11/18, 12:50pm
Internet Explorer 9 still early
Microsoft on the second day of its Professional Developers Conference by providing an early look at Internet Explorer 9. The new browser is just three weeks into development but is already expected to significantly outperform its predecessor. The new version will take advantage of hardware acceleration from graphics chipsets that support D2D in DirectX to offload many of the visual elements of browsing, such as maps or sub-pixel rendering. Microsoft's aim is to let the hardware "shine through" in the browser, chief software architect Steven Sinofsky said.
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11/11, 3:50pm
Study says Firefox 44% of web exploits
Despite stereotypes, Mozilla's Firefox is significantly more vulnerable to web attacks than any of its rivals, a Cenzic study (PDF) claimed late yesterday. About 44 percent of the 3,100 exploits tracked by the researchers attacked the open-source browser where only 15 percent of them would work in Internet Explorer. Safari is notably much closer to Firefox in vulnerability as 35 percent of exploits could affect the platform, while Opera's small market share left just 6 percent of attacks putting it at risk.
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11/01, 5:45pm
Windows share drops in Oct despite Win 7
The launch of Windows 7 in October did nothing to stop an increase in Mac share online, the latest data from Net Applications shows. Although the Microsoft OS was on sale for nine days last month, Windows' combined share of Internet traffic actually dropped to 92.52 percent while Mac OS X profited directly, reaching a new high of 5.27 percent. Windows 7 did gain share and represents 2.15 percent, but its gain was more than offset by a full percentage point of Windows users abandoning Windows XP, in many cases opting for the Mac or other platforms.
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10/16, 1:00pm
Draws fire from Mozilla designer
Apple's Safari browser may occupy too central position in upcoming European versions of Windows, critics say. Users should soon be presented with a special browser ballot, explaining what web browsers are, and more crucially offering a choice of apps beyond Internet Explorer. The feature comes as a result of pressure from the European Commission, which has accused Microsoft of hampering competition by bundling IE with Windows, forcing developers to design for it and potentially limit their innovation.
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10/07, 9:20am
EU to market test Win 7 browser choice
The European Commission on Wednesday said it would conduct a market test (PDF) of Microsoft's proposed browser ballot feature for Windows 7. The plan will let EU residents buying the Microsoft OS choose from one of multiple major web browsers shortly after they receive the system and use that in place of Internet Explorer. A successful test would make the ballot standard for most European copies and would resolve the ongoing antitrust case accusing the American firm of abusing its Windows monopoly.
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10/01, 5:50pm
NetApplications shows Mac, Firefox gains
More than a sixth of all Macs are already running Mac OS X Snow Leopard in just over a month of use, new findings from NetApplications show. On September 29th, the one month anniversary of the release, about 18 percent of all Macs tracked by the stats firm were using some version of Snow Leopard, or 0.91 percent of all computers.
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09/29, 5:10pm
MS competitors criticize EU settlement
A number of software developers that make competitors to Microsoft's Internet Explorer have complained about the recent settlement with the EU that would allow Microsoft to give users the option to install another web browser. According to a Monday WSJ report (subscription required), the complaints came via a questionnaire EU officials sent out to Microsoft's competition, urging them for comment on the settlement idea.
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09/24, 4:05pm
Chrome Frame doubles security risk in IE: MS
The recently introduced Chrome Frame plug-in from Google that runs in Internet Explorer 8 has drawn criticism from Microsoft on Thursday. A spokesperson responding to a ZDNet query claimed that Chrome Frame is a security risk as it doubles "the attach area for malware and malicious scripts" by introducing a second web engine. Google's code is also alleged to be less secure than that for IE8 and thus more prone to attack in its own right.
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09/01, 10:00am
Win Mobile 6.5 Ships Oct 6
Microsoft today committed to a ship date for Windows Mobile 6.5, its last significant update to the current generation of its smartphone OS. The first devices to use the new platform should reach shops on October 6th. It's not said which evices will be the first, but HP, HTC, LG, Samsung and unusually Toshiba will be the first to have 6.5-equipped smartphones in North America. AT&T, Sprint and Verizon will be the first in the US, while Bell and Telus should do the same in Canada.
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08/13, 4:25am
Zune HD Launch Set
Microsoft early this morning set the final launch for the Zune HD. True to leaks, the company's first touchscreen player will ship on September 15th and will come in a 16GB black version for $220 and a 32GB platinum-colored version for $290. Pre-orders start later today through Amazon (16GB, 32GB) as well as Best Buy, Walmart and Microsoft's own company store. Best Buy stores in major US cities will also have in-store previews on the 22nd and 23rd.
