Ok here is a bunch of photos I took since I got my iphone! Next to come are a review for iPhone 3G (I want to use it for two weeks so I will be able to judge the battery life better), a list of the apps I use on it and reviews for some of those apps .

Firefox 3 will be released to public in a few weeks. For geek users the release candidate version is out there, ready to be downloaded. Firefox 3 will feature user interface integration, which means that Firefox theme will match your operating system theme. Below you can see some screenshots for mozilla development blog that show that integration. Does this integration though worth that buzz?

First of all user interface is not a measurement for rating an application. Although it is the first thing that the end user sees. Personally I like the idea of making Firefox look like a native application on each operating system. The user interface varies even between windows vista and windows xp. Mac users will feel like home too as Firefox 3 will look similar to safari with the well known minimal mac feel.

I have tested Firefox 3 on a vista system. Bad news is that the web developer plugin did not work. Probably that will be fixed with a newer version of the plugin when Firefox 3 final version is out. Good news is that the browser renders pages much faster and most of the memory leaks that were a pain when using Firefox 2 have been fixed. Web standards are supported as usual with Firefox. Download manager has been upgraded too. A “search” field is there helping you navigate through your downloads. You can pause, resume, cancel or open multiple file locations at any time.

The feature I enjoy most on firefox 3 is the new security features. When visiting a web site, you can click the icon next to the address bar which will provide you information about the identity of the site you are visiting. Also if you want to see as more contest as you can at once, there is a full screen option which eliminates the user interface buttons and fills your screen with web content. Useful improvement, especially for notebook users.

In general web standatds support, native user interface which makes the browser easy-to-use even for users that have used only IE and security improvements make firefox 3 the best browser out there (and IE look like the worst one…).

First of all, here is a fair warning: If you start playing Packrat you will probably get addicted. If you do not have a problem with that, keep reading.

I have to say that I do not like facebook apps. I do not like them, because most of them offer nothing but loading my profile page with useless info and icons, making it to need too much time to load. Here comes Packrat. Packrat is a facebook application, created by Alamofire (same guys that created and run Iconbuffet) which first of all does not put any data on your profile page except if you want to. As you may have understood, Packrat is a game. It is a game for people who love pixel art. Purpose of this game is to collect cards (if you have baseball cards in your mind, you are on the right way, but imagine them digital and with various concepts). There are around 15 sets with around 18 cards each in Packrat. Each set has a different concept, for example there is the Ninja Dawn set with ninjas, Ratpack set which is casino inspired, Quest of Monzetuma with Incas and Aztec icons etc.

Each time you collect some cards from a set, you can put them in your “vault” to keep them safe permanently. Why keep them safe? Because cards that are not in your vault can be stolen from other players! Of you course you can steal cards from others too. Some cards are easy to obtain, some others not. Navigating through other players’ pages gives you credits, which are the digital currency of Packrat. You can use your credits, to buy cards (called items) from the markets. Some cards are available for buying, some can be made by combining three other cards and some are given as bonus (pop-ups) when you invite friends to play the game or accidentally when navigating through Packrat users’ pages. Vaulting all the cards from a set gives you a “Feat of Wonder”, a gift card for completing a set, which is placed on top of your vault.

The cards available in Packrat are designed by the guys from Iconbuffet, except two sets designed by a guy from Iconfactory. The screenshot above is from a set called Sleep Tight (the sleeping monster that gives 18300 points when vaulted was a really difficult card to make )!

It has been about two weeks since I upgraded my blog to WordPress 2.5. The new version (which was delayed for about one week) brings many changes, most of them in the backend (administration panel). These changes, which change the blogger’s experience when he admins his blog, offer a faster, and more organized admin panel. WordPress 2.5 could have been released as version 3.0 for sure.

The new admin panel is more friendly than the old one (as soon as you get used to it). Anything that is about the frontend of your blog (write, manage, comments, design) is on the upper left corner, and anything that has to do with the backend (settings, plugins, users) is on the upper right.

The new dashboard is well organised. Page elements are divided into small “widgets”, which inform you about incoming links, recent comments, WordPress news feed and recommended plugins. AJAX is used in every edge of the new dashboard, making comments’ moderation, editing and saving faster and more entertaining.

The WYSIWYG editor, Tiny MCE 3.0 offers permalink editing option and autosave seems to work nicer. There is no “Save & continue” editing button in the new editor. This button is divided to: “Save” button and “Publish” button, which makes the operation cleaner. Last but not least is the “Toggle Full Screen” button of the new editor, which lets you write your post in full screen mode, like editing a document in MS Word. Photo and media can be added easier and photo galleries can now be created without using external plugins.

The biggest surprise though comes when you access the plugins page in the new WordPress 2.5. Plugins can now be automatically updated with a single click, without using FTP access to your server. You just provide the FTP access information (username, password) to your WordPress installation and if a plugin is outdated, you click “Upgrade automatically” and WordPress automatically replaces the older version with the newer one.

