thechromesource – Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Resources

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/29/10

Posted on 29. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Internet Explorer 9 is sure starting to look a lot like Chrome browser.

An analysis by Business Insider on whether Google is still a growth company.

Does Google’s investment in Recorded Future actually have U.S. national security implications?

How many hundreds of million dollars is Google willing to spend battling Facebook?

Google is allowing designers to have more control over typography customizations.

No More Google Search in China

Posted on 29. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

ReadWriteWeb is reporting that the Google Search function in mainland China is no longer working, and a quick look at Google’s China availability page is showing the same thing.

It looks as if there have been problems for some Google services in China for weeks; it’s amazing that users would even be trying to use some of these features after a solid week at this point.

This really brings to question how Google is going to go forward with its China strategy. They might as well expect intermittent usage of their services going forward, but from a business perspective that’s really hard to gauge numbers on.

One thing is for certain: Android and Chrome OS popularity is high in China. Google Analytics shows me that China is one of the top ten countries that visit this site.

Logitech Begins Showing Off Google TV Ads

Posted on 29. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Well, its clear that summer is coming to a close because Logitech is ramping up its marketing efforts for the Revue, a set top box that will offer Google TV to those who subscribe to DISH Network this fall in the United States. The Revue is decidedly netbook-like internally, loaded with a Intel Atom processor.

Although traditionally a television would most likely destroy itself in spectacular fashion by doing this; I guess the idea of television being “reinvented” here is the main point.

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/28/10

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

One billion devices are a legitimate possibility for Android; at least that’s what Google CEO Eric Schmidt believes.

The dev channel of Chrome browser has been updated; the release includes some UI tweaks and stability fixes.

Apple has released an extensions gallery for its Safari browser creatively called – Safari extensions.

You can’t just throw out an OS like Windows because people are connected to the local applications says GigOM’s Sam Dean.

Is Facebook Questions a legitimate contender in the search market or will it just simply be an annoyance?

Speed is a Big Deal, Measuring it is in Chrome 6

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

The Chromium blog today has a post up about the importance of load times for a web page. In fact, it is so important that Chrome 6 will offer developers the ability to test load times on the fly while they are doing their thing. It’s actually a standard being worked out across all browsers called Web Timing. Developers can see it under window.webkitPerformance.  Not a bad idea, since Google has made it clear in the past that speed is a big factor in search rankings.

Consider the case in point by the Google Research blog that points to “more usage, as measured by number of searches, reflects more satisfied users”, meaning that controlled tests on this very subject prove the point that speed makes people happy. This continues to reiterate their insistence on emphasizing a fast-loading web, and for good reason. It’s what the people want out of their user experience.

That explains why I’m always unhappy when I’ve got to use this Windows 7 machine.

Hey Google: Please Don’t Create Another Facebook

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

While it’s clear that they don’t want to talk about it, the powers that be over at Google are scheming on ways to create a social networking rival to Facebook. All I have to say is please do something different. I mean, for starters, Facebook has undergone so many changes since I first started using it that I barely recognize it.

I’m not sure anymore what the difference between a being a fan or joining a page on Facebook really means, and I also don’t like those creeped-out ads that take my birthdate and somehow try to spin it into a reason why I would want to click on those side links.

Facebook Credits? Come on, what a terrible name for a virtual currency. I would have preferred FaceBucks to that. At least it would start some amazing conversations.

I mean, how is Facebook even making any money? I’ve never given them a single dollar. Sure, I know some people love to buy virtual goods, but can you really make a multibillion dollar company out of virtual shovels in FarmVille and brass knuckles for punching virtual faces in Mafia Wars?

Google: just create something that is different than Facebook, and you’ll succeed. Especially since we know that the UI won’t look like MySpace, it will probably work.

In related news, Facebook officially is the only social networking option available, so you might as well add me as a friend since there’s no alternative.

The Secret To a Ten Second Boot: Eliminate BIOS?

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Do you ever find yourself sitting around waiting for your computer to boot? While I always seem to hear about the newest computers having faster boot times, I never have perceived any sort of difference in speed. Along with using solid state drives, the next generation of computers is supposedly going to eliminate the decades-old BIOS startup system which is essentially software that talks directly to your hardware prior to operating system startup.

Witness this test by some Lenovo engineers. As far as I can tell, no special effects were involved, although one may consider that to be the case since this laptop boots up so fast.

The technology is called UEFI, which stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface and one of the earliest OSs to support it was – surprise – Linux. While the Chromium site has no reference to UEFI, it sure is certain that the team is working on a custom BIOS. That means, according to this video, moving hardware initialization from the firmware to the kernel, among other optimizations.

Content Farming: Bad For Cloud Computing

Posted on 28. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

I’ve been reading recently a surge of reports about “content farming” – an insistent creation of cheap and quick content in order to drive traffic and gain revenue from Google’s ad programs. For that end, the content itself lacks a certain degree of quality as the writers are not required to have any knowledge of a subject that they are writing about.

