Mozilla Prism has been getting mentioned a lot of coverage in the tech media lately due to a major update, but what does it do exactly, and is it something you need?

Mozilla, the same company that makes the popular Firefox Web browser, has updated their little known Prism desktop application, and while the tech media is buzzing about it, it doesn’t seem like something that will ever take off in a big way.  The basic premise is that you can convert any Web application such as YouTube, Gmail or Google Reader and turn it into a stand alone desktop application.  The theory behind this is that it will cause less instability in your browser, ease the locating of the app you want to use instead of looking through tabs and basically lets your browser go back to just being a browser as opposed to running applications.

The problem is that it fails at almost everything it sets out to do.

To the left you can see an edited down version of my Windows Task Manager from when I was running Google Reader in Prism, and running four tabs in Firefox.  Reader is one of my used apps every day, so I figured I would see a significant drop in Firefox memory usage with it running separately.  While I did notice an uptick in response time as I browsed my RSS feeds, but I saw no drop in the amount of memory being used by my Browser.  So, instead of decreasing memory usage on my system, I actually increased it by over 100 thousand bytes.  Sure, Firefox may be a bit more stable, but at a negative to my overall system.

As for easing the finding of the program by removing it from my tabs, that also didn’t accomplish much.  As a Web professional, I never have less than six programs open on my task bar at any time.  Instead of poking through tabs, which you can move around to any order you want, I now have to poke through buttons on my status bar which could be in any order unless I open my programs in the same order every time I boot my system.

One of their big selling points comes from their informational page:

A single faulty app or web page can no longer take down everything you are working on.

Well, this is a problem solved by Google Chrome as each tab is treated as a separate process, so if one crashes, you only lose that tab, and not the whole browser.

To add insult to injury, for optimal use of Prism, they recommend you install an extension in Firefox for easier conversion of a web app to a desktop tool.  The problem with this concept is that each extension you have running in your browser adds to the memory usage and instability of your browser.

I also tried Gmail in Prism, and I lost some functionality of Labs features, so some items used by an app were not usable in this new tool.

In short, I am not entirely clear on what the benefits of Prism are.  For each “problem” it aims to solve, it seems to create another.  I, for one, will be deleting it from my system not that I’ve tried it.  I just can’t see where I am gaining anything from it.  Perhaps future releases will address some of these issues, but for now I don’t recommend it for pretty much anyone, be it a novice or power user.  If you would still like to learn more, check out their informational video below.

If you check out Google Hot Trends today, apparently no one knew it was Mothers Day until they woke up this morning.

For those of you unfamiliar with Google Hot Trends, it is a tool provided by the search engine giant to see what the top 100 searched on terms are on their site at any given time.  As a professional blogger it is an essential tool in my arsenal of finding topics to write about, but it was a bit of a story in and of itself today.

As most of you know (or, at least I hope you did before reading this), today is Mothers Day.  Well, it would seem that a lot of people didn’t know this before today, so they turned to Google for help.  At 12 PM EST today, these were just some of the top 100 items related to the special day that I found.  (numbers are their rank position at that time… yes, I do know how to do sequential numbering)

1. free printable mothers day cards
3. happy mothers day poems
5. myspace mothers day comments
8. how to make french toast
12. ecards
13. free ecards.com
20. funny mothers day quotes
25. how to make scrambled eggs
27. blue mountain cards
28. e cards hallmark free
30. american greetings
31. crepe recipe
35. mothers day text messages
40. online cards
41. mother lover lyrics
42. mothers day clip art
43. free ecard
48. mothers day bible verse
49. mom quotes
51. mothers day coloring pages
55. how to make crepes
58. things to do on mothers day
63. grandmother poems
64. yahoo greetings
65. dear mama lyrics
67. eggs benedict recipe
68. mothers day site 123greetings.com
70. hallmark cards.com
74. free online greeting cards
77. bluemountain.com
81. quick mothers day gifts
82. mothers day breakfast recipes
83. make a card
94. how to make an omelet
95. gift certificate template
97. mom poems
98. mothers day sunday school lesson

My favorite had to be #25, how to make scrambled eggs.  Seriously?

