Firefox 4 Beta Gives You an Easier Firefox Sync Setup and 3D Graphics for the Holidays

Firefox are excited to release the latest Firefox 4 Beta. This beta offers easier account and new device setup for Firefox Sync, expanded support for 3D graphics in the browser and a revamped Firefox Add-ons Manager.
Streamlined Firefox Sync Setup
Firefox 4 Beta now includes a streamlined Firefox Sync setup, making it easier to bring Awesome bar history, bookmarks, open tabs and passwords across your computers and smartphones. Based on your feedback, Firefox’ve made it much easier to setup Firefox Sync while still securing your Firefox data with the same high-grade encryption. Ragavan Srinivasan, Project Manager for Firefox Sync, describes the new setup procedure for desktops, laptops, Android or Nokia Maemo phones and iPhones in more detail (and with videos!) in his blog post.
Increased Support for 3D Graphics
FirefoxbGL is an open standard for accelerated 3D graphic rendering on the Firefoxb that enables developers to build applications that until now required a user to install plug-ins. Firefox 4 Beta now supports FirefoxbGL for most modern built-in graphics cards, making it easier for developers to create interactive 3D games, vivid graphics and new visual experiences for the Firefox without the use of third-party plug-ins. For more information on FirefoxbGL, read this post
Combined with our previous work to bring open HTML5 technologies for animation, video, and sound to the Firefoxb, developers can now create amazing experiences that are rendered directly in the browser, combining themselves with live data from the Internet. Watch the video of the “Flight of the Navigator” below, or better yet, try it on your computer (it requires a modern computer with recent graphics hardware). The live demo is rendered in your browser as you watch. As Professor and Mozilla Developer Dave Humphrey describes, this is not a video – it’s built using open technologies, pulls in data from Twitter and Flickr, and puts it all together as you watch.
Automatic Updates with new Firefox Add-ons Manager
The revamped Firefox Add-ons Manager is now available on Windows, Mac and Linux with an easy way to manage and discover add-ons to enhance and personalize your browsing experience. Now, add-ons update automatically with the Firefox Add-Ons Manager enables add-ons to update automatically so your add-ons are always up to date. For more information on the Firefox Add-ons Manager, see this blog post from Jennifer Boriss on the Firefox User Experience team.
Making Firefox Add-ons Compatible
Firefox are working with the amazing community of add-ons developers to get the gallery of thousands of beneficial and fun add-ons ready to customize the features, look and functionality of Firefox 4 Beta. For more details on how to make your add-on compatible for Firefox 4, read this blog.
Thank you to all our beta testers for all the help building and testing Firefox 4 Beta. Please keep the feedback coming. Firefox love to hear from you and Firefox couldn’t build Firefox 4 Beta without you.
For more information:

• Download Firefox 4 Beta
• Learn more about the features
• Submit your feedback
• Short, to the point FAQ
• Long, technical release notes

Next Major Version of Firefox is Ready to Test : Firefox 4 Beta

The latest Firefox 4 Beta is available to test the cool features and improvements in the next version of Firefox. As Firefox continue to refine features and performance in Firefox 4 Beta, this release includes faster start-up time, bookmarking and makes complex animations smoother.
Firefox 4 Beta is built for the way people use the web today, offering more control over the browsing experience. It introduces a fresh new look and features like App Tabs and Panorama to make it easier and more efficient to navigate the web. Firefox 4 Beta also includes performance enhancements to make everything faster from start-up time to page-load speed and the performance of web applications and games. Firefox Sync is integrated into the browser with Firefox 4 Beta, giving you access to your Bar history, bookmarks, open tabs and passwords across computers and smart phones.
Firefox 4 Beta also enables developers to create fun web apps and websites. With full support for HTML5 features in Firefox 4 Beta, developers can create new ways for people to enjoy the web. This includes webM and HD video, 3D graphic rendering with webGL, hardware acceleration and the Mozilla Audio API to help create visual experiences for sound. Director of Product Platform Management Chris Blizzard has a full overview of all developer tools in Firefox 4 Beta.
Firefox continue to improve and polish Firefox 4 Beta to ensure Firefox deliver an awesome experience to our 400 million users around the world. Firefox couldn’t do this without the help of our beta testers and their feedback. Please continue to test Firefox 4 Beta on your favorite websites and report issues with anything from games, video and music to graphics and forms through the Feedback button on the browser. Firefox want to hear how Firefox can improve the features of Firefox 4 Beta and performance on specific sites.
For more information:
• Download Firefox 4 Beta
• Learn more about the features

Reality TV for the Rest of Us with the help of Facebook

We've all been there—spending hours in front of the TV, getting lost clicking through hundreds of channels, just to realize that you haven't really watched anything at all. The best way to stay out of the TV weeds is to get recommendations from your friends, who can help answer the age-old question, "What's on tonight?"

Now Facebook is announcing a partnership with Clicker, an Internet television guide, to help you instantly discover new shows based on what you and your friends have liked on Facebook and other websites. Now you can spend less... time channel surfing and more time socializing—no remotes, listings or passwords required.

