Tag Archives: Chrome webapps
5 Google Services That Would Instantly Benefit From Chrome OS
Posted on 22. Apr, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 
3 Comments
Google hasn’t been working on Chrome OS blindly. They know that with their own PC operating system, their own products and services would get a big boost. In fact, it’s entirely possible that the company could optimize select services just for Chrome OS. While we don’t know everything that Google has planned for Chrome OS just yet, lets take a look at the offerings that could be really be useful on Chrome hardware.
Reader
Google’s RSS product is a go-to source for regular information. It’s like a digital version of the newspaper for most of us. On Chrome OS, it’s easy to get access to every RSS that you need to know about right away. And unlike a smartphone, you can read it on a full screen. The fact that one can jump into Chrome OS and look at their feeds right away is an enormous time saver over booting up a PC or having to squint at a tiny screen on a phone. While you’re phone is useful for checking the latest and greatest, it’s pretty enjoyable to open up articles on larger real estate.
Thousands of Jolicloud App Users May Have a Point
Posted on 24. Mar, 2011 by Julian West. 8 Comments
I will admit that I was tempted to dismiss the Jolicloud App of simply jumping on the cloud computing bandwagon. But you know what? I’ve reconsidered. While I feel ambivalence to certain features, Jolicloud’s “App Store” really shows some possibility. And yes, it really does appear to have a ton of users in the Chrome Web Store.
Jolicloud’s interface is very similar to Chrome, almost to the point of redundancy. Like Chrome, Jolicloud presents your web apps as icons lined up in rows across the screen. To access your apps, you simply click on them, and it will take you to the web page from which they are hosted. There is a search box on the top, a bit like Google’s Omnibox, but not as integrated into the web as Chrome.
The sharing aspect of the Jolicloud app doesn’t work for me. While I understand how powerful sharing things can be on the internet, it would be more helpful if Jolicloud users could share their favorite applications outside the Jolicloud user base so others — perhaps their Facebook friends or Twitter followers — could be exposed to more web based applications.
Video: Advanced Medical Software – Right in the Browser
Posted on 18. Mar, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
There has been warranted criticism for web applications in that they are unable to replace complex software. This includes software such as Photoshop, CAD design programs and video editors. I would agree somewhat, but because this field is so new many organizations are only starting to explore and develop on web platforms.
One example I came across today was this brain surface and tractography viewer that uses WebGL, JavaScript and jQuery. It’s kind of like Google’s Body Browser, but this uses real MRI images to look at the brain.
What software would you need on the web for you to make a switch to a cloud operating system?
via Mashable
5 Positives That Make Webapps the Future
Posted on 17. Mar, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
It was pointed out to me recently that the Chrome Web Store has grown significantly since its December 9 launch. At that time, it was released with 500 webapps. Looking at the number today, with over 3,500 webapps now available, that signifies a 700% increase in the number of applications that Chrome users have available since its launch. That’s a rapid increase, and made me start to think about all of the benefits of developing web applications.
Platforms
The ability to develop across multiple platforms is a difficult issue. While we cannot definitively say that HTML5 and other open web technologies will become the go-to standard, companies like Google and Facebook are openly advocating it to independent developers. And while this is not the way Apple wants things, even to the point of conspiracy about the company against webapps, it’s where things are moving too. Flying under the radar is Mozilla who also have their own webapp market. It’s a point of ubiquity with the web – create one app through it and it can be used on any device with a modern browser.
Background Feature for Webapps Comes to Chrome 10
Posted on 23. Feb, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 7 Comments
Something new that is in Chrome 10 is the background feature. Sure, you’ve probably heard of this before, but in this latest version of Chrome 10 these webapps are now going to be able to run in the background as soon as a user logs in to their computer. That’s a key difference, and a method that allows web applications to run differently than on other browsers.
You’ve probably seen this in the past…
What would be the ultimate purpose of something that runs completely in the background like that? Well, just like regular applications, webapps also need to be able to perform complex functions. This may be to check in with a server or to make sure that notifications are sent. Another reason that would be highly useful is for offline caching through HTML5, a feature Google has said is coming soon.