Anyway, just an amusing look into the collective mind of the Internet.  I’ve included a screenshot you can click on below to see what the whole 100 were at that time.  There are a few more that were probably related to Mothers Day, but I couldn’t be 100% sure, so I left them off.  And kudos to those few people out there already searching for Fathers Day links… unless you’re only doing it because you got confused about which day today was…

It would seem that Rupert Murdoch feels the time has come for people to stop freeloading on the Web.

Perhaps due to an astronomical drop in News Corp profits ($216 million last year down to $7 million this year in year-over-year reports), founder Rupert Murdoch announced via a conference call the Guardian was on, that within the next 12-months he expects to be charging for access to his corporations news websites.  

It seems that his thinking is based on one lone example of success, that being of the Wall Street Journal website.

That it is possible to charge for content on the web is obvious from the Wall Street Journal’s experience.

What he seems to be forgetting is that the New York Times used to charge access for their website, but they are now an open site with ad-support.  While the Wall Street Journal is enjoying success, it is also highly specialized news source, and not a generalized newspaper site like those of Mr. Murdoch.  Unless he can find some miraculous way to get every current free news source to charge for access at the exact same time he starts charging for his, he will find himself a very lonely individual with a huge lack of subscribers.

While what he says makes some sense, what he is missing is that people will simply turn to the numerous free resources that will still remain online before they pay for that exact same information.  While there is no doubt that print newspapers are suffering, going to subscription based online sites is not the answer.  All it will do is drive people away from your site, and with reduced visitors, the sites will look less appealing to advertisers.  It is an almost guaranteed lose-lose situation at this point.

There is no doubt that Rupert Murdoch is a smart man, just look at the media empire he’s built, but it is obvious that he is another in a long line of people who doesn’t get the inner workings of how the Internet works.  The genie was let out of the bottle a long time ago, and subscriptions are a thing of the past, so best of luck to him on trying to shove it back in to its bottle.

Just when you thought the United States was catching up to the world in Internet speeds, we fall behind again.

We recently reported on Optimum Online offering 101 Mb/s broadband in the New York City metro area.  That still stands at the current fastes speed in the United States, but now it seems that Virgin Media in the UK is ready to test out speeds of 200Mb/s, making them the fastest home service in the world.

It looks like 100 lucky subscribers in Ashford, Kent are getting to be part of the pilot program, which is planned to last for six months.  They will be doing shakedown tests on delivering 1080P HD content via the net, 3D video, doing home surveillance and more.  After the trial period is up, Virgin Media will analyze the results to see if the system held up and how it may be applied to potential customers.

This is just mind boggling speed seeing as the StarterTech office is running at 8 Mb/s, and that is high for the national average.  Hopefully this sort of technology will become more common here in the United States at some point, but, for now, congrats to those lucky folks in the UK that are in the program!

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) sure knows how to send some mixed signals to the general public.

The MPAA is well known for being like rabid dogs in protecting the copyrights placed on films.  Two of their biggest fights in recent years has been that you shouldn’t video record movies, and you shouldn’t copy (better known as ‘ripping’) DVDs to your computer.  However, now it seems they have figured out a way to somehow confuse the public even more by suggesting you video record a DVD.

huh?

According to a video posted on Vimeo, every three years the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress holds a hearing to review exceptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). In 2006 there was an exception granted to film and media professors to rip DVDs to show scenes of a film in their class. Now it is being proposed this exemption be extended to all teachers and students that are using the clip in an educational setting. Well, the MPAA just can’t have that, so they have decided it is okay if you set up a video camera pointed at a flat screen TV, play the scene you want, and record it with the camera and then show that in your class or project.

Their reasoning is that this keeps you from breaking the copyright of the DVD (yet it is a violation of copyright if you do it in a movie theater…), and by using this method you can shoot one scene, pause while you change scenes, and then unpause and record the next one so you can just show them one after another with no editing.  They also try to convince you that this will be just as good quality as if you ripped the DVD!  Yeah… right.

This is the MPAA at its absolute best, which is to say when they are bing incredibly idiotic.  The video proof is embedded below, and it’s quite amusing in some twisted way.

The rumors proved to be true, and Amazon has indeed launched a larger Kindle.

As we reported the other day, rumors had begun to circulate that Amazon was about to launch a second, larger, version of their ebook reader, the Kindle.  We had first heard whispers of a larger Kindle as far back as last August, but when the Kindle 2 launched, we figured those rumors had been wrong.  Today, though, was a different story.

The new Kindle DX features a 9.7″ diagonal screen compared to the regular model’s 6″ screen. It also adds a new trick to the screen in that you can rotate it from the standard portrait layout to a landscape one simply by turning the device on its side. This new addition is very reminiscent of the iPhone and iPod Touch, but still a handy feature depending on what you’re reading.

Screen space wasn’t the only thing to increase in size as the hard drive has been increased to 3.3 GBs, or enough space to hold up to 3,500 books.  Seeing as the Kindle 2 can only 1,500, this is a huge jump for the device. (We here at StarterTech still want to know how this is a necessary feature… did people actually used to think, “Oh, if only I could carry 3,500 books with me anywhere I go!”… we don’t think so)

The main reason for this new addition to the Kindle family is more integration with newspapers and text books.  The newly retooled gadget is going to retail for $489 if you buy it outright, but at some point this summer, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe will be offering deals where you can get it cheaper if you agree to a long term subscription plan with them. The details of this have not yet been released, but it is an interesting proposal to help save some of the struggling newspapers in this country.

What may be the most brilliant plan for expanding the popularity of the Kindle is getting it into the hands of college students.  No one likes lugging around huge school books, nor how much you have to pay for them.  With this in mind, Amazon has partnered up with Princeton, UVA, Case Western, Arizona State, and Reed College to do pilot programs where students will be able to have their text books on the new Kindles.  No word on how many students at each school will be involved, or on pricing for the device & the books, but the programs are coming at some point.

While these are all interesting possabilities for the Kindle, the newspapers and the schools, until these devices feature a color screen, it just isn’t going to reach its full potential.  Right now both the Kindle 2 and the Kindle DX sport screens with 16 shades of gray, and that’s enough for reading a book, it’s a major drawback to the realm of text books.  Newspapers can survive on the gray screen, but text books thrive with colors in the forms of charts, graphs, pictures and so on.  Imagine your art history text book in 16 shades of gray… you get the point.  Sure color is going to add to the cost and suck the battery life faster, but if you want mass adoption to happen, that is where this device is going to have to go.

As for now, we’ll pass.  While the DX is a step in the right direction for this device, it still just isn’t enough to sell us on the concept as a whole.

The Windows 7 release candidate is now available for immediate download.

Putting out a release candidate is one of the last stages before a program is officially put into the marketplace, and that is exactly where Windows 7 is at this moment.  As of today you can download Windows 7 Release Candidate (presumably #1), and you’ll be able to use it free of charge up until June 1st, 2010.  However, there is a catch to that 13 months of free Windows; starting on March 1st, 2010, your system will shut down every two hours to remind you that you are still using a release candidate copy.

Oh well, still 10 months of free Windows isn’t too shabby.

