a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Mozilla releases mozjpeg 2.0 as Facebook tests and backs the JPEG encoder with $60,000 donation

Jul15
by on July 15, 2014 at 3:00 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

Subway Station in Munich
Mozilla today announced the release of mozjpeg version 2.0. The JPEG encoder is now capable of reducing the size of both baseline and progressive JPEGs by 5 percent on average (compared to those produced by the standard JPEG library libjpeg-turbo upon which mozjpeg is based). Many images will see “significantly larger reductions,” Mozilla Chief Technology Officer Andreas Gal told TNW. When asked for a more specific number, he said that “up to 15 percent is not unusual.” The advances in the 2.0 release are possible thanks to trellis quantization, which improves compression for both baseline and progressive JPEGs without sacrificing…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Snapchat launches geofilters: Unlockable stickers for places in Los Angeles and New York

Jul15
by on July 15, 2014 at 2:46 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Product Updates

Snapchat wants you to explore. The company today introduced a new ‘geofilters’ feature which, as the name suggests, will give you new stickers when you visit specific places in Los Angeles and New York. To unlock them, the company says you merely need to swipe right on the preview screen. An air of mystery will probably surround them in the beginning, although I doubt it’ll take long before a ‘master list’ is put together. Geofilters could also give Snapchat a new revenue stream. If event organisers want to promote their next concert or festival, there’s an opportunity to connect with Snapchat and…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Mozilla kicks off Maker Party 2014, a two-month celebration of making and learning on the Web

Jul15
by on July 15, 2014 at 2:37 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Firefox3
For the third year running, Mozilla is celebrating the art of making and learning on the Web with a two-month ‘Maker Party‘ campaign. Until September 15, the non-profit organization will encourage people from across the world to host their own Maker Party, or attend the over 300 community-run events already listed online. Mozilla has a tonne of free resources online to get event planners started, including Webmaker tools and activities, table cloth, button and flyer designs, tips for finding a venue and documenting all of the excitement on the day. The promotion of coding and computer science is a key…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Microsoft rolls out Cyan update with Windows Phone 8.1 to Lumia devices on Windows Phone 8

Jul15
by on July 15, 2014 at 2:31 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Mobile

As promised at its Build 2014 conference, Microsoft is pushing Windows Phone 8.1 to Lumia devices alongside its Cyan firmware update. All Lumia hardware running Windows Phone 8 should be eligible for the upgrade, although Microsoft stresses that it will be available for its full range “in the coming weeks.” A few smartphones including the new Lumia 630 and 635 have already shipped with Windows Phone 8.1 – the Lumia 930 will follow shortly – but this will clearly open it up to a larger pool of customers. Windows Phone 8.1 comes with its Cortana personal assistant, although it’s only available…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Google unveils Project Zero: Security researchers hired solely to protect the Internet from targeted attacks

Jul15
by on July 15, 2014 at 2:27 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

Screen-Shot-2013-02-27-at-10.19.22-AM-645x250@2x
Google today announced Project Zero, a new team inside the company focused on protecting the Internet as a whole. The company argues that anyone should be able to use the Web without fear of criminal or state-sponsored attacks to infect your computer, steal secrets, or monitor your communications. Yet zero-day vulnerabilities are a daily worry. These are security holes that have not been publicly disclosed yet, and so don’t have a patch available. They are often used in targeted attacks against human rights activists, companies, or governments because they are difficult to detect without prior knowledge. Google explains its approach…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: