The alpha build of Mobile Firefox (codenamed Fennec) has been available for testing by brave Nokia N810 users for some time now, but Mozilla developer Brad Lassey just got it up and running on a Windows Mobile device, and shares a couple of screenshots. Obviously there's quite a bit of work to be done, but it's an exciting preview at what getting Firefox in your pocket will look like in the near future. [via]

Windows only: Free applicaiton inSSIDer scans networks within reach of your computer's Wi-Fi antenna, tracks signal strength over time, and determines their security settings (included whether or not they're password-protected). Previously mentioned NetStumbler has long been a favourite for this sort of functionality, but it doesn't work well with Vista or 64-bit XP. inSSIDer, on the other hand, works like a charm on both Vista and XP, and it's open-source to boot. This must-have for hunting down Wi-Fi networks on the road is free, Windows only, requires .NET 2.0.

If our first look at OpenOffice.org 3.0 has you salivating for the official download of this free Microsoft Office replacement, the final release has already been pushed to a mirror near you (like this one). Expect an official release announcement on Monday. [via Ghacks]

Google has been keen to promote its Chrome browser, even to the point of heavily featuring the browser on its zealously-guarded front page. But that enthusiasm isn't universal, it seems. As reader Dom M points out, Chrome is not included in Google's easy-install software bundle Google Pack, which instead promotes Firefox. That might change in the future, but it seems for now Google still wants one foot in each camp. Thanks Dom M!

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): Firefox extension Nodobe Viewer is an inline document viewer for Firefox intended to replace the bloat of plugins like the dreaded Adobe Reader. Nodobe Viewer supports 38 different file types, including PDF, Microsoft Office documents, and OpenOffice documents. When you're about to download one of these document types but would prefer just a quick inline view, right-click the link and select Open Link in New Tab with Nodobe. The tool works in conjunction with web application Vuzit (pronounced "views-it"), which handles the document conversion and displays the results in your browser.

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If you're thinking about buying a new Mac laptop, wait a week. Apple's got some announcements scheduled for this coming Tuesday, the 14th (US time), and there may be a recession-friendly (read: lower-cost) MacBook involved.

Windows only: Free application FastCopy is a portable replacement for the standard Windows Explorer file copying mechanism. FastCopy's interface is rather cluttered but the file transfer speeds are fantastic. Copying ISO files, thousands of pictures, and other test files was extremely fast. You can opt to not overwrite, overwrite by newest or biggest file, and sync when transferring files with FastCopy. We've covered another popular file copier replacement here before, TeraCopy, and you might be wondering how FastCopy stacks up against it.

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Windows/Mac/Linux: Popular web browser Opera just pushed out a new stable release featuring overall speed improvements, several cool feature updates, and a laundry list of bug fixes. Opera still has all the excellent features that made us declare that Opera is still in the browser race with its previous release, but this latest release is faster, and it continues to add innovative features that most browsers only support through third-party extensions. Keep reading for a closer look.

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Canon today released its half-yearly Canon Digital Lifestyle Index, which suggests that Australians spent $2.4 billion on technology in the first half of this year. A ton of that was on big-screen TVs (hello Beijing!), but there's also some areas where we're spending less:

The latest CDLI also reveals categories in decline, including DVD players with their already high household penetration rate, and single-function inkjet printers in the face of high multi-function device growth.

Given that even the cheapie printer that came with my last notebook included a scanner, it seems to me that single-function inkjet printers have reached the end of their working life. Admittedly, there's still single-function photo printers, but at the prices charged to get photos printed professionally, they don't make much economic sense. Do you still find a non-multi-function inkjet useful? Share your thoughts in the comments. If you want to get more out of your printer, check out our top 10 printable paper productivity tools.

IBM is offering the public a peek at Bluehouse, an online office portal aimed at making it easier for employees to share documents and desktops, host web conferences, and reach out to clients from one location. Any sized business can sign up to try out the service, though not everything works at the moment. One notably cool feature is the "Live Charts," which does exactly what it sounds like. There's tagging, importing from Outlook or Lotus Notes, and a lot more to fiddle with. Bluehouse is free to use (for the moment), requires a sign-up.

Windows only: ExtractNow is a free application with a singular focus: extracting your files lightning fast. Sometimes it's worth eschewing all the bells and whistles of more robust program for a feature that works extremely well. ExtractNow is a bulk extraction tool that supports ZIP, RAR, ISO, BIN, IMG, IMA, IMZ, 7Z, ACE, JAR, GZ, LZH, LHA, TAR, and SIT archive formats. Configure the basic settings, such as where you want the files to be extract to, whether or not to preserve the folder structure of the archive, etc. and from then ExtractNow becomes a drag and drop extraction workhorse. ExtractNow extracted the test files used in the screen shot above so quickly that I almost missed a screenshot of it in action as my hand traveled from the Enter to Print Screen key. ExtractNow is Windows-only donationware.

For the iPhone app addicts out there: 148Apps not only reviews and offers up lists of the (top 148) free apps, free games, and other categories, but offers an feed-friendly list of apps that have dropped in price, sometimes all the way to free. Got a better source for app news and deals? Tell us in the comments. [via Just Another iPhone Blog]

OpenOffice.org's third release candidate of version 3.0 is now available for testers; the official release is due out next week. Here's our first look at OpenOffice.org 3.0. [via]

Google Spreadsheets has rolled out a new and improved spreadsheets editor complete with a full file menu similar to the Google Docs refresh. According to Webware, the update also speeds up Spreadsheets and opens the door for more advanced functionality.