When you first arrive at Clicker, you'll see TV recommendations based on the shows you've added to your Facebook profile and the shows your friends like.  For example, if five of your friends like "Glee," it could be surfaced as a show you might also enjoy.

The more TV shows you like on Facebook and other websites with the Like button, the better your recommendations will get on Clicker.  As you take more actions on the site, such as clicking the Like button or Clicker's own "Love it," "Don't" or "Watching" buttons, your recommendations will become stronger.

When you find shows that interest you, click through to watch them on the websites that host the content. You'll also have the option to share them with your friends on Facebook by leaving a comment or clicking the Like button.

Making Photo Tagging Easier on Facebook

Every day, people add more than 100 million tags to photos on Facebook. They do it because it's an easy way to share photos and memories. Unlike photos that get forgotten in a camera or an unshared album, tagged photos help you and your friends relieve everything from that life-altering skydiving trip to a birthday dinner where the laughter never stopped. Tags make photos one of the most popular features on Facebook.

While tags are an essential tool for sharing important moments, many of you have said tagging photos can be a chore. (Like... that time you had to tag your cousin and her fiancé over and over and over again in 64 different pictures of their engagement party, and then go back and tag the guests.)

Since October (2010), Facebook have been working to make this process easier for you. First Facebook added group tagging, so you could type one name and apply it to multiple photos of the same person. Now Facebook is announcing tag suggestions, which will make tagging multiple photos even more convenient.

Because photos are such an important part of Facebook, Facebook want to be sure you know exactly how tag suggestions work: When you or a friend upload new photos, Facebook use face recognition software—similar to that found in many photo editing tools—to match your new photos to other photos you're tagged in. Facebook group similar photos together and, whenever possible, suggest the name of the friend in the photos.

If for any reason you don't want your name to be suggested, you will be able to disable suggested tags in your Privacy Settings. Just click "Customize Settings" and "Suggest photos of me to friends." Your name will no longer be suggested in photo tags, though friends can still tag you manually. You can learn more about this feature in there Help Center.

Now if you upload pictures from your cousin's wedding, Facebook will group together pictures of the bride and suggest her name. Instead of typing her name 64 times, all you'll need to do is click "Save" to tag all of your cousin's pictures at once. By making tagging easier than before, you're more likely to know right away when friends post photos. Facebook notify you when you're tagged, and you can untag yourself at any time.  As always, only friends can tag each other in photos.

Facebook will be debuting tag suggestions to users in the United States over the next few weeks. Look for tags suggestions when you upload groups of photos that feature the same friends, and see how they can help you share life's occasions—large and small—every day.

New profile of Facebook

Making Mobile More Social

Next Evolution of Messages

Friendship Pages Launched

The New Profile Is Here

Last month, facebook introduced the new profile, which now makes it even easier for you to tell your story and learn about your friends. For the month of December, facebook gave people the option to upgrade to the new profile early, and hundreds of millions of people made the switch. Starting today, facebook will be rolling out the new profile to everyone.

The new profile features:

A quick summary of who you are (like where you live, work and grew up), right at the top of your profile

A row of recently tagged photos so friends can see what you've been up to lately...

Room to highlight meaningful friendships (like teammates, co-workers or roommates)

More of your favorite activities and interests

The ability to tag your friends in important life experiences

You can also learn about these new features by taking the quick tour available at the top of your new profile.

For more information about the new profile, click here

IPhone 4 Coming to Verizon Wireless Early Next Month

After years of rumor and speculation, the iPhone 4 is coming to Verizon Wireless on February 10. Existing Verizon customers will get exclusive pre-order access starting February 3.

Verizon has announced that the iPhone 4 will run on Verizon's CDMA network and not its new 4G LTE network as some have speculated. It will, allow for global roaming, with voice and text in more than 40 countries and data in more than 20 countries.

A splash page on Verizon's Website lists the iPhone 4's starting price as $199.99 for a 16 GB model with a two-year contract. A 32 GB model will cost $299.99, same as with AT&T. The 8 GB iPhone 3GS, which now costs $49 with AT&T, will not be available on Verizon's network.

Although the phone will be mostly the same as AT&T's iPhone 4, Verizon's version can also be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to five connections through a pre-installed app. AT&T's iPhone can only tether to computers through USB. On the downside, Verizon iPhone users will not be able to talk and use data at the same time.

As for carrier bloatware, none will come pre-installed on the device, but a FAQ on Verizon's Website says it will make "other popular apps available in the market such as VZ Navigator, and V CAST Media Manager."

Some basic specs, unchanged from AT&T's version: The iPhone 4 has a 960-by-640 resolution screen, a 5-megapixel camera with Flash, a front-facing camera for video chat and gyroscope sensors for gaming.

Verizon and Apple won't say whether an iPhone 5 will launch this summer, as has been the custom with previous AT&T iPhones.

According to Technologizer's live blog, Apple has a multi-year, non-exclusive arrangement with Verizon. So there's a chance that the iPhone could come to Sprint and T-Mobile as well.

Verizon subscribers can check their availability here.