Technology News: Web Apps

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

Mozilla has released Firefox 3.5, the latest edition of its open source browser, one year after its release of Firefox 3. The update went through four betas, incorporating JavaScript fine-tuning and other improvements, resulting in the fastest version yet, according to Mozilla. Firefox 3.5 includes support for a new private browsing mode, native support for open video and audio, and location aware browsing. However, it is the performance upgrades that Mozilla is touting the most. [More...]

A Tale of Two Demos: Innovation vs. Desperation

Monday - June 29, 2009

Over the last two weeks I attended two events: one organized by the Blu-ray folks and one by HP. Both PR teams did excellent jobs; however, one had a strong offering to work with, while the other was stuck with a toad of a product offering. Both products look to add value to platforms that are struggling at the moment. [More...]

HP's Web-Connected Printer Could Be a Game-Changer

Tuesday - June 23, 2009

In a move that could rock the printing world and set Amazon's Kindle e-reader on its ear, HP announced on Tuesday an all-in-one printer that can connect directly to the Internet. The device, the HP Photosmart Premium, will let users download content and make purchases from the Internet. [More...]

Opera Gives You a Server of Your Own

Tuesday - June 16, 2009

Norway-based Opera Software opened access Tuesday to what it described as a "revolutionary" technology that allows average computer users to set up browser-based servers to share files and photos, stream music and chat. "Unite," as the service is called, is included in a beta release of the company's Opera browser. [More...]

Safari 4 Goes to Eleven

Friday - June 12, 2009

Apple reports that in the past three days more than 11 million copies of the newly released Safari 4 have been downloaded -- including more than 6 million downloads of Safari for Windows. It is easy to see why -- at least from Apple's perspective. Safari 4 is the fastest browser on the market, the company claims. [More...]

EC Scoffs at Microsoft's Offer to Ship Browser-Free OS

Friday - June 12, 2009

Europe's nearly 18-month battle against the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer has entered a new stage. The EC has rejected Microsoft's offer to strip Internet Explorer from some copies of Windows 7 destined to ship to the EU when the new operating system is released in the fall. [More...]

TuneUp: An iTunes Librarian, Archivist and Concierge

Monday - June 8, 2009

Gabriel Adiv is a music lover. Like many music lovers who manage their digital music in iTunes, he once bemoaned how labor-intensive that could be. Unlike many music lovers, though, he decided to do something about it. Adiv, with his sidekick Raza Zaidi, founded San Francisco-based TuneUp Media in 2007, and a year later, their company introduced an iTunes plug-in by the same name. [More...]

Google Chrome Sprouts Linux, Mac Versions

Friday - June 5, 2009

Google this week released early developer channel versions of its Chrome browser for the Mac OS X and Linux platforms. Google emphasized that both new versions are very much rough drafts intended for developers, not consumers looking for a smooth browsing experience. [More...]

Google Unleashes Web App Tidal Wave

Friday - May 29, 2009

The same developers who gave you Google Maps now think they've come up with the single best way for users to navigate all the communication and collaboration tools they currently use on a computer. Judging from some early tech press/blogger reaction Google Wave may indeed have the ability to take on not only the most popular office applications but also the hottest social networks. [More...]

Chrome 2.0 Juices Up JavaScript

Friday - May 22, 2009

Google on Thursday revealed Chrome 2.0, a purportedly faster and more feature-filled version of the search giant's Web browser. The extra speed comes from an update to its V8 JavaScript engine and from a new version of the open source WebKit rendering engine. However, Chrome's speed advantage may soon be overshadowed by rivals. [More...]

Another Google Flub? Ancient Japanese Maps Stir Old Prejudices

Tuesday - May 5, 2009

When Google Earth added historical maps of Japan to its online collection last year, the search giant didn't expect a backlash. The finely detailed woodblock prints have been around for centuries, they were already posted on another Web site, and a historical map of Tokyo put up in 2006 hadn't caused any problems. However, Google failed to judge how its offering would be received. [More...]

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