Its purpose is to fill a known informational gap and thus reap profit from content that does not exist about a certain niche. I’d never really put much thought into what companies like Demand Studios and AOL really do. I mean, they have names that appear to some degree respectable.

But in an age where the average college student trusts whatever top query result that comes from a search engine, it’s very real the information that comes from content farms is going to really start plugging up the web. Demand Studios, which has received hundreds of millions in funding, is capable of pouring almost four thousand articles a day onto the web, and using hundreds of social media accounts to promote this content.

You’ve seen this type of content before, although you may not have realized it. It was likely a search result from a generic-looking site with an answer that is never complete enough. You know what I’m talking about.

This is not good for search engines, particularly Google themselves. While users of Android are on the rise, a cloud computing operating system like Chrome OS could reap more benefits from search results. This is based on the notion that people will use a device like that entirely on the web in full-screen mode. One problem, however, is the increased amount of information on the internet coming from more dubious sources because of content farming.

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/27/10

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Google Alarm is a new extension that allows you to be notified every time your data is sent to Google servers, which is a lot of notifies.

Cloud Music is an iPhone app that allows you to stream music from your Google Docs account to your mobile device.

Translation features and the ability to undo “smartquotes” are a part of a new Google Docs update.

Firefox’s new operating system-like user interface may have a leg up on that of Chrome browser according to TechRepublic.

Lee Matthews from DownloadSquad has deftly discovered that a new download manager is coming soon to Chrome.

$150 Tablet, $99 Netbook Arrive with Android – What’s Next?

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Yesterday, Lilliputing reported that KMart was now carrying a $150 tablet loaded with Android. Today there’s another report that the retailer is also carrying a $99 netbook as well with the popular mobile operating system.

It’s hard to fathom what you would be able to do with such cheap devices, since they are not subsidized by a two year wireless plan the specifications for devices as these prices must be pretty bare compared with the ultra-powerful smartphones with Android 2.1 on the market today. Nevertheless, Engagdget reports that the $99 netbook came with a web browser, Gmail and Google Apps. Sounds like a nice little mobile device between a laptop and a smartphone.

Despite this, we’ll keep reporting about super cheap devices coming on the market, as this can only help the case for Chrome OS products, which are coming very soon. Although those devices are expected to be priced in the $300-$500 market.

Google Snags Mouse-Watching Patent

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Slashdot is reporting via a blog called Techeye that Google has secured a patent for displaying search results based on the way a user moves their cursor. Called System and Method for Modulating Search Relevancy Using Pointer Activity Monitoring, this process allows Google to display an advertisement based on when someone hovers their cursor over a link, and not neccessarily clicks on it.

We all know that Google makes the lion’s share of money from its ads. I know that other companies do mouse-over style advertising, but this system may be more intricate that those since the patent describes “a client assistant residing in a client computer monitors movements of a user controlled pointer in a web browser”, meaning there is software monitoring mouse movements on a device.

Hey, we’ll see where this one ends up. I better be able to turn this option off in Chrome OS. Just as long as Google doesn’t start making decisions for me. Hm, maybe they already do…

The Multiuser Sketchpad – Social Doodling in the Browser

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

In what may be one of the strangest – or awesomest – Chrome Experiements I’ve seen, longtime web experimenter Mr. Doob has come out with the Multiuser Sketchpad. Sure, it sounds pretty ho-hum when I put it in words, but this HTML5 based webapp is really cool once you try it out. Here is a fast-forwarded clip of a doodle.

The Multiuser Sketchpad reminds me of scribbling stuff on my desk in high school, but in a fascinating colloborative way. I’ll profess that I’m no artist, but some of the people who doodle on this really have some ability.

Experiments like this are just unbelievable. It’s really hard to describe what watching this is like, so just try it out yourself.  The web is going to further innovate with next generation browsers and cloud operating systems. It just makes every new social tool available to anyone. Go ahead, get your doodle on!

Will Chrome OS Have FISMA Certification?

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

In yesterday’s Technologizer post about Google Apps getting FISMA certification, Harry McCracken was at the press event for the government-clearing certification allowing the Google enterprise suite to be used for sensitive data. McCracken asked CEO Eric Schmidt about a version of Chrome OS that is FISMA certified.

“That’s like a ‘yes, absolutely,’” Schmidt said. “Let’s ship it first…All the apps we’re talking about will run incredibly well and incredibly securely on Chrome OS.”

That’s good to hear. But I think it goes without saying that apps should all run securely in Chrome OS, and they should be secure in whatever environment they are run in. While FISMA apparently doesn’t allow for classified information, it does allow for sensitive material. I would say that anything I deem private data would be “sensitive” as well, don’t you?

thechromesource Daily: Links for 7/26/10

Posted on 26. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Google Punch is likely a new feature for Apps collaboration, at least according to compiled reports by TechCrunch.

Chrome 5 stable has been updated; the version is now 5.0.375.125 and has been patched with security fixes.

Here’s a look at what Google is doing to address IPv6 – including slowly making its services compatible.

Google is struggling to rebuild its business since it took a stand on self-censorship against the Chinese government.

