Tag Archives: Aviary
Taking Screenshots in Chrome OS
Posted on 28. Jan, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 
1 Comments
For a variety of reasons, it’s expected that one should be able to take screen captures on their computer. Chrome OS is no different in that regard. I’ve spent some time testing out the various screen capture webapps that are currently available in the Chrome Web Store, and here are my thoughts about each one of them.
Mind you, just a screen capture tool is not quite enough; being able to edit and annotate at least to some degree is really needed to make a screen capture tool useful. Otherwise, I would just recommend the Screen Shot extension, which does its job well for quick captures that don’t require any modification.
A particular tool doesn’t need to be a full blown photo editor, however – but it needs to do the job quickly and well. And it needs to of course work on Chrome OS, which many available right now do not. So here goes.
Is Local Storage Really a Problem in Chrome OS?
Posted on 12. Jan, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 10 Comments
Here is something I’ve been thinking about recently: while using my Cr-48 one issue I have had is the lack of local filesystem usage. Sure, you can turn on the advanced file system in about:flags if you want, but it’s not going to do anything. At least not right now. And maybe that’s by design.
Do we really need access to local files in the cloud? Conceptually, no we don’t. Everything is supposed to be online.
Review: Screen Capture Extension by Google
Posted on 20. Oct, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
As many of you have probably observed, we don’t do a whole lot of coverage on Google Chrome extensions. This is because many extensions really don’t offer a whole lot of benefit to the browsing experience and are actually a bit distracting, at least in our view. With that being said, when an extension that offers a great way to do something a native app does and simplifies things, we need to point it out.
There’s been a lot of concern that with Chrome OS there will be some degree of basic PC functionality missing. Based on the comments for Google officials, they are very cognizant of this fact and are working to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s a given that they are heavily testing it internally, and case in point is the Screen Capture extension from the company.
thechromesource Daily: Links for 9/6/10
Posted on 06. Sep, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
The five best tablets revealed so far are ranked by Gizmodo.
Here’s how cloud image editing software company Aviary integrated with Google Apps.
Interested in how much money big brands spend on Google advertising? Mashable has the scoop.
Apparently the Google buckeyball doodle requires a lot of computing resources due to its JavaScript processing.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center has problems with Google’s revised privacy policy.
Aviary Adds “Browser/OS” Option for Screen Captures
Posted on 06. Jul, 2010 by DC4wr3y. 0 Comments
Do I detect the solution to a problem coming? In edition to having developed a Chrome extension, a company called Aviary also has a browser-based screen capture utility, recently added a “Browser/OS” drop-down box as one of its options for snapshots.
Really, what purpose would there be for adding this to your ability to create a screenshot unless it was for a certain web-based operating system coming out at the end of this year? Taking a picture of your computer screen shouldn’t require what web browser or operating system you are using, except when the resulting file is stored somewhere other than your hard drive, such as in the cloud.
As Google begins to internally test Chrome OS, we’ll slowly start to see these types of little functional elements occur. Although Aviary is not owned by Google, they are an Apps partner and signed on early to be a part of the Google Apps Marketplace. In a past interview with another company that has been an early partner with Apps Marketplace, MindMeister, I was told that Google keeps product liasons in close contact with these third party companies.
I’m going to need to be able to take screenshots in Chrome OS as well as edit images and this may just be the ticket to doing that. Have you come across any other way it’s going to be possible? I haven’t other than perhaps by using Aviary.
Chrome OS: Did You Think it Wouldn’t Have a Media player?
Posted on 22. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Not too long ago, I wrote up a quick review of the Cloud Player. Basically, its a piece of software that loads up and acts surprisingly similar to Apple’s iTunes yet is run completely through the browser. These type of webapps, along with the revisions that Google has in store for Youtube in the coming months and the continuing development of HTML 5 architecture, there is no way that Chrome OS is not going to be able to run media content. And that includes files. So, what is the major concern that now makes this a hot issue? Some may want to manipulate that content in some way, and there are some worries that with a standard version of Chrome OS that may not be possible.
But fear not. For example, although it’s in early stages, a company called Aviary already offers a set of plugins for Chrome browser that allows the editing of image and audio files. And although this genre is new and will have its technical drawbacks when comparing to traditional executable suites that give the user almost every editing and manipulation option at their fingertips, at some point we’re just not going to think about this anymore. It’s just going to work.
In fact, for those out there who have used potential Chrome OS competitors such as Jolicloud or Ubuntu Netbook Remix, media playback and manipulation are already features that these mobile-networked platforms have. And what’s to stop some from making their own Chrome OS flavor that is not of Google’s standard for the machines that they sell? We’ve already seen a few builds that fit on a 1GB stick, as well as a 64-bit version in a span of two months since the official announcement.
First Look: Chrome OS Zero
Posted on 12. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
Well, I’ve had the chance to load up the old USB drive with Zero and take it for a spin. In fact, I’m writing this post with Zero right now. I have to say that there is a lot more polish to this version compared to previous builds. In the past I noticed that there seemed to be slight glitches here and there within the interface, especially in the navigational bar at the top. However, these types of issues are to be expected since this was a part of a very early version of the operating system – although they now appear to be gone.
The load time for Zero is very fast – seven seconds to login at my count. Once logged in with the facepunch/facepunch combo, I quickly connected to my wireless internet. I was able to surf around with ease, and felt like I could really get used to this on a day-to-day basis. One problem is taking screenshots and the handling of image files, however.
In the top right, it appears that the options menu to the far right where you can see your machine’s battery status and wireless connection has been removed, and that’s probably because you can access the OS’s preferences from the wrench icon – this was probably changed to reflect how the Chrome browser is set up.
Extensions are a big deal to Chromium, and anyone who uses the Chrome browser would agree with this fact. That’s why the have been added to this version of Chrome OS. Of course, being the intrepid blogger I attempted to take screenshots of Zero with the Aviary extension tool which allows you to take screens in the Chrome browser. Unfortunately I received a rather polite error stating that Flash was just not going to cooperate with me.
I’m not sure what the issue is with Flash yet, but I’ve posed my question at the Chromium Group to see if I get an answer. I did a quick search over there and it looks like there is an issue with it. Since Flash has been reported as a potential security risk perhaps early builds are going to go without it until regular users start adopting the OS.
I’m not sure how how automatic updates work in Zero, but according to Hexxeh’s site this is a new feature in this build. I think it’s a great idea since that will be how all updates are delivered in the future for Chromium.
How to Take Screenshots in Chrome OS
Posted on 06. Dec, 2009 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
One of the initial problems associated with using Chrome OS is that there really is no way to take screenshots since you are unable to install a screen capture program. Besides that, when I try to hit Print Screen, nothing happens. Outside of running Chrome as a VM and then getting your screen captures from another OS, there really is not an efficient way to do it.
There is a company called Aviary that has an extension for Chrome browsers that allows for screenshots within the browser, and I was able to install that on Chrome OS. The software is pretty cool, it allows you to grab screens via a small button on the upper right of the browser. Once you have taken a screenshot, the extension then takes you to a web app hosted by Aviary where you can crop and edit the screenshot any way you like. I was able to save my screenshot to my USB drive running Chrome OS, and there was also an option to store files on the Aviary server. In fact, it appears Aviary wants to become a full fledged image editing suite, although right now it only has limited functionality.
Speaking on limited functionality, Aviary only allows shots inside the browser, so I couldn’t find a way to display tabs or the address bar within Chrome OS. I am hoping Aviary is going to fix this…
Download the Aviary screen capture extension here.
