blink

WebKit fracture puts a pinch on open-source browser efforts

The WebKit browser engine is becoming a less flexible foundation for open-source projects with the departure of Google from the project this week and Apple's consequent paring back of the project.

WebKit is a broad project that includes participation from many interested parties -- not just Apple and Google, but also BlackBerry, Samsung, Amazon, Oracle, Adobe Systems, and the programmers involved with the KDE and Gnome user interfaces for Linux. Indeed, the open-source project began as KDE's KHTML engine for the Konqueror browser before Apple got involved.

Google's Chrome team left WebKit this week, forking the open-source … Read more

Blink, Google's new Chrome browser engine, comes to life

Blink, Google's new fork of the WebKit browser engine, is alive.

Yesterday, Google announced the project, which splits its browser work from Apple's in the open-source WebKit project. Today, Blink is up and running.

The first updates -- including a new list of 36 Blink "owners" who have authority to approve changes -- are arriving.

"Chrome 28 will be the first blinking release," Chrome programmer Mike West said in a Hacker News comment. The current stable version of Chrome is version 26; new versions arrive about every six weeks.

"The repository seems to … Read more

Googlers exultant over launch of Blink browser engine

Today, Google launched Blink, its fork of the WebKit browser engine, and members of Google's Chrome team clearly are excited about their liberation.

With the fork, Google will concentrate its core browser development efforts on Blink, which will gradually diverge from the WebKit project on which it's based. You can read more about the context and history leading to Blink in CNET's coverage, or read the official Blink blog post and Blink FAQ for the party line.

But to get a feel for the emotion involved, check the commentary from the Chrome team members themselves. They're … Read more

Google parts ways with Apple over WebKit, launches Blink

A years-long marriage of convenience that linked Google and Apple browser technologies is ending in divorce.

In a move that Google says will technologically liberate both Chrome and Safari, the company has begun its own offshoot of the WebKit browser engine project called Blink. Initially it uses the same software code base that all WebKit-based browsers share, but over time it will diverge into a totally separate project, Google announced today.

The move marks the end of years of direct WebKit programming cooperation between the two rivals. WebKit is an open-source project, meaning that anyone can use and modify the … Read more

HTC One puts ultrapixels over megapixels

There can only be one CNET Update:

Tuesday's tech news roundup looks into the HTC One, the company's new flagship smartphone. To help HTC stand out again, the One has an aluminum body, a redesigned Sense interface, and an animated photo mode called Zoe. Most notable is the rear camera with 4 megapixels -- but HTC uses the term "ultrapixels" because the photos can pick up more light. Most top smartphones boast 8-megapixel cameras, but HTC says megapixels are a misunderstood metric for consumers. The HTC One will be available in March at AT&T, … Read more

The 404 1,025: Where hey, you gonna finish that dime? (podcast)

Be extra careful on the Internet if you live in Arizona, the local legislators may soon make it a Class 3 felony to be a "troll."

House Bill 2549 has already made its way through both houses and is waiting for the signature of Governor Jan Brewer. If passed, a minimum sentence of 2.5 years will be handed down to non-dangerous offenders that use any electronic device in a lews or lascivious act." Head over to Governor Brewer's Facebook page and send a message of protest!… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1526: Prepare for Maximum Overdrive! (Podcast)

The sun is throwing out magnetic storms that could disrupt your GPS, your cell phone signals, and maybe even cause soda machines to kill you in extremely violent 1980s movie style. Just ... Google it. In other news, the World Wide Web turned 20 this weekend, the kids of today are learning to be hackers at DefCon, and if you buy virtual gold instead of earning it, the terrorists win. No, really, that's actually kind of true.

Car2Go ups car-sharing ante by going all-electric

Daimler subsidiary Car2Go is expanding its car-sharing business to San Diego, but it's taking the green concept one step further by making its vehicle fleet all-electric.

Car2go currently operates in Austin, Texas with a fleet of 300 two-seater gas-powered Smart ForTwos, which are produced by parent company Daimler. Members can rent the vehicles by the day, hour, or minute, and unlike ZipCar, they don't have to specify a time by which they will return the vehicles. To rent a car, participants locate an available vehicle using the Web site or mobile app. When they're finished using the … Read more

Ecotality to copilot with Australia on EV program

Ecotality announced today that it's been chosen to partner with the government of the Australian province Victoria to install and monitor Blink electric vehicle charging stations in a test project.

As part of the Victorian Electric Vehicle Trial, the Victorian Department of Transport is asking 180 households to volunteer to have Ecotality's Blink Level 2 fasting-charging stations installed in their homes and drive an electric vehicle (EV) for at least three months.

As with the U.S. EV test project, those who join the Victorian test project will be agreeing to have their chargers monitored so the government … Read more

Blink-induced log-in now available on 64-bit Windows

It is now harder to blank on computer security with the newest version of Luxund's facial-recognition log-in program, Blink!. The newest version supports Windows Vista and Windows 7 64-bit, in addition to the original 32-bit version. On Luxand's Web site, the company promises "more stability, more reliability, and thus more security."

This free application uses advanced biometric identification, allowing users to log into their computer simply by looking into a Webcam. Blink cleared numerous tests, including sunglasses. The program has multiple security functions, such as support for multiple users and the capability to create a log … Read more