The company demoed a web app running on a Chromebook Pixel, which is an interactive app for the upcoming movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The app shows an overhead view of the world, which is pinchable, so you can zoom in and out to explore the various areas on the map. Google eventually showed off the same web app on a Nexus 10 running the Chrome mobile browser.

The web app shows an all-3D environment, but unfortunately, it ran a little poorly during the on-stage demo, with really low framerates and a lot of stutters. We’re not sure if the Chromebook Pixel can’t keep up or if the internet isn’t doing its job. The web app is based on webGL, and since it’s a web app, you can access it through mobile and have the same experience on both desktop and mobile devices.

It’s certainly an interesting concept, and it seems Google is adamant about decreasing the separation between the desktop experience and the mobile experience, making both as equal as possible. Browsing the web on a tablet isn’t the same as browsing the web on a desktop or laptop, but Google is looking to change that with Chrome, and they’re planning to come out with some relevant features for Chrome later this year.

Furthermore, Google announced some improvements to the Chrome mobile web browser that will bring it up to par with the desktop version, including a new Checkout button that makes shopping easier on mobile devices. It’s essentially a one-click process that saves you time from having to enter in multiple fields by typing on the small keyboard. It’s essentially Google’s first step to creating a simpler web browser. Stay tuned for more Google I/O news coming up!

There aren’t any new features in the update, but it does bring some fixes that frequent users will find pleasant – perhaps essential, depending on how frustating you consider the link redirect bug to be. If you’re not familiar with the problem, just fire up an app and open a link from it with Chrome Beta – you’ll probably discover it doesn’t load, forcing you to refresh, at which point it may then load correctly.

That problem has finally been fixed with this update, to the relief of many if online complaints are anything to go by. Another issue fixed with this update is fullscreen mode, specifically with the “tab cropped in the tab switcher.” It’s a very minor change, so you’re not likely to notice too much either way with this one, but it is worth mentioning. Also worth mentioning is a bux fix that concerned NBCnews.

Back on April 11, Chrome Beta for Android was updated so that it would automatically switch into fullscreen mode upon scrolling. In addition, a change was made to how Omnibox works, improving searches by eliminating the need to completely retype a query, a problem that was beyond frustrating and time consuming at times. With that update, searches can now be edited in the search bar.

[via Android Community]

Opera is claiming a large $3.4 million in damages in the lawsuit, and they point to a video with Hansen talking about some of the innovations behind a prototype web browser for the iPad, called Junior. Hansen talks about some the features used in the browser that Opera claims that they were, or are, working on.

Hansen refused to comment about his work history with Opera, but he said that he is working with lawyers to prove that he did nothing wrong. As for Opera’s side of the story, they believed that Hansen “acted contrary to his contractual and other legal obligations towards Opera, among other things, the duty of loyalty and his contractual and statutory confidentiality obligations.”

The court hearing is set to take place sometime in late August, and the dispute is currently pending, so there’s not a lot of details to go around just yet, but we’re sure that come August when the hearing takes place, we’ll find out which party gets the win, but in the meantime, it seems Hansen will receive a lot of grief over the summer.

[via The Next Web]

Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) is an extension for Chrome Beta users on Windows and Mac that solves the aforementioned problem, allowing users to view Microsoft Office files within the browser rather than downloading the files and opening them with the relevant application. This feature has already been available to Chromebook users, and will hopefully be available to all Chrome users soon.

There’s another benefit to using this in-beta extension in addition to speeding up the process of viewing Microsoft Office files – malware protection. When you click a direct link and the file is downloaded to your computer, you’re potentially downloading a compromised file that could leave your data or system at risk. The extension helps guard against this via a sandbox.

If you find yourself opening your fair share of Microsoft Office links and are tired of the clutter and slowdown that results from how they are handled, you can give the new extension a try by downloading Chrome Beta. Once you have Chrome Beta, you can then download the Chrome Office Viewer (Beta) extension and use it to view the files. Google advises users to keep in mind that it is a beta extension that could have bugs, and is welcoming feedback.

[via Chrome Blogspot]

This safeguard was just implemented into Chrome browser, and involves additional measures that keep an eye on extensions that don’t follow the path-laid-before-it mechanisms Google has deemed the proper route to extension installation. If a piece of software doesn’t follow these measures, Chrome will assume it is malware and will flag it as such.

The malware designation will be applied because such methods are typically used to circumvent the silent installation blockers that Google has in place for the purpose of fixing something in place that doesn’t belong. The way it does this results in installation by default, and as such the user will not be able to disable it or uninstall it like an ordinary extension. Other varieties of malicious software that use other methods to get around the system are also detected and flagged.

Users will be made known of this attempted installation via a Safe Browsing warning that will appear stating that a malicious download is present. The warnings won’t start appearing for another week or so, however. The result will not only be better protection, but also performance improvements and a better experience, says Google.

