05/15, 3:25pm
Desktop browser connects with Android Chrome beta
Google has announced that Chrome 19 is now available as a stable build, enabling users to try out the new features that were announced early last month. The latest overhaul to the company's browser broadens sync capabilities between devices and platforms. Users can open multiple tabs on the desktop browser, then pick up their Android 4.0 phone and access the same content from the mobile Chrome beta.
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05/15, 12:07pm
Macquarie sees new browser wars imminent
Google is likely to launch a version of its Chrome browser for Apple's iOS line of devices in the coming months, according to analysts at Macquarie Capital. Macquarie sees the iOS Chrome launch as the opening salvo in a new round of Browser Wars, the likes of which the Internet hasn't seen since the late 1990s.
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05/01, 2:42pm
Google enhances Gmail experience with auto translate, more
Google has just detailed its Automatic Message Translation feature for its Gmail service, having graduated it from the beta Gmail Labs. The feature was around in the Labs section since 2009, and now gives users the option to automatically translate e-mails into their native language. The feature is similar to that of Google Chrome when visiting a page that's written in a foreign language.
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04/24, 7:40pm
Chrome for Android nearing final release
Google’s Chrome browser for Android is tipped to come out of beta ‘in weeks,’ reports CNET. Google’s senior VP of Chrome and Apps, Sundar Pichai, revealed as much in an interview following the recent release of an update for the version currently still in beta. According to Pichai, his team of software engineers is addressing outstanding issues following the beta 2 release.
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04/19, 4:50pm
Yandex co-founder critizes Google's products
The co-founder of Russia's top search engine Yandex has gone on record to criticize Google's Android and Chrome products, UK paper The Guardian reported. Ilya Segalovich called the Android OS a "strange combination of openness and not openness," while the Chrome browser was said to be anti-competitive. Segalovich's comments, in turn, were prompted by Google co-founder Sergey Brin's opinions on the threats to the open Internet.
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04/18, 2:35pm
Google Cloud Print can now print to offices
Google has expanded Cloud Print both for device support and, in a rare step, commercial printing. Those using a mobile app or Chrome can now push a print project to a FedEx office in the US with Print & Go self-service as an option. The gesture helps reduce the need for a home or work printer, particularly for phone or tablet owners who might be traveling and need to print a hard copy.
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04/17, 2:50pm
Chrome for Android gets significant extras
Google gave the Chrome for Android beta a major update (Google Play) Tuesday that filled in key gaps in the otherwise advanced browser. Like the stock Android 4.0 browser, Chrome can now ask for the desktop version of a page if the mobile version is either undesirable or doesn't work. Address a feature that's been on iOS devices for years, Google now lets users add bookmarks as shortcuts on the Android home screen.
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04/16, 5:05pm
Google Drive tip narrows launch
The often-rumored Google Drive might have at last settled on a more definitive launch plan that would include true cross-platform access. A draft press release sliped to The Next Web had the service more closely following the Dropbox formula, where files were stored in a syncing folder or folders on a Mac or Windows PC. Although widely suspected, it's now believed to have an iOS app to match the Android and desktop components.
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04/13, 10:30am
Samsung Chromebook sports SandyBridge chips
A new Samsung Chromebook prototype that looks to be based on the Series 5 we saw at CES but sporting some new changes was spotted at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing. It runs on the current Sandy Bridge-series of Intel processors, unlike that dual-core Celeron-powered Chromebook from the Las Vegas trade show. It also gets the Linux-based Coreboot BIOS software that allows it to boot up in just five seconds.
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04/10, 1:40pm
Chrome 19 allows opening tabs from Android, more
Google has posted a Chrome 19 beta that answers a common call for fast access to tabs across devices. Signing in on the same Google account both on a desktop and an Android device running Chrome for Android will give either device access to whatever tabs happen to be open on that device at that moment. The approach makes it easy to continue reading an article from an Android phone or to check directions that were just on the desktop.
