Google Chrome and Firefox Speeds Blow Past IE and Opera!

Author JoeDigital | 30.01.2009 | Category Computers, World Wide Web

This is not going to be a surprise to users of the browsers, but a recent ZDNet test has finally laid the debate to rest. When it comes to speed, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox blow the proprietary competition away.

The ZDNet Test is based on industry standards for javascript. It was performed using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1, Opera 10.00 Alpha,
Firefox 3.1b1, Chrome 2.0.158.0, and the WebKit r40220 developer
project included in Chrome and Apple’s Safari.

Microsoft IE 8 RC1 and Safari were left far behind in th tests, with Google and Firefox running neck and neck. The implication are obvious: Proprietary browser manufacturers ned to get on the ball, stop trying to driv ethe market, and give people what they want in a browser. Hope for MS IE8 had been high, but it’s performance is fr from the spped promised at its beta release. We can only hope that the final releae will show some improvement.

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Clickjacking Chrome and Firefox

Author JoeDigital | 30.01.2009 | Category Computers, Domains, World Wide Web

If you are a user of either the Chrome or Firefox browsers, or even SeaMonkey, another Mozilla browser, you have probably experienced clickjacking, and didn’t know what had happened. We didn’t know what it was called either, until we stumbled across an article a couple of days ago, and things began to (literally) click into place.

For our experience, the clickjack episode almost always begin with a Google search, and when a link on the results page is clicked on, something different happens. Instead of loading the domain name we click, a completely different web page pops up, usually a directory page using the same set of keywords as a search term.

What happens is relatively simple, and at the same time very difficult to prevent. A would-be hijacker monitors traffic to a partcular IP address (Google), and traces a connection back to the sending party (the user) by following the return packet (search results). Now, when that person clicks a link on the search results page, the malicious party kidnaps the request, and returns a completely different url/IP address to the browser, which was expecting a response, and thinks that everything is going as planned.

What is important to note is that our experience has been rather benign, but the possibility of clickjacking for mischief is very large. Your browser can be tricked into sending cookies, or making other responses to  website, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. You could unwittingly be giving up personal information by doing something as simple and trusted as performing  web-based search
 
The good news is that this flaw seems to be prevalent in the Open Source browsers, but does not seem to have much affect on proprietary browsers, such as IE7 or Safari. Google and Mozilla both have already announced that the problem is under consideration, and will be eliminated in future releases. Google 2 is expected to be released into public beta sometime in the next few months, and Firefox has a new version due in a similar timeframe.

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Cool Japanese 1-Seater

Author JoeDigital | 29.01.2009 | Category Japanese Technology, automobile

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Android: Dual SIM Card Capable Phone?

Author JoeDigital | 29.01.2009 | Category Computers, Innovation, Technology

Google Android has already created a bundle firsts, coming onto the scene as a specially designed mobile operating system. And now it looks s though it may set another first, by being included on the General Mobile DSTL1.

The new handset, which is still largely speculative to outsiders, will be unveiled in Barcelona next month at the Mobile World Congress. With two SIM cards, a phone is able to maintain two completely different phone numbers, something which could be very useful for people who spend a lot of time on the road. One SIM could be used for business, and the other could be used for personal uses.

There is some concern over whether the current design of the DSTL1 is suitable for Android, since it lacks the five button configuration expected by the OS. This could mean that the handset design may change, or we may see a patch for the Android OS which offers greater compatibility.

In other regards, the phone is pretty average. It has Wi-Fi and GSM/EDGE support, and is fronted with a 3 inch display. The 5 megapixel camera is actually manufactured by sharp, and the total weight is less than 5 ounces.

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Futuristic Computing

Author JoeDigital | 28.01.2009 | Category Computers, Innovation, Japanese Technology

Can you guess what the image above is? We can tell you to begin that these are not writing instruments. And they are not an array of laser pointers. But you can be sure of one thing, researchers in Japan are developing some of the coolest 21st century technology you can imagine.

It’s not a digital camera shaped to resemble a pen either. And if you answered that it might be some sort of webcam set, you’re looking at it from the wrong perspective. These devices are actually the components of a wireless, peripheral-less computing environment.

Not only is the monitor a projected display, but the keyboard itself is a tabletop projection. This new generation of computing will make the computer smarter, and freeing up processes for people, requiring less resources, and less power than any other computer.