[via Google]

Basically, Google says that it’s too easy to accidentally break things with WebKit and its Blink rendering engine will isolate the developer from the inner workings of content. The developers over at WebKit apparently didn’t appreciate Google’s take on their platform and are currently discussing how they could remove Chrome-specific code from the project. Removal of code that wasn’t Chrome-specific is one of the other reasons Google cited for leaving WebKit.

According to Google, there are about 4.5 million lines of code in WebKit that are there for other browsers that Chrome doesn’t use and Google wants to eliminate that code. Apple’s Geoffrey Garen, stated on the WebKit development mailing list, a suggestion to remove Chrome-specific code in an effort to make development easier and more coherent.

Code that developers at WebKit plan to axe includes code that specifically designed to integrate with the Google V8 JavaScript engine, any code having to do with the Google Skia graphics library, and support for the Google-URL library. Code having to do with page rendering and layout tests specifically for Chrome are also expected to be removed. However, Google Chrome isn’t the only browser that uses some of this code. Reports indicate that BlackBerry also uses Skia and Samsung uses V8 so removal of that code could affect those devices as well.

[via The Register]

The obvious feature most users will notice is the speed improvements, which are said to increase the rate of content loading by 5-percent. This is due to behind the scenes changes to the browser’s resource scheduler, decreasing pre-loaded resources and using an idle connection more often. In addition, webpagetest.org Speed Index values are now included in the metrics used to assess page load speed improvements.

Other changes and additions are specific to developers, and include HTML5 date and time forms, which are featured in the image above. There’s also now live audio input to Web Audio API for the Windows and Mac versions of Chrome, as well as Sync FileSystem API for Chrome Packaged Apps. Improvements have been rolled out for the network panel, bringing customizable columns and the ability to “Copy as cURL” a resource by right-clicking on it.

There are a variety of other features for devs, which those who are interested can check out in full here. In case you didn’t hear, Google announced yesterday that it will be forking a new rendering engine called Blink from WebKit, promising to bring with it speed and to eventually spur innovation. You can read more about those plans, as well as what one Chrome dev has to say, here.

[via Chromium]

“Blink gives developers much more assurance that when they change something, it’s only affecting the things they think it’s affecting” he explains, thanks to the engine’s Content API boundary. That’s the part of Blink which – though for the large part following the WebKit API design – differs in that it isolates Chrome developers “from inner workings of content.”

For Russell, though – and presumably Google as a whole, given its web/cloud-centric focus – the speed potential for jumping ship to Blink is what really makes the fragmentation worthwhile. The Chromium team has enjoyed such streamlining in Google’s own “Chromey” parts, he points out, and now will get the same in the underlying engine. That, the reasoning goes, means a browser that is improved faster and keeps better pace with the demands of users and developers.

“Directness of action matters, and when you’re swimming through build files for dozens of platforms you don’t work on, that’s a step away from directness. When you’re working to fix or prevent regressions you can’t test against, that’s a step away. When compiles and checkouts take too long, that’s a step away. When landing a patch in both WebKit and Chromium stretches into a multi-day dance of flags, stub implementations, and dep-rolls, that’s many steps away. And each step hurts by a more-than-constant factor” Alex Russell, Chrome team, Google

The losses from adopting Blink are the obvious ones, Russell says: divorcing development from “a community of hugely talented people” working on WebKit, for instance. Some old faces are likely to be present, however; Opera has confirmed, TNW reports, that it too will be using Blink having already committed to switching to Chromium back in February.

“When we announced the move away from Presto, we announced that we are going with the Chromium package, and the forking and name change have little practical influence on the Opera browsers” Opera spokesperson

Who will follow next remains to be seen, though given Google’s footprint in smartphones and tablets with Android, not to mention its push to move users onto the web in Chrome OS, developers certainly won’t be able to avoid Blink moving forward.

As pointed out by Chromium software engineer Adam Barth, Chromium utilizes a multi-process architecture that differs from that of other WebKit browsers, with the multi-architecture support leading to a slurry of ever-increasing complexity that serves as a sort of ball-and-chain on the ankle of innovation. Blink, which will be open source, aims to solve this issue and provide, by proxy, a boost in innovation.

Aside from that, optimistic attitudes tout the upcoming rendering engine as a possible boost to the “open web ecosystem” as a whole, although it is acknowledged that introducing a new rendering system has the potential to significantly impact the Internet, and developers could eventually have more work on the coding end of things.

According to Barth, the initial work will concentrate on getting rid of digital clutter, including the removal of about 7,000 files and 7 build systems, which will total in excess of 4.5 million lines of code. This will result in vast internal architectural improvements, but won’t bring much change to web developers. Guidelines have already been posted regarding interoperability, standards, and other such related items.

[via Chromium]

Essentially, Mozilla and Samsung want to bring this new web browser engine to Android devices running ARM, and in order to make a secure, yet fully open experience, Servo is written in Rust, which is a new programming language developed by Mozilla. You can actually download the code on Github and play around with it, but Mozilla notes that it’s in its very early stages.

Details are pretty scarce at this point in the development process, and we’re not quite sure yet what exactly this next-generation web browser engine will be capable of, but we’re guessing it’ll be pretty revolutionary if Mozilla and Samsung put their heart into it. Rust has been in development for a couple years now, actually, and they expect have the first major revision done sometime this year.

However, the partnership seems to be a perfect fit for the two companies. Mozilla is providing the Rust programming language, as well as Servo, while Samsung’s experience with ARM will no doubt be of tremendous help for Mozilla in bringing the technology to Android devices in the future.

Before the update, you would have to choose between regular browsing or private browsing with Firefox. You couldn’t have both. Now, Firefox has taken a page of out Google Chrome’s book and is now allowing you to simultaneously do both. This is great if you have multiple email accounts and do not feel like signing out of one just to access another. It’s also great for “other” things as well. This new feature is included in Firefox Browser for Android.

Also with this update, Firefox’s Download Manager is now integrated into your toolbar, so you can easily monitor your downloads without opening another window. You will be able to view and minimize your downloads with one simple click. And finally, Mozilla has integrated getUserMedia with its browsers, which allows developers to create web apps that can utilize the user’s camera and microphone. You can download the latest Firefox browser here.

Firefox Browser for Android now allows you to add shortcuts to your homescreen for your favorite sites, similar to Google Chrome’s Android app. Mozilla has also provided support for ARMv6 devices, so now many more lower-end Android phones will be able to take advantage of Firefox Browser for Android. Mozilla states that by supporting ARMv6 devices, it is able to bring its service to over 50 million more phones. In similar news, Mozilla is also gearing to launch its FireFox OS phones later on this year to over 18 operators. It’s an impressive OS looking to break into the mobile market.

[via Mozilla]

As for Internet Explorer 9 and previous version like IE8 and IE7, all three took a slight hit, according to statistics from Net Applications. IE9 dropped 1.05 percentage points, falling to 20.62% and IE8 lost 0.15%, standing at 23.23% — it’s currently the world’s most popular browser, however. IE7 took a hit of 0.08% to 1.93%, and IE6 fell 0.12% to 6.21%. Yes, more people are using IE6 than IE10 and IE7 combined.

As for Internet Explorer’s competition, both Firefox and Chrome gained a bit of market share during the past quarter. Firefox grew to 20.21%, while Chrome is now at 16.45%. Chrome took some hits throughout the past several months, but it’s slowly starting to recover. It may not pass Firefox this year, but it certainly wouldn’t be out of the question.

As for other browsers, Safari is sitting at 5.31%, while Opera owns 1.74% of the browser market share. It’s not expected for these two browsers to make much ground any time soon, as IE, Firefox, and Chrome are currently way out in front, with IE owning a tremendous lead over Firefox and Chrome, which probably won’t go away for the foreseeable future.

[via The Next Web]

The game builds the 3D mazes dynamically using the HTML elements of the website, and players use their Android smartphones as a controller for the game, which is played on their computer in the Google Chrome web browser. You simply sync the two devices through Chrome using a unique code, then you can fire up the game and go at it.

Players either tilt their mobile devices or use the on-screen controls to guide the steel ball around, and just the Wii U’s gamepad, your Android smartphone’s display can mirror what’s on the computer screen. The video above shows what the game is all about and provides a quick demo so that you can see it in action. It’s in Japanese, but most of the important stuff is all visual anyway.

You’ll need a fairly decent computer to run the game, even if it is purely browser-based. World Wide Maze works uses the WebGL standard, and it requires at least 1GB of RAM and a 256MB graphics card for hardware acceleration. However, most computers nowadays will be able to handle it. While this may not be a game that you’ll spend hours playing, it’s certainly a cool thing to try out, and it could very well be the future of a new type of gaming.

[via Ars Technica]

The iOS platform isn’t exactly friendly with 3rd party browsers. Users are forced to stick with Safari as their main browser. Other browser companies are still releasing their product to iOS, despite their product not being able to be used as a default choice, because they just want to be part of iOS’s ecosystem. Right now, Safari dominates 55% of the mobile browser market, while Firefox only holds a measly 1%.

Jay Sullivan, Senior VP of products for Mozilla, and Mike Taylor, a Web Opener for Opera, believe that the consumers’ choice in what browser they use is an important part of what makes “browsers, and the Web in general, great.” Many companies see the importance of giving consumers a choice in what web browser they can use. Microsoft especially took notice when the EU demanded them to give consumers more web browsers to choose from instead of its Internet Explorer.

Firefox will continue to work to improve its browser on the Android OS, because it allows them to create the browser it wants. However, despite offering its browser on Android OS, many users will still opt for better alternatives like Chrome. If it hopes to grab more of the mobile browser market, it’s probably going to have to place all of its bets on its upcoming Firefox OS.

[via CNET]

The EU decided to impose regulations on Microsoft because the web browser company, Opera, voiced its concerns about Microsoft including only Internet Explorer with its operating system. Opera stated that the move was hurting competition from other web browsers. Microsoft had complied with the EU and beginning in March 2010, it instated the “Browser Choice Screen pop-up” in its PCs. Everything was going well until a technical error caused the pop-up to not appear on around 28 million machines. The issue was linked to the Windows 7 Service Pack 1 update released in February 2011.

Microsoft released a statement last year saying that they were taking the matter seriously and will work quickly to fix the issue. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has been fined by the EU. Microsoft is actually one of the companies that violates the EU’s rulings the most. Including the fine today, Microsoft will have paid a total of 2.2 billion euros in fines.

This Microsoft violation will set example for all of the other companies currently entangled with the EU, like Google. The EU isn’t scared to impose strict fines to make sure companies comply with them. However, the EU was a bit lenient this time around. It could have imposed a fine of up to 10% of Microsoft’s annual revenue, but instead it imposed a fine that equaled only 1% of Microsoft’s revenue.

[via BBC]

According to Jay Freeman (a.k.a. Saurik, who operates the Cydia jailbreak store), the latest Chrome update for iOS adds “untested jailbreak-specific code,” and the only way to fix the crashing issue is to enable “send crash reports” in Settings. However, that’s not exactly possible when the app keeps crashing on its users.

Then again, you can change the setting by digging deep into your iOS device’s file system by navigating to Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/Local State and changing the “reporting_enabled” option to “true.” Jailbreakers can use iFile or any other file explorer jailbreak app to get access to this setting. However, you do so at your own risk.

Google says they’ll be releasing an incremental update to fix this issue, but there’s currently no timeline as to when it will be released. Google also says that if you’re not comfortable with digging into the file system, you can uninstall and reinstall Chrome and then enable crash reporting, but there’s the chance you may lose data if you don’t use sync. However, some SlashGear readers have mentioned that reinstalling didn’t work for them, so your mileage may vary.

While there are some visual components you’ll recognize, such as the Speed Dial landing page, the user interface has been reconstructed from the ground up. To make things ideal for mobile users, the browser’s new design focuses heavily on gestures, reducing tapping and speeding up the rate at which users can flip through tasks. Opera states that the redesign offers a “superior user experience.”

There’s Off-Road Mode that users of Mini will recognize, utilizing server caching in order to provide fast browsing outside of high-speed mobile data zones. Users can toggle Off-Road Mode on and off via the Settings > Content menu. A personal news feed of sorts is offered via Discover, which makes it easy to stay updated on one’s personal news preferences.

There’s the features every user prefers in a web browser – pop-up blocking and an integrated download manager among them. The download manager can be used to save, rename, start, stop, and resume downloads. The browser’s compatibility is currently listed as “varies with device.” Have you downloaded it yet? Tell us what you think in the comments!

[via Android Police]

The Windows and Linux versions of Chrome are receiving mere security updates and bug fixes — nothing that you’ll probably get overly excited about. However, the Android version has optimized scrolling with an updated Javascript engine — perfect for smaller screens, according to Google, which mostly applies to older devices.

As for iOS, there are a couple of nifty new features that users will get a kick out of. Holding down on the back button will bring up the history tab, and will allow you to quickly access any page that’s stored in your history. Furthermore, you can also quickly share web pages through Messages on iOS.

Sadly, the iOS update of Chrome resulted in the app crashing every time I would start it up, so if you’re still on iOS 5.1.1, let this be a word of warning if you’re thinking about upgrading. Hopefully Google will soon release a smaller, incremental update to fix the bugs present in this big update, but for now I’m stuck with an unusable Chrome app.

Microsoft fell foul of “a technical error” which meant that some Windows PCs failed to show the browser selection screen the company had agreed to install on new computers, after complaints that preloading Internet Explorer as the default app amounted to anti-competitive behavior. All went well, until a glitch in the system meant 28m PCs failed to show the screen, a problem which went unnoticed for more than a year.

The EU warned Microsoft it would be taking action back in October 2012, and at the time the maximum fine that could be levied was totaled up as in the region of $7.4bn. That’s not necessarily going to be the final amount, but the number could easily dwarf the not-inconsiderable $2.1bn Microsoft has already paid in various antitrustpenalties.

An EU spokesperson declined to comment on the rumors. Microsoft is also yet to comment on the possibility of a March punishment, though the company did give a statement late last year regarding the gaffe.

“We take this matter very seriously and moved quickly to address this problem as soon as we became aware of it. Although this was the result of a technical error, we take responsibility for what happened, and we are strengthening our internal procedures to help ensure something like this cannot happen again. We sincerely apologize for this mistake and will continue to cooperate fully with the Commission” Microsoft

Microsoft’s board has already spanked Steve Ballmer, metaphorically speaking, with a bonus cut last year, justified in part by the antitrust issue. Whether the company’s executives will face further censure will likely depend on the amount of the new fine.

