The highly anticipated electronic device – iPad has just been announced by Steve Jobs in Apple Media Event. Everyone has been talking about how good the device was before it released & I am now here to reveal it for ya’ all.

Features :
* Processor: 1GHz Apple A4
* Operating System: iPhone OS 3.2
* Storage: 16GB, 32GB or 64GB flash drive
* Size: 9.56 (H) x 7.47 (W) x 0.5 (D) inch
* Weight: 1.5 pounds (680 gram) for iPad WiFi, 1.6 pounds (730 gram) for iPad 3G
* Display: 1024×768 pixels
* Wireless connection: WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G (Additional payment needed)
* Battery: up to 10 hours of web surfing, video watching, music playback
* Input/Output: Dock connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, build-in speaker, microphone, SIM tray (iPad 3G only)

Homepage looks slick with iPhone app launcher but with Mac OSX dock. Size of keyboard has been increased, we can see Jobs is typing on the keyboard using fingers instead thumbs.

Fear not if you own an iPhone but am afraid to pay for the same apps again on iPad, you can simply sync it & your iPad will get the same apps as those on your iPhone. All apps will be resized automatically to fit your screen.

Games are running smoothly & ‘presumably HD’ as described by Gizmodo as Need For Speed & NOVA were demonstrated during the event, but for me the games look just the same as on iPhone, so it’s quite disappointing for a heavy gamer like me.

How About Apple iPad Price In Malaysia?

The iPad ships worldwide in 60 days, but only in Wi-Fi versions. The 3G version will be another 30 days after that. Here are the prices:

Without 3G:

• $499: 16GB (RM1714)
• $599: 32GB (RM2057)
• $699: 64GB (RM2400)

With 3G:

• $629: 16GB (RM2160)
• $729: 32GB (RM2500)
• $829: 64GB (RM2848)

Apple will ship all the iPads in 60 days—the end of March—to America, and just the Wi-Fi models internationally. It’ll be another 30 days beyond that for 3G models to be available outside our shores; Apple says they’re still working on carrier deals.

iBookstore & iBooks are nowhere to be seen, so it is not available to international users (At least for now). Of course, after all these rants about iPad you know I am still going to get myself one of them

Will you get yourself an iPad?

Via Gizmodo & LiewCF

Looking at pictures of the family picnic can get pretty boring as you open one file, close it and open the next picture file. Wouldn’t it be cooler if you can create your own slideshow – displaying one picture after another, in sequence and at the pace you choose? It makes sense to viewers, that’s for sure. Especially if we’re talking about an instructional slideshow or a professional looking business presentation.

You want to look good and you want the visual information properly sequenced and paced to suit your purposes, whether it’s to entertain, educate or to show a new employee how to insert Tab A into Slot B.

You can purchase slideshow software but why would you when there are so many open source software apps and tools available, as in FREE. Here are some of my favorites. Try them. One of them will become your favorite. Guaranteed.

Roll ‘em.

1. Smilebox

I’m amazed at how deep in features Smilebox is. It does almost everything you could want:

* choose from 100s of predesigned templates
* design a slideshow for a specific occasion like a birthday or wedding reception
* integrate stills, digital video clips, narration and even a music bed and sound FX
* output the finished slideshow to an email, print it out or burn to a DVD with a click
* import files from any source – just browse your way to the best looking presentation ever

The interface is totally user friendly, making it easy to upload files and place them on the time line. You can also mix audio to create a narrated presentation complete with music – all in just a few minutes.

Smilebox is perfect for making personalized e-cards, online scrapbooks, photo albums, business quality presentations for upload to a client’s site – the list is endless.

And the cost? Zip. You’ll love how easy Smilebox makes slideshow creation. Even more, you’ll love how good your pictures look – especially when you provide a little narration to describe each shot.

Smilebox is one cool, photo sharing tool.

2. Photozig

Photozig does deliver a robust slideshow creator but there’s more to this download than putting on a good looking slideshow.

Photozig is also a great tool for organizing your picture files, using a “slide tray” to display all of your images. You can save pictures to different folders, create multimedia presentations, download complete folder contents to the time line for easy picture manipulation and edit your pictures with a centering and crop tool that lets you show your best side.

Photozig also lets you create personalized or business-oriented screensavers, wallpapers, DVDs and CDs. I’ve used Photozig a few times now and each time I do I discover more features and more functionality.

This slideshow editor gets two thumbs up from this reviewer.

