When considering technological innovation in China, people rarely think of software development. That perception may be changing as more foreign companies outsource programming to Chinese firms. By 2013, China is expected to earn $6.8 billion from foreign IT companies, up from $2.4 billion in 2008, according to research by the International Data Corp.

One classic example of China's emerging software development talent is Maxthon, a homegrown Internet browser that has redrawn the boundaries of what a browser can achieve for users. It has also caused a major shake-up for global giants of Internet browser design like Internet Explorer (IE) and Chrome.

The browser was created by Jeff Chen, a programming enthusiast who became tired of dealing with flaws in mainstream Internet browsers and decided to create his own.

"At first, programming was just an interest," Chen, now CEO of Maxthon, told ChinAfrica. "I enjoyed the process of developing the Maxthon browser. We just wanted to provide our users an easy-to-use, powerful browser. More and more users began to accept the Maxthon browser and [their satisfaction] promoted our product."

Maxathon's popularity is evident: it has been downloaded by 500 million users.

A new direction

The original Maxthon browser was built from an IE core, meaning it used the same scripting as IE. It had a number of features that were way ahead of the field, including tabbed browsing for multiple pages, which were not introduced by IE until one and a half years later.

"The new Internet Explorer version imitates some of our ideas and features," says Chen. "It shows that those features were enthusiastically accepted by users. At the same time we also feel the pressure from other competitors. We try our best to maintain our innovative edge."

Maxthon has spent the last few months developing its next browser, Maxthon 3, China's first hybrid browser. Li Jialin, Director of Marketing at Maxthon, said that while most developers stick with an IE or Chrome-cored browser, Maxthon 3 is breaking the trend and the company is developing its own core.

"Maxthon 1 and Maxthon 2 are IE-cored browsers," he said. "But we realize that we cannot develop a great browser if we continue to develop an IE-cored browser. With our own core we can create a large amount of design features for Maxthon 3 that could not be made on an IE-cored browser."

Li says that in the future, Internet browsers will need to act as a platform on which users can run web applications and web operating systems. "With the development of Internet technology, users may not need to install software onto their own computers. They will be able to directly run web applications on their browser. We are focusing on building that platform and improving it."

Tech Bytes

➲ Nigeria's Nicomsat-1 satellite is undergoing preparations to be relaunched in 2011. Originally launched in May 2007, it was supposed to have a 15-year shelf life but got lost in orbit in late fall 2008. Nigerian engineers blamed the the failure on a lack of back-up satellites, which would have otherwise aided in keeping Nicomsat-1 rotating through space. Financed by the China Great Wall Industry Corp., the relaunch will cost $230 million.

➲ The United Nations is suggesting African policymakers utilize data collected by space satellites when dealing with natural disasters. At a recent meeting in Addis Ababa, two UN agencies, the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, explained that the data could help limit fallout from various disasters such as floods, droughts and locust swarms. Currently, the relationship between space scientists and disaster management groups is not very developed.

 ➲ Two entrepreneurs in South Africa have started a new kind of mobile social network. Vincent Maher and Nicholas Haralambous are launching "Motribe," an application that allows users – anyone from individuals to advertising agencies – to build, manage and make money from social networks on their mobile phones. Photo sharing, private messaging, chat and mobile blogs will all be available on the easy-to-use community-building platform.