The new web browser is available now for users running Windows 7, and it’s available in both 32-bit and 64-bit flavors. However, you must have Service Pack 1 installed before you can dig deep into Internet Explorer 10, but most Windows 7 users most likely have that taken care of already. The auto-update process will happen over the next few weeks.

Internet Explorer 10 features a handful of improvements, including better JavaScript performance and apparently improved battery life for laptop users. There’s also integrated spell checking and auto-correct functions, as well as support for more web standards like the new CSS3. Overall, a bump from version 9 to 10 should give the boost that users have been wanting.

Other than that, Internet Explorer 10 looks to be about the same design-wise as Internet Explorer 9. Of course, you don’t get the fancy Windows 8 version with full-screen browsing and a metro-style interface, but we can’t really see anything to complain about at this point. If you’re an avid IE user, you’ll certainly appreciate this update.

Opera has stated that the restructuring of the company due to the switch actually cost around $7.8 million. Due to Opera switching from it’s old proprietary, rendering engine, Presto, to WebKit, many of the jobs at the company became obsolete. Opera stated that the workers left voluntarily after they had received their severance packages. Opera was kind enough to help many of the workers find new jobs within the industry.

Opera also stated that because of the switch to WebKit, it didn’t need to dedicate a majority of its resources to improving Presto. All it needed to do was contribute to the open-source WebKit community. With that, some of Opera’s key engineers were transferred to more product-specific roles within the company.

Opera believes that with the company switching to WebKit, and with its recent acquisition of Skyfire, the company is about to start its new, exciting chapter. It had recently announced that over 300 million users are using its product on a daily basis, and it’s ready to do something big to one-up itself. It will show off a glimpse of what it’s been working on at the Mobile World Congress next week.

[via The Next Web]

For Opera, the change in underlying platform is because “it makes more sense” to work in collaboration with existing open source projects, CTO Håkon Wium Lie said today. “Opera will contribute to the WebKit and Chromium projects, and we have already submitted our first set of patches: to improve multi-column layout.”

The first stage of the process has already, in fact, been teased. Opera ICE, shown last month, is a minimalist app that pares back browsing to the bare minimum, with advantages in speed and simpler navigation. Described as an R&D project by Opera, ICE will be further detailed “in the future” the company says, though its immediate attention is on more market-ready products, such as the Android app.

As well as WebKit for the mobile portfolio, Opera will adopt Chromium – the open-source engine which powers Google’s Chrome browser – for its desktop software. There’s no word on when, exactly, the first fruits of the software switch-over will be released publicly.

According to MacGeneration and this thread on the Apple Support Communities site, Apple has blocked this latest version of Java using its Xprotect software. Apple uses Xprotect to keep malware out, and this is the same software it used to block Java earlier in the month. Just as it did before, Apple has made Xprotect block a version of Java that doesn’t yet exist, meaning all earlier versions (including the current one) are blocked as well.

Apple isn’t the only one taking issue with Oracle’s claim that the security concerns have been addressed. The Department of Homeland Security is still recommending that consumers refrain from using Java after the update, saying that all of the security flaws have not yet been fixed. The flaw could potentially allow unsigned applets to run without permission, which in turn means that some of the more undesirable people of the world could potentially take control of your computer.

So, with the Department of Homeland Security still warning against using Java, it may not be such a bad thing that Apple has restricted access to the browser plug-in. This will naturally prove to be headache for a lot of different Mac users considering that Java is everywhere these days, but until Oracle provides another update, there doesn’t seem to be much that can be done. Stay tuned, because we’ll probably be hearing more about this soon.

[via MacRumors]

Plugins – and especially Java – are notorious for posing security risks, being used by hackers and malware to infiltrate unsuspecting users. Previously, these plugins would load on a website automatically in Firefox. That changed when Mozilla introduced Click-to-Play, which prevented plugins from automatically loading content and requiring user authorization instead.

Another issue with automatically loading plugins concerns stability, with Mozilla stating that poorly-made ones are the #1 reason the browser crashes, and likewise they can present a large drag on performance. Limiting the plugins that load will keep users from experiencing sudden browser crashes and high memory use. It is for these reasons Mozilla is moving ahead with its plan.

Sometime in the unspecified future, the company will tweak Firefox so that Click to Play is default for all plugins, regardless of version, with the exception of the current version of Flash. Everything else – Silverlight, Java, etc. – will all be blocked by default. Users will still be able to configure Click to Play, however, so that some plugins automatically load on certain websites, or so that plugins are never run on other sites.

[via Mozilla]

Stratego has been around for over 50 years, and it has seen many revisions along the way by many board game makers, like Milton Bradley, Hasbro, and Spin Master. This digital version from Keesing Games looks to be based on Hasbro’s version from a few years ago, but it includes a few more surprises than what you would find in the regular board game version.

