The Windows Phone 7 launch was partially successful as Microsoft looked satisfied by the number of WP7 devices sold and with the company’s re-introduction on the smartphone market. Well, the more than 2 million Windows Phone 7 users worldwide have been waiting for the promised update in January, then February, but the so-called NoDo update has been released today.

If you own a Windows Phone 7 device, then you should watch out for the notification which will eventually lead you to the Zune software on your computer to update your firmware. The first Windows Phone 7 major update brings copy / paste functionality, speed improvements, bug fixes, camera and audio enhancements, WiFi fixes, and an improved Windows Marketplace search.

In addition to the aforementioned fixes, Microsoft added that Facebook and Outlook have been improved though the changes will only be noticed by a small number of users. Overall I think Windows Phone 7 owners will be satisfied with the quality of the update, unless Samsung users will encounter some upgrade issues once again.

Windows Phone 7 NoDo Update

After the users complained of some annoying issues, Apple has decided to release an update for its 2nd-gen Apple TV so now you can download Apple TV 4.2.1 and fix the screen flickering bug along with a couple of audio issues.

Apple TV 4.2.1 update also comes packed with a fix for the bug which causes your Apple TV to not wake up from sleep. Anyway the more important fix is the fact that you will not experience any more screen flickering when you connect a HDMI-to-DVI video adapter for your Apple TV.

As far as we’re concerned, the 2nd-gen Apple TV is now performing better than before thanks to the update which is being rolled out. By this time all of you should have received it so let me know if your Apple TV with 4.2.1 firmware is working as intended. You know… in a better way than before.

The full details of the update can be found on Apple’s website here.

Apple TV

Mozilla has released Firefox 4 for desktops users worldwide and it has decided to focus on the mobile version of the browser therefore Android and Maemo 5 users can now download Firefox 4 RC for mobile. Ever since Firefox for Mobile has been first pushed to the users, the browser has been downloaded millions of times and Mozilla will not stop its development.

Firefox 4 for Mobile Release Candidate comes packed with plenty of features like Add-on support, Personas, tabs, Awesome Screen, and Firefox Sync among many others. This version of the browser also features a new user interface which is easier to use.

I’ve tried Firefox 4 Mobile RC on the Nokia N900 and the first thing that will be noticed is the speed of the browser. Previously, Firefox started kinda slowly and rendered pages slower than the MicroB and Opera browsers on Maemo 5. Now that this issues is fixed, let me know if you tested the browser and if you satisfied by the outcome.

Download Mozilla Firefox 4 Mobile RC here.

Firefox 4 Mobile

Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe

The 1^st car that belonged to singer John Lennon, a Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe made in 1965 was auctioned last night. The car is valued at $220.000.

Normally this model is worth between $60.000 and $109.000 according to CNN.

The car was put in shape sometime in the middle of the 90’s and will be sold by the auction house Bonhams from Paris on February 5^th.

Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 Coupe is the 1^st car held by the ex Beatles singer after he manage to take his driver license in 1965.

His 1^st vehicle should be worth more than his last, a Chrysler Town & Country jeep from 1972, which was sold for $5.500 dollars.

Robert Boyle

• Year of Discovery: 1650

• What Is It? The volume of a gas is inversely proportional to the force squeezing it.

• Who Discovered It? Robert Boyle

• Why Is This One of the Science Greatest?

The concept Robert Boyle discovered (now called Boyle’s Law) laid the foundation for all quantitative study and chemical analysis of gasses. It was the first quantitative formula to de scribe the behavior of gasses. Boyle’s Law is so basic to understanding chemistry that it is taught to every student in beginning chemistry classes.

A genius experimenter, Boyle also proved that gasses were made of atoms—just like solids. But in a gas, the atoms are spread far apart and disconnected so that they can be squeezed tighter. Through these experiments Boyle helped convince the scientific world that atoms existed—an issue still debated 2,000 years after their existence was first proposed by Democritus in 440 B.C.

• Fun Facts: Oceanographer Sylvia Earle set the women’s depth record for solo diving (1,000 meters or 3,281 feet). According to the concept Boyle discovered, pressure at that depth is over 100 times what it is at the surface!

