Only three days after its release on Windows, Apple have released a new beta 3.0.1 of their browser Safari for Windows XP and Vista. A number of security issues were found with the browser and these have now been patched. These issues included a “command injection vulnerability”, unexpected termination of the browser and a Javascript exploit.
Kudos to Apple for getting a patch out there so quickly but that won’t remove the egg from Steve Jobs’ face that came with the announcement of the security vulnerabilities within 24 hours of his launch of the browser.
There’s also a report over at I4U that the browser doesn’t render Korean language sites correctly.
Ever watched the chariot racing scene from Ben-Hur and thought, wow, I’d like to do that, well now you are one step closer to your dream with the Easy-Glider minus the horses, whips and blood. This modern day electric chariot has been out and about since the beginning of the year but just recently became the overall winner of this year’s ispo BrandNew award.
The standard Easy Glider reaches an eye-watering speed of around 12 mph (20 kph) with its 380 watt electric motor. The battery takes 6 to 8 hours to fully juice up but this little sucker recharges itself as well when you’re on a downhill stretch. With a fully powered up battery the range of the Easy-Glider is around 12 to 15 miles (20 to 25 km) depending on how hard you push the vehicle.
The standard version comes without the foot stand at the back and you have to upgrade to the Deluxe if you don’t have roller blades. And at US$1,300 that’s a pretty penny to be eco-friendly. However it does look like fun, well more fun than the Segway, and here’s a video clip to prove it!
I must admit the roller blade option looks the most fun and it does look very maneuverable too. For the boy-racers amongst us the manufacturer does offer a ‘racing’ model which can get up to 40 mph, no price on that but we understand that the horses, whips and blood will be extra.
Despite Tesla lighting two hundred wireless light bulbs over a hundred years ago, we are still shackled by the power cable. The more gadgets we have, the more power leads we have trailing across the floor. Wireless technology has managed to abolish the network cable but still the power lead snakes it’s crazy path around our homes. Until now …
Well actually not quite yet, but on July 7th, (yes 7/7/07) there may be a solution to our trailing cable woes in the Wildcharger from, err, WildCharge. Apparently
No more will you have to deal with the clutter of cords, chargers, adapters and congested outlets for your mobile electronic devices. A single WildCharger™ is all you will need at your home, office or on the road. In fact, charging a mobile device will soon be as simple as placing it on a table…
The funky little WildCharger, which looks like a large mouse mat, blasts out power and juices up anything sitting on it. The pad can be rolled up for easy storage, but looks as if it would slip neatly into any laptop bag.
A gadget collector’s dream come true? Certainly their partner’s dream come true! But there has to be a catch, surely, I hear you say. Well, yes, at least initially you will need a WildCharger adapter for each device you wish to power up with the WildCharger. And despite offering a price range of US$39 to US$100 for the WildCharger there are no details on how much the adapters will cost.
However, the concept is great and this is a giant leap forward in removing almost all the power cables for your chargable devices - you’ll still need one for the Wildcharger. As device manufacturers come on board the need for adapters for the WildCharger and its kind will also disappear and we shall be shackled by the power cable no more!
In Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at the WWDC, he announced that there is a free beta version of Safari available for XP and Vista at Apple downloads. Safari commands a decent 5% of the browser market share and a Windows version will significantly increase this figure.
Not one to complain at being able to play with some free software, I downloaded the beta and had a look around. There’s nothing ground breaking, but I guess Mac users knew that already, the standard multi-tabbed browsing, a funky snapback facility and the usual bookmark, history functionality we’ve all come to expect from a half-decent browser.
However, the main push of Safari for Windows is based on its speed. According to the Safari download page it out strips the other three main browsers in HTML & JS performance and on launch speed. I’m not too sure if that’ll play a major factor in whether the average Windows internet user picks Safari as their browser of choice but more competition has certainly got to be good.
As a web developer I wouldn’t use it that much as I’ve got too many plugins hooked up to Firefox but obviously testing my sites in Safari has now become a whole lot easier!
I always thought the world was becoming a smaller place, but apparently I’m wrong as according to the latest press release from WD
WD MAKES THE WORLD A BIGGER PLACE WITH 1.5 TB AND 750 GB MY BOOK™ WORLD™ SHARED STORAGE APPLIANCES
The new drives are part of their My Book range, whose features include a visible capacity gauge, three interfaces (FireWire 400 & 800, USB 2.0), optional data mirroring at reduced capacity, and WD’s own backup software.
The MyBook series now spans a price range of US$270 to US$699, with presumably the 699 tag reserved for the 1.5 TB big boy. I was able to find the Maxtor OneTouch 1.5TB available for under $500 at ANTOnline but I would imagine that retailers would be offering the WD 1.5 TB at less than the $699 WD price. Happy data dumping!
The guys over at Mac Rumors have managed by hook or by crook to gather a few more details about the iPhone. In fact they’ve got hold of the AT&T sales force training manual for the iPhone. I’ll just list a few of the more i-opening details
If you choose to answer the call, the video will pause and resume once the call ends
iPhone syncs contact information from the computer to iPhone
iPhone lets you carry on a phone conversation while you simultaneously browse the Internet or send an email
iPhone users will not be able to conduct IM conversations with instant messaging users
Sync music with iTunes just like any other iPod
Support for IMAP and POP3
Can have multiple websites open at once and switch between them
GPS is not part of the iPhone feature set
Not sure how much of a biggie the lack of IM will be? It seems like a strange thing to omit, as well as the GPS functionality. So may be the iPhone isn’t the all singing all dancing solution to our needs after all.
However these omissions will probably not detract from the consumer’s enthusiasm to have the latest gadget. In fact Reuters has an interview with a potential AT&T store ‘camper’, so if you fit the following demographic, you’d better pack up your sleeping bag and laptop now and hope that things don’t get as nasty as they did with the PS3.
The typical iPhone buyer is a young man with a college degree and a higher than average annual household income
Apple is trying to persuade film studios to allow then to offer movies for rent via iTunes. The rental service would be a direct challenge to cable and satellite TV operators.
Apple already has deals with Walt Disney and Paramount to sell their movies via a download, but other studios are reluctant to strike similar deals due to the negative impact on DVD sales the downloads may have. However they may be more open to the prospect of movies rentals via the internet.
It is suggested that movies would cost US$3 for a 30-day rental, with the ability to transfer the movie to another device such as an iPod. Software would prevent the movie from being copied.
Another shrewd move by Apple if they pull it off. With a lot of people using PCs as a home entertainment unit, what could be easier than downloading your movie rentals straight to the unit. However how long would it be before a hacker breaks the software? ;)
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In Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at the WWDC, he announced that there is a free beta version of 
Apple is trying to persuade film studios to allow then to offer movies for rent via iTunes. The rental service would be a direct challenge to cable and satellite TV operators. 
