opera

Extensions raise the volume in Opera 11

Opera, the longtime underdog browser favorite, released a rough alpha version of its next-generation browser today.

Opera 11 alpha for Windows, Mac, and Linux is notable at this point for bringing extensions to the closed-source browser, a feature not in earlier versions of Opera that has been a key selling point for Google Chrome. Extensions, which add extra functions to browsers, have recently come to Apple Safari, too.

Opera 11 alpha's extensions are also a further indication of the standardization of extension coding. WebKit-based Chrome and Safari use extension formats that are nearly-identical combinations of JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS, … Read more

A closer look at Chrome 7

Now into its second year, Google Chrome has begun to mature from a lightweight and fast browsing alternative into an innovative browser on the precipice of a potential revolution with the pending ChromeOS. The software saw another minor rev recently, so we decided to give it an even closer look for a review update. The browser that people can use today, Chrome 7, offers highly competitive features, including synchronization, autofill, and maintains Google's reputation for building one of the fastest browsers available.

We also got up close and personal with Trend Micro's Maximum Security 2011, which brings users … Read more

Father of CSS plans for Web publishing future

OSLO, Norway--Good news for anybody with a newspaper who needs to reckon with Internet publishing: the man behind a key Web technology has your needs in mind.

After years of relative obscurity, the Web formatting standard called CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets has come into its own, taking a starring role as the mechanism for building a new generation of interactive, elaborate Web pages. CSS is growing in new directions now, and the technology's original creator believes its next direction for improvement will be dealing with more complicated Web page layout chores.

"There is important work left to … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 20: 5 Reasons Android is better than iPhone (podcast)

A look at Android 3.0, a dual-core phone and the top 5 reasons Android is better than the iPhone, on this week's edition of Android Atlas Weekly join Justin Eckhouse along side guest host, CNET Associate Editor, Antuan Goodwin.

News Stories

What Will Android 3.0 Look Like? http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/207699/what_will_android_30_look_like.html?tk=hp_new

Q&A: Google’s Andy Rubin Talks Android http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2370464,00.asp… Read more

Opera calls for browser extension standard

OSLO, Norway--With extensions coming to Opera 11, the Norwegian browser maker says it's time to consider making the technology a standard for all browsers.

That's because Opera 11 extensions will use the same collection of Web page technologies--HTML for page contents, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) for formatting, JavaScript for processing--as extensions in Google's Chrome, Apple's Safari 5, and Mozilla Firefox's upcoming Jetpack. The approach generally makes it easier for at least lightweight extensions, and browser technologies handle the interface.

"We think extensions are ripe for standardization," Håkon Wium Lie, Opera Software'… Read more

Opera aims for Android, hardware acceleration

OSLO, Norway--Opera Software announced significant new steps for its browsers today, including the release soon of Opera Mobile for Android phones and extensions technology in the upcoming Opera 11 for computers.

In both those cases--and also in the Opera Mini browser for less capable phones--the browsers will come with a major new feature: hardware acceleration to speed the display of pages and operations such as scrolling and panning. That change is essential to keep Opera relevant in a highly competitive industry.

Android is aligned well with Opera's business strategy. First, Google's mobile operating system, unlike Apple's iOS, … Read more

Opera delivers fixes in security, usability

Plugged security holes and stability fixes come to fans of the Opera browser as its Norwegian publisher released version 10.63 on Tuesday.

Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Opera 10.63 patches numerous problems that could have posed security risks, including a cross-domain check bypass that allowed data theft, a site address spoof, a reload and redirect problem that also could've allowed spoofing and cross-site scripting, a problem reported by Microsoft that allowed private video streams to be intercepted, and a flaw that caused JavaScript to run in the wrong security context after manual interaction.

Opera gets into mobile advertising

Mobile-browser maker Opera is set to announce today that it's dunking a toe into the mobile-advertising sea. Opera's new Open Mobile Ad Exchange service is a cloud-based ad platform that will work with publishers to place ads onto mobile-browser pages.

While Opera is shopping the pages of its Opera Mini browser first, the company hopes to carry its advertising service to other mobile browsers. The service works by embedding JavaScript into the Web pages that Opera serves; however, the ads will not appear in the Opera browser interface itself, only the page contents. Opera is calling its service … Read more

Opera support for Google Instant: 'Shortly'

On Wednesday, when the world's dominant search company launched the Google Instant search-as-you-type service, a technically savvy section of Web users were left out: those who prefer the Opera browser.

But they won't be for long, Google said Thursday. "We hope to support Opera shortly after launch," the company said in a statement.

Google Instant works on newer versions of the four most widely used browsers: Google's Chrome version 5 and later, Firefox version 3 and later, Safari for Mac version 5, and Internet Explorer 8, the company said. "We encourage people to upgrade … Read more

Android's Opera Mini browser gets session restore

Opera continues updating the "Mini" version of its mobile browser for Android phones with some noticeable tweaks and enhancements.

The Wednesday release of Opera Mini 5.1 for Android brings sundry features such as setting Opera Mini as the default browser, and seeing the entire screen when you switch to full-screen mode.

The best addition is that Opera Mini can save your session within an hour of starting it, if the browser accidentally closes while working in the background. This is a similar provision to the session restore in Opera Mini for the iPhone.

Opera Mini 5.1 … Read more