Mozilla Labs has introduced its concept of a desktop replacement called Webian Shell. The Webian Shell basically consists of a browser which will replace the traditional desktop, and where the web applications are given more importance than the native applications. Right now, the prototype of the Webian Shell is nothing more than a full screen browser with a dock which holds the tabs and the clock.

The Webian Shell is developed using another Mozilla Labs project – Mozilla Chromeless. Mozilla Chromeless is a project which is looking to replace the traditional user interface of the browser with a more flexible platform based on HTML, CSS and JavaScript. The Webian Shell is just a shell that will run on top on an existing operating system – Windows, Linux or Mac OS X.
Webian Shell vs Chrome OS

It might not be wrong to say that Webian Shell could have been inspired by Google’s Chrome OS. However, the two are quite different right now.

Yes, there are similarities between the two in that both gives more priorities to the web by having a web browser for a desktop. But while Chrome OS is a complete operating system, Webian Shell is not. The Webian Shell runs on top of an existing operating system. Webian Shell cannot even control the hardware right now – it cannot control the system volume, network connections, show the battery indicator etc. Although hardware control is planned for a future release of Webian Shell, there is no plan of it becoming a full-blown operating system right now.

This early version of Firefox 6 introduces a Data Management Window as an experimental feature that provides control over the access that specific websites have to your browsing data, including cookies, passwords, and location information. In the Aurora build, you access this feature by typing “about:permissions” (no quotes) in the Awesome Bar.

There’s also a revamped Add-ons Manager with Plugin Check to quickly verify compatibility of installed plugins, and if you use Panorama to group tabs, Firefox 6 purportedly offers faster startup times by “allowing power Panorama uses to load saved tab groups only when using Panorama.”

Firefox 6 in Aurora form also boasts improved support for HTML5, DOM level 3, server sent events, networking technologies, and other tools designed to make a developer’s like easy when building advanced web apps.

You can download Firefox 6 from here.

NVIDIA 3D Vision Video Now Available Worldwide on YouTube

Users Can Easily Share and Enjoy High-Quality, Stereoscopic 3D Videos on YouTube With Their NVIDIA 3D Vision PCs

SANTA CLARA, CA — (Marketwire) — 05/26/2011 — NVIDIA today announced that YouTube is for the first time giving users the ability to view thousands of 3D videos in rich, high-quality stereoscopic 3D on their NVIDIA® 3D Visionâ„¢ PCs and notebooks when using the latest version of the Mozilla Firefox Web browser.

“We’re excited to introduce HTML5 and WebM support to the thousands of 3D videos available on YouTube,” said Jonathan Huang, 3D Product Manager at YouTube. “By embracing these open standards, NVIDIA 3D Vision users now have a great way of experiencing YouTube’s library of 3D content.”

“Firefox with 3D Vision creates a stunning and smooth 3D video experience using HTML5 video based on open standards,” said Jay Sullivan, VP of Products at Mozilla. “3D Vision from NVIDIA is a great example of the rich, innovative experiences that are being built on top of the speed and graphics power that Firefox delivers to the Web.”

“Sales of our ASUS G series notebooks with 3D Vision have been strong,” said Ben Thacker, vice president of Systems Business Group-Distribution, ASUS North America. “Now that users can view YouTube videos in high-quality 3D, we expect interest in the ASUS 3D Vision models to grow significantly.”

With a number of new, consumer 3D video cameras launched this year, YouTube’s support of NVIDIA 3D Vision technology extends its existing commitment to 3D, enabling even more consumers and 3D enthusiasts to share their 3D videos online. With attractively priced models now available from JVC, Sony and other leading vendors, users now have another easy way to capture and post high-quality 3D videos on YouTube, 3DVisionLive.com, or even their own websites by embedding the YouTube 3D video player.

To further showcase the new YouTube stereoscopic 3D video streaming capabilities and some of the latest professional and user-generated 3D YouTube videos, NVIDIA is now hosting the top YouTube stereoscopic 3D videos on its 3D web community site at www.3DVisionLive.com/YT3D.

“YouTube 3D on an NVIDIA 3D Vision PC is an amazing experience,” said Phil Eisler, general manager of 3D Vision at NVIDIA. “Now 3D Vision PC users can enjoy over 525 games, YouTube videos and photos in theater-quality, full-resolution 3D.”

To view YouTube stereoscopic 3D videos an NVIDIA 3D Vision-equipped PC or notebook and the latest NVIDIA GeForce® drivers (version 275 or above) are required, as well as Firefox (version 4 or above), which includes support for HTML5 video streaming. Users will also need to select the HTML5 viewing option when viewing a YouTube 3D video: http://www.youtube.com/select_3d_mode.

In addition, with NVIDIA 3DTV Playâ„¢ software, users can connect their PCs to their 3D HDTVs to enjoy 3D YouTube videos on the “big screen” in the comfort of their living rooms.