 

The technology is only in development, at present, but you can bet that a holographic computing experience isn’t many years away, unless it is usurped by something that is yet to be discovered.

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Microsoft Releases Internet Explorer 8 RC

Author JoeDigital | 28.01.2009 | Category Windows, World Wide Web

Microsoft has released the latest update for IE 8, the latest version of Microsoft’s well known web browser. This version is Internet Explorer 8 RC or Release Candidate 1, and is reputedly getting close to a final release for the new browser.

Rumors have it that this version was delayed to provide more security, but our examination seems to point to Google Chrome as being a possible for the delay, as IE8 has incorporated many of the most popular Chrome features.

According to Microsoft, one of the primary delays has been greater scrutiny, especially in the UK, for compliance with antitrust regulations. We probably all remember the Netscape vs Microsoft debacle, and a similar battle is beginning to gain steam in Europe.

IE8 is intended to be a primary competitor for Mozilla Firefox, which has steadily gained marketshare in the past few years, and is today used by almost as many people as use the Internet Explorer Browser. But there is other competition in the field as well, with Google’s Chrome, Apple Safari, and even other Mozilla offerings, including SeaMonkey.

According to initial reviews, IE8 is more compliant with HTML 4.01, CSS 2.1, and other web standards. In itself this is a major improvement for Microsoft, which has long striven to influence the direction of development by promoting similar but different variations of web standards. Perhaps the fact is starting to sink that Microsoft doesn’t rule the software industry alone anymore, and that’s something that will be good for the industry as a whole.

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Nokia Reports 4th Quarter Losses

Author JoeDigital | 27.01.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Technology Viewpoint

Nokia Corp. reported fourth-quarter sales were off by around 19% from last year. The company sold fewer phones, and further complications came fom a loss in overall marketshare, as the company reported on Thursday.

Sales for the last three months of 2008 totaled $17.9 billion U.S. as of Dec. 31, the last day of the period reported, which was nearly one-fifth lower than analysts had expected.

First and foremost, the consumer electronics company blames a worsening economy, but acknowledges that blame doesnt’ solve the problem or keep employees working. With profits off by nearly 50% over the same period a year ago, Nokia is being forced to consider reducing staff and other strategic busines smoves to balance the scales.

The drop in volume reflects not only the current economic climate but also Nokia’s relative weakness in high-end phones for markets such as Western Europe, according to Milanesi. Nokia now estimates its market share at 37%, down from 38% in the third quarter and 40% in the fourth quarter of 2007.

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Metallica Set List For Guitar Hero

Author JoeDigital | 27.01.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Innovation, Video Games

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Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings trailer unleashed

Author JoeDigital | 26.01.2009 | Category Consumer Electronics, Video Games

Fans of Indiana Jones will be happy to know that LucasArts has just released the first trailer for the soon-to-be released Indiana Jones game, The Staff of Kings. The trailer is a computer generated intro the premise of the game, but it doesn’t give any indication as to exactly what the gameplay will be like.

The game will be available  for Nintendo DS and PSP, as well as the newcomer in the field, Wii, which is mentioned in the trailer. Reportedly, the game is being published under the Activision banner, but very few details are available at this time, including an expected release date.

Rumor has it the LucasArts, which also holds the license for Star Wars, has an as yet undisclosed Indiana Jones title coming out soon for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and we can only imagine that’s that same game.

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Samsung Plans New Products

Author JoeDigital | 26.01.2009 | Category Computers

Samsung Electronics Co. is going to follow its NC10 netbook soon with a new model and expand its range of smartphones with models based on a number of different operating systems, the company said today.

“In the first half of this year, for touch-screen phones, we will expand our lineup and upgrade some of the functions, including the user interface, and for smart phones, expand our lineup and provide various OSes to satisfy the diverse needs of our customers,” said Chi Young-cho, head of the recently created digital media and communications unit, in a conference call with analysts.

Samsung already offers phones based on the Windows Mobile, Symbian and Linux
operating systems. However, most anticipated is an announcement from the company concerning a phone based on the Android operating system developed by Google Inc. Samsung is a member of the Open Handset Alliance formed around Android, but it has yet to show a phone running on the platform.

No other details were disclosed, although an NC10 successor has been rumored for some time. Early predictions were that the new computer could launch around February and be based on Via Technologies Inc.’s low-power Nano processor.

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