In Tech Chat 99, Rachel Schroeder, Peter bossley, Mike Calvo and Michael Lauf discuss the top access tech and mainstream tech news stories for april 2011.

View Tech Chat 99: This Month in Access Technology for April 2011 Via Accessible Event

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Tech Chat 99: This Month in Access Technology for April 2011
mlauf
Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:35:19 GMT

Minneapolis, Minn, April 29, 2011

Media Contact: pr@serotek.com 612.246.4818 Ext. 104

Words without boundaries, Serotek’s DocuScan Plus OCR Goes Multi-Platform With Support For The Mac
Serotek Corporation

the leading provider of accessible, multi-platform cloud-based solutions, is proud to announce the availability of DocuScan Plus for the Apple
AAPL Macintosh

platform.
DocuScan Plus, released for the
Microsoft Windows

platform in November 2010, allows individuals with a computer and attached imaging device to scan and convert printed materials in to text, and to store these documents in the cloud for easy retrieval on either Operating System from anywhere. The newly released Mac application contains the same compelling features as found in its wildly successful Windows counterpart, including easy conversion to daisy, Braille and MP3 formats, sending to
Amazon Kindle

password protection options, and saving to a local computer in large print or Rich Text Format. DocuScan Plus represents the first fully accessible cloud-based OCR solution to be available in the Mac app store.
“When we designed DocuScan Plus for Windows with cloud-based features, bringing it to the Mac was the next logical step,” said Mike Calvo, CEO. “People don’t use just one computer, or even one operating system anymore, and they need to access their information regardless of which platform they’re using at any given time.” “Apple has a host of accessibility features already built in to the operating system,” continued Calvo. “Because of this, we were able to make an application that is universally compelling in its own right, regardless of whether you’re print-disabled, and its accessible right out of the box to a very wide audience.”
DocuScan Plus is designed with an easy and intuitive interface, and works seamlessly with Apple’s Voiceover screen reader and Zoom magnifier. The application can be used in conjunction with the wide variety of Braille displays which are supported with Voiceover. The $299 price for this service provides users the ability to utilize DocuScan Plus on both the Windows and Mac platforms without paying a premium. This unique  approach continues  Serotek’s philosophy of offering accessibility anywhere at an affordable price, which is unparalleled in the Assistive Technology Industry.
The app is now [available through the Mac App Store,

and you can learn more about the revolutionary DocuScan Plus by visiting
www.docuscanplus.com

Serotek Corporation
Serotek Corporation is a leading technology company that develops software and manufactures accessibility solutions under the System Access brand. Committed to the mission of providing accessibility anywhere, Serotek began with the launch of the first online community specifically designed to meet the needs of people with visual impairment. Since then, Serotek has introduced several powerful, affordable solutions that require minimal training and investment. For more information, visit www.serotek.com

Media Contact: pr@serotek.com 612.246.4818, Ext. 104

Technical Contact: info@serotek.com

Words without boundaries, Serotek’s DocuScan Plus OCR Goes
Multi-Platform With Support For The Mac
Michael Lauf
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:10:00 GMT

PC Advisor decided to throw me in at the deep end, tasking me with getting to grips with Ubuntu Light. It wanted to know whether Ubuntu really was as user-friendly for Linux novices as enthusiasts would have you believe. More here

A newcomer’s guide to Ubuntu Linux
cj2003
Sat, 30 Apr 2011 11:41:47 GMT

While it’s got Sync, tabs on top, and a menu button, Firefox still lacks one feature that all the other major browsers have in one form or another: the "speed dial". Originally from Opera, the feature is the visual implementation of your most recently or most frequently visited Web sites on the new tab page. Firefox add-ons have stepped up to fill the dial void, but implementation in each is uneven.

Speed Dial 0.9.5.8

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Speed Dial 0.9.5.8 (download) is the most robust of the four add-ons we’re looking at today. It’s highly customizable, offering the deep range of customizations that come with the best Firefox add-ons. Among the multitude of choices is the option to control whether it opens in new tabs or new windows; set the number of "dials," create dial groups and hook them to hot key combinations for quick launching; and customize the look of each dial’s thumbnail. It comes with a default weather dial in the number one position, although you can change that.

