Firefox 3.5 finally released [Softonic review]
China delays launch of new Internet censorship program [Guardian]
Firefox and other apps possible on Android [Read Write Web]
China (again!) bans ‘gold farming’ sweatshops [Information Week]
Pirate Bay changes hands [TorrentFreak]
Microsoft to charge more for Windows 7 in Europe [ComputerWorld]
A lot of people are beginning to talk about Opera’s special announcement planned for next week. A special page on the developer’s website states that at 9 a.m. this Tuesday, Opera will “reinvent the web”. But what could they be talking about?
Checking out the page’s source code [thanks to Pallab for this!] reveals this secret message:
<!– We start our little story with the invention of the modern day computer.
Over the years, the computers grew in numbers, and the next natural step in the
evolution was … –>
This little teaser has also begun to show up on Twitter, along with the next part which continues:
“… to connect them together. To share things … #reinvent http://www.opera.com/freedom”
Our natural assumption when we saw all this was: Opera 10’s about to drop. That’d be great news and it’d just about explain a bit of viral hype building on Opera’s side. However, if we are looking at the release of version 10, Opera are being much more reticent than normal. Our request for a preview (which would normally be answered with a URL to download the final version under embargo) was answered with a cryptic message stating that Opera will be unveiling ‘a new technology‘ on Tuesday, and that there’ll be a live webcast.
Operawatch has plenty of interesting comments regarding what the exciting announcement might be (the least exciting of which would be a beta for the new version of Opera Mini - I mean, come on!). The most likely idea seems to be something to do with cloud computing (see the pic?) .
Our best guess is that Opera will announce that their new browser will feature a ubiquitous experience across devices and machines with everything possible (cookies, history, bookmarks and more) handled in the cloud. It’s difficult to imagine quite how far they’ll take server side technology, but looking at the company’s history, this is definitely the direction they’re heading in.
Got a better guess? Let us know….
WordPress today announced the release of the latest version of its awesome eponymous blog platform. Version 2.8 (’Baker’, after the famous Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker), consists of few immediately visible changes but plenty of performance enhancements.
Once you’ve had a time to play around with the new version, you’ll spot an overhauled widget interface, easier to handle theme installations, a new CodePress editor for editing themes and plugins within wp-admin and a new Screen Options interface that lets you customize the look of your admin area to fit your monitor. As well as all that, WordPress seems to run much faster.
Find full details of the new release on the WordPress Codex. Or just watch their video…
You can download the latest version of WordPress here, but if you’re running 2.7 or higher, you should be able to upgrade automatically. If you don’t have a web host but you’d like to try WordPress out, skip along to WordPress.com and register for a free hosted blog!
iTunes 8.2 released [Softonic]
China blocks access to Twitter and Flickr [Blog Herald]
Acer Android netbooks coming this autumn [BetaNews]
Nokia N97 on sale worldwide this month [Nokia Conversations]
Google working on ‘Wave’ communications tool [Google]
Hulu looks set for UK launch in September [Daily Telegraph]
Rockstar co-founders form 4mm Games [gamesindustry.biz]
Universal and Warner sue internet TV station Zattoo [Last100]
Beautiful ‘Rosie’ Android UI video surfaces [AndroidGuys]
Mac OS X Java security hole exposed [TUAW]
Symbian boss talks up Symbian for netbooks (yeah…) [Engadget]
Rise of the zombie computer [BBC]
Firefox could be destroyer of Facebook [ReadWriteWeb]
Apple ‘definitely not’ buying Twitter [Guardian]
EA posts bad numbers for 2008 - buyout possible? [Mercury News]
Poll: Still use RSS? [PollDaddy]
Zooity - social network like it’s 1987 [Zooity]
5% of Americans use Twitter [Digital Influence]
[Image from Google]
Get more from Google Latitude [Google Mobile Blog]
Ubiquity to be integrated into Firefox [ghacks.net]
Apple & Google being investigated amid antitrust concerns [NYT]
Windows 7 RC released to consumers - exclusive video [Softonic]
UK spy agency’s £1bn Mastering The Internet project [Times Online]
Could Apple buy Twitter? [Gawker]
Windows 7 RC1 released to MSDN and TechNet [Microsoft]
Apple augments chip team - secret new stuff to come? [WSJ]
Yahoo! layoffs start - Flickr hit first [GigaOm]
Palm Pre Mini to be released this year [TechCrunch]
Panda introduces ‘cloud based’ antivirus app [Cloud Ave]
Microsoft releases Office 2007 Service Pack 2 [Softonic Download]
Palm may release Pre day before Apple’s WWDC keynote [MobileCrunch]
Google launches Public Data Search & Charts [SearchEngineLand]
4chan wags rig Time poll with Marble Cake & moot [Music Machinery]
Microsoft Vine - social networking for emergencies [Mashable]
Making the most of Twitter [Guardian]
It has become something of a mantra over the last few months: as soon as a major event happens somewhere (or everywhere) in the world, bloggers and then journalists are quick to point to the speed at which news of the event spread on Twitter. For many people (including myself), the so-called microblogging tool has turned from being a slightly self-conscious way of publishing one’s current status, into a vital means of communication and a first contact point for interesting links, breaking news and the birth of memes.
