The HTC HD2 smartphone is one that remains newsworthy due to its favoritism in the developer community due to its surprisingly open ability to be hacked. For over three and a half years, this device has been a go-to smartphone for the most intrepid developers looking to prove their might in hacking, pushing everything from Windows Phone 7 to Android to this machine where it’d otherwise only be running a relatively ancient operating system.

Here in the spring of 2013, the HTC HD2 has received a port of the internet-based Firefox OS. This operating system is otherwise known as Boot2Gecko and has been on its way to the public for over a year. Earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, a global convention for mobile devices and services, we saw the first wave of Firefox OS smartphones – now it’s time for the operating system to spread.

Of course here on the HTC HD2 with a first port of the system, not every feature of the system works right out of the box. In its first reveal, the HTC HD2 Firefox OS port had camera issues, SIM card detection breaks, and issues with the resolution of the device’s display being detected. That said, the deed remains done: the HTC HD2 now has another notch in its sword hilt, growing in versatility as it remains the developer community’s most hackable device.

SlashGear readers hoping to run this port on their own treasured HTC HD2 should follow the XDA Forum Post which details the information shared above. There a download awaits for the brave. It’s important to remember that this, like all hacks of this nature, is not a situation you’ll be wanting to present to your local mobile carrier if you’re in need of repairs in the future. In other words: hack at your own risk.

The HTC HD2 has also run Windows RT, a full version of Windows 8, and Windows Phone 7 in the past several years. It’s also run MeeGo, Android 2.2 Froyo and a few more – the list continues to grow!

This means HTML5 developers could potentially score a free handset. The device up for grabs is the Geeksphone Keon, which is the orange handset in the above image. This particular device features a 3.5-inch HVGA display, 1GHz Snapdragon A1 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot and 3 megapixel rear-facing camera. The Keon normally sells for $119.

Handset specifics aside, Mozilla is looking to boost the availability of apps before the official launch. At present they have said Firefox OS phones will be available in “select” markets this summer. As part of this initiative they are looking for apps that deal with everything from tools and utilities to games as well as news, sports, travel, entertainment, social and more. Basically, just about everything.

This will be open to those who are already developing as well as those who have an idea in mind and are ready to begin the process. Regardless of the phase you are in, Mozilla has said you will need to apply for entry into the program. The application process involves sharing details about your app (or app idea) and letting them know that you have the experience to make it happen. Otherwise, Mozilla is urging developers to move fast as their ” launch dates are approaching fast.”

[via Mozilla]

Mozilla was alerted to Gamma’s illegal activities by a group known as the Citizen Lab. The group discovered that the spyware posing as Mozilla Firefox is called either FinSpy or FinFisher, and it was sold to various governments for usage in criminal investigations. FinSpy has command-and-control servers in 36 countries, including the United States, Canada, Japan, and the UK.

Gamma’s fake Firefox was used in a variety of harmful and deceitful ways. The Citizen Lab provided 3 examples of how it was used, including a spyware attack in Bahrain against pro-democracy activists, tricking the people of Malaysia by posing as a document that discusses Malaysia’s upcoming General Elections, and being demonstrated in promotional videos and brochures by Gamma itself.

Luckily for Firefox users, Mozilla assures everyone that the spyware does not infect the real Firefox. Unluckily for Mozilla, this isn’t the first time its product has been misued for the purpose of evil. Back in 2010, there were nearly 200 sites deceitfully using Mozilla’s brands for illegal activities, including distributing malware or requiring users to pay for the sites’ service. Mozilla developer Asa Dotzler’s statement back then still echoes on today, “If you’re being asked to pay for Firefox, it’s a scam.” Also, always make sure that you download Firefox straight from Mozilla, and not some sketchy site.

[via Mozilla]

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]

In fact, it was Geeksphone’s own capability to process orders that forced the shutters down on sales on Tuesday. According to Aguera, “there is enough being manufactured in China to keep up with demand,” but the 20-strong company lacks the manpower to fulfill orders in bulk.

Geeksphone started out with 10,000 units, Aguera revealed, though “many” have been set aside for use by Mozilla’s own employees as well as the Firefox maker’s partners. The handsets are the first to reach the market that run Firefox OS, a web-centric platform that relies heavily on HTML5 and, Mozilla hopes, will proved effective in emerging markets.

The company will have some competition later in the year, however. Alcatel has already shown off its first Firefox OS device, while Sony is among others who have committed to making hardware for the OS, a list that also includes LG and Huawei.

They won’t arrive until further into 2013, and it’s unclear what sort of pricing the bigger OEMs have in mind. For Geeksphone, fresh sales are expected to continue this week, though the webstore was still offline at time of writing.

