The first beta of the upcoming new version of Firefox, 3.6, is now available for download. This release is aimed only for the adventurous types, as it’s not really a complete beta; technically, it’s the test buildof the first 3.6 beta version. In other words, if you decide to upgrade, expect bugs. As far as new features go, you can expect better JavaScript performance, new version of the rendering engine (Gecko 1.9.2), and the uber-neat tab previews. As far as rotation-related functions, we don’t have a laptop equipped with an accelerometer, but if you do, we’d like to hear your opinion in the comments!Another new release recently posted is the release candidate for Firefox 3.5.4; since this is an update that aims to improve stability, we’d recommend most users to simply wait for the final version before upgrading.
A very resilient hoax is making the rounds on Twitterand Facebook. It consists of a message that poses as an AMBER Alert about a 3-year-old kidnapped boy. The message further claims the boy has been kidnapped in a Mitsubishi Eclipse with the registration plate “98B351“, and many users have fallen for it, spreading it further via Facebook, Twitter, and SMS. According to IT security company Sophos, the message is nothing more than a hoax, but the said license plate number is already ranking high among the most commonly searched terms on the internet, which means the hoax is working. Don’t fall for it!A quick search on the revealsthere are currently no active AMBER Alerts. Interestingly, this hoax has been making the rounds for several weeks, but – as hoaxes often do – it seems to now be resurfacing stronger than ever. An AMBER Alert is a child abduction alert issued upon the suspected abduction of a child; the best way to check if it’s real is to go straight to National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children’s website. Tags: amber alert, facebook, hoax, twitter
Remember the recent server failure at Microsoft subsidiary Danger, which caused a data loss for some T-Mobile Sidekick users? Now, Microsoft seems to have redeemed itself a little for that embarrassing episode by announcingthat they’ve recovered most of the data. From the official announcementover at T-Mobile Sidekick forums: “We are pleased to report that we have recovered most, if not all, customer data for those Sidekick customers whose data was affected by the recent outage. We plan to begin restoring users’ personal data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after we have validated the data and our restoration plan. We will then continue to work around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible.”But how did Microsoft do it, since the data has already been declared lost forever? Here’s how: “We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the back-up. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way. This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data.”Well, that’s potentially good news, if you happen to fall into the “most” category; if you’re so unlucky to be the minority whose data hasn’t been recovered, that’s another matter. You’ll forgive them, right? Right? Tags: data loss, microsoft, sidekick
In many ways, Nokia’s N900is a geek’s phone. It has all the latest technical bells and whistles, it’s running Maemo 5 Linux as the operating system, and because of that it’s being touted as one of those phones that are really computers in a mobile phone’s outfit. Now, the folks at MobileDeveloperTVshow us what that can mean, postinga video of N900 running Google Wave. It’s not Google Wave for mobiles; it’s the full, desktop version of the service, and – as you can see in the video below – it’s running perfectly well on Nokia’s device.Even better, the relatively complex Google Wave doesn’t look too cluttered on N900’s 800×480 pixel screen; quite the contrary, it looks very usable. Check out the video below for the details; to learn more about Google Wave, check out our comprehensive guide. Reviews: Google WaveTags: Google Wave, Nokia N900
If you’re not quite ready to get your Twitter name tattooedon your body, but you still want to spice up your offline life (or you need a Halloween costume idea) check out these spiffy Twitter “Follow Me” thigh-highs on Etsy.Priced at $18.00, the thigh-high socks come in five different colors to match your skin tone, read “follow me” up the side of the leg, and include a variation of the iconic Twitter bird in black.Unfortunately it looks as if the stockings are currently sold out, possibly due to the fact that Alyssa Milano tweeted her lovefor them, but here’s hoping they’ll come back soon. I can’t speak for any of you guys, but I’d like to get my hands on a pair.[via Moonrockon Twitter]Reviews: TwitterTags: follow me stockings, twitter
We’re seeing numerous reports of Facebook Pages (including our own!) not displaying any content, and instead, just showing the message “[page name] has no recent posts.”Our Page has been having this issue for the last 30 minutes (as of around 7:00pm PT), while Twitter searchshows lots of other users experiencing problems as well. Some of Facebook’s most popular Pages, like those belonging to Vin Diesel, Taylor Swift, and even Barack Obama are missing all of their posts too. Other Pages, however, continue to work as normal.We’ve contacted Facebookand will update when we learn more.Update #1: As of 7:35pm PT, Facebook tells us they are “looking into this now” Update #2: As of 8:45pm PT, Facebook tells us “this issue was due to a bug that we were able to resolve quickly. All the posts should be back now and no data was lost.” The Mashable Page is back up as are the ones we checked. If you’re still having issues, do let us know in the comments.Reviews: Facebook, tweetzi Twitter SearchTags: facebook
