Stephen Shankland

Mozilla’s Firefox Daylight browser for Android is out. Here are 5 reasons to try it

Mozilla released Firefox Daylight on Tuesday, an overhauled version of its Firefox browser for Android phones that marks a new step to claim some influence player in the crucial mobile market. The new browser, with better speed and stronger privacy, is available in Europe and will be released in North America on Thursday. About 33 million people use …

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IBM doubles its quantum computer performance

IBM has doubled the performance of its quantum computers compared with last year’s model, a key step in delivering on the promise of the revolutionary machines. But it’s only an early step, and rivals are breathing down Big Blue’s neck. The fundamental data processing element in a quantum computer is called a qubit, and having more of them is better. …

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How Intel will keep Moore’s Law cranking for years to come

Moore’s Law, the observation that the number of transistors on a computer chip doubles every 24 months, has taken a beating as progress miniaturizing circuitry falters. But chip giant Intel has plotted a course to keep the idea alive with a plan to pack 50 times as many transistors onto processors than is possible today. The progress of Moore’s Law, …

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Intel Tiger Lake chips mean faster PCs with longer battery life for 2020

If you need a new laptop, you might want to hold off until later this year when Intel’s newest chips are available. Tiger Lake chips promise faster speeds, better graphics and longer battery life.  Formally called Intel’s 11th generation Core processors, the chips will create more realistic explosions in Call of Duty and allow for longer PowerPoint slide decks before …

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Facebook objects to Apple fees, becoming a big new app store critic

Facebook has objected to the 30% fee Apple charges for purchases that take place within apps running on iPhones, a major source of revenue for Apple and an increasingly contentious issue for developers. The fee hurts businesses trying to take advantage of a new feature in Facebook’s app to sell services like video streams or online classes, the social-networking giant …

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Mozilla cuts 25% of workforce after pandemic hits revenue

Firefox browser maker Mozilla is eliminating 250 jobs amid the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Executive Mitchell Baker said Tuesday. The layoffs, which affect about 25 percent of its staff, mean Mozilla will reduce spending in areas like expanding the abilities of the web and improving tools for developers. “Economic conditions resulting from the global pandemic have significantly impacted our revenue. As …

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Twitter’s app is helping stop phones from strangling the web

For years, Twitter has offered both a website and mobile apps for iPhones and Android. But in 2017, it decided to marry the two approaches. The result is one of the highest-profile examples of what’s called a progressive web app, a technology that could rejuvenate the web and challenge the power of app stores. The web got its start as …

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Adobe online PDF tools tap into Google’s .new internet addresses

Since 2018, Google has let you type doc.new, slide.new and sheet.new into your browser address bar to fire up a blank document for G Suite’s Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Sheets. Now there’s a new option using the same approach from Adobe: PDF.new. Adobe invented the Portable Document Format standard, which is now widely used for digital documents like …

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Google’s plan for Chrome capability has a big security risk

Google is working to dramatically increase the power of web browsers. There’s one big problem: The plan could create new security problems that undermine the web. The web has had a remarkable track record of thwarting attacks. You can generally click a link and trust that your browser will protect you. By contrast, app stores require constant monitoring to keep …

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Google’s web app plans collide with Apple’s iPhone, Safari rules

Google and Apple, which already battle over mobile operating systems, are opening a new front in their fight. How that plays out may determine the future of the web. Google was born on the web, and its business reflects its origin. The company depends on the web for search and advertising revenue. So it isn’t a surprise that Google sees …

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