Geeksphone sold two different types of Firefox OS phones. The first phone was the Keon. The Keon is the orange-colored Firefox OS phone, and also the weaker one. It has a 3.5-inch HVGA screen, 1GHz Snapdragon S1 processor, 4GB internal storage with a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, 512MB of RAM, and a 3MP rear-facing camera. The Keon has a price-point of $119 unlocked.

The Peak on the other hand is the white-colored Firefox OS phone, and also features some decent specs. The Peak has a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage with a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, an 8MP rear-facing camera, and a 2MP front-facing camera. The Peak has a price-point of $195 unlocked.

According to Mozilla, the Keon’s specs will be similar to most of the Firefox OS handsets that are set to launch in 5 countries come June. The Peak on the other hand will be better for developers to test their apps on. Geeksphone says that while its supplies may be out of stock now, it should become available again by this Friday. Geeksphone hopes to be able to one day receive orders of up to 5,000 phones a day.

The Firefox OS handsets will eventually launch with 18 operators, with most of those operators being located in emerging markets. Eventually, in 2014, the phones will be heading to the United States, with AT&T speculated to be the first carrier to sell its phones. According to the CEO of Movile, the largest mobile services company in Brazil, phones like the FireFox OS smartphones will be the key in penetrating the smartphone market in Latin America.

[via TechCrunch]

Notes Mozilla, these two handsets are completely unlocked and run a development version of Firefox OS (which will be regularly updated), allowing developers to test things out alongside hardware in a way that is difficult to replicate with the simulator. The smartphones will be available for purchase from Geeksphone starting tomorrow, April 23.

The Keon is the orange variety of the handset featured above, offering lower-end specs and a price tag to match at €91/$118 USD (not including taxes). The handset features a 3.5-inch display with HVGA resolution. Under the hood, users will find a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor and 512MB of RAM. According to Mozilla, these specs are similar to what consumers can expect in handsets that hit shelves in the coming months.

The Peak, meanwhile, is a tad more expensive with a boost in the price tag to €149/$195 USD, featuring a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage space, and an 1800mAh battery. Says Mozilla, this handset is better suited for testing apps that are being developed for public consumption down the road.

[via Mozilla]

Kovacs says that in 2014, Mozilla plans on bringing its Firefox OS devices to the United States. He says that he’s not targeting big markets like the United States just yet because the Firefox OS devices are primarily low-end devices, and would likely not do well in a marketplace mainly interested in only high-end devices. If Mozilla is to be successful with Firefox OS, Kovacs believes that they need to target emerging markets first. He says,

“So in the short term, we’re launching in emerging markets where Firefox is particularly strong… It didn’t make sense for us to launch a version-one device around the world.”

Currently, Alcatel, Huawei, LG, ZTE, and Sony have all signed up to develop Firefox OS smartphones. All of the smartphones will be using Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. AT&T has also mentioned that it will consider including Firefox OS phones in its line-up. The Firefox OS also already has a good selection of major apps available in its ecosystem, including Facebook, Twitter, EA Games, and more.

Gary Kovacs recently announced that he will be stepping down as Mozilla’s CEO. He says that he’s proud of Mozilla and that it has a solid team and foundation to keep up its success and momentum. However, despite stepping down as CEO, he will still remain as a member of Mozilla’s board of directors. He says that he will still “guide Mozilla’s impact on the future of mobile”, meaning he will still be around to guide Firefox OS to success. Be sure to check out our hands-on with Firefox OS running on the Alcatel ONE TOUCH.

[via All Things D]

Kovacs joined Mozilla in October of 2010 and he has helped the company make its way towards the mobile landscape, and he’s even credited with being the leader behind the development of Firefox OS, which was just recently unveiled this year. The next CEO for Mozilla, which is currently being searched for as we speak, certainly has some big shoes to fill.

Kovacs says that he’s proud of the company, and now that Mozilla has a “solid foundation and a strong team in place,” Kovacs decided that this is “the right time” for him to hand the role to someone else willing lead Mozilla even further. However, Kovacs still plans to “guide Mozilla’s impact on the future of mobile,” so this certainly won’t be the end for Kovacs.

The company’s next big project is partnering up with Samsung to develop a whole new web browsing engine for Android, called Servo. The engine would be written using an in-house programming language, and the companies are hoping that Servo will be a revolutionary new product that Android will greatly benefit from.

