JavaScript

Google said Tuesday that it's harnessing HTML5 to deliver Google Voice to Palm webOS and iPhone OS 3.0 and higher smartphones. As the next major revision to the web's core hypertext markup language, HTML5 introduces a number of new elements and attributes that let developers construct powerful new services with the look and feel of stand-alone mobile apps.

Google said Tuesday that it's harnessing HTML5 to deliver Google Voice to Palm webOS and iPhone OS 3.0 and higher smartphones. As the next major revision to the web's core hypertext markup language, HTML5 introduces a number of new elements and attributes that let developers construct powerful new services with the look and feel of stand-alone mobile apps.

Mozilla released an update Thursday to its popular Firefox browser. According to the Mozilla Foundation, the new version 3.6 -- the latest of what it unabashedly calls "The World's Best Browser" -- offers better performance, better security, and HTML5 support.

This is the first update to the free browser since early summer. Other new features include "browser skins" called Personas, and support for full-screen video and the open-source Web Open Font Format (WOFF).

Windows, Mac, Linux

Mozilla is pushing back deadlines for new versions of Firefox, calculating that taking a little more time to deliver new software will be worth the risk.

Unlike in years past, when Firefox was the only serious, free alternative to Microsoft's Internet Explorer, the browser landscape is especially crowded these days, and browsers that fall too far behind the upgrade race risk losing substantial market share.

Microsoft told its Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles Wednesday that it's already working on the next version of Internet Explorer. In addition to demonstrating some of the progress on performance and interoperability standards in IE9, Microsoft said it intends to make more PC hardware capabilities available to web developers from within the browser.

"Specifically, we demonstrated hardware-accelerated rendering of all graphics and text in web pages, something that other browsers don't do today," said Internet Explorer General Manager Dean Hachamovitch.

Ready, set, go ... Google moved into yet another IT realm Tuesday with a computer programming language called Go. Google is betting Go will address key trends in the computing landscape.

"Go combines the development speed of working in a dynamic language like Python with the performance and safety of a compiled language like C or C++," Google's Go team said in the company blog. "Typical builds feel instantaneous; even large binaries compile in just a few seconds. And the compiled code runs close to the speed of C. Go lets you move fast."

Google's Go Reasoning

Firefox is five years old. Five years ago, Microsoft seemed to have an absolute lock on the browser market with Internet Explorer, having long ago crushed Netscape. The browser wars were over. Or so it seemed.

According to Net Applications' Market Share, 64.6 percent of Web users run Internet Explorer, compared to 24 percent running Mozilla's Firefox. Other browsers like Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome, and Opera have another 10 percent of the market. Two years ago, IE controlled almost 80 percent of the browser market and Firefox had only 15 percent.

A milestone on the road to Firefox 3.6 was achieved late last week when Mozilla released the first beta of the browser. Downloaded versions will be automatically upgraded as changes are made until the final release of the browser is reached.

Among the changes in Firefox 3.6 is the ability for users to change the browser's appearance with a single click. This is known as "Personas." Mozilla says the browser will automatically alert users to out-of-date plug-ins and display videos in full screen.

Apple confirmed Friday that it is allowing App Store purchases from within free applications. Until now, the company had only allowed purchases from paid applications on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Insiders agreed that Apple has made a prudent move.

There's a new Storm coming. On Wednesday, Research in Motion and Vodafone announced the BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone for Europe and South Africa. The newest version of the Storm line has improved touchscreen technology and enhanced features.

The new device will be available initially in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy and South Africa.

Multi-Key Typing