Lunascape 5.1 Official Release! Improved Launch Speed and Sidebar Usability

Lunascape, the world’s only triple rendering engine browser with unmatched speed and usability, has made its leap again. Lunascape 5.1 Official Release has just arrived!

Our three in one (“Trident” in IE, “Gecko” in Firefox, and “WebKit” in Chrome & Safari) browser has been known not only for its broadest website coverage compatibility, but also for the top class JavaScript processing speed and usability. Since the prior Beta version, Lunascape has focused on getting the basics right: speed, stability and usability.

Below are key improvements made on Lunascape version 5.1 Official Release:

The Latest Rendering Engines
In this version, Lunascape is equipped with the latest versions and revisions of the rendering engines, namely Gecko 1.9.1, the same as just released Firefox 3.5, and Webkit r45367. But remember, Lunascape’s technology optimizes three engines and achieves even faster JavaScript speed than the original guys. Yes we did it again against latest Firefox 3.5!

*Please refer to our website for testing environments



Faster Launch and Shutdown through Refactoring
We know browser start-up speed is something we can’t look over when it comes to faster browsing experience. Lunascape has improved 25% since the Beta version through refactoring process. This also enables faster shutdown speed.

Floating Sidebar
Detachable floating sidebar is one of the examples of Lunascape’s heightened usability that competitors do not offer. In this version, we have listened to user’s feedbacks and made it more easy and intuitive. Check out how we tweaked it as you use favorite buttons and auto hide modes

Netbook Mode
Lunascape has prepared Netbook mode that utilizes limited display areas. By hiding the upper section of the browser toolbar, the display area of a site is widened. Switching between the modes is easy with a function key or mouse-over.

Snappier Features
Lunascape is a feature-rich browser. It comes natively with many useful features such as Mouse Gesture so that you don’t have to deal with the obsolete plug-in mess when in newer version of the browser. Since the Beta version, we have fixed a lot of bugs, and it’s now snappier than ever.

New Forum!
Hope you’ll enjoy this new version. If you run into any issues, we're very interested in feedback, so we can fix them quickly. Any other question, comments are also welcom! To place your comments, please visit our new forum at http://en.bbs.luna.tv/

Let us know what you think!

Lunascape5 Genesis rc2 Released! Focuses on International Languages Support

Hey everyone,

Thanks so much for your continued support of Lunascape. We've been burning the midnight oil in Tokyo and have just released Lunascape5 Genesis rc2. We're very excited! This new version supports 10 languages from around the globe including:

Chinese (simplified)
Chinese (traditional)
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portugues
Russian
Spanish

We've also worked hard to increase stability and speed. To download and try it out yourself please go here.

Please note: For those of you wanting to install Lunascape in another language than you already have installed, if you install in "For Admin" mode, it will completely overwrite you current version. Please use "For non Admin" mode.

If you run into any issues, we're very interested in feedback, so we can fix them quickly. Please do a quick, free registration on our Lunascapse - Global Bulletin Board System (BBS) and let us know what you think.

Netbooks: The Next Computing Craze?

As consumers have demanded smaller and more portable computing devices, there has emerged on the scene a slim version of the laptop called the Netbook. Netbooks generally have smaller screens and keyboards than ordinary laptops, and have streamlined processors designed to handle basic functions like web browsing and email. The New York Times speculated today that Netbooks are "poised to reshape the PC industry" because they offer a much cheaper and lighter alternative to other computing hardware and pose a threat to traditional chip and software vendors like Intel and Microsoft .

Lunascape has paid attention to this trend, and in the most recent update to the browser, we've included new features that make Lunascape more compatible specifically with Netbooks. For instance, toolbar shrinking is a new, easy to use feature that allows users to shrink the toolbars at the top of the browser for a widescreen viewing mode particularly suited to small Netbook screens. In addition, with each new release, Lunascape focuses on lowering the CPU usage of the browser. Software that uses less power caters better to the smaller, low-power Netbook processors.

Netbooks seem ready to take flight this year. Lunascape will continue to update browser technology to remain consistent with the latest advances in hardware, software, and web standards. It's an exciting, fast-pased world!

Lunascape Named a CNET Webware 100 Finalist!

Lunascape has been selected by CNET as a finalist in the Webware 100 Awards contest! The Webware 100 recognizes the best Web 2.0 applications and services in ten categories. Out of over 5,000 qualifying products, Lunascape was chosen to be among 300 finalists. Lunascape’s specific category, Browsing, includes 30 products, from which 10 will be chosen as winners at the end of the voting stage.

Now here’s where you come in! From March 31st to April 30th, you can go to CNET to vote for your favorite apps. We’ll need a lot of votes to beat the giants in the space, so feel free to send the link below to your friends, family, coworkers, dogs, cats, etc. Okay, we were kidding about the last two. If you enjoy the Lunascape product, we appreciate your vote!

The link for voting:
http://www.cnet.com/html/ww/100/2009/poll/browsing.html

Engine Switching for the Ordinary User

We've been hearing from web developers and designers who appreciate Lunascape because it allows them to test their software in the three major rendering environments without having to open multiple browsers. While we certainly enjoy reducing headaches for developers, the benefits of engine switching are not exclusive to these types of users. Any person surfing the web can benefit from the choice that a "three-in-one" browser provides.

Dave Rosenberg discussed Lunascape last week on his Negative Approach blog at CNET. He recognized that many websites have incompatibilities with specific rendering engine technologies, which "often means a lack of functionality or a flat-out inability to use a site with the wrong browser." When you come across these sites, should you have to download and open a new browser and start from scratch? Instead, why not use the engine of your choice and be able to easily switch when you come across rendering problems? It's this choice that equips Lunascape users with the best technology, no matter where they are on the web.

To really understand why this matters to you, check out a short screencast that demonstrates engine switching in action.