Firefox Usage Passes 15 Percent in US
Mozilla's Firefox browser continues to post gains in market share, according to Web analytics firm OneStat.com, while usage of Internet Explorer has fallen more than 2 percent since May. Opera, meanwhile, has surpassed 1 percent market share worldwide.
Worldwide, Firefox now holds 12.93 percent of the market, up from 11.79 percent in May. The open source browser commands a 15.82 percent usage share in the United States, and a whopping 39.02 percent in Germany. Australians are also big Firefox users, with the browser holding 24.23 percent of the market down under.
Vista Gets New Standard UI Theme
While Microsoft has always shown off Windows Vista with its new Aero user interface and "Glass" theme, not all customers will have the required hardware to power the advanced graphics. In turn, Microsoft has spruced up its Standard theme, which had been the subject of many complaints.
Vista beta testers have long voiced their distaste for the Standard theme, even giving it the nickname "scrap metal" due to its lackluster gray appearance. "We heard you loud and clear," wrote Vista community leader Nick White. "In fact, we too wanted something better, and we’ve overhauled this theme with an all new version."
Lexar Recalls 66,000 USB JumpDrives
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Thursday a recall of 66,000 Lexar USB memory sticks that ship under its JumpDrive brand. The devices have a potential for overheating, and could cause burns to customers, the CPSC said in an advisory.
Affected are the JumpDrive FireFly and Secure II products that were sold between April and May 2006. Customers can choose to immediately replace their JumpDrive with a different model of the same size, or the same model if they wait for two weeks. Lexar is providing a registration form for requesting a new device.
Time Warner Seeks GameTap Testers
GameTap, an on-demand gaming service for the PC with over 500 classic titles, is seeking beta testers to try out the newest version of the software. Backed by parent company Time Warner, GameTap expects to add hundreds of new games and entirely new gaming platforms with the next update.
Beta testers must live in the United States and be running Windows 2000 or XP. Those accepted will receive a free GameTap account, as well as an opportunity to provide input on new features and UI changes. Applications are being accepted at beta.gametap.com, and require that individuals enter a registration password of world_cup.
Microsoft to Power Mobile Music Store
Amid rumors that it is readying its own portable music player to compete with the iPod this holiday season, Microsoft announced Thursday a partnership to power a mobile music service in France. The Redmond company has teamed up with Bouygues Telecom to integrate Windows Media technologies into the carrier's handsets.
Bouygues Telecom will offer over-the-air downloads, as well as purchases through the Internet that can be synced to the phone. By supporting Windows Media DRM, Bouygues handsets will be compatible with more than 100 online music services, and content from its own service can be played back on any WMA-capable music player. Bouygues is also looking into using Windows Media Video for future download offerings.
Microsoft to Issue 7 Security Patches
Microsoft plans to release 7 security bulletins as part of its July 11 Patch Tuesday, the company said Thursday. Four of the updates are for Windows, with the most severe being rated as "critical." Three other patches are directed at Office, also with a maximum severity of "critical."
Although Microsoft does not disclose in advance what flaws are to be patched, two vulnerabilities in Excel are likely to be among the fixes. One issue relates to maliciously crafted spreadsheet files that could lead to a full system compromise, while the other relates to hyperlinks in Excel documents.
Google, Spyware Added to Dictionary
The eleventh edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is set to officially bring 100 new words into the English lexicon, including a handful from the world of technology. "Google" is now a full-fledged verb that means using the Google search engine to retrieve information.
"Spyware" and "ringtone" are also new entrants into the dictionary, as well as "mouse potato," which means a person spending a great deal of time on the computer. Merriam-Webster lexicographers scour magazines, newspapers and Web sites in order to discover new phrases that are being used everyday. Also new to the dictionary: "supersize" and "bling."
Microsoft to Support OpenDocument
In a surprise move, Microsoft is bending to pressure from governments and will sponsor an open source project to build tools that enable conversion between its Open XML formats in Office 2007 and OpenDocument (ODF). The forthcoming Office suite will also support an add-in for saving directly to ODF.
