Speed Up Firefox by Moving Your Cache to RAM, No RAM Disk Required [Firefox Tip]

We'ved talked about moving your cache files to a RAM disk to speed things up, but it turns out Firefox has this feature built in. Here's how to turn it on.

Since your computer can access data in RAM faster than on a hard drive, moving cached data to RAM can improve your page load times. In Firefox, all you need to do to move your caches to RAM is open up about:config and make a few tweaks.

Once you get into about:config, type browser.cache into the filter bar at the top. Find browser.cache.disk.enable and set it to false by double clicking on it. You'll then want to set browser.cache.memory.enable to true (mine seemed to already be set as such), and create a new preference by right clicking anywhere, hitting New, and choosing Integer. Call the preference browser.cache.memory.capacity and hit OK. In the next window, type in the number of kilobytes you want to assign to the cache (for example, typing 100000 would create a cache of 100,000 kilobytes or 100 megabytes). A value of -1 will tell Firefox to dynamically determine the cache size depending on how much RAM you have.

This tip isn't brand new, but it is something we didn't know about, so if you're looking to eke a bit more speed out of Firefox (and who isn't?) this should give your page loading speeds a little boost. You can check up on your memory cache activity by typing about:cache in the address bar. Hit the link for more information on this tweak, and if you try it out, let us know how it works for you in the comments.

Speed Up Firefox Page Loading Time Without Using a RAM Disk [Download Squad]

Read More...

Summary only...

HTC Mecha / Incredible HD pictured for Verizon with a fancy '4G' symbol

If you weren't so keen on that LTE-enabled LG handset for Verizon that we saw recently, feat your eyes on this puppy. What we're looking at here is allegedly the HTC Mecha -- which may be known at retail as the Droid Incredible HD -- and from the looks of it, it'll be the first true EVO 4G equivalent from HTC for Big Red. And yes, when we say "EVO 4G equivalent," we mean 4G network support, too: you'll notice a little "4G" symbol up there toward the right side of the status bar, suggesting this will likely be among the company's inaugural LTE phones early next year. Android Central's source says that the phone is getting 9Mbps down and 5Mbps up in testing right now... so let's just hope those speeds hold up when the network actually launches.

HTC Mecha / Incredible HD pictured for Verizon with a fancy '4G' symbol originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Android Central  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Hands-on with FiOS Flex View

At the grand re-opening of a Verizon Plus store in Tampa today, Big Red was demoing its latest FiOS TV feature, Flex View. As announced, this feature lets you take your video on demand content with you on your PC as well as various other Verizon Wireless devices -- no iOS support though as Apple doesn't license its FairPlay and the Microsoft PlayReady DRM used doesn't work on Apple's products either. There are about 2,000 movies available for rent now, with a subset of them available for purchase. Currently they are all SD with stereo sound, but HD and discrete surround sound are planed for later versions. Unlike the FiOS VOD, you can download these shows from any internet connection and play them back on the go or at home -- resume between devices is also in the coming-soon category. Overall the user interface looked good, but we did see lots of blocking artifacts that we just hope were a result of the in-store demo and not an indication of what customers can actually expect. The content is linked to your Verizon FiOS user ID, which means that purchased content can still be viewed even if you cancel your FiOS TV service. No word on if Verizon's free VOD selection will ever become available, but we have to say we really like the idea of watching content on the go no matter how good our network connection isn't.

Gallery: Hands-on with FiOS Flex View

Hands-on with FiOS Flex View originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 22:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung Orion dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip spotted in the wild

We know it's a little tough to get excited about a chip, even if that chip is the hotly anticipated Samsung Orion. Still, bear with us, because this isn't your average slab of cellphone silicon -- the Orion's got a dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 CPU and a quad-core Mali 400 GPU on board. We spotted it at the ARM Technology Conference this week where it was pimping "Linaro" Linux middleware, as well as some stock Android 2.2. Unfortunately, the development boards still have a few kinks, so representatives couldn't show it pumping all those pixels to nearby HDTVs -- though we did get a butter-smooth demo of Futuremark's old Cyber Samurai benchmark running on the smaller screen. There are still rumors of this chip hitting some products late this year, but next year is much more likely. Either way, we're expecting some pretty impressive benchmarks from this thing when it inevitably winds up in the next Galaxy Tab or a flagship phone of some sort.

Gallery: Samsung Orion 1GHz SoC with Mali 400 GPU

Samsung Orion dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 chip spotted in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 11 Nov 2010 23:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Summary only...

Samsung HP-S03 Picoprojector Review: A Brownie Full of Lights [Pico Projector]

Pint-sized pico-projectors are popping up all over the place. Will Samsung's SP-H03 be the first to find its way into your pocket? Depends on how badly you need public video playback.

Specs Samsung HP-S03
Dimensions: 1.5" x 2.75" x 2.75"
Weight: 6oz
Resolution: 854 x 480
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Price: $300

You're camping. You've got jury duty. You want to show a couple friends a web video without crowding the whole gang around your notebook. The idea of having a high-def projector that you can take anywhere has pretty wide appeal, and the HP-S03 is a serious attempt at satisfying that want. It packs a gig of internal memory, a strap-on battery that'll last two hours, and a 30-lumen LED DLP that fires off a 28-inch-diagonal image. All in something the size of a fresh stack of Post-It notes. Throw in native support for nearly 20 file types and you've got yourself a pretty powerful projection platform.

Setup is fairly straightforward. Find a wall at least three feet away, either connect the HP-S03 to a video source or use the touchscreen to navigate the internal memory, and hit play. For audio, it'll squawk out of its built-in speakers, but there's a 3.5mm jack for connecting something more substantial. You can plug it into the wall or use a rechargeable clip-on battery that lasts around two hours—long enough for a movie or a few rounds of video games. When sitting alone, playing a movie, the whole assembly looks like a little piece of softly humming cake.

Obviously, the SP-H03 has great portability. Its size and weight allow it to slip easily into a pocket, though at 1.5" tall, expect a lot of "or are you happy to see me?" jokes.

The image is bright enough with the lights off, but even on an overcast Portland day the image can be washed out in daylight. That's to be expected for something of this size. Supports roughly 20 video, music and image files as well as Microsoft Office Suite formats. Decent variety of inputs: VGA, composite, USB or SD. The LED will likely outlast the device, so you shouldn't have to ever replace a bulb.

Won't play some popular file types, like .mov, which definitely limits your options. Needs more modern cabling options something awful: Sure, you've got a simple composite input available with an adapter, but the lack of HDMI or DVI makes it decidedly less compatible with more modern laptops. Also, every input needs a dongle, which is a pain. One-watt speaker is loud enough to fill a small conference room, but sounds tinny—plug something beefier into the headphone jack is recommended whenever possible. There's also a constant, muted whine from the fan—not a big deal, but noticeable.

Obviously, no one will mistake the SP-H03 for a home theater machine, so don't expect to hook this up to a Blu-Ray and be blown away with full 1080p clarity and 10.1 surround sound. The resolution is good enough and the picture is bright enough for a PowerPoint presentation or a campground film festival. Overall, the HP-S03's portability and variety of input/playback options outweigh its outdated cabling and occasionally spotty video support.

Read More...

Summary only...