Browsers

Latest News

Google launches Chrome bookmark syncing
Available in latest dev channel release 18 August 2009 10:39 GMT
Google's Chrome browser is adding features at a rate of knots. The team behind the software has announced that the latest version of Chrome will feature bookmark syncing between browsers.

What that means is that if you save a bookmark on your browser, but then...
Microsoft disputes Firefox's billion downloads claim
Says that it's "interesting math" 14 August 2009 16:35 GMT
Microsoft has poured scorn on Mozilla's download figures for its Firefox browser. Amy Barzdukas, a Microsoft general manager in chage of IE, said that the announcement that the software had reached a billion downloads was "interesting math".

Firefox claimed...
Opera 10 beta 3 arrives
Unite not included yet 13 August 2009 9:34 GMT
Opera has announced that the third beta version of the tenth edition of its browser is now available from its website. The company says that its prioritised "performance and stability" in this version.

Included are improvements to Opera Turbo - the engine which...
Apple Safari 4.0.3 update released
No new features, but does promise to play nice with HTML 5 12 August 2009 4:31 GMT
Apple has updated its Safari web browser bringing with it a number of security and bug fixes.

Version 4.0.3 (for those keeping count) promises to also include "Stability improvements for webpages that use the HTML 5 video tag".

HTML 5 is a new...
Microsoft responds over Anti-IE6 movement
"Their browser is their choice" 11 August 2009 10:49 GMT
Dean Hachamovitch, the chap who heads up the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft, has responded to the rising furor over the use of IE6 on the web. Many feel that the browser should be culled and users forced to upgrade.

Hachamovitch points out that "the choice...
IE6 hatred momentum gathers pace
Campaign started to ditch the 8-year-old browser 9 August 2009 5:28 GMT
The momentum of hatred for Microsoft's IE6 browser is starting to gather pace it seems as group of developers unhappy with companies and individuals still using the eight-year-old browser have created a movement against it.

Called "IE6 No More" the campaign...
VIDEO: Google Chrome logo re-created in LEGO
Stop-motion construction 7 August 2009 10:32 GMT
Google has been running a video competition asking people to recreate its Chrome browser's logo in inventive ways. Some of those videos have now been highlighted by the web giant as worthy of mention - including this LEGO-themed, stop-motion effort from Renaud in Annecy,...
Opera Mobile coming to Android
Confirmed by CEO 6 August 2009 17:52 GMT
Opera Software's head honcho, Jon von Tetzchner, has confirmed that an Android version of the popular mobile browser is in development, but he didn't disclose when it's due.

"Yes, we are working on an Android version", he said. The browser is currently available...
Google's Chrome browser gets beta update
Adds themes, speed and UI changes 6 August 2009 12:08 GMT
Google's issued a new beta for its Chrome browser which adds the rumoured themes functionality as well as making a number of other improvements to the software, including speeding it up considerably.

Google's claiming a 30% performance boost over the previous...
Chrome to get themes?
Latest developer builds contain new feature 3 August 2009 16:25 GMT
The latest version of Google's Chrome browser contains rudimentary support for themes, according to sources across the Web. In addition, it looks like the search giant is building a directory to put the themes in. Themes have long been a feature of Opera and Firefox.
Firefox hits 1,000,000,000 downloads
Milestone hit 31 July 2009 15:58 GMT
Slightly earlier than expected, Firefox has just announced via its @firefoxcounter Twitter feed that it has hit its billionth download.

The news was expected over the weekend, but publicity surrounding the milestone has increased the download rate, and the browser...
Firefox nears billionth download
Due this weekend 30 July 2009 12:42 GMT
Mozilla has announced that Firefox, the little browser that could, has nearly reached a sizeable milestone - one billion downloads.

It's due to hit ten digits very soon, perhaps even this weekend, if the company's predictions are accurate. To celebrate, it's...
Firefox 4.0 screenshots unveiled
Mockups reveal Chrome-like design 28 July 2009 11:19 GMT
It's been less than a month since 3.5 was released, and already Mozilla is talking about 4.0. More than talking, in fact. It's released some screenshots of mockup designs that it's considering for the next iteration of its browser.

