Microsoft floats HTML5 'site-ready' IE10 preview

Microsoft has released another preview version of Internet Exploder 10, and it has used the occasion to once again explain how it loves the enterprise more than Firefox.
On Wednesday, the company released the second platform preview of IE 10 featuring what it called the "HTML5 engine" behind recent demos of the browser on Windows 8.

According to Microsoft's corporate vice president in charge of IE, Dean Hachamovitch said, the IE10 platform preview means that developers can start working with several "site-ready" HTML5 technologies. Like so many others, Microsoft uses HTML5 as an umbrella term that applies not-only to the still gestating HTML5 standard but also other standards such as JavaScript and CSS.

The IE10 platform preview offers support for CSS3 Positioned Floats, HTML5 Drag-drop, File Reader API, and Media Query Listeners and initial support for HTML5 Forms. Microsoft has also added support for an HTML5 sandbox for iframe isolation.
Much of this is designed to work with the tiled and touch-friendly interface that arrives with the version of Windows 8 for tablets. CSS3 Positioned Floats lets text flow around figures on a page, and it builds on the support for CSS3 grid, multi-column, and flexbox in the first platform preview in April. It's the kind of thing you'd want on any touchy tablet.
Then Hachamovitch alluded to last week's Firefox controversy.
Last week, Mozilla handed Microsoft an easy avenue of attack when it killed support for Firefox 4 following the release of Firefox 5. This is typically the way it works, except that Firefox 5 is the first Mozilla browser delivered on the outfit's new rapid release cycle. It arrived just months after the release of Firefox 4. When one enterprise user piped up to say how this made life very hard for his kind, Mozilla man Asa Dotzler, told him to get over it, saying Mozilla has never, and should never, care about the needs of the enterprise.
Announcing the IE10 preview, Hachamovitch played up Microsoft's long-term support for IE, coupling IE10 with the lifecycle of the forthcoming Windows 8. "Because of this approach to productizing Web technologies, Microsoft will support IE10 for 10 years after its release, honoring the same product lifecycle commitments as Windows itself," Hachamovitch said.
Microsoft has traditionally supported each version of IE for as long as it supports the version of Windows it was built for. With IE9 on Windows 7, support for the browser is due to run until 2020 according to Microsoft. If Windows 8 and IE10 are delivered next year, as is expected, then you can expect Microsoft's IE10 support to run until roughly 2022. ®

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LG Launches DM50D LED Monitor TV With Passive Cinema 3D Technology

In another innovative move, Korean manufacturer LG Electronics has launched the DM50D 3D-capable monitor which comes with a built-in digital TV tuner. The monitor/HDTV hybrid features the company’s passive Cinema 3D technology, and will appeal to those who dislike the idea of having to wear active-shutter 3D glasses which can be relatively cumbersome. LG’s Cinema 3D displays use polarized 3D glasses that are lighter, more comfortable to wear, and do not require synchronisation, charging nor batteries.

The LG DM50D offers high refresh rates, and as such has been certified as “Flicker Free” – an added bonus because it places less strain on the eyes of users looking to enjoy 3D gaming and viewing. Viewers will also purportedly benefit from reduced crosstalk artefacts when watching extra-dimensional content, which is important to keep eye fatigue to a minimum. For four-eyed folks a clip-on style is available, which can simply be attached onto standard prescription lenses. Si-hwan Park, vice president of the monitor division at LG’s Home Entertainment Company, said that the company had carried out research which revealed that many people are not happy about wearing the more cumbersome 3D glasses, while some have concerns about their health when using these glasses.
The monitor itself features 2D-to-3D conversion capability, which will work automatically with games, and regardless of whether it is hooked up to a PC. LED backlight technology and HDMI connectivity will come as standard. Users will also be able to watch videos from a flash drive without the need to boot up the computer thanks to the USB Quick View feature of the DM50D.
The new offering from LG effectively provides consumers with a cross between a PC monitor and a personal 3D TV. Surprisingly, the Seoul-based corporation remains coy on the actual screen size, but judging from the model number it could be either 50 inches or 50 centimetres (20 inches), with the latter being more likely given that the 3-dimensional television/monitor is meant to “fit easily on a desktop”. The LG DM50D is scheduled to hit the shelves in Europe from July before being rolled out on a global basis.