Linux Journal has a nice, short retrospective on Sunday's 17th anniversary of the Linux kernel, which started as an attempt by Linus Torvalds to replicate the MINIX OS. Got an age-old story about your first Linux experience? Join the belated celebration in the comments.

Windows only: WakeupOnStandBy, a free automation and timing tool for Windows systems, can be put to seriously helpful use by anyone who regularly puts their computer to sleep/suspend or hibernate for a quicker start instead of shutting down. The utility lets you set a schedule for waking up your system, having it run whatever apps or system processes you want upon waking, but also controlling how those things run. Whatever your power-up or shutdown needs are, WakeupOnStandBy can accomodate—have your laptop wake up and play a certain MP3 every morning as a backup alarm clock, have it sleep at 7 p.m. every day when you're done with work, but only if you're actually idle, and so on. WakeUpOnStandBy is a free download for Windows systems only; if you're a fan, tell us your most productive/clever uses in the comments.

Budget Qantas offshoot Jetstar suffered an extended computer outage over the weekend, which was apparently due to a power surge somewhere in its network. While you won't be forced to check in hundreds of passengers manually if your own power supply fails, it always pays to be prepared for unexpected power incidents. As I've noted in the past, a fully-charged laptop and a wireless broadband card can get you a long way when there's no electricity around. If most of your key resources are in the cloud, heading to a net cafe can also be a good option. What other tactics have you used to deal with unexpected loss of power?

Westpac recently started promoting the ability to access its online banking applications via the iPhone. However, as both Westpac's site and a story at AustralianIT by Andrew Colley point out, this isn't a full-blown iPhone application, but a standard mobile app which can work within the iPhone's Safari browser.
That's not necessarily a bad thing. Despite the hype, iPhones aren't yet anything like the dominant mobile device on the market, so building a site that works on multiple devices makes sense. It also helps reduce download volumes, an area where iPhone owners can be a bit lax. Do you think more iPhone-specific sites need to be built, or has Westpac taken the right approach? Share your thoughts in the comments.

The next version of Ubuntu's free Linux operating system, dubbed "Intrepid Ibex," is due out Oct. 30, but the beta release is up for grabs. Although the desktop hasn't been reshaped, the features tweaked just a little bit, and most of the work focused on compatibility and usability (not that those are bad things, by any means), there are still some neat new tools and tweaks that are worth checking out. Read on for our picture-filled take on the new Ubuntu.

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Even in the job that's perfect for you, the day-in/day-out stresses can leave you ready to quit or just bitter. Barbara Raab, a writer and editor at NBC Nightly News, took the rare but helpful step of asking for a leave of absence—and it's helped her realise she wants to come back. Before others take the leap, though, Raab suggests they:

Make the business case. Tell your employer what's in it for them, not just for you. I knew I would be a better employee in a rapidly changing industry upon my return, and I made sure to say so. Help your employer want to invest in your growth, even if it happens outside their walls.

Have you managed to successfully negotiate a leave of absence? What did you use it for, and how did it pay off? Share your story in the comments. Photo by StickBus.

Online whiteboard Dabbleboard makes drawing diagrams, jotting notes and sketches, and sharing that work easy online. Dabbleboard comes with a library of readily-available objects for piecing together org charts, mind maps, network diagrams, floor plans, photo annotation, interface designs, and electrical diagrams. When you share your Dabbleboard work with someone via emai, you can watch, real-time, as he or she makes changes to it. There's also a public library of Dabbleboard drawings that you can copy and edit for your own purposes. Hit the play button above for a demo of what you can do with Dabbleboard.

Freelancing has become a common way of working in the last decade, and is likely to achieve even greater prominence as companies seek ways to cut staff costs during economic turmoil. One of the basic decisions a freelancer has to make is whether to work as a sole trader, or incorporate themselves as a company. The latter offers some tax advantages, and can help secure your assets if the business gets into difficulties, but involves a lot more paperwork and can seem like overkill. While you should always get individual advice from an accountant, we'd like to know which route Lifehacker readers have taken when they've gone the freelance route. Share your experiences in the comments.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces that within a month, MS will release a new operating system he described as "Windows Cloud"—for webapp developers working on "cloud computing" apps like Zoho Suite and, um, Gmail (except not those). Computerworld reports:

The operating system, which will likely have a different name, is intended for developers writing cloud-computing applications, said Ballmer, who spoke to an auditorium of IT managers at a Microsoft-sponsored conference in London.

The Windows Cloud OS is a separate project from the upcoming Windows 7. Sheesh, this fall is shaping up to be a real tech humdinger, what with Google making browsers and Microsoft making light operating systems especially for webapps. Would you be interested in running "Windows Cloud," or is a light XP (or, ahem, Linux) install with Firefox or Chrome good enough for you? Tell us what you think in the comments. Photo by allyaubry.

Stainless is a free browser demo for OS X based on WebKit and the multi-process ideology behind Google Chrome. It's young and a little feature-light, but until Google officially releases Chrome for the Mac, it could be a nice alternative to the rough-around-the-edges CrossOver Chromium.

Firefox only (Windows/Mac/Linux): The Firefox Universal Uploader extension (aka fireuploader) uploads and downloads files to and from popular web sites through a simple dual-pane interface. In essence, the Universal Uploader acts very much like previously mentioned FireFTP—the extension that turns Firefox into an FTP client—but it uploads directly to popular web sites like Flickr, Facebook, Google Docs, Picasa, Box.net, and YouTube. So rather than require you to log in to those sites to upload photos, videos, documents, or other files, you can fire up this extension and simply drag and drop files to the webapp you want to upload to. The extension is a little rough around the edges, but it's a great idea and works as advertised.