Mozilla forges ahead with Firefox 3.6

January 21, 2010 10:03 AM PST

by Seth Rosenblatt

Mozilla debuted Firefox 3.6 on Thursday, introducing significant under-the-hood changes that make it faster, help it render content better, and a few visual tweaks, as well. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, the most apparent changes in Firefox 3.6 are improvements made to the TraceMonkey JavaScript rendering engine, making it about 20 percent faster than when it debuted in Firefox 3.5, according to Mozilla. Although this makes it more competitive with Google Chrome, but not faster, there's more to Firefox 3.6 than speed.

Firefox 3.6 does not support Windows 7 features such as jump lists and Aero Peek for multiple tabs by default, but they can be activated in the about:config.

(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Firefox maintains its reputation as the most customizable browser around, introducing default support for the next generation of Themes, called Personas. Users will no longer have to download the Personas add-on to get its on-the-fly skinning power. However, Windows 7 interface support, including tab previews using the Ctrl+Tab hot key, jump lists, and multiple tab previews in Aero Peek will have to wait for another revision. Currently, these can only be activated by changing settings in about:config.

Several notable improvements keep Firefox abreast of current browsing tech. Significant under-the-hood changes include blocking third-party software from encroaching on Firefox's file system turf to increase stability; support for the Web Open Font Format, which means users viewing pages in other languages should see faster load times via downloadable fonts; and support for the File interface, which can help with tasks such as uploading multiple photos and is part of the draft HTML5-standard effort. Open, native video can be displayed full screen and supports poster frames, which is the preview image you see before a video begins, and the new CSS attributes gradients, background sizing, and pointer events will work in Firefox 3.6.

HTML5 support debuted in Firefox 3.5, and Firefox remains the leading Web browser that supports it. This is not insignificant, because even with Google Chrome grabbing more than 4 percent of the browser market in its first 16 months, Firefox maintains a commanding 24 percent that hasn't stopped growing, second only to Internet Explorer.

A deeper change to the browser is that it is now running scripts asynchronously, which can help to load a Web page faster by putting off some work until the high-priority chores are complete. Firefox 3.6 also isolates out-of-date plug-ins so they do not become a security risk.

Unlike Firefox 3.5, which was more about keeping the browser current rather than blazing new trails, Firefox 3.6 is once again taking some small but innovative steps. Expect more new features to debut in minor-point updates as the browser works towards Firefox 3.7.

Microsoft files patent suit against TiVo

Microsoft has accused TiVo of illegally using video purchasing and delivery technology in its digital video recorders, The Wall Street Journal is reporting

Microsoft filed suit against the DVR maker on Tuesday for infringing on two Microsoft patents as a way of defending its partner, AT&T, which is currently involved in a legal dispute with TiVo over the same technology. TiVo sued AT&T and Verizon in August over the "time warping" function in both companies' digital video services. AT&T uses Microsoft's video platform for its U-Verse TV IPTV service.

It's because AT&T is Redmond's biggest customer for that video technology that it has opted to come to AT&T's defense.

But Microsoft said it's "open to resolving this situation through an intellectual property licensing agreement, and we have initiated discussions to engage TiVo in negotiations," according to a statement from the company Wednesday.

TiVo shrugged off the tech heavyweight's entrance into the legal fight in a statement Wednesday: "Microsoft's recent legal actions ... do not bear on whether the AT&T products and services that are the subject of TiVo's complaint infringe the patents asserted by TiVo. Rather these actions are part of a legal strategy to defend AT&T. We remain confident in our position that AT&T will be found to infringe on the TiVo patents asserted."

It's not clear how Microsoft's entrance will help or hurt AT&T, especially since TiVo has already played this game and won. The strategy it is currently pursuing against AT&T and Verizon over the time-warp function is the same that won it damages of $103 million from EchoStar/Dish Network last year.

by Erica Ogg
January 20, 2010 2:39 PM PST

'Minor issues' could delay $999 Apple tablet availability 'til June - AppleInsider.com

By Neil Hughes

Published: 03:25 PM EST

While Apple's tablet is still expected to see a formal introduction at a media event next week, issues with battery life and durability could result in a June launch, an analyst said Tuesday.

