browser

Google Translate says 'Hola!' to Chrome

Not only is Google Translate not dead, its powers of mildly accurate, often-amusing, and on-the-fly translations are in the process of being gifted to Chrome 28 Beta for Android.

If you load a foreign language Web site in the beta, which landed in the Google Play Store on Thursday, a bar will appear at the bottom of the screen with a button to translate the site. Tap the button, and voila! It will appear in a different language.

The accuracy of the translation is another issue. However, Google spokeswoman Roya Soleimani said, "Google Translate works through statistical machine translation. … Read more

Review: Chrome 27 is smarter and (5 percent) faster

Chrome is the lightweight flagship browser that originated from an open source project by Google called Chromium and Chromium OS. It is now one of the more widely used browsers thanks to a vast ecosystem of extensions and add-ons, a robust Javascript engine, and a rapid-release development cycle that keeps it on the competitive end of the curve.

Installation

Chrome's installation process is both straight-forward and self-sustaining. After downloading the installer, Chrome's installation process will launch with the standard practices of confirming system directories and a few click throughs. Google will also ask for your permission to anonymously … Read more

Chrome gets a touch faster

Already known for its speed, Google just boosted Chrome's Web site rendering speed by another 5 percent.

The latest stable release of the browser, Chrome 27 (download for Windows, Mac, or Linux), received the small improvement by managing its resources better. To boil down the jargon, the browser's internal resource scheduler now favors more critical resources over preloaded sites.

Chrome engineer James Simonsen wrote in the company's blog announcing the update Tuesday that, across the hundreds of millions of people using Chrome, the amount of time saved equals around 510 years per week. But what we're … Read more

Review: Skyfire Web Browser enhances your Web-surfing experience

Skyfire Web Browser 5.0 is superior in look and feel to some Android browsers but does not provide any significant features not found in the built-in browser.

Following a quick installation the first impression of Skyfire Web Browser 5.0 is very good. Users will notice the modern layout and the social media menu at the bottom of the screen. The problems arise, however, once the user truly compares it to the default browser or uses it for a long period of time. It does have all the basic features such as a bookmark list, offline browsing, and multitouch … Read more

Opera's Android browser leaves beta stage

Opera Software's new and improved Android browser has gone gold.

The company announced the news on Tuesday, saying that its browser for Android, which was available as beta software in the Google Play marketplace, is now complete and officially launched. Getting it out of beta means that Opera is confident that most of the bugs are gone and the software is ready for wide use.

Opera announced the initial browser overhaul in February at Mobile World Congress. Rather than base the software on its Presto engine, it decided instead to move to the open-source Blink engine used in Google … Read more

Future Firefox takes tougher stance on mixed content

Mozilla is taking steps to lock down mixed content Web sites for Firefox in an update Friday to Firefox 23 Aurora.

In Firefox 23 Aurora, the pre-beta version of the browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Mozilla will block by default mixed active content. Mixed content is a term that refers to a Web site secured with HTTPS that loads some of its content, such as images or scripts, from standard HTTP sources, and can lead to eavesdroppers and man-in-the-middle attacks.

Mixed active content describes things like scripts because they can actively change how you interact with the site. Mixed … Read more

WebRTC fully operational in Firefox beta

The quest to free the browser from plug-ins that can impede performance took another step forward on Thursday when Mozilla activated by default Web Real-Time Communication in its latest Firefox beta.

WebRTC, as it's known, is the HTML5 standard for streaming files, video, and audio on the Web. Mozilla activated getUserMedia in Firefox in April, which WebRTC uses to access the Webcam and microphone. Now, PeerConnection and DataChannels have been turned on in the Firefox 22 Beta, available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

PeerConnection lets the browser set up real-time video and audio calls, while DataChannels enables peer-to-peer data … Read more

Opera settles secrets-theft suit against ex-employee

Opera Software and Trond Werner Hansen have settled a lawsuit against that alleged the former employee spilled trade secrets to rival browser maker Mozilla.

Werner on Thursday told CNET said the suit was settled, but said he couldn't share details.

"But I'm very happy it's over and look forward to being able to focus on my music and other projects again," he said.

Opera said it was happy, too. "I can confirm that the case against Trond Werner Hansen has been dropped by Opera by reaching an agreement which has been satisfactory to both … Read more

Mozilla Firefox's Social API just added more friends

Mozilla Firefox maintains its position among the top browsers, while continuing to boast its signature full-featured and open browsing experience. Though it might not have been the pioneer of such concepts like tabbed browsing, it was a catalyst for bringing the concept to mainstream audiences. These features are complemented by an impressive library of over 10,000 extensions that add even more functionality and value to users, thanks to its robust browser. The more recent releases have brought significant improvements to managing memory usage, and Firefox's private-browsing features have gotten more advanced, as well.

Firefox has also ramped up … Read more