READ MORE - LG Launches DM50D LED Monitor TV With Passive Cinema 3D Technology

DiRT 3 Review (PC)

DiRT 3 Review (PC)
Developers: Codemasters Southam
Publisher: Codemasters
Genre: Racing
Game Engine: Ego 2.0
Cross Platform: PS3, X360
Price: Rs 699

The Group B great Audio Quattro S1 returns.

The DiRT reboot to Codemasters' Colin McRae franchise may not have been as hardcore as the earlier Colin McRae Rally games, but that didn't take anything away from its brilliance. Yes, it went easy with the driving mechanics and toned down the rally content to accommodate the more inclusive off-road racing elements, in a nod to the Mountain Dew generation's "extreme" culture. However, DiRT 2 struck a balance between the hardcore and casual in a technically competent package. It achieved that with a level of competence that made even a seasoned simulation junkie like me embrace it unconditionally. DiRT 3, therefore, has very large shoes to fill.

The first major revision in the third iteration of the reboot is evident from the get-go in the menu screen itself. Gone is the banged-up RV and, along with it, the awesome 3D menu system from the last game. The UI is now a boring pyramid themed affair. Codemasters had no business fixing something that wasn't broken. I surmise this polished look is meant reflect the player's transition from an amateur in DiRT 2 to a professional racer in this instalment. That means you now have access to a much larger roster of vehicles and racing teams including tonnes of new WRC licensed content Codies have scored this time around. This includes the elusive Group B Rally cars - the 600+ BHP titan-killers that were banned by the FIA following an alarming number of driver and spectator fatalities. Unfortunately, despite advertising a full Group B roster in the promos, the retail version ships without some of the iconic cars such as the Ford Escort Mk. II, Lancia Delta S4, and Peugot 205 T16. Apparently these cars will be added through the DLC packs soon enough. I just hope the Codemasters doesn't have the gall to charge money for those.

The DC Compound is truckloads of fun!

The single player career mode, dubbed the DiRT Tour, has the same basic structure as the last game. You start-off at the bottom of the rung, participating races and earning points for podium finishes in order to unlock events, cars, sponsorships, and liveries. The events are carried over from the DiRT 2 and include the usual rally, landrush, trailblazer, rally cross, and raid with their own set of SUVs, stadium trucks, rally cars, and baja racers. This update introduces the crazy Gymkhana discipline that lets you run amok against the clock in a multi-surface obstacle course. In this mode you are expected to string together 180/360 degree spins (doughnuts), massive drifts, crazy jumps, and other flamboyant driving manoeuvres to earn points. The game includes these events in the career mode as well as the DC Compound, which lets hone your skills freestyle at your own leisure; albeit with tid-bits such as hidden packages, unlockable manoeuvres, crazy stunt bonuses, and other missions locked away as an incentive to unleash your 4WD creativity on the tarmac. Yes, this also marks the return of Ken Block to the franchise. This version also features snow tracks for the first time in the DiRT reboot.

Snow events appear for the first time in the reboot.

DiRT 2 was the best looking racing game till date. DiRT 3 is no exception with its splendid Ego 2.0 engine that delivers the best lighting and particle effects I have seen in a racing game. The vehicles sport noticeably better meshes with stunning exterior and cockpit detail. A high polygon count beautifully fleshes out not just the exterior, but even the mechanical components such as the suspension, driveshafts, exhaust, and engine components seamlessly integrated with the vehicle to deliver better immersion. The volumetric dust effects evident in the desert and gravel stages are mind-bendingly realistic. Night races are brought to life by a competent lighting engine. DiRT 3 also carries over the dynamic weather effects debuted in F1 2010. Foliage is rendered with more detail than what's found in most FPS titles, let alone racing games. The droplets on the cars in wet races, for example, are rendered with an impeccable level of detail. Call it Crysis on wheels, if you must.

