Google has partly scrapped a browser plug-in project called O3D, instead throwing its full weight behind a 3D Web graphics technology called WebGL that got its start at Mozilla.

The move, first reported by CNET, has the potential to simplify the effort to bring hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to the Web, an idea that has appeal to those trying to refashion it as a foundation for applications such as games. However, it also means the functioning--if experimental--O3D technology is going back to the drawing board for a while.

The overall idea of O3D, a higher-level interface than the 3D nuts and … Read more

Microsoft has re-engaged with others in the computing industry in the area of Web standards--but its return is not without friction.

A number of allies--notably Mozilla, Opera, Apple, and Google--have been working for years to refashion Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and a host of associated technologies to make the Web a more powerful foundation for applications and more sophisticated sites. Microsoft now has joined in the effort, but it doesn't always see eye to eye when hashing out details of the upcoming HTML5 with Mozilla and a central individual in the standards process.

One point of debate is the … Read more

With a new version of Chrome, Google has taken a second crack at shielding users from a technical detail that browsers traditionally show: the "http://" in the browser's Web address bar.

Did Google just do us a favor and free up a few pixels in the ever-more-crowded area around a browser's viewing area? Or did it hide some genuinely useful information?

I'm inclined to think the former. Many people don't know that HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and that there could even be something else there, such as "ftp://" for File Transfer Protocol. … Read more

Web browsing and e-mailing from Mozilla got a bit of a bump forward on Wednesday, as the company updated its beta test builds of Firefox 3.6.4 and Thunderbird 3.1, respectively code-named Lorentz and Lanikai.

Firefox 3.6.4 beta 3, for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and Thunderbird 3.1 beta 2, for Windows, Mac, and Linux, offer the latest features from Mozilla but are also less stable than the current releases.

When pushed out to all users, Firefox 3.6.4 will incorporate the much-anticipated Out-Of-Process-Plug-in feature, which prevents plug-in crashes from Adobe Systems' Flash, Apple's … Read more

Microsoft released a second "platform preview" version of Internet Explorer 9 on Wednesday with faster JavaScript and better Web standards compliance--plus an argument for how future Web technology should develop.

Central to the second IE9 preview (download) is progress toward matching rivals in SunSpider, a speed test of Web-based JavaScript programs, and Acid3, a test of adherence to some Web technologies. On the first, Microsoft improved from 590 to 473 milliseconds; on the second, from 55 to 68 out of a possible 100. But there's more to the story than benchmarks.

The new platform preview, arriving seven … Read more

Google's latest update to the beta version of the Chrome browser brings it to parity with the more experimental developer's version. Google Chrome beta version 5.0.375.29 for Windows, Mac, and Linux contains multiple feature enhancements as well as the semi-regular security and bug-fixes that are common updates for its less-stable cousin.

One of the most notable new features in the beta is the inclusion of default support for Adobe Flash. This means that users will no longer need to install a separate add-on to see Web sites that require Flash to render properly. It also … Read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Watching people line up again for the iPad--this time the 3G version--here on Saturday, one has to wonder what the fate of the Netbook is.

The reasons for the Netbook's popularity--roughly around 50 million sold to date--are clear: highly mobile (typically less than 3 pounds), Windows-compatible, and cheap. In all, an impressively utilitarian PC.

Then the iPad came along. So, the question is--if you're looking for an easy-to-carry device that does more than a smartphone and less than a laptop, which would you choose?

The apples-and-oranges argument can be made, of course: physical keyboard (Netbook) … Read more

The Symbian Foundation has released a Web application development toolkit for the open-source Symbian 3 mobile platform.

According to a Thursday statement from the foundation, anyone who can create a Web page can create an app for Symbian 3 (marketed as Symbian^3) , as coders only need standard development tools including HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

"These Symbian Web application development tools provide an ideal entry point for Web developers targeting the vast, new development opportunities offered by the Symbian^3 platform and the wider mobile marketplace, where compelling applications are proving their ability to fuel communities," Symbian Foundation … Read more

"The geolocation feature is now available in Chrome 5.0.375.25 (Official Build 45690)."

With those words, posted Thursday at the bottom of a Chrome issue tracker item, the developer version of Google's browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux catches up to Firefox with one important new component of the Web. That component, geolocation, lets a browser tell a Web site the location of a person's computer once the person has given permission. (See illustration below.)

It's a handy feature, most notably for mapping or including your location in some message where it's … Read more