Daily News Brief: Hacking Firefox 3!

Posted 06/13/2008 at 1:54pm | by Paul Lilly

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Out Fox Firefox 3!

Mozilla's Firefox 3 RC3 brings some neato features to the browsing table, but you may find that several of your favorite extensions have not yet been upgraded to work with the beta release. Extensions without official FF3 support are unavailable for download, but there's a simple trick to re-enable them. If you're adventurous enough, follow the step-by-step instructions found here, and post your experience(s) below.

Questions Surround Snow Leopard

Despite rumors floating around that the next version of OS X will exclude PowerPC-based Macs, that still remains to be seen. A screenshot from the developer preview does show an Intel processor as a system requirement, but final system requirements won't be known until closer to Snow Leopard's release, which incidentally is also unknown at this point. Also up in the air is whether or not Leopard's increased speed and optimizations will be enough to entice users into paying $129 for the OS.

Comcast Uploads on the Up and UP

Comcast Performance and Performance Plus customers can now enjoy increased upstream speeds at no additional cost. Comcast nearly tripled the upload speed of its Performance package from 384Kbps to 1Mbps, and almost doubled the Performance Plus upload speed from 768Kbps to 2Mbps. Comcast also increased the temporary download speeds associated with its PowerBoost technology, bumping Performance and Performance Plus customers up to 12Mbps and 16Mbps respectively.

Microsoft Ready to Move On (From Yahoo)

After once threatening Yahoo's board of directors with the prospect of a hostile takeover, Microsoft now seems completely content to part ways. "The conclusion of discussions follows numerous meetings and conversations with Microsoft regarding a number of transaction alternatives," Yahoo said in a statement. Yahoo's shares dropped more than 12 percent following the news.

MySpace Renovations

Social networking site MySpace plans to revamp its site to draw more members and help them better engage with one another. Search results will soon be separated into tabs, and searches on other users will include the ability to filter by location, gender, or age and invite them to be friends. Profile changes are coming too, all in an ongoing effort to appeal to a wider audience beyond teens and young adults. Read more here.

Game Sales Surging

According to new figures from the NPD Group, the video game market in May grew 37 percent to $1.12 billion over the same month last year, recording a staggering $6.6 billion in sales so far this year. That's enough to put game sales on pace to hit record revenues by year's end. But while video games are enjoying big numbers, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 console sales remain stagnant. Nintendo, meanwhile, continues to see strong demand for both the Wii and DS.

Wiihab

Playing games isn't just fun, it could help overcome injuries thanks to Nintendo's Wii Fit add-on. Sue Stanley-Green, a professor of athletic training at Florida Southern College in Lakeland, believes the Wii Fit can help with core strengthening and rehabilitation exercises. Video games help address one of the most difficult aspects of rehabilitation by getting patients to perform tedious, repetitive tasks. Add to that the Wii's widespread appeal spanning everyone from toddlers to grandparents, and it's easy to see why health care professionals see "great potential" in the Wii Fit.