The first Firefox OS dev phones are on sale
Produced by the obscure Spanish outfit Geeksphone, the Keon and Peak are the first devices to ship bearing Mozilla’s HTML5-centric operating system. Prices start at $119 before taxes. Read more »
Mozilla CEO: Firefox OS will work because the web is different now
The first launch countries for Firefox OS devices in June will be Spain, Portugal, Brazil, Poland and Venezuela. Read more »
Is Google’s new Blink browser engine good or evil? It depends
There’s both good and bad in Google’s news that it would be forking WebKit to create the Blink rendering browser engine. It really comes down to motive: Is it just for speed of development or for more control over web standards? Read more »
Why Firefox OS may bring balance back to the smartphone industry
There is surprising unity in global carriers’ support of Mozilla’s open web-based smartphone platform. That’s because it offers them a chance to wrest some control from Google and Apple. Read more »
How to deliver the next-generation web experience
Delivering and managing the web experience isn’t just about mobile. Companies are also faced with new challenges in the desktop environment, including browser fragmentation, network evolution, and client-side technologies. They must invest in both the desktop environment as well as to create an optimized experience for mobile. Read more »
Jolla: The market wants an alternative to iOS and Android
The ex-Nokians are almost ready to reveal their MeeGo-based smartphone, but how are they planning to break into the two-horse mobile race? According to CEO Jussi Hurmola, Jolla has a plan for getting operators and other co-branding partners on board. Read more »
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Takeaways from mobile’s second quarter
Apple and Google still dominate the smartphone space, but look out for Microsoft, which finally has some muscle behind its mobile strategy. Meanwhile mobile-browser developers went head-to-head with native apps, and Facebook continued to buy mobile expertise via acquisition. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Firefox for Android loses beta tag, speeds up mobile web
After months of testing and refinement, Firefox for Android loses its beta tag, bringing a fast mobile web experience to devices running Android 2.2 or greater. The updated browser touts a full web experience, new security features, desktop sync and delivers on its promise of speed. Read more »
Latest beta of Firefox’s speedy mobile browser hits Android
Mozilla has a new beta version of its mobile Firefox browser for Android. The software is still a work in progress, but shows promise with a redesigned user interface, faster startup and support for Flash. In a JavaScript test, it’s as fast as Chrome for Android! Read more »
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Startup growth and the new recruiting ecosystem
The recruiting ecosystem is changing, led by professional social networks like LinkedIn and Viadeo and companies like Jobvite and BranchOut, which are building Facebook apps for hiring and career development. The bottom line is that technology enables the recruiting process to be more streamlined, scientific and democratic. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
If web apps take off, Mozilla is prepared on mobiles
Could a smartphone run solely on web code instead of native software? Mozilla thinks so and recently demonstrated such a device on video, replacing the Google Android operating system on a Samsung Galaxy S II phone with its Boot 2 Gecko (B2G) technology. Read more »
Do we need another mobile OS? Mozilla thinks so
Searching for a new lease of life, Mozilla is joining forces with Spanish operator Telefónica to build handsets that have web technologies at their heart. But can Mozilla succeed where Palm failed? And is there room in a difficult market for more players? Read more »
Submit once, sell everywhere? Mozilla to open mobile Web app store
Mozilla is getting ready to make a big push around HTML5 mobile apps in 2012, starting with a plan to unveil a mobile Web app store next week at Mobile World Congress. The maker of the Firefox browser is hoping developers are ready to submit apps. Read more »
Will 2012 be the year of hypermedia?