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04/09, 3:15pm
Firefox nightlies to support WebRTC for video chat
Mozilla is gearing up to allow a plugin-free approach to video chat in upcoming versions of Firefox. A demo at the IETF 83 conference caught by TechCrunch showed off the implementation of WebRTC, an HTML5 component that will allow two-way voice, video, and file swaps. As shown, it would sign in with Mozilla's Social API.
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04/04, 4:55pm
Google Chrome apps now easier to search for
Google on Wednesday detailed some changes to its Chrome Web Store to make it easier for users to search the tens of thousands of apps and extensions. The changes include a new Trending filter that will show the most commonly downloaded apps. The early version of the feature will categorize apps by 'warm' to 'on fire' to indicate their rate of growth.
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04/04, 4:50pm
Motorola Webtop 3.0 beta shows up in leaked video
Motorola's Webtop interface for its Android docking mode has been updated to support Android 4.0. Leaked in a video, embedded below, the Webtop 3.0 beta software appears to be much improved, and offers a less heavily customized appearance and feature-set than before. Unfortunately, Firefox is cut from the preloaded software and has been replaced by a version of the stock Android 4.0 browser.
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04/02, 1:20pm
NetApplications shows second big increase for IE
New NetApplications data has shown that Internet Explorer might be on a sustained, if slight, recovery in web share. Microsoft's browser gained almost exactly one point to hit 53.83 percent of browser use online. The gain roughly mirrored one from January and saw IE at its highest position since October.
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03/28, 6:45pm
Google Chrome 18 reaches stable level
Google on Wednesday posted the finished version of Chrome 18. The stable version now brings hardware graphics speedups to HTML5's Canvas for 2D and is potentially much faster for certain websites. Acceleration works on both Macs and Windows PCs, but not Linux so far.
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03/27, 11:15am
Google IO 2012 ready for developers
Google as anticipated started taking registrations for Google I/O 2012. The tickets to the developer event, which cost $900 for regular developers and $300 for education, sold out in less than one hour. In an unusual step meant to drive adoption, anyone who signed up had to do so both as a Google+ member and by using Google Wallet, neither of which was a deterrent.
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03/26, 9:05am
Rovio hits record app milestone
Rovio iPhone; $3, iPad) and the ad-sponsored Android version (Google Play) along with desktop versions. The company didn't give a breakdown of which versions were most popular, although iOS has historically outperformed Android, even with the paid versus free split.
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03/24, 3:20pm
Chrome OS may use Samsung flagship CPU
A new discovery within Chromium OS bug tracking has suggested that Chrome OS is not only close to using ARM but may use one of its fastest processors. Thomas Taschauer has spotted numerous references to "Daisy," an unknown device that would use Samsung's Exynos 5250. The 2GHz, ARM Cortex-A15-based chip could both significantly improve battery life and thinness while making a Chrome OS device as fast or faster than current Intel Atom Chromebooks.
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03/22, 1:20pm
Facebook ups photo resolution by a factor of four
Facebook on Thursday announced it has enhanced the photo experience on the social network by adding high-resolution photo support and full screen viewing. When a user clicks on a photo, it will be displayed in the highest possible resolution, which can be four times bigger than previously. The full screen view is available in the latest version of Firefox or Chrome browsers through an arrow button in the top right corner of the photo.
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03/22, 1:20pm
TweetDeck gets long-expected update
Twitter showed renewed interest in its desktop TweetDeck apps after their first release with a version 1.3 update for Windows, Mac (App Store), Google Chrome, and the web. The new version is meant partly to catch up to the mainstream web page and now has optional in-line photo and video previews. Pros and fans of lists can now create, delete, or modify lists, including changing someone's relationship to a list through their profile.
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03/21, 10:55am
Spike sees Chrome get one-day browser lead
A brief if historic milestone in web browsers occurred this weekend as Google Chrome temporarily overtook Microsoft's Internet Explorer in usage, StatCounter found Wednesday. For one day, March 18, Chrome had 32.71 percent of traffic to IE's 32.5 percent. A rise in share from Brazil, India, and Russia was credited for the sudden position swap.
