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Now that Mozilla’s locked down Firefox 3′s feature set, it’s clear the new browser iteration will render some extensions obsolete. Firefox 3 will include functionality out-of-the-box that you could only get with add-ons before. Let’s take a look at five extensions you might not need when you switch to Firefox 3.

• NoSquint: Never have to enlarge the text on that web page with the teeny tiny font size again. Firefox 3′s new “Text Only” zoom feature doesn’t enlarge images, and is smart enough to remember your text size setting on a per-site basis when you visit again.
• Google Gears: While offline web application support is still a ways off, Firefox 3 does have support built-in and ready for webapp authors to turn it on, effectively making Google Gears unnecessary. It will be very interesting to see Gears’ fate in the face of Firefox 3 offline webapp support, and which webapps support which. Overall, it’s great news for users who want their data whether they’re online or not.

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\\ tags: Firefox, Firefox Extensions

Holy offline access, Batgirl! Google releases Google Gears, an application that lets web sites store their data on your local computer using only your web browser. Google Reader is already supported – read your feeds on the plane! – and word on the street is that Gmail and Google Docs is to come. Screenshots after the jump:

On the Mac, Google Gears is just a regular Firefox extension; on the PC it’s a full-blown application (.exe installer.)

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\\ tags: Firefox Extensions, google, Google Gears, Google Reader

All platforms with Firefox: The NoSquint Firefox extension remembers text zoom settings on a per-site basis.

So that one web site with the teeny-tiny text that you have to enlarge every time you visit? NoSquint remembers your preferred zoom setting for it for you, even after you quit Firefox and revisit. This is indeed how text zooming should work. NoSquint is a free download which works with and wherever Firefox does.

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\\ tags: Firefox

When it comes to heavy duty download jobs, Firefox’s default Downloads manager just doesn’t cut the mustard. If you often need closer control of multiple, large downloads, you need the DownThemAll! Firefox add-on. This extra-strength download manager can speed up, queue for later, and batch download sets of files from the web based on patterns you define in one click.

Today we’ll use DownThemAll to grab all the MP3′s from a web page as well as an entire set of Flickr photos in one click. Sound fun? Let’s get this downloading party started.

Using filters: Download all the MP3′s on a page

When you right click and choose DownThemAll from the context menu on a web page, dTa presents a list of possible downloads from that page – every single link that exists there, whether it’s to another web page or a piece of media, like an image, video or MP3. The power in dTa is the Filters area, where you define a pattern that selects the files you want to download from the often long and crowded list.

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\\ tags: Firefox

In today’s earlier list of five extensions you won’t need in Firefox 3, we said you won’t need any special toolbars, third-party apps, Greasemonkey scripts, or extensions to get Firefox to use webapps to open certain types of links. This means that when you click on an email address that uses the standard mailto: email protocol, Firefox 3 itself can launch Gmail instead of a desktop app. By default, the Firefox RC 1 only comes with Yahoo Mail as a possible mailto: link handler, which leaves Gmail users out in the cold—unless you know how to set it up by hand. Here’s how to configure Firefox 3 to use Gmail as your default mailto: application handler.

Ready to set up Gmail? Roll up those sleeves.

1. Open Gmail in Firefox.
2. In the tab where Gmail is loaded, copy and paste the following snippet of JavaScript into your address bar:
   javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler(“mailto”,”https://mail.google.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s”,”GMail”)

   If you are a Google Apps user, use this code instead, but replace example.com with your domain name:

   javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler(“mailto”,”https://mail.google.com/a/example.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s”,”GMail”)

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\\ tags: Firefox, Gmail

The newest version of our favorite open source web browser, Mozilla Firefox 3, offers dozens of new features and fixes, but only a handful will make the most dramatic difference in your everyday browsing. After 17 months of alphas and betas, Mozilla’s finally made a feature-complete release candidate available, so it’s time to spotlight the biggest improvements that will make “Gran Paradiso” the browser to beat. Nearly everything in the open-source app has gotten a second look from the minds at Mozilla, from back buttons to bookmarks, address bars to add-ons, passwords to performance, and the changes will make Firefox 3 worth the upgrade come its official release date, slated for sometime next month. Let’s take a look at the 10 best upgrades in Firefox 3, and how they’ll bolster your browsing, after the jump.