WP 2.5 offers also many security enhancements (Technorati will stop crawling WP blogs that use WP 2.3.2 or older). If you want to further secure your blog, you can edit your wp-confing.php file and add one more constant called SECRET_KEY and use the unique key that Wordress.org will provide to you. More info on that here. It is also recommended to upgrade to version 2.5.1 as it fixes a critical security issue, especially if you use the open registration mode in your blog.

In general WordPress 2.5 is a milestone, a great upgrade, which makes blog’s administration much easier and faster as long as you get used to it. Remember to check plugins and themes compatibility before upgrading! Simpla widgetized theme works great with WP 2.5

Recently I decided to upgrade my 2nd generation ipod nano with a 3rd generation one. Not that I had a problem with my old nano, but it just seemed too outdated -just after one year- with no video playback capabilities and only 2GB of memory.

The new nano is as thin as its predecessor, but it looks a little bit thinner due to the rounded corners. Its much shorter though, and with bigger display which led to a much smaller clickwheel. New nano is powered with a 2″ display with 320×240 resolution and 204 pixels per inch. Although the display is small, its high resolution makes it comfortable for viewing movies or movie trailers. If you run the latest ipod software alongside with the latest iTunes version, you can rent movies and watch them within 30 days.

3G Nano’s software is completely updated and reminds of the ipod’s software. Cover flow lets you navigate easily through your albums (assuming that you have them well organized with covers and artist information). Cover flow runs smoothly but it is a little bit slow, especially if you have too many album artworks. If you find the built-in display small, the new nano can be connected to your HDTV, via a component cable (which is sold separately). When viewing movies on your ipod, there is an option to enable zoom (pan and scan) and get rid of the letterbox (black lines above and below the movie due to 16:9 format) but that cuts part of the movie information (a small piece from the right and a small from the left).

Navigating through nano’s menu is easy and screenshots of album artworks, photos and animated menus are everywhere. New graphics make navigation easier. Pre-installed applications are almost the same with the previous nano, but with better graphics: Global watch, photo slider, calendar and contacts (can be synced with Outlook or Entourage), notes and three games: Music Quiz (which is completely updated and is my favorite game in the new nano), a 3D version of the brick game and a completely redesigned solitaire.

Sound quality is great as with all ipods. I think that low-frequencies (bass) sound better here and that volume can be adjusted louder than the older nano. Songs can be browsed in any imaginable way: by artist, creator, genre, album, etc. Music transfer from your PC/Mac to your ipod is done via itunes software.

Battery lifetime is the same with 2nd gen ipod nano and lasts for up to 24-hours music playback and 5-hours video playback. That is nice if we consider that 3rd gen nano’s display is much brighter. Although if you use your nano for playing games, battery lasts for 3-4 hours. Nano is charged using the USB cable. What is liked is that while nano is charging, display’s light remains turned on, letting you know when your nano is charged, even if you have not exported it from itunes. Battery indicator appears also in iTunes. The device can be used (like every ipod) as portable flash drive for transferring data. Note that when you carry your nano, you should take care of the back surface, because it can be easily scratched.

Nano package contains the basics: USB cable (used for charging, syncing and data transferring), earphones (same with the previous version), dock adaptor and a brief manual. Full operating instructions can be found in apple’s website in pdf format. New nano is available with 4 or 8GB of memory. 4GB model costs $149 and is available in silver color only and 8GB costs $199 and is available in a variety of colors.

In general I can say that if you own an older nano, upgrade worths it, especially if you are going to use your ipod for movie playback. Better sound quality, smaller size, brighter display and battery lifetime should also be considered to pros.

Mozilla Prism is a project created by the Mozilla Foundation (Firefox and Thunderbird creators). Prism is dedicated to bridge Web apps with desktop apps. The project is based on Webrunner which moved to Mozilla code repository and took the name Prism.

The first thing you may think is that “We have already Microsoft Silverlight and Adobe AIR for that kind of stuff”. Thats true, but first of all Prism is open-source, which means that developers around the world can add features or help to the development and fix security issues. Secondly Prism is not aimed to replace the Web. Its just acts like a bridge (like a mirror) between web apps and your desktop. Lets use an an example to understand how Prism works. Assuming that Gmail is your favorite web app. Prism lets you split Gmail out of your browser window and run it directly from your desktop on its own window.

Prism is built on Firefox, so it supports rich internet technologies like HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The Mozilla team works on adding more features to Prism, like support for 3D graphic cards and offline data storage. Up to now though Prism is available only for Windows as it is in beta mode.

When the final version will be released, Prism will probably be integrated with Firefox and you will not even have to download and install it. A button in Firefox that will let you with one-click to add the web app you like on your desktop is also in plans. You can download the current beta version of Prism (Microsoft Windows version only) from here.

