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Motorola Connect and Migrate tools arrive ahead of Moto X event
We thought we knew virtually everything there was to know about the Moto X ahead of its launch later today, but Motorola apparently has a few surprises left -- or rather, had. The company has quietly posted two tools that are clearly targeted at users of its upcoming flagship. Motorola Connect, a Chrome extension, lets those with a Moto X or a new Droid phone handle their incoming calls and text messages through web notifications. Motorola Migrate, in turn, is built to ease the pain of moving to a new Motorola phone -- the Android app lets users transfer media, text messages and other content that Google doesn't necessarily store in the cloud. We'll no doubt hear more about Connect and Migrate at the Moto X unveiling, but those who want to get a first-hand look can download both utilities at the source links.
Google Cloud Playground lets you dip your toes in the Cloud Platform waters
Google's Cloud Platform holds a certain amount of appeal for developers looking to quickly build robust web apps. Of course, getting started is a bit involved. You'll first need to download and install several tools and an SDK on your local machine. Cloud Playground offers the chance to dip your toes in the water and experiment with services like App Engine, Cloud Storage and Cloud SQL sans the lengthy installation process. The browser-based tool is designed for testing out sample code, evaluating APIs and even sharing code snippets without the hassle of building a complete development environment. This isn't a proper solution to web-based development, however. For now you're limited to Python 2.7 App Engine apps, and the code editor and mimic development server have a rather basic feature set. Still, for those who are tempted by Cloud Platform, but not quite ready to dive in head first, the Playground is a welcome treat.
TweetDeck for Chrome and web gets drag-and-drop columns
Twitter isn't quite done refining TweetDeck's interface following recent web and desktop overhauls -- there's still a little tweaking left in store. The company has just updated the Chrome and web versions of its social app with grab handles that let users drag and drop columns at will. It's also easier to jump back to the top of a column when there are unread tweets, and a selected column now snaps to the sidebar when there are fewer than three total columns on the screen. While the fresh interface is web-only for now, those who prefer the native Mac and Windows apps should get matching upgrades in the near future.
Microsoft demos real-time co-authoring for Office Web Apps
With Microsoft's Build developer conference kicking off in just a week, we're frankly surprised the company is choosing to release any news ahead of time. Today, though, the firm posted a video showing some changes to Office Web apps. In particular, the preview indicates that these various apps will now support real-time co-authoring, with multiple users making changes at once (yep, just like Google Docs). That's a nice, long-awaited improvement over the current setup, in which multiple users can make changes, but not alongside one another. According to Microsoft, this set of features will roll out over "the next several months." For now, we've got the video preview embedded after the break. And don't be put off by the 14-minute length; the demo doesn't actually begin until five and a half minutes in.
Microsoft Office Web Apps to receive real-time collaboration, Android support
Ballmer and Co. have just laid out what changes Office Web Apps will see over the next year and beyond, and it's honing in on social features and more. Sure, the productivity suite already has collaborative document editing, but Microsoft is vowing to include real-time collaboration á la Google Drive, where users can see who's currently working on a document while changes appear on the fly. The PowerPoint Web App is already packing the revamped experience, and the Office team promises that the real-time co-authoring will become faster as time goes on. The OS titan also says it'll incorporate a range of other improvements, including simplified file management, shortening launch times and even a find and replace feature for the Word Web App. In addition to the tweaks, Microsoft revealed that Android tablets will finally be able to access its online suite of tools, as it'll begin supporting the mobile Chrome browser. The firm's given itself the loose timetable of "over the next year and beyond" for the feature rollout, so avid users should sit tight for now.
Packaged Chrome apps now searchable in dev channels for Chrome OS and Windows
While Google opened the door to packaged Chrome apps back in February, it's been a largely one-way affair ever since -- developers could upload the native-style apps, but they couldn't find anything without a direct link. As of a dev channel update, the relationship is a little more two-directional. Both Chrome OS and Windows-based Chrome testers can at last search for packaged apps in the Chrome Web Store alongside the usual releases. Google is mostly holding back on wider access to give developers more time to polish their work. Us non-coders will have to be patient, then, but truly offline-friendly apps just came one step closer.
Draft cloud editor saves writing in stages, imports from just about anywhere
Although web-based editors like Google Docs are wonderful for writers who don't have a save shortcut hardwired in their muscle memory, they're lousy for anyone who's interested in seeing major revisions on the road to a final copy. Nathan Kontny's new Draft web app might be far more helpful for those creators who work step by step. It lets writers declare given document versions as mid-progress drafts, and offers editing side-by-side with older versions to see just what's new in the current session. The app also avoids some of the lock-in that comes with cloud services by allowing imports and syncing with Box, Dropbox, Evernote and Google Drive. There's no easy way to directly publish online as this stage, but if you're only concerned with producing a masterwork in the cloud from start to draft to finish, Kontny's web tool is waiting at the source link.
Google brings iOS Gmail app's interface to the mobile web and Gmail Offline
Google had a very warm reception to the improved search and overall sleeker UI in Gmail 2.0 for iOS -- warm enough, in fact, that it's spreading the redesign work to its web apps. Both the mobile web app and Gmail Offline now share the same basic look as the iOS port as well as its search and Google Calendar integration. There's no sign of the interface reaching Android's native client, but those who eschew native apps on Android, BlackBerry, Chrome and iOS can get a taste of what they've been missing in the past few months.
Office Web Apps update brings web image pasting, PowerPoint slide editing and more
Microsoft's Office Web Apps are great for those with a SkyDrive account and any device with an IE, Firefox, Chrome or Safari browser who don't want to lug the full Office 365 suite around. Since functionality can be a tad limited, however, Redmond's just added more features with the latest update. For starters, you can now copy and paste pictures from the web into Word, PowerPoint and OneNote Web Apps. Other new functions include cursor-following tools in all the programs, the ability to rearrange slides in PowerPoint Web App along with comment viewing, touch-based chart resizing and more in Excel Web App. Microsoft's posted some sample files that work without a SkyDrive account, so if you want to give it a whirl, hit the source.
Chrome browser gains Web Speech API support in latest stable build
Good news, everyone: a safer and more robust version of Google Chrome has just been tipped for the masses. Like we've previously seen in the beta release, the stable version of Chrome 25 brings support for the Web Speech API. With this update, you'll find the ability to create dictations and issue voice commands within any web app that taps into the feature. Also of significance, silent extension installs are now a thing of the past for Windows users in Chrome 25. While you'll now need to consent to each add-on before it's installed, we're sure you'll agree that the added security is worth the extra trouble. As you've come to expect, the update to Google Chrome will be rolled out to users via the browser's auto-update feature, which means it won't be long before you have a shiny new version number.
TweetDeck for the web and Chrome updated with column filters, gives users the right to censor
Twitter's acquisition of TweetDeck definitely ruffled some feathers, but unlike other purchases made by the social network, there appears to be a future for this once-celebrated application. Available today by way of a browser restart, the blue bird has rolled out a new set of filters for TweetDeck's web and Chrome apps that allow users to fine-tune what content their columns track. The new Showing option manages what your timeline displays, such as tweets with images, videos, links or any other type of media. The Matching and Excluding filters give the option to search for keywords in your feed that you wish to blacklist or single out. Rounding out this list of new features is the ability to enable or exclude retweets from your setup. Sure, seeing your words quoted a few times can be an ego boost, but a continuous echo can get annoying after a while.
Google Drive adds site publishing, won't quite replace your Geocities page
The hit parade of Google Drive updates continues. As of today, account holders can publish web content to their Drive storage in a public folder accessible from any browser; it can even host JavaScript for those who want to run web apps from their personal space. Lest we rush to toss out our existing web hosts, however, Google has some inherent ground rules. Content has to be static, and any links to other pages or files in the folder need a special approach to show web addresses that make sense to mere humans. As such, Google Drive won't quite relive the glory days of 1998 and simple web tools; at least we can still add a permanent "under construction" GIF.
Microsoft outlines Internet Explorer 10 differences between Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8
Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 together mark a rare confluence for Microsoft: they represent the first instance of the company's desktop and phone platforms sharing the same browser base, and that has wide-reaching implications for what developers can do. The Redmond team doesn't want anyone plunging headlong into web apps without knowing what to expect, however, and it just reminded us in a blog post that there are still a few off-limits areas for Internet Explorer 10 on the mobile side. Not surprisingly, elements that demand a truly big screen or a windowed interface won't fly -- there's nowhere to drag-and-drop from or open a new window to. A few other aspects are more likely to catch web developers off-guard, such as the lack of in-line video, a handful of touch inputs, ActiveX and the level of file access. The most important common ground stems from simply having a modern rendering engine whose HTML5 and CSS3 support will prevent any rude shocks. There's much more at the source link, although Microsoft and designers may just be happy that any Windows Phone web development is a question of finding those few things that won't work, rather than reinventing the wheel.
Google Drive apps reach the Chrome Web Store and Chrome OS for quicker web work
It's a long overdue match, really -- if the Google Drive productivity suite is considered the centerpiece of Google's web app catalog, and the Chrome Web Store is the catalog, why weren't the two combined? Google has seen the light by turning Docs (text), Sheets (spreadsheets) and Slides (presentations) into neatly packaged web apps that can be installed through the Chrome browser. New Chromebook owners won't even have to go that far, as the trio will surface automatically in the Chrome OS app list over the next few weeks. The web app bundles might be simple, but they could be tremendous helps for anyone who wants to punch out a few quick edits while on the road.
Mozilla opens Firefox Marketplace for Aurora builds of Android, gives mobile a taste of web apps
Mozilla's love of web apps is more than obvious; we just haven't had a real chance to try the Firefox Marketplace that represents a large part of the company's app strategy. The doors are at last open for a peek, although Mozilla has chosen the unusual path of giving mobile users the first crack: Android users willing to live on the bleeding edge of an Aurora build of Firefox can browse and run those web apps in Mozilla's store. Everyone else willing to venture into the Marketplace will have to wait until their own Firefox builds receive a matching update, including that rare group with access to Firefox OS. We're not quite in a rush to try a first wave of apps in an alpha-grade browser. Should you be the sort who thinks that even beta releases are too sluggish, however, your gateway to the Marketplace awaits at the source links.
Jolicloud Open Platform arrives, lets developers put most any cloud service into one hub
Jolicloud has portrayed itself as a sort of one-stop shop for cloud services and web apps, where a single sign-in keeps us on top of everything. It's mostly been limited to big-league content as a result, but that's changing with the new Jolicloud Open Platform. Developers now just have to build JavaScript-based Node.js components that hook their own apps, media and storage into the same central Jolicloud repository we'd use to manage Instagram and Tumblr. More details and full documentation are forthcoming, although the "open" in Open Platform leads us to think there won't be many technical (or financial) barriers to entry.
Firefox 16 final launches with Reader on Android, VoiceOver on Macs and web app support
Mozilla knows how to keep on the fast track. Just weeks after the Firefox 16 beta first showed, the finished version is ready and waiting. Surprises are few if you were an early adopter, although the update still has some welcome changes for the right audiences. Mozilla is most keen to talk about preliminary web app support for the Mozilla Marketplace, but you'll also find device-specific additions like a Reader Mode for the Android flock and VoiceOver support automatically switched on for Macs. More responsive JavaScript and on-by-default Opus audio playback give existing surfers extra reasons to upgrade. Firefox 16 is immediately available through all the usual channels, so hit the relevant source link if you're ready to live on the not-quite-bleeding edge.
Evernote web interface updated with better sharing, cleaner look
We're huge fans of Evernote here at the Engadget compound (it's great for keeping track of our latest world domination schemes). But, we've got to admit, the web service is clearly the company's red-headed step child. The desktop and mobile apps are undeniably top-notch, but the webapp is just sort of there. Being able to edit your notes and share them from any browser is a great feature, but we wouldn't exactly call it an enjoyable experience. Today the company took the wraps off a revamp that should ease the pain a bit. Evernote is particularly proud of its new shared note design, that offers a much more attractive and interactive look at entries. You can reshare notes, enter a slideshow view or copy it to your own account. The broader redesign is subtle, but refreshing. There are new icons, some color changes and a tweaked top bar that lend a less cluttered feel without removing functionality. There's even a handy button that collapses the sidebar for those of you rocking smaller laptop screens. We also noticed that the new interface seems to load notes with multiple images much faster. You can read about it straight from the horses mouth at the source or just go to the Evernote homepage and check it out yourself.
Google optimizes Flight Search for tablets, makes booking trips easier
It feels like it was only yesterday that we were praising Google for giving us access to a plethora of handy, everyday tools -- oh wait, it was yesterday. At any rate, today the folks from Mountain View are back with more travel-friendly software for you to enjoy, announcing that its useful Flight Search service is now fully-optimized for use with, as Google points out, tablets such as its own Nexus 7 and, naturally, Cupertino's iPad. Jet-setters can see the changes now by simply hitting the Flights link below, and with the dearest holidays just around the corner, now is probably a good time to make use of that "lowest fare" tool.
Google releases new Java to iOS source code translator
Developers have their work cut out. Even if we (impolitely) sidestep the likes of Windows Phone, BlackBerry and the rest, those coders often have to pitch their work across web, iOS and Android. Google's trying to make that job a little easier, introducing a new tool that automatically converts Java source code into Objective-C, which is used in iPad and iPhone apps. While the J2ObjC tool can't tackle the UI for these, it does allow developers to craft other parts (including data access and nuts-and-bolts programming) into an easily shareable code without editing. Some existing Google projects already utilize the new translator, but its results remains a little temperamental -- the tool hasn't translated all possible paths just yet, and many Java devs have, according to the project page, "a slightly different way of using Java."