One notable feature is a tabs-on-top...
MoD has "no plans" to upgrade from IE6
"Decrepit" browser still in use, despite government advice 24 July 2009 11:35 GMT
The MoD requires its staff to use Microsoft's Internet Explorer 6 browser, and has "no plans" to upgrade to the more secure IE7 or IE8 versions, according to parliamentary written answers received by MP Tom Watson.

The majority of other government departments...
Firefox 3.5.1 update released
New update promises security and stability fixes 17 July 2009 22:20 GMT
Mozilla has release an update to its Firefox browser in order to fix several security issues according to the organisation, as it said it would at the beginning of the month.

The new update, version 3.5.1, fixes several security and stability issues as well...
Microsoft change IE8 setup settings
Move welcomed by Firefox and Google 17 July 2009 21:26 GMT
Microsoft is continuing to attempt to appease the European Union courts, with a move that promises to make it even more obvious that its IE8 browser is asking to be the default browser when installed.

According to the software giant, when people first install...
YouTube to lose IE6 support
Upgrade required for future viewing 15 July 2009 9:54 GMT
It appears that YouTube will be phasing out support for Microsoft's still-popular-but-insecure Internet Explorer 6 browser. Banners have started appearing for IE6 users that say "We will be phasing out support for your browser soon".

A number of upgrades to...
Apple Safari 4.0.2 update released
Recommended download fixes security issue 9 July 2009 3:54 GMT
It seems like only last week that Apple launched a new version of Safari, however that hasn't stopped the laptop, software, phone and iPod maker releasing what it claims is a must download update for the browser.

The new 4.0.2 version is "recommended for all...
Microsoft planning major news for Monday
Google Chrome OS announcement related to rival's 8 July 2009 20:28 GMT
Google's surprise decision to take its Apps package out of beta and even more sudden announcement of the Chrome OS may be as a result of soon-to-be-announced Microsoft plans, a blogger is hinting.

Well-publicised tech blogger, Robert Scoble, has suggested that...
Internet Explorer 8 growing strongly
Gains 12.2% market share since launch 6 July 2009 9:32 GMT
According to metrics company StatCounter, Internet Explorer 8 is going rather well for Microsoft, having grown from 1.55% to 11.09% market share, globally, since its launch in March.

Usage of Firefox 3 has remained steady at around 34%, and use of IE7 has plummeted...
Firefox 3.5 gets 5 million downloads in 24 hours
Additional patch due soon 3 July 2009 14:11 GMT
Firefox 3.5 has been a rip-roaring success it seems, with over 5 million people downloading the browser in 24 hours. The launch brought an extra 2% to Firefox's market share, upping it to 31.8%.

"The fastest version yet of Firefox has certainly sprinted out...
Microsoft pulls IE8 vomit ad
O.M.G.I.G.P. deemed too much for some 2 July 2009 21:45 GMT
Remember those wacky IE8 ads with ex-Superman Dean Cain? While most were off the wall, one has been deemed a little too off the wall, and been pulled by Microsoft.

O.M.G.I.G.P. standing for Oh My God I'm Gonna Puke, depicted a women throwing up after she saw...
Firefox 3.5 download is now live
Roll up, roll up 30 June 2009 16:32 GMT
Right on schedule, the download page for Firefox 3.5 is now live. You can mosey on over to mozilla.com and grab it.

As previously reported on Pocket-lint, the new browser is claimed to have over 5000 now features including private browsing, geolocation functionality...
Microsoft launches wacky IE8 adverts
Do you suffer from F.O.M.S? 30 June 2009 3:10 GMT
You're a big company, staid in your ways perhaps, so how do you advertise your web browser against all those cutting edge funky open source offerings that the cool kids want?

That's right, you hire ex-superman (no not that one) and throw him into the weird...
Firefox to debut on Android?
Fennec does the robot 29 June 2009 17:26 GMT
Shortly after announcing the release of Firefox 3.5, Mozilla's also talking about an Android port for its mobile browser - codenamed Fennec.

Until recently, applications on Android ran on Google's Java virtual machine. However, last week the Android Native Development...