It has two problems, though. One is that it lacks the ability to automatically read your most frequently visited Web sites or most recently visited Web sites, which means that it requires your input before the dials get created, and the dials will never "learn" from your browsing habits. The second is that it appeared to slow down the browser’s behavior slightly.

AutoDial 9

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Auto Dial 9 (download) goes in the opposite direction. It looks solely at your most frequently visited and most recently visited Web sites, and provides little in the way of ancillary customizations. There are some tweaks that are available in about:config after you install the add-on, and the extension’s More Info page in the add-ons manager provides details on those. They are not an impressive set of customizations, though, dealing with button size and row width.

When you mouse over a link, which have been arranged in a slightly chaotic text cluster with inconsistent favicon support, a red X appears in the corner. Click it to remove the link from the list. While I like the concept of a pure frequently and recently visited list, this particular implementation is too disorganized to be overly useful.

Fast Dial 3.4

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Fast Dial 3.4 (download) behaves similarly to Speed Dial, but with fewer customization options. It also lacks the frequently and recently visited automation, and I actually had to restart the browser twice before it would show up in a new "new tab" page. You can add a new dial by right-clicking on an Web site you’re currently looking at, and choosing the Fast Dial option. Or from a new tab, double-click on the dial and you can manually add a site. When getting started, I found that adding the toolbar button made accessing the dial page much easier than without it. It does let you do things like expand the grid, and set a custom favicon and URL, small tweaks that some may appreciate. It didn’t present any of the performance hang-ups that can annoy in Speed Dial.

Sugestron Speed Dial 0.9.12

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

The add-on that most closely resembles speed dial implementation in other browsers is Sugestron Speed Dial 0.9.12. It’s limited to eight dials, and it has kludgy, awkwardly large icons for pinning sites to the dial and removing them. However, it does read your history accurately for frequently visited and recently visited sites. In fact, it’s so accurate it’ll pick up on visits to internal browser tools like the add-ons manager (about:addons).

If you’re looking for a simple port of the basic dial features in your speed dial add-on, Sugestron’s version is the way to go. Otherwise, Speed Dial offers the in-depth options that most people will want, while Fast Dial can provide you with a lightweight alternative to Speed Dial.

Got a favorite Firefox dialer? Tell me in the comments below.

How to get Speed Dial in Firefox
Seth Rosenblatt
Sat, 30 Apr 2011 00:57:26 GMT

Among the growing list of services dedicated to syncing and storing your files in the cloud, there are two that consistently register as top dogs: Dropbox and SugarSync. Both offer comprehensive (and different) suites of syncing and sharing tools, both have their benefits and drawbacks, and both offer free Android apps. Let’s take a look at what each of these apps offers in the way of mobile file-syncing.

When looking at a mobile application as an extension of a greater program or service, there are a few things it’s important to keep in mind. First, how well does the app perform its core functions? Second, how does it take advantage of mobile-specific tools and contexts? And third, is it stable and secure in a mobile environment? Considering these criteria and others, let’s see what each of our two subjects brings to the table.

(Credit: Dropbox)

(Credit: Dropbox)

Dropbox for Android is simple. It’s your good old magic Dropbox folder, but on your mobile device. Cleanly designed and straightforward, the app makes it easy to upload and delete files, or create new files using your phone’s camera, audio recorder, notepad, and so on.

For the well-connected among us, it’s also great for sharing files (or links to files) through e-mail, text message, Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, or whatever else you’ve got installed. In this regard, Dropbox makes fantastic use of the applications available on your mobile device. And as a plus, there’s a security password option in case your Dropbox folder contains sensitive information and your phone falls into the wrong hands.

Overall, Dropbox for Android performs its core functions perfectly and without any stability issues. It integrates well with your mobile device’s hardware, plays extremely well with other installed applications, and offers some extra security.

