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Mozilla plans UI refresh and better Gmail support for Thunderbird
Mozilla announced today that its Thunderbird desktop email client will be getting some much needed love in 2019, with the team preparing to tackle user interface issues, improve user experience and promote better integration with providers like Gmail. "Beyond that, we will be looking into leveraging new, faster technologies in rewriting parts of Thunderbird as well as working toward a multi-process Thunderbird," Thunderbird Community Manager Ryan Sipes wrote in a blog post.
Mozilla's CEO isn't happy with Microsoft's switch to Chromium
Mozilla CEO Chris Beard isn't fond of Microsoft's decision to overhaul its Edge browser using Google's open source Chromium project, which is the basis of Chrome. "By adopting Chromium, Microsoft hands over control of even more of online life to Google," he writes in a blog post.
Mozilla's gift guide ranks gadgets by how secure they are
You can always expect to see a bunch of gift and shopping guides pop up in the weeks, even months, leading to Black Friday and Christmas season. Even Mozilla has released its own take, but instead of making it a list of products to buy, the organization has compiled the most popular gadget gifts and identified which of them are secure and trustworthy. It's called Privacy Not Included, and it will tell you if a particular device can spy on you using its camera, mic and location services.
California delays net neutrality law while federal lawsuit plays out
Last month, California's governor signed the state's net neutrality bill into law, legislation that restores the net neutrality protections the FCC repealed last year. However, the state was quickly hit with a lawsuit from both the Department of Justice and industry groups representing companies like AT&T, Charter and Verizon, which claimed the law ran afoul of the FCC's regulations. California's law was set to take effect at the start of next year, but the state has now agreed to delay its implementation and stay the litigation until a federal challenge to the FCC's decision is settled.
Firefox update adds improved tracking protection
Mozilla is trying to do something about that eerie feeling you get when you think of cat food and all of a sudden start seeing targeted ads about cat food -- with the new Firefox update, anti-tracking measures are being implemented that will prevent websites from following you as you jump from site to site. This comes a year after Firefox's last major update, Quantum , which brought with it increased speed, as well as an earlier version of tracking protection.
Mozilla test will offer Firefox users ProtonVPN subscriptions
Mozilla is rolling out an experimental feature for Firefox that's not quite like its other ones -- you'll have to pay to be able to use. The organization has teamed up with ProtonVPN to test a subscription-based virtual private network for $10 a month. Starting on October 24th, a small number of people in the US using the latest version of Firefox will see the offer pop up. It'll ask if you're interested in hearing more before it takes you to the page where you can sign up for the service, which is compatible with iOS, Android, Mac, Linux and Windows.
Pocket's redesigned app reads all your articles aloud with one tap
Mozilla's save-it-for-later Pocket app is about to become much more useful for uninterrupted reading... including those times when you don't want to look at a screen. The company is launching a redesigned Pocket 7.0 for Android, iOS and web whose centerpiece is non-stop listening. You now have to tap a single "listen" button to tune into spoken versions of all your saved articles -- handy if you're commuting home and can't stare at your phone. Appropriately, the Pocket team has added a "more human sounding" voice so that the experience is more enjoyable.
Firefox Monitor will tell you when your passwords are compromised
After a few months of testing, Mozilla has launched its free Firefox Monitor service that notifies users when their credentials are stolen as part of a data breach. The website, which is essentially an external interface to Troy Hunt's Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) database, also allows users to sign up for notifications in case their email addresses are found in future breaches.
Firefox brings the thrills of web browsing to VR
Mozilla's headset-focused web browser is finally ready for your cranium: Firefox Reality is available for HTC Vive, Oculus and Daydream devices through their respective stores. The software is designed from the start for AR and VR hardware, with an interface that revolves around pointer control and voice search. There's a virtual keyboard if you need it, but let's face it -- you'd probably go back to a regular screen if you wanted to type more than once in a blue Moon. And yes, Mozilla knows the flat web isn't so exciting in a headset. The home screen provides fast access to 3D content like Sketchfab models, so you won't be hurting for something to take advantage of AR and VR technology.
Windows 10 test 'warns' users against installing Chrome or Firefox
Edge has a reputation as "the browser you use to download Chrome," and Microsoft clearly doesn't like that... to the point where it's using some not-so-kind tactics to drive people away from the competition. Users have discovered that a recent Windows 10 Insider preview pops up a "warning" when you try to run the Chrome or Firefox installers. The dialog box tells you that you don't need to install the competition when "you already have Microsoft Edge." You can choose to install regardless and disable the pop-up in the future, but it's clearly trying to hinder the installation in hopes you'll have second thoughts and give Edge a try.
