Themes

Take two new add-ons, judiciously use some pre-existing extensions, and creatively apply built-in tweaks, and you can make Firefox 3.6 look like Firefox 3.7 or even Firefox 4.0. In this How-To video from CNET TV, I'll take you through the steps explained in this blog post from last week. The process isn't hard, and can be good for getting more familiar with the deep level of customization available in Firefox.

Thanks to a teenage Firefox aficionado from Tasmania, Australia, you can make your Firefox 3.5 or 3.6 look like mock-ups we've seen for Firefox 3.7 and Firefox 4.0.

To get a peek at one potential future for Firefox, install the Strata40 theme and the experimental StrataBuddy add-on. Like one of those classic Superman comics that had Supermen from across time teaming up to defeat a dastardly villain, the add-on provides the interface tweaks while the theme gives Firefox the look you're looking for. Several other add-ons are also recommended to complete the experience: AppTabs, … Read more

In a sign that both the movie industry and the Twitter industry are adapting to the times, TweetDeck released a promotional version of its Twitter-user software that sports a look and function tied to Warner Bros.' Sherlock Holmes movie and related 221B video game.

The Sherlock Holmes promotional version is called TweetDeck Telegram Co. and sports black-and-white icons and a couple period touches that try, but don't really succeed, to make you think you're in the 19th century. It also adds a new column for 221B-related tweets that tie into the online video game.

"Alongside the development … Read more

Today's episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast starts off on a personal note, with Jeff detailing last night's tour of Justin's tiny Manhattan apartment. I'll concede that the space is indeed very small relative to the cripplingly expensive rent, but like any self-respecting human, I'll pay almost anything stay out of New Jersey.

Although, if I ever get tired of New York, I can always make like Rob Cavazos, aka the Wilderness Man, and embark on a 10-day camping trip to the most remote phone box in the world. It's a 10-day experiment put on by Skype and The Viral Factory to raise awareness of Skype's cheaper international calls to landlines and mobile phones. Cavazos speaks English, Spanish, and French, and is inviting everyone to call the payphone using Skype for a quick chat. Check out the Phone Box Experiment Web site for more details.

Back in January, we made a spelling error trying to use the idiom, "Good juju, bad juju." As it turns out, the expired CrunchPad is now resurrected as the "JooJoo," but CNET's Rafe Needleman doesn't think consumers are willing to pay $499 for a device that does less than a Netbook. Check out Rafe's hands-on with the JooJoo and let us know YOUR opinion in the comments below.

Big thanks to Austin for the Nook motivation poster you see up there. And, as promised, we've got more 404 theme song remixes today, including more 8-bit awesomeness and two piano covers of Jonathan Coulton's "Mother Effers" track! Very cool stuff here, and please keep them coming! This has been the most. successful. unofficial. contest...ever!

Starting Monday, BlackBerry devotees will have an easier time snazzing up their smartphones.

Themes are a new download category in the BlackBerry App World, both on the online catalog and on the App World app you can download to the BlackBerry. There were just shy of 150 free and premium visual themes at launch, including animated themes.

App World took a few extra seconds to update when we launched it this morning to check out the offerings. Otherwise, the minor application update was a smooth transition.

Though iTunes has its own basic CD label-making tool, using a program like CoverStudio 2 gives your CDs and DVDs a lot more style. The program leads you through a step-by-step process, starting with several choices for what type of label you want to make. DVD cases, DVD booklets, slim cases, jewel cases, Blu-ray cases, and labels for the actual discs are all available. Simply check the box for what you want to make and then choose how you want to format the labels for your printer. You can grab an image you already have or choose from several images … Read more

I'm a little confused. Is Chrome supposed to be a minimally intrusive window to the Web or a splashy showcase for your favorite graphical style?

If you're in the latter camp, the type of person who picks desktop wallpaper carefully and reskins every software that can be reskinned, you'll be pleased with Google's unveiling Monday of artist themes for its Chrome browser. If you're the more utilitarian sort, avoid clicking on the Themes Gallery page.

These two possible attitudes aren't mutually exclusive, but they do live awkwardly together in Chrome. For an artistic canvas, Google's browser has only a minimal menu bar across the top, and it's often obscured by tabs. The best opportunity to show off some graphical pizzazz is the new-tab page, which perhaps someday will become some all-purpose Google portal page but for now is just a means to getting to some other Web page as fast as possible. … Read more

Google is clearly proud of its environmental ethos and likes to show it off through its products, but there can be too much of a good thing.

Mostly in an attempt to gross people out, I tried adding the new Turf theme for Gmail while using the Grass theme for Chrome (download Google Chrome).

Nobody ever accused me of having much in the way of taste, but even I can tell it's pretty awful. The eyestrain alone is headache-inducing.

What's the worst combination you can think of? High Score on Legal Pad? And what happens when you add … Read more

There may not be many hardware changes inside the PS3 Slim, but each new console will ship with the PlayStation 3 3.00 firmware update. Here's what you can expect:

There are a few minor cosmetic changes to the interface and XMB (cross-media bar). Most noteworthy is a new tab under the PlayStation Network icon called "What's New." It will highlight new featured downloadable content, news, etc., and will also be the first thing you see when powering on your PS3.

Firmware 3.00 will also introduce new dynamic theme support. These are much more involved … Read more