(Credit: SugarSync)

(Credit: SugarSync)

Meanwhile, SugarSync for Android is slightly more involved, since the SugarSync service itself offers so many more syncing options than its rival. It doesn’t revolve around a single carry-all folder the way Dropbox does. Rather, SugarSync allows you to pick and choose any folders on any of your devices to sync, which means tons of flexibility, especially with the built-in Android File Manager. As a whole, it may not be as simple as Dropbox’s app, but it’s certainly more feature-packed.

And then there’s the AutoSync Photos option, which, if you’re an avid phone photographer, is awesome, to say the least. Enable it, and every time you snap a photo it’ll automatically get backed up in the cloud–all in the background, without any pop-up confirmations.

Overall, SugarSync is a powerful app with a built-in File Manager and a really nifty AutoSync tool. While we did experience a few stability problems when testing AutoSync, for the most part it performed solidly, and is a worthwhile download.

Now, remember–while both Dropbox and SugarSync offer powerful suites of services that likely satisfy different file-syncing needs in different ways, this comparison is about their respective Android applications. So what’s the verdict? If you’re looking for a way to automatically back up photos as you take them, SugarSync is a no-brainer choice. Otherwise, Dropbox appears to be the simpler and more stable and secure file-syncing option for Android users. But hey, if you still can’t decide, why not just download them both?

Originally posted at Android Atlas

Android file syncer face-off: Dropbox vs. SugarSync
Jaymar Cabebe
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:56:34 GMT

Hints of Apple’s upcoming cloud-based storage service – now dubbed iCloud following the company’s takeover of the iCloud.com domain – have been found within the third release of the Mac OS X Lion developer preview under the ‘Castle’ codename.

First discovered by Consomac.fr is a ‘Find My Mac’ feature thought to offer the same functionality as the ‘Find My iPhone’ feature built into MobileMe. What’s more interesting, however, are the strings that indicate users can upgrade from MobileMe to a service called ‘Castle.’

‘Castle’ is believed to be the codename for iCloud – the cloud-based storage service that Apple is currently developing. The service is expected to offer users a way of storing their music and other content in a digital locker, which they can then stream to internet connected devices such as the iPhone and iPad, and save storage space which would usually be taken up by storing content locally.

The service got its ‘iCloud’ name after Apple purchased the domain from a Swedish company called Xcerion, who offer a similar storage service. Xcerion received $4.5 million to rebrand the service and give up the iCloud.com domain.

iCloud Found in OS X Lion Under ‘Castle’ Codename
Mon, 02 May 2011 10:39:12 GMT

As with any new Apple product, shortly after its release the white iPhone 4 received a customary teardown to see what’s inside. You’d be forgiven for thinking the internals for the white device are exactly the same as those featured within its black counterpart, but surely Apple changed something while it was delayed for all those months?

Well, the first teardowns for the new device reveal changes to both the proximity sensor and the rear-facing camera lens. One of the rumored issues which caused the white handset’s delay was light leakage into the camera; it seems Apple has rectified this issue with a more recessed camera lens.

As you can see in the comparison photo (top), the camera lens on the white device on the right is embedded much deeper into its surround, when compared to the lens featured on the black device on the left.

As for the proximity sensor, these are also different on each device, however, it’s currently unclear how the two components differ. Its obvious from recent images of the white iPhone 4 that Apple has modified the design of the proximity sensor externally: what was once tiny little holes above the device’s speaker is now a much more pronounced opening.

These changes have obviously been made to tackle the issues with the device that caused Apple a 10-month delay in bringing it to market. Issues with both the camera and proximity sensor were rumored long before the device’s release.

[via AppleInsider]

First White iPhone 4 Teardowns Reveal Modified Proximity Sensor, Camera Lens
Mon, 02 May 2011 10:39:11 GMT

Despite its Adobe Flash support, the BlackBerry Playbook is not the most anticipated tablet on the market, due to its small size (7-inch) and the relatively small number of applications available on its new OS when compared to major competitors such as iOS and Android.

