Final Chrome Version Boosts Speed, Compatibility

By Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 12.12.08 

PC Magazine has performed follow-up tests of Google Chrome to see how much progress the browser has made since coming out of beta. The results show that its already fast JavaScript performance on the respected Sunspider benchmark has gotten even faster and compatibility with popular sites such as Facebook has improved.

The retest shows a 24 percent speed improvement, bringing this released browser to the same level of performance as Firefox's second beta 3.1 version. The new numbers far outstrip what Microsoft's Internet Explorer was capable of, by a factor of nearly 100, and even bested the released version of Firefox 3.0's results more than threefold. 

However, there are still sites that kick back an "unsupported browser" message when a user attempts to view them using Chrome, such as Microsoft's Office Live site. Chrome has added a separate bookmarks window, though it still lacks many capabilities found in the competition, such as bookmarking multiple sites at once (also known as tabbed groups) and tagging. 

In memory usage, Chrome still holds up the rear, using somewhat more RAM than Internet Explorer, and more than double what Firefox consumed in testing with the same set of ten content rich sites. In standards support, Opera is still the leader, garnering 85 out of 100 possible points on the Acid3 Browser Compatibility test from the Web Standards Project. 

To read the full review, with more details of how the browser differs from the better-known web browsers, read PCMag.com's full review of Chrome 1.0.

Related Article:

Microsoft Market Share Slips: Pressure's On for Windows 7 and IE8

Rapid take-up on Windows' Safari

BBC News

Apple's new web browser for Windows was downloaded more than a million times in the first 48 hours of its release, the computer group has said.

The Windows version of Apple's Safari will compete head-on with Microsoft's Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox and expand the 4.9% market share it enjoys.

Steve Jobs launched "the fastest browser on Windows", saying it was twice as fast as Internet Explorer.

It was previously only available for Macintosh computers.

A test version of Safari 3 for Windows XP, Vista and Apple Macs running OSX, is available for download from the Apple website.

Apple is hoping to replicate the success of iTunes, which has proved enormously popular on both Macs and Windows machines.

Security researchers say they have already found numerous loopholes in the browser which might possibly allow attackers access to users' computers.

On Tuesday, Apple issued an update to the program, to fix some of the potential security flaws.

New Mozilla mobile browser out, amid more competition

Works with Windows Mobile 5.0

Nancy Gohring, Computerworld

March 30, 2007 (IDG News Service) -- The newest version of Minimo, the Mozilla mobile browser, became available this week in the midst of changes within the Minimo project that make its future uncertain.

Minimo 0.2, available for free download, is compatible with Windows Mobile 5.0 and is smaller and faster than previous versions, according to early users who posted comments to the blog about the browser. Minimo is designed to be an alternative to the browser that comes with Windows Mobile and its creators promote its speed in accessing sites and other features such as tabs, better security and support for widgets.

The Minimo project, which isn't a Mozilla Corp. endeavor but is hosted by Mozilla.org, was one of the earliest third-party mobile browser initiatives but seems to have been eclipsed by other developers, including Opera Software ASA.

Read More ….

Yahoo Adds Web Search to Mobile Suite

Yahoo Go 2.0 beta includes a new search app designed for mobile devices.

Marc Ferranti and Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service

Tuesday, January 09, 2007 10:00 AM PST

LAS VEGAS -- Yahoo has released a test upgrade of its suite for mobile devices, which includes a new search application, as the company keeps trying to extend its products to cell phones.

A beta version of Yahoo Go 2.0, unveiled here on Monday, can be downloaded to more than 70 mobile devices from various vendors worldwide. Handset makers supporting Yahoo Go 2.0 include Research In Motion, Motorola, Samsung, and Nokia. The suite can be used on "most" wireless networks, Yahoo officials said.

By the end of the year, Yahoo expects users to be able to download Yahoo Go 2.0 onto more than 400 devices, according to Marco Boerries, senior vice president for Yahoo Connected Life.

Get Facts Instead of Links

A key feature of Yahoo Go 2.0 is oneSearch, a new search engine designed specifically for mobile devices that, instead of returning a list of Web sites, provides facts related to the query term, according to Boerries. For example, if a user enters the name of a sports team, oneSearch will display relevant game scores, team information, photos, news articles and the like.

In a demonstration, Boerries showed how, if a user types in pizza, local listings for pizza restaurants will be displayed automatically.

