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Mozilla Marketplace is live, lets you run web apps like desktop programs
An early version of the Mozilla Marketplace is currently live, offering users with the Firefox 16 Nightly build some 100-plus apps to install, including Evernote, Jolicloud and Springpad. Apps from the store can run on Mac or Windows machines, and it looks like Linux support is here, too. As Liliputing reports, rather than just providing web apps and extensions à la the Chrome Web Store, the Mozilla Marketplace offers apps that act more like desktop programs once installed: they'll show up in your list of installed programs, for instance, and they can be launched from the Windows Start Menu.
Google updates Chrome Web Store with offline badges, subcategories and trending apps
With Google tasking itself to organize all of the world's information, you'd think its own Chrome Web Store would be a bit easier to navigate. Apparently this revelation dawned on someone at the company, because it's just introduced several enhancements that should help users find new and useful extensions for their browser. Along with faster autocomplete searches and new subcategories, you'll now find badges that denote an application's offline functionality and games that can be played on Google+, with additional badges said to be in the works. There's even a new trending section, where users can discover recently popular titles that rank from "warm" to "on fire." If it's been a while since you've last visited the Chrome Web Store, now could be an ideal time to peruse the new features. You might even start a trend.
Google plans unified gaming hub for Play, cross-platform titles a possibility
In other non-spotlight stealing tech news, Google's set to chop off some of its gaming arms in favor of a sole download hub as early as next year. Plans for this streamlined service were announced by Punit Soni, group product manager for Google+, at this year's Game Developer's Conference. According to VentureBeat, the company's virtual storefronts, which encompass the likes of Chrome, Android and Google+, will all be tied into a single Google Play-hosted destination that should ease game development, potentially making titles accessible cross-platform. In addition to the creation of this one-stop shop, features such as Native Client, Hangouts and a simplified payment system will also reportedly be integrated into the unnamed site. No immediate changes are on deck for this service overhaul, so it'll be a bit before we can see how this "One Google" vision pans out.
Google's Native Client focuses on apps and games, brings Bastion to the browser (video)
In case you missed it, Google's Native Client launched at the end of the summer, promising to ease cross-OS deployment by letting developers run x86 code natively in Chrome. Early adopters have had a few months to tinker with Google's new trick, and now the outfit is eager to show off their best work. Supergiant Games, for instance, has ported Bastion to the Native Client, opening up the Xbox Live hit to Mac, Linux and Chrome OS users. Google's Christian Stefansen says Native Client makes porting existing code bases written C, C++ or C# easy, citing Spacetime Studio's Star Legends -- an MMO with over half a million lines of code -- as an example of a large project that was ported in as little as two weeks. Google touts application middleware ports (such as Unity, Moai, Mono, fmod and more) and easy distribution to the Chrome Web Store as a major boon to developers, and encourages interested studios to check out its new Native Client site to help them get started. Interested? Hit up the links below, or simply skip past the break to hear Mr. Stefansen's spiel for yourself.
Citrix app opens Windows for Chromebook owners
Google hasn't made any bones about its desire to position Chrome OS as a presence in the business space. But for plenty of users, the relatively limited functionality of Chromebooks doesn't quite get the job done when it comes to doing serious work. The latest offering from Citrix could change that for a number of Chromebook-sporting business-types, offering access to Windows applications and desktops. Citrix Receiver Tech Preview is free from the Chrome Web Store (but requires a MyCitrix login). So now there's no excuse for not getting any work done -- except maybe a bad connection.
WhiteHat Security hacks into Chrome OS, exposes extension vulnerability at Black Hat
It's been a rough Black Hat conference for Google. First, FusionX used the company's homepage to pry into a host of SCADA systems, and now, a pair of experts have discovered a way to hack into Chrome OS. According to WhiteHat security researchers Matt Johansen and Kyle Osborn, one major issue is Google's vet-free app approval process, which leaves its Chrome Web Store susceptible to malicious extensions. But there are also vulnerabilities within native extensions, like ScratchPad -- a note-taking extension that stores data in Google Docs. Using a cross-site scripting injection, Johansen and Osborn were able to steal a user's contacts and cookies, which could give hackers access to other accounts, including Gmail. Big G quickly patched the hole after WhiteHat uncovered it earlier this year, but researchers told Black Hat's attendees that they've discovered similar vulnerabilities in other extensions, as well. In a statement, a Google spokesperson said, "This conversation is about the Web, not Chrome OS. Chromebooks raise security protections on computing hardware to new levels." The company went on to say that its laptops can ward off attacks better than most, thanks to "a carefully designed extensions model and the advanced security available through Chrome that many users and experts have embraced."