3. Microsoft’s Photo Story 3

You know MS has to stake a claim in the photo editing realm and Photo Story 3 puts Microsoft on my “best of” list for the simple reason that it configures seamlessly with other Microsoft apps. It’s made by MS so it works with all other Microsoft image manipulation tools running in Windows XP.

The basic, home edition is pretty robust, but if you’re serious about your presentations, Microsoft also offers an MS Media Center edition, a special net book edition and a somewhat pricey professional edition for businesses that need more than PowerPoint.

The pro version is more than you need to create a slideshow for grandma, but for professionals who blog or otherwise work in the web world, Photo Story 3 puts control of your pix in your hands.

Try it, all you fans of MS. You’ll like the way it syncs up with all your other Microsoft tools.

4. PhotoStage

PhotoStage is made by NCH Software and it comes with a basketful of goodies.

First, there’s a complete, intuitive photo editor that simplifies preloading – something you’ll appreciate and a feature missing from some other free slideshow creators. You can zoom in or out, crop images, auto enhance and otherwise manipulate your pictures to suit your artistic preferences or your instructional needs. And it’s easy to use the PhotoStage editor.

Second, your finished slideshow can be output to DVD for viewing on any TV monitor (including high-def flat screens) or PSP, send your slide deck to any mobile device automatically, add vid-clips and more.

Finally, PhotoStage is 100% compatible with Vista based apps. You can add 100s of different pictures to create visual interest and keep your audience engaged, while looking every bit the professional in the process with a full slate of transition options.

Fun, fast and simple. This MS based slide sorter is a favorite.

5. Picasa

Most bloggers are familiar with Picasa – part of the Google Apps suite. It’s Google’s answer to Microsoft’s Photo Story product line and, I must say, it’s a handy little tool to download. FREE.

Unlike a lot of other OSS image creation software, Picasa has a lot of editing options that simplify photo editing and slideshow creation. For example, there’s an Auto Color option that optimizes the colors, even in scanned images in low res formats like gifs.

Picasa comes with an Auto Contrast feature, a Redeye compensator, a simple alignment tool, a border creation tool, templates and other fun stuff to simplify slideshow creation and photo editing.

I especially recommend Picasa for those shutterbugs who are using older digital cameras with lower res than the standards of today. The automated enhancement features “fill-in” the holes in your source materials making lower res images crystal clear. You’ll never have to delete an older photo. Just open it in Picasa, click the auto enhance features and even your old pix will pop on any HD screen.

I’ve used all of these tools for different purposes – from creating a family photo album to creating slideshows for enterprise tier corporate clients. Check ‘em out. One of these is perfect, whatever your slideshow creation needs.

And….cut.

There’s nothing worse than spending $10 at the local multiplex to see a movie that totally sucks. The movie theater sure isn’t going to give you a refund. And yea, it pays to read a couple of reviews by professional movie watchers.

That’s why I usually rely on friends’ recommendations and read few reviews of any movie I want to watch so I know what I’m getting before the endless trailers even start running.

My favorite sites:

1. Rotten Tomatoes

It’s amazing how much money this one site has saved me. I missed all those so called blockbusters that failed to live up to expectations but still had them lining up at my local theater complex.

I like rottentomatoes.com for a couple of reasons. First, there’s always some good gossip and I’m a sucker for good Hollywood dirt. I also like this site because they list gross earnings figures for flicks. So what?

Well, I don’t always follow the crowd so if I see a big name movie is raking in millions and millions, I’ll read at least one more review and ask friends for their opinions before I pay the price of admission.

Also, the reviewers on rottentomatoes.com are pretty brutal sometimes, which always makes for fun reading.

2. Metacritic

Metacritic is a one stop review shop for all kinds of media including movies (of course) but also TV shows, console games (a real money saver when you consider that an Xbox game can set you back $60), music and other fun stuff.

Unlike a lot of other movie review sites, Metacritic actually collects reviews from lots of other review sites all in one place. So, I load Metacritic into my RSS reader and I’m caught up on all new releases, from the latest RPG to just plain PGs, as in movies.

This site’s a time saver when I need a quick review before running out for dinner and a movie with friends. I know what I’m getting myself in for – another Hugh Grant chick-flick? I hope not.

3. The Internet Movie Database

Cool site for watching trailers to see if this is something worth spending money on or a definite pass.

I also get the top grossers of the day, a slew of information on opening dates for movies I have on my must watch list (which seems to be growing longer; I gotta get out more) and there’s an extensive database of reviews of older releases.

For this reason, I always check imdb.com before I pay for a DVD rental or a digital on demand fee for some flick that’s five years old. Another money saver.

