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Happy 4th of July! While there are good things going on at the MSN adLabs, while I was on there today, I spotted an ad for Microsoft Silverlight. In their words:

Microsoft® Silverlight™ is a cross-browser, cross-platform, and cross-device plug-in for delivering the next generation of media experiences

I didn’t even bother to install it to find out more on their site. Someone let me know if it’s worth a darn.

Technorati Tags: Silverlight

Normally, I don’t use this space to blog about software but the Flock web browser has recently shown up on my radar. At version 1.1, this is an early stage in the development of this “Social Web Browser” – a Mozilla/Gecko browsing core with integrated social bookmarking, blogging, media and webmail support.

Users who are online all day know that every keystroke saved is worth investigating. That (and my general, geek’s interest) what was initially intriguing about the FREE Flock browser download I saw in the PC Magazine Best Free Software list. Through a vertical browser frame, Flock loads quick links to your favorite social services. If you’re big into communities like Facebook, Flickr, Blogger or Magnolia the browser allows you to pre-load your user information for quick and easy access to those services. Webmail services like GMail are supported as well, so all bases are covered. As stated within their company info,

Flock is an open source company that innovates on the superior, constantly-improving Mozilla architecture to provide a fast, safe and competitive browsing experience.

Which brings me to my only cynical question: How is the Flock browser better or different than customizing Firefox itself with toolbars and add-ins? Maybe you can tell me. The two are so closely related that my StatsCounter info reads Flock as Firefox. To be precise, the browser footprint reads as Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080304 Firefox/2.0.0.12 Flock/1.1.

The install is currently only approved for Windows machines (with the notable exception of Ultima Linux) but indications are it’ll run smoothly on any GNU/Linux on x86 box. Perhaps I’ll hop on my Asus Laptop running their slick Linux OS, install the browser and see what happens.

What kind of reception is this upstart receiving from the tech world at large? Recently, the Flock web browser was awarded a South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) Annual Web Award under the “community” category. There’s been a bit of press in Wired and other outlets but let’s see if their user base can drum up enough support to keep the angel-funded venture on a roll. If the 160+ topics in the Community section of their forums is any indication, good buzz is well under way.

Technorati Tags: Flock web browser

Yes, my prediction is that Android, Google’s open source mobile phone software, is going to take over soon… might I say rule the world!? Ok, maybe not, but there is a lot of buzz about the Open Handset Alliance and Google’s desire to produce a mobile phone “platform” that would be available for open source application development. What’s the story?

Originally, there were rumors that Google was going to produce a “GPhone” much like Apple’s iPhone hardware. Adding fuel to the fire was the company’s acquisition of Android back in August 2005. Then, there were rumors they were just going to start producing some phone software. But (last week) Google announced its leadership of the Open Handset Alliance,

a group of more than 30 technology and mobile companies who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together we have developed Android™, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform. [more]

With this, they have now positioned themselves as a leading participant in an open source phone platform that can be freely distributed & infinitely customized by ALL mobile phone manufacturers. Why just stock the shelves when you can run the store, right? Of course they still have their eye on the hardware market (the Open Handset Alliance promises a handset w/ Android in 2008) but the primary goal is to provide handset makers and even individual wireless operators an easy way to develop custom applications for their users. It’s easy to imagine how the apps developed by companies and end users are going to turn mobile devices into a hotbed of 2.0 mashup applications using maps, profiles (ala Dodgeball) and geo-information. People are already putting together alpha versions of Android apps, as mentioned in this recent News.com article.

It’s an exciting time to watch the mobile world. No doubt Google has positioned itself, alongside its Android, to rule the world.

Technorati Tags: Android, Open Handset Alliance

Just a quick note to check out the Minimo browser (also available for download at Download.com…).

an open source mobile browser that acquired its name not from the more renowned Firefox browser, but from Mozilla’s much earlier project. As one Minimo forums moderator quipped, “It ain’t Firefox…”

With the rise of the iPhone, this “smaller” browser is one of only a few options. Another? Try Opera Mini.

Technorati Tags: Minimo, Opera Mini, iPhone