However, I personally like the design, the user interface, and the screen quality – very much. The device also has the reputation to deliver very good multitasking performance, which was surprising for a BlackBerry device. That’s thanks to the Playbook brand new OS, which is based on QNX OS, and to the Dual Core TI OMAP 4430 system on a chip (Soc).

The Blackberry Playbook is positioned as a consumer device which also offers advanced security features designed to appeal to RIM’s traditional enterprise customers.

Blackberry Playbook Review, By Ubergizmo. Top Stories : EVO Shift 4G Review, MacBook Air Review,

 

Blackberry Playbook Review
Eliane Fiolet
Mon, 02 May 2011 09:40:16 GMT

Russell Adams / Wall Street Journal:
Time Inc. In iPad Deal With Apple  —  Time Inc., the country’s largest magazine publisher, has reached a deal with Apple Inc. (AAPL) to make all its iPad editions free for print subscribers, marking a break in the impasse between publishers and Apple and lending support to Time’s contention …

Time Inc. In iPad Deal With Apple (Russell Adams/Wall Street Journal)
Mon, 02 May 2011 01:00:28 GMT

 

At last, Apple will refresh its line of iMac all-in-one computers, adding the latest Intel Core i5/i7 “Sandy Bridge” architecture and that new Thunderbolt port, according to reliable sources.

The multiple sources, which AppleInsider indicates have all been reliable in the past, say the new models will be rolled out on Tuesday, May 3, immediately after Apple announces them.

Apple is late with this iMac update. The first PCs with the new chips and associated architecture (that we tested here) rolled out in January, 2011, and Apple shipped its MacBooks using the new Sandy Bridge architecture shortly thereafter. However, Apple delayed upgrading the hardware in its line of iMacs, which haven’t been refreshed since July 27, 2010.

Even though the iMacs will be tardy to the new processor game, this time Apple got lucky by delaying its rollout of the new architecture for its all-in-one desktops. In late January, Intel announced a flaw in its new Sandy Bridge architecture, causing it to stop shipments of certain motherboards and recall and replace some of those already shipped.

Let us know in the comments if this upgrade to Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt will make you more likely to buy an iMac.

Via AppleInsider

Apple to Roll Out New iMacs? [REPORT]
Charlie White
Sun, 01 May 2011 20:02:18 GMT

Google recently launched Google Talk with video and voice chat for Android phones. With the service, users will be able to video or voice chat with their friends and family directly from an Android phone. Calls can be placed over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connections. According to Google, the new features will first roll out to the Nexus S phones over…

Google Talk Enables Video Chat On Android Smartphones
Mon, 02 May 2011 03:59:27 GMT

This week in DistroWatch Weekly: Reviews: Gaming with Trine News: OMG! Ubuntu! publishes Unity guide, Lubuntu nears "official" status, Mageia releases first live CDs, interview with wattOS’ Ronald Ropp Questions and answers: Choosing the right distribution and software Released last week: Ubuntu 11.04, Slackware Linux 13.37, OpenBSD 4.9….

DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 403
Mon, 02 May 2011 09:00:02 GMT

Imagine that all the lights go out…

The Invisible Exhibition is a unique interactive journey to an invisible world, where in total darkness you find your way only by touch, sounds and scent.

Give us your blind trust!

If you join us, you will also be able to understand what life is like without one of the senses that  provides us with the most information, to live without your sight. At this exhibition you will be lead by blind or partially sighted people on a journey that will change perception and possibility even in your mind.

Interesting?
Strange?
Weird?
Or .. perhaps feels natural?
Could an hour of blindness open your eyes?
Could you use your computer running Ubuntu like this?

In the “Meet Daniela” post on April 6 we mentioned the Invisible Exhibition in Budapest which will be going on while many folks are in town for the Ubuntu Developer Summit (UDS). We have picked up the idea for attending this at UDS and with the Ubuntu Hungarian team have planned an outing open to all UDS attendees to the exhibition on the evening of Wednesday May 11th.

