Firefox adds VR support to its browser tomorrow

It took a bit of time but Mozilla is finally adding virtual reality support to its web browser. The Firefox 55 version will come out tomorrow, August 8^th. This web-based VR on Firefox will come to all Windows users that have HTC Vive or Oculus Rift headset. Mozilla has been working on this for a while with a standard called WebVR, which lets browsers run virtual-reality experiences. It’s already available through Firefox’s pre-release version, Firefox Nightly, as well as limited availability in Servo, a browser engine built by individual developers and sponsored by Mozilla.

Aside from adding VR support, Firefox 55 will add a new tool called Firefox Screenshots. While still in beta when it comes out, this feature will automatically save your screenshots to the cloud and then copies these to your clipboard. These screenshots have an expiration date of two weeks unless you manually set it to last longer.

Source: The Verge

Mozilla buys ‘read-it-later’ service Pocket

Mozilla, the team behind the Firefox web browser, has made its first acquisition. The company has bought Pocket, a read-it-later service, for an undisclosed amount. Pocket will operate as an independent subsidiary of Mozilla and is said to help bring the company to more mobile devices. It’s not exactly clear how that will help but Pocket does bring with it 10 million monthly active users and new potential businesses for Mozilla, such as advertising, analytics for publishers, and premium subscription service. The acquisition is like a homecoming for Pocket as it started out as a Firefox add-on.

Pocket previously rejected an offer from Evernote after it became apparent to them that their service would just be a feature inside the bigger company’s app. But it seems with Mozilla, they can remain a standalone service. According to Mozilla, over time Pocket can help them with its “content graph” initiative, which is the company’s effort to create a recommendation engine for the web and baked into the browser.

Source: Pocket + The Verge

Security issues plaguing Flash cause Google, Mozilla to disable software

Adobe’s Flash software has made powerful enemies throughout the years. One being Steve Jobs, who refused to let Flash be made available on Apple’s devices, and fairly recently, Facebook’s top security executive Alex Stamos called for Adobe to discontinue Flash. Now, old versions of Adobe Flash are being blocked on Mozilla’s Firefox and Google’s Chrome browsers after discovering that hackers were using a security bug to hack into other people’s computers.

Leaked documents from Hacking Team, an Italian firm that sells digital surveillance tools to governments, showed they were able to exploit a flaw in Flash. Other hackers who caught sight of this document started to use it as well.

Source: MarketWatch

Mozilla develops open-source streaming dongle

Mozilla is set to take on Chromecast and Roku with an open source version of a streaming dongle. GigaOM got to play around with the unnamed Firefox OS-powered device. It looks like it carries a lot of the capabilities of its competitors but it will be more open for tinkering by developers. Mozilla hasn’t said when they plan on releasing this device but we will wait for its arrival.