4. Pluggedin.com

Plugged in is kind of edgy in its tone. I like that. The reviewers cut through the hype and just give me the information I need to know.

It’s also another one stop review shop covering games, TV shows worth watching, music, DVDs and movies that are currently running. And while pluggedin doesn’t have the extensive database of reviews you’ll find on other sites, these guys don’t pull any punches. If it’s a stink a roo, they tell you it’s a stink a roo. No doubts.

5. Badmovies.org

Sometimes I like watching cringe worthy movies. Bad acting, plot holes you can drive a truck through, wooden acting that makes Clint Eastwood look like Robin Williams. Now, I won’t spend ten bucks to see these clunkers in the cineplex, but I will watch them when they make it to my watch list.

And I watch. And laugh. And cringe.

But there’s something else I like about badmovies.org. They strip away the veneer of hype that surrounds so called big movies and tell it like it really is. You know, some movies get caught up in a tidal wave of hype with one reviewer after another gushing over how great the new release is.

Badmovies will find the bad parts even in good movies – the critics’ darlings. It’s fun reading and it’ll reconfigure your must watch list just like it does mine.

6. Moovees.com

Decent enough reviews, many from other sites, but what makes Moovees a little different is the Moovee community that’s evolved over the past few years since this site launched. I know lots of people who have this site bookmarked because of all the features. It’s a community of users who keep Moovees growing in popularity.

You’ll find daily box office sales, weekend grosses, links to movie trailer sites, a pretty decent archive of reviews and movie related media (like trailers from older movies) and more good gossip and fearless predictions.

7. Nitpickers.com

I’m throwing this site in at the end of the list because it’s just what it says it is. It’s a site for those of us who hate obvious mistakes in movies – continuity issues, for example. In this shot, the glass is half empty, in the next shot it’s full. Maybe 10% of viewers even notice but it’s this kind of stuff that keep nitpickers coming back and posting.

It’s just a lot of fun, and when you see a nit, pick it. Or read about it on nitpickers because a thousand other people saw that mistake, too. (Did you know that the apartment numbers on “Friends” changed after a couple of seasons? Now there’s a nit for you.)

See ya at the movies.

Image via Channy Yun

If you’re like me, you have at least a couple of browsers loaded on your desktop – Opera, Chrome and probably Firefox, my browser of choice.

I’ve written a lot of posts about Firefox because it’s totally customizable through the use of the thousands of addons available and because the basic Firefox interface is just so darned simple to use.

I have thousands of sites bookmarked on my Firefox browser – bookmarks that I’d like to also export to the other browsers I use, or to a thumbdrive or memory stick that I can take with me to access favorites from a remote site. As with all online functions, Firefox makes it easy to bookmark and easy to export your bookmarks to anything from a spreadsheet to another browser.

Now, over the years, I’ve got lots of folders loaded with lots of bookmarks. Problem is, they’re only available through the Firefox browser, right?

Luckily Firefox makes it simple to export that long list of favorite sites to other browsers or external storage devices with a few clicks. The programmers at Mozilla has delivered the utility I need to get basic tasks done quickly.

Exporting Firefox Bookmarks

There are a couple of ways to export Firefox bookmarks depending on where you want to export them to.

To export from Firefox to a portable storage device like a memory stick:

1. Open Firefox. Click on the Bookmark Manger tab on the bookmark toolbar.

2. A drop-down menu appears asking what you want to manage. Scroll to the bottom of the drop-down to Export.

3. A window opens. Click on Browse and locate the memory stick or thumb drive. It’ll usually show up as E: lexar or F: Memorex. In other words, the drive will have a letter after C:, your hard drive, and you’ll see a short description of exactly what you’ve plugged in to a USB port on your computer.

4. Then, select the portable drive to which you want to copy your favorites. Firefox does the heavy lifting. No formatting required.

And, what’s even cooler, with all of your bookmarks stored on a flash drive or some other portable storage device, you can still access all of your favorites from another computer – even one that doesn’t have Firefox loaded on it.

5. To find your Firefox bookmarks on that thumb drive, locate the file named bookmarks.html and click on it. All of your Firefox bookmarks will appear in the file hierarchy you created while using Firefox to browse and bookmark sites.

Exporting Firefox bookmarks to another browser is just as easy – maybe even easier.

1. Open the browser to which you want to export your bookmarks. To keep things simple, let’s say you want to export those thousands of bookmarks to Chrome. Open Chrome.

