Tag Archives: Google Translate
Infobar Refresh Comes to Chromium for Better Security
Posted on 22. Oct, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 
3 Comments
Looking at the newest version of Chromium that I downloaded from the most recent builds there is a new “about:flags” option available today: Infobar Refresh.
If you’re not familiar with what the infobar does, that’s understandable. Basically, whenever a website wants to do something like track your geolocation a blue bar hovers down from just below the Omnibox. It’s also used for password management, Google Translate and for certain web applications.
Using the Speech Attribute Feature in Chrome 7
Posted on 31. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 3 Comments
Another new feature that is a part of Chrome 7 is the ability to talk into the browser. This would be useful for Google’s voice search technology just like what is available for smartphones. For the time being we’ll have to suffice with a demo by developer Jeremy Selier, which uses the Google Translate API to convert spoken English into French text.
You don’t even have to use a command line switch for this one. Just make sure that you have the most recent version of Chromium downloaded (the speech attribute demo only works on Windows and Mac). Then head over to Selier’s demo page hosted by AppEngine.
The demo can take spoken language in English and convert it into French. There are a number of uses for something like this, and having speech in the browser will make for some intriguing web applications down the road.
Selier has more details on the code in a blog post. Here is a technical document on using speech for HTML elements for developers.
Google Translate is Machine-Based
Posted on 28. Aug, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
This video goes in depth on how Google Translate works. While I had assumed that Google to some degree used human input to be able to translate so many different languages, they actually use all machine-based translations through special algorithms that parse through a large amount of text. Check out the clip to understand more.
Google Music Appears in China
Posted on 05. Jul, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 6 Comments
Fortune’s Seth Weintraub reported – and then mysteriously deleted – a story that there are some new features added to the Google.cn site today, giving the impression that the Chinese government has renewed the search engine’s license to operate its site in China. Here’s a screenshot so you know I’m not making this up (RSS readers giveth, but don’t easily taketh).
Google’s ability to continue to develop its business operations in China was something that had certainly been in question recently, although I had hoped the two sides would reach an amicable resolution.
For the time being, it appears that the two sides have done just that. Google.cn does not redirect to Google.hk, but interestingly, if you click on the rounded outline that appears in the middle where the search box is, you will be sent directly to Google.hk.
Of more importance is the fact that Google has placed Music, Translate and Products at the bottom as links on the page. When one clicks on Music, it takes them to a page that references Chinese pop artists.
Too bad though, as it doesn’t look like my location is available for streaming music from the service.
It also appears that while some things are moving forward for Google in China, as of today the China Service Availability page is still showing some partial problems with accessing the site from the mainland.
This still may be a fluid situation; we’ll see in the coming days whether a majority of sites still have blockage issues going forward.
Why Google TV Makes My Current Television Really Boring
Posted on 21. May, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
While I knew for weeks that Google TV was going to be announced at the annual I/O developers conference that was held this week, I did not expect to see such a radical change in the way that people might be watching television soon. Sure, there were a lot of whiz-bang features and we don’t know how they will play out once the actual product reaches stores. But the reality is that my TV is just plain terrible right now compared to what Google TV can offer me.
The ability to use the web and TV at the same time? Check. An input device that I can use to do this? Check. Apps for television? Certainly. Integration with my Android-powered phone? Well, of course.
For the past decade, those of us who grew up with computers have had no choice but to sit on the couch with an uncomfortably hot laptop while watching TV at the same time. It’s really become an annoyance and the conglomerate cable/satellite providers never saw any reason to make a change since they were already getting fat profits from TV and internet service while keeping them separate entities. But along comes the ever-disrupting Google gathering its own band of partners to make the television experience very much different.
It was clear that Google had been working on this for some time (2.5 years), and the ability to add in services to Google TV that we already use on the web makes a ton of sense. Take television subtitles being translated into other languages, powered by Google Translate. This is just one example that shows more Google services will likely trickle down into even more features for Google TV that will make it very difficult for the competition. Not to mention the potential advertising implications that this will have for Google.
So, as it stands, my current television viewing has taken a dive. It’s not interactive; I cannot easily search for the specific shows that I want. I’m still squinting at a fourteen inch display when I watch Hulu or check out videos on YouTube. It’s been a real revelation to me now how bad my video viewing experiences currently are, but for now I’m stuck with them.
New Chrome Ads Highlight Extensions, Translate
Posted on 21. Apr, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
These videos continue to be enjoyable, simply because they are all so different and while Chrome is the singular product promoted, there really is no underlying theme that ties them together other than the similar motif. I think this is a smart move, as consumers are pretty sophisticated about products theses days.
