As far as autoworker jobs go, putting together a Ferrari has got to be one of the plum gigs. The company is consistently rated as one of the best places to work in Europe, but if the pleasant atmosphere and long espresso breaks weren’t enough, you get to go home at the end of the day knowing that you put together a Ferrari. Not a pickup truck, not an economy hatchback, but a Ferrari.

Unfortunately for most of us, that job isn’t really feasible, but to give us a glimpse at what we’re missing, Ferrari is apparently releasing a series of videos showing us what it’s like inside its factory. Last week it was the engine assembly line, and this time it’s the facility where the workers produce the frame.

The factory built in conjunction with aluminum giant Alcoa also happens to be the only Ferrari plant located outside the company’s compound in Maranello – situated, as it is, in nearby Modena. Follow the jump to watch the ten-minute video to see the process unfold.

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Firefox is nearing its next version transition as Firefox 6 is scheduled to be released on August 16. Version 7 and version 8 are, however, the first significant releases as far as product changes are concerned. Firefox 7, for example, will come with big memory usage improvements. According to Mozilla’s Nicholas Nethercote, Firefox 7 uses 20 to 30 percent less memory than Firefox 4, 5 and 6. As a result, Mozilla promises Firefox to run faster and says that it is less likely to crash.

The reduced memory usage is the result of the MemShrink project, which was started just before the release of Firefox 5 and as a reaction to an increasing number of complaints that Firefox has turned into a huge memory hog – a trend that was amplified by half-baked, memory-intensive features in Firefox 4. Firefox 7 features an overall much more efficient usage of memory as well as the ability to finally release all occupied memory when a tab is closed. Nathan Kirsch from Legit Reviews, for example, found that Firefox 7 used 40 percent less memory than Firefox 5.

Mozilla has been criticized for not introducing enough new features in its rapid release cycle. However, it appears that Firefox 7 is shaping up as a major release that increases stability and performance. Firefox 8 will introduce several GUI changes that were originally promised for Firefox 5.

Thursday Google Chrome software engineer Chris Rogers said that the latest beta channel release (14.0.835.35) brings big improvements to the popular browser.

For starters, Chrome Beta received what the company calls Native Client (NaCI). Originally announced last year, Native Client allows C and C++ code to be seamlessly executed inside the browser with security restrictions similar to JavaScript. “Native Client apps use Pepper, a set of interfaces that provide C and C++ bindings to the capabilities of HTML5,” he said. “As a result, developers can now leverage their native code libraries and expertise to deliver portable, high performance web apps.”

Also new to Chrome Beta is the Web Audio API, a new JavaScript API that offers advanced audio capabilities and effects like room simulation and spatialization. Rogers added that this new API will allow web developers to create even more interactive experiences and games, and even provided a few examples for experimentation.

This latest Chrome Beta build also reportedly embraces optimizations for OS X Lion like proper Lion scrollbars and support for fullscreen mode. Mac users also finally received Print Preview, a feature which originally appeared for Windows and Linux clients back in version 13. Previously Google implemented a new Javascript rendering engine into Chrome 14′s developmental cycle while also increasing security on secure (HTTPS) web pages.

Thursday Google also made changes on the Chrome 15 Dev front as well with the release of v15.0.849.0. Just on the visuals alone, the initial presentation has changed once a New Tab is opened, moving each section (Most Visited, Apps, Bookmarks etc) to their own sliding “window” without creating a new tab. App icons and website preview icons are now much larger, presenting the feeling of a mobile OS overall rather than a mere web browser. If anything, the new “interface” begs for touch-based input.

The new release also overhauls the Print Preview panel for improved speed and usability, and also features additional enhancements when using the browser on OS X Lion. But mainly this release is focused on stability and performance.

This week, the District Attorney of San Mateo County announced that no charges would be brought against Gizmodo writer Jason Chen for purchasing a stolen iPhone 4 prototype last spring. Chen and Gizmodo made headlines when they purchased an iPhone 4 prototype that had been found in a bar by a man named Brian Hogan. Hogan and his friend Sage Wallower sold the phone to Gizmodo after attempts to return it to Apple failed. Chen’s office was later raided and his computers and other electronics seized as part of the investigation into the missing prototype.

The DA’s office released a statement yesterday announcing that both Hogan and Wallower would be charged for their part in the incident.

“Brian Hogan, 22, of Redwood City was charged with one count of misappropriation of lost property, and Sage Wallower, 28, of Emeryville, was charged with misappropriation of lost property, and possession of stolen property,” the statement reads. “Their arraignment is scheduled for Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 9:00 in Redwood City.”