2. Minimize Chrome so it appears on your icon tray as open.

3. Next, insert your thumb drive or memory stick into the appropriate port – a USB port for the thumb drive, the memory stick port for a memory stick.

4. Browse to find the bookmarks.html folder on the portable memory device where you’ve stored your bookmarks. (See above.)

5. Open Chrome and shrink it so you can still see the Chrome browser interface.

6. Now, simply drag and drop the bookmarks.html file to any space on the open Chrome browser.

7. If you don’t want to save your bookmarks to a portable data storage device first, NP. Simply open your Firefox Profile Directory. The profile directory stores your bookmarks, your personal preferences and settings, themes, add-ons, extensions and other customized features that you’ve added to or disabled from Firefox.

Access your Firefox Profile Directory by opening the Firefox folder that appears as part of the list of Programs when you click on the My Computer icon on your desktop.

8. Open the Firefox Profile Directory.

9. Scroll to find the Bookmarks folder.

10. Now, simply drag and drop that Bookmarks folder anywhere on the open Chrome window.

Firefox will automatically reconfigure your bookmarks to the protocols of Chrome or any other browser, enabling you to export your Firefox bookmarks to Chrome, Safari, IE or any other browser.

One final note: I highly recommend storing your Firefox favorites on a thumb drive or memory stick for a couple of reasons. First, you can take your favorites with you wherever you go and simply plug in that drive into any other system using any other browser for instant access to your favorite, bookmarked sites or blogs.

Second, it’s taken years to collect bookmarked data – the important sites you visit routinely. It’s not data you ever want to have to recreate. So, storing these bookmarks regularly to a portable storage device provides another layer of protection from losing critical data.

I sleep better knowing my favorites are right there on my keychain.

Image via albany tim

If you’re a WordPress blogger you know how easy it is to post a new piece. The editing form for creating a new post is user intuitive and very friendly, even to newcomers within the blogosphere. But…

…as far as word processing editors are concerned, the WordPress blog editor is only available to users with internet connection. What if you have some terrific idea but there’s no way you get to jot it down on your Wordpress dashboard?

NP. There are lots of offline, WordPress compatible editors – Complete wp programs that enable you to show your creative side as you whip up some good looking posts that actually say something worth reading.

1. wbloggar.com Cost: $0

Yep, you get a lot for nothing with wblogger. Just download the software and your blog posts will look better AND you’ll be able to post them faster, meaning you can do more in less time – increased productivity.

Create your post in wblogger’s editor and publish with a couple of clicks to WordPress, Blogger and the other popular blogging platforms we’ve all come to know and love.

With wblogger you can edit posts from a single dashboard, edit templates without reworking code strings, import text files, format text alignment (rather than the left, centered and right options found in the WordPress wysiwyg editor), even created colored HTML code to simplify placement of everything from pictures to charts and graphs.

wblogger supports all MS OSs from XP forward so even older systems will be able to take full advantage of this off-site editor. There’s a preview feature, a find and replace option and a sack full of useful goodies that’ll allow you to create better looking posts and get them on your blog faster.

2. Live Writer Cost: $0

From Microsoft, Live Writer , obviously, works well in any offline environment.

The interface is super easy, enabling instant previews of works in progress so changes can be made immediately. (Something I really like.) You have a complete selection of fonts (WordPress’ font menu is pretty short), define spacing, alignment, image placement, text wrapping, add photos and embed videos with a couple of clicks.

What’s especially cool about Live Writer is that there’s a growing number of plugins available that equip you to create the blog post creation tool that best suits your blogging needs. In other words, using these plugins, your Live Writer will look different from mine because we all blog to suit our own tastes – one of the benefits of blogging, right?

Just download Live Writer, create your posts offline and manually post to the WordPress editor. Simple, adaptable, flexible and expanding all the time. For this reason alone, I recommend all bloggers download Live Writer and take it for a test drive.

3. ScribeFire Blog Editor 3.4.6 Cost: $0

I’ve written extensively about Firefox addons because I love the concept. Ultimate customization of your own web browser. That’s what makes Firefox so popular. You design your browser according to your needs by downloading addons.

ScribeFire is a simple, but feature rich Firefox addon (so you’ll need to download Firefox first, which you should do any way if you haven’t already). Because ScribeFire is integrated into your Firefox browser, posting is super easy. ScribeFire delivers some very nice features including an image gallery (a time saver), a tabbed menu of features, an open page that can be scaled to suit your needs and artistic vision and a totally built-in sharing option that lets you publicize each new post as soon as you publish. Automatically.