Note: Firefox 3 hasn’t been officially released yet—a public preview release is available and intended for testers only. While it’s a very stable preview, only use it if you’re willing to deal with bugs and instability as the Mozilla teams ready the official release.

That said, our favorite Firefox 3 features include:

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\\ tags: Firefox

In the past year we’ve highlighted hundreds of Windows apps aimed at making your life easier, boosting your computer productivity, and powering up your PC.

For those of you who weren’t able to keep up, here’s a look back at the most popular Windows downloads of 2008.

Keep in mind that this list is based on the popularity of posts we’ve published in 2008 only, regardless of the original release date of the app. Many were brand new this year, while others were solid updates to popular software. Here’s the full run-down of the 12 most popular Windows downloads of 2008:

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It’s just a few days until Christmas so I thought a quick tutorial on the topic of Christmas Photography might be appropriate. Hopefully this will give you some good Christmas photo ideas.

Here are 16 Christmas Photography tips and ideas to try that come to mind for digital camera owners wanting to capture the big day:

1. Prepare – Making a List, checking it twice….

Making sure you’re ready to capture any planned event is part of the key to a successful shoot. Getting yourself ready but also the location of your shots is worthwhile.

• Pack the camera – goes without saying? I forgot mine last year in the rush to get the car packed.
• Make sure your batteries are charged and you have extras and/or the recharger packed.
• Pack extra memory cards – have them empty and ready to fill up
• Put someone on ‘photos’ – our family has someone on drinks, main course, dessert – why not put someone on ‘photos’ so that in the craziness of the day they don’t get forgotten.
• Consider the light in the room that you’ll be photographing in. Is there enough light? Will you need a flash? Are the backgrounds too cluttered and distracting?

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\\ tags: Christmas, Digital Photography

It’s the time of year when family and friends come together for a meal or two celebrating any number of special occasions.  No matter the holiday, family gatherings are a time worth sharing and remembering through photography.  In this post, Peter Carey takes a look at eight ways to capture great candid photos of your loved ones.

We’ve all seen the posed family photos around the dinner table, in front of the hearth or in any number of places.  These types of shots are great and have their place in preserving your family memories.  But some of us are looking for a more realistic representation of what went on at that meal or gathering.  We want to convey the sense of laughter around the table, the craziness of having ten nieces and nephews under foot and the joy in sharing gifts.  And posing doesn’t work well for these real world shots.  That’s where candid photography comes in!  Practice with these eight tips and you’ll be well on your way to preserving family get-togethers in a compelling, engaging manner.

Tip #1 – Let The Know You’re Coming – At any family gathering someone is always taking photos.  Most people like to ham it up for the camera or will avoid it like the plague.  Letting your family know before hand that you’ll be taking some photos and to ‘act natural’ will greatly increase your odds of capturing the essence of the moment.  Not everyone will heed this request, but it’s good for people to know they should generally ignore your photo taking to keep the photographer from distracting the event.

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Over the years I have worked with many freelance photographers to produce photos for my Adelaide website design clients. In that time I have seen the best and worst of photographic creativity. I have seen “professional” photographers turn up to a corporate shoot with no shoes on. I have lost a hundreds of dollars worth of shots because a photographer thought it would be a good idea to leave a USB on my home front porch. But, I have also worked with photographers who know how to work magic with their cameras.

In this post I want to show you the 9 worst mistakes that freelance/professional photographers can make when taking photos for a web designer. I hope this information will be a useful resource for any budding young photographers out there who are just starting to work for and establish relationships with some bigger firms.

Warning: This post may contain rage fueled tangents of utter frustration!

The 9 Worst Mistakes Photographers Make When Working for a Web Designer

1. Looking unprofessional

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph I once had a charming young photographer turn up to a corporate photo shoot with no shoes on. She was extremely good at what she did and turned some pretty boring “suits” into powerful looking businessmen (much to their surprise!). But, unfortunately, her dress sense really let her down.

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\\ tags: Photographers