Microsoft releases Silverlight 3.0

Not willing to concede the market to Adobe, Microsoft has released a new major version of its Silverlight web browser plug-in. Among the new features in version 3.0 are 3D support, GPU acceleration, support for H.264 and AAC encoding, deep linking, image and text improvements and more. The official launch of Silverlight 3 is scheduled for tomorrow, but the actual bits are available now fromMicrosoft’s website.

One of the main new features of Silverlight 3 is its support for running applications outside the browser. This is similar to Adobe’s AIR in that it will allow apps to run on Windows or Mac clients and provide users with online, offline or intermittently connected access to content. However, Microsoft officials claim there will be advantages that Silverlight 3 offers over AIR, starting with the fact that developers and users won’t need to download an additional runtime in order to get out-of-the-browser support.

Microsoft is also including Smooth Streaming support in Silverlight 3, which dynamically detects network and local PC conditions to seamlessly switch the video quality of videos. People with high-bandwidth connections and newer hardware can experience HD quality streaming, while others with lower connection speeds or simply experiencing a temporary drop in bandwidth receive an appropriate stream for their current conditions, allowing an uninterrupted streaming experience with the highest quality possible

Future multi-process support likely for Firefox.

Mozilla has made dramatic improvements when it comes to speed in recent times, but one feature its Firefox browser notably lacks compared to Google Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 is multi-process browsing. As we’ve mentioned before, there are several benefits of having each page or tab run in a separate process, not the least of which are performance gains when using multiple processor cores and the added stability.

We already know Mozilla has begun a four-plus phase project, dubbed Electrolysis, to bring the feature to Firefox. So, how far along are they? According to the project roadmap, just about done with phase 1, which is to get basic code working in a prototype that runs plug-ins and content tabs in separate processes. In fact Mozilla's Chris Jones posted a video last month that shows how a page rendering process can be terminated independently, so that a page-specific crash would take down only the page and not the entire browser.

To accomplish this, Mozilla is using some code from Chromium, the open source development version of Google's browser. They are also contemplating the possibility of replacing existing Firefox components, such as the browser's network stack, with additional code from Chromium. Development team leader Benjamin Smedberg had has posted some additional information on the project, which is expected to conclude phase 2 by November 2009. The end of phase 3 should be synonymous with shipping, but a deadline was not offered for it at this time.

Google to launch operating system

Google is developing an operating system (OS) for personal computers, in a direct challenge to market leader Microsoft and its Windows system.

Google Chrome OS will be aimed initially at small, low-cost netbooks, but will eventually be used on PCs as well.

Google said netbooks with Chrome OS could be on sale by the middle of 2010.

"Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS," the firm said in its official blog.

The operating system, which will run on an open source licence, was a "natural extension" of its Chrome browser, the firm said.

The news comes just months before Microsoft launches the latest version of its operating system, called Windows 7

"We're designing the OS to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you on to the web in a few seconds," said the blog post written by Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product management, and Google's engineering director Linus Upson.

Both men said that "the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web" and that this OS was "our attempt to rethink what operating systems should be".

To that end, the search giant said the new OS would go back to basics.

"We are completely redesigning the underlying security architecture of the OS so that users don't have to deal with viruses, malware and security updates.

"It should just work," said Google.

Google already has an operating system for mobile phones called Android which can also be used to run on netbooks. Google Chrome OS will be aimed not just at laptops but also at desktops for those who spend a lot of time on the web.

Gmail, Google docs and other apps officially leave "beta"

Google has made such liberal use of the “beta” moniker over the years that it has almost become a running gag with them. Generally, even years after a Google service has been deployed, it's still referred to as beta software. While it does good to remind users that they can tweak the service at any point and not to expect miracles, it's not something that inspires confidence in businesses and others looking for online services they can rely upon. Even if Gmail is rock-solid, who wants to use a “beta” product in a production environment?

It is for that reason and others that Google has finally decided to strip several of their online apps of their beta status. Google Docs, Calendar, Talk and Gmail have all officially left the beta stage. Though there have been no major changes to these apps recently, Google claims that each of them has exceeded what is expected of beta software. Further, the introduction of service level agreements on Google Apps indicates that these are “production-ready” services, suitable for business use.

