Safari Original Name

Steve Jobs originally wanted to call Safari Web browser ‘Freedom’

By on December 20, 2012 at 1:02 PM.

Steve Jobs originally wanted to call Safari Web browser ‘Freedom’

Just as Steve Jobs originally (and dubiously) thought “Bicycle” was a good name for the original Macintosh or “MacMan” for the first iMac, the late Apple (AAPL) CEO almost went with the name “Freedom” for its Web browser. Former retired Apple programmer Don Melton writes on his blog that other names on the table included “Alexander” and “iBrowse,” but in the end Jobs chose “Safari.
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Microsoft working on original ‘interactive video’ programming for Xbox Live

By on September 18, 2012 at 5:20 PM.

Microsoft working on original ‘interactive video’ programming for Xbox Live

Xbox Live Original Videos

With 40 million users on Xbox Live, Microsoft (MSFT) is reportedly preparing to create original video programming to be distributed on the Xbox 360, according to a report from The New York Times.  The report states that Microsoft has hired ex-CBS TV executive Nancy Tellem to “oversee a Microsoft production studio based in Los Angeles that will create both traditional ‘linear’ programming and interactive programming that fuses video and gamelike content.” It’s not immediately clear what the latter would be like, but something along 1 vs. 100 comes to mind. It’s also possible “video and gamelike content” could be referring to the company’s upcoming SmartGlass initiative that will use tablets and smartphones as secondary screens alongside TV content. As it stands now, Xbox Live only delivers videos from standard content providers.

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Motorola Photon Q LTE officially headed to Sprint

By on July 26, 2012 at 5:00 PM.

Motorola Photon Q LTE officially headed to Sprint

Motorola Photon Q LTE Sprint

Sprint (S) on Thursday formally announced that it would soon offer Motorola’s Photon Q LTE, although the carrier has not yet specified a release date or pricing information. The new smartphone will have a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, a 4.3-inch display screen, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a rear-facing 8MP camera with 1080p video capture, and LTE and NFC connectivity. Sprint says that pricing and availability for the device will be made available in the coming weeks. More →

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More bad news: Developers are giving up on BlackBerry, too [updated]

By on July 13, 2012 at 9:45 AM.

More bad news: Developers are giving up on BlackBerry, too [updated]

BlackBerry Developer Loyalty 2012

Research In Motion has shown us some pretty awesome things so far with BlackBerry 10. Areas of the mobile OS look fresh and exciting, and for the first time in a long time, RIM looks to be innovating in a few key areas rather than just playing catch-up. The problem, however, is that RIM is trying to rebound by introducing a brand new platform at what is likely the worst time in the smartphone industry’s history to introduce a new platform.

Updated with a statement from RIM after final paragraph.
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HTC teases voice assistant to compete with Apple’s Siri

By on June 22, 2012 at 4:20 PM.

HTC teases voice assistant to compete with Apple’s Siri

HTC Siri Voice Assistant Teaser

HTC on Friday posted an image on its Facebook page teasing a voice assistant that may look to compete withApple’s Siri and Samsung’s S-Voice. While the image contains the caption, “Ever wonder what your pet has been trying to tell you all these years,” but we are almost certain HTC isn’t releasing a dog translator. With enhanced voice command and voice assistant features growing more popular, it is only logical that HTC would follow suit and roll out a service that will compliment its Sense user interface and service layer. More →

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Samsung and Apple CEOs agree to meet and discuss patents

By on April 17, 2012 at 4:24 PM.

Samsung and Apple CEOs agree to meet and discuss patents

Samsung and Apple’s CEOs have finally agreed to meet to discuss a possible settlement to the companies on-going legal battle, Reuters reported on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh referred the companies to a San Francisco-based magistrate judge who will mediate the talks, which have a 90-day deadline. The two battling companies have been in a bitter patent war since last April that includes more than 20 cases in 10 countries. A trial between the two is scheduled for July in the United States. More →

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We’re hiring!

By on April 5, 2012 at 2:26 PM.

We’re hiring!

Do you flip out every time a new Android phone is reviewed and desperately wish you yourself could be the reviewer? Maybe you’ve had an apple with a bite out of it tattooed on your wrist? Want to write about technology, test devices, and work with one of the most influential tech sites out there? We have a lean team, and we’re setting traffic records all the time (March was our biggest month — ever!), but we’re looking for the right people to come on board and help us take things to the next level. A lot of tech news can be boring and regurgitated, and we want to change that. Here’s what we’re looking for right now:

  • Full-time East Coast News Editor
  • Full-time East Coast Writer

If you’d like to apply, please send an email to jobs at bgr dot com with the position you’re applying for in the subject. Please include the following:

  • Some information about yourself. Your name, where you live, what you like, your passion for all things tech, etc.
  • Education and work-related information. A background in journalism or tech blogging is a big plus.
  • Your top-four favorite gadgets or pieces of tech of all time. Phones, TVs, gaming systems — whatever!
  • Three sample posts written in the BGR flavor. Be comfortable with the writing, keep it professional, and write things you think would appear on the site, written by one of us.

