Software : Chrome browser update tracks noisy tabs, acts more like Chrome OS |
- Chrome browser update tracks noisy tabs, acts more like Chrome OS
- Facebook news reader 'Paper' may flip off Flipboard later this month
- Updated: BlackBerry may taste the fruit of another, open up to native Android apps
- Sony SmartBand fitness tracker with 'Core' tech to arrive in UK in April?
| Chrome browser update tracks noisy tabs, acts more like Chrome OS Posted:  Google continues to update Chrome with common sense features that its internet browsing rivals return a "404 Not Found" error for. Case in point? The ability to see which tabs are playing sound. The latest version of Chrome launched today with a speaker visual cue that appears in the right-hand portion of the tab whenever, say, a YouTube clip is blaring audio. No more frantically closing tabs to figure out where "Wrecking Ball" is blaring from, amiright? It's also easy to track down which tabs are using your webcam or being cast to a bigger screen via the Chromecast tab extension thanks to a red record icon and blue screencasting icon. Two months ago, the Chrome beta premiered these helpful tools to developers and early adopters, and now they're available to everyone using Google's browser. Three months ago, the company enhanced the Chrome beta's malware-blocking software and added ability to create supervised users for family members. Both features exited beta today as well. Chrome OS-like Windows 8 Metro modeGoogle is also giving Windows 8 users a taste of Chrome OS with a Metro mode redesign that takes on the look and feel of its standalone operating system. It features a new Chrome Metro default interface and an integrated app launcher. Users can easily access an app-filled taskbar at the bottom and also manage multiple Chrome windows. This W8 Chrome Metro redesign confirms earlier reports that Google was building a version of Chrome OS to sit within Windows 8. By giving Microsoft users a taste of its open-source operating system and making its hardware like the Samsung Chromebook dirt cheap, Google may succeed with Chrome OS after all. |
| Facebook news reader 'Paper' may flip off Flipboard later this month Posted:  Imagine rolling over in bed each morning, awakening your phone and turning to a Facebook product to get caught up on the day's happenings. Sounds like something most of us do anyway, right? In the very near future - as soon as the end of the month, actually - Facebook's long-rumored news reader may finally become part of our information consumption routine. According to sources speaking with Re/code, Facebook's news reading service is known as "Paper." It takes cues from Flipboard, and will either be a standalone app for mobile or a web experience designed to fit smaller screens. Like Flipboard, Paper sounds to be an aggregator for content including news stories from the likes of the New York Times and Washington Post as well as status updates from other Facebookers. It will all be arranged in a eye-popping "paper-like" format, one hard-copy news readers cling to fondly. Facebook Paper-less postPaper's launch timeline may change, according to one source, so there's no guarantee we'll be turning to Facebook for all our newsy needs (beyond baby bump updates) come February 1. The first inklings of a Facebook reader first popped up in June 2013, but apparently the project has been years in the making and started as many other FB products have - piece of a News Feed overhaul. We saw some of the new News Feed redesign come to life in March 2013, but the other parts left unfinished have apparently found their way to Paper. If and when Paper makes its way off the virtual presses, users won't be the only ones to benefit from the rich reading experience; engagement and user eyeballs so valuable to advertisers are certainly a driver for Facebook to finish the project. |
| Updated: BlackBerry may taste the fruit of another, open up to native Android apps Posted:  Update: A BlackBerry spokesperson wrote to explain that yes, the BlackBerry 10.2.1 update does indeed add support for native Android apps up through Android Jelly Bean. This version is already available for developers, and will be released to the public "this year," according to the spokesperson. He also pointed out that the existing release, BlackBerry 10.2.0, supports Android apps up through Android Ice Cream Sandwich, but only if they're repackaged as .bar BlackBerry files and re-submitted to BlackBerry World. So BB 10.2.1 ups the compatibility and eliminates the need to repackage the apps. Original story follows… BlackBerry has reportedly begun approaching Android app and game developers about getting their native Android apps directly onto the BlackBerry World app marketplace. Apparently the next BlackBerry firmware update will support native Android APK files directly, and porting them over will require very little work from developers, according to Good e-Reader. The digital publishing news site reported that it spoke with at least four Android app developers at CES 2014 who confirmed that BlackBerry had approached them about publishing their apps directly to BlackBerry 10. These developers need do nothing more than make BlackBerry World profiles and submit icons, screenshots and app descriptions for their existing Android apps to appear in the BlackBerry 10 app ecosystem. A whole new worldIt's not just about devs - BlackBerry 10 users will reportedly be able to download these apps directly to their devices, just as if they were normal BB10 apps. These devices are said to include the BlackBerry Q5, Q10, Z10 and Z30. BlackBerry stands to benefit enormously from its app ecosystem being inundated with Android apps, and if it really is that easy for Android developers to expand to BlackBerry World then that could very well happen. Easy as a slice of blackberry pie, right? Good e-Reader claims this feature will become available in the BlackBerry 10.3 update, but users in a CrackBerry forum thread discussing the article claim that it will actually be in BlackBerry 10.2.1. In either case, it seems the feature could arrive soon. We've asked BlackBerry to provide a statement and clarify when BlackBerry devices will support native Android apps, and we'll update this article when possible. |
| Sony SmartBand fitness tracker with 'Core' tech to arrive in UK in April? Posted:  Sony's pitch to jump in on the one of the hottest sectors in tech will begin in earnest early this spring when its Sony SmartBand fitness tracker with the intriguing 'Core' technology is likely to arrive in the UK According to Carphone Warehouse's website, The Nike FuelBand SE rival, which was announced at CES earlier this month will sprint onto shelves in April, although there's no price or specific date listed at present Like many of the devices already on the market, the attractive Sony SmartBand will track the wearers movement patterns throughout the day and report the findings back to a smartphone app. However, thanks to the 'Core' chip that slips inside the SmartBand, it'll can also discern the length of the activity, meaning users can harness stats on how long they walked, ran, travelled or even slept. Beyond that, the Core technology is also somewhat of a lifestyle assistant. It tracks when you take photos, what music you listened to and when you consumed other forms of entertainment. The idea is to provide users with a means of "watching their lifestyle back on screen," according to Sony The data harnessed by the Core will also inform recommendations for inspirational workout playlists, while Sony also plans to open up the technology to developers, allowing for endless possibilities. Sony has promised more detailed information regarding the SmartBand and the Core chip, but in the meantime you can read our hands on review from CES. |
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