Browsers and extensions

Google's new Chrome browser for Apple's iOS seems to be a hit.

Released on Tuesday but available only since yesterday, the new mobile version is the top free app in both the iPhone and iPad categories. Google created dedicated versions for both devices, so iPad users running the browser can take advantage of the tablet's ample 9.7-inch screen.

Chrome now joins Opera, Dolphin, and other browsers as yet another alternative to mobile Safari for iOS users. The Chrome app has also made its splash in the Android world, officially out of beta mode and available through … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--The second day of Google I/O was all about the Web as a platform, and the platform is going mobile.

Google announced the stable version of Chrome for Android (download) and, somewhat unexpectedly, Chrome for iOS. Despite both bearing the Chrome branding, they both betray the promise of Chrome -- in different ways.

Chrome for Android bears all the bells and whistles of its desktop counterparts. It's got Google's blazing V8 engine, JIT JavaScript rendering, and many of its modern-browsing features. Sync is finally smooth on Chrome, and minor flaws like the absent password sync are … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Tugging on Chrome's coat tails, the popular Dolphin browser has announced alongside the Google I/O developer conference a new framework for developers called Dolphin Garage.

Garage is an open API program for extending the functionality of Dolphin. Powered in part by Adobe Phonegap and Dolphin's own HTML5 framework called Engine, it will include the release of more than 150 APIs, which will allow developers to create their own add-ons for the browser.

Engine has proven to be a big boon for Dolphin, explained David Dehghan, technical architect at Dolphin. While at a W3C Web standards meeting … Read more

Google usually celebrates a new stable Chrome release with a blog post touting its new features. But with Chrome 20 today, all we got was a long list of high-paying security bug fixes. That can't be right.

Or at least that can't be all there is in Chrome 20.

If Google sticks to its approach from past years, today's I/O keynote will focus on mobile hardware and Android, while tomorrow will be about the Web and Chrome. But what's in Chrome 20?

Demonstrating the power of Native Client I expect a lot of talk about … Read more

Google has awarded several folks serious cash for finding security holes in its Chrome browser.

A researcher identified as "miaubiz" earned the lion's share of the cash Google doled out, securing $7,000 for finding a host of High priority security flaws. The remaining $4,500 was spread around to other users. The majority of flaws netted users $1,000 each.

"We'd also like to thank Arthur Gerkis, Atte Kettunen of OUSPG and miaubiz for working with us during the development cycle and preventing security regressions from ever reaching the stable channel," Google wrote … Read more

The first major update to Firefox for Android (download) since January has arrived, and it brings with it a new interface, some new features, and a new approach to Android for Mozilla.

The company released the first stable version of Firefox for Android at the same time that it overhauled Firefox for PCs, back in March 2011. Barely six months after that, the company decided that the original Firefox for Android just wasn't good enough. With a responsiveness rarely seen by large organizations, Mozilla changed course and began to work on a different Android browser.

"In the fall … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Symantec detailed some of the dirty secrets of Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ threats at its annual reviewers' workshop here today, and revealed a planned project to protect you from social networking manipulators.

The project from Norton Labs, currently called Norton App Advisor, combines Norton's Safe Web data with social network open API data to provide a safety rating for apps. It aims to prevent malicious apps that prey on your social network activity from collecting data on you and your friends, which Symantec representatives said was a major security concern.

"Social networks have a trust model built … Read more

Unity Technologies, maker of a widely used video-game engine, today announced that its fourth-generation product will introduce new animation technology and extend its support for Adobe Systems' Flash Player, Linux, and Microsoft's DirectX 11.

The game engine brings physics simulations and other tools to programmers -- especially those who want to reach multiple computing systems. Such "cross-platform" developer tools are a good fit for today's world: Unity games can be adapted for Windows, OS X, iOS, Android, Xbox, PS3, Wii, and the Web, though adjustments are necessary for performance and interface differences.

Unity 4 will be … Read more

Facebook is a place for sharing (and sometimes oversharing) information between friends and family. As of the last few months, more and more "social reader" apps have been making their way to your Facebook timeline. You'll see that a friend watched a video on something like SocialCam, and when you go to click the video, you're asked to grant the service access to your Facebook.

Instead of authorizing a bunch of social-reader apps to post on your Facebook wall or gain access to your information, you should try Unsocialize. With this Web browser add-on you can … Read more