READ MORE - DiRT 3 Review (PC)

Top 5 mobile IM clients for Nokia Symbian^3 smartphones

We use our smartphones for many different things, from taking photos to playing games, but probably the common thread for all of us is messaging. Let's take a look at our top five instant messaging clients for Symbian^3 users.
The good old fashioned SMS is still a pilllar of mobile phone use around the world, but on smartphones instant messaging (IM) clients have become highly popular, and it's easy to see why. Unlike text messaging, IM chats happen in real time, whether you're in the next room or another country.
And with mobile data allowances an increasingly standard part of our network packages, and Wi-Fi there as a backup anyway, nattering away via IM is often effectively free. So what are the best packages out there for Nokia Symbian^3 users? Here's our five favourites:
IM for Nokia
Before you go looking elsewhere, why not give Nokia's own messaging client a whirl? It'll happily play nice with all the leading IM services around, including Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo!, MySpace and Ovi Chat, and lets you manage your status and availability across several systems at once. But its biggest advantage over rival clients is that it integrates your contacts' IM status right into your phone's contact list, so you can check out the latest updates just by browsing your phone book.
Skype
Its claim to fame is as an internet voice calling service, but Skype has built an equally loyal following as a messaging platform too. With hundreds of millions of users already in place, chances are you've already got a fairly comprehensive network of contacts ready and waiting, and there's the added bonus of being able to use Skype as a paid SMS and voice call provider to non-Skype numbers too.
WhatsApp
A fast-growing service that's proven highly popular on several smartphone platforms, WhatsApp delivers all the convenience of traditional SMS with plenty of benefits on top. It's free for a full year, for starters, and allows you to send files, photos, videos and of course basic text chatter to your connections, either individually or even as groups.
Nimbuzz
If you're an established IM user with a presence on several platforms, Nimbuzz is an ideal way to bring them all together. It allows you to import contacts from MSN, Yahoo!, GoogleTalk, Facebook, AIM, ICQ and MySpace among others, and you can make free calls, use custom avatars and backgrounds and build your network quickly and easily thanks to friend suggestions.
eBuddy
It's been around for a while, and not surprisingly eBuddy rolls in compatibility with all the main IM players as standard. In particular, though, it's a real favourite for Nokia users. As of April eBuddy hit the notable milestone of 10 million downloads from the Ovi Store, and it's easy to see why: eBuddy reckons it's compatible with no fewer than 900 different Nokia models!
What's your IM client of choice? Is it one of the popular choices mentioned here, or have we left out a rival service that deserves a mention? Let us know in the Comments!

Tags: eBuddy IM clients IM for Nokia Nimbuzz Skype WhatsApp

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5 Android apps that should be on every smartphone

I may be hard on Google for the mess that it has created with Android Honeycomb tablets, but on the smartphone front Android is still going strong. That is with good reason, Android phones are as good as anything on the market, and made even better with the right apps installed. No matter if you are a fan of HTC Sense phones with its attractive UI, Samsung TouchWiz phones, or stock Android phones, there are five apps that should be installed on every Android phone to make them better.