We need to buy the tickets for this exhibition in advance and arrange an English language guide so we request that everyone registers by this Friday the 6th to be guaranteed a spot so we can contact the exhibition with an estimate on the size of our group. However, we will accept registrations through the afternoon of Monday the 9th as we will be purchasing tickets Monday evening.

Registration is being handled through the LoCo Directory here: http://loco.ubuntu.com/events/team/949/detail/

Costs are detailed here, we’re not sure yet whether we’ll meet the group rate and an English-speaking guide costs extra per group: http://www.lathatatlan.hu/en/what-is-it/tickets/ A couple of community members will be handle paying for the tickets up front, and once we know how much final costs are we will let you know and you can pay us (in cash) at UDS.

We must meet directly after the final session of the day as we plan on leaving at 6:15 sharp to catch public transit over to the exhibition. After this exhibition we plan of going out to dinner, but you’re welcome to make your own plans.

If you have accessibility needs or any other questions please don’t hesitate to contact lyz@ubuntu.com as soon as possible so we can be sure to make proper arrangements.

 

Accessibility Team: The Invisible Exhibition at UDS
Sun, 01 May 2011 21:37:16 GMT

Sony Computer Entertainment President and CEO Kazuo Hirai, center, bows along with two other executives at the start of a press conference at the Sony Corp. headquarters in Tokyo Sunday, May 1, …

Sony execs apologize for PlayStation Network security breach
Mon, 02 May 2011 09:02:42 GMT

Our Tech Tips Editor Rhiannon has compiled this really useful list of Word tips. Microsoft Word is a complex program that can do thousands of things. and very few people will ever fully master this product and that includes me. So it comes as no surprise that I had never heard of several of the Word features mentioned in her list of tips.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/21-great-tips-using-microsoft-word-20072010.htm

 

21 Great Tips For Using Microsoft Word 2007/2010
Mon, 02 May 2011 08:36:53 GMT

This highly popular article has just been refreshed by volunteer editor Joshua Freeman, who is a lawyer. The article is of greatest relevance to the USA but there is information here that is pertinent to most legal systems.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/free-legal-information-on-the-web.htm

 

Updated: Free Legal Information on the Web
Mon, 02 May 2011 08:24:31 GMT

In this week’s ZoomText tip, Tony will show you how to use the Save and Restore View hotkeys to quickly jump your magnified view to areas of interest on screen.  He’ll also show you some other screen navigation hotkeys to help you move around faster!

Watch it right here by clicking on the image below or go onto YouTube and watch it there.

If you have any suggestions for a future tips video, please leave a comment on this or any of the other ZoomText tip posts!

ZoomText Tech Support Tip: Save/Restore View hotkeys
Derek Bove
Mon, 28 Jun 2010 15:00:50 GMT

By Mike Williams

The program creates an Autorun.inf folder on your chosen drive, which in turn contains additional files and a hidden folder. So if you plug in a USB device, malware can’t write a new Autorun.inf file. In theory.

USB Immunizer: Last defense against auto-run malware?
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:56:23 GMT

This month, Eric Damery tells us about the many features and enhancements contained in the Update 1 release of our JAWS 12® screen reading software. Eric also tells us about the JAWS Certification Program.

We then take you back to the CSUN 2011 conference, this time to hear from Glen Gordon, who demonstrates using JAWS 12 with Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2010.

