Apple released their Safari 3 Public Beta for Windows early this morning after the launching of Leopard - the new Mac OS. According to the website, Safari is “the fastest web browser on any platform, Safari loads pages up to 2 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2.”

Anyway, here’s my review about Safari after bringing it for a test run. My PC is running on Pentium 4 2.8gHz, 512MB ram, NVIDIA GeForce4 MX 440 with AGP8X and Windows XP Home Edition SP2. I currently use (mainly) Firefox 2.0.04 , Opera 9.02 and Internet Explorer 7.

I downloaded Safari from the Safari Download Site (without Quicktime) and it only takes a few minutes to download and install. The first thing that I liked about Safari was that from the moment i fired it up after installing (no need to restart) it automatically imported all my bookmarks from Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox (FF). Not only that, it also imported all my history.

Interface Design
As you can see, it is similar to all the other Mac applications like iTunes - very sleek and minimalistic. It has the usual File | Edit | View | History | Bookmarks | Window | Help. The arrow buttons < > are of course “Back” and “Next”. The next button is the Reload or Cancel [X] buttons. After that is the “Report bug” button which looks like a bug (Duh!) then the address bar and search bar. In the next line is the bookmarks bar which will open the bookmarks organizer (the book button). There are no toolbars or status bars at the bottom of the browser - which gives a bigger viewing window.

Bookmarks
After clicking the book button, this window opens (same window). On the left is all the folders. The last two folders are Imported IE Favourites and Imported Firefox/Mozilla Favourites. Like I said earlier, this was automatically imported, eliminating the need for the user to make extra clicks.

Another feature in Safari is the inbuilt RSS Reader, you can add RSS Feeds as bookmarks and get updates without having to login to website such as Google Reader or Bloglines.

Merge Windows
One of my favourite feature in Safari is the ability to merge windows. Lets say you open a few windows with different sites and different tabs. For example like below…

Then just click on WINDOW and click Merge All Windows like so…

Then you will see all your windows merged into one window with multiple tabs. Cool ain’t it?

Downloading

When you download something, it appears in a small pop up window which lists down all the downloads - similar to FF. IE opened individual pop up windows which can be messy. But I prefer Opera’s method which opened downloads in a tab.

Since we’re on this window, I want to comment on Uploading stuff. As you can see from the picture, this is my friendster Upload Photos page. In other browsers, you will see a blank box then a [Browse] button to select the file which will then show the full address. I find that the Safari design is neater and looks nicer, plus it instantly shows the filename and type instead of something long like C:/Documents and Settings/My photos/Me/DSC00563.jpg

Surfing the web
I find that Safari does open websites faster than the other 3 browsers I’ve used. Not only that, there are hardly any differences in the designs of websites that we can sometimes find when opening websites in different browsers (such as FF vs IE).

Safari has various features like Password saving - similar to FF. It also has a form of security to ensure that you are at the correct site. Im not really sure what this is called but its something like certificate authentication (i think).

One special feature of Safari is that you can set it to Private Browsing (under Edit). In this mode, webpages are not added to the history, items are automatically removed from the Downloads window, information isnt save for AutoFill (for names and passwords) and searches are not added to the pop-up menu in the Google search box. Great for browsing for porn when you’re sharing computers.

Cons

• I dont like how you cant use the mouse middle button to click on a link to open it in a new tab. The shortcut in Safari is Ctrl+right click.
• The security features i mentioned earlier is good, but i find it annoying that it doesnt even recognize www.google.com and I have to keep on clicking continue every time i click on a new Google related link (which includes Gmail and Blogger).
• Another thing that bugs me is that in FF and IE, when you mouse over a link, it shows the URL to that link at the bottom of the browser so you know where it points to BEFORE clicking on it.
• [Edited] It also uses up quite a lot of memory. Of course FF does that too, but at least you can tweak it.