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]

Mozilla is looking for app developers who are experienced in developing with HTML5 and JavaScript. While applying for the event, you will need to show some references to your experience with building web apps. They are mainly seeking applicants who have successfully built apps on Chrome, WebOS, or Blackberry WebWorks, or any “open web app” for mobile devices and PCs. They are also looking for developers who are able to develop apps in Spanish, Polish, or Portuguese.

Mozilla will provide the food and drinks at these workshops, as well as some Firefox goodies. Developers will also be able to get their hands on Mozilla’s Firefox OS Developer Preview phones. There will also be Firefox OS developers there to help you along the way. At these workshops, you are able to develop a new app for the Firefox OS, or port any of your existing apps to the mobile operating system.

The Firefox OS devices are set to launch this summer to over 18 operators all around the world. Several phone manufacturers, including LG, ZTE, Huawei, Sony, and Alcatel, are already in support for the upcoming operating system. Mozilla already has a good selection of popular apps available for the OS, including Facebook, Twitter, Pulse News, and more. With these workshops, it hopes to be able to launch with a decent selection of apps in order to appeal to the masses.

[via Mozilla]

Schroepfer was perviously the Vice President of Engineering for Mozilla, as well as the Chief Technology Officer of Sun Microsystems’ data center automation division. Facebook believes that with Schroepfer’s impressive experience and expertise, he will be able to improve upon many important aspects of the company’s main money makers. Schroepfer will be improving the company’s mobile division, as well as develop more ways to mine user data for better advertisements.

Along with promoting Schroepfer to CTO, Facebook has also announced that it will be supporting hashtags. These moves make it appear as though the top social network is trying to copy Twitter. Just a couple of days prior to Facebook’s promotion of Schroepfer, Twitter also promoted one of their own to CTO. Twitter’s CTO spot, which was vacant since 2011, was filled up by Adam Messinger, previously the Vice President of Application Development. And the hashtags feature, as well all know, was popularized by Twitter.

This could all be a coincidence, but it wouldn’t be too surprising if Facebook really is looking at other social networks to see how it can improve its own user experience. With Schroepfer working on improving Facebook’s data mining and mobile experience, Facebook’s support for hashtags, and all of the other changes the company has planned in the past few weeks, Facebook is hoping to dramatically increase its advertising revenue.

[via Wired]

Despite the fact that it is still a work in progress, Mozilla said it wanted to launch the latest version so that the community can test it out and contribute in the form of feedback and such, as well providing openness so that enthusiasts can stay updated on the company’s progress. The features that have been added to the simulator are the by-product of user feedback.

Perhaps the two biggest added features are Push to Device and rotation simulation, both of which have been extensively requested by users. Push to Device allows a Firefox OS-supposed device, you can connect it with its USB data cable and push apps to the unit from the simulator. Likewise, rotation simulation is straight-forward: you can use it to rotate the simulator for landscape and portrait.

Some other features include what Mozilla says is a basic geolocation API simulation, so developers who want to include geolocation in their app can now test it. It provides both latitude and longitude values. There’s now manifest validation to check for errors, as well as a variety of stability fixes. Those interested can grab version 3.0 now from Mozilla.

[via Mozilla]

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]

Samsung may not have brought the Galaxy S4 to MWC – we’ll have to wait until mid-March to see that – but the company still had one of the largest stands of the show. It’s key new product was the Galaxy Note 8.0, slotting in-between the Note II and the Note 10.1, and taking on the iPad mini. What’s interesting is that, while Samsung has been accused of slavishly copying Apple, the Note 8.0 does have a distinct difference from the Apple slate in the shape of the S Pen stylus.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 hands-on:

Over at LG, the company was unabashed at taking on the Note II with its new Optimus G Pro, a 5.5-inch slab of beautiful LCD display and 13-megapixel camera tech. No stylus – though the Korean-spec demo units did have a fetching pull-out antenna for the digital TV tuner – but a 1080p display and speedy processor. LG fleshed out its cheaper models with new L series and F series devices, though it had spoiled the surprise some by pre-announcing them ahead of this week’s show.

Nokia had been more secretive, and so its new phones – the Lumia 520 and 720, taking the Windows Phone 8 range to five, and some cheap devices, the 105 and 301 – came as a moderate surprise. On the smartphone side, Nokia’s range is starting to look more and more thought through, though we’re still sticking with our stance that the Lumia 620 is the best of the bunch. Meanwhile, Nokia hit new price lows with the 105, a €15 ($20) handset ideal for developing markets and festival-goers alike, yet which didn’t abandon the company’s distinctive color schemes.

We also had a chance to sit down with some of Nokia’s top-level executives, and quizzed them on what little they’d spill on the roadmap (don’t hold your breath for a QWERTY Lumia any time soon) as well as their predictions for wearables and smart sensors.