appMobi XDK delivers free cross-platform dev environment to Chrome Web Store
The Chrome Web Store welcomed a new arrival today, and it goes by the name of appMobi XDK. While the addition is targeted squarely at developers, it's entirely free and packs quite a doozy -- cross-platform HTML5 software development from within the web browser. As you might expect, the tool is perfect for making applications to run within Google Chrome, but get this... it's also capable of creating native apps for submission to Apple's App Store and the Android Market. Like any competent development environment, it features a full set of debugging tools, along with the ability to test your apps via on-screen emulation and directly from your target device. Hardware integration is accomplished with JavaScript hardware abstraction, which enables access to the camera, GPS, accelerometer and the like. Further, the platform boasts full compatibility with PhoneGap, which means you can easily transition if you've got a project in the works. If you're already hooked, be sure to check out the PR after the break, which describes such goodies as in-app purchasing and secure user authentication, which are made possible with appMobi's cloud services.
Angry Birds gets a web version, coming to Chrome Web Store
Yet another platform has been conquered by the affronted fowl: the web! Angry Birds' web client is built in WebGL, so presumably browsers other than Google's Chrome should be able to run it as well, and even if you can't handle WebGL, there's Canvas support too. 60fps are promised on most modern PCs, and we've spotted SD and HD labels, suggesting there'll be a choice of quality to match your computer's performance. Offline gaming will also be available. Chrome will get some exclusive content, such as "Chrome bombs" and other cutesy bits. Rovio just noted it's "really, really happy about the 5 percent," referring to Google's pricing model of charging a flat fee of 5 percent to developers on in-app purchases in the Chrome Web Store. Yes, the Mighty Eagle will be a purchasable option for the impatient among you. The game will be available in the Store immediately after Google's I/O 2011 keynote, so look out for it shortly. Update: And the Angry Birds have landed. Hit up the source link below to obtain the free app. %Gallery-123364%
Google makes Chrome Web Store available worldwide, adds in-app purchases and flat five percent fee
Google has just announced that it's making the Chrome Web Store available to the "entire userbase of Chrome" -- all 160 million, according to the company's latest numbers -- and in 41 different languages no less, although those outside the current markets will apparently only have access to free apps initially. What's more, it's also now added in-app purchases to the mix -- which it notes developers can add to their apps with "literally one line of code" -- and it's announced that it plans to "keep it simple" by simply charging developers a flat five percent fee instead of opting for some of the more complicated fee structures out there. As for how the Web Store has been doing so far, Google revealed that there has been 17 million app installs to date, although it provided few details beyond that. %Gallery-123363%
Google's Native Client almost 'ready for takeoff,' ready to make ActiveX look visionary
We're almost there, almost to the release of the Native Client we first got wind of last May. It is, basically, a way to run native code within a browser -- low-end stuff capable of delivering performance good enough for 3D games and the like. Christian Stefansen, a Google Product Manager, said that the stuff is getting closer to delivery, that the team behind it has reached an "important milestone," that code will be "as portable and secure as JavaScript." It was of course security, or the lack thereof, that derailed Microsoft's plans for this sort of functionality in Internet Explorer via ActiveX, a stigma that technology has still yet to escape from. Will Native Client do better? Will Crysis ever be available in the Chrome Web Store? Could a Cr-48 run it anyway? Questions questions...
Chrome Web Store, HTML5 and the iPad: symbiosis at its best
It's all coming together, folks. It doesn't take much of a gander at the Chrome Web Store to notice a trend: some of the flashiest, most mature "apps" are actually just in-browser versions of iPad apps. And you know what else? Most of these "apps" actually run fine in Safari on the iPad. We're not sure how long Google gave developers to port their experiences over, but it seems like most of the best work had already been done in the form of HTML5 apps that were merely wrapped in app form for App Store delivery. Google's just taking things to the next logical step. Continue after the break as we expand this thesis paragraph into a number of supporting blocks of text, a few jazzy pictorial examples, and a stunning closer.