This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.Name: RentcycleQuick Pitch: Rentcycle helps rental businesses better serve their customers and better run their own operations through an online inventory and reservation management system.Genius Idea: The rental industry that Rentcycle targets is for companies that rent heavy-equipment, camera gear, scuba-tanks, and masks — the kind of stuff that is often beneficial for consumers to rent rather than buy, but that is also rarely available to reservation or viewing online. What Rentcycle does is allow businesses to track their inventory online and take and manage reservations and payments over the web.I like to go snow skiing, but I don’t do it enough to warrant owning my own equipment only to keep it in storage for most of the year. If I could rent my skis or snowboard equipment at the website for the ski lodge I’m visiting in advance of my visit, that would add convenience for me and ensure additional revenue for the lodge. Some rental operations have their systems online, but a lot don’t. I like that Rentcycle is targeting an area that could really benefit from online integration but that usually gets relegated to phone calls or in-person reservations.What do you think about the prospect of renting equipment online? Let us know!Spark of Genius Series Sponsored by Microsoft BizSparkBizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.Entrepreneurs can take advantage of the Azure Services platformfor their website hosting and storage needs. Microsoft recently announced the “new CloudApp()” contest– use the Azure Services Platform for hosting your .NET or PHP app, and you could be the lucky winner of a USD 5000* (please see website for official rules and guidelines).”Reviews: PHPTags: opentable, rental industry, rentcycle
When Facebook introduced likes and commentsback in February, we were stoked, as the new functionality added an extra layer of interaction into our News Feeds.Of course, not everything that passes through your feed on a daily basis is worthy of a like. If you’re like us, you’ll just skip over it, or better yet, hide updates from a particular individual.But, there are a growing number of people who actually want to be able to dislike Facebook updates (check out this groupfor proof). Threadsy to the rescue.According to VentureBeat, Threadsy, a site that melds together the Facebook, Twitter, and email experience in a web-based application, is reportedly experimenting with a new “abhor” option for Facebook status messages.From the sound of it, Threadsy users would be able to abhor an item in the feed. That action would then get posted as a comment on Facebook that reads “abhorred (via threadsy),” and includes a link to a Threadsy page saying, “This Facebook status has been abhorred. Someone must’ve thought it was particularly lame.” The abhor button won’t be anonymous, which means you will be accountable for your abhorring behavior.Although we’ve yet to see it in our Threadsy accounts, we think the private beta startup is making a smart move. They’re creating a functionality that Facebook doesn’t support, but users want. More importantly they’re doing something slightly controversial, which is sure to guarantee them some interesting press (just like this post).We’re curious, if given the opportunity to abhor a status update on Facebook, would you? Tell us in the comments.[img via striatic]Reviews: Facebook, TwitterTags: abhor, status updates, threadsy
It’s a big news day in the augmented reality department, with Urbanspoon just launchingits iPhone AR feature earlier and now this. Seminal AR app Layarhas been available for Google’s Android platform, and today sees its free launch for the iPhone.You choose a filter or “layer” to overlay on top of your real-world view — Wikipedia entries, bars and nightlife nearby, Twitter users nearby, etc. — and point the camera at your surroundings. You’ll get a visual overlay of relevant results close to you, determined by a range filter you can adjust in your settings.Part of what makes Layar one of the most interesting augmented reality apps to date is its breadth: it’s not just a one trick pony. New types of layers featuring different types of data are launching all the time thanks to a strong third-party developer platform. The app helps you find and filter the best by collecting featured and popular apps together in their own tabs, as well as providing a search mechanism to find new layers.Another popular AR app, Wikitude, is taking a crowdsourced approachto gathering its data points. It will be interesting to see which approach fares better in the realm of augmented reality apps: the Apple-style third-party developer community or the Wikipedia-style wisdom of the crowds strategy.Have you had a chance to use Layar yet, either on Android or the iPhone? What layers have you found to be the most interesting or useful? [via Gizmodo]Reviews: Android, Twitter, WikipediaTags: AR, Augmented Reality, crowdsourcing, developer community, iphone, Layar