Plucky upstarts ZTE and Huawei brought a brace of new devices along to Barcelona, though the reaction proved mixed. The ZTE Grand Memo played the big-screen card, overstepping the LG Optimus G Pro with a 5.7-inch screen, though arguably undermined it by opting for 720p resolution. Huawei made a similar schoolboy error with its Ascend P2, rocking high-end specifications everywhere but the number of pixels. ASUS, meanwhile, opted to go for confusion above all else, with the similarly-named FonePad and Padfone Infinit continuing to push the company’s modular strategy.

At the low-end, Firefox OS made its play for the developing market, with votes of support from eighteen operators worldwide and new handsets from Alcatel among others. At first glance, however, we’re less than impressed. The HTML5-based platform is sluggish on the cheap hardware, and it’s tough to see how – even with web apps – Mozilla plans to flesh out its portfolio in a way that legitimately challenges the ever-cheaper Android behemoth.

In chips, Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 600 and 800 came out to flex their muscles, and were found in a number of the higher-profile phones of the week. NVIDIA had some chip news too, though the most exciting phone to use the new Tegra 4 was the Phoenix Developer Platform smartphone, which will allow coders and manufacturers to get to grips with Tegra 4i before it arrives later in 2013.

NVIDA Phoenix Developer Platform hands-on:

After two years of incredible public stands, Google took a more clandestine approach at Barcelona this year, holding a few private meetings rather than pushing people down an Android-themed slide like in 2012. We caught up with director of Android design experience Matias Duarte to talk Google Now and how it might just be the future of Android, as well as how it helped shape Google Glass. Duarte, unsurprisingly, has strong ambitions for Android, going so far as describing it as the “OS for humanity.”

Nonetheless, while MWC had its gems, the show felt more humble than in previous years. The new venue, a sprawling flow of halls joined by a serpentine hallway, is certainly far improved over the old location, but where the Congress of years past has seen flagships debut and companies stake their reputation, this year it felt a little like those same firms were holding their breath; saving their energies for individual events where they alone could control the news.

On a broader note, however, it’ll be interesting to see how the trade show calendar weathers the change in product launch strategy over the rest of the year. While smaller shows will happen in-between now and September, many eyes will be IFA 2013 early that month. The past few years, Samsung has used the Berlin show to debut several high-profile products – the Galaxy Note II and Galaxy Camera in 2012, for instance – but with the Korean firm withholding its big launches from CES and MWC, it’s unclear whether the Germans will get a headline-maker or not.

All this is just a sample of our coverage from this week; you can find all of our Mobile World Congress 2013 content in the show hub.

Sony’s biggest focus is the app community, which it wants to help faciliate in creating apps for Firefox OS, something that will have a large impact on how the platform is received by consumers when launched. Users interested in flashing their Xperia with Firefox OS should head over to the announcement and check out the full guide to get started.

Said Sony Mobile Communication’s Deputy CEO and Head of Products Business Group Bob Ishida: “At Sony Mobile, we continue to evaluate innovative technologies that can help deliver the premium user experiences that Sony’s consumers expect. Our engineers are now working with Firefox OS Mobile and HTML5, evolving technologies which show great potential.”

The experimental Firefox OS was assembled by Sony’s Per Astrand and Andreas Sandblad. Says the announcement, this version of the operating system is not intended to be used as an everyday platform, and has several limitations in place that would impede on its function in daily life. There’s no radio connectivity, meaning calls can’t be made. The SD card is unstable, and the touch sensitivity is not calibrated completely.

[via Sony Mobile]

Firefox OS offers in-depth searching that brings search results from both apps and the web at the same time. For example, when you search for your favorite music artist, you’ll get search results for the artist, as well as places to purchase their music, stream their music, and options to purchase their concert tickets. You can also create a download app from a search term, allowing you to easily and quickly grab the information you want when you want it.

The Firefox Marketplace will offer a good selection of apps at launch. Firefox OS runs HTML5 apps, and there are many apps currently available, ranging from the most popular apps to local/niche apps. There is AccuWeather, Airbnb, Box, Facebook, Twitter, Disney Mobile Games, EA Games, Pulse News, SoundCloud, SporTV, and more. Mozilla believes that having apps built around web technologies will make app developing much more easier, and will enable more innovation, control, and opportunity for both developers and consumers alike.

There isn’t a specific launch date for the Firefox OS devices. Mozilla just says that they will launch “later this year”. However, if you want, you can view the Firefox Marketplace in Firefox for Android Aurora just to get a feel of what apps will be available at launch. The Firefox OS devices will offer good performance, ease-of-use, and personalization at an affordable price tag.

