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Web technology: 5 things to watch in 2013

The evolution of the Web is a messy process.

We do so much with the Web today that it's easy to take it for granted. Banking, social networking, word processing, travel planning, education, shopping -- the Web is reaching to new domains and tightening its grip where it's already used. To match that expansion, the Web is evolving.

But the Web is built by countless individuals -- browser engineers who enable new technology, Web developers who bring that technology online, and standards group members who iron out compatibility wrinkles. With so many constituents, it's no wonder there'… Read more

Browsers: Top 5 events from 2012

For a while there, the browser was winning the war.

New startups launched online services rather than packaged software. Browser makers raced to transform the Web from a place to publish documents into a general-purpose programming platform. People spent more and more time using the Web instead of software that ran natively on devices.

Then the era of modern smartphones and tablets began. And in 2012, it became clear that Web app advocates will have to work a lot harder to build a universal software foundation. Here's a look at what happened this year in the world of the … Read more

W3C buttons down HTML5, opens up HTML5.1

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) today took two significant steps down its double-track path toward standardizing HTML, the core language of the Web.

First, it released a "candidate recommendation" of Hypertext Markup Language 5, which means HTML5 is settling down in the eyes of the standards group. Second, it released a first draft of HTML5.1, a smaller set of changes it's developing simultaneously.

"CR [candidate recommendation] is the stable branch into which only bug fixes go, [and] 5.1 is the new line for improvements," said Robin Berjon, one of the five newly appointed HTML5 editors. … Read more

Make a jingle on a smartphone, play it on a computer instantly

Sometimes I get bored with the same old holiday song and dance.

If you do too, you can create your own theme, techy-style, with a unique Web page that turns your smartphone, tablet, or PlayStation Vita into an on-the-fly holiday music loop maker. German design firm deepblue came up with the site, which blends HTML5 and the powerful WebSocket protocol to offer a unique live mobile-to-browser experience that many of you probably have not experienced before. … Read more

Mozilla invests in Everything.me, marking first VC foray

Mozilla has taken its first step into the VC world, investing in Everything.me to support the startup's efforts in creating HTML5 mobile app technology.

Mozilla was one of several investors in a new $25 million round for Everything.me. The investment was led by the Silicon Valley-based venture team of Telefonica Digital, and it also includes funding from SingTel Innov8 and previous investors including Draper Fisher Jurvetson, DFJTF, BRM Group, and Horizons Ventures.

Everything.me, formerly DoAT, provides technology that enables smartphones to quickly and easily match a user's needs with the most relevant HTML5 content. The … Read more

Web standards vet marches Microsoft to the front lines (Q&A)

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

Rumor Has It: The ultimate cable killer coming from Boxee?

According to the report, the rumored new device would combine a TV tuner with a DVR and media-streaming capabilities, so you could record over-the-air TV. Do you care? Emily does, but she could be alone on this one -- just like she's alone in not knowing who one of America's favorite stars is.

Also, Facebook might finally release a native Android app so HTML5 will stop holding everyone back from stalking their friends at the speed of light.

Speaking of light, Sony's next flagship phone could be made out of a Norse god's lightning bolt and … Read more

IE takes Contre Jour to the next level

Contre Jour may look like little more than a high-gloss version of Cut the Rope, but that sheen goes a long way. Last year, it earned top honors from Apple itself in 10 countries across Asia and Europe, and starting today you can play Contre Jour on the Web for free for the first time.

It appears to faithfully replicate its gameplay from the iPad, right down to the multi-touch controls required to advance in the third chapter. But while the game is pretty to look at and fun to play, it's a showcase -- like Google's Cirque du Soleil experiment … Read more

Facebook close to launch of native Android app -- report

Facebook is slowly but surely getting closer to launching a native Android application, a new report claims.

The company has finally hit the final stages of testing its Android application, Engadget reports today. Once that testing is complete, Facebook will waste little time in launching the application, according to the report.

Facebook currently offers a free application to Android users. However, that program is built with HTML5. In a recent discussion on Facebook's mobile efforts, the company's chief executive Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the HTML5 app was a mistake and promised a native app for Android users.

Many … Read more