If you’re a Firefox fanatic and a blogger (like me), you’ll use the latest edition of ScribeFire everyday.

4. Post2Blog

This tool is used by a lot of bloggers because it’s mighty, as in powerful, so if you’re serious about your blogging activities, I recommend you check out Post2Blog.

Where to start?

* a complete wysiwyg editor (naturally)
* hotkeys
* automated pinging to services you select (no more duplicate pings and no more pinging throughout the day)
* automatically tag each post for Digg, Technorati, Del.icio.us and other social bookmarking sites and blog search engines
* post content in virtually any format – videos, image files, text files – heck, this thing takes an MS word doc and holds the formatting after you cut-and-paste (that’s a first)
* automated image upload (saves cutting and pasting images from other sources)

There’s a lot more, but you get the idea. Post2Blog is a blogging machine that does everything to simplify post creation and flaring – all from a simple interface that you’ll warm to in minutes.

5. Quamana

I just started to experiment with Quamana after reading some very positive reviews and I have to admit, this is one cool blogging tool.

First, it works cross platform if you’re switching back and forth between the Mac and PC worlds, which many bloggers are.

The utility features are clearly labeled so there’s virtually no learning curve. Just install, open and get to work. Quamana makes advert creation simple (ideal for bloggers who want that paid advertising but don’t want to spend hours creating a clickthrough box).

There’s an easy HTML editor so you can add snippets with scrolling through a big block of code, image alignment is simple, text alignment simple, multiple window editing options, cross posting options, trackbacks and complete pinging features simplify your posting, your promotion and daily blog maintenance – all offline until you’re ready to go live.

Bloggers need all the help we can get to make our blogs look professional, to monetize without looking like a carnival midway, to organize content the way WE want to organize and to layout our posts the way WE want them to look.

Check them out. These 5 blogger apps are the perfect solution for the bloggers and the ideal starting place for those who want to become bloggers.

If you’re like most web users, when you need a picture you go to Google images, right? Sure, it’s simple and Google casts a wide net, but there are other image search engines that may be useful too.

Featured are some from my favorites folder.

1. PicSearch.com

PicSearch is rip art on steroids, offering a fine selection of pix with image size and file size listed under each image – always a consideration when bandwidth or storage is an issue, which it is for many startup blogs.

2. Imagery.com

I like a couple of things about this site. First, it’s usercentric with convenient tabbed search navigation. I can also see the full size image with just a click.

This image SE is fast, too. I can load anywhere from 20-100 images in nanoseconds. I can also select from a variety of image formats from JPG to PNG. Excellent picture research tool loaded on my desktop so you know it gets used.

3. Yahoo Image Search

Yahoo’s Image search provides the latest pictures uploaded from news sources, primarily. So, if you’re looking for photos of today’s one-trick-pony, this is your starting place.

Uploads are dated, showing just how new they are. Click on the Recent Images link after entering your search query. Maybe not as expansive as Google images, I use Yahoo’s Image search when I need a picture from today’s headlines (or tabloid).

4. Pixsy.com

Pretty cool image search engine. You access images from a number of sites simultaneously, i.e. Photobucket, ViewImages, etc. So enter your query and access a bunch of image resources with a click.

Switching formats is as simple as a click on a drop down menu. One feature I really like? I can store images on pixsy when I open an account. So, I can load up a bunch of useful images for five different projects and store them off site for use as needed. Saves my disk space and organizes visual content in a single place. Very convenient.

5. Flickr

This one needs no introduction.

It’s the number one online photo sharing site with a huge network of contributors. You find the good, the bad and the downright ugly on Flickr. Also, regular Flickr contributors upload the latest pictures of the latest activities in their geography. So, if I’m looking for quasi realtime shots taken by real people, Flickr is my top pick photo sharing site.

6. Webshots

Another photo sharing site. Contributors create albums, simplifying search by topic region or photographer. I always find something unexpected on Webshots. Warning: this site can be a real time waster if you’re easily distracted, there’s that much good stuff to see.

7. Corbis

This is the old Corbis Bettman collection – Pay per use.

Today, Corbis competes in the same arena as Getty, and other subscription sites. It also competes with free image search engines that scream “Rip Me!” So, Corbis has a decent public domain library, but read the TOS if you want to keep Corbis as a picture resource and you do.

Everything from contemporary to historic to downright strange, do a search and Corbis has something. You may have to pay a small fee – especially for the latest news pictures or anything that requires a search in-house. Otherwise, Corbis delivers diversity and some really oddball pictures waiting to be imported into Photoshop.