Players can play in both single-player modes and online modes, with the option to play in full 40-piece games or smaller games of 10 pieces. All of the mechanics from the board game are present, with players working to capture the flag of their opponents, and using a mix of strategy and deception to successfully move game pieces around the board.

Development of Stratego began last year during the spring, and the game has been in a closed beta until now, with around 18,000 players having already had their fair share of play time. Keesing Games says that while the game will still see action on Facebook, the game will probably have an easier time gaining players on iOS due to the platform’s popularity. However, the developers are hard at work on a new mode for the game that will hopefully attract more Facebook users.

[via Inside Social Games]

Version 1.0 comes without some of the bugs users complained about in the prototype release, with the announcement stating that Linux users in particularly should find the extended support in v.1 satisfactory. For now, the simulator add-on is still branded with “Preview,” which Mozilla says is due to its newness and the fact that it’s still in development.

Firefox OS Simulator allows users to play around with Mozilla’s still-in-development mobile operating system via their Web browser. After installing, users will be presented with a dashboard (accessible via “Tools -> Web Developer”). The OS simulator pops up as an application separate from the browser. You can check it out in action via the video below.

The Simulator add-on is a fairly hefty download, falling in the 50MB to 100MB range. The simulation includes most of Firefox OS’s default applications, which is partly responsible for the large download size. Thusly, some users may experience the “Unresponsive Script” warning while it is being installed; Mozilla states that this is normal and to just click “Continue” and wait for the installation to finish.

[via Mozilla]

This online store will eventually allow you to download content to your Sony account, this connecting with your PlayStation as well as your PlayStation Vita and your Sony Tablets running Android. What’s happening right this minute is that the company is going through sort of a live test-run with limited content to make sure everything is up-to-spec for a more vast release. It’s not that you’re not going to get the content you purchase now, it’s just that you might not have the full store experience.

In the near future you’ll be able to easily purchase content from the web-based store and have it sent to your devices one-by-one. This is a method that the Google Play store uses for your many connected Android devices and relatively similar to what iTunes does with purchases through their app as well – everyone is owned by you through your account, not just on your device.

According to a comment made by official PlayStation Blog SCEE Blog Manager Fred Dutton, the store is set to be launched in a larger way soon:

“Regarding [the lack of a major announcement] – we are testing a new web store, which we look forward to announcing and launching to the PlayStation/Sony community shortly.” – Dutton

Have a peek at the timeline below to get more info on recent events surrounding the PlayStation Store and device connected to it, and get pumped up about a wider release as soon as this afternoon!

[via EuroGamer]

The Chrome for iOS update includes both new features and bug fixes. On the features side of things, users can now open PDF files in other applications, and there’s a user option for having the browser auto detect text encoding. Support has been added for Passbook, allowing users to save tickets and airline passes. A variety of security and stability updates have also been applied. This is version 23.0.1271.91.

For Android users, the Chrome update is a bit more sparse, side-stepping new features in favor of a few bug fixes and not much else. An update has been released for both ARM and x86 devices, with both of them offering a variety of fixes for common stability problems. This is version 18.0.1025469 for ARM and 18.0.1026322 for x86.

As is expected, there are some known issues with both varieties of Chrome. Apple device users might experience a “Data Unavailable” error message when trying to save images from the web, and may be disappointed to find out that there is presently no “History” option for viewing browsing history. Android users may find font size inconsistentcy on some websites, error messages and instructions for non-mobile versions of Chrome, tabs loading blank, and laggy scrolling.

[via Chrome Blogspot]

New features include Retina Display support for OS X 10.7 and higher, as well as preliminary support for WebRTC. A new HTML scaling algorithm is present in the beta release, which provides better image quality than is available in other iterations of the browser. There are also performance improvements when switching between tabs.

A couple fixes have also been included. Insecure content loading on HTTPS pages has been disabled, while the responsiveness experienced by proxy users has been improved. There’s added support for “@supports,” and a faster startup time. Finally, for the designers out there, CSS3 Flexbox, also called Flexible Box, has been implemented.

Of course, as with all beta releases, there are some known issues. Starting up the browser with a locked profile will cause the application to crash, for example. Some users will experience slow scrolling in Gmail, while starting in “-private” mode will return the false message that the user is not Private Browsing. Finally, for those on Windows, using System Restore soon after updating the browser could result in being unable to run future updates.

As for why Mozilla is ending the development of this particular flavor of Firefox, despite the fact that reports indicate is much is 50% of testers were using the browser, Mozilla offered some specific reasons. One reason was that many plug-ins were available in 64-bit versions of the browser. One Mozilla manager also said that many of the plug-ins that were available didn’t work correctly in Firefox because certain features hadn’t been implemented.

Those features including things such as windowproc hooking, which made browser hanging more common. Mozilla said that any crash reports submitted by users of the 64-bit browser weren’t going to receive high priority because Mozilla is working on other things. Mozilla also noted that its crash-status report doesn’t distinguish well between 32-bit and 64-bit browsers.