If that project succeeds, it will be a great step on improving the web experience and bring the web “everywhere”. Its big advantage agains Silverlight and Adobe AIR is that it can bring any web app in your desktop and not only the apps that are created using specific frameworks. As the project is open-source, you can participate in the development. Most info on that, here.

Microsoft Mobile Memory 8000 mouse is a pointing device designed for notebook users (I purchased it for my notebook as I dislike touchpads ). This mouse features also 1GB flash memory, which can be used as a usual portable flash drive. Apart from this, this device features a rechargeable NiMh battery, so you do not need to carry extra batteries.

As you see on the image above, the pack contains the pointing device, the reciever which is also a 1GB usb flash drive, a magnetic cable which is used for charging your battery, a case for carrying the mouse and a poor leaflet with instructions on how to install the mouse alongside with the IntelliPoint driver cd.

Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 can be connected to your notebook via Bluetooth if your notebook supports it. If you choose to connect it via bluetooth, you do not have to plug the transceiver, so you have one more free usb port on your notebook. Changing interface between 2.4Ghz and bluetooth can be easily done via a button on mouse’s bottom. A button for turning the device on and off is also located there.

Charging the mouse is really easy. There is a led light near the tilt wheel: if the led glows red, it needs to be charged. You have to plug the magnetic cable to the transceiver and to the mouse. When the cable is connected, the indicator light becomes green and solid green when its fully charged (needs up to 5 hours for a full charge). You can continue using the mouse while it is charging, but the computer must not be on hibernate mode or turned off.

Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 uses laser technology. The pointer is accurate enough and well responsive. IntelliPoint software lets you customise buttons’ behaviour and point speed. If you would like to use the mouse under Windows Vista and want the tilt wheel to support Flip 3D function, you have to update IntelliPoint to version 6.2 (the mouse is shipped with version 6.1). Tilt wheel features 4-way scrolling and there are also two customisable buttons on the right which by default are used as “back button” and magnifier.

The device’s design is great. Touch feeling is nice, solid and very ergonomical even for people with big hands. Although the mouse is small and lightweight, so it can be carried easily using the included carrying case. The transceiver is bigger than many others in the market, but is as big as a usual usb flash drive.

Overall
Microsoft Mobile Memory Mouse 8000 is an elegant device, with nice design, easy-to-carry which features also 1GB flash memory built in the transceiver. To pros should be considered that it can be charged straight from notebook by connecting the transceiver with the mouse via the magnetic cable without stopping working or having to change battery every so. Its package should be considered full, although its price is high (€ 98 here in Greece).

Recently I purchased a new notebook: a Sony Vaio VGN-FZ21E. FZ series come with 15.4″ wide displays. VGN-FZ21E features: Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 2Ghz processor, 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, 160GB DD, WiFi (802.11 a/b/g), DVD RW and a Nvidia GeForce 8400M GT GPU with 64MB RAM. Its operating system is Windows Vista Home Premium.

The package contains the notebook, a rechargable battery, the power cords and the guides. That means that there is no Windows Vista recovery disk. In case of operatin system crash or if you want to format your notebook, there is a hidden partition containing the operating system and sony vaio’s preinstalled programs. The hidden partition makes the HDD looks smaller (around 140GB) in Windows Vista.

The design is minimal with the big vaio logo on the back. The keyboard is black except the media buttons on the top as long as the on/of button which are silver. Built-in speakers offer medium quality sound, but loud enough (except if you use the battery life profile). The fans cooling the gpu and the cpu are quiet and even under high cpu load, the notebook remains cool which makes it a great and quiet portable solution, especially if you usually use your laptop on your knees.

FZ Vaio series offer wide connectivity solutions. The built in WiFi offers stable and fast data transfers. The are audio outputs, a card reader (reads sd cards and memory sticks), iLink port for camcoders and digital cameras, 3 usb 2.0 ports, ethernet, modem, and an HDMI port for full High Definition (1080p) output.

The keyboard is elegant and provides great feeling when typing. Charging the notebook takes about 45 minutes with the vaio turned off and 1 hour and 30 minutes with the vaio turned on. Although battery lasts only for 1 hour and 20 minutes with medium use (WiFi enabled, internet surfing). With hard use (3d graphics, gaming) the battery lasts for 40 minutes, which makes it necessary to buy a second battery if you need your laptop on whenever you are.

The display is one of the best I’ve seen on laptops of tha price range. Colors are vivid and bright and watching HD videos (720p) is exciting. The built-in motion camera offers only the basics. The picture quality is low and pixelates but it will cover your needs for basic video chat.

Vaio VGN-FZ21E costs 1100 euros (around $1500). There are more expensive laptops in the FZ series, which offer blu ray drives instead of the DVD-combo and graphics cards with more memory. In general this Vaio will cover everyone needs. Its not ideal for hardcore gamers though. People who travel a lot should consider buying a second battery. Its weight is 2.7kg, so this laptop can be called portable for its display category.