It’s no wonder that people have to be when you think about how many marketing messages a person is exposed to day in and day out. At the same time, the presentation here is simplistic, not trying to alienate those who may not be into the technical side of computers:
Here is a previous ad that the same agency, BBH, did a while back:
Check out this clip on how they made the ad above. It’s pretty cool how they are using their creativity to make these effects instead of just using a PC. It really stretches your abilities while at the same time enables one to make something truly unique:
Chrome 4.1 Brings Translate to Everyone
Posted on 18. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
The Chrome releases blog yesterday announced an update to Chrome 4, bringing the latest stable version to 4.1. While 4.1 has been out in beta for some time, everyone now will have the features on Chrome 4.1. What’s interesting to note is that now, like Chrome browser 5, Chrome 4.1 has Google translate built in. Prior to these features being inherent to the browser itself, you had to have the Google Translate Extension in order to use it.
What’s great about the translate feature is that you can also set the languages that it does not translate for. As an example, if you speak other languages than English, you can set the translate feature to be disabled if you so choose. This can be done in Options when you click on the “Under the Hood” tab and go to the” Change font and language settings” button.
I’ve written a more extensive post on how the translation feature works in Chrome browser, and you can check it out right here. This was a post I did that originally was for Chrome 5, but it fits the topic just the same.
There are a few other things that Chrome 4.1 brings to the table. Just like Chrome 5, content settings have been expanded. This means that users have more control over what they do or do not see while browsing the web. This gives you the ability to set exceptions for certain sites, as well as the ability to turn off cookies, image downloads and the ability to turn off JavaScript. You can do all this in Options when you click on the “Content settings” button in the “Under the Hood” tab.
If you already have Chrome 4, you will be updated to 4.1 via an automatic update. If you’re not using Chrome, go here. It will detect you operating system and allow you to download the appropriate version. So try it. You know you want to.
Google Announces Chrome 4.1 With Translation, Enhanced Privacy
Posted on 02. Mar, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 0 Comments
In an effort get as many people as possible starting to use their new integrated translation feature that is already a part of Chrome 5, Google has announced Chrome 4.1 Beta. Chrome 4 is a more stable release than Chrome 5, which is a version better suited for developers who are working on extensions and other miscellansoues features of the browser.
As previously mentioned here, future versions of Chrome will not require you to have to download a separate Google Translate extension, rather, when you are at a site that is not in your normal language for browsing you will be prompted for a translation. Check out the official video of the feature:
Additionally, there are some enhanced privacy features in 4.1. When pressing the Content Settings button under the Privacy header you get a good deal of options on how you would like Chrome to handle cookies for various sites. You can check out 4.1 here, by downloading the Beta Channel release. If you are already in the Beta Channel, you don’t have to do anything, as Chrome will update itself.
Chrome 5 Has Google Translate Built In
Posted on 26. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 4 Comments
It looks like in the future, Chrome users will not need to have a Translate Extension in order to read sites that are in a foreign language. That’s because with Chrome 5, which is currently in beta, it is built into the latest developer version. I personally had installed the Google Translate feature from Google’s Extension site when I first downloaded Chrome 5, so I didn’t even realize this until I came across the info myself.
Now, when you are at a site that is in a different language than yours, Chrome 5 automatically detects that and asks you if you want to translate the page. It takes a few seconds, then you will be able to read the page in your language. Sometimes the translation isn’t perfect but I have yet to find a time when I cannot understand what I am reading.
Mind you it can only do text, not images or any craziness that may be embedded in Flash.
This feature acts exactly like the Translate Extension so much so that it make me wonder what else Google is planning on integrating into Chrome for future versions. This one was a good idea, as Translate isn’t really something that you notice until you are on a site you cannot read because it isn’t in your own language. One other thing: there doesn’t appear to be a way to turn Translate off as of yet but you can set a site to not notify for translation from the options menu located on the right hand side:
In a nutshell Translate is a useful, transparent feature that has been baked into this version of Chrome. But I wouldn’t be surprised if we keep seeing Google add more of their applications and services directly into the browser if they feel it is of utmost use and convenience.
While this may make it into a future Chrome 4 update, to use this now you must be on the current Dev Channel. This is the most recent Chrome version that is available and is ahead of the monthly beta updates that Google pushes out. You can download Chrome 5 Dev for all platforms right here.
Super Bowl Ad Not the First Google Commercial
Posted on 08. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Pretty surprising to hear Google CEO Eric Schmidt say that “hell indeed has frozen over” on Twitter, only to see that Google has their own Super Bowl commercial. Here is a version of it that was posted on YouTube some time ago:
I especially like the quick use of the Google Translate service in the clip. While not as accurate as an interpreter, it does the job well, and you can even get a Chrome Extension for this if you wish.
