Secure password synchronization, Speed Dial extensions, and an easier way to get Opera’s developer’s builds graduated from alpha to beta today, as the Norwegian browser maker upgraded its latest alpha to beta status. Opera 11.50 beta 1 (download for Windows, Mac, and Linux) adds the long-missing password syncing to Opera’s syncing component, Opera Link, along another long-missing feature: the ability to customize the new tab landing page layout known as Speed Dial with extensions.

Speed Dial extensions land in Opera 11.50 alpha, giving the feature more real-time functionality.

(Credit:
Opera)

Opera revealed in a blog post at the beginning of May a simplified take on how the password security works. Basically, Opera generates a long, random encryption key the first time you send your passwords to Opera Link. On the user side, this key then gets used to encrypt all the data sent to the Opera Link servers. The key is also sent to the servers, with a twist: it’s encrypted with your Opera Account password. So, by tying the Account password to the encryption key, Opera is essentially setting up a two-step verification process.

Opera recommends to existing Opera Link users that they change their Opera Account passwords once they begin using the new feature to ensure that it’s a strong password.

The Opera 11.50 beta itself represents a stabilization of the improvements that debuted in Opera 11.50 alpha about a month ago. Another debut at the same time as the alpha gave users the ability to stay on top of cutting-edge Opera changes with Opera’s version of a developer’s build, called Opera Next. These three changes will place Opera on a similar feature level as
Firefox 4 and slightly ahead of Chrome 11, assuming that the password synchronization makes it to Opera’s mobile versions.

You can test the Speed Dial extensions with one that Opera wrote, which puts real-time weather data in one of the dial windows.

Opera 11.50 does more than introduce new features. It also expands support for the still-in-development HTML5 standards, including datalist, session history, navigation, classlist, and the element. The full Opera 11.50 beta changelog can be read here.

The HTC Trophy ($150 with a new two-year contract) is the first Windows Phone 7 device on Verizon, and it does a pretty good job of showing off what the platform is all about. The Trophy is great for handling multimedia, but the phone feels dated next to other current-generation smartphones.

Solid Design

The Trophy is a very well-built phone. Its ergonomic shape allows it to rest comfortably in your hand, and its slim profile makes it easy to slide into your pocket or bag. At 4.67 by 2.42 by 0.47 inches, the Trophy is smaller than many of the “superphones” we have been seeing lately. Regardless, the phone never felt cramped to navigate, and the 3.8-inch capacitive WVGA display was a joy to behold.

Much like HTC’s other phones, the Trophy has a minimalist design. The front of the Trophy has the standard Back, Menu, and Search buttons found on all WP7 phones, while the back sports a 5-megapixel camera with flash (more on that later). The volume rocker and charging port reside on the left edge of the device, while the camera key sits on the right. Up on top is where you’ll find the power button and the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Software

Microsoft doesn’t allow phone makers or carriers to mess with its mobile operating system too much. As such, the Trophy is free from the bloatware that plagues Verizon’s Android offerings.

The Trophy runs the latest version of Windows Phone 7, and the OS works well with many of Microsoft’s other services. You can view and edit Office documents in the Office Mobile hub, and rack up your gamerscore on the go by signing in with your Xbox Live account. Although I would not want to prepare a budget report in Excel on my phone, having that option available is a nice bonus. The upcoming Mango update looks to add even more functionality; be sure to see our full hands-on with Mango for more information.

Performance

The HTC Trophy is extremely responsive. Scrolling through menus and navigating the device was a breeze. The 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor keeps the phone speedy and ready to handle whatever you can throw at it. I was able to hammer out a long text message with ease, and the few games I played on the device all ran smoothly.

Reception on the Trophy was excellent, even in places where other Verizon phones struggled to get a signal. Calls that I made on the Trophy sounded clear with no hiss, and the microphone did an admirable job of blocking out extra noises. Data speeds, on the other hand, were all over the place: A Website could take 3 minutes to load with full 3G coverage, and take only 1 minute in an area with poor reception.

Much like the Droid Pro and Droid 2 Global, the HTC Trophy is global-ready and can be used in more than 200 countries.

Multimedia

The 5-megapixel camera on the Trophy is nothing to write home about. In my picture-taking trials, colors looked washed out, and photos could have been sharper. Videos fared better when I cranked the recording resolution up to 720p, but were still not as sharp as I would have liked them to be.