Evangelista Torricelli

• Year of Discovery: 1640

• What Is It? Air (the atmosphere) has weight and presses down on us.

• Who Discovered It? Evangelista Torricelli

• Why Is This One of the Science Greatest?

It is a simple, seemingly obvious notion: air has weight; the atmosphere presses down on us with a real force. However, humans don’t feel that weight. You aren’t aware of it because it has always been part of your world. The same was true for early scientists, who never thought to consider the weight of air and atmosphere.

Air Presure

Evangelista Torricelli’s discovery began the serious study of weather and the atmosphere. It launched our understanding of the atmosphere. This discovery helped lay the foundation for Newton and others to develop an understanding of gravity.

This same revelation also led Torricelli to discover the concept of a vacuum and to invent the barometer—the most basic, fundamental instrument of weather study.

• Fun Facts: Home barometers rarely drop more than 0.5 inch of mercury as the weather changes from fair to stormy. The greatest pressure drop ever recorded was 2.963 inches of mercury, measured in side a South Dakota tornado in June 2003.

Etna

The Etna volcano made another eruption Wednesday night but no one’s life was put in danger.

The Italian authorities didn’t launch any warning considering that the eruption isn’t dangerous because the lava levels haven’t pass the normal standards. Also although beautiful the same authorities warn anyone to go near the eruption.

William Harvey

• Year of Discovery: 1628

• What Is It? The first complete understanding of how arteries, veins, heart, and lungs function to form a single, complete circulatory system.

• Who Discovered It? William Harvey

• Why Is This One of the Science Greatest?

The human circulatory system represents the virtual definition of life. No system is more critical to our existence. Yet only 400 years ago, no one understood our circulatory system. Many seriously thought that the thumping inside the chest was the voice of the conscience trying to be heard. Most thought that blood was created in the liver and consumed by the muscles. Some still thought that arteries were filled with air.

Cardiovascular System

William Harvey discovered the actual function of the major elements of the circulatory system (heart, lungs, arteries, and veins) and created the first complete and accurate picture of human blood circulation. Harvey was also the first to use the scientific method for biological studies. Every scientist since has followed his example. Harvey’s 1628 book represents the beginning of modern physiology.

• Fun Facts: Americans donate over 16 million pints of blood each year. That’s enough blood to fill a swimming pool 20 feet wide, 8 feet deep, and one-third of a mile long!

Earth

Over 400 million people will live on the Asian continent and around 100 million on the European one. In only a few months the people who are living on Earth will reach 700 million soles.

The event is more alarming if we think the gap between 600 and 700 million has been filled very quickly.

If we think a little, our specie Homo sapiens has waited between 100.000 and 200.000 years to reach 100 million while the modern human marked this number in only 12 years.

Another clue is the fact that between the last Ice Age and the 1700 the human population has doubled every 16-17 centuries. The Earth population has increased in number from 230 million to 700 million since 1941.

Galileo Galilei

• Year of Discovery: 1610

• What Is It? Other planets (be sides Earth) have moons.

• Who Discovered It? Galileo Galilei

• Why Is This One of the Science Greatest?

Galileo discovered that other planets have moons and thus extended human understanding beyond our own planet. His careful work with the telescopes he built launched modern astronomy. His discoveries were the first astronomical discoveries using the telescope.

Galileo proved that Earth is not unique among planets of the universe. He turned specks of light in the night sky into fascinating spherical objects—into places—rather than pin pricks of light. In so doing, he proved that Polish astronomer Nicholaus Copernicus had been right when he claimed that the sun was the center of the solar system.

Jupiter's Moons

With his simple telescope Galileo single-handedly brought the solar system, galaxy, and greater universe within our grasp. His telescope provided vistas and understanding that did not exist before and could not exist without the telescope.

• Fun Facts: Galileo would have been astonished to learn that Jupiter resembles a star in composition. In fact, if it had been about 80 times more massive, it would have been classified as a star rather than a planet.