Google Chrome

The latest Chrome Canary and Dev build now features updated multiple profile support, which was once a rough feature. As you can see in the screenshot above, you can have a number of profiles which can be switched between each other easily and feature their own icon. Profiles don’t have to be linked to a Google account and when signing into another profile you no longer have to restart Chrome. This is a neat little feature we hope makes its way into ChromeOS. To try it out, visit about:flags and enable multiple profiles.

via Lifehacker

If found in their data center’s servers, Google will now notify you if you have malware running on your computer when making a Google Search. Google announced the new feature today, and hopes to use their vast wealth of information to make this effective. Google explains:

Recently, we found some unusual search traffic while performing routine maintenance on one of our data centers. After collaborating with security engineers at several companies that were sending this modified traffic, we determined that the computers exhibiting this behavior were infected with a particular strain of malicious software, or “malware

Obliviously this won’t pick up every single piece of malware out there, but it’s a nice little addition to an already great search platform.

If Samsung and Acer Chromebooks aren’t doing it for you and you’ve got a lot of extra money to throw at your ChomeOS experience, notorious ChomeOS hacker Hexxeh has ported the latest build of the ChromeOS to The $1000 MacBook Air.

Hexxeh uses the Boot Camp Bios Emulator to get it working but sadly that adds about 15 seconds to the boot process.

Every piece of hardware works except for the Bluetooth (because Bluetooth isn’t supported by Chromium OS yet). So WiFi works, graphics are fully accelerated via nVidia’s drivers, screen brightness controls work, sound works, touchpad works. Basically everything works. The touchpad drivers could use some tweaking, as scrolling is currently painfully slow, but that’s about the only issue I can think of. Boot time is around 22 seconds to the login screen, most of which is wasted by Apple’s EFI implementation, as once control is passed to the kernel, the boot only takes a further 6-7 seconds thanks to the fast SSD inside the Air. Battery life is probably slightly better than that of OS X.

In case you haven’t visited 9to5mac.com recently, MacBook Airs are due for an update any day now (back to the drawing board?).  But perhaps it is something to try out with your old MacBook Air?

via BlogsDNA

A new Chrome Extension called GTools+ allows you to customize Google+ to your liking. The extension features many customizations — like moving Chat to the Google Bar, adding an unread counter for Gmail and Reader, language translation for posts from your foreign friends, and the ability to keep the Google Bar at the top of the page when you scroll down. GTools+ is available on the Chrome Web Store. All of GTools+’s features:

- Unified Google bar, your personalized menu is possible on all Google services!
- Stick the Google+ bar always on top when you scrolling
- Prevent open in new tab or window when you click on link inside the Google+ bar
- Change the position of the chat for put in the Google+ Bar
- Change the color of the notification bubble in the Google+ bar
- Right click on the extension icon for go to the options page fastest
- Add a translation link in the context menu (auto detect the post language)
- Add notification for Gmail and Reader in the Google Bar.
- Edit the color of any notification bubble.

via Nirmal TV
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A new extension Google+Facebook adds your Facebook newsfeed right into Google+. As you can see in the screenshot above, a Facebook icon is placed right next to the home icon at the top of the page. While it doesn’t give you all the functionality of Facebook, it’s a nice tool to have to update your status and check out the latest news from your friends that haven’t moved to Google+.

Google+Facebook was developed using the Crossrider framework, a framework that is used to build an extension across all three popular browsers: Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer. While we wish the extension was up on the Chrome Web Store, for those of us who use Chrome, it sadly isn’t. For now we’ll have to hit up the download that is available on Crossrider. Check out Crossrider’s demonstration of Google+Facebook after the break.

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[UPDATE 1, July 5, 2011  8:31 Eastern]: Facebook has blocked the Chrome extension for exporting friends  Author Mohamed Mansour wrote on the extension page that “Facebook is trying so hard to not allow you to export your friends. They started to remove emails of your friends from your profile by today July 5th 2011. It will no longer work for many people. New version with a different design is currently deploying. You might have to do exports daily. It uses a different approach, and I will maintain this version. Just bear with me.”

