Thursday, January 16, 2014

Software : Cut mobile web data in half with the new Chrome app for iOS and Android

Software : Cut mobile web data in half with the new Chrome app for iOS and Android

Cut mobile web data in half with the new Chrome app for iOS and Android

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Cut mobile web data in half with the new Chrome app for iOS and Android

Google has announced a new feature for the Chrome app on iOS and Android that it says can cut data usage from web browsing by up to half.

The "data compression and bandwidth management" feature will compress mobile browsing data in real time as you browse, Google Software Engineer and "Data Squasher Extraordinaire" Matt Welsh wrote in a Google blog post.

"In the US alone, more than a fifth of adult smartphone users now do most of their online browsing on their mobile device," Welsh wrote. "Around the world, we're seeing a similar trend towards more mobile browsing."

Ifso facto, Google wanted to create a way to reduce data usage and save consumers money on their mobile plans.

According to Welsh, Google will be rolling the feature out to iOS and Android in updates arriving over the coming days.

Plus translation

When the feature arrives, you can enable it in the settings menu under "bandwidth management" and then "reduce data usage." From here you can also track how much data you're saving every month with the feature.

In addition to compressing web data on the fly, the feature will also enable mobile Chrome's safe browsing mode, which reportedly "helps protect you from malicious webpages."

Welsh also discussed another new feature coming to Chrome on iOS in the coming days: Google Translate.

The feature will work exactly as it does in the desktop and Android versions of Chrome; when the browser detects a page is in another language, it will ask you whether you want to translate it with the tap of a button.

The next update to Chrome for Android will also allow users to save website bookmarks from within the browser itself with a tap of the toolbar menu.

You can now watch Google Play Movies & TV on iOS, just not buy them

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You can now watch Google Play Movies & TV on iOS, just not buy them

The awkward conundrum you find yourself in when you want to relax with your iPad and a good movie purchased via the Google Play is no more.

Google has plopped an iOS version of its Google Play Movies & TV app in the iTunes App Store, meaning owners of devices with an "i" can now watch content purchased through Mountain View's virtual front.

While it sounds almost like a peace treaty between the two hardened rivals, don't unfurl the white flags just yet. Users can't actually purchase content from the app. Rather, they're left to make the buy through a web client before they can play it on their iDevice.

What's more, streaming video content currently works over Wi-Fi only, and standard definition, not high-def, will play on the phone. Users will also be left without the "info cards" that pop up when a video is paused.

The app is compatible with iPhones, iPads and iPod touches running iOS 6 and up. So far, TV shows are only available in the US, UK and Japan.

The Chromecast connection

Google posses quite the collection over on Movies & TV, and while it's not perfect, past experience has shown the G team usually grants its iOS apps more form and function before long.

Regardless, with today's app release iPhone peeps who also happen to own a Chromecast may be leaving the happiest of all.

That's because they can now stream content to their Chromecasts from their iPhones, opening the content door beyond Hulu Plus and Netflix.

Pandora gets personal on iOS and Android, adds artist recommendations

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Pandora gets personal on iOS and Android, adds artist recommendations

With so much streaming music flying all over the place, how can a listener find the stuff that's right for them? Pandora may have the answer, at least for smartphone and tablet owners.

It announced today the addition of personalized music recommendations on its iOS and Android apps, which serve up to six suggested artist stations based on what the user is currently listening to.

The feature can be found on the Create a Station screen as well as at the bottom of a Station List, and keeps in mind which content you have given a thumbs up or thumbs down before offering suggestions.

To kick things off, Pandora will deliver personalized artist station recommendations, but plans to "evolve and refine" the feature as time goes on, promising it will improve the more listeners engage with the service.

Personalized listening

Since launching in 2005, Pandora has collected more than 35 billion bits of "thumb feedback" from users, making the service "uniquely positioned to deliver the perfect balance of familiarity, discovery, relevance and repetition for each individual listener," according to Chief Scientist Eric Bieschke.

In the last month alone, Pandora served up 1.58 million hours of music to more than 76.2 million listeners - a staggering amount of content users have to weed through in search of favorites old and new.

With in-app personalized recommendations now in place, listeners can tap to see a list of Artist Stations from the "More Recommendations" option, which is refreshed with updated content whenever a new station is created or deleted.
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