Firefox 3.5 finally launched. We tested the release candidates and they were awesome. We definitely recommend upgrading. Be aware that some of your add-ons may not work, but they will either upgrade on their own, or you can most likely manually update them in the add-ons section of the Mozilla website.

The Fastest Firefox Yet

Things move quickly online, and we’ve beefed up the engine that runs Firefox to make sure you can keep up: Firefox 3.5 is more than twice as fast as Firefox 3, and ten times as fast as Firefox 2.* As a result, Web applications like email, photo sites and your favorite social networks will feel snappier and more responsive.

You can upgrade here

NewEgg is running an Independence Day sale that starts Friday, and we found the landing page for the sale that hasn’t been released yet. Check out the products and be one of the first to grab them before they sell out.

You can view it here.

*This is now a public page as of June 30, 2009.

Google Voice has started to extend invitations to a small portion of the public. We recommend that you request an invitation, so you can be one of the first to sign up for this great new service. And like most Google services, it’s free.

Google Voice is a service that gives you one number for all your phones, voicemail that is easy as email, and many enhanced calling features like call blocking and screening, voicemail transcripts, call conferencing, international calls, and more.

Click here to request an invitation.

Click here to learn more about Google Voice.

If you are considering an upgrade or a full purchase of Windows 7, Microsoft’s newest operating system, the company is hoping that discounts will help you take the leap. InformationWeek is reporting some great pre-order pricing starting this Friday, June 26. Below is an excerpt:

Consumers who pre-order a copy of Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT)’s Windows 7 operating system will receive more than 50% off the retail price for a limited time starting Friday.

The full version of Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199, with an upgrade from Vista or XP costing $119. The full version of Windows 7 Professional is $299, with upgrades going for $199. Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $319, with the upgrade version at $219.

But U.S. shoppers who pre-order between June 26th and July 11th will receive discounts of 50% or more, Microsoft said. For instance, Windows 7 Home Premium will sell for $49 during the discount period, while Windows 7 Professional will sell for $99. Participating retailers include Best Buy and Amazon, as well as Microsoft’s own online store.

You can find the full article here.

Source: Wired Magazine, Illustration by Brent Humphreys

We found this great article in Wired Magazine about Facebook’s plans to dominate how we search and interact on the web. Instead of relying on Google’s algorithms, Facebook hopes that incorporating the social connections of a searcher into their search results will be more useful. Maybe your aunt is a member of a local charity group and interacts with a dentist regularly. You, the searcher, might be looking for a reputable dentist in your area. When you search, Facebook may let you know that you’re connected to one through your aunt. Kinda cool right?

Here’s an excerpt:

Today, the Google-Facebook rivalry isn’t just going strong, it has evolved into a full-blown battle over the future of the Internet—its structure, design, and utility. For the last decade or so, the Web has been defined by Google’s algorithms—rigorous and efficient equations that parse practically every byte of online activity to build a dispassionate atlas of the online world. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg envisions a more personalized, humanized Web, where our network of friends, colleagues, peers, and family is our primary source of information, just as it is offline. In Zuckerberg’s vision, users will query this “social graph” to find a doctor, the best camera, or someone to hire—rather than tapping the cold mathematics of a Google search. It is a complete rethinking of how we navigate the online world, one that places Facebook right at the center. In other words, right where Google is now.

You can find the full article here.

Google Wave is a new tool for communication and collaboration on the web, coming later this year. Watch the demo video below, sign up for updates and learn more about how to develop with Google Wave.

We are very excited about this open source product and we recommend keeping an eye on its progress. Here is another interested Google offering you may want to check out: Google Voice

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While some tech pundits are saying 7 isn’t really all that different from Vista — and indeed, one of the attractions for Vista users is that 7 can generally use the same drivers and run the same apps as Vista — the consensus among anti-Vista folks I know who’ve tried the 7 beta seems to be that the new operating system is “Vista done right.”

View the full article here at TechRepublic.com