Software-Programming

Everyone wants faster Android phones and the common understanding is that to obtain them you need faster hardware. Android 2.2 has promised us a faster code execution with a JIT compiler that translates Java code to machine code and caches it right before it is executed. This is how Android 2.2 gets a performance boost or at least it does in numbers. It appears that there may be another way for Android to get a speed boost that “pulverizes” the JIT compiler on Froyo or Eclair: droidBooster.

BlackBerry manufacturer Research in Motion has debuted a new security tool, BlackBerry Protect, to provide remote device backup, wipe and lock functions.

BlackBerry Protect also allows users to identify a handset’s whereabouts on a map using GPS and to leave contact details on the screen in the event it is found.
It allows remote activation of a loud ringer function to locate the device when misplaced. Users can wirelessly restore all backed-up data from their old device to the new device.

Entitled “Blob banter,” the latest Dev Team post reveals that owners of a jailbroken iPhone 3G or second generation iPod touch will witness Cydia saving their SHSH blobs as a consequence of iOS 4.0 featuring a “soft” SHSH blob check. In recent announcements, the Team also confirmed that its updated ultrasn0w unlock tool is on track for a public release.

If you have a soft spot in your heart for Windows 95 and own an Android smartphone, today is your lucky day. Two emulators have been released that will allow you to port the 15-year-old operating system to your phone.

Mozilla is dealing with another case of a malicious plug-in for its Firefox web browser, and as a result, is considering changes to its code review process.

The company on Monday removed the "Mozilla Sniffer" add-on from its archive and added it to what it terms a "blocklist," according to a vulnerability announcement released this week. Mozilla learned on Monday that the plug-in contains code that hijacks login details, such as username and password, submitted to any website.

New research has found attackers are abusing Adobe System's ActionScript programming language to dodge anti-malware defenses.

ActionScript is the programming language of the Adobe Flash platform. In a recap of the threat landscape for the first six months of 2010, M86 Security reported observing attackers combining JavaScript with ActionScript in a bid to obfuscate malicious code.

There's been lots written about the politics and process of the emerging HTML5 specification (see "What to expect from HTML5" and "How HTML5 will change the Web," as just two examples), but what working Web developers primarily want to know is: What can I do with HTML5, and when can I start using it? The good news is that there's a lot you can do with HTML5. The better news is that there's a lot that you can do with HTML5 today.

Tech savvy folks have been testing Google Chrome 6, available in the dev channel, for the past couple of months, but those not wanting to fiddle with potentially unstable software have been stuck with Google Chrome 5 either in beta or in stable form. But if Google sticks to its regular pace, a beta release of Chrome 6 is just around the corner and a stable one is not that far ahead. Here are some of the new features and changes you can expect from Google Chrome 6, some of which have already been implemented and some that are still in the works.

It's not uncommon these days for people to know how to build websites and create blogs. That's largely because sites like WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr have simplified the process, so you don't have to be a code wonk to publish.

Now, Google is trying to make smartphone app creation easy, too. On Monday, the company announced a program called App Inventor, which claims to make app development easy enough for schoolkids.

With the release of Firefox 4 Beta 1, Mozilla is preparing to once again take on Google's Chrome, Opera Software's Opera and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. The company finds itself in a good position. As the world's second-most popular browser, Firefox is poised to continue its growth and eventually supplant Internet Explorer as the top program in the space.