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I tested a new browser that makes Chrome feel outdated

Karandeep Singh / Android Authority AI is embedding itself into every nook of our digital lives faster than Elon Musk can type his next obnoxious tweet. First, it was an app that could talk to you in a natural voice. Then it spread to everyday voice assistants. And now, it’s coming — strong-armed — for our main work app: web browsers. Google is pushing hard to make Gemini a core part of Chrome. The makers of Arc have already moved on to an AI-first browser. OpenAI is rumored to be working on i

Google fixes actively exploited sandbox escape zero day in Chrome

Google has released a security update for Chrome to address half a dozen vulnerabilities, one of them actively exploited by attackers to escape the browser's sandbox protection. The vulnerability is identified as CVE-2025-6558 and received a high-severity rating of 8.8. It was discovered by researchers at Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) on June 23. The security issue is described as an insufficient validation of untrusted input in ANGLE and GPU that affects Google Chrome versions before 1

Pixel Piranhas

I really hate it when I’m exposed to some horrible news online, and feel powerless. There is nothing I can do, I am not responsible, and yet at the same time I have this feeling “this shouldn’t be happening”. There is a temptation to immediately react – if it was printed, I would crumple up the paper and throw it away – yet, reading pixels on the screen I don’t have the right gesture to express my discontent. So I made this little browser extension. Click on a button, and a horde of cursor

OpenAI's ChatGPT-powered browser is codenamed 'Aura'

OpenAI is following Perplexity and is working on its own AI-powered browser codenamed "Aura." X user Tibor found references to "Aura," which is probably the codename for the new OpenAI browser. There are already mentions of "is Aura" ("mini-root," which is similar to checks for Android, iOS, or Electron/ChatGPT Windows desktop app), "is Aura Sidebar," and "in Aura" in the ChatGPT web app. Reuters previously reported that OpenAI is building a Chromium-based Chrome alternative that will use gen

As the browser wars heat up, here are the hottest alternatives to Chrome and Safari in 2025

Google Chrome and Apple’s Safari currently dominate the web browser market, with Chrome holding a significant share due to the tech giant’s ongoing innovations, particularly in integrating generative AI into its search functionalities. However, users seeking alternatives will find a variety of browsers aiming to challenge these industry giants. To help navigate the competitive landscape of the browser wars, we’ve compiled an overview of some of the top alternative browsers available today. Thi

I tried Perplexity's Comet AI browser, and I like where it's going (but it's not there yet)

solarseven/Getty Images Perplexity Comet isn't the first AI-powered web browser to arrive. That honor goes to Dia, but thanks to the popularity of Perplexity as an AI-enabled search engine and chatbot, it's getting a lot of attention. It deserves it. An agentic browser, Comet isn't just a web browser with AI glued to it, as are Chrome with Gemini and Edge with Copilot. It's designed from the ground up to use AI to automate tasks and improve your workflow. What Comet is aiming for Its archite

Apple profits means iPhone users still get no real browser choice, says group

A web advocacy group says that iPhone users still get no real web browser choice more than a year after this was supposed to happen under antitrust legislation. The non-profit Open Web Advocacy (OWA) claims Apple deliberately places obstacles in the path of developers, and that’s because doing so protects a large slice of its profits … In theory, Apple allows choice Since the first iPhone, Apple retained exclusive control over web browsing on the device. Even when third-party browsers were al

Apple's Browser Engine Ban Persists, Even Under the DMA

TL;DR: Apple’s rules and technical restrictions are blocking other browser vendors from successfully offering their own engines to users in the EU. At the recent Digital Markets Act (DMA) workshop, Apple claimed it didn’t know why no browser vendor has ported their engine to iOS over the past 15 months. But the reality is Apple knows exactly what the barriers are, and has chosen not to remove them. Safari is the highest margin product Apple has ever made, accounts for 14-16% of Apple’s annual o

Where are the iPhone’s WebKit-less browsers?