LauncherPro. The Android launcher is attractive but very basic in design and function, and LauncherPro takes any Android phone to the next level. This alternative launcher adds a customizable dock bar for launching apps, but that is only a fraction of the functionality it brings to the home screen. Speaking of home screens, LauncherPro brings a totally revamped home screen environment, with a new app drawer for launching apps included. The app also makes a suite of home screen widgets available that can be added as desired to install a raft of new functionality on the home screens as desired. These widgets can be customized to the heart’s desire, and are skinnable to make them look just right. The Gmail widget alone is worth the price of LauncherPro. There are other alternative launchers but none match LauncherPro for features. You must have the Pro version to unlock all the features including the widgets. $3.49.
Beautiful Widgets. The strength of Android is the ability to make the interface very personal, and Beautiful Widgets is the daddy of them all. The app installs a bunch of home screen widgets of varying sizes that make it a breeze to tailor the look and feel of the screens to the user’s personal taste. The widgets include HTC Sense look-alikes for those who like the clock and weather screens on those devices, but that’s just for starters. There are hundreds of clock, weather and battery meter skins for download within Beautiful Widgets that can make the phone screen look any way you want. The various widgets can be combined in any number of ways to fit your style. There is even a live wallpaper that changes the screen background to match the time of day and local weather conditions. €1.99.
Amazon MP3. This free app has morphed from a simple way to get free music on Android phones into a full-fledged cloud music playing system. The free MP3 of the day is still there, along with easy access to cheap album deals in the Amazon music store, but with the launch of the Cloud Drive the Amazon MP3 app has evolved into a must-have for Android phone owners. Once you upload your music library to the Amazon Cloud, streaming it to any Android device (and computer) is a simple tap on the screen. Purchased (and free) music is automatically put into your Cloud Drive for instant access on the phone. The app also plays music store locally on the phone for those not into the whole cloud thing. Free.
Dolphin Browser HD. The web browsers installed on Android phones are pretty good, but they don’t hold a candle to the Dolphin Browser HD. This browser is as fast as can be for rendering web pages in perfect form, and has a unique touch system for improved web browsing. The bookmark system is as sophisticated as that on any desktop browser, yet is as easy to operate as tapping on the screen. Dolphin also has a plug-in system that adds tons of functionality to the browser as desired. There is a configurable gesture system in Dolphin that lets you trigger actions by drawing on the screen with a fingertip, a tremendously useful feature. There is a free version that is ad-supported in the settings menus, or a $4.99 version without ads.
Multicon Widget. Phone screens can only hold so much information due to the small size, and sometimes you need to put more icons for apps than will fit. The free Multicon widget lets you put up to 4 app icons in the space normally occupied by one, which greatly extends the screen real estate. The four icon slots are not restricted to apps, you can put shortcuts for actions and special functions like Wi-Fi toggle in the slots. This is the most useful widget for a free app.
These five Android apps add incredible value to the smartphone, but they are not the only good apps in the Android Market. What are your must-have apps for Android?

READ MORE - 5 Android apps that should be on every smartphone

Huawei releases Glory and Sonic, two cheap Android phones with high-end personalities

Some of you might know Huawei as the company that keeps making cheap (free) Android phones for people who upgrade from feature phones. But from this moment forward, you’ll know it as the company that sells really high-end Android phones at an amazingly low price.
The company has two Android phones in its pipeline that make some high-end ones cry in shame. The first one is the Huawei Sonic. Sadly, this one is not coming to the U.S.–at least not yet. Instead, Huawei is releasing it in Turkey for about $215 without a contract. The phone will launch the following specs:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread (something a few OEMs haven’t figured out how to do here in the U.S. just yet)
• 3.5-inch HVGA screen
• 3.2 MP camera
• 256 of RAM
• 512MB of ROM

While this might look like your typical low-end Android phone, it has something many high-end ones don’t have: an NFC chip. That’s right. Huawei is the first OEM to launch a low-end Android phone with an NFC chip. (On a side note:  I don’t know which processor this phone is using, but judging from the video below, this thing is a speed demon).
While cheap a Android phone with NFC is all fine and dandy, cheap Android phones with high-end features is where the money’s at. That’s where the Huawei Glory comes in. Unlike the Sonic, the Glory is coming to the U.S. via Cricket Wireless. PCMag says the phone will launch with a price under $300 without a contract (which would be almost free with a contract).
With that kind of price, you’d expect this phone to be just slightly better than the Sonic. You’d be wrong. The Glory will launch with the following specs:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 1.4 GHz single-core Qualcomm MSM8655T processor
• 4-inch TFT screen with a 854×480 pixel resolution
• 8 MP rear-facing camera with LED flash and front-facing camera
• 2 GB of memory (the PCMag article doesn’t specify whether this is RAM or ROM memory)
• 1900 mAh battery

Yowza! That’s a pretty decent spec sheet for such a cheap phone. But that’s not all. Huawei topped it off by announcing the phone will be upgraded to Android 4.0 (aka Ice Cream Sandwich) when the update comes out. I guess this is the first official confirmation that Ice Cream Sandwich will carry the 4.0 number.
I have to say, a free Ice Cream Sandwich-powered phone with these specs doesn’t sound so bad. It sounds very good, in fact. I’ll take two. Do either of these phones change your opinion about Huawei? Let us know in the comments.