MOG hits the Chrome Web Store, cools our Flash fever with a nice cool HTML5 washcloth
We've long been proponents of subscription music, but it's always a rocky relationship: Rhapsody's excellent selection but bad app and terrible web player (you call that a bitrate?), Zune's beautiful UI but Windows-only-ness, and Spotify's continued inability to work in the US. Eventually, this particular writer drifted over to MOG, which was initially a $5 a month web-only service, best known for its high bitrate and decent selection, with a more recent move to Android and iPhone apps (including offline play) for a still-palatable $10 a month price. Unfortunately, all this time we've had to put up with the indignities of a pop-up, window-based Flash player for our main MOG experience, which crashes any browser on a Mac at least once a day -- like most Flash things on the Mac. Which brings us to today: MOG is a featured app on Google's new Chrome Web Store, and once "installed" it offers an all-new luscious, speedy, HTML5 UI for MOG. Better yet, the web app also works in Safari at mog.com/chrome. Under the hood there's still a "headless" Flash playback element for DRM purposes, but everything else is a vast improvement. The only thing that could make us happier would be some sort of exfm-style Chrome extension for adding music we discover on the web to MOG playlists. You know, as long as we're getting lifelong dreams granted like this, might as well go for broke.
Amazon demonstrates new Kindle for the Web, coming to Chrome Web Store early next year
What do you do when the web's 500-pound Googorilla decides to muscle in on your action? Amazon's answer, apparently, is to work with said primate. Instead of making pouty faces about Google eBooks, the Kindle purveyor has unwrapped a new version of its Kindle for the Web browser-based reader and is rolling it into Google's Chrome Web Store. Up until now, this web offering only ever permitted the consumption of book samples in its short beta existence, but that's a limitation that Amazon is lifting with its new software, promising to "enable users to read full books in the browser and [enable] any Website to become a bookstore offering Kindle books." And hey, since it's on the web, you shouldn't have any trouble accessing it on Chrome OS, either! Coming to a Web Store near you early next year.
Google demos Chrome Web Store, rolling out later today to US (update: now live)
It hasn't been that long since we first saw Google's web store -- mid-May, to be exact. An updated version is currently being showcased on stage at the Chrome event. The UI looks much more refined, and those who are itching to try some out yourself, it seems some of the web apps are already available, at least partially: NPR, The New York Times, Amazon Windowshop. If you ask us, they feel a lot like iPad apps for browsers and mice / keyboard. Audio can run in the background even if you move to another tab. There's offline mode, too. App purchases are tied to your Google account, naturally. There's some gaming, but from what we've seen so far ("you pop it!"), it's nothing you're gonna be focusing a lot of time on. Interesting note from the Q&A is that the apps, since they're built with "standard web technologies," will work with all compatible browsers. We've been trying to access the web store (via the Chrome browser, naturally), but it's currently hiding behind a "coming soon" redirect -- it's rolling out later today, though, at least for the US, so keep an eye out. Update: Try that link one more time, the Chrome Web Store should now be live. %Gallery-109484%
Chrome 8 released: web app support and built-in PDF viewer are a go
There are no apps just yet, but Google's Chrome browser is now reportedly updated to support the impending Web Store launch. Version 8.0.552.215 -- just call it '8,' for short -- also provides a built-in PDF viewer and over 800 claimed bug fixes. Download's a no-brainer if you're rocking the current stable release. And if you look at the code close enough, you might spot a Chrome OS release date. Okay, no, not really.
Google unveils Chrome web store, Sports Illustrated app impresses
Interested to know how you were gonna fill up that Chrome OS app page? Google just announced its new online web app store at I/O. So far they've shown off Dark Room for image editing, a pretty slick version of TweetDeck, and yes, like every other platform known to man, there's Plants. vs. Zombies and Lego Star Wars. Paid-for software will be offered -- Dark Room is $4.99, if you want to go ahead and put that money aside. No word on a launch date, but we'll keep pushing for more. We were just shown a demo of Sports Illustrated's interactive magazine, and we gotta say, it's mighty impressive -- embedded video, fully searchable, and some pretty clever tricks with geolocation that frankly exceed most anything we've seen on the iPad thus far. The web store -- for Chrome and Chrome OS -- will hit the dev channel "soon." %Gallery-93302%
