Firefox is one of the most heartening of success stories of open source, up there with MySQL and Apache. It has managed to break Internet Explorer’s synonymy of Internet with Internet Explorer. So when Mozilla shares details of any new version, it is bound to be something exciting.

Of late, Firefox has fallen behind in speed with Google Chrome 6, Safari 4 and Opera 10.6 taking the lead. Being far ahead of IE8 is no consolation, and with IE9 posting slightly better scores in JavaScripts tests than Firefox 3.6, Mozilla has reason to worry. The good thing is that Mozilla is already working its way to the top.

Firefox 4

While one may argue that increasing the speed of the browser beyond a point doesn’t help, it is clearly what the future lies. Mozilla knows this and is already working on a new JavaScript Engine, JagerMonkey which takes the best features of Firefox’s TraceMonkey and WebKit’s Nitro Engine to create an uberfast JavaScript Engine.

Firefox 4 will also place an emphasis on reducing the chrome of the browser (The UI Elements) slimming down the browser to a more Google Chrome like look. Firefox 4 will have a completely new visual look, one which makes ample use of Windows Vista and 7′s Aero effects.

Firefox 4 will also have some amazing new features such as Application Tabs (which will work like Chrome pinned tabs), a new addon manager, integrated developer tools and better HTML5 support.

Those waiting for Firefox 3.7, there are both good news and bad. While Firefox 3.7 will be dropped in favor of Firefox 4 (Currently in Beta 1 stage), out-of-process plugins, one of the most awaited features of Firefox 3.7 will come with 3.6.8 due shortly. Out of Process plugins stabilize the browser, ensuring that it doesn’t crash even if a plugin crashes.

Being announced on MWC in early this year, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is yet to released on market. The hype is enormous and people started comparing Sony’s latest mobile phone handset with Apple iPhone 4G.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

Xperia X10 beats its nearest competitor by a mile with cutting edge technology which has been used to develop this beauty. Sony surely going to rule the highend mobile market with this and the mini version of the same.

Xperia X10 has lots of features but none of them are new, just the modified version of the same old features that we can see on Sony’s previous models or even in Symbian OS running Phone. Let’s have a look at the basic hardware configuration.

Hardware:

• Processor : 600MHz Qualcomm
• RAM : 256MB
• OS : Android OS v1.6
• Camera : 8.1 Megapixel
• Screen : 854 x 480 4″ Widescreen VGA Touchcreen

Connectivity:

• Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
• Micro USB Port
• 3.5mm Audio Jack
• Wi-Fi 802.11g WLAN
• 3G/EDGE/GPRS

Below is a Hands On video where you can see unboxing, power up, size comparison with Nexus One, HTC HD and of course the features of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.

Nintendo has announced a 3D successor to the Nintendo DS line of handheld gaming devices, tentatively called the Nintendo 3DS. According to claims by Nintendo, the video game console will feature “3D Effects” that can be enjoyed “without the need of any special glasses”.

Nintendo 3DS

Since technology for such a feature is not yet available, it can be safely assumed that Nintendo is sitting on a golden egg, one that will keep the other portable gaming consoles lagging even further behind. Further information about the Nintendo 3DS will be revealed by the company at the E3 event this year, which starts June 15th in Los Angeles. The new Nintendo 3DS will also be backward compatible with the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi

If you are a Google fan, you may have more reasons to celebrate in the coming months, as three giants – Intel, Sony and Logitech – have proposed to team up with Google and lunch Google TV and set-top boxes on an Android based platform.

The platform intends to seamlessly integrate web content and online services like Twitter, Youtube, online games, web apps and the formidable Google Search. It’ll also integrate a light weight browser for light surfing activities. Google TV will run on set-top boxes built with Intel Atom processor running the Android Operating System. Google TV technology will also be implemented on BlueRay drives and Sony TVs along with keyboard equipped remote control feature in partnership with Logitech.