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08/10, 5:25pm
Macs Faster On Web
Despite stereotypes, Macs are typically faster than Windows PCs on the web, according to data from FutureMark. Best known for its 3DMark benchmark suite, the company says that Apple's systems are about 5 to 10 percent faster on average in its Peacekeeper web code test than Windows computers with equivalent hardware. This includes any browser that runs on both platforms, including Apple's own Safari as well as Firefox and Opera.
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08/10, 5:05pm
Microsoft update process
Late last week, software giant Microsoft announced in a US district court that it will change the way the express install works for Internet Explorer 8 with its Windows operating system, as per a Monday report. Microsoft has drawn flak for making IE 8 the default browser despite user's preferences whenever they ran the Windows Update and selected the Express install, with competitors Mozilla and Opera filing complaints.
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08/05, 7:45pm
SeeFile 4.7 ships
SeeFile Software has launched SeeFile 4.7, updating its digital asset management software with an optimized interface and full support for Firefox 3.5, Safari 4 and Internet Explorer 8. The software is geared towards small to mid-sized companies, tracking digital media like images, PDFs and video, and organizing and distributing the media online. SeeFile monitors shared folders and volumes, tracking any changes in the file structure, and updating its database and web interface to synchronize with the file structure changes. It also automatically renders previews and imports metadata.
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08/05, 3:45pm
Net App Browser Share July
Internet Explorer's share of the web browser market has dropped to its lowest point in recent memory thanks to inroads from Apple and Google, new stats from Net Applications show. The web tracking firm says Microsoft's browser now has 67.68 percent of the market, lower than a previous low in April. Most of the losses came from both Chrome and Safari, which themselves reached all-time highs of 2.59 percent and 4.07 percent respectively.
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07/31, 2:50pm
Firefox 1 bil Downloads
The Mozilla Foundation on Friday marked the 1 billionth download of Firefox. The feat was accomplished roughly four and a half years after the first pre-release version shipped in November 2004 and makes it one of the most popular browsers after Internet Explorer. It's commonly credited for unseating the Microsoft browser's near-absolute control of web browsers after the decline of Netscape and, as of the milestone, currently has just over 30 percent of the market while Internet Explorer has just over 60 percent.
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07/24, 3:20pm
Euro Win 7 Multi Browser
Microsoft this afternoon hoped to settle the European Commission's antitrust case over unfair web browser bundling by promising to give users a choice of web browsers when Windows 7 ships in October. The proposal mimics the EC's solution and would provide a "ballot" that lets first-time users choose from one of multiple browsers, all of which would be pre-loaded in Windows. As before, users could also download other browsers and set them as the default.
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07/14, 6:00pm
Web Browser Comparison
With the latest versions of Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox recently released, it became time for a browser comparison to test whether or not improvements in standards and raw speed have made a difference. This is especially true given the rapid shift in market share from Internet Explorer's one-time dominance: according to Statcounter, Internet Explorer currently commands just 61 percent of the browser market, while Firefox has climbed to second place with 30 percent market share and the last 9 percent shared between Chrome, Opera, Safari and smaller rivals. Click through for our full browser tests to see whether those slices of the market are deserved.
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07/10, 10:50am
Schmidt Resisted Chrome OS
Google CEO Eric Schmidt as part of his presentation at the Allen & Co. conference later on Thursday revealed that he had initially resisted both Chrome the web browser and eventually Chrome OS. In addition to discussing the possible conflict of interest with Apple after the unveiling of the full operating system, Schmidt told those gathered that he had originally wanted to avoid Chrome, and the OS as a result, after being soured by the early browser competition that eventually gave Microsoft's Internet Explorer the lead. It wasn't until company founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page showed a promising demo of Chrome that the chief executive eventually agreed to move ahead.
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07/09, 10:30pm
Microsoft Silverlight 3
Microsoft tonight launched the public version of Silverlight 3, its animation and video plugin for the web. The rival to Flash is the company's first to use hardware graphics acceleration both for 3D and for offloading the work of decoding video from the main processor. Regardless of graphics power, the update is also the first to promise a near-seamless HD video experience: a "smooth streaming" technique that automatically lowers the bitrate to start playback immediately and quickly brings it back up to provide the maximum quality the connection allows.