There’s no shortage of good source material. Plenty of images free for the taking. But please check the terms of service or you may have an account suspended for not playing by the usage rules and yes, there are usage rules so always read the TOS before posting a picture from any source to your site or blog.

Saves a bunch of headaches, and demonstrates that you’re a good web citizen by providing the appropriate credit and/or link, and even a “thanks for the image” thank you email loaded in your AR file.

Get the picture?

Some might think this book is irreverent. Others might find The Dip runs counter to their instincts and drives to keep on keeping on – no matter what, and at any cost.

Godin actually brings something new to the self-improvement mash up: know when to quit. It’s a message worthy of a read for those who take risks, walk uncharted roads and lead the way.

Sometimes, you just have to know when to throw in the towel.

So, a quick look at the main points etched in stone by Seth Godin in The Dip:

1. Quitters never prosper: WRONG

Seth puts forth an interesting hypothesis – one based on common sense. Quitters DO prosper. In fact, quitters are the innovators of the world. They take chances. They do things no one has ever done before.

However, these leaders from all fields of endeavor are almost certain to execute projects that don’t succeed. The key, according to Seth, is to know when to quit and move on to the next item from the long list of adventures undertaken by the daring, far-sighted visionary.

Wosniack and Jobs created the concept and prototype of personal computing in a garage, working with a piggy bank-sized budget. There success was evolutionary. Failures in design, the lack of a user-friendly interface and primitive technology limited the growth of Apple in the early days.

However, the successes far outweighed the failures and today, in retrospect, these two innovators changed world history using parts from a local Radio Shack. Godin would agree that Woz and Jobs did it right. They moved forward based on a measurement of success – not on a lost cause based solely on hope. They saw the impact the first Apple computer had – and when the Apple IIe came along in 1982, the company took off like a rocket, and geeks were learning DOS code to implement the simplest tasks.

2. Every project has an arc.

When innovators first undertake a new project, according to Godin, things start out “exciting and fun.” As the heavy lifting continues, the project becomes more and more like work, i.e. it’s not much fun anymore. (Most of us have experienced this part of the project arc many times – each time we take on a new client.)

The second part of the project arc is an in-depth analysis of whether the desired outcomes are worth “the hassle.” Well, when you’ve committed to a client you have a professional obligation to complete the project – but, if it isn’t worth the hassle, there’s nothing that says you have to collaborate a second or third time.

According to Godin, “Maybe you’re in a Dip – a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s a cul-de-sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.”

You, the innovator, the renegade, the freelancer who follows his own course, is the only one who can decide whether a project, vision or dream is worth the hassle. If it isn’t, it’s a good time to quit, closing out that project arc.

3. Know When to Quit

You know yourself better than anyone. You know your strengths and limitations, what is and is NOT acceptable in life. This is true of anyone who opts for the “road less taken” – Robert Frost.

Well, based on those personality traits, you should be able to step back and examine the current venture from an impartial POV to determine if the headaches and hassles are worth the pursuit of your desired outcomes.

Some of us have endless patience. Others, the attention span of a three-year-old on a sugar high. You know your tolerances. You know your personal and professional limits and limitations.

According to The Dip, the smart innovator evaluates her circumstances to arrive at a conclusion based on rational analysis, not pure emotion. The innovator knows when to call it quits and move on.

4. Learn from your mistakes.

I think this is the bottomline takeaway of The Dip.

Innovators make mistakes. Smart innovators learn from those mistakes and apply those lessons to the next undertaking. In fact, IMHO, we learn our best lessons from our worst mistakes. I think Seth would agree with me.

Quitting isn’t a bad thing. It’s not a sign of weakness – it’s actually the astute thing to do in many cases. Know when to quit.

Finally, pick up a copy of The Dip by Seth Godin, or visit the author’s blog.

You’ll never again be afraid to crash and burn. Like the phoenix, the innovators of the world and of the web will rise from the ashes to pursue another avenue to success.

Image via Flower Luza

Christmas is just a couple of days away and New Year’s Eve is just around the corner. The holidays are a time of gift giving, but what about those computer geeks on your list?

Well, there’s lots of gadgets and gizmos to keep any geek happy all through the holidays. Here’s what I’d like to unwrap this year.

Oh, and I’m a geek, so I know these are sure to be winners this holiday

1. PS3

The third edition of Playstation is much more than a gamer console. It comes with a built in Blu Ray player, a 250 gig hard drive and a WiFi chip to keep your geek gaming even when not plugged in.