Google TV

With all the blueprints, for the project in place, The Times has indicated that Intel and Logitech have advertised job listings for programmers with Android experience. Google plans to deliver a fully functional technology product rather than a product with cosmetic design value.

The field of television is an uncharted frontier for Google. But, Google sounds optimistic about it’s project plans and let’s hope they deliver the integrated power of the web and television as a part of this project.

In partnership with MySpace and facebook, Microsoft has announced to get “more social” by including social networking information in their flagship business software – Microsoft Outlook 2010. Business Networking site LinkedIn is also offering a beta tool that will integrate the activity of a user into Micosoft Outlook 2010.

In November last year, Microsoft has announced the Outlook Social Connector for Outlook, a new Office 2010 feature that integrates the social networking feeds into Microsoft’s Outlook 2010 inbox.

Microsoft Outlook 2010 Social Connector

Microsoft has recently released the social connector update that included the first third party feature from LinkedIn. This update will allow users to view status updates, photos and so on of their peers and collegues. Microsoft says that the same will be possible for Facebook and MySpace users. You’ll be able to directly update your status from Outlook 2010 and will also be able to perform other activities associated with social networking.

Although the Social Connector feature has been developed for Microsoft Outlook 2010, it will also work with Microsoft Outlook 2003 and Microsoft Outlook 2007. Expect this integration to be part of the package when Micosoft releases the Microsoft Office 2010 suite.

Here is a Stress Test video of Apple’s new sensation iPad from PC World.

We already reviewed iPad this month here on Tech Freek and now it is time to test iPad’s durability.  This video shows you how sturdy the iPad is.

The iPad didn’t withstand the tests and was totally disappointing. It failed on the first scratch test. The screen isn’t hard enough when scratched using a coin. Then the “Fall Test” and some line occurred after the second fall on mattress.

The screen went patchy when tested with coffee and followed by water. Lastly, the screen broke when dropped from hands on concrete.

This is a must watch video if you are planning to buy an iPad.

The video is 4:34 minutes long and about 28 MB in size.

The iPad has finally arrived and Steve Jobs claims that it’s “more intimate than a laptop, and it’s so much more capable than a smartphone.” Comparing it with Apple’s own smartphone, the iPhone, and what do we see, a larger screen hence an interface to support larger screen. thanks to the larger screen, we now have a large keyboard, a larger screen enables better use of productivity software – kind of like an iPod avatar in a larger body.

Apple iPad

Sure, the faster processor means it is more capable technically. the Nexus One itself features a 1GHz processor, and doesn’t come with the shackles surrounding the iPhone OS store. When comparing it with the iPhone you come to realize that the iPad is just an over sized iPhone which can’t make calls.

Steve Jobs discards netbooks as cheap laptops, yet the iPad is still to show any multitasking capabilities. Better than a netbook, really? The iPad fails to be better than an iPhone. So, here are 10 reasons why we think the iPad may not be so hot:

1. No Multitasking. Remember, it’s meant to be better than a netbook.
2. No Flash Support. “The best web experience”; indeed.
3. Screen isn’t Widescreen. Well, innovation sometimes takes us a few steps backwards.
4. No HD Output. Who watches HD these days anyway?
5. No Camera. So much for video chat.
6. No USB Port. Don’t want to be too much like a netbook now, do we?
7. No SD Card Slot. Because 64GB ought to be enough for anybody.
8. Essential Peripheral Sold Extra: Keyboard, USB, SD Card dongle, each sold for $30!!
9. Another iPhone like Operating System: We have a larger iPhone here, remember?
10. You need to pay $10 per application for the iWork productivity application suite.

Even so, the iPad has a chance for success, and for many of the same reasons that the iPhone is a success. It is a beautiful product, with a dedicated developer community which just won’t give up despite the constant abuse.

It has hundreds of thousands of applications which give it an edge over new platforms which have lesser applications. The iPhone continues to be favorite of many because it is a pleasure to use despite its many flaws. Apple may not have done anything new here, but just given a more of the good old stuff that they already know works.