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07/08, 4:50pm
MS Teaser and Gazelle
Microsoft is planning a "big" announcement on Monday that may have forced Google's hand in launching Chrome OS, tech pundit and Rackspace blogger Robert Scoble claimed today. While a non-disclosure agreement prevents him from providing further details, he implies that the news will have something to do with web apps, which will be the way software can run in Google's upcoming platform.
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06/12, 8:45am
EU Say Win 7 E Not Enough
Microsoft's decision to pull Internet Explorer from Windows 7 in Europe isn't enough to address EU antitrust complaints about the company's abuse of the market, the European Commission said Friday. The continent's officials now say that Microsoft's proposed solution would actually hurt competition as it would leave the five percent of those buying retail copies of Windows each year with few options. Instead of having an immediate choice, buyers would have to resort to obtaining a physical copy of a web browser or else some alternative.
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06/11, 1:30pm
Win 7 in EU wo Browser
Windows 7 will ship to Europe without a copy of Internet Explorer, a leak has revealed this afternoon. Since confirmed by Microsoft, text obtained by CNET shows that PC builders will have to include a browser themselves, including Microsoft's, and will have the option of installing more than one. The new version should be titled Windows 7 E and would ship both to all EU countries as well as Croatia and Switzerland.
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06/03, 9:45pm
Adobe unveils BrowserLab
Adobe has unveiled its newest application, BrowserLab, releasing it as a free downloadable preview. The program, originally code-named Meer Meer, is used to compare webpages in Safari, Internet Explorer, and Firefox to ensure designs remain consistent between each browser. The program uses virtualization technology hosted through a cloud-based application, eliminating the need to install all three browsers.
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06/02, 2:40pm
Windows 7 October 22nd
Microsoft today ended speculation and said it would ship Windows 7 on October 22nd. The launch applies to all versions and confirms statements from Acer that it would have the new OS preloaded on its PCs just a day later. Pricing for individual upgrade and full installs hasn't been mentioned.
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05/04, 1:30pm
EU sets MS antitrust plans
A date has been set for Microsoft to defend itself against European antitrust charges, Reuters reports. Between June 3rd and the 5th, representatives for Microsoft are expected to testify in a closed hearing before the European Commission, elaborating on the outlines of a written response submitted on April 28th. The company was originally ordered to reply by March 12th, but was granted two extensions, first to April 21st and then the 28th.
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04/21, 3:35pm
Google O3D
Google this afternoon took the covers from an early version of O3D, a new standard for controllable 3D on the web. The format is intended to be a truly browser- and OS-independent format that supports truly modern 3D graphics and which runs well when interacting with the modern web. It takes advantage of the shader (visual programming) effects of current graphics chipsets to produce visuals such as rippling water, reflections and fire, all while properly supporting JavaScript for elements such as real-time changes to the 3D world.
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04/15, 3:40pm
Microsoft 2nd EU Delay
Microsoft today said it had been given a second extension by the European Commission to prepare a response against antitrust charges that it has unfairly controlled web browsers. Having already been given a first extension that gave it until April 21st, the American firm has until April 28th to provide its own stance and early defense against the claims. Why the added time is required hasn't been formally explained.
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04/01, 2:15pm
Browser wars tighten
Firefox 3 has overtaken Internet Explorer 7 in Europe according to data from StatCounter. Although IE still leads when counting all versions (IE 8IE7/IE6), the current Mozilla-based Firefox usage has surpassed IE 7 by a percentage point. Ars Technica has reported that IE 8, released two weeks ago, has pulled over two percent of IE 7 users from its ranks, dropping it beneath Firefox.
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03/20, 3:25pm
IE8 Launch Stats
The release of Internet Explorer 8 hasn't had any significant impact on Firefox or any other competing browser, data collected by StatsCounter shows. While the final release of IE8 increased its market share slightly on launch day to 1.39 percent, Firefox 3.0 grew more quickly and reached 25.38 percent. The most significant losses were for Internet Explorer 7: the outgoing browser lost 0.4 percent of the total share.
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03/19, 7:50am
MS Launching IE8 Today
Microsoft on Thursday said it would launch Internet Explorer 8 at 12PM Eastern. The app is the company's first significant web browser release since 2006 and is partly meant to address gaps in its feature set compared to other, newer browsers: a new rendering engine makes it more compatible with true W3C web standards while still having support for IE-specific pages. It also has shortcuts to perform context-sensitive tasks through specific websites (such as a Facebook search), visual search suggestions, and a WebClip-like feature known as Web Slices that lets users bookmark specific sections of websites and see them at a glance.
