Xbox Live Preview

Well, it looks like I will be one of the lucky ones to preview the new update for Xbox Live.  There is no exact time frame except that when it comes out they will let us know.  And then, I will let you all know.

Here is a list of some features.

I think I am most stoked about the Netflix experience.  I use it quite often and would love for it to improve even more.  I prefer it to the TiVo, because it streams a lot better.

Safari 4 Beta Now Available

Some of us seriously like to use multiple browsers for different reasons. I myself mainly use Firefox, but will use Chrome, Safari and if worse comes to worse, Internet Explorer. But it looks like Safari is doing its best to move up the charts with their latest beta release. Safari 4 is now available for download, and it comes with some hot improvements. The download requires a security (2009-01), but once that’s done you’re ready to rock and roll. Check the bullet points:

• Javascript runs 4X faster.
• Cover Flow browsing for bookmarks
• Full History search (all the pages you’ve visited with the titles, URS, ect.)
• Top Sites (Visually shows all your most visited websites on one page)
Well it looks like Apple is trying to give you a reason to come back to Safari. Now if they can just develop an incognito mode ;-)

[Crunchgear]

To Beta or Not To Beta?

Many tech enthusiasts have ventured into the waters of trying a computer program that is a "Beta" product- A product still under construction from both a coding and quality assurance point of view. When anyone does this; they are taking a risk (albeit a calculated one if you're experienced and have confidence in a company's ability to put out beta builds that are stable).

The thing is, it's still a risk. One way to mitigate that risk is to either have a test partition on your hard drive that you can choose to boot to; or run a virtual machine which provides a "sandbox" that more or less faithfully reproduces an operating system. (I highly recommend ALWAYS going this route; even if it's something you trust)

Why?

Because if you don't, other software may become unstable (your whole OS for instance) if a new dll file is installed overwriting one that other programs depend on to be stable. New programs sometimes upgrade known dll's (or other file types) without your knowledge; and whats worse, just because you uninstall the "beta" program; many 9if not most) times files from the beta are not either removed or placed back to it's prior state.

This can be any kind of file and can happen on a Mac OSX, Linux, Windows, or any other type of O.S.

Vista has made some strides in this area by segregating installed files from each other so that installing something (in theory) shouldn't crash other apps or your OS altogether.

So my question is regarding the new beta of Google Chrome, and/or Microsoft's IE8 Beta II. of those who've tried it out. Are you protecting yourself by installing it in a "non-live" environment? If you're installing it on a live environment; make a case for why you think it's no big deal.

The only reason I can think of to do my last proposal is because you have shadow copies, or frequently ghosted images of your system.

Also, whether you've installed the beta of Google Chrome or IE8 beta II; have you noticed any degraded performance on your O.S. or other apps? (test or not).

And finally; if you do use a test system for betas, what do you use? Microsoft's Virtual PC? VMWare? Zen? other hard drive or partition.

This should be an interesting discussion.

iphone Firmware 2.1 In Beta Testing: New GPS Features?

The iphone 2.0 firmware isn’t even cold in our hands and word comes down that Apple is beta testing firmware 2.1. Gear Live is reporting that Apple is beta testing the new firmware which is said to improve the GPS features to the phone. The change is to the core location functions which will track what direction you’re going and how fast. Hopefully, this will be the beginning of true turn-by-turn directions for the iphone.

[Gear Live via Gizmodo]

Internet Explorer 8 Beta

I recently decided to start trying the new Internet Explorer 8 beta. As with any beta, you mileage may vary and it is usually not recommended to try unless you know what you're doing, or without knowing possible consequences. But I don't worry too much about betas of internet browsers. There isn't too much that can happen to a full system that an uninstall can't fix.

I was glad to see that Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows has his own full preview of the beat available here. I enjoy this guys work and opinions so give it a look.

Firefox 3 Beta 3 due today

Firefox 3 beta 3 is due out later today. And while there aren't any major surprises, it's nice to see the new features like improved OS-specific themes and a new bookmark/history manager. Mozilla Links has posted a great overview of the changes you'll see in the latest beta.

First up Firefox 3 beta 3 looks more at home on Windows XP, Vista, OS X, and Linux (or at least Ubuntu). The new themes are still a work in progress, but users will notice redesigned icons and a slightly changed toolbar layout. For example, the backward and forward buttons in the Windows version have been combined into one button. At first we were a bit concerned, and then we realize how much more often we hit the back button than the forward button and we realized we were just scared of change. Plus, while this is the new default, users can easily separate the buttons.

The Mac and Linux versions now have native windows for file and text selection boxes and other menus. And the OS X version also includes Growl integration. Another nice new feature is that when you try to close multiple tabs or close a browser session with multiple tabs open, Firefox will ask if you want to save your session. Right now, you can only save a session if Firefox crashes or if you install an add-on like Session Fix.

Firefox 3 beta 3 isn't available for download just yet. But as soon as it is, you'll be able to download it from the Firefox beta downloads page.

Thanks to Download Squad

FireFox 3 Beta: Oh The Memory Usage

I love FireFox!!!

It is by far the best browser available, at least in my humble opinion. With the extensions that are available for you to install, you can tweak it to do everything that you need.

Of course the guys at Mozilla didn't want to stop there, as they've released FireFox 3 beta, and they've added some pretty cool features and tweaks. But as you know with a beta comes the bugs, and some memory usage has come front and center. Will they have this worked out by release date? I sure hope so. But if you want to check it out, and don't mind a little performance issues, go give it a test run and let us know how it went.

Firefox 3 Beta 1 web browser [Firefox via Crunchgear]

Did The Beta Kill The Halo 3 Hype?

If you're a Halo 3 fan, there is an interesting article written by Mr. David M from MyArcadePlanet who asks the question, did the beta of Halo 3 kill the hype?

It certainly an interesting read, due to the fact that David feels the beta gave us to much information about the game, where as Halo 2 only brought us screen shots from magazines. I didn't get a chance to get in on the beta fun but I know that this only made the game better, and I know that the single player campaign will have many surprises that were not included in the beta.

If you're a Halo fan, it is worth the read.

Check it out after the jump. [MyArcadePlanet via G4TV]