[via Mozilla]

The project is led by Mozilla, and is being developed by the W3C WebRTC working group. PeerConnection, getUserMedia, and DataChannels are all chiming in as well to make sure that the new feature runs both seamlessly and securely. PeerConnection enables security for your calls, getUserMedia lets developers (with your permission) capture data from your video camera/microphone, and DataChannels combined with audio/video chat can send data to any web browser it has access to. All audio/video communcations are encrypted for safe and private calls.

If you’re a Firefox Aurora user, you can test drive the WebRTC features right now. Mozilla believes that implementing this new feature in its web browser is very innovative. If you come across a news story, sale, or any web page that interests you, you can easily drag and drop the link into a video call that you’re in. Mozilla also believes that this could change the way that online customer service works. Currently there are customer service web chats available with many services, but in the future, customer service reps could video chat with you and show you a demonstration of their products.

Mozilla will be demonstrating its WebRTC features at Mobile World Congress this week, and we’ll get you more scoop on that. Mozilla is also planning on showing a demonstration of its Firefox operating system that its hoping will make it a major competitor in the mobile market place. You can also check out some of the other innovative technologies introduced at Mobile World Congress here.

[via Mozilla]

The built-in PDF viewer in Firefox is fairly interactive as well, and can do most of the basic stuff that external PDF readers are capable of, such as changing the size view, searching the document for certain words, viewing page thumbnails, printing PDF documents, saving the PDF to your computer, and even bookmarking it in Firefox for viewing later on.

Firefox 19 comes more than a month after Firefox 18, and this newest update also includes remote debugging, a handful of bug fixes, CSS improvements, as well as your general performance enhancements that are always welcomed. The PDF viewer is built on HTML5, so it’s fast and secure. However, there’s no pinch-to-zoom support on the Mac, which is a slight bummer. Hopefully they’ll add it in the future.

Of course, Google Chrome users have long been enjoying a built-in PDF viewer, so it actually took Mozilla a long time until they finally introduced the feature. Nonetheless, avid Firefox users (which seem to be dwindling in numbers lately), finally get to throw out those annoying PDF reader plug-ins for a handy default solution.

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]

Speaking of quarterly results, AMD posted its report for Q4 2012 as well today, but the company’s earnings ultimately left something to be desired. Microsoft might help Dell become a private company with an investment in the billions, while Surface RT is getting a new 64GB variant and a bunch of different accessories. ZeniMax Online Studios opened up beta registration for The Elder Scrolls Online today, and the 2014 Corvette has been spotted in the wild.

ASUS quietly introduced the VivoBook S330 notebook today, and we learned that Mozilla is working on a version of Firefox for the upcoming OUYA Android console. Synaptics has given its ClearPad touch technology to the all new Razer Edge Pro, and JVC has announced its new MirrorLink receiver, which plays nice with your smartphone. We heard that Zombieland is destined to become a web series after plans for a TV have been left behind, and Orchestra has opened up a reservation system for the soon-to-be-released Mailbox email client for iOS.

We saw a pair of new prototype glasses that protect you from facial recognition today, while Tasker for Android was given an all new user interface. Twitter was seen rolling out an update for embedded tweets, and Nintendo announced that it will be revealing new Wii U games during tomorrow’s Nintendo Direct livestream. Google said that Motorola had “12 to 18 months” of products in the pipeline when it was purchased by the search giant, AT&T seems to be experiencing some U-Verse outages, and we heard that a 5-inch iPhone may not launch until 2014. Finally tonight, Chris Burns delivers his review of the Wicked Audio Solus headphones and tells us why the Galaxy Note 8 is challenging the iPad Mini before its even announced. That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up, we hope you enjoy the rest of the night folks!

According to a post on the OUYAForum by administrator Ed Krassenstein, a Mozilla developer spoke with Krassenstein on the progress that the team is making bringing Firefox over to the new console. The developer mentioned that there is still a lot of work to do, but he was nice enough to show us a quick photo of the progress so far (pictured above).

The photo was tweeted by mobile platform engineer Chris Lord, and he says that the browser is currently “kinda usable”, but it isn’t anything to look at really. However, it shows that the Mozilla team is serious about bringing their web browser to the open-source gaming masses, and hopefully we’ll hear some updates on the project within the next couple of weeks.

“We’re investigating what we need to do to make Firefox usable on Ouya. It already works and we have some preliminary patches for gamepad support, but there’s still quite a bit of work to be done to make it really usable. Part of this work will be making sure that WebGL and Canvas support performs well on the device, and making sure that the relevant APIs (such as Gamepad API) are also supported.”

