Google and Facebook now connect the Web

		December 6, 2008

	Google and Facebook launch universal log-in tools On Thursday, first Facebook then Google announced the public availability of programs which will allow visitors of sites to register, or log in using their Google or Facebook accounts. Both are completely free, and usher in a new way of letting users skip lengthy registration processes in place of using account credentials they already have. More important, it's a huge marketing opportunity for Facebook, which will be able to know even more about its users--something that's both scary and highly valuable. Read more  Google's turn: Friend Connect is live, too Josh Lowensohn Associate Editor, Webware.com New on Webware.com Microsoft tries to answer Flickr Posted by Stephen Shankland This week Microsoft overhauled its Windows Live photo sharing site with a slew of new features. Users now have 25GB of space to play with, a new slideshow view, better permissions control, and a live feed of what friends are up to.  Read more  Jukebox/browser Songbird turns 1.0 Posted by Seth Rosenblatt This week browser and music jukebox Songbird finally went 1.0. Besides the rolled-in jukebox, there's now native support for Last.fm, and an included add-on for MashTape. Additional add-ons can provide a lyrics pane, music recommendations, and more.  Read more  Firefox 3.1 beta 2 due 'very shortly' Posted by Stephen Shankland The latest beta of Firefox 3.1 is right around the corner. This upcoming version gets a new feature called "Web workers," which lets the browser process tasks in the background. This adds another level of sophistication for programmers writing Web applications and gives multicore computers a better way to use their processors' abilities.  Read more  Google Reader gets a facelift Posted by Josh Lowensohn Google launched a more streamlined interface to its Reader product. The new look does away with much of the color seen in previous iterations of the RSS reader, while setting up a foundation for a more customizable navigation system. Part of that navigational change now hinges on small widget-like enclosures, which users can collapse down to take up less space. This is quite similar to what's being done over on iGoogle, and on Gmail to some degree, which could signal future support for third-party widgets.  Read more  Opera 10 alpha out to brave users Posted by Seth Rosenblatt Opera has made publicly available the latest version of its browser for desktop users. While many of the changes are under the hood, there are a few goodies like an enhanced spell checker and automatic updating. It's also three times faster than the previous version of Opera.  Read more  Games and entertainment Boxee gets Netflix support Posted by Josh Lowensohn This week Boxee released a new version of its media center software that added support for Netflix Watch Instantly streaming movies. While it does not yet work on Apple's AppleTV product, if you've got a Mac or Linux PC you can sit back and watch Netflix streaming movies alongside everything else Boxee does.  Read more  Turn your browser into 'Pong' Posted by Josh Lowensohn If you've been missing out on a reason not to use your browser's pop-up blocker, here's a new one: Window Pong. The age old game of Pong comes to your browser using separate pop-up windows. You've got to try this (just be sure to turn your pop-up blocker off).  Read more    Related Newsletters Stay informed on the tech topics that matter to you most CNET offers a wide variety of newsletters on everything from tech industry news to the latest games and gear. Browse the entire list now. Manage newsletters More Webware  Webware RSS feed  The Webware 100  About Webware.com
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