Imagine citizen journalists could remix radio programs or TV news features simply by copy and pasting text fragments of their manuscripts and closed captions: That’s the idea behind hypermedia, and first tools to make it happen could become available as early as next year. Read more »
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Infrastructure Q2: Big data and PaaS gain more momentum
Big data and Platform-as-a-Service offerings highlighted the second quarter, suggesting that we can expect to see a shift in enterprise IT practices around application development and analytics very soon. On the PaaS front, we saw new projects like DotCloud and Cloud Foundry gain incredible momentum in just a few short months. The big-data activity ranged from major new Hadoop vendors to heavy investment in flash storage that will speed the serving of data to processing engines. In other areas, we saw an uptick in cloud-computing plans from large vendors, OpenStack continued to mature and pick up both contributors and users, and Facebook caught our eye by launching an open-source project around the designs for its specialized servers and data centers. Additional companies mentioned in this report include VMware, Salesforce.com, IBM, Heroku and Calxeda. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Gui:Config makes tweaking Firefox advanced settings a snap
Gui:Config is a Firefox add-on that provides a simple interface for many of the most-tweaked about:config settings via a familiar options-style window. It makes it much easier to change the settings that can normally only be found in the about:config screen. Read more »
How to back up your Firefox about:config settings
As well as add-ons, Firefox has a vast number of settings you can adjust via a special “about:config” page. But what happens if you’ve spent ages tweaking those settings to customize your browser perfectly, but you have to re-install it due to a hard drive crash? Read more »
What’s That Preference? Get the Lowdown on Firefox’s about:config Preferences
Firefox has a huge number of customizable settings in its “about:config” page. Unfortunately there’s no built-in documentation to tell you what each setting actually does. What’s That Preference? is a handy add-on that enables you to quickly look up any preference on the MozillaZine knowledge base. Read more »
Fed Up With Yahoo Mail? Here’s Your Escape Hatch
The Yahoo Mail blackout was the source of a lot of headaches Thursday, with some 1.2 million users said to be affected. We’ve scoured the web for the best information on backing up your email or switching your mail provider. Read more »
Less Than 1 Percent of Firefox Users Using ‘Do Not Track’ Option
Is it because it’s tucked away in an “advanced” menu that users don’t know about? Or is it because most users simply aren’t that bothered by… Read more at paidContent »
RockMelt Goes Mobile With iPhone Offering
RockMelt is set to launch a mobile version of its browser, which integrates social media tools. RockMelt’s move into mobile this week comes just one month after the public debut of its desktop browser. Read more »
Our Favorite April Fools’ Pranks, Japes and Tomfoolery
Whether you love it or hate it, April Fools’ Day seems to be more popular in the technology world than almost any other unofficial holiday. In this post, we’ve collected some of our favorite pranks, tricks and bogus news stories from today for your amusement. Read more »
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Defining Hadoop: the Players, Technologies and Challenges of 2011
Hadoop has been used by large web companies for applications such as search engines, but the reality is that the project is so much more. This report takes a closer look, examining what Hadoop is (and isn’t), who’s doing what to productize it and why we can expect to see the market pick up serious steam in 2011. We profile the growing number of companies — from startups like MapR to Cloudera, the arguable leader in the space — using Hadoop, the challenges still hindering widespread adoption and where potential users can expect the market to go as we move through 2011 and beyond. Companies mentioned in this report include Yahoo, Facebook, EMC, Teradata and Appistry. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Google Hearts Firefox 4 for WebM Video Support
Firefox 4 is clocking huge download numbers ever since it was released yesterday, and that’s good news for Google’s open video format WebM: The new version of Firefox supports WebM HTML5 video playback, bringing the total market share of browsers with WebM support to 50 percent. Read more »
Firefox for Android 2x Faster Than Native Browser
Mozilla released the newest beta of Firefox for Android, and it’s a screamer. Benchmark tests show that Firefox’s JavaScript engine is more than twice as fast as Android’s native browser. Even the Motorola Xoom shows more speed with this new mobile version of Firefox. Read more »
Mozilla Tries to Help News Media Figure Out the Web
Traditional media get a lot of flak for not being more forward-thinking about the web. Now the Knight Foundation and Mozilla have joined forces to try and give them some help, by setting up a $2.5-million fellowship that will “embed” developers and programmers in newsrooms. Read more »