This time waster is a guaranteed winner under your Christmas tree and, unlike years past, you can still buy a Play Station even at this late date, i.e. no people lining up at 4:00 AM for the big door buster sale at the local big box store.

Price: $349.99 USD

2. Powermat

Is your friend always complaining about recharging her cell or refueling his Smartphone? Well, the Powermat simplifies recharging while freeing up some outlets in your home.

This wireless charging device will power up any wireless device simply by placing the cell phone or other gizmo on the mat. Wireless recharging!

Great for the home or office (where everybody’s connected by cell), Powermat is portable so you can take it with you everywhere for a quick power boost on the go, and it works with any wireless device that requires a charge.

One word of caution: most chargeable gadgets will require a reconfiguration to accept a wireless charge but the geeks on your list won’t have any trouble. Takes about five minutes per device, but this toy will charge up to three wireless PDAs in a couple of hours.

Price: $99.99 USD

3. Kindle

Download your favorite books and read them on the go. Kindle is lightweight (10 ounces), thin, portable and convenient. It’s also adjustable to meet your vision needs.

The device is totally wireless and works in countries around the world, no matter what wireless protocol is used. And if you are a REAL bookworm, Kindle holds up to 1,500 books, with new apps coming on line every day.

Price: $259.00 USD

4. Garmin Nuvi GPS

Check out this cool GPS from Garmin. It’s got a 4.3 inch touch screen for easy navigation while cruising, a text to speech function, 2-D and 3-D mapping options, it’s rechargeable, and the Nuvi also comes loaded with other useful goodies including a JPEG picture viewer, a world travel clock (if you can pry yourself away from the desktop), a currency converter, calculator and a bunch of other useful apps that’ll keep you moving in the right direction.

Price: $129.99 USD

5. JaredCo’s Blackberry Flashlight

You never know when you’ll need a flashlight. It’s usually in an emergency. That’s why this Blackberry app is such a cool tool.

Unlike other BB apps that use the LED screen to generate light, JaredCo’s top ranked Flashlight uses your geek’s Blackberry Video light. That’s more light when he needs it. It’s also juice-friendly, meaning you won’t run out of light when you need it most.

It’s simple to configure and it runs in the background until you fire it up. There’s never a flashlight around when you need one – until now. One of the best Blackberry apps. One of the smartest, too.

Price: $1.99 per download USD.

6. Olympus X-905 Digital Camera

This low cost, digital shooter is the perfect tool for everyday picture taking

The X-905 comes with a 10 megapixel grid, automated image stabilization, a simplified face detection feature and a 5X zoom. Not bad for the low price, but like all things electronic, each year you get more for less thanks to a highly competitive market.

This is one gadget guaranteed to make you smile.

Price: $99.99 USD

7. iPod nano

The folks at Apple got this edition of the iPod nano right.

There’s like a million apps, you can download, all the tunes you can handle from the iTunes store, play games while waiting for the bus. This gadget has everything a gadget freak could ask for. And the nano comes in a full spectrum of cool colors.

Price: $139.98 USD, but shop around. Prices vary.

Hey, it’s the gift giving season, friends. So make everyone in your house a happy camper with these gadgets.

All guaranteed to be 100% geek friendly. I know. I am one.

Happy holidays, one and all.

Image via Lai Hu

Mozilla’s Firefox browser burst onto the web landscape a few years ago, and unlike IE, Firefox is doing it right.

In fact, the popularity of Firefox has grown significantly, and when you consider that this browser competes with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Google’s Chrome, the success of Firefox is proof that Mozilla got it right by introducing a blank-slate browser that you customize to make your own.

Firefox supports a large, diverse and active community of independent developers. Visit the add-ons page at Mozilla and you’ll discover hundreds of features you can add to Firefox, enabling you to customize Firefox to your business needs, web cruising practices and personal preferences.

Ever since Firefox launched, Mozilla has promoted the browser as user-centric – a lesson every site owner can take to the bank. Engage your users and they become a digital community.

I use a number of browsers for different purposes, but I always come back to Firefox for routine web-based activity. And, by downloading add-ons, I’ve created a browser that meets my needs so my Firefox search page looks different from your search page, thanks to the roster of add-ons offered by Firefox.

1. FastestFox 3.0.4

This productivity app is fairly new, but man, has it caught the attention of Firefox users. I can’t believe how this one app improves the performance of any computer from 5-year-old doorstops to today’s high-speed processors and a terabyte of RAM .

