Tag Archives: webrtc

Firefox 24 arrives with WebRTC video chats on Android, quick-close tabs on desktop

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Firefox 24 arrives with quickclose tabs, WebRTC on Android

Mozilla has just released Firefox 24, and this refresh lavishes most of its attention on the Android version. The updated mobile browser enables WebRTC support, letting Android users conduct web-based video chats without a plugin. These surfers can also share browser tabs between NFC-capable devices, launch a preferred sharing app from the main menu, read in Braille and enable a Night mode in Reader. Desktop users aren't completely left out of the upgrade frenzy, however. Firefox 24 lets them quickly close all tabs to the right of a selected tab, drag out chat windows and use the stealthier scrollbars in OS X Lion and newer. If you're intrigued by any of the new Firefox clients, you can grab the edition you need at one of the source links.

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Via: Mozilla Blog (1), (2)

Source: Firefox, Google Play

Google+ Hangouts moving to HD video soon, going plugin-free within months

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Google Hangouts Studio Mode

You may not have noticed it yet, but Google is in the middle of sweeping changes to Hangouts that should offer big improvements to image quality and accessibility. The company tells GigaOM that it's currently upgrading its video chat service to 720p by switching from the H.264 video codec to the more efficient (and Google-controlled) VP8 standard. HD-quality Hangouts should be available soon after Google finishes the VP8 rollout to web users late next week. A sharper picture is just one part of the puzzle, however. The switch to VP8 also sets the stage for WebRTC support, which will let Google offer plugin-free Hangouts in browsers like Chrome and Firefox within the next several months. The search giant will still offer a plugin for holdouts, but they may soon be the exceptions to the rule.

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Source: GigaOM

Chrome 30 beta adds quicker access to search by image, improved gestures and much, much more

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Chrome 30 beta adds quicker access to search by image, improved gestures and much, much more

The Chrome 30 beta has one of the longer lists of new features we've seen from the browser in quite some time. One of the most immediately visible will be a new option to search by image when you right-click or long-press on one. It'll use your default search provider to perform the task, but chances are you'll be using Google's own top-notch photo-mining service. The Android edition is also revamping its various gestures to make them easier to perform and lessen the chance of accidentally triggering them. Now all the gestures are performed in the top tool bar: swipe left or right to switch tabs, down from the middle to initiate the tab selector or down from the upper right-hand corner to open the menu.

As if that wasn't enough, the back-end tech is getting a slew of new features on both the desktop and mobile sides. The Android version of the Chrome beta now supports WebGL, the MediaSource API and DeviceMotion, for making use of the accelerometer in the browser. MediaSource is particularly useful for generating dynamic streams of content that can adjust bit-rates on the fly, based on the quality of the connection. On the desktop, a load of new APIs have been added to the Chrome App framework, including support for in-app payments and downloads. WebRTC and speech recognition have also received improvements across all platforms. You can find out more details at the source and download the new Chrome beta at the more coverage links below.

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Source: Chromium Blog, Chrome Blog

Chrome 29 brings more intelligent omnibox suggestions, while Android users nab WebRTC support

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Chrome 29 brings more intelligent omnibox suggestions, while Android users nab WebRTC support

Those with a hearty level of respect for beta builds have been enjoying these spoils for weeks now, but Google has today seen fit to push Chrome 29 and a refreshed Chrome for Android out to rest of us. Effective right now, Chrome 29 users on the desktop will see "improvements to omnibox suggestions based on the recency of websites visited, resulting in more timely and contextually relevant suggestions." Interestingly, Google has also added a "Reset browser settings" option for those who end up going a bit overboard with extensions; thankfully, waving the aforesaid white flag won't impact your themes, apps or bookmarks.

On the mobile front, Chrome on Android is being updated with improved scrolling and startup performance, as well as WebRTC support that will enable video conversation directly in the browser without a plugin. Yeah, we thought you'd dig that.

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Source: Google Chrome Blog, Google Play Store

Firefox for Android Beta gains new features and improvements

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Firefox for Android Beta gains new features and improvements

It's been a busy couple months for the folks over at Mozilla. The company rolled out a new logo, launched the first Firefox OS handset and shipped version 23 of its popular web browser. Still, Mozilla shows no signs of slowing down -- it just announced a new version of Firefox for Android Beta, which is ready for download and testing. The update brings a raft of new features and improvements, including WebRTC support for real-time web communications, a new Reader and Reading List with enhanced functionality, NFC Bump to share URLs on compatible phones, a Quickshare menu to share content with other apps and additional languages (Catalan-Spanish, British-English and Swedish) for a total of 24. Moreover, Firefox Beta for Windows, OS X and Linux gains a tweaked Browser Console to help web developers -- phew!