The Open XML Translator project will be hosted on SourceForge.net, and is available under the BSD open source license. Microsoft says anyone can submit bugs and contribute to the project. A beta of the Open XML translator for Word 2007 will be made available Thursday, which can convert .docx Word documents to .odf and vice versa.
WebEx Testing Corporate AIM Client
Delivering the first fruits of its February partnership with AOL, WebEx has released a beta version of the AIM Pro Business Edition service. The software, designed for large corporations, follows AOL's release of the standard AIM Pro beta that is targeted at small to mid-size businesses.
WebEx AIM Pro Business Edition enables corporations to deploy and manage a company-wide IM infrastructure based upon AOL's Triton platform. It supports the standard AIM communication features, while adding online meetings and live demonstrations with desktop sharing using technology from WebEx.
Microsoft Faces Second WGA Lawsuit
Two Washington state businesses and three Seattle residents have filed a second lawsuit against Microsoft over its Windows Genuine Advantage program. The suit alleges that legitimate customers are receiving non-licensed notifications every hour, and seeks class-action status.
According to a copy of the court filing published by the
BenQ to Deliver Blu-ray Recorder
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer BenQ has announced plans to ship a Blu-ray Disc recorder for PCs in late August for a price of 799 euros. The estimated cost is far less than recorders coming from Blu-ray inventors Sony and Pioneer, which are aiming for $1,500 and higher price points.
If BenQ meets its deadline, it will be one of the first companies to deliver a Blu-ray drive. Samsung currently has the only Blu-ray player on the market in the United States, as both Sony and Pioneer have run into production delays. The BenQ BW1000 can write and read 25GB and 50GB Blu-ray discs at 2x speeds, and also supports writing to both DVDs and CDs by incorporating three different lasers.
Microsoft Delays Office 2007 Slightly
Microsoft on Thursday acknowledged that it was pushing back Office 2007 from its scheduled October release to manufacturing. The company also backed away from promising a public launch in January, simply saying Office 2007 would arrive in "early 2007."
"Based on internal testing and beta 2 feedback around product performance, we are revising our development schedule to deliver the 2007 Microsoft Office system by the end of year 2006, with broad general availability in early 2007," a Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews. "Feedback on quality and performance will ultimately determine the exact dates."
Microsoft Testing Software 'Locker'
Microsoft on Wednesday rolled out a beta version of its new "digital locker" technology, which will be integrated into an upcoming version of the Windows Marketplace Web site. The digital locker enables users to purchase and download software from a variety of different vendors directly through Microsoft.
The digital locker was designed to give customers a single page for controlling their personal information and purchase history, allowing them to instantly see what software licenses they own. Microsoft is offering programs from the libraries of Digital River, eSellerate, Handango and Kagi, but will not support independent ISVs. Credit card charges will be handled by Microsoft's delivery partners, the company said.
SP2 for Server 2003, x64 Enters Beta
Microsoft on Wednesday released Beta 1 of Service Pack 2 for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP x64 edition. The single update will cover both operating systems, along with the R2 release of Server 2003. A standalone SP2 beta package is available in 32-bit, 64-bit and Itanium flavors in English, German and Japanese.
"Service Pack 2 is a conventional service pack consisting of all security updates, all individual hotfixes released to customers and fixes to reduce top customer support issues as well as increase reliability, robustness, and security. Service Pack 2 is the first Service Pack for Windows XP x64 Professional SKU," Microsoft said in an e-mail to beta testers.
Adobe Delivers Flash Player 9, Flex 2
Adobe on Wednesday released the final version of Flash Player 9, which the company says offers ten times better performance through ActionScript 3.0 and a new ActionScript Virtual Machine. The update provides the backbone for Flex 2.0, Adobe's new line of development tools.
The new releases are intended to promote the use of Flash in next-generation Web applications. While AJAX is garnering much of the spotlight, Flash is finding its way into a number of services, including Yahoo! Maps, Google Finance and Goowy Web mail.
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