Show Host: Jonathan Mosen

Blindness and Low Vision Product Podcast (MP3 audio) – (April – 2011)

FSCast Episode 53, April 2011
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:30:00 GMT

Most people know how to pin icons to the Windows task bat but few know these nifty tricks covering what you can do with pinned icons. I certainly didn’t.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/content/three-tricks-using-apps-pinned-windows-7-taskbar.htm

 

Three Tricks for Using Apps Pinned to the Windows 7 Taskbar
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:48:50 GMT

Don’t ditch that premium cable subscription just yet. The long-anticipated HBO Go app just hit the iOS App Store and Android Market, bringing original HBO series and a variety of blockbuster films to your mobile device. You’ll need an HBO subscription with your cable provider to get past the login screen, but unlocking all that the service has to offer using our Verizon FiOS account took just a second, and we were off and running with Avatar less than a minute after launching the app. We’ll have a full hands-on later today, but if you’re an HBO subscriber with an iOS or Android slab, head over to your device’s respective store to download the free app.
[Thanks, Jason]

HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers
Zach Honig
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:14:00 GMT

 

The outage of some of Amazon’s AWS services, which caused downtime to many prominent websites, is finally behind us. Amazon has issued a formal apology and a lengthy explanation of how and why it happened, along with a list of measures it plans to implement to prevent such incidents from happening.

System admins and developers will probably find the detailed (and quite technical) explanation an interesting read.

The document lists tweaks and improvements Amazon plans to put in place to reduce the possibility of such an outage happening again. First, Amazon plans to give customers the ability to take advantage of multiple Availability Zones, which are like independent server clusters in the cloud, designed to be insulated from failures in other zones in the cloud. Amazon also plans to do a better job at making it easier to deploy a service over multiple availability zones, which is — by its own admission — a daunting task.

Amazon also plans to invest in speedier recovery from failures and improve communication with its clients. “We switched to more regular updates part of the way through this event and plan to continue with similar frequency of updates in the future. In addition, we are already working on how we can staff our developer support team more expansively in an event such as this, and organize to provide early and meaningful information, while still avoiding speculation,” says the AWS team.

Amazon will also reimburse affected customers with a 10-day credit equal to 100% of their usage of EBS Volumes, EC2 Instances and RDS database instances that were running in the affected Availability Zone. The credit will be automatically applied to the customers’ AWS bill.

Finally, Amazon has formally apologized for the outage. “We know how critical our services are to our customers’ businesses and we will do everything we can to learn from this event and use it to drive improvement across our services,” the post concludes.

Amazon Finally Apologizes & Explains Cloud Outage In-Depth
Stan Schroeder
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:56:58 GMT

There’s a Kickstarter project that’s inspired from the promise of the ill-fated Microsoft Courier and delivers a similar "two-panel" experience to the iPad. Interested? Yeah, us too. It’s called Taposé and it comes with an adjustable split screen interface that’s supposed to let you "interact with multiple apps simultaneously in the company of Taposé collections". More »

 

This App Might Be Able to Turn Your iPad into the Fabled Microsoft Courier [Apps]
Casey Chan
Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:40:00 GMT

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft kicks off around 8 p.m. at Radio City Music Hall but if you’re not one of the players collecting racks on racks of cash (assuming there is a 2011 season of course) you can still get live updates via the NFL’s apps for iOS and Android devices. The NFL GameCenter apps that have been kicking around for iPhone/iPod touch and Android phones have been updated for the 2011 season in Lite (free) and Premium ($1.99) forms, and should be able to ply on the go users with live updates and information on each pick. The couch companion intended iPad app (pictured above, no Honeycomb love this go-round) is making its NFL Draft debut and adds on to the smaller format versions by including live NFL.com video streams both from within the auditorium and from the studio, video highlights and interactive features. Check out the screens for a better look at the UI or just click the source links below to download the free app of your choice — you’ll have to find the apps for tomorrow morning’s Royal Wedding on your own.

NFL Mobile apps bring the draft to you live tonight on iPhone, iPad and Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

NFL Mobile apps bring the draft to you live tonight on iPhone, iPad and Android
Richard Lawler
Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:21:00 GMT

Mozilla Firefox_®, Portable Edition 3.6.17 (Legacy Edition) and 3.5.19 have been released in 17 languages. It’s the current Mozilla Firefox browser from the older 3.6 and 3.5 releases bundled with a PortableApps.com launcher as a portable app, so you can take your browser, bookmarks, settings and extensions on the go. It’s primarily intended for web page testers as all users are encouraged to upgrade to the current Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition 4.0.1 release. This release will install alongside a current Firefox Portable install in a FirefoxPortableLegacy36 or 35 directory by default, though it can also be used to upgrade an existing installation. It’s packaged in PortableApps.com Format so it can easily integrate with the PortableApps.com Suite. And, as always, it’s open source and completely free. Read on for more details…