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Source: Mozilla blog

Chrome beta brings improved suggestions to address bar, Android users get new WebRTC benefits

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Chrome beta brings improved suggestions to address bar, Android users get new WebRTC benefits

Google has rolled out some changes to its Chrome browser on a number of fronts today, with new betas hitting Windows, Mac, Linux and Android. For those on a traditional desktop or laptop, the biggest change comes to the address bar (or "omnibox," as Google calls it), which the company says will now offer suggestions based on the based on the recency of websites visited and deliver "more contextually relevant suggestions at the right time." Those using Chrome on an Android phone or tablet can apparently expect to see faster page loading times, as well as higher-quality web-based audio applications courtesy of the Web Audio API (Google has a MIDI Synth demo you can try out) and in-browser videoconferencing that's now possible thanks to the new WebRTC implementation.

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Source: Google Chrome Blog, Chromium Blog, MIDI Synth demo

Google’s latest Chrome Experiment lets you slam a cube at a friend’s face (video)

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DNP Google invites you to Cube Slam your friend's, or a bear's, face

Google has cobbled together yet another fun Chrome Experiment, and this time it's Cube Slam, a Pong-inspired tennis-style game with video chat support built-in. It was developed with WebRTC, an open source project that lets you enable video conferencing in the browser without plug-ins. This way, you can initiate a game with a friend just by sharing a link. The idea here is to propel a cube at your friend three times in a row until the screen collapses. Various power-ups like fireballs, lasers and shields are available along the way and every level presents an increasingly difficult set of obstacles and challenges.

If you're feeling anti-social, you can also play against a computer character called Bob the Bear (seen above). Indeed, as WebRTC is not available on mobile just yet, the Bear will be your only opponent if you want to play the game on your phone or tablet. We were able to play a single-player game on Safari and Firefox, but Chrome is required for multi-player. Offline play is also available by downloading the app from the Chrome Web Store. Head on past the break to watch a demo of the game in action, or just click on the appropriate source to start hurling cubes at Bob.

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Source: Google Blog, Chromium Blog, Cube Slam (Chrome Store), Cube Slam

The Engadget Interview: Mozilla Firefox VP Johnathan Nightingale

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The Engadget Interview Mozilla Firefox VP Johnathan Nightingale

Talk to those high up at Mozilla and they'll tell you that the platform war for third place is a waste of time; that Windows Phone and BlackBerry are as doomed as each other, because developers will never, ever be interested in the "five percent". That's not to say there isn't room for a rebellious alternative, but the way Mozilla sees it, such an option has already been available since the beginning. It's not another proprietary ecosystem, but something that spans all ecosystems: namely, the web itself, in all its open and hackable glory.

On the other hand, Johnathan Nightingale, VP of Firefox Engineering, acknowledges that most of his estimated 450 million users don't care a jot for this type of sermonizing. All they want is a good browser, which means Nightingale is in a constant "fight" with Chrome and IE over market share and new features. With Firefox OS barely off the ground (and full of uncertainty), and with no iOS relationship to speak of either, it falls to Firefox for Windows, Mac and Android to wage this war, and if you read on you'll discover why Nightingale thinks these browsers will win -- even when they may appear to be losing.

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Firefox 22 beta enables WebRTC by default, HiDPI displays on Windows

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Firefox 22 beta enables WebRTC by default, HiDPI displays on Windows

Though Mozilla has long been a proponent of WebRTC for plugin-free video and voice chat, it hasn't been ready to enable the full protocol in Firefox as a matter of course. It's more confident as of this week: the newly available Firefox 22 beta turns on complete WebRTC use by default, allowing for both live web conversations and peer-to-peer file swaps. There's more to the release as well, depending on the platform. Windows users receive support for HiDPI displays, like that of the Kirabook; every desktop user also gets gaming-friendly OdinMonkey JavaScript tuning, a web notification API and a font inspector. Android users won't have WebRTC and other upgrades for now, but everyone can experiment with the latest Firefox beta at the source links.

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Via: Mozilla (1), (2)

Source: Firefox Beta, Google Play