Tag: chrome
Next Google phone will be designed for business
Google executive and Android main-man Andy Rubin has discussed what to expect from Google's next handset, revealing the company plans a more business-orientated handset next. Unlike the HTC built Nexus One, this business orientated handset would likely feature a full…
Chrome on Mac gets a step closer
Google’s Chrome browser doesn’t have a massive marketshare, but those who use it love it very dearly thanks to its great UI and blazing speed. At the moment it’s Windows-only, however recent videos posted by Google indicate that a Mac client is making good progress.
Chromium is the open source project that’s behind the Chrome browser. The latest iteration of the source code for OS X is making good progress, as you can see in the video below:
Unlike the last video of the software in action, now you can actually click on the screen, load websites, and follow links. Crazy, eh? Who on earth would want to do that? It’s still crashing a lot, but at least Google’s getting closer to a working OS X port.
(via Ars Technica)
Apple makes available Safari 4 beta
Safari, the default browser on Apple computers, has just been upgraded. The company claims the new beta is “the fastest and most inovating web browser for Mac and Windows PCs”.
Apple’s lifted some of the best features of other browsers – Chrome’s speed, Opera’s top sites, and tabs from Firefox (and everyone else, these days). They haven’t stolen anything from IE, but is there anything worth stealing there? They’ve also added a cover-flow style interface for browsing through your bookmarks too. Pretty, but a little pointless?
Interesting, Safari 4’s default UI on Windows looks like Windows, unlike previous versions where it looked like OSX. That’s a pretty significant change for a company that usually prides itself on its design.
If you want to try it out, it’s available from Apple’s website right now.
Safari 4 (via Tech Radar)
Extensions for Chrome confirmed
Google’s Chrome software, which is already my browser of choice, is getting extensions by May. No, not hair extensions. Little bits of software that do stuff in the browser that isn’t built in.
Now, Firefox users (the majority of our readership) will know about these, because they’ve been available since launch on that browser, but if you’re on Internet Explorer you may not be aware. These plugins enhance the browser’s functionality, adding weather info, toolbars, or various other features.
Those of you who aren’t using Chrome, would the addition of extensions make you give it another try? Chrome users – is this a good move, or will it slow down the blazing speed of the browser? Let us know in the comments.
Chrome (via Google Operating System)
More on Chrome: HOW-TO: Tweak Chrome to get the newest features early | Still searching for reasons to switch to Google Chrome
HOW-TO: Tweak Chrome to get the newest features early
Odds-are, if you’re reading this, then you’re the sort of person who likes to call themselves an ‘early adopter’. It’s highly possible, then, that you might be using Google’s super-fast Chrome browser, and if you are, then you might be interested in finding out how to subscribe to Google’s ‘Beta’ channel for Chrome updates, or perhaps even the highly-unstable ‘Developer’ channel.
Basically, there are three channels – a ‘Stable’ one, for the general public. A ‘Beta’ one for interested parties, and a ‘Developer’ one, for those of you who like to be on the bleeding edge. It’s very easy to switch – just download a little program (found here) and click the appropriate box. You don’t even seem to need to restart the browser.
I’ve just subscribed to the ‘Beta’ channel. So far, it hasn’t crashed. Give it a try and let us know your experiences in the comments below.
Chrome Dev Channel (via Chromium)
Related posts: Happy Birthday, Google Chrome – 1.0 today | OPINION: Still searching for reasons to switch to Google Chrome
Internet Explorer browser usage dives below 70%, Firefox hits 20%
It’s no secret that internet browser Firefox has been one of the shining lights of the open source movement, taking market share from Microsoft in a way that Linux hasn’t ever quite been able to. Well, in November last year, usage of Internet Explorer dipped below 70% for the first time in a decade, and Firefox’s market share rose above 20%.
At its peak in 2003, Internet Explorer was running on nearly 94.5% of the world’s internet-using computers. Since then, however, usage has steadily declined, due to endless bugs and security vulnerabilities leading to poor public perception of the software.
Good OS launches gOS Cloud – a tiny cloud operating system
Good OS, or gOS, is a company that makes custom Linux distributions, and it’s just released gOS Cloud – a very stripped-down distro that promises to load a web browser (which looks suspiciously like Chrome) in a matter of seconds. You get an OS X-style dock launcher for opening web apps, and Skype’s being mentioned too – which seems to indicate that it can load non-browser-based applications, too.
The OS is designed to boot alongside Windows, and the company is working with netbook makers to produce an ultraportable which runs both this and XP. Look out for that early next year, and perhaps a release of the OS in the meantime.
Good OS (via DownloadSquad)
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Windows to enter the Cloud next month, claims Ballmer
One of the current tech buzzwords is “Cloud Computing”, which basically means using web applications rather than software stored on the computer (it’s more complicated than that, before someone gets pedantic with me, but that’ll do for now).
It’s something that Google has been working towards for some time, with the introduction of its applications and the Chrome web browser, and Microsoft is keen not to be left behind.
Speaking at a conference in London, Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer said that a “new operating system designed for the cloud” would be introduced within the next four weeks…
Opera release 9.6 beta
Gosh, everyone’s going browser-mad lately. First IE8, then Chrome, now Opera are releasing a new version. Opera, of course, is the fourth largest browser out there, after IE, Firefox, Safari, and Safari. It has a small, but passionate, fanbase, which includes 2.6% of Tech Digest readers…
WAR ROOM UPDATE: Google Chrome has seized 3.5% of our readers in its first week
We have no idea what Google was aiming for when it launched its homage to Opera and Firefox last week, but Chrome seems to be doing OK for itself.
Among you lot, the Tech Digest-reading gadget illuminati of Europe, Chrome has amassed a 3.5% following – quickly catching the 4.4% of you currently operating under Safari regulations…
