TechCrunch: Web Roulette is an addictive, ‘swipeable’ web browser for the TikTok era. “If mindlessly browsing the internet is your preferred way to combat boredom and waste time, the indie app makers behind to-do list app Clear and game Heads Up! have a new product you’ll want to try: Web Roulette, a mobile web browser app for iOS built for the short attention spans of the TikTok era.”
Review Geek: Brave Invents a Convenient Alternative to Incognito Browsing. “The Brave Browser 1.53 update, which should arrive in the coming weeks, introduces a feature called ‘Off the Record’ or ‘OTR.’ The idea is pretty simple; websites can mark themselves as ‘sensitive,’ and when visited, users will have the option to view this site without leaving a paper trail.”
Google Blog: New ways to customize Chrome on your desktop. “Looking for more ways to make Chrome your own? With the latest updates to Chrome on desktop, it’s easier than ever to personalize the look and feel of your browser — exactly how you want it. Here’s a closer look at the ways you can customize Chrome to make it yours.”
Bloomberg: Google to Phase Out Cookies for 1% of Chrome Users in Early 2024. “Alphabet Inc.’s Google will phase out third-party cookies for 1% of the users of its Chrome browser in the first quarter of 2024, a key step in a plan that will upend how advertisements are targeted on websites.”
Ars Technica: Google will retire Chrome’s HTTPS padlock icon because no one knows what it means. “Browsers going all the way back to Internet Explorer have used a small padlock icon to denote that a connection is using HTTPS. But according to the team behind the Chromium browser engine, most people still don’t know what that padlock icon actually means.” It is definitely something that isn’t emphasized as often as it used to be.
Google Blog: 20 new Chrome themes from Asian American and Pacific Islander artists. “For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), we commissioned five Asian American and Pacific Islander artists to design 20 new Chrome browser themes. The collection reflects each artist’s unique background and experiences, and celebrates the diversity within the Asian community.”
Bleeping Computer: Google Chrome emergency update fixes first zero-day of 2023. “Google has released an emergency Chrome security update to address the first zero-day vulnerability exploited in attacks since the start of the year.”
TechCrunch: Opera brings its free VPN to iOS to rival Apple and Google’s paid alternatives. “Opera, the makers of an ad-blocking web browser, whose most recent claim to fame is having TikTok built-in, announced today it’s rolling out an updated version of its iOS app that now includes its free VPN.”
Engadget: Google’s WebGPU is coming to Chrome to boost online gaming and graphics. “Google will soon start rolling out WebGPU, a new feature that will allow Chrome browsers to use your graphics card to accelerate games, graphics and AI, the company announced. It’ll be enabled by default in Chrome 113 set to arrive in a few weeks for Windows PCs (via Direct3D 12), MacOS (Metal) and ChromeOS (Vulkan).”
PC World: Firefox’s new feature protects against email tracking and spam. “In welcome news for all Firefox users, Mozilla announced this week that Firefox Relay, its version of email masking, will become integrated into its browser. Launched in 2020, Relay has only been accessible so far through a browser add-on.”
The Register: Google euthanizes Chrome Cleanup Tool because it no longer has a purpose . “The Cholocate Factory’s Chrome Cleanup Tool was introduced in 2015 – initially as a standalone product and later integrated into the Chrome browser – and has run more than 80 million cleanups over the past eight years. But newer tools that can protect surfers and a changing threat landscape are making the Chrome Cleanup Tool increasingly irrelevant, so with the release this week of Chrome 111 for Windows (and for Mac and Linux, for that matter), the cleanup app was swept out.”
Bleeping Computer: Brave browser to block “open in app” prompts, pool-party attacks. “The next major version of the privacy-focused Brave browser will start blocking annoyances like ‘open in app’ prompts and will feature better protections against pool-party attacks.”
How-To Geek: I Installed Google Chrome 1.0, Here’s How It Went. “Google Chrome was first released back in 2008, and it would later become the most popular web browser in the world. Does the first version of the world’s most popular desktop web browser still hold up, though?”
MakeUseOf: Firefox Version 110.0 Is Available: Everything You Need to Know. “Firefox 110.0 is here, and it’s packed with exciting new features that promise to make your online experience better than ever. Whether you’re a Firefox veteran or a new user, this latest update has something for everyone.”
Hongkiat: 9 Useful ChatGTP Chrome Extensions . “Here is a list of Chrome extensions that allow you to use ChatGTP functionality in your browser. From AI-powered search results to writing bot-generated emails and copies, there’s a lot you can do with these little tools. “
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