Firefox will soon block ad trackers by default
Mozilla has for years let you stop ad trackers from collecting your data, and, soon, Firefox will block them by default. The browser will also give you more control over the data you share with websites.
Mozilla shares Firefox user data for research and public use
In 2016, Mozilla launched its Hardware Report, which shares information about what type of hardware Firefox clients are using, and now the company is introducing its Public Data Report. Based on non-sensitive data collected from Firefox desktop browsers' Telemetry system, the new report shows info on how folks around the world are using Firefox and the internet. "Similar to the hardware report for developers, we hope the report can be a resource for journalists, researchers and the public for understanding not only the state of desktop browsing but also how data is used at Mozilla," the company said in a blog post. "We try to be open by design and users should know how data is collected, what data is collected and how that data is used."
Firefox experiment suggests articles based on your web history
You can already save articles for later viewing in Firefox thanks to Pocket integration. That's not going to help you find articles, however, and it's all too tempting to stick to the same old sites for your reading habits. Mozilla wants you to be a little more adventurous. It's introducing a new Test Pilot experiment, Advance, that recommends stories based on both your current page and recent web history. The extension uses machine learning technology from Laserlike to identify common traits in the trusted sites you visit and offer new pieces in a sidebar. If you've been reading many football articles, for instance, Firefox may suggest a piece about a recent player trade.
Firefox is the latest browser to block autoplaying web audio
Firefox is finally joining the ranks of web browsers that block autoplaying web sounds. Mozilla's latest Nightly builds for Firefox now include an option to mute autoplaying audio, hopefully saving you from jumping out of your seat when an obnoxious video ad makes its presence felt. It's finer-grained than Chrome's recently removed automatic muting, too. You can turn the feature off entirely, force it to ask for permission and make exceptions for specific sites.
Mozilla may be working on a voice-controlled browser
Mozilla may be working on a voice-controlled platform of its own. A listing for an all-hands internal meeting appeared about what seems like a new project: Scout. "With the Scout app, we start to explore browsing and consuming content with voice," it read. It's very unclear what the platform may or may not end up doing, as the meeting is focused on technical requirements for a "voice browser" that would, as a stated example, be able to read users an article about polar bears.
Firefox 12 for iOS includes file downloads and easier syncing
Firefox 12 for iOS is available today and it offers three new useful features. First, the browser now allows users to download files, which can be viewed in a dedicated section in the Firefox menu, through Apple's Files app or through other third-party apps. Secondly, link management functions are now all gathered into one spot. One menu will give you the option of opening a link in Firefox, bookmarking, adding to your reading list or sending to another device that you've connected to your Firefox account.
Firefox takes a big step towards eliminating passwords
Today, Mozilla released Firefox 60 for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, and with it arrives Web Authentication API for desktop browsers. This is a new security standard that allows Firefox users to log into all their online accounts with a single device, such as YubiKey. It doesn't mean that you don't have to use passwords anymore; only websites that recognize Web Authentication will work. But it's a huge first step to eliminating passwords altogether.
Mozilla's approach to sponsored content aims to protect privacy
For a few months now, Mozilla and Pocket have been testing a new initiative to bring users a high-quality personalized experience while also protecting their privacy. Today, Mozilla announced that their experiment has been a success, and now they are expanding it to all Firefox 60 users in the US.
Mozilla’s 'Hubs' is a VR chatroom for every headset and browser
On a Manhattan rooftop earlier this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, Mozilla previewed its newest concept, a group VR hangout service called Hubs. Unlike the virtual-reality environments shown off by Facebook and others, you don't need to sign in to a platform or use a plugin -- just click a URL and you'll be taken straight to a digital space in full VR. And since Hubs is built on WebVR, Mozilla claims you'll be able to view it on any mixed reality headset starting today.
Mozilla activates Tracking Protection by default for Firefox on iOS
Mozilla has a handful of updates for Firefox on iOS, privacy-minded and otherwise. Now, Tracking Protection is turned on by default rather than being an opt-in bit buried in the settings menu. You can set specific filters so retail sites (or others) can or can't track you, according to the Mozilla blog. The company says that the Tracking Protection is the same tech that's used in Firefox Focus on mobile and the desktop browser.