Windows Phone 7 seems to have been built with media in mind. All WP7 handsets come preloaded with Xbox Live, Zune, and Netflix apps. The Zune app was designed to be a one-stop shop for movies and music. If you have the Zune desktop client on your PC, you can easily import your own media files onto the phone’s 16GB internal memory. Unfortunately, movie playback in the Netflix app was sorely lacking–even with great reception, videos appeared heavily pixelated. If you plan on watching a lot of movies on the Trophy, I recommend either loading your own or buying them off the Zune Marketplace to avoid having to deal with network issues.

Conclusion

As much as I like the Trophy, it is difficult to recommend mainly due to the fact that nothing about the phone makes it stand out from the competition. Even though it is a good WP7 phone, in comparison with other smartphones currently available the Trophy is lacking where it counts. If you bought a Zune, own an Xbox 360, or are married to Office, the Trophy will fit into your life just fine. For those who don’t like Bing or don’t have a Live account, I suggest skipping the Trophy and looking at Verizon’s other offerings, such as the HTC ThunderBolt or the Samsung Charge.

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Ever since practical business applications became mainstay on the Internet, people have been looking for ways to make a quick buck. The harsh fact is that not everyone has a knack for it. Most people want to make money quick or not do the necessary work. There’s a certain level of skill in seeing a situation and knowing how best to approach it from a business angel. There’s an old saying that if people spent half the energy towards a real job they wouldn’t have to work so hard at getting something for free. This is a valuable lesson that can be learned from both online business and others through some of the sage advice of online industry leaders like Neil Patel.

Patel, by the age of 21, was named a top blogger by Technorati. The Wall Street Journal named him as one of the top web influencers. With his goldentouch, he as founded two internet companies, Crazy Egg and KISSmetrics, and by using these companies, has provided invaluable services to corporations like AOL, General Motors, and Viacom. The man has proved noteworthy in the business world and especially through his SEO and SEO consulting. Patel firmly believes that this is what drives online businesses and can often be a deciding factor on whether or not a business makes it.

Patel has an impressive resume of work. Through Qucksprout.com, as well as Neil’s new blog, he offers advice on anything from smart business practices to the need for quality Search Engine Optimization techniques. In fact, SEO is one of the most important aspects of business. You can have the best work ethic in the world but if you’re not employing the best techniques, you won’t get anywhere.

Patel stated that one of the harshest realities of web sites is the simple fact that links are everything. According to Neil, there are two different aspects of SEO. Firstly, there’s on-page optimization. Secondly, there’s the number of sites that link back to you. On-page optimization is something hat anyone can manipulate but the second form, sites that link back to you, aren’t. Approaching SEO through link building is what has made Patel the success he is today. That and advice and lessons he learned from his, self-admitted, greatest mentors_hisparents.

Listening to a lot of the words of wisdom he lives by, it’s strange to think of someone as successful as Patel would hearken back to such words of wisdom that some might even call folksy. It’s the marriage of old world wisdom andcurrent online business approaches that has allowed Patel to rise to such great heights. Without his experiences, both good and bad, he admits that he wouldn’t be where he is today.

*This is a guest tip by Kevin Kaiser.*

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Being able to mouse scroll an out of focus window is very much like heated leather seats in a car–you don’t really know what you’re missing until you actually use it. For the longest time, I never really saw any need for fancy heated seats in my car and was perfectly content with the cloth fabric. When I bought a new car with heated seats though, I got hooked since the first time I needed to use them and now I use them every chance I get. Scrolling with your mouse wheel on a window that is not in focus is very much the same thing. You are used to having to click the window to bring it into focus first, then scrolling. But it’s very annoying to have to do that extra click, especially if you risk accidentally clicking a button or a link that you didn’t intend to.

This is where WizMouse comes in. It’s a completely 100% piece of free software that you can download that will allow you to do exactly that: scroll any window without having to click on it to bring it to focus. The software has also come a long way from when I first started using a couple of years ago. Back then, there was no fancy installer and I had to add a shortcut to it in my Windows startup menu just to make sure it was launched when I started Windows.

Today, WizMouse has a fancy installer and will register itself as a startup service automatically so you won’t have to do any of the work I used to do. It’s made by Antibody Software and is very lightweight. Whatever memory resources it uses it is definitely worth the added convenience. Give it a try, you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

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* LT+ v1.9 does not include support for XGD3 backups, but brings all drives (except for Hitachi) in-line with their respective new OFW’s following the latest SystemUpdate which was deployed on May 19th through 30th. XGD3 originals are supported in LT+ v1.9.
* 0272 – use of 9504 LT+ NOT recommended
* 02501c – use of 93450c LT+ NOT recommended

Status FWs:
- Samsung v1.9 (all versions): IN TESTING
- BenQ v1.9 (all versions): TESTING SOON
- Lite-On v1.9 (74850, 83850v1, 83850v2, 93450): IN PROGRESS
- Slim Lite-On v1.9 (9504): COMPLETED [FYI: NOT released yet]
- Slim Lite-On v2.0 (0225, 0401): IN TESTING
- 0800 Ripping Firmware BenQ v2.0: COMPLETED [FYI: NOT released yet]
- 0800 Ripping Firmware Lite-On v2.0: IN PROGRESS

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After the fast release of LCFW 6.39 ME-3, neur0n releases and update to his normal Custom Firmware 6.39 ME-3 for PSP hackable PSP 1000 PSP 2000 Models. Don’t try this on a TA-88v3 PSP or you’ll brick it.