Transferring your Facebook contacts to Google+ is a bit tricky because of, you know, the walled garden of Facebook which restricts how you can take your social graph elsewhere (unlike the Google Takeout service). Some workarounds tackle the issue, like the Friends to Gmail web app which will copy your Facebook contacts to Gmail. You can also pull a similar stunt via Yahoo Mail. Both solutions, however, require that you first copy Facebook friends to an online address book and then use this data to build your social graph on Google+.

A new Chrome extensions takes the pain out of this, allowing you to continue building your Facebook relationships on Google’s social service in one easy step. It’s called Facebook Friend Exporter and right now works only with the English version of Facebook and only via standard HTTP connection (SSL Facebook isn’t supported yet). What’s best…

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A big milestone today as Google’s Chrome hits a cool 20 percent web usage share according to StatCounter numbers for the month of June (via TNW) based on aggregate data collected from their network of three million websites.

For the first time ever, Chrome passed the 20 percent mark globally, accounting for 20.65 share of all web browsing the world over. Compare that to just 2.8 percent in the year-ago period. Google’s browser is now chasing Firefox which fell from 30 percent in June 2010 to 28 percent in June 2011. All versions of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer have also fallen to 44 percent globally, down from 59 percent in June 2010.

In the United States Chrome’s rise was less rapid, hitting 16 percent in June while Microsoft’s and Mozilla’s browsers scored 46.5 percent and 24.7 percent, respectively. What’s especially interesting is Chrome’s share in South America where it grabbed 29.72 percent of the market, beating Firefox (24 percent) to the browser punch (Microsoft’s browser had 44.1 percent share). An indication of things to come globally?

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One of the big hurdles to get over when considering Cloud computers is the “What if I am offline” argument –and the number one place people have traditionally been unable to get online is on an airplane.

Gogo Wireless a few years ago started putting that to rest and it is almost unthinkable to take a domestic flight these days without wireless Internet  onboard.

But Google, who want to reinforce the belief that the Internet is everywhere, has teamed up with Virgin and Gogo to give consumers a taste of what its like to operate a computer off with data 35,000 feet below.  The plan will have ChromeOS reps at Virgin gates handing out and instructing passengers on how to use the Chromebooks (we see Samsung’s beautiful Series 5 12-inch devices above – which should fit really well in cramped spaces vs. clunky Windows laptops).  Customers must put down a credit card as a deposit to make sure the Chromebooks make it back, but the transaction is otherwise free.  Virgin and Google are also working on a Chrome web App that will help travelers get ready for their flight.

This is an incredibly smart idea and a great way to make the public aware of these devices…so long as the wireless bandwidth can handle it. (It also might get a few more people signed up with Google)

Full press release below:
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The next Chromebook to run Google’s Chrome OS is the Acer AC700, which will hit shelves this month (4 days left!) for $350 — Acer announced today. The 3G version of this device will not be available when the Wi-Fi version launches, but it will be on its way later this summer. The AC700 is packing Chrome OS, an Atom N570 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of flash storage, a 1.3 megapixel webcam, two USB 2.0 ports, 6-cell battery, and a 4-in-1 memory card reader.

This device will certainly be a great competitor to the Samsung Series 5, a device that we have already unboxed. Stay tuned with 9to5Google for a review of the AC700 when it’s available. Press release after the break.
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Google I/O attendees can now cllaim their Samsung Series 5 Chromebooks. Interestingly, Google and Samsung are giving out the 3G models which retail for $500. Also interesting, they come via Amazon – you get a promo code to redeem at the end.  Start here once you get your code.

Yes, ours is on the way, you have a week to claim them!