Yes, this is a different tactic for Google. But did you know that the company plans on heavily advertising its Google Apps suite, which has actually already started with billboards? Check this out:
And let’s not forget the Google Chrome browser ad that has been getting play on television ever since it came out last year. I like this spot: it’s interesting and subtle:
If Google wants to successfully compete in all of these new businesses that they are jumping into, they are going to have to spend millions to get the public’s awareness. There isn’t a single day that goes by anymore where there is no news of what Google is doing, whether that may be in technology news or in the mainstream media. There’s a reason for that, and since this is a company that derives almost all of their revenue from the advertising business, should you really be surprised by Google’s new marketing push?
The Top 5 Indispensable Chrome Extensions
Posted on 02. Feb, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 1 Comments
Some people find that extensions (also known as add-ins if you’re a Firefox user) to end up being meaningless bloat that simply slows down the perofrmance of their browser. But I beg to differ. Chrome has some plugins that can seriously change your web browsing experiences, and while some of these extensions are available in other browsers, the speed with the which these run along with the browsing experience differentiates Chrome from its comeptition. Not that there’s anything wrong with a little competitive drive in order to further progress technology.
1. Google Translate – We do live in a global world, and at this point language should no longer be a barrier to information access. That is essentially what this extension does. Instead of copying and pasting text into babelfish – which is what I used to do for translation – I can now click on a icon in the top of my browser and get a translation into English. No, it’s not always perfect but it does the job better than any other free translation tool out there.
2. Chromed Bird - While subjective to whether or not you use Twitter, but for those who do, Chromed Bird allows you to essentially eliminate a browser tab by having an extension that is able to keep you up to date on the latest tweets. You’re able to use this to send out messages as well as get pop-ups when you are replied to or retweeted. This is excellent for the power Twitter user.
3. Google Mail Checker Plus – This is an awesome extension for those who obsessively check their email; let’s just hope for the sake of this extension that you use Gmail. Installed as an icon in your browser, Google Mail Checker Plus will let you know if you have any new messages. It also allows you to reply, delete and compose new messages all from whatever browser window you may be in. So you can write that quick email on the fly, should you be inspired to.
4. RSS Subscription Extension – It’s great that every major site for information has an RSS feed, but it can only be useful if I am able to organize that information into my RSS reader so that I can be updated in real time the latest news and other goings-on around the web. That’s why the RSS Subscription Extension is so useful to me. When a site has a feed that is available, there is an RSS icon that is displayed in my address bar. I simply click on it and I am whisked over to the RSS reader of my choice for saving the feed. Pretty useful, and if you have never really got into RSS feeds, this extension helps out a lot.
5. TabJump – Ever experience tab-madness? If you have, then you should try Tabjump. Neatly placed in your navigation bar, TabJump allows you to better interpret the mass amount of tabs that come with modern browsing. You are able to look at full descriptions of the tabs you are looking at, plus they are also grouped as related topics. You can also reopen recently closed tabs, which often happens in mass ordeals when your system memory starts to freak out because of all the Chrome instances you have open.
Did I leave out your favorite extension that make Chrome the best browser to use or has changed your experience using the internet? Let us know.
Chrome Browser Now at Version 4
Posted on 25. Jan, 2010 by Daniel Cawrey. 2 Comments
Coming out of beta, Chrome browser is now at version 4 stable. What does this mean? Well, the most recent version before today that was being run was a beta of version 4, and now Google has declared it a “stable release”. Some of the features that have been enhanced in this version include support for extensions, which are pretty much like Firefox’s add-ins. Also, Chrome 4 has a host of newer application programming interfaces (APIs) for web development that will provide better performance as well as increased support for features such as offline storage. Unfortunately, this is only a new stable release for Windows. The Linux and Mac versions are still in beta for now.
So where do you get it? Don’t worry, as this is part of the Chromium project: automatic updates for major releases.
With version 4 moving to stable, Chrome browser’s bookmark sync is also coming out of beta. What bookmark sync does for users is allow them to keep the same links with them as they move from computer to computer as long as the are using the internet with Chrome. It’s accessed through the tools menu, and you’ll need to sign into your Google account in order to allow your bookmarks to be properly saved. You can check out more about bookmark sync here.
But the biggest deal is the amount of extensions that are now available on the official site. There are now extensions for every platform. By Google’s count, there are over 1,500 extensions that are available. My favorite? I recommend checking out Google Translate, which allows you to surf to sites that don’t speak your native language. Pretty cool. You can also check out a video about Chrome 4 here:
