Pownce and integrate it into Facebook using the developers API, but its here and ready to use. Jake Jarvis didn't sweat it out too much when developing this add on, and now those Facebook users that have been lucky enough to score a Pownce invite can post and display their updates on their Facebook page, publish stories in their News Feed and Mini Feeds and place a Pownce box in their user profiles.
Pownce for Facebook can be installed here. To sign up for a Pownce invite you can enter your email here, or hit up all your friends and ask who is already in the network.
Adobe has slowly been adding to that chip on many people's shoulders for some time now, and lately they seem to be upping their game. Certainly, comments from their CEO like "our customer is not typically price sensitive" don't help matters, but it seems that even the very software their company is so well known for is beginning to suffer from poor, nay - dreadful - design and management.
Take this rant from Gus Mueller of Flying Meat software on how much trouble it is to simply update Adobe Reader. Gus had to download a disk image containing an installer package which does nothing but download the actual installer application - ironic, especially since you would be hard pressed to find a browser these days that doesn't have its own download manager, sometimes even with bleeding-edge features like pausing and resuming downloads. But the fun doesn't stop there, as Mac developers Rogue Amoeba noted on their own blog last September: for some reason that we're sure would elude even The Oracle herself, Adobe Reader needed to launch an updater upon first run that needed to download updates for itself before checking on any updates for Adobe Reader...
Shouldn't all this software already be at their latest latest versions? Do we really need to download something that downloads something that downloads something just to check if it has to download something? Who manages this software, and what did they do with our dear friend, sensibility?
The latest public release of WordPress has landed; version 2.2, and it is good. At the top of the new features list (trac list here) is the native incorporation of the insanely popular WordPress widgets plug-in from Automattic; they're built right in now, which should help spread the word for theme authors everywhere to start adding the tiny snippet of code - if they haven't already - to enable the wonders of widgets in their themes.
But handy widgets aren't the only big news here. WordPress 2.2 also brings features like full atom support (of the 1.0 spec), a new Blogger importer that supports the latest version that recently came out of beta, an 'infinite comment stream' that uses AJAX to reload a new set of comments anytime you delete or set some as spam, new protection from enabling a plugin or file (using the built-in editor) that could break the blog, as well as core plugin and filter optimizations that "should make everything feel a bit more snappy and lighter on your server." Also on the list for Safari users in the crowd is support for an upcoming Safari release that will enable WYSIWYG editing (which Mac users might be able to take advantage of now if they download a WebKit nightly edition, the open source build of the core of Safari).
This looks like a great update to what is possibly the most popular self-installable blogging/CMS platform available. However, unless you know what you're doing with code or built your own theme, we recommend checking in on news from your vital plugin and theme authors to be sure this new version won't break anything on your site.
File Hippo is a great site for downloading the latest versions of programs. Heck, it's even good for downloading old versions of new programs.
But who's got time to check File Hippo or any site every day to see if your software's outdated. That's where the new File Hippo Update Checker (beta) comes in.
This 100kb program scans your computer for installed software, and then contacts a server to determine if your software is up to date. File Hippo does not store any personal data regarding your computer. When it's finished, a window pops up in your web browser showing you a list of programs that you could choose to update with the latest version number along with the version you're running.
Of course, in most cases, if it ain't broke, you don't need to fix it. Sometimes upgrading programs can cause more problems than it solves. Yet we keep on doing it every time there's a new release. Come to think of it, this program could be dangerous.
You just might have to whip out Ross's post-install checklist, because the WordPress crew have unleashed a major update, dubbed "Ella", to their web-based blogging (and now CMS) platform. Matthew Mullenweg lays out a few of the many new features in their announcement post, but to summarize, v2.1 includes:
Autosave - this one's pretty self-explanatory; drafts are now automatically saved to prevent those dreaded "my browser crashed an all I got was this lousy blank post" moments
New Tabbed editor - effortlessly swap between WYSIWYG and code views
Lossless XML import/export - moving between WordPress blogs has never been so easy
Spell checking in the WYSIWYG editor
Search engine privacy option - is being indexed by Google putting the squeeze on your personal space? Exclude yourself from their prying bots
Set any page as the front page - CMS-like features are slowly creeping in, and this is a major one that users have been requesting for a while
Improved upload manager - more manager than mere conduit, you can now administer all your uploads
More AJAX administration - not content with mere eye candy, the Dashboard now includes more AJAXy goodness for better and faster back-end management
Other notables include pages that can now be drafts or private, significant improvements to database code, link sub-categories, over 550 squashed bugs, better internationalization and much, much more! Aaron Brazell also chimes in with 10 things you need to know about the new version, including some screenshots of how a few of the new goodies look and work.
Finally, if you can't wait to get your hands on the upgrade, you might want to check the WordPress 2.1 plugin compatibility page in their codex, as beta testers and developers have been laboring to put everything they can through the ringer to see just what works with the new version, and what might need updating. As with all major platform updates like this, however, you might simply need to wait a little while for everyone to get on the same page. Either way, this looks like an impressive upgrade to an increasingly popular blogging tool that i personally can't wait to get my hands on.
The folks over at Netvibes have been very busy as of late. In the last few weeks they've released 10 new international versions of their "customizable Web 2.0 home page/portal solution" (buzzwords aside, it's a terrific service). If you haven't given it a try yet, perhaps one these new versions will entice you: Greek, Turkish, Quebecer, Ukrainian, Russian, Danish, Canadian, Polish, Brazilian and UK.
If you want to help Netvibes to build a local version for your country, I'm sure they would be thrilled if you contact them.
Since I'm a card-carrying Google Reader convert, I've been loosely following the discussions in its Google Group. I'm constantly impressed with how active some of their engineers like Chris and Mihai are in the conversation, and just the other day they announced some small but much-requested updates and bug fixes to Reader, including:
First and foremost: An "Add to folder" menu after using the subscribe bookmarklet, the Firefox 2.0 subscribe button and the "Add to Google" button
The "Feed actions..." menu lets you rename the feed and change its folders
Some IE 7 display bugs have been fixed
Some IE 6 display bugs have been fixed
OPML import should be more tolerant of invalid characters
The filtering that can be done in the settings page now handles multiple terms (separate them with spaces)
The settings page should display faster when you have lots of subscriptions
Nothing major, though that 'Add to folder' button is a God-send (Google-send?) for adding new subscriptions and easily filing them away without breaking one's workflow.
Ready or not, here it comes. And it is Firefox 3.0.1. Mozilla has been issuing automatic updates for Firefox for ages. If you're running Firefox 3, you were probably prompted to install version 3.0.1 a few weeks ago. But if you've been running an older version of Firefox, you might still be at version 2.0.0.16. Now Mozilla plans to push out an update to all Firefox 2 users that will prompt them to update to version 3.0.1.
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The latest public release of WordPress has landed; version 2.2, and it is good. At the top of the 
