Yep, people really can’t stop slobbering over the iPhone. Australian IT reports that Optus has had to temporarily remove its pre-registration facility — obviously that $100 fee and the lack of pricing information is no disincentive — while Vodafone is claiming more than 40,000 visitors to its site (though that doesn’t necessarily equal 40,000 registrations). Optus has said it plans to reinstate its site soon, so if you are one of the apparently large hordes of people who is willing to buy an iPhone at any price, we’d suggest signing up sooner rather than later. iPhone demand overwhelms carrier
Windows only: Freeware application xB Browser is a portable web browser that provides anonymous web surfing at startup. xB Browser anonymises traffic either through the free Tor network or through its distributor XeroBank’s networks (the second comes with a price). Born from the ashes of previously mentioned and abandoned TorPark, xB Browser is really just Firefox with anonymous browsing baked in from the get-go. xB Browser is free, Windows only, though Mac and Linux versions are planned for August 08.
xB Browser [XeroBank via Download Squad]Two years ago, Google’s VP of Search Products Marissa Mayer encouraged Stanford students to avoid pulling the plug on ideas and projects that aren’t working, and to transform them into something that does. Today, lots of users are sad Google didn’t take their own advice and killed the Browser Sync extension instead.
Microsoft’s Small Business Centre says that widespread use of email on mobile devices has changed a few email etiquette rules and details seven tips for refining your mobile email manners. The article focuses on improving email you send to mobile recipients, like sticking to subject-line-only messages when possible and keeping emails brief. We’ve given you our top tips for improving your email etiquette on your desktop, but in the face of increasing mobile email, the way we communicate over email could use some tweaking. If you consider yourself a mobile email guru, let’s hear your tips for proper mobile email etiquette in the comments. E-mail etiquette for wireless devices: 7 tips [Microsoft via Digital Inspiration]
People clearly want their iPhones. I was in a suburban Vodafone store yesterday and a woman pushed a pram into the store (no mean feat) and asked: “Do you have a price for the iPhone yet?” When the sales assistant said “no”, she replied: “Oh well, I’m just going to keep coming in here every day until you do.” Maybe she wants one to show off at mothers’ group.But how badly would she want the Internet access features? It’s widely assumed that the iPhone will lead to a boom in Australians actually accessing data online, an area where we’ve been relative laggards. Figures out from Telsyte yesterday suggest that while there are currently just 1.5 million users of 3G mobile broadband , this number will jump to more than 3 million by 2012. It seems safe to assume that quite a few of those will be iPhones. Just how much we use them will depend on how much they cost, of course, an area where we’re still sadly all in the dark, despite endless rumours.Is data the big selling point for the iPhone for you, or is it more the overall aura of Jobs-type cool? Let us know in the comments.
Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Sxipper automates your web logins and form filling through a simple, attractive interface. Once installed, you can create different personas into Sxipper for quick form filling for site registrations, and Sxipper automatically works with Firefox’s existing saved logins. The extension can either learn and build personas based on information you’ve already used in forms, or you can import other form and password data from other programs like Roboform or plain old vCards. Sxipper is free, works wherever Firefox does.
Sxipper [Firefox Add-ons via Nethackz]USA Today reports that more and more professionals are buying their own gadgets and tools—like cell phones and laptops and even GPS devices—to get work done outside of the office. Nearly 40% of professionals recently surveyed by researcher In-Stat paid for a laptop that they regularly carried. Mobile Phone users often picked up their bill. And company-provided personal digital assistants (PDAs), cameras and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) are relatively rare, says the survey, released Monday.
While businesses pinch pennies and hem and haw about what devices actually make their employees more productive, professionals are taking matters into their own hands to keep up with their workload. Have you dipped into your personal budget to purchase electronics that help you get your job done?
Techie Leonard Lin publishes his investment asset allocation in a Google Spreadsheet which employs the super-useful GoogleFinance formula for live-updating stock prices in-sheet. [via]
Google is developing a tool to detect whether your ISP is throttling your bandwidth, according to web site HotHardware. Can’t wait for Google’s tool? Check out previously mentioned BitTorrent throttle-detector Glasnost.
Windows/Linux only: Open-source application Dia is a robust flowchart and diagram tool. Like a free version of Microsoft Visio, Dia provides you with all the tools you need to create anything from a simple flowchart to a powerful and complex diagram, and files can be saved in many formats, including a Visio Drawing-compatible VDX filetype. Dia is free, Windows and Linux only. If you’d prefer building your diagrams on the web, check out previously mentioned Gliffy.
