14 DAY TRIAL // Browser makers are on somewhat of an arms race trying to one-up each other with new useful or just plain fun features. The developers can't go all out in most cases of course, as there is still this little thing called web standards to consider but there are plenty of places left for innovation. Mozilla's upcoming Firefox 3.6 will be getting some needed updates but it will also be sporting an interesting new feature that will allow the browser to determine your machine orientation and tilt.
“One new feature that we’re including as part of Firefox 3.6 is support for web pages to access machine orientation information if it’s available,” Mozilla evangelist Christopher Blizzard wrote. “Originally built as something that we would include for our upcoming mobile browser release, we’ve made it available on desktop systems as well. Many modern Macbooks and Thinkpads contain devices and drivers that expose this information. We’ve added support for Linux, Macs and some Thinkpads where drivers and devices are available.”
Web developers will be able to access the new API and get information about the machine orientation on devices that come equipped with an accelerometer and then use the information in whichever way they see fit. There aren't that many applications for the technology on laptops but it could prove itself useful in some cases. Games are one likely candidate but most users may be a little skittish about flinging their laptops around to move a ball or something of this sort.
Netbooks may fare a little better, as their smaller size makes them much easier to move around though they may still be a little too big and unwieldy for this to be actually useful beyond the initial novelty factor. However, tablet PCs, which, judging by all the rumors, are going to be all the rage next year, just like they should have been for the past 10 years or so, may find much more use for this feature. Still, it's likely some imaginative web developer out there will find a way to turn this into a very interesting app.