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03/20, 1:10pm
Deezer starts letting subscribers download music
Paris-based streaming music service Deezer has just announced the launch of an offline listening mode, letting users download their music through their browser. Thus far, only Chrome is supported, though work on other browsers is underway. Unlike competitor Spotify's caching mode, a desktop app isn't needed as it's using HTML5's built-in support for offline web apps.
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03/19, 1:55pm
Mozilla loses Blizzard to California start-up
Chris Blizzard served his last day as Mozilla's director of Web platform this past Friday, March 16, he revealed on his blog. He will move on to a "very small startup" based in Palo Alto, though didn't go on to name it. Blizzard would only say the work involves the intersection of systems, compilers, and web-scale problems.
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03/15, 7:05pm
HTC Vivid gets new OS upgrade
HTC pushed out its first US Android 4.0 upgrade on Thursday with a delivery to the Vivid. Although not yet automatic, AT&T subscribers can dial *#*#682#*#* and get what appears to be a finished build on the 4G smartphone. AT&T hasn't yet said when the update rolls out on a wider basis.
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03/14, 4:05pm
Mozilla may add H.264 to Firefox after all
Mozilla research director Andreas Gal has proposed a rare change of heart that could see Boot2Gecko, and possibly Firefox, adopt H.264 playback. The mode would let HTML5 pages use the video tag for in-page H.264 as long as the OS underneath already supports the codec. At least in theory, it would let Mozilla officially keep active support only for open formats like WebM while acknowledging the reality of H.264's much wider reach.
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03/13, 3:10pm
Google to release Chrome browser for Windows 8
Google is developing a version of its Chrome for the upcoming Windows 8 operating system, Mashable learned. It will also be based on the desktop browser and support both regular desktop as well as Metro versions of the Windows 8. The desktop version should still have touch support, as Windows 8 can be used in all-in-one PCs and notebooks with a touchscreen as well.
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03/09, 9:45am
Google Chrome gets immediate security patch
Google sent word that it had already patched the Chrome exploit demonstrated in CanSecWest's Pwn2Own side contest, Pwnium. Linux, Mac, and Windows versions, along with the Chrome Frame plugin for Internet Explorer, should all be secure today. It's now known to have involved universal cross-site scripting and "bad history navigation," although wider details wouldn't be published until most users of Chrome and other WebKit-using browsers like Safari were using secure versions.
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03/07, 9:15pm
Chrome security breached almost immediately
Google saw an end to a brief streak on Wednesday after CanSecWest's organizers confirmed that Chrome had been hacked during the Pwn2Own contest. Team Vupen exploited a security hole in the browser within five minutes of the contest's start. The group will be getting at least a $60,000 prize, funded partly by Google itself, as well as 32 points in the still-ongoing contest; it had already found two more vulnerabilities in software at the conference in intervening hours.
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03/07, 10:25am
Google rewards researchers for exposing flaws
Just in time for the CanSecWest security conference, Google has announced it has handed out $47,500 in rewards to users who identified bugs in its Chrome browser. There were 14 bugs fixed, with three users getting $10,000 each for their contributions. The vulnerabilities were addressed in a March 4 update to the browser, though the release was suspended due to a small issue.
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03/02, 11:00am
Chrome now used by government, IE 8 coming soon
In a fairly recent question and answer period during a Town Hall meeting, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton revealed the government offices will move to Google Chrome. Rather out of place, the question was addressed after a snicker from Clinton and more widespread laughter from the crowd, revealing Chrome was already being installed on government computers as of February 14. Clinton did say Chrome won't work perfectly with some of the government's software, so Internet Explorer will still be accessible.
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03/01, 8:10pm
NetApplications sees Apple grow widely in February
Apple saw an unusually widescale, comprehensive growth in its share of the web in February, NetApplications showed on Thursday. On the desktop, it bounced back to near an all-time high at 6.9 percent, a level seen in October. Its mobile share followed suit, going up almost exactly seven points to 60.6 percent.