The download page lists some other caveats and suggestions for you keep in mind before you go crazy with your Windows 7 upgrading.  (following list courtesy of Microsoft)

• You don’t need to rush to get the RC. The RC will be available at least through July 2009 and we’re not limiting the number of product keys, so you have plenty of time.
• Watch the calendar. The RC will expire on June 1, 2010. Starting on March 1, 2010, your PC will begin shutting down every two hours. Windows will notify you two weeks before the bi-hourly shutdowns start. To avoid interruption, you’ll need to install a non-expired version of Windows before March 1, 2010. You’ll also need to install the programs and data that you want to use. (Learn more about installing Windows.)
• Protect your PC and data. Be sure to back up your data and please don’t test the RC on your primary home or business PC.
• Tech details/updates: Before installing the RC, please read the Release Notes and Things to Know for important information about the release.
• Keep up with the news. You can keep up with general technical information and news by following the team blog. And, you can get non-technical news, tips, and offers by subscribing to the monthly Exploring Windows newsletter.
• Keep your PC updated: Be sure to turn on automatic updates in Windows Update in case we publish updates for the RC.
• Installation: You can install the Windows 7 RC on a PC running Windows Vista without backing up the PC—but we encourage you to make a backup for safe keeping. If you’re running Windows XP or the Windows 7 Beta, you’ll need to backup your data, then do a clean installation of the RC, then reinstall your applications and restore your data. If you need to do a backup, please see How to back up your PC for more details and a suggestion for how to backup a PC running Windows 7 Beta or Windows Vista.

All good suggestions, and please pay close attention to the one about not putting this on your primary machine!  This is still not a final release, and you WILL encounter bugs.

This all just makes me think even more within a few years people will go, “There was a Windows version called ‘Vista’?  Huh… never heard of it.”

Is the world ready for a larger Kindle ebook reader?

The new Kindle is said to be larger, and aimed more squarely at the text book market, although sources at places such as the New York Times are saying it is also going to be a lot friendlier to the idea of reading newspapers on a gadget.  For sure the details will be revealed on Wednesday at a press event, but for sure we know it was be named Amazon Kindle DX and the screen will measure in at a whopping 9.7″ compared to the current 6″ screen.  However, the problem is that is looks like it will still be sporting the monochrome screen which could be a major detractor from wide adoption in classrooms.

It is interesting to note that this new Kindle was rumored as far back as August, but when the Kindle 2 popped up, I think everyone thought the rumors had been proven wrong.  Is this a hint that Amazon will run different sizes of Kindles in the marketplace at the same time?  Only time will tell, but be sure to check back Wednesday for all of the final details on the Amazon Kindle DX!

It would appear Netflix is taking their video streaming service very seriously.

According to Video Business, Netflix has revealed they spent $75 million on their streaming service in 2008, and that the amount wil increase to $100 million this year.  These funds will be used to acquire more titles for the service, one of the areas that has kept many people from getting excited over the offerings from the streaming service.  (We here at StarterTech are thrilled with the selection, but we’re unclear what that says about us…)  They will also be looking into better technology to improve the user experience with the service.

It is also expected that some time before the end of the year the company will introduce a streaming only subscription plan.

With the expected addition of new titles to the service, and no requirement to also rent physical DVDs, it isn’t hard to anticipate a sharp increase in the number of subscribers to this program.  While they do have to pay for the bandwidth to deliver these titles to customers, it has to be a fraction of what they spend on their physical operations with mailing costs, price for the envolopes, replacing damaged discs and so on.

Expect to see a lot more emphasis put on this category of their business as it seems to only be going up and up for them.

April showers bring May flowers… and another list of the top posts on StarterTech for the month.

The Conficker Eye Chart Lets You Quickly See If You’re Infected -A great test for seeing if your computers are infected with the Conficker worm.  This should be a must check for just about everybody out there, and tests don’t get simpler than this one.

How To Transfer Old Videos To Your Computer -Our very first guest post, and a great one about how to get all those old videos of yours onto your computer to share with friends and family.

Gmail Adds Image Embedding -It took long enough for Google to finally add image embedding to their popular Gmail product, but at least it’s finally here.

Stanford University Offers Free iPhone Application Development Class – With the money some people are making from iPhone apps, it isn’t surprising that people want to learn how to do it, it’s just shocking when a major university will do it for free.

Oprah Comes To Twitter On Friday; Fail Whale Sightings A Given? -You know something has hit the mainstream when Oprah talks about it, and that is exactly what happened this month with Twitter.  prepare to hear that site name a lot more this year.