The OUYA gaming console is an open-source Android-based console that not only has full access to the Google Play store, but will also have proprietary games specifically meant for the OUYA. Developer consoles have already been shipped out, so while Mozilla has a long way to go, they still have several months before the official OUYA launch to ship a final version of the web browser.

[via TechCrunch]

As well as the dualcore chip – running at 1.2GHz – Peak also has a 4.3-inch qHD IPS display, an 8-megapixel main camera, and a 2-megapixel front camera. There’s 4GB of ROM and 512MB of RAM, along with WiFi b/g/n, triband UMTS (2100/1900/900) and quadband GSM/EDGE. Mozilla also squeezes in a microSD card slot, light and proximity sensors, a g-sensor, and GPS, along with an LED flash for the camera and a 1,800mAh battery.

In comparison, the Keon lacks a front-facing camera, though it has the same connectivity options, RAM, and ROM. Its battery runs to 1,580 mAh. Both devices will be supplied unlocked and SIM-free, ready for developers to slap their own SIM card inside and get coding.

That coding, meanwhile, may well be done at one of the Firefox OS App Days, happening this week across the world. However, Mozilla also has a Firefox OS Simulator for those wanting to code without hardware; there’s more detail on Firefox OS here.

Mozilla says the Keon and Peak Firefox OS Developer Preview Phones will begin shipping from February, though pricing for each device is yet to be confirmed.

[Thanks Al!]

IonMonkey follows the previously-used TraceMonkey and JagerMonkey Javascript compilers, and optimizes scripts before generating the executable code. Preliminary support has been added for WebRTC (Web Real Time Communication). The biggest change is support for Retina displays for Macs running OS X 10.7 or higher.

As far as improvements go, a new HTML scaling algorithm is in place that improves overall image quality, while tab switching has also been given a performance boost. MozTouch has been swapped out with support for W3C touch events, HTTPS pages will no longer load insecure content, and the issue with poor response when using proxies has been corrected.

In addition, a new version of Firefox for Android has been rolled out featuring some new changes that will make mobile users happy. Specifically, it has made somes changes to help keep users secure by implementing the malware detection desktop users have already enjoyed. When visting a URL that has been blacklisted, users will get a “Reported Attack Page!” warning. You can nab the app over at Google Play.

[via Mozilla]

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]

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]

With the Social API, you can have a number of Facebook features at your fingertips and ready to go without ever having to visit the actual Facebook site. Of course, you won’t have full Facebook functionality when using this feature, but there is quite a bit you can do. For starters, you can get the chat and news feed list right there in your browser, allowing you to see who’s online and available for chat as you surf the Internet.

The sidebar stays present as you go from page to page, and you can also share the page you’re currently viewing to your Facebook with just a “single click in the address bar.” The Facebook chat sidebar will also let you know when you have notifications waiting for you, and naturally, you hide the sidebar if it’s time to stop chatting and get back to work. If you want to give it a test spin, you’ll need to download the latest Firefox beta and then visit Facebook when you’ve got the beta installed. Once you’re there, Facebook will ask if you want to allow Firefox integration, and after that you’re one click away from getting started.

Mozilla assures that more social sites will be added later on, but for now, these beta tests will only be focused on Facebook integration. If you’ve got a lot of social profiles to keep track of, Mozilla’s Firefox Social API should be like a gift from the heavens, provided the full release later on goes smoothly. Are you going to give the beta test of Mozilla’s Social API a spin?

According to Mozilla, the vulnerability could potentially allow a malicious website to pinpoint the websites users have visited, and gain access to the URL or its parameters. Per the notice Mozilla published, the company has received “no indication that this vulnerability is currently being exploited in the wild.” Users who have already downloaded Firefox 16 are encouraged to either rollback to version 15.0.1, or to avoid using the browser until after the fix is released.

Firefox 16 offers several new features, most of which are aimed at developers. One such feature is the Developer Command Line, which provides keyboard control over the Developer Tools. Other features include CSS3 Animations, Image Values, IndexedDB, Transitions, and Transforms.

New features for the average consumer includes VoiceOver support for Mac OS X users and web app support for all three operating system versions of the browser. The Firefox app for Android will include a new reader mode, which allows users to hide browser elements for distraction-free reading. You can check out all the release notes here.

[via Mozilla]

A few of the new features are aimed at consumers, but a significant portion are for developers. The biggest feature seems to be the new Developer Command Line, which Mozilla says “provides easy keyboard control over Firefox Developer Tools and is intuitive, completing commands and parameters for you.” Other new developer-based features include CSS3 Animations, Transitions, Transforms, Image Values, IndexedDB, and Values and Units.