Mashable, in partnership with MOTOBLUR, is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Open Web Awards: Social Media Edition. The 2009 Open Web Awards is our international online voting competition that covers major innovations in web technology and social media. This year, we’ve extended the length of the voting period by one month and added more categories to encapsulate the evolution of social media over the past year. There are 50 categories to choose from and nominations are now officially open at OpenWebAwards.com.Who was the best social media maven to follow in 2009? Which is the funniest YouTube channel of the year? What’s the best Twitter app? Who has the best Facebook Fan Page? Which mobile app made you app-happy in 2009? You tell us!How to Place Your NominationsThis year, Mashable has created a unique and social voting platform for the Open Web Awards. Submitting your nomination requires 4 easy steps: Step 1: Visit OpenWebAwards.comStep 2: Log in via Facebook or TwitterStep 3: Choose a Category and NomineeStep 4: Submit Your Nomination and Repeat (for other categories)*You may nominate/vote in all categories once per dayThe nominations period will last until midnight of November 15th and we are allowing you to nominate in each category once per day. The top 5 nominees in each category will then move on to the final voting round which will begin on November 18th and end on December 13th. Winners will be announced on December 15th.The Open Web Awards: Social Media Edition CategoriesPeople:Best Blogger to FollowBest Social Media Maven to FollowBest Celebrity to FollowMost Inspiring to FollowMost Educational to FollowFunniest Person to FollowBest Musical Artist to FollowBest Actor/Actress to FollowBrand/Startup/Company/Agency:Social Media Ad CampaignSocial Media GadgetBest Brand Use of YouTubeSocial Media AgencyBest Brand Use of TwitterBest Brand Use of FacebookBest Corporate BlogBest Non-Profit Use of Social MediaFacebook Specific:Best Facebook Fan PageBest Facebook AppBest Facebook GameMost Creative Use of Facebook ConnectTwitter Specific:Most Interesting Twitter User to FollowTwitter User of the YearTweet of the YearFunniest TweetBest News Source to followBest Twitter AppMobile:Best iPhone AppBest Social Network iPhone AppBest iPhone GameBest Location Based Mobile AppBest Mobile Based Twitter AppBest Music Site or AppBest Travel Site or AppPhotos and Videos:TwitPic of the YearFlickr Photo of the YearBest Flickr PhotographerYouTube Video of the YearBest Online Video Web SeriesBest YouTube Channel or PersonalityFunniest YouTube ChannelMedia:Best Online NewspaperBest Political News SiteBest Breaking News SiteBest Local News SiteBest Local BlogBest TV Network OnlineBest Online MagazineBest Site for JournalistsBest Site for PublishersBest Online Music LabelPast Open Web AwardsThe first Open Web Awards in 2007 achieved over 250,000 votes and more than 20 million page views combined between Mashable and our 50 international blog partners. Open Web Awards 2007 WinnersThe second Open Web Awards in 2008, which included over 26 categories, saw over 100 Blog Partners (from 25 countries and written in 10 different languages), 50,000 total nominations, 80,000 total votes in the first round, and 90,000 votes in the final round. Open Web Awards 2008 WinnersThanks to our Partner: MOTOBLURMOTOBLURfrom Motorola was built expressly for the way people communicate today. It’s the only service that automatically delivers and organizes your conversations, contacts and content from all your favorite sites and sources in easy-to-manage streams. Whether it’s Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, text messages, Gmail or work e-mail, MOTOBLUR keeps track of it all and serves it up on a customizable home screen and integrates it through the phone. Plus, with MOTOBLUR you have peace of mind, because all of your info is backed up and secure. Discover MOTOBLUR on Motorola CLIQ available at T-Mobile. It’s time to spend less time managing life and more time living it.Reviews: Facebook, Gmail, Mashable, MySpace, Twitpic, Twitter, YouTubeTags: open web awards
We saw a preview earlier this month of Xbox LIVE’s social integrationswith Twitter and Facebook. As it turns out, Microsoft will be doing an Update Previewprogram for the Dashboard refresh before it launches to the public, and you can get in on it.For early access to the social features, you’ll need to sign up for Microsoft Connect and complete a survey. Filling out the survey doesn’t guarantee you’ll get early access, but with thousands reportedly being accepted you’ll certainly have a good chance.You’ll need to be armed with some technical information about your console and your wireless network, so be prepared to take a few minutes to grab the required information and fill out the survey. And of course, you have to be from a region where Xbox LIVE is officially supported to get in on the testing.Head over to Xbox.comfor more details and access to the survey. Are you looking forward to Twitterand Facebookon your Xbox 360? Did you sign up for early access?Reviews: Facebook, TwitterTags: facebook, microsoft, twitter, xbla, xbox, Xbox 360, XBox live
