Google Paying Up to $1337 for Chrome Bugs

Are you l33t enough to score the $1337?

The Google Chrome browser has been a choice of PC users for some time, and as of recently it's become an option for Linux and Mac users. The related Chromium project, the open source side to Chrome, has opened up a bounty system similar to Mozilla's to interest security researchers to encourage bug squashing.

Here are some of the details from the Q&A in Google's blog post:

Q) What reward might I get?

A) As per Mozilla, our base reward for eligible bugs is $500. If the panel finds a particular bug particularly severe or particularly clever, we envisage rewards of $1337. The panel may also decide a single report actually constitutes multiple bugs. As a consumer of the Chromium open source project, Google will be sponsoring the rewards.

Q) What bugs are eligible?

A) Any security bug may be considered. We will typically focus on High and Critical impact bugs, but any clever vulnerability at any severity might get a reward. Obviously, your bug won't be eligible if you worked on the code or review in the area in question.

Q) What about bugs present in Google Chrome but not the Chromium open source project?

A) Bugs in either build may be eligible. In addition, bugs in plugins that are part of the Chromium project and shipped with Google Chrome by default (e.g. Google Gears) may be eligible. Bugs in third-party plugins and extensions are ineligible.

Microsoft Posts Records on Over 60M Win 7 Sold

Microsoft this week announced its second-quarter results, which must have the company fairly happy as it hit record revenue at $19.02 billion for the second quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, a 14 percent increase from the same period of the prior year.
Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $8.51 billion, $6.66 billion and $0.74 per share, which represented increases of 43 percent, 60 percent and 57 percent, respectively, when compared with the prior year period.
"Exceptional demand for Windows 7 led to the positive top-line growth for the company," said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft. "Our continuing commitment to managing costs allowed us to drive earnings performance ahead of the revenue growth."
Through the second quarter, Microsoft said it sold over 60 million Windows 7 licenses, giving it the claim of being the fastest selling operating system in history.

"This is a record quarter for Windows units," said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. "We are thrilled by the consumer reception to Windows 7 and by business enthusiasm to adopt Windows 7."

Apple Launches Its Own CPU, the 1GHz A4

Today's unveiling of what seemed to be a dull product, also introduced something else even more significant from Apple--its first real CPU, the 1GHz Apple A4 processor.

Apple's purchase of PA Semiconductor not too long ago, yielded its first product today, but it's not the fact that it was used in the iPad that makes it special. What's special is that Apple now has a real processor on its hands. And in case you're wondering whether or not Apple's own CPU can compete with the likes of ARM's Cortex or Qualcomm's Snapdragon CPUs, the A4 has potential to kick the living shnizzles out of those CPUs.

First, the A4 runs at a 1GHz frequency, which by mobile CPU standards, is quite high. Considering that Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon powers Google's Nexus One, the Apple A4 could power the next wave of super-smartphones. In fact, at its current spec and frequency, the Apple A4 can play back HD video for 10 hours before requiring a full battery charge.

As of currently, other specs about Apple's A4 CPU are scant, but we're sure things will be more clear in the next coming weeks. We can see from the iPad's capabilities that the A4 is potent, but things are still fresh and we'll have to wait and see what software developers can come up with.

What the iPad showcases today and what it's an indication of, is a lot more interesting than the iPad itself.

Samsung's new 3D HDTVs--both LEd and LCD--boasts True 240 Hz technology.

Tuesday in Korea Samsung announced that it will mass produce 3D HDTVs for both LED and LCD formats. The company claims that the products will be an industry first, encompassing 40-inch, 46-inch, and 55-inch models that support True 240 Hz technology and 3D Active Glasses.

According to The Samsung Hub, the company said that the 240 Hz technology will not only enhance 3D content to appear more natural, but will also give 2D images a visual boost during fast moving sequences. All three panels will also see a 20-percent increase in response time, providing less than 4ms between the left and right to reduce visual interference.

Samsung originally revealed its 2010 lineup of HDTVs weeks ago at CES 2010 in Las Vegas, including the tasty 9000 series (which has that cool touchscreen remote) that will bring 3D goodness to the den or living room. Currently there's no word on when these HDTVs will hit store shelves, however it's highly possible consumers will see them within the quarter.

New Chrome Browser Released with APIs, Apps

New Chrome Browser Released with APIs, Apps

The new Google browser offers a few APIs and app-like extensions.

The official Google Chrome Blog announces that a new “stable” version of the browser is now available to download. According to the announcement, this new version adds HTML and JavaScript APIs (application programming interface) and browser extensions that adds “over 1,500 new features.”  In a nutshell, the browser now supports “apps” where users can download little programs to make surfing somewhat easier. For instance, web surfers who use Google Mail can install an extension that places a button next to the address bar—clicking the button takes you straight to your inbox in a new tab while the button itself shows how many messages wait unread. The IE Tab extension, when installed, will place a button in the same area, allowing users to load Internet Explorer into a new tab to view websites that only support IE. As for the JavaScript and HTML APIs, Google Chrome product manager Ian Fette said that the Web SQL Database API enables structured data storage on a user's computer. "If you're looking for a simpler client-side storage mechanism for relatively small amounts of data, check out the localStorage portion of the Web Storage API," he added. "We're already working on making these new APIs more useful and you should see a couple of improvements on the developer channel soon." Two other APIs--Application Cache and SessionStorage--is also in the works.