For regular consumers, a couple of new features are coming your way. For Firefox’s Android app, there’s now a new Safari-like reader mode that provides users with distraction-free reading of any kind. Mac users can also now enjoy VoiceOver support, and all three desktop operating systems (OS X, Windows, and Linux) are getting web app support as well.

On top of all the new features are the usual handful of bugfixes and overal performance improvements. The full list of release notes can be found here, and if you’re interested in trying out the new features, Firefox 16 is available now for download.

The wiki-like website, while still in its alpha stages, provides detailed documentation on the many types of languages and formats that are used in web development, like CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and SVG. The companies behind the new project argue that developers are struggling to find authoritative information on modern web technologies, and usually end up trying to figure out the right solutions on their own through trial and error.

Companies involved in this new initiative include Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Mozilla, Opera, HP, Nokia, Apple, and Adobe, with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) acting as the website’s curator. The companies want to stress that gathering information and creating a standard will be a community effort, so web developers and junkies of all kinds are encouraged to help out.

The new website will provide developers a single and definitive resource to go to, and they’ll find all sorts of useful information on the site, like API documentation, information on browser compatibility, and the status of various specifications. The website will eventually expand to include things like coding tools and various resources for web-related course educators.

ZTE and Mozilla announced a partnership earlier this year, and today, a representative from ZTE said that the company is looking to Firefox OS as a way to diversify its offerings. ZTE already offers Windows Phone and Android devices, and confirmed once again today plans to release Windows Phones 8 handsets at some point in the future. Embracing Firefox OS, however, is a move to make sure that the company doesn’t rely too much on Windows or Android, which would be a smart move for any smartphone manufacturer.

Firefox OS is expected to launch first in Brazil, so it seems that the first ZTE devices supporting the OS will be releasing there too. ZTE and Mozilla have their work cut out for them though, with Android taking nearly 70% of smartphone market for itself. Apple’s iOS posts strong second place numbers too, floating in between 16% and 20% the last time we checked in. That’s going to make it incredibly hard for a new OS to get off the ground, but there is a glimmer of hope.

After all, there’s a lot of hype surrounding Windows Phone 8 at the moment, and it seems that the smartphone crowd is at least intrigued by the idea of a Firefox OS. As an entry-level smartphone maker, ZTE has been growing lately, so the company could potentially do a lot to get the Firefox OS (and Windows Phone 8 for that matter) into the hands of more consumers. We shall see, but with Firefox OS and Windows Phone 8 both on the horizon, it’s an exciting time for those who want a little diversity in their mobile OSes. Stay tuned.

The fact that all of the apps pictured are available for free suggests that Mozilla has yet to work out a pricing scheme (or payment methods) for the Marketplace, but with the OS not launching until 2013, it has time to figure that out. Naturally, a number of apps will be available for the reasonable price of absolutely nothing, but expect to see some paid apps on offer as well.

The Firefox OS Markerplace is obviously geared toward easy searching, and like most app stores, selecting an app you’re interested in will take you to a page that offers descriptions and ratings. The Marketplace looks a little rough around the edges in this early state, but for the most part it also looks like Mozilla has almost everything in place. This suggests that Mozilla is pretty far along in the production of the Marketplace, which is something to get excited about if you’re looking forward to Firefox OS.

That being said, keep in mind that the Marketplace as we see it today could change – perhaps radically – by the time Firefox OS is released. Speaking of that, we don’t have a solid release date yet, as Mozilla is sticking to an “early 2013″ release window for the first Firefox OS devices, which will be coming from Telefonica. Be sure to peruse our story timeline below for more information on Firefox OS!

This Firefox update for Android is available for download in the Google Play app store right this minute for essentially every Android device on the market. Firefox for Android has an update to its personalized start screen in that the “Awesome Screen” is now available as well – browsing history, passwords, bookmarks, and form data are all available to you right at the start. This update also allows you to import your personalizations from other devices and interfaces with a feature called Firefox Sync.

Mozilla’s update for the Android version of Firefox allows you to switch between mobile and desktop versions of webpages with a “request Desktop Site” button in your menu, and has a new set of stability improvements and feature updates that you might never have known existed – except for the fact that you’ll be browsing faster than ever before after update. There’s also a set of new HTML5 capabilities for developers, this includes JavaScript, CSS, and other open Web standards as well.

What’s perhaps the most exciting element in this whole set of announcements is a new game called BrowserQuest. This game is a cross-platform Firefox-based massively multiplayer adventure that you’ll be able to play on your desktop and with your Android device. Just create a character and begin your quest! Mozilla has created this game to let you see in a rather recognizable way how the web can be a fantastic place to play games!