Mozilla admits to ignoring a set of nightly “topcrashes” because they were specific to 64-bit browsers. In the end, Mozilla simply decided to disable Windows 64-bit nightly an hourly builds for the browser. The developers consider the “discussion closed” unless critical new information is presented. There will reportedly be a custom update that moves 64-bit browser users over to 32-bit builds of Firefox.

[via The Next Web]

According to the announcement, about 50-percent of the almost 500 million Android smartphones out there are running ARMv6 processors. The addition of support for the architecture gives Mozilla a massive jump in the number of potential users it has. In addition to the subset of ARMv6 support, Firefox for Android also brings with it some new accessibility features.

The first new accessibility feature is TalkBack integration, which is a screen reader that speaks to users and provides vibration feedback. With the integration, no extra settings need to be arranged or configured. Instead, the app will work seamlessly with TalkBack when enabled in Accessibility under the Settings menu in Android.

In addition, Firefox for Android has support for other Android accessibility features, including Explore by Touch and Gesture Navigation. This feature aids the visually impaired by providing speech, as well as sound and vibration feedback. Finally, you’ll find Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean support for H.264 video, AAC audio, and MP3 audio decoding.

[via Mozilla]

Do Not Track is a technology aimed at addressing privacy concerns that lets Internet users opt out of being tracked by websites. Do Not Track is like the Internet version of the Do Not Call registry, according to donottrack.us. DNT works via a simple HTTP header, and is the by-product of a collaboration by several advocacy groups, tech companies, and researchers.

In the announcement, Yahoo! stated that it supports DNT “in principle,” and that it is working with partners to create an opt-out standard for users. It followed this by stating that Microsoft’s unilateral decision to enable DNT by default in Internet Explorer 10 makes it “hard to deliver on our value proposition” to users. As a result, the company says that it will still offer Ad Interest Manager and related tools, but will not recognize the Microsoft browser’s DNT signal on its properties.

Yahoo! is working with W3C in the pursuit of a Do Not Track standard that, it says, is in line with user expectations and an optimal Internet experience. “Ultimately, we believe that DNT must map to user intent — not to the intent of one browser creator, plug-in writer, or third-party software service.” W3C recommends that DNT be an opt-in preference.

[via Yahoo! Policy Blog]

The next step is to open a formal proceeding into the company’s breach of an agreement. We are working on this,” EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said this week. ”It should not be a long investigation because the company itself explicitly recognized its breach of the agreement.”

Microsoft was quick to hold up its hands and admit its mistake, confirming that a “technical error” had prevented the selection screen from being shown on computers running Windows 7 Service Pack 1. The bug was promptly addressed and the selection dialog shown, and Microsoft hoped that voluntarily extending the browser-choice compliance by 15 months would save it from punishment.

However, that remains the decision of the EU, and the potential to hit Microsoft’s pocket is high. The Commission has the right to apply a fine equivalent to up to 10-percent of Microsoft’s revenues for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012, a sum which would amount to as much as $7.4bn.

Meanwhile, Almunia also had some warning words for Google, which also faces the possibility of investigation by the EU. “If remedies offered by Google can eliminate our concerns, we will succeed in reaching an agreement” the commissioner said, referring to complaints by Microsoft and others regarding Google’s attitudes to competition. “Otherwise,” he warned, “the legal road is a long one.”

That’s been fixed now, meaning RAZR i owners will have a choice of browsers when the smartphone hits shelves. It also means that existing Medfield-based phones – such as the Orange San Diego - can now use the app too, and since Intel is hoping to push the Atom chip as much as possible to Android phone and tablet manufacturers, it paves the way for more devices too.

The new Chrome for Android also includes various bugfixes and stability improvements, as well as some fixes to make third-party IMEs work better. It adds YouTube video controls to full-screen playback mode, and videos now continue playing after the phone has been locked and then unlocked.

There’s also location preference integrated at the system level. You can download Chrome for Android from Google Play, and find more on the RAZR i in our full hands-on.

Amazon announced the update on the Silk blog, in the first post to the blog since Silk was announced last year. One of the most noteworthy features is the addition of a “Trending Now” section, which “alerts our customers to pages that have experienced an unusual increase in their level of traffic.” The idea behind it is, obviously, that webpages which have experienced an increase in traffic are probably worth checking out. Another new feature is the “Selected Sites” section, which is a selection of recommended sites you might find interesting based on your browsing history.

Of course, in order to offer these new features, Amazon needs to track your browsing behavior, which is something that a number of users will likely have a problem with. While it may sound a little scary, TechCrunch points out that Amazon isn’t collecting any personally identifiable information with these features, so at least there’s that. This update is much more than the Trending Now and Selected Sites features though, as Amazon also says that Silk is a bit faster after this update. In the company’s benchmark tests, the new Silk showed a “30% reduction in page load latency,” over the original browser, which definitely isn’t a bad thing.

