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You can’t edit them yet, but Google Docs users can now upload PDF documents and view, copy text from, print, and share them. Nice solution when you don’t have a reader handy, or when PDFs are part of a larger project—but note that competitor Zoho already offers PDF viewing for even non-registered users. [via]

Mozilla released Firefox version 1.0 to relative obscurity in November of 2004, and four short years later, the much-anticipated Firefox 3.0 will hit the streets with ambitions of setting a new world record tomorrow. In honor of tomorrow’s 3.0 release, let’s take a look back at a visual history of Firefox, version 1.0 to 3.0.

The Themes

The most significant change you’ll notice in Firefox 3 off the bat is the new themes. Mozilla has skinned Firefox 3 to integrate with your operating system of choice. Firefox 3.0 in Vista now fits more into the aesthetic of Vista, Firefox in OS X likewise fits more with the look and feel of native OS X apps, and so on. Here’s a quick look back at the changes from the Firefox 1.0 to 3.0 chrome.

You’ll notice a subtle change in the theme from Firefox 1 to 2, but nothing to write home about.

On the other hand, the changes between Firefox 2 and 3—and even between Firefox 3 on different operating systems—are significant.

Another huge change to the look and functionality of Firefox 3 is the new and improved Location bar. Not only can you find a web page in your history by address, but you can also search the…

And I was starting to feel unfulfilled by the stuff coming out of Google’s labs. Its senior policy director, Richard Whitt, says that they’re cooking up software that’ll tell you if your ISP is screwing with or slowing down your connection because you’re hogging too much bandwidth, and what exactly they’re doing to it. (There’s already some available, BTW, since Whitt didn’t mention a release date.) But it’s not necessarily because they believe willy nilly in net neutrality.

Google just thinks that you have a right to know what your ISP is doing. If your ISP won’t tell you, you should have the tools to figure out. In fact, according to one article cited by Hot Hardware, when net neutrality first started becoming an issue, at first Google considered just going along with ISPs: “We would come out fine—a non-neutral world would be a good world for us.” Do no evil, eh? [Hot Hardware via /.]

Last Tuesday, Lori Mehmen looked out her front door in Orchard, Iowa and this is what she saw. She had a digital camera handy, and somehow managed to take this photo before crapping her pants and taking cover. This, my friends, is why always having a camera nearby is helpful. Oh, and no one was injured during this tornado, fortunately. [NY Times]

If you were thinking about picking up the new Samsung Omnia SGI-1900 with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, a little video demonstration of the touchscreen UI could go a long way in helping you arrive at a decision. All-in-all things look great, just don’t be surprised if you fall asleep watching the following video. Not because the UI is boring mind you, but the music has that single mom reunited with her child Oxygen movie of the week vibe to it.

[PPCSG via Slashphone]

Filed under: Cellphones

There’s still plenty of emerging details and news on the iPhone 3G kicking around, but here’s what you need to know from the minor bits floating around over the past few days:

• Jobs also told NYT that Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi was, in fact, intended to reduce Apple’s reliance on third-party chip makers. Specifically, he said, “PA Semi is going to do system-on-chips for iPhones and iPods.” So, guess that’s that.
• Per the feature showing up missing on a number of Apple’s international iPhone 3G product pages, iLounge compiled a list of carriers which may or may not planning on implementing visual voicemail. Vodafone in Europe, for example, will not have it at launch, and will delay its rollout until later this year.
• A video of a new iPhone beta build running on live hardware shows videos now in portrait or landscape modes, and includes video playlists. We’ll take it.
• Although DT’s iPhone page reads differently, German paper Welt has it that that T-Mobile Germany will be selling it for €1 — so basically free, not unlike O2’s iPhone 3G launch in the UK.

Filed under: Cellphones

According to some slides unearthed over at TreoCentral, it looks like the Verizon Treo 700wx could be an unlikely candidate due for the Windows Mobile 6.0 (not 6.1) treatment. Usually carriers like Verizon won’t bother upgrading devices as old as these with newer versions of their mobile OS — partly to induce future handset purchases — so we’ll have to remain a touch skeptical until such time as the upgrade really does launch.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

Check it gamers, things are about to get like, so extreme in Q4. RegHardware has it from “motherboard-maker moles” that Intel will be loosing its smokin’ Nehalem architecture before the end of the year starting with a trio of quad-core “Bloomfield” processors aimed at desktop users. A top o’ the line 3.2GHz Extreme proc brings 8MB of L3 cache, connects to 1333MHz DDR3 memory, and rides Intel’s new QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) bus capable of delivering 4.6 billion transactions per second. Front Side Bus, be gone.