It’s been 16 months since a DMA ruling allowed iOS developers like Google and Mozilla to use their own browser engines in the EU, so… where are they? According to the Open Web Advocacy (OWA) — a nonprofit group of software engineers that advocates for the open web — Apple continues to place technical and financial restrictions on WebKit-alternative iOS browser engines that effectively stifle competition. OWA says these barriers include insufficient testing tools outside of the US, hostile legal

Chrome's hidden X-Browser-Validation header reverse engineered

Chrome X-Browser-Validation Header Reverse Engineering & Generator Chrome recently added a few new headers: "x-browser-channel": "stable", "x-browser-copyright": "Copyright 2025 Google LLC. All rights reserved.", "x-browser-validation": "6h3XF8YcD8syi2FF2BbuE2KllQo=", "x-browser-year": "2025" Apart from one of them, there isn’t much that’s interesting. They’re just bits of client specific information. However, base64 decoding x-browser-validation yields what appears to be a hash whose purpose

My top 6 open-source Android apps from the Google Play Store - and why that's important

Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images Android and open source are closely intertwined. In fact, most open-source fans I know also use Android. Coincidence? I think not. One nice thing about Android is that the Google Play Store has lots of open-source software. That's not to say every single open-source title is worth your time and effort, but there are plenty of FOSS apps that are not only worth your time but also some of the best in class. Also: I upgraded to Android 16 - here's what I love a

OpenAI to release web browser in challenge to Google Chrome

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, at the Hope Global Forums annual meeting in Atlanta on Dec. 11, 2023. OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser that will challenge Alphabet's market-dominating Google Chrome, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The browser is slated to launch in the coming weeks, three of the people said, and aims to use artificial intelligence to fundamentally change how consumers browse the web. It will give OpenAI more direct access to a cornerstone o

I tried Perplexity's Comet AI browser - here's what you need to know

Nazarii Neshcherenskyi/Getty Perplexity Comet isn't the first AI-powered web browser to arrive. That honor goes to Dia, but thanks to the popularity of Perplexity as an AI-enabled search engine and chatbot, it's getting a lot of attention. It deserves it. An agentic browser, Comet isn't just a web browser with AI glued to it, as are Chrome with Gemini and Edge with Copilot. It's designed from the ground up to use AI to automate tasks and improve your workflow. Also: Perplexity's Comet AI brow

OpenAI Is About to Release an AI Web Browser

OpenAI is on the verge of releasing its own AI-powered web browser, Reuters reports. Expected to launch in the coming weeks, the browser is being released with audacious ambitions. Per the reporting, it's meant to challenge Google Chrome's broad market dominance, with nearly two-thirds of internet users favoring the web browser, or about three billion people. That won't be easy, needless to say. But OpenAI has the prerequisites to at least put a sizable dent in Google's monopoly. Namely, the o

Apple vs the Law

Apple Vs The Law Copy the link to the current page Share the current page A week ago today I had the pleasure of attending both the Apple and Google DMA compliance workshops in Brussels. More detailed articles on the questions and answers, technical and legal analysis etc will be published over at the OWA blog, where we've just done the first write-up on the Google part. Here though I'd like to focus more on my own experience and personal opinions, and how I feel about some of the gatekeepers'

Topics: app apple browser lot web

OpenAI’s next big launch could be an AI web browser

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. OpenAI is planning to launch an AI web browser in the “coming weeks,” according to a report from Reuters. Sources tell the outlet that OpenAI could build its Operator AI agent into the browser, allowing it to book reservations, fill out forms, and complete other tasks on a user’s behalf as it moves toward an “agentic” future. As noted by Reuters, t

OpenAI’s own web browser could arrive within weeks

OpenAI is said to be almost ready to unleash its own web browser, which could be out in the wild within weeks. According to Reuters sources, the company is aiming to more deeply integrate its services into users’ work and personal lives, and the browser is part of that strategy (as is its push into hardware ). Naturally, the browser is slated to have a ChatGPT-style chatbot baked in. OpenAI is reportedly looking to use the browser to capture more user data — a strategy that has worked out to Go

The End of the Internet As We Know It

The internet as we know it runs on clicks. Billions of them. They fuel ad revenue, shape search results, and dictate how knowledge is discovered, monetized, and, at times, manipulated. But a new wave of AI powered browsers is trying to kill the click. They’re coming for Google Chrome. On Wednesday, the AI search startup Perplexity officially launched Comet, a web browser designed to feel more like a conversation than a scroll. Think of it as ChatGPT with a browser tab, but souped up to handle y

