browsers

After a SkyDrive debacle over the weekend, which caused Opera users to be blocked from the cloud storage service, Microsoft has said it's working quickly to fix the problem.

The problem began when Opera, which is a Web browser, received a bug report showing that Microsoft's cloud storage service froze out all users when it was being loaded. Instead of being able to see their saved files and photos, users could only see millions of characters of code.

After some poking around, Opera's Hallvord Steen realized that the problem was "some strange bug in the Microsoft … Read more

Google Chrome has matured from a lightweight and fast browsing alternative into an innovative, standard-bearing browser that people love. It's powerful enough to drive its own operating system, Chrome OS. The browser that people can use today, Chrome 23, offers highly competitive features, including synchronization, autofill, and standards compliance, and maintains Google's reputation for building one of the fastest browsers available.

Chrome 23 represents a major milestone for the browser, but those expecting to see dramatic changes in major version-point updates will be disappointed. For a while now, Google has been pushing features over what it calls milestone … Read more

A nascent Web standard called WebRTC just got a notable boost from TokBox, a provider of online chat services for companies such as Ford Motor and Coca-Cola that need a mechanism to communicate with customers.

WebRTC is designed to enable real-time video and audio chat with a Web browser, enabling Skype-like services on the Web. TokBox released a version of its software that adds WebRTC support, a move timed to coincide with today's release of Chrome 23, which includes WebRTC.

Having browser support for a standard is crucial to its success, obviously. But developers wanting want to use it … Read more

Amazon may be taking a cue from Netflix and Hulu and setting its sights on creating an original content TV series. According to Variety, the Web giant is about to greenlight a new comedy series called "Browsers."

This comedy will apparently be a musical based on four interns working in a newsroom similar to the Huffington Post, Variety reports. The series was first made for CBS but was then shopped to Amazon via production company Netco. (Disclosure: CBS is the parent company of CNET News.)

If indeed Amazon is working on releasing "Browsers," it would be … Read more

The Internet is full of interesting things. Because of this, it's likely that you bookmark Web sites so you can easily find them later. Unfortunately, if you bookmark too many, it can be easy to lose track of each one.

If you're a Chrome user, Bookmarks Tagger has your bookmark organization needs covered. With this extension you can add tags to each bookmark making it easier to find. Using tags is a more efficient way to locate what you're looking for, especially in the case of Web sites having names that are long or unrelated to their … Read more

You might think developing technology standards is plodding, bureaucratic tedium compared to something like the frenzy of smartphone innovation.

But you'd be wrong, at least in the case of Paul Cotton, who leads Microsoft's involvement in the important and often fractious world of Web standards. Web standards are hot -- and hotly contested.

Cotton, an even-keeled Canadian, discovered a passion for standards more than 20 years ago when figuring out how to digitize airplane maintenance manuals. He's comfortable with the contradictory motives of standards groups: fierce competition one moment and gentlemanly cooperation the next.

It's a … Read more

European antitrust regulators have sent Microsoft a list of objections, charging the software giant with breaching its previous commitment to offer Windows users a choice of Internet browsers.

The formal statement of objections sent to Microsoft today outlines how the company failed to offer a "browser choice" screen to millions of Windows users, which it had agreed to do under a legally binding 2009 settlement with the European Commission.

The Commission said in a statement that it "takes the preliminary view that Microsoft has failed to roll out the browser choice screen with its Windows 7 Service … Read more

Reading a bright screen at night can be harsh on the eyes. A popular way to reduce eye strain is to use a dark background with light-colored text. The Dolphin browser for Android now supports night-time reading with a new add-on called Night Mode.

To enable Night Mode, you first have to install the add-on, Night Mode For Dolphin Browser. Once installed, swipe your Dolphin screen to the left for quick access to your add-ons. Tap on Night Mode to turn it on.

Now when you view a Web page, the screen will be dimmed for easier reading at night.… Read more

After using the new Samsung Chromebook for the better part of a workday, I have to say I'm impressed -- as long as you consider the constraints of its $249 price tag.

Google announced the Samsung Chromebook today along with new ambitions to spread its browser-based, cloud-focused Chrome OS laptop much more widely. Google envisions it as good for an extra machine that lies around the house or as a laptop for students.

I find it a reasonable device for those categories, especially for people like myself who already have their head in the Google cloud with Google Docs, … Read more