Firefox OS powered mobile phones

In case you are not aware, Mozilla recently released the Firefox OS for mobile phones under their Boot to Gecko (B2G) project. This operating system uses a Linux kernel and boots into a Gecko-based runtime engine. This should be a blessing to developers (and amateurs alike) as users can run apps developed using HTML, JavaScript, and other open web application APIs.

Anyway, Keon and Peak, the first phones running the Fierfox OS were built by Spanish startup Geeksphone have already sold out.

It should be noted that these phone were meant only for developers as the OS is still in it's early stages - which really makes it exciting. I would love to get my hands on one as well.

Happy Birthday Firefox

Firefox, my favourite browser is now 5 years old. The first version Firefox 1.0 was launched on the 9th of November 2004. I am proud to say that I was among the earliest adopters of the browser and introduced hundreds of people to the browser (mostly my students at Universiti Utara Malaysia). I have remained a loyal fan ever since and in fact, am  blogging this on Firefox 3.5.5.




Happy Birthday Firefox

Upgrading the RAM on the Dell Inspiron 530

Of late my old Dell Inspiron 530 has been feeling a bit sluggish, especially when I run memory hungry applications like SPSS, the statistical software. Starting up seemed to take ages and opening up several windows would cause the system to hang as well.

The PC only had 1GB RAM when I bought it and I deduced the low RAM to be the cause of these problems I had been facing.

The first place I went to look was of course, eBay. There were some great deals but I didn't have the patience to watch, bid and wait. I somehow got to the Crucial site. One of the problems with buying RAM is the fact that different systems use different types of RAM. Moreover, you should know the maximum RAM that your system can take. I really liked the Crucial site because you can use their System Scanner tool to scan your PC and get recommended upgrades. However, I used their 3 step Memory Advisor tool. I found out that my Dell can take a max of 4GB even though 3GB is more than sufficient.



In the end I decided on two 1GB DDR2 667MHz RAM which cost me only £25.28

Opening up the Dell is really easy. All we need to do is unscrew two screws (purple arrows) and then slide out the cover.




The new RAM go into the two empty slots.



I can't believe what a difference upgrading the RAM made. The PC hasn't hanged even once and I have no problems running my statistical software - SPSS either.

I also had a problem with Firefox whereby it would suddenly hang. After closing it, I couldn't open it again and a warning would pop up "Close Firefox: A copy of Firefox is already open. Only one copy of Firefox can be open at a time."

Apparantly this is a known issue in Firefox. I tried all the possible solutions given. I even tried uninstalling and reinstalling but the problem would not go away.

However, ever since I upgraded the RAM, I haven't had any problems with Firefox anymore. If you are facing a similar problem with Firefox on your PC, you might want to try upgrading your RAM.

Google Chrome out of Beta

Chrome - the browser from Google is now out of Beta. Right now the latest version is only available for WIndows but I read that the Mac version is coming out soon.



The download was really fast and installation was a breeze. However, I had to close my Firefox browser before the installation could go ahead.

The guys at Google are not joking when they said that it "starts up fast".

However, I am not ready to shift from Firefox just as yet. I guess the biggest advantage that Firefox has over Chrome are the customisable add-ons or extensions.

Gadget and software advisor site

I regularly prowl the net looking for gadget sites and love reading reviews about gadgets in development or have just been launched in the market. Just found out about the Gadget Advisor site - relatively new but has loads of good stuff.

The name "Gadget Advisor" may be a bit misleading. Besides news about new gadget releases and computer hardware information, the site is also a great resource for the latest tech news and software. As a Firefox fan, I found their extensive list of the Best extensions for Firefox really informative and useful. Needless to say, I downloaded a few on the list including the Google Cache Checker Firefox extension.

Do check out the site and tell me what you think.

Google Browser

Looks like the latest Google product to be added to their long list of products is a browser. It's called "Google Chrome". Just downloaded it and trying it out now.



There was an prank April Fool's day post on the "Google Operating System Blog" in 2006. Well, it looks like Google has been working on an open source browser all this while.

Read the official statement from Google about the browser: "A fresh take on the browser". Also check out the online comic about Google chrome.

Wonder what this means for Firefox.

Download the Beta version of Google Chrome here.

Firefox breaks World record

Firefox, the popular open source web browser has set a set a new Guinness World Record for the most software downloads in 24 hours.

It was downloaded 8,002,530 times on "Firefox Download Day" June 17, 2008. However it may have been even more if you consider the fact that it was also downloaded from sites such as Download.com

Really proud that I helped set the record.

Facebook problems on Firefox

Not sure whether any of you are facing the same problem but I am unable to create albums or upload pictures on Facebook using the Firefox browser. I am able to take the pictures and make comments but whenever I try to create an album, it will just hang.

However, I have no such problems using Microsoft Internet Explorer. As I use Firefox most of the time, this can be quite annoying.

Anyone facing the same problem?

UPDATE:

Found the cause of the problem. Apparently, to use the full-featured photo uploader on Firefox on Microsoft Vista, you must have the latest version of the Java plug-in. Versions of Java older than 1.6.0_07 will cause Firefox to freeze (info provided by Facebook). Alternatively you can use the simple uploader, which works just as well..