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[vodpod id=Video.11585214&w=425&h=350&fv=videoGUID%3D%7BA01AFCB2-7BBC-4801-A79E-0F6322F8EBF9%7D%26amp%3Bplayerid%3D4001%26amp%3BplyMediaEnabled%3D1%26amp%3BconfigURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwsj.vo.llnwd.net%2Fo28%2Fplayers%2F%26amp%3BautoStart%3Dfalse]

If you can keep up with the speed of his words, you’ll hear that he’s not recommending it for mainstream users just yet,

My verdict is that, while the Chromebook is a bold idea that may be a harbinger of the future of computing, it’s too limited and buggy today to be the main computer relied upon by mainstream users. I can’t recommend it over a standard laptop, except perhaps as a secondary machine for techies or early adopters.

…but acknowledges that there is a future in this type of computing.

Google is a smart, forward-looking company and there’s a logic to the Chromebook, which it sees as the first laptop designed for the Internet era. And it does have some attractive advantages over PCs and Macs

We’ll be posting our review soon.

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Europeans finally itching to get their hands on a new Chromebook can now take a rest easy. While the U.S. has already been graced with these new devices, our friends across the pond haven’t.

Samsung has announced that  the Series 5 will be available in Europe June 24th. The Wi-Fi version will run users €399 (£349 in the UK) and the 3G verison €449 (£399 in the UK). The Series 5 will make its way to UK, Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain, and Italy to begin with, and other countries will follow shortly after. There is no word on when the Acer AC700 will hit.  Full release below:
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Google today announced the availability of ChromeBooks from Amazon and Best Buy in the US.  We’re able to order the Samsungs now but Acers don’t appear to be shipping just yet.

In other launch countries, visit google.com/chromebook to find a local retailer.  We’re still loving our Samsung Series 5 and will have a review ready this weekend.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akZ7huEkFRQ]

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IHS iSuppli has dissected and analyzed the Series 5 Chromebook from Samsung Electronics, estimating the cost of components that go into the product at $332.12. The total cost to produce the Chromebook is $334.32 after the $12.20 manufacturing cost. BOM excludes other costs associated with bringing the product to market, such as research and development, packaging, marketing, merchandising, software, licensing, royalties, administrative and transportation costs, cost of sale and what not.

“The Chromebook’s focus on providing a compelling user experience has resulted in the inclusion of some advanced hardware features not typically found in low-cost notebooks”, iSuppli noted. The 12.1-inch computer sports a sealed battery providing eight hours of run time on a single charge. Like the MacBook Air, the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is designed around 16GB of all-flash storage for instant-on performance and includes 2GB of RAM. A teardown analysis by iFixit revealed a dual-core 1.66GHz Atom N570 processor and Intel’s NM10 graphics chip.

The priciest component?

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Google is leveraging Chrome’s extensive support for the latest HTML5 spec to roll out interesting new features that are available first on their own browser first, like dropping file attachments directly onto the Gmail compose window. The latest version of Chrome has enabled another nice perk, the ability to paste images from your system clipboard into the Gmail compose window.

Just copy an image from your favorite image editing program, a web page, another email message or any other source and paste it right into your Gmail message using the standard CTRL + V shortcut (Command + V on Macs). You’ll need to wait a while until the image uploads, depending on your screen resolution. Daniel Cheng, a Google software engineer wrote in a blog post that the new feature is especially handy for passing screenshots…

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A SPDY session in Chrome

Google-developed SPDY protocol (pronounced “SPeeDY”), an optimized hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), was unveiled in late 2009 as part of the “Let’s make the web faster” initiative. In Layman’s terms, instead of opening several dumb connections SPDY uses a single connection between the server and the user’s browser. It intelligently delivers the files that make up web pages while allowing web developers to prioritize more important pieces like the user interface code and graphics over article images (more technicalities here).

Currently, Chrome is the only browser with built-in support for SPDY and today arrives the first commercial implementation of the protocol via Strangeloop’s Site Optimizer, a software tool that analyzes websites for bottlenecks. According to Technology Review, the protocol has sped up websites by ten to twenty percent:

At first, this will only make a difference for people who visit websites using Google’s Chrome browser (the only one that supports SDPY), but Strangeloop expects that it could end up having a big impact on mobile devices as well, since Google is likely to build SPDY into browsers designed for Android.