Then there’s Firefox Desktop – an upgrade here will allow you to work with a collection of new developer features such as JavaScript Debugger (built-in to the browser) for getting in on the Web application code of your choice – learn and grow! Debuggers will also be able to use this tool to remotely debug apps running on Firefox for Android on a local network – neat stuff! This update also brings on support for compressed textures (for web based games) as well as a set of other new enhancements for gaming developers – check it out here:

Of course without a full development kit, app creators wont get all that far here in these early stage for making fun objects for the newbie OS. Mozilla’s operating system, aka boot2gecko, appears at the moment to look quite similar to what we’ve seen from Android and iOS over the past few years, with a sprinkle of MIUI for good measure. Mozilla plans on making this operating system available within a year and nightly builds are available now.

Those developers who have worked with Firefox as a web browser before will have a much easier time jumping in on Firefox OS as it works with standards-based web technologies such as HTML5 and CSS. Customizability is at the center of this release, and the look of the user interface may well change significantly before it’s released in any kind of final form.

Head over to Mozilla’s Tony Chung’s [downloads post] to get started with the desktop builds for this system, and don’t forget that you’ll need Gaia running before you do anything – also available via Chung.

This update for Firefox brings a set of new icons that’ll have you quickly identifying the level of security, primarily, for each site you’re visiting. If you see a globe symbol, you’re at a site that’s not secured in the least. If you’re at a site with SSL encryption, you’ll see a padlock icon with ‘HTTPS’ scrolled across it. If you see a green lock with a name on it, on the other hand, you’ve got a site with an Extended Validation certificate. This means that the certificate authority has taken a much closer look at the provider of that site than your average site would.

Firefox 14 also brings on developer tools that includes Pointer Lock API support, Mac users will be glad to see full-screen mode for OS X Lion 10.7 and above, and again, all downloads remain free. You can download Firefox 14 in its final release version now, or you can head straight to Firefox 15 beta if you like as well – at your own risk, of course!

Also head to the timeline below to check out our recent stories on Firefox and events that have lead up to this day in time and space!

[via Mozilla]

Inside those phones, Firefox OS will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, though it’s not been confirmed which generation of chips will be used. Still, there should be plenty of power to keep HTML5 apps running swiftly; one of the things Qualcomm has long been pushing with Snapdragon is browser-engine performance.

Brazil will be the first country to get Firefox OS devices next year, with Telefonica signed up to offer them through its Vivo brand. Mozilla is heavily promoting the new platform’s customization options, helped by the fact that there’s none of the pesky middleware that’s usually present on smartphones.

Fully open-source, Firefox OS is based on the underlying Linux kernel modified for Android, with a ‘Gonk’ hardware abstraction layer and then the multi-platform Gecko Web browser engine to actually run all the “local” apps. There’ll also be a ‘Gaia’ UI and app suite that’s hardware-independent.

What remains to be seen is whether Firefox OS can hold its own against Android, which has already made significant inroads into the entry-level smartphone market. More on the platform in our hands-on.

Mozilla say that the speed improvements are the real star of the show, and from using the Beta version, we have to agree. Initial load times are “lightning fast”, and the company says that the browser was created against a new benchmark called Eideticker, something it claims helps achieve performance that’s twice as fast as the stock Android browser.

The new “Awesome Page” displays your favourite websites in addition to the most recently visited tabs, and the URL bar has been tweaked to display the most recent searches and visited websites to cut down on awkward typing time. Desktop users will also be able to sync bookmarks between the regular Firefox and mobile version. Tabbed browsing has been tweaked too, allowing users to easily switch between open windows without too much fuss.

The new Firefox update doesn’t seem to have quite the Play Store just yet, but Mozilla say it will definitely land today. Keep an eye out in the meantime, and definitely give it a try.

[via Engadget]

There have also been some tweaks made to tabs and the general user interface. Instead of the lone Back button on the current version of Firefox, you’ll now find both Forward and Back. The physical size of tabs has also been reduced, allowing for more to be crammed onto the bar before you run out of real estate.

Start Page and Bookmarks can still be found on the right hand side of the browser, but are now part of the background instead of being boxed into traditional buttons. It’s definitely a more appealing and cleaner interface than previous versions of the browser, although Chrome’s influence seems clear.

If you want to test out the nightly for yourself, Caschys Blog has the portable version available for download. As is often the case, there will probably still be lingering bugs, so maybe hold off on using it as your daily browser.

[Thanks, Sascha!]