Changelog:
– Added Reset VSH in VshMenu.
– Skipped sce Logo after exit Recovery Menu.
– Added “Make AutoBoot Battery” option in RecoveryMenu.

DOWNLOAD

Source: neur0n’s twitter pspcfw.de

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Retroactively capture the action without having to record every moment of an event.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

It doesn’t seem that long ago when we would have to lug around a VHS camera to capture video of family events, vacations, and other memories we could relive later by inserting the VHS tape and hitting the play button on our VCRs. While it was a workable solution for capturing memories in motion, lugging around a video camera everywhere we went wasn’t exactly practical.

Fortunately these days, there is no longer the need for fresh VHS tapes or making sure to pack the digital video camera because we have the ability to shoot reasonably good video right on our smartphones. With the
iPhone 4‘s front- and rear-facing cameras, we have even more options for shooting videos, and with hundreds of cool video apps in the App Store, we have tons of interesting (and sometimes strange) options.

This week’s collection of apps gives you some options for shooting good-looking videos. The first app lets you film the action from before you hit the record button, the second makes retro-looking videos using effects you control, and the last app gives you some professional options for shooting more-serious movies.

Mogo Video (99 cents) lets you shoot videos on your iPhone, but offers a unique twist. With Mogo Video, you can actually record action that happened before you hit record. As long as the app is on, Mogo is recording, but not saving what you see through your iPhone camera. So, maybe you think your child might take his first steps, for example. With Mogo Video turned on you can point your iPhone at your son, and when he does successfully walk on his own, you can hit the record button to capture what happened a designated number of seconds before you hit record.

Mogo seems like it might come in handy for many things beyond the above example and you get a few options to make it work better for the action at hand. Say you’re watching a basketball game, as another example. You can set Mogo Video to record 10 seconds in the past so you can capture the play that leads up to a rip-roaring dunk. No longer will you need to be lucky to capture an amazing moment because the app doesn’t limit the amount of time it will record in the past. But, obviously, the app won’t be able to record what happened before launching the app. Along with the ability to edit the amount of time, you also can turn the flash on and off on the iPhone 4 and you can switch between the front- and rear-facing cameras.

Overall, Mogo video is an interesting concept that will come in handy in specific action-oriented situations. If you want to catch the big play, or witness a first moment with your kids without having to endlessly record the action, Mogo is a fun and effective way to capture life’s exciting moments.

Choose from several presets to get the 8mm style you want, but all have that certain grainy feel.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

The 8mm Vintage Camera ($1.99) app lets you make old-timey videos with some cool feature variations and effects. Right when we launched this app we were reminded of popular camera app Hipstamatic, because 8mm Vintage Camera offers a vaguely similar feature set, but is instead used for making stylized videos.

Start your project by flicking the wheel in the bottom right of the screen to choose from five different video effects like the black-and-white 1920s setting or the grainy ’70s setting. Then, you can swipe the viewfinder in the upper right to choose from film effects like a shaky border (like old films) or a burning effect that makes the outer edges of the film seem to melt as you shoot. Different lens and film combinations give you several options for how your video will turn out.

Unlike Hipstamatic, 8mm Vintage Camera lets you adjust all your settings on one main screen. In addition to the film and lens choices, you have the option to use the iPhone 4 flash for brighter scenes; there’s a button that gives your film a frame jitter effect; and you can switch between the iPhone 4′s front- or rear-facing cameras.

When you’re finished, you can hit the My Reels button to browse through your shot videos, and touching a specific project gives you options for saving your video to your photo library, sending via e-mail, or uploading directly to YouTube.

Overall, 8mm Vintage Camera is one of the best apps I’ve found for making old-timey movies in the iTunes App Store, with just enough lens and film variations to give you plenty to experiment with. Anyone who likes old 8mm films should definitely check out this app.

Shoot your own professional-looking movies with an advanced tool set of video options.