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02/28, 12:15pm
We cover Google chairman Schmidt's talk at MWC
Google chairman Eric Schmidt is hosting a keynote at Mobile World Congress. Check our live coverage page for updates from the ongoing speech,
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02/24, 7:45pm
Gives some speed uplift, app links, and beaming
Google has posted a new update for its Chrome browser beta running on Android mobile devices (free: Android Market). The latest release promises faster loading and the ability to recognize links associated with applications. It also supports Android Beam, an application that allows users to transfer webpages between devices just by touching them together.
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02/22, 4:25pm
Mozilla Marketplace to use HTML5, custom API apps
Mozilla revealed on Wednesday that it will begin accepting web app submissions at MWC next week. The web apps will be based on HTML5 and some Mozilla-proposed APIs, and work in both the company's Firefox browser as well as platforms that support HTML5. Mozilla promises to give developers easy development, direct user feedback, and allow for flexible billing
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02/15, 11:10pm
Android Jelly Bean gets claimed first details
Google's future Jelly Bean version of Android, unofficially known as Android 5.0, might be focused even more on larger screens than recent versions. A rumor from Taiwan suppliers late Wednesday claimed to Digitimes that Jelly Bean was "further optimized" for tablets. Some elements of Chrome or Chrome OS would supposedly be in place to allow a live dual-boot: users could flip from Windows to Android without having to shut down one or the other.
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02/12, 12:45pm
Google TV gets teased update
Google made the unusual choice of a Facebook posting to hint at "big announcements" coming for Google TV on Monday. The company wouldn't give any clues as to its plans. It's unlikely to include any minor OS updates, since it recently updated to Android 3.2.
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02/10, 11:00am
Chrome 18 widens GPU usage
Google in the same breath as the Chrome 17 final release has also posted a beta release of Chrome 18. The new version swings attention to graphics and now hardware accelerates 2D elements using HTML5's Canvas spec, a common part of more advanced websites. Animations and action-sensitive websites should see the most benefit.
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02/09, 6:20pm
Devs call for action
Mozilla and several other browser developers have voiced concern over the dominance of WebKit-based browsers, notably Safari and Chrome. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) co-chairman Daniel Glazman suggests programmers have begun to disregard alternative browsers, such as Firefox and Internet Explorer, when optimizing website compatibility.
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02/08, 5:05pm
Chrome 17 comes with hint of Chrome OS updates
Google wrapped up and posted the finished version of Chrome 17 for the desktop on Wednesday. The new browser update takes site prerendering beyond just search results to include autocompletion. If the autocompletion in the address bar is headed towards a likely web address, the browser will start loading content in the background to speed up the perceived load time. It can give the impression that favorite sites load almost immediately, Google suggested.
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02/07, 1:40pm
Chrome beta for Android gets our early test
Google answered one of the longstanding calls among Android users by putting out a beta version of Chrome for mobile (Android Market) that we've had an opportunity to test. The app borrows the extra tricks of the desktop browser to run faster than the stock Android browser as well as simplifying its use. When on Wi-Fi, it can pre-cache pages in the search results to load them faster, and the engine itself was visibly faster on a Galaxy Nexus in our own testing, not to mention somewhat more responsive to scrolling and multi-touch zooming.
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02/01, 9:35am
NetApplications shows gap in mobile share
Android tablets are gaining share of Internet use, but they still present no competition to the iPad online, NetApplications uncovered with its January wrap-up. The combined Samsung Galaxy Tab line had just 0.42 percent of mobile Internet share, while the Kindle Fire's possibly brisk sales still saw just 0.34 percent. Although down from December, the iPad at almost 24 percent was still in no danger from Android tablets, where even Android 3.2 was at 0.77 percent.