Transactional web sites like Amazon could benefit greatly from more speed as it translates into higher sales. Other vendors have not updated their browsers with SPDY support, giving Chrome competitive edge, but also derailing the search giant’s plans to make SPDY an industry standard. Google cites lab tests pitting performance of web apps over HTTP and SPDY, claiming a 64 percent reductions in page load times in SPDY. Another notable benchmark after the break…

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As if there has ever been any doubt that Chrome OS would eventually run on tablets, developer François Beaufort has discovered a number of touch-related tweaks in the latest Chromium browser build. And because enhancements from the Chromium project usually trickle down to the Chrome browser and Chrome OS, it is very likely that Google is accelerating tablet plans – especially with Microsoft’s Windows 8 now in the picture. “I compiled Touch UI version of Chromium to see how it looked like”, Beaufort wrote in a Google Buzz post. As you can see from the screenshots (two more below the fold), the Chrome interface has been optimized for touch-based input…

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We got our review unit  yesterday, but today marks the release of Samsung’s first production Chromebook called the Samsung Series 5. The teardown experts over at iFixit have been quick to dismantle the computer and peek under its hood. Their teardown analysis paints the Series 5 machine as “a well-polished version of the rather imperfect Cr-48 prototype Chromebook”. This means that the Series 5 improves on the Cr-48’s clunky trackpad and mediocre battery life, iFixit explained.

The Series 5 fixes the major shortfalls of the Cr-48 and adds the polish necessary to strike lust into the heart of a broad consumer base: sleek looks, 8+ hours of battery life, and optimized performance.

They gave the notebook a decent 6 out of 10 Repairability Score. What about the innards?

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Google has updated the stable Chrome channel with new security, privacy and graphics acceleration enhancement. Carrying a build number of 12.0.742.91, Google’s browser now warns you before downloading certain malicious files “without Chrome or Google ever having to know about the URLs you visit or the files you download”, software engineer Adrienne Walker explained in a post on the Chrome blog.

The team has also advanced Chrome’s GPU-assisted hardware acceleration to include 3D CSS elements on Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Windows Vista or later. Finally, Google has worked closely with Adobe to provide greater control over local storage for Flash Player’s Local Shared Objects directly from Chrome’s settings, without having to visit a special page on Adobe’s site to tweak your settings . Thanks to Chrome’s silent updating mechanism, your copy of Chrome will automatically update itself to the latest stable version available. If not, choose About Google Chrome from the wrench menu.

Cross-posted on 9to5Mac.com

Check out GPU-acceleration improvements in the “Shaun the Sheep” Chrome experiment which lets you rotate and scale the video, disable or enable cool reflections and more.

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Our Samsung Chromebook just arrived and we’re giving it the first run through.

The device feels great – a bit bulkier than a MacBook Air but the keyboard is fantastic and the trackpad is much improved over the CR-48 (way bigger).  There is a quick trackpad training exercise at the boot up that is more for the computer than for the user.

The OS is considerably snappier than the CR-48.  Flash is also much improved but not yet at full laptop performance.

We’ll have more soon.

In the meantime, check out the unboxing gallery below:
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While Samsung and Acer are readying their ChromeOS laptops for release this summer, the CR-48 is still being looked over.  One user figured out a Firmware Easter Egg by doing some significant research (and taking a big fat hint laid earlier this week).  The Hex message at the bottom converts to ASCII characters and revealing the following message:

Greetings from the Chrome OS x86 firmware team. This message is brought to you by Randall, Bill, Vadim, Gaurav, and Kelly. Also by the letter G and the number 42. If you’ve enjoyed this gadget, please join us at http://www.chromium.org to help make it even better. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress. No animals were harmed in the production of this message. Apply only to affected area. Cape does not enable wearer to fly. Contents may have settled during shipment. Use no hooks.

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