Please don’t send us attachments!

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Mercedes-Benz to bring Siri integration to all A-Class vehicles

By on February 28, 2012 at 7:40 PM.

Mercedes-Benz to bring Siri integration to all A-Class vehicles

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled plans to integrate Apple’s Siri voice assistant into its A-Class vehicles, according to a report from PSFK. The integration would allow drivers to access their iPhone apps using voice commands. The feature is being called the Drive Kit Plus program and will work in conjunction with Mercedes-Benz’ Digital DriveStyle app to translate the iPhone’s screen onto the in-car display. The program will feature compatibility with popular apps such as Twitter and Facebook pre-installed, and drivers will be able to listen to music, change radio stations, update their status on social networks and send text messages using voice commands as well. According to the report, the car’s integrated Garmin navigation system will be also compatible with Siri commands. Mercedes-Benz is the first car maker to integrate Apple’s voice assistant into a vehicle, with the feature reportedly set to debut at the 2012 Geneva auto show next month and a rollout to all A-Class vehicles scheduled to begin this fall. More →

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Google and other advertisers agree to honor ‘do-not-track’ browser feature

By on February 23, 2012 at 8:30 PM.

Google and other advertisers agree to honor ‘do-not-track’ browser feature

A coalition of Internet giants has agreed to support a “do-not-track” button that can be embedded in most Web browsers. The Digital Advertising Alliance, which includes Internet heavy weight Google, represents over 400 companies and will work to begin adopting and honoring the system within nine months, reports The Wall Street Journal. The feature, which is already implemented in Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, will restrict the data that websites can collect about a user through cookies when activated. Even people who clicked on the button within FireFox, IE or Safari, were still being tracked, however, because advertisers and tracking companies hadn’t agreed to honor the system. Google is expected to update its Chrome Web browser by the end of the year to include a do-not-track button. More →

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Microsoft claims Google is bypassing Internet Explorer privacy settings

By on February 20, 2012 at 6:00 PM.

Microsoft claims Google is bypassing Internet Explorer privacy settings

Last week, it was revealed that Google and other leading advertising companies had been bypassing the privacy settings of millions of unknowing Safari users. The Mountain View-based company maintained its innocence and claimed it “used known Safari functionality to provide features that signed-in Google users had enabled.” Microsoft is now claiming that the search giant has used a similar technique to bypass privacy settings in Internet Explorer. By default, IE blocks third-party cookies unless the site provides a “P3P Compact Policy Statement” indicating how the cookies will be used and agreeing to not track the user. Microsoft claims that Google is improperly representing certain cookies, which allows them to pass through IE’s security without disclosing the company’s intent. Google has not responded to Microsoft’s claims. More →

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Google and other advertisers used ‘a special code’ to bypass Safari privacy restrictions

By on February 17, 2012 at 9:05 PM.

Google and other advertisers used ‘a special code’ to bypass Safari privacy restrictions

Google and other leading advertising companies have been bypassing the privacy settings of millions of unknowing Safari users, reports the Wall Street Journal. Using “a special code,” the companies were able to bypass the browser’s privacy restrictions and install cookies on a user’s computer, even when such actions were supposed to be blocked. Companies such as Google use cookies to track browsing habits across websites that it places advertisements on. Apple’s Safari Web browser blocks these third-party cookies by default, only allowing them on a website that a user directly interacts with. Read on for more. More →

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Mozilla plans Metro-style Firefox browser for Windows 8

By on February 13, 2012 at 9:45 PM.

Mozilla plans Metro-style Firefox browser for Windows 8

Mozilla announced on Monday that it will release a Metro-specific version of Firefox for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 8 platform. The browser will require “a new Firefox front end and system integration points” and be based on the Gecko layout engine. “The feature goal here is a new Gecko-based browser built for and integrated with the Metro environment,” said the company’s planning document. “Firefox on Metro, like all other Metro apps will be full screen, focused on touch interactions, and connected to the rest of the Metro environment through Windows 8 contracts.” The company may also produce a live tile that would display updates on the home screen. Mozilla hopes to unveil its new browser in the second quarter of 2012. More →

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Mozilla developing push notification system for Firefox

By on February 3, 2012 at 5:01 PM.

Mozilla developing push notification system for Firefox

Mozilla is developing a push notification system for the company’s Firefox Web browser. The system will allow users to receive notifications from any website, even if the site is not open in a tab or window. The system will also be able to relay push notifications to mobile devices. Mozilla is seemingly looking to close the gap between desktop Web apps and native mobile apps, which utilize push notification systems on a number of mobile platforms. “Push notifications are a way for websites to send small messages to users when the user is not on the site,” said Mozilla developer Jeff Balogh on the company’s blog. “iOS and Android devices already support their own push notification services, but we want to make notifications available to the whole web.” The system is currently in early planning stages and there is no available time table for release. More →

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