Gallery

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Zipcar Android app sheds the beta, late-night driverless honking to increase

It may have happened to you before -- you're walking down the street somewhere on a balmy summer night when, out of nowhere, the empty car next to you honks its horn and you spit your skeleton right outta that purty mouth. Yeah, you have Zipcar to blame for that. Ever since the introduction of its iOS app back in 2009, users have been able to reserve a car on-the-go, and freak out unwitting pedestrians. Now Android users get to join the party -- officially. While the apps' market availability is nothing new, the recent shucking of its beta tag and some UI enhancements make this coming out party noteworthy. There's a good reason Time Magazine named it one of the "50 best iPhone Apps in 2011." Also, wireless honking -- in case you forgot.

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Motorola Atrix review

View Gallery

Wired Rating

8/10

4

Wired:

• Sharp 4in screen
  
• Biometric fingerprint lock
  
• HDMI port
  
• Oodles of accessories

 

Tired:  

• Not the latest Android OS
• Accessories a bit pricey

Price: Free with contract or £500 SIM-free

Have your say about this product in our comments

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At first glance, Motorola's first dual-core handset doesn't look that special. It's on the bulky side at 118x64x11mm and 135g and compared to the likes of the slimline Samsung Galaxy S II it looks like a bit of a throwback to a less stylish age.
There is, however, a lot more to the Atrix than first impressions. For one thing the power button on the top doubles as a biometric fingerprint security pad. It might not seem essential when there are already PIN and gesture security controls available but its ease of use has certainly made us converts. You simply brush your finger across it and you're in -- random tests with friends and strangers proved that it's very discerning too and it never once let the wrong person in.
The 106mm (4-inch) screen is also a little bit above the average, with a resolution of 960x540, which puts it very close to the iPhone's 960x640, and ahead of most other phones in its class, which tend to quit at 800x480. It's covered in extra tough Gorilla Glass too, which should protect it against most scratches.
But the Atrix's unique aspect comes with the variety of accessories that Motorola has created for it. Using the power of the 1GHz dual core processor you can effectively use it as your portable computer, with the Lapdock screen and keyboard combo that looks like an ultra-thin netbook, with a fold-out slot for the Atrix. A little oddly, it uses the Linux-based Webtop OS rather than the phone's Android 2.2 Froyo and substitutes Firefox for the Android browser. But it can be run off the mains and has its own batteries, so you can use it for up to seven hours without draining your phone.
There's also a wireless mouse to go with it as well as a standard charging dock with microUSB and 3.5mm headphone ports and a multimedia dock that turns your phone into a media centre with three USB ports and a pass-through mini HDMI port. You can connect this last to your TV and operate it using the accompanying Bluetooth remote control.
All well and good, but the downside is that the accessories will cost you a pretty penny, at £300 for the Lapdock (you can get a real netbook for that!), £76 for the multimedia dock with remote, £75 for a standalone keyboard and £33 for the standard dock. Orange has the exclusive on the Atrix for now however and is offering a "Work and Play" kit with keyboard, multimedia dock, mouse and remote to existing customers who grade up to the Atrix.

