Updated (12:30 a.m. PT, July 1, 2010): Clarified the relationship between Firefox Home and Safari.
If you've been one of the many clamoring to see Firefox running on an iPhone, you may get your chance--of sorts.
Back in late May, Mozilla announced that it would be creating an iPhone version of its Firefox browser--though the solution is not a browser itself. On Wednesday, Mozilla submitted its Firefox Home iPhone app to Apple for testing--and, it hopes, for approval.
The free Firefox Home is more of a window to your Firefox browsing rather than a competing browser itself, which Apple's software development kit prohibits. Rather, the app relies on Firefox Sync, a cloud-based syncing technology that promises to securely sync your desktop bookmarks, history, and open tabs across Firefox browsers on desktops, mobile phones, and tablets. You'll be able to view recent Web sites directly from Firefox Home via a WebKit viewer or by opening your previously visited Web pages in the default Safari browser.
On the coding end, Firefox Home's URL viewer is based on WebKit, the same technology that powers the default Safari browser. Thanks to the app's role as a browser-helper that merely fetches your Firefox data rather than a Safari replacement, there's a good chance that Apple won't reject the app as a competing browser software, as the company has (in)famously done with full HTML browser attempts in the past.
Apart from delivering Web addresses, Firefox Home will also share links via e-mail.
It could take Apple days, weeks, or months to approve--or possibly reject--the app. We'll keep you posted with what happens next.
If PayPal has its way, you'll be using its service to pay for all kinds of apps and software updates with your credit card.
Last week, the electronic payments company announced a new service for developers that will let software-writers accept credit card payments using PayPal without requiring buyers to have a PayPal account.
The program, called Guest Payments, will let software developers offer credit card payments for an app in addition to PayPal's electronic transferring of funds between a buyer and seller. Publishers will be able to add PayPal's credit card payment options to any app--desktop, mobile phone, and Web.
One reason PayPal's electronic payments service has historically been so appealing is the anonymity it affords the customers and the convenience it lends the merchants. Customers--like you and me--can let PayPal handle secure money transfers without handing over credit card or bank account details to every small-time publisher.
For their part, merchants can get the buyer's name and payment without having to set up shop to handle security standards or deal with fraud--in exchange for a transaction fee.
It will be interesting to see how this new PayPal service pans out on the mobile phone front in particular. Many smartphone platforms already offer their own application stores, and methods for application-buyers to pay through some combination of credit card or carrier billing.
BlackBerry-maker RIM has notably relied solely on PayPal to sell apps, requiring users to register for a PayPal account if they wanted to buy any software. A forthcoming update to BlackBerry App World will add a new credit card payment option and carrier billing, both which will exist outside of PayPal.
While PayPal's new payment option will crop up in app payments, we're not expecting to see it take over those mobile storefronts that have payment systems already in place.
You can now view Microsoft® Word files as attachments in Gmail with a single click -- no need to download, save, and open files with a desktop application to preview. The Google Docs viewer that allows you to view .pdf, .ppt, and .tiff files in your browser, now supports .doc and .docx formats.
Editions included:
Standard, Premier, Education and Partner Editions
Languages included:
All languages supported by Gmail
How to access what's new:
If you receive a message in Gmail with a .doc or .docx attachment, click on ‘View’ at the bottom of the message to easily see a preview of the attachment.
Gmail can now open all Microsoft Word files (both DOC and DOCX formats) in Google Docs Viewer with the click of a link—a new feature accompanied by an equally simple route to editing the file in Google Docs. More »
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve probably been able to learn a lot about using Facebook Pages (You might have also downloaded The Complete Facebook Guide For Small Nonprofits, which was published last week).
One thing that sets Facebook Pages apart from Profiles, Groups and Community Pages is the ability to create custom tabs using an application called FBML.
How to Customize Your Facebook Page Using Static FBML
Image via ARMdevices video
E-ink, a company hard at work on perfecting electronic paper technology, has revealed a new flexible e-paper display that is intended to help get more e-readers into schools. The classroom is an ideal setting for e-readers -- they hold hundreds of books and images, allow note-taking and other necessary features students need, and may one day soon even be able to play video, all on a low-power device. Companies from Sony to Amazon are vying to make the perfect device for students, but what they'll all need is a displa...Read the full story on TreeHugger
If your organization is struggling to figure out Facebook – and who isn’t? – social media consultant John Haydon has a free ebook for you: "The Complete Guide to Facebook for Small Non-Profits" is a comprehensive collection of strategies, tactics, tips, and tutorials to help small non-profits get more out of using Facebook....(read more)
If you commute using mass transportation like I do, you might occasionally decide to take a nap enroute. The solution: An iPhone app that wakes you when it reaches a particular location.
Designed with a dash of simplicity, a pinch of minimalism, and a healthy helping of elegance, singlePAGERS are WordPress-powered one-page microsites that help you stay socially visible on the internet!
Google Apps administrators can now manage multiple domains from one control panel in Google Apps. Users from different domains preserve their original email address, but all users are on the organization's global address list, and calendars, docs and sites can be shared throughout the entire organization.
Editions included:
Premier and Education Editions
Languages included:
US English only
How to access what's new:
Admins can now add additional domains in the Control Panel under ‘Domain Settings’ by adding the domain name in the text box. For these domains, admins will still have to verify domain ownership just like the primary domain.
To add another domain:
1. In the Google Apps Control Panel, click ‘Domain settings’, then ‘Domain names’.
2. Click ‘Add a domain or a domain alias’.
3. Enter the domain name that you want to add in the text box.
4. If you just want to add the domain as a domain alias, enable the checkbox ‘Make this domain an alias of my primary domain’.
5. Click ‘Continue and verify domain ownership’ to verify ownership of the domain
6. Follow the instructions to verify domain ownership and set up email delivery.
- After adding a domain, when admins now create a new user, they will have the choice to create the user with
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
.
- This feature is only available to domains using the ‘Next Generation’ version of the Control Panel. To enable this version in the control panel, click ‘Domain settings’ > ’General’ and ensure the checkbox ‘Next generation (US English only)’ is enabled.
- These changes are gradually rolling out and will happen in the next few days.
Note: It is not currently possible to merge existing Google Apps accounts. For more information on what is supported by multi-domain management, please visit the Help Center.
To learn more about the new Multi-domain management feature and more recent launches on Google Apps, please join us for a live webinar on Tuesday, July 13th at 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT.
- Format painter allows you to apply the same formatting to other elements more easily.
- GoogleLookup function attempts to find the values for straightforward facts about specific things.
Editions included:
Standard, Premier, Education, Team and Partner Editions
Languages included:
All languages supported by Google Docs
*GoogleLookup function is English-only
How to access what's new:
Format Painter: Apply the formatting that you want to a particular cell/column/row. Click the paintbrush icon to use the format painter, then click your desired cell/column/row to apply the exact same formatting.
GoogleLookup: Enter this formula syntax in the desired cell: =GoogleLookup("entity"; "attribute") where "entity" represents the name of the entity that you want to access, like Kuala Lumpur, Audrey Hepburn, or oxygen, and "attribute" is the type of information that you want to retrieve. An example would be =GoogleLookup("Ireland"; "internet users")
Google Docs now supports importing scanned documents and then allowing you to edit the converted docs.
Editions included:
Standard, Premier, Education, Team and Partner Editions
Languages included:
English, French, Italian, German and Spanish
How to access what's new:
In Google Docs, on the upload page, check the “Convert text from PDF or image files to Google Docs documents”, upload your scanned images (JPEG, GIF, PNG) or PDFs, and Google Docs will extract text and formatting from the scans. You can then edit the converted document.
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