The FCC-powered feud between AT&T and Google over Google Voice just won’t end. In fact, it just keeps getting worse.A quick recap: Apple and AT&T allegedly banned Google Voice from the iPhone. Google called it anti-competitive. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) started asking questions. Apple and AT&T denied that they rejected the app. AT&T and Google started filing unhappy letters with the FCC. Oh, and then they started sparring over phone sex lines.Had enough? We have, but this battle is not going away anytime soon. Today, AT&T fired back at Google in a new, 13 page letter outlining what AT&T considers Google’s hypocrisy, highlighting incidents of violating FCC rules and just all around based Google.AT&T focused on the net neutrality debate, launching immediately into an attack against Google, claiming that it’s following a double-standard for openness. It immediately rejects Google’s claims that Google Voice blocks calls to rural phones because of sex lines, but then quickly turns to “an even more important question:” If the Commission is going to be a “smart cop on the beat preserving a free and open Internet,” then shouldn’t its “beat” necessarily cover the entire Internet neighborhood, including Google?Yes, AT&T wants the FCC to police the entire Internet. Oh, it doesn’t end there. Here’s one of our favorite quotes from the letter, where AT&T directly assaults Google’s “Don’t Be Evil” company motto:Of course, as a company whose motto is “don’t be evil,” Google should have no objection to abiding by the Internet Policy Statement and other net neutrality principles it advocates with respect to Google Voice and all of the Internet-based services, applications and content that it offers. And as an agency committed to “preserving a free and open Internet,” the Commission should show no hesitation in ensuring its Internet principles are applied evenhandedly to the “network providers, application and service providers, and content nproviders” – including Google – who are expressly subject to them today.As the Wall Street Journal aptly reported, however, the call blocking incident with Google Voice has exposed Google’s true agenda for adulterating the Internet Policy Statement: “The Internet giant wants cumbersome [net neutrality] rules applied to everyone—except Google.” In other words, Google wants the Commission to rig the game in its favor by rewriting the Commission’s broadband principles to cover only broadband Internet access providers, while giving Google a free pass to discriminate against whatever calls, websites, applications or content it pleases.If you want to read the whole thing, we’ve embedded it below, but you get the point. AT&T thinks Google is a hypocrite, Google thinks AT&T is anti-competitive, and the FCC is just in the middle of this crossfire.Here’s the question we’re asking at this point: can someone please end this already? There has been lots of rhetoric but no solutions. Someone needs to step up and make a compromise or a ruling before this thing gets driven any deeper into the mud.Reviews: Google, Google VoiceTags: apple, att, fcc, Google, Google Voice, iphone
The Nielsen Company issued a reporttoday on the top U.S. web brands and Internet usage in the U.S. As expected, Google is the #1 web brand based on unique audience.The statistic that really jumped out for us, however, was that in September 2009, the average U.S. Internet user spent an estimated 68 hours online (both at home and at work).Although that still trails television usageby a significant margin, it’s clear that the Internet is carving out a greater and greater role in our lives each month.In addition to spending an average of 68 hours online, the average user visits nearly 2700 websites and averages 57 seconds per site.For the larger web brands, users spend an average of 1 hour 53 minutes a month on Google, 3 hours 8 minutes on Yahoo and 5 hours 24 minutes on Facebook. The usage study compliments another Nielsen reportissued yesterday that reported a 25% increase in online video viewing year-over-year.How much time do you spend online each month? Is there any other medium that gets more of your attention than the Internet (music, television, etc.)? Let us know!Reviews: Facebook, GoogleTags: Internet usage, Nielsen, stats, web brands
The mobile augmented reality space continues to heat up, with Wikitudeand Layaron Android and the Yelp Monocledebuting AR on the iPhone.Today another iPhone app gets the augmented reality treatment, this time with restaurant-finding Urbanspoon’s new “Scope” feature.The AR adds to Urbanspoon’s existing featureset, where you can browse or search for a good restaurant nearby or, with a surprisingly fun gesture, shake the phone to get a random local result. With the new “Scope” feature, you’ll see a Google Map showing your position in blue and the red pins representing restaurants nearby. If you point the iPhone at the horizon, however, the app will detect the change via the accelerometer and switch to camera display view with an augmented reality overlay of those restaurants. They appear as bright circles with smaller size representing farther distance. Each circle contains a percentage of how many app users “liked” that particular restaurant, with more liked restaurants appearing a deeper orange and less liked restaurants fading into shades of grey.The Scope feature only works with the iPhone3GS, so unfortunately generations 1 and 2 iPhone users are out of luck for now. The other caveat is that the GPS positioning employed by the app can sometimes be slightly off, but you can rectify that simply by modifying your blue dot positioning on the Scope map.We love that a simple graphic can pack in so much useful information about points of interest near your location. Have you used Urbanspoon or other augmented reality applications on your phone yet? What other kinds of AR apps would you love to see?Reviews: iPhoneTags: -local, AR, Augmented Reality, iphone, lbs, restaurants, UrbanSpoon
