Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft announced back at its Build developer conference that it was bringing Internet Explorer 11 to Windows 7, and it’s already partially made good on that promise by letting developers get an early look. By now, though, the company’s given the browser enough spit and polish that it’s ready for public consumption: the Release Preview is now available for anybody to download. As you’d expect, Microsoft claims IE11 is the fastest desktop browser available, and that it’s 30 percent quicker than the next-fastest browser (that would be Firefox, or at least that’s what Microsoft says). Also, the Release Preview is apparently a bit speedier than the Developer Preview was back in June: Redmond says average SunSpider scores have dropped from 144ms to an even-better 137ms. At any rate, now that the browser’s available, you’re free to download it and benchmark it yourself, if that’s what floats your boat.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft (1), (2)

As promised, Internet Explorer 11 is making its way to Windows 7, slowly but surely. Almost a month after we got our first serious taste of Microsoft’s latest browser, currently available on Windows 8.1 only, the developer preview version for Win 7 has hit the web. Obviously, there’s a lot less Metro-flavored flash, but the most important features and improvements should still carry over. The biggest news is the improved performance and load times. Microsoft is quite proud of the enhancements it’s made to Chakra, it’s JavaScript engine, and claims it’s significantly faster than Chrome, Firefox and Opera. As always, though, you can take these self-administered benchmarks with a grain of salt. There’s also support for WebGL and advanced HTML5 video features, like those powering the next-generation Netflix player. And, seeing as how this is a developer preview, the package wouldn’t be complete with out some updated tools for building sites and web apps, in the form of an overhauled F12, that borrows heavily from Visual Studio. If your’e looking for some more fine-grained details or just want to download it for yourself, hit up the source link.

Filed under: Internet, Microsoft

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Source: MSDN

Intel’s Haswell-based processors may be just around the corner, but the suit-and-tie crowd can’t always wait to buy new PCs, can it? Fujitsu has those impatient corporate buyers covered with a refresh to its E-series Lifebooks. The 13.3-inch E733, 14-inch E743 and 15.6-inch E753 all keep on trucking with Ivy Bridge, but come in silver and red designs that are more elegant than what we saw last year. Not that they’re just skin-deep upgrades, mind you. The more common configurations tout more recent 2.6GHz Core i5 processors and 500GB hybrid hard drives, while each system can scale up to 16GB of RAM and a Core i7 for extra-demanding work. When prices start at $999, the new Lifebooks may be inexpensive enough to make shoppers feel better about their timing — at least, for a few weeks.

Filed under: Laptops

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Source: Fujitsu (1), (2), (3)

If you’re a Windows 7 user and you’ve been dragging your heels when it comes to that Service Pack 1 upgrade, then prepare to get an extra dose of encouragement from Microsoft. Starting tomorrow, the company will begin deploying SP1 via Windows Update to all neglected PCs, and just so you’re aware, the update won’t require your consent. The push will happen a phased rollout over the next few weeks, and as for the consequence of not upgrading, Microsoft will no longer support Windows 7 RTM as of April 9th. Naturally, PCs that are managed by system admins can be shielded from the deployment, but for everyone else, it seems that you’d best prepare for the inevitable.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Via: TNW

Source: Microsoft

Mozilla hasn’t been the most eager supporter of commercialized media formats; it flipped the H.264 switch in Firefox’s HTML5 support last year only when it was clear WebM wasn’t taking off. Still, those who regularly test the company’s latest work will be glad to hear that support for AAC, MP3 and H.264-based MP4 is now enabled by default in Firefox nightly builds. Provided you’re using Windows 7 or newer, it’s no longer necessary to change settings to play relatively common HTML5 audio and video formats. Web users wanting the extra support in a finished version of the browser will need to wait for a completed Firefox 22, which is expected to launch in late June; risk takers just need to check out the source links.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Source: Thundering Herd, Mozilla