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Specifications

• Software : Android 2.2 Froyo
• Processor : 1GHz dual core
• Memory slot : microSD
• Display : 4in 960x540 pixels multitouch
• Connectivity : GSM/GPRS/EDGE/HSDPA, Wi-Fi802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1, A-GPS
• Ports : Micro USB, 3.5mm headphones
• Camera : 5 megapixel with LED Flash, autofocus,geo-tagging
• Video : 720p HD
• Video playback : MP4
• Audio playback : H.264, WMA9, AAC, MPEG-4, MP3,AMR NB, eAAC+ , AAC+
• Radio : No
• Battery : Li-ion 1930 mAh
• Size : 118x64x11mm
• Weight : 135g

READ MORE - Motorola Atrix review

Firefox 5 for Android Includes Do-Not-Track Feature

Firefox 5 was launched last week, and while very little changed on the desktop, the Android version of the browser finally shed the beta tag and brought one of its most talked-about features for the fore: the "Do Not Track" private browsing features that were available in the beta. 

The Mozilla Foundation touted the introduction of Do Not Track to Firefox 5 for Android as a highlight for the release, and proof that Firefox offered the same feature-set across all browsers. The mobile version of Firefox 5 also supports add-ons and support for the SwiftKey alternative keyboard. Developers also rolled in a number of performance improvements and tweaks with the new version of the mobile app. 

At the same time, the Do Not Track feature does a good job of stopping Web sites you visit from keeping an eye on where you came from and where you go, and stops those sites from dropping cookies on your Android phone and using scripts to watch what you're clicking or viewing on their site. It's a great feature for those folks who are obsessed with private browsing. 

Unfortunately however, Firefox 5 for Android is still on the buggy side, and even though it's given up the beta tag, it still is only available on certain higher-end Android phones and has been known to force-close on some of those. Additionally, using Firefox 5 on Android forces Web sites to load their desktop versions instead of their mobile variant if there is one available. 

Even so, Firefox 5 for Android is free and available now in the Android App Market. For more, check out our full review at PCMag.com.

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Memory Restart Tells You When Firefox’s Memory Usage Gets Too High (and Restarts It For You)

Firefox: Memory Restart tackles Firefox's well-known memory leak problem by telling you when they get out of control, and restarting Firefox automatically when they do.
Firefox still has trouble managing memory sometimes, and if you open a lot of tabs or leave it open for a long time, it can slow down to a crawl. This is especially bad if your computer doesn't have a lot of RAM. Despite this issue, many people still use Firefox for its other advantages. If that's you, you can at least keep a lid on slowdowns with Memory Restart. Memory Restart display's Firefox's memory usage in the add-on bar, and gives you the option to automatically restart Firefox when that usage gets past your comfortable level. You can also restart it manually with the click of Memory Restart's button, which you can put in the toolbar or the add-on bar.
Note that Memory Restart uses Firefox's about:memory to determine how much its using, which may be different than what you see in the Task Manager. Either way, all you need to do is keep an eye on Memory Restart's display, and note the threshold at which Firefox starts to slow down for you. Then, set that as your threshold in the preferences, and the button will turn red (or restart automatically) whenever Firefox reaches that level of memory usage.
Memory Restart is a free download, works anywhere Firefox does. If you're on Windows, you'll also want to check out previously mentioned Memory Fox, which tries to manage Firefox's memory for you.

READ MORE - Memory Restart Tells You When Firefox’s Memory Usage Gets Too High (and Restarts It For You)

Giles Deacon designs 3D glasses for LG

LG has brought us the latest must have 3D equipment.
Make way for these limited edition 3D spectacles made in collaboration with British fashion designer Giles Deacon.
The colourful glasses can be used for 3D screens in cinemas and they can also be used for 3D TVs in the comfort of your own home.
The range, simply called ‘Giles for LG’, can be purchased exclusively at the London-based department store, Selfridges.
If you are willing to spent £29.95, they can be yours.
Giles Deacon was quoted as saying:

“LG produce innovative and exciting products and these glasses are designed to complement that. GILES is a label that creates trends using design that is conversational, with lots of colour and bold statement prints.
“Working with LG has given me a chance to experiment with technology which is something that I am constantly inspired by.”

With these specs, no one will ever have the excuse again of looking dorky in 3D glasses – or will they?

READ MORE - Giles Deacon designs 3D glasses for LG