(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)

Filmic Pro ($2.99) gives your iPhone camera a new front-end for shooting higher-quality video, with professional tools for controlling exposure, focal point, and more. As we know, the hardware and HD capabilities behind the iPhone’s video camera are impressive on their own–but its built-in controls for shooting video are frustratingly primitive for more-experienced filmmakers, and the iPhone isn’t always smart about handling factors like exposure and white balance.

Filmic Pro offers an interface that is clean and simple, and all of its controls run along the bottom of screen, making it perfect for keeping a steady thumb grip on your camera. On the left side of the screen, you have buttons for locking and unlocking focus, exposure, and white balance, and turning on your LED torch. On the top, in the main window, you have two reticles (or optionally one, for run-and-gun scenarios) which you can drag around to set focus, exposure, and white balance wherever you want in the shot. On the right side, you have a record button, clip library, info (a quick-start guide to the interface), and settings, which includes a ton of extras such as controls for resolution, variable frames per second, color bars, and a customizable slate with automatic advancing for each take.

Overall, Filmic Pro is a great value and worthwhile download whether you’re a budding cinematographer or a filmmaking vet. This app can vastly increase the quality of your videos, letting you get much more out of your iPhone camera without adding any extra gear.

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Hiroki Narimiya (right) will play Phoenix Wright in the upcoming film adaptation of the series directed by Takashi Miike.
Image courtesy Capcom

Superstar defense attorney Phoenix Wright will object his way to the silver screen in Japan next year, publisher Capcom said Thursday night.

Though the immensely popular Ace Attorney game franchise has already spawned action figures, a collection of books and even a television series, this is Phoenix Wright’s first feature film. It is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2012.

Directed by Takashi Miike (Sukiyaki Western Django, Ichi the Killer), the film will star Hiroki Narimiya and Takumi Saito as Wright and his rival, Miles Edgeworth. Maya Fey, Wright’s ramen-scarfing¹ psychic assistant, will be played by Mirei Kiritani.

Still no word who will play the Judge. We suggest Bruce Willis.

¹Yes, they changed it to “cheeseburgers” for America.

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Our FAQ section is updated in last few days with new howtos:

1. Linux Find Out CPU Architecture Information
2. Gnome Network Manager VPN Tab Disabled ( Greyed out )
3. Gnome Volume Control: Disabled Sound Themes
4. Debian Linux (Squeeze) Install Firefox 4
5. UNIX: Find Out the Server Model
6. Linux / UNIX: Run Command a Number of Times In a Row
7. Linux: TMOUT To Automatically Log Users Out
8. RHEL 6: Change OpenSSH Port To 1255 ( SELinux Config )
9. RHEL 6: semanage SELinux Command Not Found
10. HowTo: UNIX Set Date and Time Command

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In the world of modern computing, few things are as important as backing up, and few experiences are as jarring as realizing you’ve just lost a vast amount of work due to a hardware or software malfunction. But backing up can be time-consuming, and you may forget to do it. Even worse, you may set up an automated solution and find out at the moment of truth that it didn’t work right–you thought your files were being backed up, but they weren’t. With LazySave ($24, seven-day free trial), this will never happen.

LazySave backs up your files and folders while the computer is idle.LazySave is built around a brilliant idea: Combine a screensaver with a backup application. As soon as you leave your computer unattended for a few moments, the screen goes blank and LazySave’s backup dialog appears, constantly moving around to protect your screen while safeguarding your files. This way you always know it is running and what files are being backed up, but never have to think about it or remember to activate it.

Unfortunately, LazySave’s execution is not as brilliant. The application lacks an installer, and instead ships with a TXT file containing ten lines of instructions. That’s all the technical documentation you’re going to get.

Configuration is accessed via Windows’ Screen Saver Settings dialog. After configuring LazySave, I clicked the Preview button to see it in action. It ran well, but would not stop: Moving the mouse or tapping the keyboard did nothing to exit LazySave, and I ended up having to kill the process manually. This was apparently due to handling some large files in my backup set. LazySave’s developer is aware of this issue and plans to fix it in the next release.

As for backup, LazySave can filter the file types it copies, but does not create compressed archives. It can create a new backup folder for each day, and delete backup folders older than a few days. Every daily folder contains all data, not just the changes. If you’re backing up 100MB of material and keep seven daily folders, you’ll be using up 700MB of disk space. You can also configure LazySave to copy files from multiple sources to multiple destinations across your system, and temporarily disable backup profiles.

When it comes down to it, LazySave is too costly for what it provides. For a few dollars more, you could get a copy of Altaro’s $37 Oops!Backup, a “time machine” clone for Windows which is significantly more robust, and just as automated.

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