Conclusion
Safari really does have lots of unique and useful features, and is a great way for web developers using Windows to check how their web-based applications and websites look in Macs.

However, but then again there are minor annoyances so I’ll still stick to my FF with its add-ons which caters to my every single whim. Hehe!

Rating : 3 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: The post above reflects the writer’s own opinion and experiences after fooling around with Safari for about two hours and not based on technical details.

Im currently obssessed in watching Heroes, TV’s biggest hit from NBC all thanks to Bittorrent downloads. Here’s an excerpt from the site :

From creator/writer Tim Kring (NBC’s “Crossing Jordan”) comes “Heroes,” an epic drama that chronicles the lives of ordinary people who discover they possess extraordinary abilities.

As a total eclipse casts its shadow across the globe, a genetics professor (Sendhil Ramamurthy, “Blind Guy Driving”) in India is led by father’s disappearance to uncover a secret theory — there are people with super powers living among us. A young dreamer (Milo Ventimiglia, “Gilmore Girls”) tries to convince his politician brother (Adrian Pasdar, “Judging Amy”) that he can fly. A high school cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere, “Ice Princess”) learns that she is totally indestructible. A Las Vegas stripper (Ali Larter, “Final Destination”), struggling to make ends meet to support her young son (Noah Gray-Cabey, “My Wife & Kids”), discovers that her mirror image has a secret. A fugitive from justice (Leonard Roberts, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) continues to baffle authorities who twice have been unable to contain him. A gifted artist (Santiago Cabrera, “Empire”), whose drug addiction is destroying his life and relationship with his girlfriend (Tawny Cypress, NBC’s “Third Watch”), can paint the future. A down-on-his-luck Los Angeles beat cop (Greg Grunberg, “Alias”) can hear people’s thoughts, which puts him on the trail of an elusive serial killer. In Japan, a young man (Masi Oka, NBC’s “Scrubs”) develops a way to stop time through sheer will power. Their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world…

Joining Kring as executive producer are Dennis Hammer (NBC’s “Crossing Jordan”) and Allan Arkush (NBC’s “Crossing Jordan”). David Semel (”House”) executive-produced and directed the pilot. The drama is produced by NBC Universal Television Studio.

Oh and I have a brand new obsession too, a RM3000 obsession

Its my new black and silver Toshiba Satellite Pro A100. Its running on a Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz, 1gb RAM, 80 GB hard disk, ATI Mobility Radeon Xpress 1400 (128MB) and 15.4 inch monitor. Oh and it has like 4-5 USB ports and is using Win Vista Basic. Only downside is that it’s a little heavy, 2.72kg.

Since its I already have a desktop pc, Im letting my sis use it while I’m at home cause i only need it for school work.

nice or not?

~*~*~*~
Im seriously slacking in my school work, getting oh so blardi malas to do assignments and go to class. Must catch up with all my deadlines. Hopefully I can get more work done while sleeping & enjoying the aircond studying & finishing up assignments in the library

Technology is soo convenient nowadays. You can just switch on your laptop and then you can do work wherever you are - in the LRT, in the car (not while driving of course!), while waiting for someone, while lying down in bed. And dont get me started on handphones, hours and hours of talking and SMSing and MMSing and data transfer-ing, especially now with the introduction of 3g and EDGE, you can get connected to the rest of the world even tho you are in a rural place.

However, the downside of this is that you’re limited to the life of your battery. Which in most cases for laptops is about 4 hours on average. And for phones it’ll be around 1-2 days depending on how much you use it (play music, play games, take photos). And dont you hate it when you’re in the middle of doing something when you hear the annoying beep of the battery being low?

One great solution would be to buy extra batteries so that you can stay connected 24/7. For example if you have a dell laptop, you can buy a dell xps M1710 laptop battery so that you dont have to keep looking for a electric plug or extension wire.

SO what are you waiting for, buy batteries for all your electronics - camcorder, digital cameras, two way radios, watches, cellphones, security systems, PDA and laptops from here.