Perplexity challenges Chrome by launching a (very expensive) AI web browser

TL;DR Perplexity is rolling out a new browser called “Comet.” Comet is currently only available to users who subscribe to the Perplexity Max plan. Availability will expand on an invite-only basis. It appears the rise of AI-centered browsers is upon us. Not too long ago, The Browser Company revealed it was moving on from its quirky Arc browser and shifting focus to its AI-powered successor, Dia. As The Browser Company continues to work on Dia, which is currently in beta, AI startup Perplexity

OpenAI is launching its own AI-centric web browser very soon, per report

Google Chrome has long dominated the web browser space, despite many Apple users opting to stick with Safari. But a major new player is reportedly about to launch its own web browser: OpenAI, the makers of ChatGPT. ChatGPT makers are getting into the browser business Kenrick Cai, Krystal Hu and Anna Tong write at Reuters: OpenAI is close to releasing an AI-powered web browser that will challenge Alphabet’s market-dominating Google Chrome, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters. Th

OpenAI is reportedly releasing an AI browser in the coming weeks

In Brief Hot on the heels of Perplexity’s Comet launch, OpenAI is planning to release an AI-powered web browser of its own to challenge Google Chrome, according to a report from Reuters on Wednesday. The ChatGPT maker reportedly aims to release its browser in the coming weeks. Much like Perplexity’s Comet and The Browser Company’s Dia, OpenAI’s browser is said to use AI to rethink how users browse the web. Supposedly, the browser keeps some user interactions inside ChatGPT instead of linking o

Perplexity just launched an AI web browser

is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Perplexity, the startup behind the AI “answer” engine, has just launched its own web browser. The browser, called Comet, incorporates Perplexity’s AI search tools and assistant in a way that CEO Aravind Srinivas says “transforms entire browsing sessions into single, seamless interactions.” Comet will only be available to users who subscribe to the

Microsoft’s Edge browser now loads sites even faster

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. In a new post shared to its Windows blog, Microsoft says that it has “reached a major milestone” when it comes to improving the speed of Edge’s user interface. It now takes Microsoft’s browser less than 300 milliseconds to start rendering the first parts of a website for users, whether it’s text, images, or parts of the user interface. It’s a me

10 simple ways Mac users can better protect their privacy - and why they should

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET MacOS is a solid operating system. But no matter how secure an operating system is, it's vulnerable if it's connected to a network. As for privacy, if you get online, your privacy is at stake, so never assume you're safe just because you're using Apple's OS. Also: I'm switching to the MacBook Air M4 from my Windows laptop - and you should too at this price You can always take steps to improve the chances that your privacy won't be infringed upon. What are those steps? Let

I loved Arc browser and was skeptical of its agentic Dia replacement - until I tried it

Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET When The Browser Company announced they were ending Arc and developing an agentic browser that could leverage AI in ways other browsers were not, I was skeptical. I was starting to see the value in AI, but using it in such a way seemed like just another crutch for users to lean on -- so they didn't have to take the time to do those things themselves. I also saw it as a possible security and privacy issue. Also: Love Arc browser? You can get early acc

Leaks hint at Operator-like tool in ChatGPT ahead of GPT-5 launch

A few new code references in the ChatGPT web app and Android point to an Operator-like tool in GPT's chain of thoughts. As spotted by Tibor on X, the Android beta has strings like “click,” “drag,” “type,” and even “terminal feed,” which seem to suggest that ChatGPT could soon call a remote browser or sandboxed environment (Operator?). For those unaware, OpenAI already has Operator, which uses an AI agent to navigate a remote browser session and execute tasks for you. These references suggest

Google Chrome hit by another serious security flaw - update your browser ASAP

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Google has patched yet another critical security bug in Chrome, which means all of you who use the browser should update it ASAP. On Monday, the company revealed a high-severity vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker to run malicious code on your system. In its release notes for the latest version of Chrome, Google pointed to the security flaw tagged as CVE-2025-6554. The NIST page on this one describes it as: "Type confusion in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 138.0

Firefox 120 to Firefox 141 Web Browser Benchmarks

For those curious about the direction of Mozilla Firefox web browser performance over the past year and a half, here are web browser benchmarks for every Firefox release from Firefox 120 in November 2023 through the newest Firefox 140 stable and Firefox 140 beta releases from a few days ago. Every major Firefox release was benchmarked on the same Ubuntu Linux system with AMD Ryzen 9 9950X for evaluating the performance and memory usage of this open-source web browser. Following the recent Firef