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03/11, 11:50am
MS Extension on EU Charges
The European Commission today said it would give Microsoft extra time to respond to its statement of objection that accuses Microsoft of breaking antitrust laws by requiring that Internet Explorer ship with Windows. The American company now has until April 21st to provide an initial response after it complained that the original eight-week deadline, or March 12th, didn't give it enough time to offer a proper answer to the charges. It's not known if the delay will affect other aspects of the case.
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03/05, 10:50am
Palm Treo Pro at Alltel
Alltel today claimed a small victory on Thursday with the official launch of its version of the Palm Treo Pro. Beating the Sprint edition by over a week, Alltel's model is now the first Windows Mobile device to use Internet Explorer Mobile 6 and should provide much more representative views of websites, including through Flash and Silverlight support. The carrier doesn't mention any network-specific features, however, beyond supporting faster 3G over EVDO Revision A.
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03/04, 9:15pm
Windows 7 beta IE8 switch
Beta testers have allegedly noticed that the recent Windows 7 build offers an option to disable Internet Explorer 8, according to CNET News. The new setting can be found in build 7048, indicating that the company added the feature after releasing the public beta known as build 7000. The browser is included in the list of components found in the "Windows Features" dialog box.
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02/27, 10:25am
ASUS P835
ASUS on Friday launched the P835 as its new, range-topping touchscreen smartphone and one of its first more conspicuous challengers to the iPhone. The phone depends on a 3.5-inch, 800x480 touchscreen but also adds a BlackBerry-like trackball for one-handed navigation and quicker scrolling. ASUS bases the phone on Windows Mobile 6.1 but tries to get around interface limitations by implementing a new version of its in-house Glide interface which is believed easier to use and also more visually appealing. Opera Mobile also gives the P835 fuller HTML support than Microsoft's default Internet Explorer browser.
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02/24, 6:10pm
Google backs EU
Google has jumped into the conflict between the European Commission and Microsoft, backing the EU in the antitrust proceedings. The commission has objected to the practice of bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, which it claims "harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice." The search-engine giant must first ask for permission from the EU to provide arguments, as a third party, in the ongoing litigation.
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02/24, 10:35am
EU Requiring Non-IE Web
The European Commission late Monday said it plans to require that Microsoft offer web browsers other than Internet Explorer in Windows. The EU body's spokesman Jonathan Todd says a final decision in the matter would mandate a choice of which browsers to download and install in addition to the existing ability to specify a default app. The feature would potentially involve a portal that lets users choose the browser early on.
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02/09, 1:10pm
Mozilla joins EU vs. MS
Mozilla is throwing its support behind a European Commission ruling on bundling Microsoft's Internet Explorer with Windows, according to the company's CEO. Microsoft received a Statement of Objection from the Commission last month, accusing it of violating European competition laws. The action was initially sparked by a complaint from Opera, which produces third-party web browsers. Mozilla itself develops the Firefox browser.
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01/19, 12:40pm
MS SkyBox Next Month
Microsoft is poised to use February's Mobile World Congress to unveil a set of online mobile services that would be its own equivalents to Apple's Internet components for the iPhone. In addition to confirming the existence of SkyMarket, a dedicated app store for Windows Mobile devices, alleged sources for Neowin claim Microsoft will use the phone show to introduce SkyBox, a mobile sync service to backup and share calendars, contacts, e-mail and photos between devices not unlike Apple's MobileMe.
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01/16, 2:55pm
EU Objection to Microsoft
Microsoft today said it has received a Statement of Objection from the European Commission that finds the software developer has violated European competition law by tying Internet Explorer to Windows. Though preliminary, the message tells Microsoft that the forced bundling is unfairly excluding competitors from Windows PCs. It adds that the changes made to open competition as the result of a US antitrust ruling in 2002, such as letting PC vendors bundle non-IE browsers and change defaults, aren't enough to avoid violating European law.
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01/06, 2:00pm
Kensington intros products
Kensington on Tuesday announced a range of new products, including a hands-free car kit for use with Bluetooth cellphones, its SlimBlade TrackBall mouse and a pair of two space- and energy-efficient notebook chargers. The Bluetooth speaker clips onto vehicle's sun visors and can pair up with three different cellphones and holds three frequently-called phone numbers for each handset. Swapping between the three handsets or dialing any of the pre-programmed numbers is done via pressing a single button. Kensington has integrated noise-cancelling technology for the device that makes calls loud and clear. Two battery packs are included, providing users with 10 hours of talk time.