"Consumers want an experience optimized for mobile," Boerries said. "No matter how good the screen gets, no matter how fast it gets ... the mobile phone is different from the PC."

Yahoo Go 2.0 also features local maps, news tickers, a mobile version of the Flickr photo management service, and e-mail.

Yahoo will provide the Yahoo Go 2.0 software for free and make money from advertising and sponsored search results, Boerries said. Ads and sponsored results will be clearly distinguished from results generated by search algorithms, Boerries said.

Mobile Search Market Taking Off

The mobile business generated by Internet search companies such as Yahoo and Google is currently dwarfed by PC-based search revenue, according to Takami Kono, vice president of equity global research at Nomura Securities International. But Yahoo is taking necessary steps to make sure it is well positioned in the mobile market, he said.

"Mobile advertising is less than 5 percent of all search advertising revenue, but it should grow at two or three times per year for the next few years," Kono said. "Google makes more money from search advertising, but Yahoo's content is better," he said. Yahoo Go is a good way for the company to leverage its strength, he said.

Yahoo also announced at CES that Opera Software chose it as the exclusive search engine provider for its Opera Mini and Opera Mobile Web browsers, and that Opera plans to adopt oneSearch this quarter.

Opera to Provide Browser for Samsung Handsets

By Jennifer LeClaire, TechNewsWorld, 12/22/06 7:56 AM PT

Opera Software has struck a deal that will make its mobile Web browser available on Samsung handsets. Though Opera's browser lags far behind Internet Explorer and Firefox in terms of PC use, the company is gaining a reputation for innovation in the mobile Internet market, which is picking up steam.

Opera Software on Thursday announced a deal with Samsung Electronics to deliver Opera Mobile on Samsung mobile handsets -- two days after it launched a browser for Nintendo's Wii gaming console.

Opera Mobile is Opera Software's standards-compliant Web browser for advanced mobile phones. The browser uses Opera's small screen rendering technology to reformat Web pages and allows users to navigate with intuitive vertical scrolling.

In addition to the obvious plus of aligning Opera with a major brand name electronics maker, the Samsung deal is strategic for the company on another front, noted Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with JupiterResearch.

"Part of Opera's strategy is to get its technology directly onto the handset so consumers don't have to jump through hoops to get it," Gartenberg told TechNewsWorld. "Now mobile phone users don't have to go to a Web page, download the application, install it, etcetera. This is a very good deal for Opera."

On a Mobile Roll

Opera is on a mobile roll, so to speak. In mid-December the open source browser maker announced its Opera Mini Web browser would be shipping in most markets with selected Nokia (NYSE: NOK) 6300s.

Opera Mini is a Java-based Web browser that offers users full Internet access on the majority of mobile phones in the market. By using a server to preprocess and compress Web sites before sending them to the handset, Opera Mini reduces the size of data transferred to speed up the browser's response.

Opera has gained a reputation for browser innovation, particularly with Opera Mini 3.0. The new version launched in November with enhanced mobile social networking abilities for photo sharing, RSS (really simple syndication) feed readers, and secure connections for online banking and shopping.

Not About PCs

Opera's browser technologies also target PDAs (personal digital assistants), home media such as TV and set-top boxes, automotive and transportation entertainment and infotainment technologies, and, of course, video game consoles. Opera is the browser of choice on Nintendo's DS and Wii.

"The Opera folks are showing that there are ways to compete in the browsing business that have nothing to do with the PC desktop," Gartenberg noted.

The Mobile Opportunity

Opera's largest opportunity may be with mobile devices. The mobile Web is getting more traffic. Fifteen percent of mobile services subscribers accessed the Internet from their mobile devices in 2005, according to Forrester Research. That compared to only 6 percent in 2004. Analysts expect 2006 numbers to be strong.

While Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Internet Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox outpace Opera on personal computers, Opera is burning up the mobile handset market. Opera may have to wait for its ultimate payoff, but getting a head start in this growing market is likely to position the developer well for the future.

"Mobile browsing is still not a super-mainstream consumer activity, but it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg syndrome," Gartenberg remarked. "You need to have a good browsing experience on the phone for people to begin to start using it. Fortunately, that's what we are starting to see happen now. We are definitely beginning to get closer to the time when mobile browsing moves to a mainstream activity."