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Opera has announced version 4.1 of the Opera Mini mobile web browser. Yes folks, Opera Mini is still alive and I assume more mobile phone users will be using it as its a simple, hassle-free, no-strings-attached mobile web browser that works with a wide variety of phones. I’m still using Opera Mini with my trusty old Sony Ericsson P990i, so I’m definitely excited about the update to version 4.1.

So, what’s in store for all of us with this latest version, Opera says - faster features. Opera Mini 4.1 receives request for web pages 50% faster than the old version, faster searching within a web page, faster web site upload and faster file uploading and downloading. In addition, when typing web addresses, Opera Mini 4.1 now suggests completions based on bookmarked sites and browsing history. 

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We’ve been waiting ages for Mozilla to take what it did for web browsing on PCs to mobile devices.  It seems we are getting darn close to seeing this come to fruition with the browser builder team moving focus from the near completed Firefox 3 to the mobile space with Fennec.

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It looks like we may have all misinterpreted PayPal’s announcement that it will block users who are using old browsers when doing online transactions at PayPal. Some reports have included Apple’s Safari browser as among those that will be blocked by PayPal.

PayPal has denied this report by saying that it has no intention of blocking current versions of any browsers that include the Safari browser from accessing it’s site. And to clarify, it will only block customers from logging into the PayPal when using obsolete browsers on outdated or unsupported operating systems, such as IE4 running on Windows 98.

Actually, the confusion may have started when reports cited that the Safari browser does not support Extended Validation SSL Certificates.

So there, the confusion is cleared and clarified. Safari users can still access PayPal’s site using their trusty browser. End of story.

Via [Mac Daily News]

After all the cries and complaints over Apple’s deceptive ploy to boost its web browser market share by installing its Safari browser on Windows PCs as part of an “update”, the company has now made a slight change to its latest Software Update. The new Software Update 2.1 now provides two categories: ‘Updates’ and ‘New Software’. So, instead of of deceiving Windows users by listing Safari as an “update” to existing software, the Software Update 2.1 now clearly marks Safari as brand new software. However, the install check box is still marked by default, but users can uncheck the box should they not want Apple’s web browser.

Mozilla’s CEO John Lilly, the most vocal critic of Apple’s sneaky Safari install, calls the new update “a good change” but he says he’d like to see Apple “do a bit more”, hinting that the company should unmark the install check box by default.

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As outlined in a white paper on managing phishing written by its risk management unit, PayPal is set to implement a new policy that will block users from using PayPal from “unsafe browsers.” These browsers include Internet Explorer 4 and 5 and other older version browsers. But don’t worry if you are still using anything unsafe, because PayPal will first warn you about the browser. If you insist on trying to use it even after you were warned, then that’s the time when PayPal will step in and block you from accessing its site.

PayPal said that old browsers such as IE 4 are very vulnerable to phishing attacks since they lack the security and safety features of their newer versions which ward off phishing and other forms of online attacks. PayPal is encouraging users to use browsers which support the Extended Validation SSL certification when doing their PayPal transactions. These browsers prompt users by turning the address bar of the browser green when they are browsing a legitimate site. These browsers include the latest versions of IE and Firefox. Apple’s Safari browser for Mac and PC unfortunately does not support EV SSL certificates at this time.

Read [BBC News]

People often say they look to the stars for inspiration and what a better message than this, we should be using Firefox. On the left is an image taken by the Hubble telescope and on the right is that same image with our favorite browsers icon over-layed. While not an exact match, they are strikingly similar.

While it does appear that there was some editing done to the original image, that seems to have been kept to a minimum. Keep reading to check out the original untouched image that was taken from the Hubble space telescope way back in February 2004.

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Mozilla has released what will be the final beta version of Firefox 3, which comes in the form of Firefox 3 Beta 5. While normally we would not get this excited over such a small jump, because going from beta 4 to beta 5 should not result in excitement. According to the release notes there has been over 750 changes since beta 4 became available, most of which comes not as new features but bug fixes, which should make any current Firefox 3 user consider moving up. That is especially true for any OS X users because that pesky jfif issue with copying images from the web has been fixed. Oh, and we cannot forget, there is a new initial launch splash screen to marvel at.

A release candidate (RC1) is expected to as early as next Tuesday and Firefox 3 is still on schedule for a June final release. Also don’t forget that even though Firefox 3 seems stable, it still is beta, so you can be pretty certain that you may have some issues, thankfully ours came only in the form of extensions and themes.

Download [Mozilla] Via [Macworld]

Opera Mini 4.1 has just been released. The new mobile browser version includes various features that make the Opera Mini 4.1 even more useful for mobile browsing purpose. Some of the key features introduced in this newest iteration of the Opera mini browser include; automatic completion of web addresses, tools for attaching files to web-based email, uploading photos to blog or other site, downloading attachments from email for storage to phone and saving and viewing features.

Opera Mini 4.1 beta offers an enhanced mobile web browsing experience with 50% faster speeds. Heavy sites that used to take an eternity to upload, such as Facebook and the BBC, are now faster to load, almost at par with desktop speed. The scrolling function of the Opera Mini 4.1 in mobile phones was also improved with text searching within a visited web page. 

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If Apple, Microsoft, or Linux aren’t already shaking in their boots, somebody needs to tell them that they should. For don’t they know that a once fledgling little startup is slowly taking over the online world, one computer after another. And no, I’m not talking about another fast-spreading and destructive worm or virus. I’m talking about what is the most widely-used Web browser today, built around a community of loyal and fastidious volunteer workers, who are fans and devotees themselves. I’m talking about Mozilla’s Firefox.

I’ll spare you the details but to throw in just a few specifics, Firefox is currently the world’s most popular Web browser, outnumbering Safari and IE in users by more than 6% of the Internet’s population of users. And while Firefox version 3 currently finishes with flying colors when compared with other “leading” browsers, Mozilla doesn’t want to waste time in innovating and promises even a lot more better features to come in the package with Firefox 4. Could these upcoming features include an in-browser desktop? Well, what if the answer was yes?

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During a recent roundtable discussion, Mozilla CEO John Lilly announced the final release of Firefox 3 will be available in June. According to the timeline Beta 5 is expected to be available in early April and the first Release Candidate (RC1) is expected in the beginning of May. While a Beta 5 will be nice to see, that almost seems like a formality at this point, RC1 will be the nice step (especially for early-adopters) because at that point we will start to see more themes and extensions beginning to work (or work properly) with Firefox 3.

Current estimates put the use of Firefox 3 beta 4 at around 700,000 users, which is just a very small portion of the total 160 million people running Firefox. Personally I have been running beta 4 on all my machines since its release, which is a mix of Mac and PC’s, and although I should not say write it, I have yet to experience any issues, aside from themes and extensions not working.

Via [Wired]