Google I/O Day 2: Chrome for iOS, Google Drive Update and Packaged Apps

June 29th, 2012 Posted in Cloud News
No Comments

Today’s Google I/O keynote was all about Chrome and web.  We are happy to see the arrival of Chrome for iOS, a new and better Google Drive and Chrome’s evolved packaged apps platform.  Read more below:

 

Chrome for iOS

Yes, after Chrome for Android exited beta, this web browser finally arrived at iPhone and iPad.  You can now sync the Chrome browsers across all platforms including your iPhone.  Continue to read a web page when you leave the desktop computer and use the iPad.  All the opened tabs could be preserved, not to mention your bookmarks.  You can also enjoy the incognito mode for private web surfing without trace.

Chrome for iOS

I haven’t have time to try it out, but according to the review by Engadget, Chrome for iOS seems to be a great product that brings nice features Safari currently do not have.

 

Google Drive

Google Drive also found its place in iOS.  A few weeks after the launch of the android app, the iOS version is now available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch running iOS 5.0+.  You can open PDFs, photos, videos, documents and anything else stored in your Drive, or download them for offline use.

Google Drive iOS

Another most requested feature, offline editing , is now available on Chrome and Chrome OS!  Currently only docs are supports, but Google said they would extend offline editing to spreadsheets and slide presentations later.  All you need to enjoy offline editing is the latest version of Chrome or Chrome OS on your Chromebook or Chromebox.

 

Packaged Apps

What are packaged apps?  They are web apps by nature, but they work and look like native apps in your computer.  These apps, which are written in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS, could access to Chrome APIs and services not available to traditional web apps, making them more powerful.

These packaged apps are opened as if they are standalone applications.  The application itself and the user data are stored locally.  When you open a package app, you would not see the address bar, tabs and other browser features.  You can treat packaged apps as native local apps written in web languages, or simply “modified web apps”.  A typical package app looks like this:

Packaged Apps

See how Google talked about packaged apps:

 

, , , , ,

A New Cloud Era with Nexus 7 Tablet, Nexus Q and Chrome

June 28th, 2012 Posted in Cloud News, Hardware News
No Comments

In the Google I/O 2012 just commenced, Google announced quite some new projects and products that have long been expected.  As someone who strongly believe in cloud-living, I am particularly interested in software and hardware developments that bring people closer to the cloud.  Here are a few new things I observed:

 

Google Nexus 7 Tablet

There have been rumors about Google’s own branded tablet, and now it comes true.  This 7-inch device is seen by many as a strong Kindle Fire competitor, not only because of   the same price tag ($199), but also its capability to handle content streaming from Google Play.  Buyers can get a $25 Google Play credit (as a temporary incentive though) to purchase content from Google Play store, including songs, movies, TV shows, magazines and books.

Google Nexus 7

I always believe that in the future mobile devices should have small local storage but great streaming power.  Instead of storing everything offline, we could download contents and run apps by accessing the cloud.  The Chrome browser + web apps combination has been a (quite) successful demonstration.  Obviously Google is aware of the huge demand for streaming content, probably due to the success of Amazon’s Kindle Fire, so besides making a great budget tablet, Google also makes Nexus 7 a nice device for retrieving content from the internet.

Interested parties could pre-order a Nexus tablet now, however it is limited to some countries only.

Read more »

, , , , , , ,

Chrome 19 Official Stable Release Arrived! Is iOS Version Coming?

May 16th, 2012 Posted in Cloud News
No Comments

Google just announced the release of Chrome 19 stable version for Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome Frame.  Apart from bug and security fixes, the most important new featue is tab sync, which I have briefly introduced in my previous post.

Chrome for Android is here, will there be Chrome for iOS?

And according to Macquarie Group’s research, Chrome browser may land on iPhone and iPad before end of Q2.  One of the reasons is that Google is paying Apple a small fee for people accessing Google’s services via Safari on iOS devices.  Besides, the success of Chrome on computers and positive feedback received for the Android version makes Chrome for iOS more probable than not to appear.

However, we shouldn’t be to optimistic because Apple may not easily allow Google to launch its famous browser on the mobile platform (Opera did it after trials).  Besides, unless the device is jailbroken we could hardly believe that Apple would allow users to change the default browser to Chrome.  It may be unjustified to publish Chrome on iOS.

What do you think about Chrome for iOS?  Do you want to use Chrome on iPad/iPhone?

(Image and info source: CNET)

, , ,

Chrome for Android Beta Released, Use Your Favorite Browser in Moble Devices!

February 8th, 2012 Posted in Cloud News
No Comments

Google just released Chrome for Android beta (requires Android 4.0), which brings the popular web browser to the mobile platform.

Chrome for Android beta

Download here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.android.chrome

 

So what does it bring to users?  Here is a brief list of features according to the download page:

  • Browse fast with accelerated page loading, scrolling, and zooming
  • Search and navigate directly from the omnibox
  • Open and switch between unlimited tabs in an easy-to-view stack
  • Sign in to Chrome to sync your bookmarks and view tabs you have open on your computer
  • Send pages from desktop Chrome to your smartphone or tablet with one click and read them on the go, even if you’re offline
  • Browse privately in Incognito mode

 

Basically you can treat Chrome for Android beta as a copy of the desktop browser to the Android platform.  Many of the killer features of Chrome are included in the Android version.

What I liked the most is the simplicity of this browser.  Besides, the bookmark synchronization and send to phone features makes uninterrupted web experience between desktop computer and mobile devices possible.  By using Chrome to Mobile extension for Chrome (requires Android 4.0), you can send the current URL you are viewing to your Android device instantly and directly.

Currently Chrome for Android is only available for users in the following countries according to this page:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • Germany
  • Spain
  • Australia
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
  • Brazil

 

Learn more from the official page of Chrome for Android here: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/android/

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
, , , ,