In a new note to investors, Shaw Wu with Kaufman Bros. said checks with supply chain sources indicate the launch pattern for the tablet could follow that of the original iPhone in 2007, with a January unveiling and final product shipping to consumers six months later. He said that the June launch could be due to "minor issues" with more work needed on battery life and durability.

However, he said, checks also indicate that a tablet-type device will be introduced next week, at a Jan. 27 event, where the company has advertised it plans to show off its "latest creation." Wu described the product as being like a "super" iPod touch.

"This tablet product has been described to us as a hybrid between an iPhone/ipod touch and a mac but in terms of software and components, it appears closer to the former, meaning it is most likely ARM based," he wrote. "From our understanding, it is not intended to replace a Mac but be somewhat of a 'super' iPod touch where video, gaming, Web browsing, e-books and the ability to run multiple apps would be enhanced with the much larger screen."

The analyst's claims of a June launch contradict with The Wall Street Journal, which reported earlier this month that the hardware is expected to ship in March. The device is expected to have a screen sized between 10 inches and 11 inches.

Wu also expects the device to cost around $999, citing a $100 incremental cost for a large touchscreen, according to sources in the supply chain. In addition, additional costs over the iPhone and iPod touch would come in the form of semiconductors, glass, sensors and substrates.

That estimate comes in much higher than competing analyst Gene Munster, of Piper Jaffray, who has predicted a $600 average selling price. In general, analysts expect the device to cost less than $1,000.

Wu said he believes that Wi-Fi would be the "most likely option" for network access, as opposed to 3G, so as to "not further clog already strained 3G networks." But, he said, there is still the potential for carriers to offer subsidies and lower the price point of the device for end users. He said Wi-Fi is the best option to offer broad and inexpensive high-speed Internet access.

Kaufman Bros. has predicted the "iSlate," as Wu referred to it, to sell a million units per quarter. Supply chain sources indicated that Apple hopes to build 5 million units in the first year of production. The company has reiterated its price target of $253 for AAPL stock.

Bill Gates shares his notes

SEATTLE–Now you have a chance to compare notes with Bill Gates.
The Microsoft chairman is launching a Web site on Wednesday designed to to share his thoughts on everything from his foundation work to musings on other topics including energy and the environment.

Dubbed Gates Notes, the site is launching with postings from Gates himself, and in the works are plans to allow for more discussion on the topics he raises.

In an exclusive interview, Gates told CNET that he missed having the kind of Web presence he had at Microsoft.

“The Internet is tailor-made for the kind of activities I am involved in,” Gates said. “When I take a trip, we have all these photos. People want to see that and it’s very easy to put it up there. If I read a book, some people are considering whether to read that book or want a short understanding of what that’s like.”

Gates said he plans to post content about three times a week, with some posts being brief and others being more in-depth.

“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun to share on an ongoing basis,” Gates said, adding that he is looking forward to the feedback. “It will help guide me.”

In its initial form, the site features articles on education reform, lessons from the swine flu pandemic, and the need for help in Haiti. There’s also a podcast series with Gates speaking on climate change and the challenges of developing friendlier alternatives to today’s energy sources. (Along with being available for download from the Gates Notes site, the podcasts will be on both iTunes and the Zune Marketplace, I’m told).

Although energy and climate issues are not something the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has directly focused on, it is an area of keen interest for Gates and will be the focus of his talk at next month’s TED conference.

“The interest in some of the energy things I have been doing has been very high so I will elaborate on that,” Gates said.
Gates Notes also features a section on Gates’ travels, where he narrates some of the video footage taken on trips, such as last year’s visit to India. Another section includes notes on some of the books Gates is reading.

Another section, dubbed “conversations,” is designed to include both interviews with Gates as well as excerpts from some of the long e-mail exchanges he has with various thinkers as well as question-and-answer sessions with students from around the world.

The launch of Gates Notes comes a day after Gates joined Twitter, where he quickly racked up hundreds of thousands of followers.
Although Gates Notes draws on work from the foundation, as well as from Gates’ work at Microsoft and at Nathan Myhrvold’s Intellectual Ventures, the Web site is a project of his personal staff.

January 20, 2010 12:00 PM PST
by Ina Fried

Microsoft and Funai sign patent deal

Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it has set up a new deal to swap patents with LCD TV maker Funai.