We Fear for Our Online Privacy, But Do Little to Protect It
We are all concerned about online privacy, but not enough to do much about it, according to a new survey. Which raises the question: browsers like Firefox, Chrome and IE9 are adding support for a “Do Not Track” feature, but will anyone actually use it? Read more »
Mozilla, Google Take Small Steps Toward Browser Privacy
With the federal government pushing for better Do Not Track tools for online users, browser makers are stepping up with solutions aimed at helping users avoid behavioral targeting. But it’s more of a symbolic act at this point that won’t mean a huge change in privacy. Read more »
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Social Inbox vs. The Future of Email
As most of the world is aware, Facebook launched its Social Inbox feature last week. The unified messaging system pipes online and mobile communication functions people use — SMS, instant messaging, Facebook chat messages — into a single inbox. On the face of it, having just ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Firefox 4 Postponed, Will Now Ship Early 2011
The release of Firefox 4 has been postponed, with a release candidate of expected to ship in early 2011, with a final release to come shortly after, according to a posting by Mozilla Director of Firefox Mike Beltzner on the mozilla.dev.planning newsgroup. Read more »
Mozilla Wants Everyone to Have a Web App Store
Mozilla today announced a proposed open ecosystem for web apps that’s built on standards such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The concept sounds great in theory, as developers won’t need to rely on a centralized storefront, but does the web really need yet another app store? Read more »
Mozilla Names Mobile Exec Gary Kovacs as New CEO
Mozilla Corporation, which makes the Firefox browser, has named its next CEO: Gary Kovacs. This was a planned transition — current CEO John Lilly wants to become a VC at Greylock Partners — but perhaps not an expected choice, given Kovacs comes from outside the Mozilla fold. Read more »
Firefox for Android Beta Hands-on Review
The first beta version of mobile Firefox for Android has been released and is now available in the Android Market. We have taken it for a test drive and while it shows good potential, it may be solving a problem that doesn’t exist on Android. Read more »
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Is the Future of Enterprise Completely Open Source?
There are a few key reasons why businesses choose open source in the enterprise: control, better quality code, responsiveness and security. But as we discovered in the most recent GigaOM Bunker Sessions event, innovators are embracing new solutions that make the battle for open source as ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Mobilize 2010: Native Mobile Apps Will Be With Us For Some Time
In a death match between native and mobile web apps, which one walks away the victor? That was the heavily paraphrased question posed at the Mobilize conference today and while a panel of experts did its best to weigh in, the less sensational answer is that there’s room for both. Read more »
Trick of the Light Turns Small Phones Into Big Devices
Have you seen the Mozilla Seabird concept phone yet? It has amazing design features and enough tech to make even the most hard-core geeks drool. You won’t see the device come to market, but it does illustrate how future smartphones must evolve to improve user interaction. Read more »
Fennec Shows Glimpse of Future Mobile Browsing
Mozilla released an updated version of Fennec, its mobile browser for Nokia’s N900 and Google Android devices. Along with improved JavaScript performance, the web client includes Firefox Sync so users can seamlessly have access to bookmarks, passwords and open tabs between the desktop and smartphone. Read more »
Fennec Shows Glimpse of Future Mobile Browsing
Mozilla released an updated version of Fennec, its mobile browser for Nokia’s N900 and Google Android devices. Along with improved JavaScript performance, the web client includes Firefox Sync so users can seamlessly have access to bookmarks, passwords and open tabs between the desktop and smartphone. Read more »
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Infrastructure Overview, Q2 2010
The second quarter of 2010 belonged to the little guys and the new guys. Almost across the board, from processors to virtualization to cloud services, relatively small vendors and startups had the market cornered on innovation and mindshare. And where there’s tinder in the forms of customer demand, products, funding and a greater societal movement toward environmentalism, something is bound to catch fire. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
How-To: Use Firefox Home for the iPhone
Last week saw the arrival of Firefox on the iPhone, but not as we know it. Mozilla’s new app, known as Firefox Home, is not strictly a browser — instead it brings your desktop browsing session direct to your iPhone. Read more »