Google engineer Rob Pike is frustrated by the complexities he faces using the C++ and Java programming languages.

You Want Sidebar Tabs in Chrome? Here’s How

Posted on 26. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Many people have asked for the ability to move their tabs to the side in Google Chrome. This is a feature that first took off in Firefox, and fortunately the Chromium team has graciously put them into the early builds. Now, if you’re using Chrome 6 in the form of the development or canary builds, you can have sidebar tabs as well.

The first thing you need to do is add “–enable-sidebar-tabs” to your Chrome shortcut like this.

Open up Chrome again, and you can now right click on a tab and choose Use side tabs.

When I chose Use side tabs, my tabs simply disappeared, a strange sight for sure.

But when I hit Ctrl+T to open a new tab, they appeared on a sidebar to the left.

To revert to regular tabs, right click on an open tab and uncheck the Use side tabs option.

Once again, you’ll need to open a new tab to make them appear at the top – a little quirk that shows this feature still needs refinement.

I’m not sure what to think about sidebar tabs – I’ve never used them, so I am accustomed to using regular tabs on the top. I think the feature also need a bit of UI polish as well, but if you’re using Firefox just for the sidebar tabs, you might want to grab yourself the development build of Chrome and give it a shot.

Why Aren’t All Google Apps Made Equally Secure?

Posted on 26. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Google is proudly letting everyone know in an Enterprise Blog post today that Apps is the first set of cloud applications to be certified under the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), a requirement needed in order for government entities to use data that is stored in the cloud.

I think it’s a great idea, I wonder why all Google Apps are not made equal to this type of standard. I’m sure that to protect its own proprietary data that the internal operations within Google are running under the auspices of FISMA, why can’t everyone else as well?

I’m concerned about my privacy in the cloud, but there continues to be nothing I can do about it. The United States government, on the other hand, demanded that Google provide proper data security for its business applications. If Google was not going to be providing it, then the government simply was not going to use it. Interestingly, I’m sure that those with high security clearances were using Google Search prior to this point, a service that may have even more security implications for secure data.

Everything is going to be in the cloud whether we like it or not. Witness email, Skype conversations and other web-based services. There truly are benefits to this, but having some sort of standard compliance for all users, and not just for the federal government, could go far in protecting our private information.

thechromesource Weekend: Links for 7/25/10

Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

Does Google need to buy Zygna in order to have leverage against Facebook?

ReadWriteWeb reports that users and developers alike will be the engine driving Google’s enterprise growth.

The new YouTube embed format checks your browser to see if it is HTML5 capable, otherwise it will play the clip in Flash.

Mashable has posted 10 behind-the-scene videos that are all about Google.

Although the cover design looks a bit Windows-like, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Google Chrome and Chrome OS” will be out Aug. 3.

Is Dell Scrapping PCs with Ubuntu?

Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

I was alerted via Slashdot an article by PCPro UK that Dell is no longer making a push to offer Ubuntu-based laptops and netbooks through their website. This was reported for the Dell UK site, which right now is only returning printers when one searches the term “Ubuntu”. When I went to the USA version of the site a search brought back a slew of desktops, laptops and netbooks offering Ubuntu version 8.04.

With that being said, we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Dell may attempt to scale back the options for devices loaded with Ubuntu. Despite no concrete evidence of Dell working on a Chrome OS product, their Linux team has been releasing builds that work with the Mini 10 netbook. Last month, a Dell executive that is based in South Asia told Reuters that the company wants to be “on the forefront” of innovations in the computer industry such as Chrome OS.

So, we’ll chalk up the sudden disappearance of Ubuntu products from Dell’s UK site as an experiment in consumers’ tastes. If someone in the UK wants to buy an Ubuntu-loaded device from Dell, they can still call and ask for one. The debate still is part of a Dell web page on the topic as well.

Review: Chrome Canary – More Than One Browser Instance

Posted on 25. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey.

I had recently written a post at the Chromium-discuss Google Group about a recent problem I was having with Chrome instances.

The pace of Chrome’s development is mind blowing. So when I read the Chromium-dev Group news about Chrome Canary, I was happy that the team is allowing more instances of the browser to be run for those of us who have a keen interest in Chrome.

However, does Chrome really need to have a stable, beta, dev and now Canary release? Under normal browser conditions, it does not. But because the pace of releases are being sped up due to Chrome being implemented as an OS as well as an integral part of Google’s TV initiative, it makes sense.

The real purpose is to put a canary build out that can be frequently updated, and possibly rolled back. The Chromium team realizes that the more eyes that are on their early builds, the faster potential problems can be worked out, thus speeding up the development life cycle. Note that this build is currently only available for Windows users.

When I first installed Chrome Canary, I was surprised to see that I was given a choice for which search engine would be queried when I put a term in the omnibox. Actually since Yahoo how uses Bing for search results there’s really only two options here.

Looking at the versions of these two instances, it appears that for now the two are running the same build so there’s really nothing intriguing to report on about canary for the time being. Although canary will only be used to push the more risky features into the build, we’ll keep updating on any of the most interesting changes.