FastestFox simplifies repetitive tasks. Program the interface once and daily chores can be automated – everything from time cards to content management. Downloads are faster, even when I’m downloading two or three batches of digital data simultaneously.

This handy little tool can also run in the background if you don’t need all the bells and whistles by increasing speed as you move from one site to another. I’m still discovering new ways to use this app. It’s flexible, deep in features and it’s a simple add-on to the blank Firefox interface.

2. Google Shortcuts

With Google apps moving aggressively into the exclusive activities of the world wide “wealth” of Microsoft, there’s a lot of Google tools I want access to daily – everything from my Analytics account to Google Docs.

This handy download let’s me place all my critical Google tools on a single menu. Click once and I’m deep in my Google account, or conducting research with Google’s Keyword Generator.

It’s a simple navigation tool that takes a few clicks out of my work day and those clicks add up. So, it improves my productivity, too, providing faster access to the Google tools I use everyday. Hey, save a click here, a click there – it adds up to increased productivity.

3. Yoono 6.2.1

If you’re like me, social media takes up a big part of the day. Sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr and other digital gathering and SMS sites are a great way to create web or blog buzz. And isn’t that what we’re all trying to do?

Yoono is in my arsenal of guerrilla marketing tools, enabling me to ping posts, add posts to a variety of sites and track return activity such as RTs and comments to posts – all from one dashboard. Think of Yoono as a blend of Ping.fm and Seesmic – only mashed together in functionality. Real simple interface, too.

4. Smart Bookmarks Bar 1.4.3

If you’re like me you’ve got a couple of hundred bookmarks in your favorites file. Well, if you’re tired of searching for your destination sites, Smart Bookmarks enables you to display more bookmarks on your navigation bar.

You can hide it and bring it up as needed, but it’s so convenient, I keep it on-screen all the time so I’m on any site with a click. That’s just how I want it.

5. MR Tech Toolkit 6.0.4

A simple download add-on that delivers all the tools I need to install, manage and change extensions and Firefox themes and other add-ons in a variety of formats and from a simple interface.

Makes download management more manageable. Another time saver for me.

6. AutoPager 0.5.5.6

Simple idea, simple add on. AutoPager automatically loads next pages based on your preferences and web use practices. It reads Google, Yahoo and interfaces with other Firefox add-ons like spam blockers so you can still skip the spam without having to manually load the next page into your Firefox browser. This little tool does it for you.

Think of AutoPager as an infinite scrolling tool and stop manually clicking to the next page. Scroll through an entire site in seconds.

7. RSS Ticker 3.0.4

I’ve got over 100 blogs and sites loaded into four different RSS readers so sometimes finding the news takes more time than I want to spend.

That’s why I added RSS Ticker – a convenience overlay that notifies me of changes in any of the live bookmarks I place in the tracker. Now, I don’t have to manually track RSS readers. This add-on does it for me.

8. FEBE 6.3.2

A security add on that automatically backs up all my Firefox activities – bookmarks, preferences, passwords and other stuff that I use everyday.

Sure, I have multiple, redundant back-up systems off-site and in-house. This Firefox add-on simply takes one more thing off my plate – one more thing I don’t even have to think about. Nice back up security for all your Firefox add-ons and settings.

9. View Source Chart 2.7

One of the most creative uses of Firefox’s OSS interface, View Source Chart provides the source code of any site in a very simple GUI. But it’s not just a click saver.

View Source displays HTML tag boundaries, provides a GUI of tag nesting configurations and even identifies a page element’s ancestor tags – all on one screen and all with a click.

If site performance analysis is part of your profession (you’re an SEO, SEM, web copy writer, site designer, etc.) this little add-on, which I keep loaded on my main toolbar, will make your market analysis activities more productive and effective. Highest recommended for web professionals.

10. Greasemonkey 0.8.2

The Greasemonkey team’s main add-on, just called Greasemonkey, allows me to create web displays using snippets of JavaScript. You can grab Greasemonkey-compatible scripts here or create your own Greasemonkey scripts by mashing scripts to suit your needs. If you don’t know diddly about JavaScript, here’s everything you need to know to create a truly unique browser using this very sweet little time-saver.

With such an active community of developers, building literally thousands of Firefox add-ons, and new releases coming out daily, bookmark the Firefox add-ons site.

You’ll be back. A lot.

Thanks Daniel

If this is your first time visit to EdwardKhoo.com, I would like to say welcome & thank you for the visit. My name is Edward & I blog about blogging, making money online & marketing tips.

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