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01/02, 11:45am
Safari use rises in Dec.
Minority browsers grew in popularity again during the month of December, according to tracking figures from Net Applications. Marketshare for Mozilla's Firefox reached 21.34 percent, up from 20.78 percent in November; Apple's Safari jumped from 7.13 to 7.93 percent, and Google's new, Windows-only Chrome browser shifted from 0.83 to 1.04 percent. This marks the first time the software has been over the 1 percent mark.
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12/18, 4:55pm
MS quick to fix IE7 bug
Microsoft is being praised by industry professionals for already releasing a fix for what it itself calls a critical security flaw in its Internet Explorer 7 Internet browser. The patch addresses a flaw in the data-binding function of 5.01, 6, 7 and 8 Beta 2 versions of the popular web browser. It was at first believed only IE7 was affected, but research revealed all currently available versions of the browser have the issue.
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12/16, 3:45pm
IE7 Zero-Day Exploit
A new and previously undiscovered vulnerability in Internet Explorer 7 has triggered warnings to at least temporarily avoid the browser until it can be fixed. The exploit, which takes advantage of the browser's data binding feature to create a memory hole, is unique to Microsoft's code and potentially dangerous due to its usability over the web. A maliciously formed website can use the exploit to steal private data or otherwise compromise the system; some benign websites have been turned hostile using the exploit and other vulnerabilities, the company says.
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12/10, 12:05pm
Google Chrome Leaving Beta
Google's Chrome web browser is soon to exit beta thanks partly to a plan to expand its reach, company VP Marissa Miller has told TechCrunch at this year's Le Web conference in Paris. The WebKit-based browser has been relatively slow to gain share since its debut in September but will be marked as a finished product on an upcoming release to let PC makers bundle an officially completed version with their systems.
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11/06, 11:45pm
Microsoft may adopt WebKit
Microsoft's well known Internet Explorer web browser may have an open source sibling on its way based on WebKit, of Safari and Google Chrome fame, if statements made by CEO Steve Ballmer are indicative. TechWorld writes that Ballmer, speaking in front of developers in Sydney, answered a question posed by a student, on why Microsoft insisted on dumping money into the rendering platform, rather than adopting a faster open source model. Ballmer thought the question to be "cheeky," but provided a humble response.
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10/10, 4:45pm
ChunkIt web search tool
TigerLogic has unveiled ChunkIt!, a tool for searching "behind the links" in Google searches or on any other web page. The application automatically scans the links on a page, and fetches information from them that might be valuable to filtering by relevance, without actually navigating to each site. When shopping sites are browsed, keywords are highlighted in item descriptions; research sites -- including LexisNexis, JSTOR, ScienceDirect and Wikipedia -- can all be previewed through the software.
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09/25, 10:40am
Apple Safari patents
Newly-published patent applications may point to enhancements in Safari 4 or other versions of Apple's web browser. Originally submitted earlier this year, the filings depict two different browser-based technologies, beginning with the concept of a visual history. Apple notes that most browsers display history as a straight list of pages, something which may be "confusing." The company also comments that relying on forward and back buttons can be "cumbersome," and that histories may incorporate files not meant for web browsers.
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09/17, 11:40am
Chrome vs. Safari
Google's Chrome browser is not displacing Apple's Safari software as it continues to gain marketshare, says Net Applications. The company has posted tracking results for the second week following Chrome's release, which show an increase in use from an initial 0.67 percent to 0.85, based on data collected from some 40,000 websites. This has come at the expense of several competing browsers, such as Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.
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09/02, 11:45am
iPhone browser share up
Browser marketshare for the iPhone has been driven up 58 percent between July and August, according to CNET and reports from Net Applications. This should be welcome news for Apple, as browser usage had hit a plateau over the summer before the upgraded phone was released. Since that point, usage has surged dramatically.
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07/02, 10:45am
Safari share vs. security
Apple's Safari web browser remains in third place in terms of adoption, a new study reveals. According to results from the middle of June, Safari usage accounts for approximately 3.4 percent of the market, at 48 million daily users. Mozilla's Firefox is in second place with 227 million users (16.1 percent), while Microsoft's Internet Explorer is by far dominant, with 1.1 billion users (78.3 percent). The only major browser below Safari is Opera, which has 11 million users, or just 0.8 percent.
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