Clearly, Google wants to make more money off their products. Though it may be nothing more than a name change, and many home users may not care if Google calls their service beta or not, it's an important change to those who intend to pay for a premium account.

First look on Sony Ericsson's First Android phone.

Ever since Sony Ericsson joined the Open Handset Alliance back in December last year, it was pretty much assumed they were working on a Google Android-based smartphone, but the company has kept mum on its plans. Thanks to some recently leaked documents uncovered by Danish site Mobil, however, now there are leaked photos and details of the upcoming device.

Code-named “Rachel,” the smartphone is expected to be officially announced later this year as part of Sony Ericsson’s expanding line of Xperia products, which so far includes the Windows Mobile-based X1 model. It is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform (QSD8250), capable of up to 1GHz processor speeds and 7.2Mbit per second HSPA downlink speeds, and will feature a promising 8.1-megapixel camera with autofocus and flash. In addition, the phone boasts a pressure-sensitive touch screen that measures roughly 4 inches diagonally, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and a miniUSB port.

Depending on its release date, Sony Ericsson’s upcoming device could run Android 2.0 – also known as the Donut update – and perhaps even offer Flash support. That, however, is just speculation for now.

First iPhone 3GS jailbreak hits the web

The first jailbreak solution for Apple’s iPhone 3GS smartphone has been released by George Holtz, a young developer who also unlocked the original iPhone. Called “purplera1n,” the latest hack is currently available for Windows XP and Vista users only, and requires the latest iTunes installed as well as an iPhone 3GS with the 3.0 firmware. A Mac version is promised to follow shortly.

Holtz cautions that purplera1n is in beta and recommends a full backup of the phone is made before running the software, but the procedure seems pretty straightforward. As detailed on his blog: “Connect your iPhone normally. Click ‘make it ra1n.’ Wait. On bootup, run Freeze, the purplera1n installer app.” This will allow iPhone 3GS users to install any application directly onto their device, including those not sanctioned by Apple, but it won’t free you from your current carrier. The ultrasn0w toolshould take care of that.

You can find a download link for purplera1n here and additional details on Holtz's blog here, including some crash reports on the comments that you’ll probably want to sift through before taking the plunge.

Microsoft to offer three-user Windows 7 Family Pack

Microsoft may be introducing a Family Pack for Windows 7 Home Premium, according to a pair of reports citing details in the end-user licensing agreement (EULA) of a recently-leaked build. The still-unconfirmed plan would enable users to install a single copy the operating system on up to three computers in a household, and falls in line with similar licensing Microsoft already has for the Home and Student Edition of Microsoft Office 2007.

There's no word on Family Pack pricing yet. Some suggest it would be somewhere around $189 to undercut Apple’s comparable plan which gives you five OS X licenses for $199, but when you look at the pricing for a standalone one-user copy of Home Premium, it's $120 for an upgrade and $200 for a full version. How the company ends up structuring its Family Pack pricing is anybody's guess, but it seems clear Microsoft still has some surprises up its sleeve to give XP and Vista users a bigger incentive to upgrade their systems.

The company announced a somewhat similar deal with the launch of Windows Vista back in 2007, though it was a limited-time offer for customers who bought retail copies of Vista Ultimate, the most-expensive SKU in the line.

Firefox 3.5 breaks new download records

When Mozilla made the transition from the Firefox 2.x series to the current 3.x series, they broke a record by netting over 8 million downloads in the first day it was available. Much of this was due to a very successful PR campaign. Firefox 3.5 was released without all that fanfare, but still managed to hold its own. Enough people were interested in the update to net Mozilla over 5 million downloads in the first 24 hours of availability.

What's more, this time they did it without any server mishaps, no doubt planning for a surge in server load in advance. Whether or not 3.5 is an exciting release is left up to you, but we can all agree that Mozilla has definitely helped changed the face of the Internet in the past several years. Hopefully they will continue to do such as Firefox becomes a more serious competitor than ever against IE.