Funai, which makes TVs sold in the U.S. under the brands Philips, Magnavox, Sylvania, and Emerson, will gain access to Microsoft’s exFAT file system, an enhanced version of the company’s older FAT (file allocation table) used to store and organize data on a disk.
The exFAT (extended FAT) system supports much higher-capacity drives and devices than can FAT and will quickly save files onto SD cards, USB drives, and other portable gadgets. Microsoft sees it as the ideal option for handling huge chunks of audio and video on digital photo frames, cameras, camcorders, smartphones, and of course TVs.
The cross-licensing agreement lets Funai use exFAT to develop new consumer audio and video products, including LCD TVs, for which the company is compensating Microsoft.

Microsoft was mum about what specific patents it might gain from Funai, only saying in a statement that this “exchange of innovation” would help both companies design new technologies to benefit consumers of audio/video products, including LCD TVs.
“Consumers want TVs to offer experiences that were once available primarily on personal computers. A patent license like this one allows two industry leaders to deliver the type of cutting-edge innovations that today’s consumers demand,” said David Kaefer, general manager of Intellectual Property Licensing at Microsoft, in a statement.
Microsoft initially rolled out exFAT for mobile phones, PDAs, audio and video appliances, and other devices running Windows Embedded edition. The company also added exFAT to its newer operating systems–Windows Vista SP1, Windows 7, and Windows Server 2008–hoping that more electronics companies would adopt it to store audio and video files on their consumer devices.
In December, Microsoft set up a new licensing program for exFAT, charging a flat $300,000 fee to manufacturers who want to use the file system in their products. But Microsoft’s license for FAT technology has been the subject of controversy as Redmond has long argued that certain uses of Linux infringe on its patents in this area. The company hasn’t hesitated to go after companies, such as GPS-maker Tom Tom, suing them for alleged patent violation.
Microsoft’s actions prompted Linux defenders, such as the Open Invention Network, to try to overturn the patents in question, an effort that eventually helped the group land several key patents that it said could have been used against Linux.

January 20, 2010 10:23 AM PST
by Lance Whitney

Mozilla releases second Firefox release candidate

Mozilla on Sunday released a second release candidate of Firefox 3.6, a modest upgrade that embodies Mozilla's effort to increase the frequency the open-source browser is developed.

Mike Beltzner, president of Firefox, announced second Firefox 3.6 release candidate Sunday but didn't share details. The release notes were equally mum, but the update process called the new software a "security and stability update."

The software is available from Mozilla's download site. More than 1 million people are testing Firefox 3.6 at present, and more than 300 million overall use Firefox, Mozilla said.

The new version includes Personas to let people customize the browser's appearance; blocks third-party software from encroaching on its file system turf to increase stability; and--perhaps most significantly given the competitive threat from Google Chrome--shortens start-up time and improves responsiveness and JavaScript performance.

Mozilla has been moving to a faster release cycle for Firefox and, more recently, the Thunderbird e-mail software. With Firefox, Mozilla recently changed course to try to produce updates more often that add new features but don't disrupt interfaces or otherwise require users or Web developers to change their ways.

The first of these non-intrusive releases, code-named Lorentz, is scheduled to arrive in the first quarter as Firefox 3.6.5.

January 18, 2010 8:06 AM PST
by Stephen Shankland

IT spending to recover this year, Forrester says

IT spending worldwide will reboot in 2010, rising 8.1 percent after last year's 8.9 percent freefall, Forrester Research predicts in a report released Tuesday.

Businesses and governments are expected to spend $1.6 trillion on information technology throughout 2010, Forrester predicts. In the U.S. alone, IT spending is likely to grow 6.6 percent this year to $568 billion after last year's drop of 8.2 percent.

The largest gains are expected to be in computer hardware and software. Purchases of computer equipment globally will increase by 8.2 percent, while communications hardware will see growth rise by 7.6 percent. Spending on software should shoot up by 9.7 percent.

Other segments will also rebound. Providers of IT consulting and systems integration should see spending climb by 6.8 percent, and IT consulting services are expected to enjoy growth of 7.1 percent.

"The technology downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over," Andrew Bartels, Forrester Research vice president and principal analyst, said in a statement. "All the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech spending rebound. In the U.S., the tech recovery will be much stronger than the overall economic recovery, with technology spending growing at more than twice the rate of gross domestic product this year."


January 12, 2010 6:40 AM PST
by Lance Whitney
cnet