Better Faster PC

OutWit Docs for Firefox does only one thing, but it simplifies a process that can often be very difficult, finding the right documents you want online. OutWit Docs will do just that for you, finding text documents, datasheets, PDF files, presentations and more from multiple online sources. Check out the website right here.

A couple of things happening in the world of Google you might be interested in:

• Google has FINALLY introduced themes for users that use Gmail with their own domain (like companies). That means if you are in an office and have been stuck with the plain, old boring standard Gmail theme for too long now you can change that (though apparently it has not been rolled out to every single domain, though this will occur shortly) by clicking on ‘Settings’ in the right hand corner. There should now be a tab called Themes from which you can select a Theme. Read more about it at Download Squad HERE
• If you use one Gmail account to manage more than one address you will have encountered the on behalf of phrase that is added to your emails, revealing the fact that the email was sent from a different email address. This was one of the reasons I personally stopped using Gmail for this purpose as I felt it negated the entire concept of anonymously managing multiple addresses (apart from the worry of your email address falling into the hands of the spammers you were trying to avoid in the first place!). This little phrase is NO MORE, thank goodness. Read more about it HERE
• If you love Autocomplete (the feature that makes suggestions when type in a search box) you will want to check out the new Gmail Labs feature that does just that - when you type in a search in Gmail it will offer suggestions with some extra features throw in as well. Worth checking out (and enabling) - go HERE
• Lifehacker did an interview with Senior Product Manager of Gmail, Keith Coleman, on the 5th Birthday of the ’still-in-beta’ free email service. Read it HERE

The guys from Mozilla (the same people that give us software like Firefox, Songbird, Thunderbird and others) have been busy lately. Here is a short update of what is going on:

• Personas (Firefox ’skins’ that change the appearance of the browser) has reached the 1.0 release. Check it out HERE. Though I will be honest I prefer the themes (which you can get from Mozilla HERE) myself
• Firefox 3 is officially more popular than Internet Explorer 7 in Europe and this is the first time in years that Microsoft is not top dog! Read more about it at Reuters right HERE
• Mozilla Labs has released Version 0.3 of Weave which is in essence similar to XMarks (or Foxmarks as it was called) meaning it enable synchronization of Foxmarks settings across multiple computers. Though not yet at 1.0 Weave already has a few extra features which XMarks does not, like Browsing History and Open Tab synchronization. It also works with Fennec, the version of Firefox for portable devices (also still in development). Check out Weave right HERE
• Lifehacker has a great post detailing four new expermintal extensions which you would probably want to read. The extensions are CacheSearch, FindList, Firefox 3.5 New Tab Prototype, tweecious. Check out the post HERE

Okay, I have been using Google Chrome for a while now. Not for all my browsing needs but exclusively for my Google Apps needs, such as Gmail. I have found Chrome to be reliable, fast (faster in my personal experience than Firefox is) and my only real problem is that I am used to Firefox, so it the change is not so easy. The second major issue is the fact that I cannot use my favourite Add-Ons, which have become part of my daily Firefox browsing.

However, today to add a bit of spice to your Google Chrome user experience I am going to give a round up of some the good stuff you can add to or do with Chrome to make things a bit better.

•  The Google Chrome 2 Beta - I have been using it for a little while and am happy with it. To be honest I have not noticed massive differences but there are a few new features. Read more about it at the Official Google Chrome Blog right HERE and get Google Chrome 2 Beta from the official download page HERE. If you are interested in using the latest Developer Builds of Chrome then go to this link HERE and get involved, just be aware that these are not Stable Releases
• Want to check out how amazing the Java engine in Chrome really is? Then Chrome Experiments is for you, with some very cool, very fun experiments that run in Google Chrome. Worth checking out. Remember to open the link in Google Chrome though, as the site is designed specifically for Google Chrome. Check it out HERE
• Want to install a Theme on Google Chrome, it’s not as simple as Firefox but can be done. Use a program called XChrome which is a theme manager for Google Chrome - Get it HERE. Then you will need some themes to install to make your Google Chrome look a bit more pleasing to the eye. deviantART has a bunch of themes which you can get HERE. Otherwise here are a couple more links to other Google Chrome Theme sites. Link 1 - Link 2 - Link 3
• There are two great forums for Google Chrome that I have found. They have the latest hacks, plugins and themes, all cutting edge. You can also submit your thoughts, ideas, themes etc. ChromeSpot is one, check it out HERE and Google Chrome Plugins is another - check it out HERE
• Some odds and ends are here, MakeUseOf has a list of 7 Useful Hacks for Chrome right HERE. TechRadar has a list of 10 Really Cools Hacks for Google Chrome which you can check out HERE. You might also want to check out My Chrome Addons which is HERE and Chrome Plugins which is HERE

If you are looking to change browsers or are a Safari user then you might want to check out the Safari Beta from Apple.

It features a host of innovative features and you can get it HERE. Also check out  the Wikipedia entry for Safari which is HERE. Lifehacker also has a nice article about it which you can read HERE.

Well, if you didn’t an invite to the closed Beta of QuakeLive - it is going to be open to everyone soon - that means you can play Quake in your browser.

Check out the official site right HERE. If you want to find out a bit more about it then check out Wikipedia - HERE.

Internet Explorer 8 the final release is not out just yet but it is on the way soon and the numbers are looking good. There is already a bit of an uptake by users of the browser and it already occupies nearly the same user base as Google Chrome, we will only get a real understanding of whether the release of Internet Explorer 8 will steady the decline in popularity of the Internet Explorer series that we have seen recently.

With Internet Explorer 8 included in the upcoming Windows 7, roll-outs possibly on Windows update and other users reverting back to the new release we may see another resurgence in IE’s popularity.

Well, after just getting your hands on the Beta, most of you are probably wondering what is coming next. Well, it turns out we are not going to be getting a Beta 2. In fact, Microsoft is on it’s way to Release Candidate 1.

That means Windows 7 is on the way. Possibly late 2009 or early 2010!

Read more about it HERE.

If you have already got Windows 7 then you might be wanting some free stuff (like themes) and Microsoft is giving them away for FREE.

Personalize you copy of Windows 7 today, just click HERE.

If you have not downloaded Windows 7 yet but were hoping to get around to it, Microsoft has extended the download deadline for the Beta. Whether or not they will stick to this date is questionable but if you have not got your hands on it yet and were planning to, maybe you should think about doing it soon as the new official deadline for downloading Windows 7 Beta is February 10th.

Read more about it HERE.