Taiwanese mobile phone company, HTC, lunched as many as three smartphones at the Mobile World Congress. According to speculations in the tech world, HTC is rumored to lunch over 10 smartphones in the year 2010. If Mobile World Congress lunches are any indication to go by, it might just be true.

The HTC legend is the successor to the hugely popular HTC Hero, although, it has many differentiating features. The chin is less prominent in HTC Legend, but the striking aspect of the phone is that it’s body is carved out a single aluminum block, making it the first Android based phone with a unicasing. The trackball has been replaced by an optical track pad.

HTC Legend

Legend boasts of a 3.2 inch AMOLED screen which promises a rich experience with it’s enhanced graphics and a capititive touchscreen. It runs on Android Eclair v2.1.

It has some other nifty features like smart ringer sensor. The phone hides a G-Sensor which on detecting that a phone has been picked up, reduces the ringer volume.

The Friendstream window gets all your contacts’ Twitter, Facebook streams on one platform, very similar to the SenseUI. With Friendstream, you don’t have to go to the contacts page to access the integrated contacts.

Leap is an application that allows you to get a thumbnail sized version of your home screen which is also a great addition as it saves time.

HTC Legend is expected to hit the markets in April 2010, i.e this month.

Sansung had previously lunched their proprietary Bada OS back in November last year and at this year’s Mobile World Congress we finally got to see it in action. as Samsung unveiled their first Bada OS enabled smart phone called the Samsung Wave (S8500).

Samsung Wave has a 3.3 inch super AMOLED screen having a 800×400 pixel WVGA resolution. Normal AMOLED screens have a glass layer and an electric sensor layer separated by air, but super AMOLED has merges these two layers. This, claims Samsung, to reduces reflections by five times than a normal AMOLED screen.

Samsung Wave S8500

The phone runs on a Cortex A8 1GHz processor which is the same that runs on iPhone 3GS and the Palm Pre albeit on lower clocks. A 5MP auto focus camera is located on the rear side with an LED flash.

Wave has features like integrated contacts – which gets all the various channels of communications like Calling, Messaging, Facebook, Twitter on one screen; push to calendar – which integrates Google, Yahoo and other calendars.

Samsung claims that their main idea behind developing Bada was to make the smart phones more accessible to the masses. It is partly built on a Linux kernel and the company planes to release the Software Development Kit (SDK) to developers in March for building applications.

Samsung Apps is the application store from where you can download applications.

Sony Ericsson lunched their credit card sized smartphones Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Mini Pro at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The most striking aspect about these phones lies in the Operating System. For the first time Sony Ericsson have used the Android OS on their phones.

Android seems to have become the preferred OS if the number of mobile phone manufacturers adopting it is anything to go by. Sony Ericsson is the newest Android convert on the block. While the Xperia X10 Mini has a touchscreen interface, the Xperia X10 Mini Pro has a QWERTY keypad which slides from beneath from it’s tiny body.

Xperia X10 Mini Pro

The basic specifications of the Xperia X10 Mini series includes a 2.55 inch TFT scratch resistant touchscreen, a 600MHz Qualcomm processor running Android OS v1.6. This sleek phone boasts of a 5 MP camera with auto focus and geotagging.

It has an interesting interface which has four contextual cornet buttons which can be customized according to your needs. Sony Ericsson’s Timescape is being hailed as an interesting feature which tends to integrate all your contacts in one place such that it is easier to access their call history, Facebook, Twitter, Messaging etc all in one screen. But then, we have seen this feature in HTC’s Sense UI, so its nothing really new.

“With the X10 Mini and X10 Mini Pro, we have pushed the boundaries of what is possible with smaller devices and are giving consumers exactly what they want; two high performance mobile phones with a fully customizable user experience platform and a stunning ultra compact design”, said Rikko Sakaguchi, EVP and Chief Creation Officer, Sony Ericsson.