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01/28, 1:30pm
Firefox 12 nightly builds show redesign
Versions of the upcoming Firefox 12 in the nightly build phase have shown major changes coming to its interface. New tabs can now open to a hybrid portal page that mixes in features seen in Chrome and Safari. Along with seeing the most frequently visited sites and a search bar, it now has top web apps, the most recently shared apps, and a Google Talk status section to launch directly into chat.
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01/25, 4:40pm
Three districts to get Chromebooks for pupils
At the Florida Educational Technology Conference on Wednesday, Google Chromebook for business and education head Rajen Sheth announced three school districts have signed on to receive 27,000 of the browser-powered notebooks. The devices will be used by students in Iowa, Illinois and South Carolina. In addition, hundreds of schools in 41 states have at least one classroom with a Chromebook, Sheth added.
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01/24, 9:25am
Pwn2Own will not allow pre-made exploits
Tipping Point's Pwn2Own security contest is changing its methodology in a way that could break from "sensationalist" headlines, the company's security team lead Aaron Portnoy explained. When it takes place at CanSecWest in March, the hacking competition as explained to PC Advisor would partly switch to an on-the-spot contest where teams didn't have to have ready-made hack by the time they got to the show. It would become a form of "spectator sport" and reward teams based on the speed it takes at Pwn2Own itself, scoring based on the frequency of hacks each day.
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01/12, 12:45pm
LG licenses Microsoft patents, explores partners
LG on Thursday became the latest company steered into signing a patent license deal with Microsoft. The Spectrum designer has agreed to pay Microsoft an unknown amount for "broad coverage" both on Android and Chrome OS despite LG not yet having a Chromebook on the market. Unlike past such licenses, however, Microsoft didn't issue a boilerplate observation that LG was paying royalties, leaving the door open to a lump sum.
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01/06, 5:35pm
Safari edges out Chrome, Firefox likewise on Win
The team at Tom’s Hardware have run their latest head-to-head test of web browsers. All the leading browsers for the Mac and PC platforms were tested and included Opera, Firefox, Safari, IE 9 and Chrome. Coming out on top for the Mac platform was Apple’s own Safari browser, while Mozilla’s Firefox is currently the fastest browser available on the Windows platform.
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01/05, 10:30pm
Will deliberately demote its own Page rank
Google's Chrome browser, just recently named the second most popular browser on the web, is playing a central role in a scandal involving the way Google boosted user awareness of the product. Despite claiming it has "consistently avoided paid sponsorships, including paying bloggers promote our products," the company was caught doing exactly that via a hired ad agency as part of an online Chrome advertising campaign, which violates its own guidelines.
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01/02, 9:15pm
Arcade games run on Chrome software
Google engineers have reportedly managed to port Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator (MAME) to Native Client. The move theoretically enables users to play a wide range of classic arcade games on Google's Chrome software on Windows, Mac and Linux machines.
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01/02, 6:15pm
Windows Phone web speed claims already outdated
Microsoft's claims that Windows Phone 7.5 would beat iOS in web browsing speed have already been rendered obsolete after a follow-up test run. A comparison from YouTube user 359gsm posted at My Nokia Blog of a Nokia Lumia 800 pitted against both an iPhone 4 using iOS 4.3 and an iPhone 4S on iOS 5. While Microsoft's showcase HTML5 Speed Reading test sees the Lumia beat the iPhone 4, even the older, 1GHz Apple phone and OS beat the 1.4GHz Windows Phone soundly in every other test, including Browsermark, the JavaScript-focused Sunspider test, and the generic HTML5 Test.
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01/01, 12:55pm
NetApplications shows Android loss in December
In spite of its device share, Android is losing ground in terms of actual use online, NetApplications found on New Year's Day. Android slipped to 16.3 percent of mobile web share in December, or the same share it had in September. Unusually, most of the loss came to otherwise shrinking platforms: Java ME bounced back to get just under 21.3 percent, Symbian returned to 5.8 percent, and even the BlackBerry recovered slightly to 3.5 percent.
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