Chrome 9 Goes Stable
Posted on 03. Feb, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
It’s been two months since the Chrome Stable Channel has been updated, and Google has announced today that version 9 is now being pushed out in the Stable channel. Along with the requisite security fixes, the browser also gets some new graphical ability as well as speed improvements over the previous version and the Chrome Web Store is now installed by default.
Security researchers have been award $2,000 for this release, and that included a problem where printing PDFs causes the browser to crash.
Drag and Drop of Webapps Comes to Chrome 10
Posted on 01. Feb, 2011 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
The newer builds of Chrome that are at version 10 allow you to do something that makes your new tab page a little bit easier to look at: you can move your apps around as you like. Dragging and dropping them wherever you want makes it easier to prioritize the ones you use the most.
This is especially true if you’ve installed a bunch of them and they are starting to crowd your new tab screen; I now have enough installed that they don’t fit in one window even after removing unused ones.
This could get messy.
That’s another problem that I’m starting to wonder about. Crowding all these apps into one generic screen might not be the best way to organize these icons. Drag and drop is a step forward, but in the future there needs to be a bit more detail in the way that one can arrange these apps.
This is especially true for new users of Chrome OS, who need to get comfortable with the fact that there isn’t really a desktop, which is a reaction I get from people I’ve shown the Cr-48 to.
As it stands, drag and drop only seems to be working in the newest dev build of Chrome OS.
Video: Why You Should Make an App for the Chrome Web Store
Posted on 20. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
This video shows Chrome business development manager Peter Chane talk about what the benefits are of creating an app for the Chrome Web Store. The fact that millions of users already use Chrome, plus the fact that installed apps appear in every new tab are a few of the many reasons why developers should consider developing or porting Chrome webapps.
Review: The USA Today Webapp
Posted on 09. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
I was more than a bit surprised to see that the flagship webapps introduced for the Chrome Web Store were media-based titles meant to replace either newspapers or magazines. But I’m getting used to the concept, and the app that I’m taking a look at here, the USA Today webapp, is exactly what it needs to be and nothing more which is the way it should be.
In fact, since I don’t have a tablet myself, this is the best way for me to experience that type of media consumption, and it works quite well within the browser.
How to Use Chrome Apps
Posted on 08. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
You’ve probably heard that there are now web applications specific to the Chrome browser and the upcoming Chrome OS, so here is a short guide on how you can start using them. It’s actually super-easy to set up, and you’ll be using some great webapps in no time at all. So, here goes.
Webapps built for Chrome can be found at the Chrome Web Store. You can get there by opening a new Chrome tab, where you’ll see a little Chrome shopping bag.
You can go directly there from here. When you do get there, you’ll see a site that resembles an app directory such as iTunes. There are a number of options for how to find the right webapp, using the categories on the left, the most popular in the middle or by searching on the top left. [...]
thechromesource Daily: Links for 12/7/10
Posted on 07. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
The first consumer versions of Chrome OS in 2011 will arrive from Samsung and Acer.
LifeHacker has the best Chrome webapps that aren’t worthy of just bookmarking.
Mashable says that the New York Times webapp remodels what we should think of an online newspaper.
A new compilation structure for the JavaScript V8 engine called Crankshaft was released today in early builds of Chrome.
PCWorld says Chrome OS is not a Windows killer, at least not yet.
Chrome Web Store Launches With 500 Apps, Some Quite Stunning
Posted on 07. Dec, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Today was the day that Google’s much-awaited Chrome Web Store was rolled out. It features applications that work in the Chrome browser, and there are certainly many applications to delve into here: there are over five hundred of them.
The Chrome Web Store melds applications, extensions and themes all into one. Applications are full-fledged games or multimedia experiences. Extensions are complements to your web browsing, and allow you at have a better time while visiting your favorite pages. Themes allow you to customize your Chrome user interface.