But this week seems to have seen almost totally enthusiastic coverage of the tool (except from people who didn’t understand it), turn into a qualified criticism and the warning that though useful, Twitter can also be dangerous.
The reason behind these warning is simple: swine flu and the multiple rumours about it that have been disseminated through Twitter. Evgeny Morozov at Foreign Policy wrote:
Despite all the recent Twitter-enthusiasm about this platform’s unique power to alert millions of people in decentralized and previously unavailable ways, there are quite a few reasons to be concerned about Twitter’s role in facilitating an unnecessary global panic about swine flu.
Now, it’s this last bit that interests me. Perhaps I’m not the power-tweeter that I could be but I know where I first learned about the threat of a swine flu pandemic. Not on Twitter, but on the BBC news, and the Catalan TV news here in Barcelona, and the BBC website, and the Guardian’s website, and then CNN, the Spanish news, and more on the BBC again. A few hours later, I was updating Twitter and saw the first message from a contact referring to the outbreak. A former colleague who lives in Mexico City was relating the steps he and his fiancée were taking to stay safe amid the growing concern in that city. Read the rest of this entry »
Google promotes user profiles in vanity searches [Google Blog]
What’s in store for Ubuntu 9.04? [ghacks.net]
RPS interview: Mafia II [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
Twitter suspends beta feature, upsets developers [TechCrunch]
First Google Android laptops spotted [Computerworld]
New US military command to focus on cyber security [WSJ]
Could Comcast build an app store? [Contentinople]
[Image from Random Jottings blog]
Ask.com to re-rebrand as Ask Jeeves (in the UK) [The Register]
Windows 7 application limit ‘opens door to Android’ [Computerworld]
Adobe Flash set to dominate your TV [BBC]
Posterous: microblogging by email [Posterous]
Follow us on Twitter @softonic_en [Twitter]
Is Sony planning to add its movie catalog to YouTube? [Ars Technica]
Rumour: Windows Mobile powered ZuneHD details ‘released’ [Engadget]
Amazon.com ‘to block’ Phorm ad network [BBC]
What celebrities were dead by your age [Dead At Your Age]
Twitter fight: Larry King versus Ashton Kutcher [TechCrunch]
Webby nominees announced [Webby Awards]
[Image from Twitter]
Twitter’s ‘Discovery engine’ is coming [Twitter]
Piracy law ‘cuts Internet traffic’ [BBC]
WebOS SDK is released, will support Palm OS emulation [Engadget]
GaiKai vs OnLive - game streaming war [gamesindustry.biz]
Online April fools roundup (including Shouttr) [TechCrunch]
Independent Games Festival awards winners announced [AP]
Will an intelligent PC-worm wreak havoc come April 1st? [Gizmodo]
Snow Leopard user interface to be unveiled soon [AppleInsider]
IBM to slash up to 5,000 US jobs [BusinessWeek]
Skype carries more international calls than AT&T [Ars Technica]
Twitter confirms paid business accounts on the way [Wired News]
Apple’s iPhone app refund policy could bankrupt developers [TechCrunch]