Mozilla®, Firefox® and the Firefox logo are registered trademarks of the Mozilla Foundation and are used under license.

read more

Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition 3.6.17 and 3.5.19 Legacy (web browser) Released
John T. Haller
Thu, 28 Apr 2011 23:45:21 GMT

A fast browser that includes tabbed browsing, pop-up blocking, plugins, skins, more.

Mozilla Firefox 4.0.1
Thu, 28 Apr 2011 19:59:32 GMT

Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition 3.1.10 has been released in Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Dutch, English, English (Great Britain), French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal), Russian and Spanish (Spain and International) packages. It’s the popular Mozilla Thunderbird email client bundled with a PortableApps.com launcher as a portable app. This release updates Mozilla Thunderbird to the latest release. It’s packaged in PortableApps.com Format so it can easily integrate with the PortableApps.com Suite. And it’s open source and completely free. Read on for more details…

Update automatically in the PortableApps.com Platform 2.0 Beta 5 by clicking ‘Check for Updates’.

Mozilla®, Thunderbird® and the Thunderbird logo are registered trademarks of the Mozilla Foundation and are used under license.

read more

Mozilla Thunderbird, Portable Edition 3.1.10 (email client) Released
John T. Haller
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:25:34 GMT

If currently use Firefox as your web browser, you may have dozens of bookmarks saved so that you can easily access your favorite websites. If you are now planning to switch from Firefox to either a new browser or to a new computer and don’t want to lose these bookmarks, you will want to export your bookmarks from Firefox. Depending on whether you are switching browsers or computers will depend on the method by which you export your Firefox bookmarks. Here’s how to export your Firefox bookmarks either way.

If you are switching computers, you will want to export your Firefox bookmarks by saving them as a file that can be imported into Firefox on your new computer. Exporting your bookmarks from Firefox to use on another computer only works if you plan on using Firefox on your new computer. If you do plan on continuing to use Firefox, you can use the backup feature for bookmarks. To start this process, click the Bookmarks menu and then choose the option to Organize Bookmarks. To backup your bookmarks, choose Backup from the Import and Backup dropdown menu at the top of the Bookmarks Library widow. This will save your bookmarks as a .json file, which you can import Firefox on any other computer. Keep in mind that importing new bookmarks will overwrite existing bookmarks on the other computer, so you may want to make a backup of those bookmarks, too, before you import your new bookmarks. When you are ready to import your bookmarks to Firefox on the new computer, simply go Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks and then clicking Import and Backup, choose Restore, and then select your new bookmark file.

If you want to export your Firefox bookmarks to import into another browswer on the same computer, you can use the Export HTML option to export your bookmarks from Firefox. You can then use the import option in your new browser to import your Firefox bookmarks.

How To Export Your Firefox Bookmarks
Kelly Clay
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:16:15 GMT

Mario Behling has announced the release of Lubuntu 11.04, an unofficial Ubuntu variant that showcases the lightweight, but full-featured LXDE desktop: "Julien Lavergne has released Lubuntu 11.04. Features: based on the lightweight LXDE desktop environment; PCManFM 0.9.8, a fast and lightweight file manager using GIO/GVFS; LXDE, a lightweight….

Distribution Release: Lubuntu 11.04
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 06:00:36 GMT

Scott Lavender has announced the release of Ubuntu Studio 11.04, a specialist Ubuntu variant featuring a large collection of packages for multimedia tasks: "The Ubuntu Studio team is very excited over its ninth release: 11.04 ‘Natty Narwhal’, available as a 1.5 GB DVD ISO image. Numerous improvements have….

Distribution Release: Ubuntu Studio 11.04
Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:54:07 GMT