Nicholas Kolakowski

Mozilla has launched the initial beta of Firefox 4, promising additional beta versions every few weeks as it works on refining the browser. And refinement is crucial, given the increasingly competitive nature of the Web browser market. “Your feedback is essential to help shape the product, which is why we’re launching now to hear from […]

Smartphone Apps for U.S. Government Agencies Explode by Nicholas Kolakowski Name: UV IndexAvailable for: Android, BlackBerry, Mobile WebThis app from the Environmental Protection Agency allows users to monitor the UV index and air-quality ratings for their current location. Name: The White HouseAvailable for: iPhoneThis app provides information from the White House newsroom, along with featured […]

YouTube is offering an updated version of its mobile site, with an eye toward giving users a more streamlined and faster interface for watching video while on the go. “YouTube consumption on mobile devices has also grown considerably,” Andrey Doronichev, a YouTube product manager, wrote in a July 7 posting on the Official YouTube Blog. […]

Google’s application to renew its Internet Content Provider License in China is being reviewed by government officials, who told news agencies there was no set deadline for approval. The announcement represents another step in the sometimes-contentious relationship between the search-engine giant and Beijing. “Google’s annual check-in is under way,” Wang Lijian, chief propaganda official at […]

Borders launched its own e-bookstore July 7, determined to seize a portion of the burgeoning e-reader market. According to the company, the e-bookstore will come stocked at the outset with 1.5 million volumes in a variety of formats; users will be able to access those ebooks through not only the Kobo e-reader marketed through Borders, […]

Microsoft officials are not commenting on rumors that the company will lay off a small number of employees following the July 1 beginning of its new fiscal year, although online reports and blogs frequented by Microsoft employees indicate that those cuts could already be under way.In response to a July 6 query on the blog […]

As Research In Motion preps its BlackBerry 6 operating system, the company is releasing BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.0.2, software with a variety of new features designed to help IT administrators and end users manage their BlackBerry devices within a business context. Many of the features seem oriented toward creating a clearer line between the personal […]

The British government is now in the business of developing for the iPhone, according to a July 6 BBC News report, which suggested that tens of thousands of British Pounds had been earmarked for apps for everything from travel advice to renewing a driver’s license. According to documents obtained via the BBC’s Freedom of Information […]

Apple and other tech companies are facing rising costs in China for their devices, according to a new report in The New York Times. The combination of higher salaries, stronger Chinese currency and economic factors such as inflation could potentially drive up the cost of manufacturing the iPhone 4 and other devices, forcing Chinese factory […]

Another day, another e-reader price cut. On the heels of Amazon.com announcing a retooled-and-cheaper version of its large-screen Kindle DX, Sony slashed the prices of its own e-readers in order to better compete in what has become an ever-hotter market. The Sony Reader Pocket Edition now retails for $149, the new Daily Edition for $299, […]

Microsoft did not have the best week, at least on the corporate front. First came the appearance of an old enemy: in its patent-infringement lawsuit against Microsoft, Salesforce.com has retained David Boies, who represented the Justice Department in its historic antitrust lawsuit against the software giant, as counsel. That lawsuit can be seen as a […]

Microsoft abruptly discontinued its Kin line of social-networking-focused phones June 30, but the impact on the company’s longer-term mobile efforts is expected to be small. The Kin phones had been targeted exclusively at the teenager and young-adult demographic; Microsoft’s other efforts in the mobile space, particularly the upcoming Windows Phone 7, are focused on much […]