Hasta La Gadget!

We all knew today was the day, but just in case you’ve been zoned out in Kauai the past few weeks, Microsoft’s getting set to release its refreshed build of Internet Explorer to the general public today. IE9 Beta is said to be a beta that’s essentially done, so you shouldn’t have too much to fear when the download links go live later today. The crew at Redmond claims that it’s far more compliant with HTML5, CSS3 and SVG2 standards, and that it’s the only game in town with full hardware acceleration. Keep an eye on that source link for a shot at downloading your copy later today, and if you’re terrified of offending your existing Firefox or Chrome installation, we’ll do you one better — our own in-depth review will be going live in a matter of hours.

Update: It’s out! Check out our review if you’re still feeling antsy.

Internet Explorer 9 Beta seeing public release later today (update: it’s out!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Two years. Can you believe it’s only been two years since we started browsing the internet faster than a potato can tear through the air? Well, Google can, and it’s certainly not been sitting around during that time, improving Chrome‘s JavaScript performance by a factor of 3, and throwing in a litany of additional features, like tab side-by-side view, themes, auto-translation, and bookmark and preference sync across machines. To celebrate the anniversary, the company’s uploaded version numero 6 to its stable channel, which brings a few more GUI optimizations and some bug fixes to the table. Hardware graphics acceleration isn’t yet included in the public release, but it too shall be joining the party before long.

Chrome is now 2 years old! Google celebrates with release of version 6 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 06:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Once again, the whispers were true. Microsoft has proudly announced on this fine day that September 15th will mark the official launch of the Internet Explorer 9 Beta, but details beyond that are scant. We do know that the Big M will hold a gala in San Francisco to celebrate “The Beauty of the Web,” and once it hits the tubes, you’ll need either Vista or Windows 7 to use it (sorry, XP loyalists). ‘Course, it remains to be seen if IE can catch up to Chrome and Firefox in the technical department, but at least you can start preparing your existing squeeze for somewhat of a letdown next month. Let ’em down easy, okay?

Internet Explorer 9 Beta launching September 15th, might enter a beauty pageant originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 16:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been almost a year since RIM picked up Torch Mobile and locked its newly acquired division in a closet, telling those coders to not come out until BlackBerry had a world-class browser. Early tests from Salomondrin, the self-described “007 of the Phone World,” indicates that those tired engineers can now finally go home and get some sleep. The new WebKit-based browser, a part of BlackBerry OS 6.0, managed a score of 208 on the Acid HTML5 tests, measuring browser compliance and performance. Meanwhile the iPhone 4 scored 185 and HTC’s Incredible pulled down 151. Mind you, benchmark performance doesn’t always equate to real-world browser responsiveness, but regardless this is good news for CrackBerry addicts. The only question now is: when will they get their fix?

Update: The browsers were run through a suite of tests, and the above scores were actually from The HTML5 Test!

BlackBerry 6’s WebKit-based browser bests the competition in a good ‘ol standards showdown originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Four short months after Opera 10.5, the Scandinavian potato boilers are back for more — the latest version of their lightweight web browser features not only claims to be the fastest, but the first final browser with WebM video support. While we actually noticed a variety of web videos felt choppy with the Windows version, there’s no denying it’s a speedy little hummingbird; Engadget felt snappier on Opera than Chrome or Firefox by far. Don’t take our word for it, though — try it out for yourself at the source link.

Opera 10.6 hits Windows, Mac and Linux with faster Javascript, WebM video support originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jul 2010 12:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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