The DA said that no charges would be filed against employees of Gizmodo.

Gawker released its own statement confirming the news and said it’s happy things have been straightened out:

“We are pleased that the District Attorney of San Mateo County, Steven Wagstaffe, has decided, upon review of all of the evidence, that no crime was committed by the Gizmodo team in relation to its reporting on the iPhone 4 prototype last year. While we have always believed that we were acting fully within the law, it has inevitably been stressful for the editor concerned, Jason Chen, and we are glad that we can finally put this matter behind us.”

Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy R, a cheaper alternative to its Galaxy S2 smartphone, although you can’t say it’s a dwarfed version, as it’s still packed with a dual-core.

Samsung and Nvidia this week teamed up to officially unveil the Tegra 2-powered Galaxy R. Positioned as a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy S2, the Samsung Galaxy R was first revealed in July and features a 1GHz Tegra 2 chipset, a 4.2-inch LCD touchscreen display, a 5-megapixel camera (720p HD video capture and 1080p full HD playback), a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling, 8GB of storage, and Gingerbread.

“Samsung’s newest super phone shows off Tegra’s multimedia power, and is a great example of what consumers expect from one of the world’s top phone makers,” said Michael Rayfield, general manager of Nvidia’s mobile business.

The Galaxy R is already available in Sweden and will launch in North and Eastern Europe, South East and West Asia, Middle East Asia, and China soon. No word on country-specific release dates or pricing. Check out a hands-on with the Galaxy R below!

For those interested in comparing, the Galaxy S2 boasts a dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera (1080p@30fps), a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, up to 32GB of storage, and Gingerbread.

Now that Samsung has two versions of dual-core phones, how will Apple response to this? Will their iPhone sidekick provide enough punch to this Galaxy R?

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Chatter over Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) first began this week over on Reddit thanks to a few gamers who personally tested the unannounced title while spending a day at Valve’s headquarters in Seattle.

“We didn’t have to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement, but they did ask us to not give out any pictures or videos from there before it is released,” reads one testimony. The post in itself verified previous reports that Valve was shuttling top Counter-Strike players to Valve’s HQ in order to “discuss the future” of Counter-Strike.

After the Reddit post, the E-Sports Entertainment’s official Facebook page was updated with a message reading “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive… More info in the morning” along with a picture of Craig Levine turning the gigantic valve in Valve’s lobby. A Valve employee dubbed “Cliffe” also posted “Global Offensive” on a Steam forum thread, essentially backing up the unofficial news.

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The latest rumor regarding the iPhone 5′s cheaper sidekick is that it will heavily rely on the cloud and sport less internal storage, possibly making it free for new 2-year contracts.

Growing weary of the Apple rumor mill? Don’t fret: we’re almost done for the year. In this latest instalment of the iPhone 5 drama, reports are pointing to a cheaper, cloud-based iPhone that will be revealed next to the iPhone 5 during an Apple press event rumored to take place on September 7 here in the U.S., and September 8 in Japan. This is also the same day the fruity company is expected to reveal its latest iPod Touch with 3G connectivity.

Then again, if you look around, there have been so many rumors concerning the September event that it’s making heads spin The Exorcist-style. But one thing is for certain: all reports indicate that Apple plans to launch a new low to mid-range iPhone next to its flagship iPhone 5 smartphone. The device has seemingly ranged in size since word first surfaced of a dual release, spanning from a mini-iPhone to a upgraded iPhone 4 with a cheaper chassis.

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IBM’s Mark Dean says that we’ve entered a Post-PC era. Microsoft’s Frank Shaw disagrees, calling it a PC-Plus era.

Mark Dean, the chief technology officer of IBM Middle East and Africa, claims that PCs are “going the way of typewriters.” You remember those things, right? They used to sit on desktops and allowed users to type letters directly onto a piece of paper via an ink ribbon without the need for an LCD screen or power outlet? They’re now considered “dinosaurs” and “antiques,” and apparently PCs are heading in that direction.

In a blog published on Wednesday, Dean reminisces back on the day when IBM first introduced the IBM 5150 personal computer in New York which celebrates its 30th anniversary tomorrow, August 12. “Little did we expect to create an industry that ultimately peaked at more than 300 million unit sales per year,” he said. “I’m proud that I was one of a dozen IBM engineers who designed the first machine and was fortunate to have lead subsequent IBM PC designs through the 1980s.  It may be odd for me to say this, but I’m also proud IBM decided to leave the personal computer business in 2005, selling our PC division to Lenovo.”

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