This post is brought to you by LowCostBatteries.Com

My timetable for my new semester. I dont have classes on Tuesdays (why cant I get my days off on Monday or Friday *sigh*) and all my classes are FOUR hours long. I hope i can cope with my subjects and classmates easily this semester

This is how my current “world” looks like. Im gaming my life holidays away. LOL! Join me at Runescape.com and add me as a friend >> Coconutice

1. I said I had no money, but the other day I was at Ikano with mom and I bought pink kitten (i.e. short) heels from Vincci. So cheap…bout rm15 only. Also went to FOS and bought an orange top bout rm20.
2. Repaired my sleeping clock. I used to go online chatting till 7-8am, then go to bed, waking at 7-8pm. Yeah I know, absolutely terrible. But now i go to bed around midnight (or slightly earlier) and get up around 8.30-9am. Which i think is such a big improvement The dark circles under my eyes haven’t dissapeared tho
3. Did some spring cleaning of my room, especially koreking under the katil and finding all kinds of odds and ends, bits of my own hair, dusty books, a sock, coins, etc. Wiped my computer table floor.
4. Replaced my hd with one that my fren oh-so-kindly gave to me (thanks! muahhh…you kno who u are) and fixed up my PC - reformatting, downloading and reinstalling all porn/hentai programs and games applications.
5. Oh, I found out why I haven’t been getting comments in my blog because i misstyped the settings - had a good laugh at Farah commenting a couple of times coz she tot it didnt show up. Anyway it’s all fixed now. Please comment a lot a lot
6. I finally managed to gantung my shells beaded curtain which I bought from Sabah early this year. It was so cheap there. Had a bit of dad’s help to drill holes for the curtain rail from where else? IKEA.
7. Currently stuck playing this game RuneScape. Its similar to games like neverwinter nights and icewind dale. But online, so you dont have to download anything, juz play it on the browser.
8. Tried out the Spicy Beef Foldover at McDs - I know…so lambat baru nak try - and it was ok. Sauce was a bit too spicy and too much but the beef and cheese was yummylicious.
9. Yea i guess that’s about it

Oh, im going to be in genting this weekend. Staying over one night to go to “A night with Jim Brickman” concert. Sooo cheap. only RM133 for rooms and Tier 2 tickets (valued at RM80 each). Im goin with aaron. whoopiee doo

1. One mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life. (Michael Sinz)
2. Once you get started, you’ll only stop because you’re exhausted.
3. It takes another experienced person to really appreciate what you’re doing.
4. Conversely, there’s some odd people who pride themselves on their lack of experience.
5. You can do it for money or for fun.
6. If you spend more time doing it than watching TV, people think you’re some kind of freak.
7. It’s not really an appropriate topic for dinner conversation.
8. There’s not enough taught about it in public school.
9. It doesn’t make any sense at all if you try to explain it in strictly clinical terms.
10. Some people are just naturally good.
11. But some people will never realize how bad they are, and you’re wasting your time trying to tell them.
12. There are a few weirdos with bizarre practices nobody really is comfortable with.
13. One little thing going wrong can ruin everything.
14. It’s a great way to spend a lunch break.
15. Everyone acts like they’re the first person to come up with a new technique.
16. Everyone who’s done it pokes fun at those who haven’t.
17. Beginners do a lot of clumsy fumbling about.
18. You’ll miss it if it’s been a while.
19. There’s always someone willing to write about the only right way to do things.
20. It doesn’t go so well when you’re drunk, but you’re more likely to do it.
21. Sometimes it’s fun to use expensive toys.
22. Other people just get in the way.

I really liked the above list (which I cant remember where i got it from - somewhere on www.digg.com perhaps) but its true, esp for us programming “geeks”.

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I want to eat TARAP!!!!! To learn what is tarap >> read this < <

Sorry kervin, i curi ur pic