Also included in this update is improved HTML5 functionality, with Amazon saying that after this update, Silk is able to boast twice the HTML5 compatibility. The key HTML5 talking points with this update include improvements to form and element support, geolocation, and IndexedDB. Finally, Amazon has also overhauled the start page with this update, which separates your bookmarks from your most visited sites, and makes it easier to browse both.

All in all, it doesn’t sound like too bad of an update, so long as you don’t mind some of these new features that require tracking. Collecting browsing history and using it to make suggestions is nothing new though, so some probably won’t view it as a big deal. What do you think of Amazon’s latest update to Silk?

Though these games can be played in your browser, it seems that Atari is attempting to make the Windows 8 version of Atari Arcade really stick out. The arcade was built with Internet Explorer 10′s touch-based interface in mind, and the legendary Nolan Bushnell says that Microsoft was a “natural partner” for a project like this. While the announcement of these remakes is cool enough, there’s even more: developers can make games for Atari Arcade, and can earn money by displaying ads in their games or by offering in-game purchases.

It’s definitely nice to see classic Atari games Combat, Pong, and Asteroids get updated visuals, but the idea of another developer-friendly platform is even more exciting. Naturally, since Atari Arcade just launched, there aren’t any indie dev-made games available yet, but hopefully those are coming soon. The brains behind this project have come together to give users a behind-the-scenes look at Atari Arcade, which you can check out below.

In all, there are 8 games that can be played in the Atari Arcade right this very minute: Pong, Asteroids, Yar’s Revenge, Combat, Missle Command, Lunar Lander, Centipede, and Super Breakout. With Windows 8 just around the corner and a slew of new Windows 8 tablets announced at IFA 2012 this week, expect to hear more about Atari Arcade soon. In the meantime, you can always head over to the Arcade and play these games in your browser. Stay tuned.

The updated browser is available for download right now at no cost. Maxthon says that the new browser improves speed, functionality, and convenience. The browser supports multiple platforms so you can switch from your Fire tablet to your Android smartphones, PC, or iPad and be in the same place. The sinking of tabs, history, and favorites is enabled using free cloud services.

Other new features of the app include improved start with better uptime and playback of videos. The browser also features page pre-fetching that predicts and automatically loads the next page you’re viewing. The browser also has text auto wrapping, which is optimized to accommodate the Fire screen.

The browser also supports a super gesture feature that allows users to create, close, and switch tabs using gestures. The browser has various themes and skins available, and has tabbed browsing with powerful management tools. Other features include a download manager, private browsing mode that doesn’t save history, and quick access to view the last closed tabs and the most visited sites. You can download the app here.

The latest statistics for the browser market are in from StatCounter, and according to the figures, Chrome is still the most popular browser. Chrome now owns over one third of the browser market globally with 33.8% of the entire market. That number represents a gain from 32.8% in June of this year and a much more significant gain from the 22.1% of the global market Chrome had in July of 2011.

Internet Explorer is a close second place with 32% of the global market as Firefox finds itself on a steady decline. For July 2012, Firefox had 23.7% of the global browser market. The fourth place spot on the list of top browsers goes to Safari from Apple with a mere 7.1% of the market.

Chrome was the top web browser in Europe during July, passing Firefox for the first time. Chrome is also the most popular browser in South America and Asia. Things look different in the US and the UK with Internet Explorer still being the most popular browser.

[via TheNextWeb]

iCloud Tabs is one such feature. That will save whatever pages are open on your Mountain Lion device and sync them to an iOS device when you next open Safari. Tab View, meanwhile, allows you to pinch out in the browser and see a zoomed out card like view of your open pages, not unlike what you’d see on Safari for iOS. Reading List is Apple’s equivalent of Instapaper, bookmarking and saving websites to read offline.

Safari 6 also sees a unified URL bar and search field, mimicking functionality in Chrome that allows you to search or type in URLs from the same bar. Do Not Track isn’t too far off Incognito mode, setting a flag that tells websites not to track your activity or save any cookies, and the password pane allows you to manage any saved login details for websites. If you’re a fan of Apple’s browser and want the latest and greatest, hit up this link and get downloading. Those hoping for a Windows version of the browser might be out of luck, however, as Apple seems to have scrubbed it from the website.

Reuters reports that the European Commission is looking into Microsoft’s handling of third-party browsers in Windows 8. Microsoft only provides a limited set of APIs to vendors such as Mozilla and Google, preventing browsers offered by those companies from making full use of Windows 8 features. The same goes for Windows RT, where Microsoft will allow Internet Explorer to run on both Metro and the desktop interface, whereas third-party browsers will be restricted to Metro only.

The European Commission isn’t the only organization looking into the issue. Back in May, the US Senate Committee said it intended to look into the browser issue surrounding Windows RT, but that it had no plans to launch a formal antitrust investigation. The announcement followed complaints from Mozilla that the browser plans for Windows RT were anticompetitive, saying that certain APIs were restricted on ARM chips to just Internet Explorer.