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Chrome beta for Android can beam presentations to Chromecast
Whether it be on the desktop or mobile, Chrome's beta browser is a handy way to preview features before they hit the mainstream crowd. In the most recent release for Android, there's now the ability for sites to send presentations to Chromecast devices -- something developers can implement using Google's corresponding API and SDK.
Chrome will stop supporting XP, Vista and early OS X in April 2016
It seems like Google is looking to do a little spring cleaning. In an announcement on the official Google Chrome blog, the company noted that starting in April of next year, it will no longer support browsers on Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8 devices. Google had alluded to the discontinuation of support back in April and reasoned that these older -- and in XP's case, almost prehistoric -- operating systems can no longer offer the crucial security updates the web browser needs to keep malware at bay. This means that older operating systems running Chrome browsers will still be fully operational, though they won't be eligible for new updates and features. Update: An earlier headline said Google would end Chrome support for the above operating systems at the end of this year. It will actually end support in April 2016.
Chrome for iPad now supports iOS 9's multitasking features
With iOS 9, Apple introduced a handful of new multitasking features for the iPad, like the ability to run two apps side by side. Now Google's Chrome browser is ready to take advantage of these, thanks to an refreshed version of its universal iOS application. Aside from being able to use the Split View mode mentioned earlier, Chrome on iPad also supports Slide Over, as shown above; and Picture-in-Picture, which lets you browse websites and watch a pop-up video simultaneously. That said, Split View only works on iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and the soon-to-be-released iPad Pro, but the other tidbits are compatible with any tablet running Apple's latest mobile OS. Update: According to Google's Chrome blog, the iOS version has another treat for both iPhones and iPads with the addition of Autofill, just like you see on the desktop version.
Chrome will block obnoxious Flash ads starting September 1st
Back in June, Google shared the good news that the Chrome browser would soon be smart enough to "intelligently pause content that aren't central to the webpage" that you're visiting. It's a welcome change that should help to continue marginalizing the annoyance of Flash. Fortunately, that blessed new feature is ready for prime time. On the Google+ page for the company's AdWords advertising program, Google said that a Chrome update coming on September 1st would make Flash-blocking the default state for users.
Google Chrome may ease auto-playing video headaches
Let's face it: audio and video that automatically plays on a web page is pretty annoying. To help remedy the headache, a new feature in Google Chrome's Dev Channel won't play those items on tabs that you're not looking at. If you click a link for the latest Hunger Games trailer and bounce back to your inbox while it loads, you won't have to struggle to find the mute switch on the preceding ad. The content will still preload (if the developer opts to), but it won't play until that particular tab is in the foreground. That should ease the panic of finding the sound or catching a glimpse of an item you'd really rather not see soon enough -- in Chrome at least. Features in the Dev Channel often find their way into the stable release of the browser (eventually). While there's no guarantee this will make the cut, we're crossing our fingers.
Google Chrome spellchecks multiple languages at once
Google is adding a new feature for Chrome that will help bilingual folks and ex-pats a lot. Developer François Beaufort revealed that you can now spellcheck in multiple languages, even in the same document, without getting the dreaded squiggly red lines. That's a feature that the Android SwiftKey keyboard has had for ages, but it'll save others a lot of trouble when writing in comments, blogging systems like WordPress or Google's Docs. It's now enabled in the experimental Chromium Canary browser on Windows, ChromeOS or Linux, usually a good sign it'll come to the final build soon (Chrome on Mac uses the OS X language settings). I tried it in a Google Doc, and as you can see below, it works nickel chrome.
'Lucid Sleep' keeps your Chromebook connected during naps
Getting back to work after waking your Chromebook Pixel from its digital slumber is about to get a bit easier. Google announced that its new (still experimental) Lucid Sleep feature is now available. This setting maintains limited Wi-Fi connectivity when the machine is powered down so that it can stay better synced with the rest of your devices and data. It will, for example, allow your Pixel to temporarily rouse itself and connect to a new wireless hotspot if you move locations. It can also update push notifications and app data so that everything is up to date and ready to go as soon as you flip open the screen. You can turn on this feature and try it for yourself by selecting "Keep WiFi on during sleep" in the Privacy settings menu.
Google Chrome beta adds push notifications
Chrome's push notification feature has graduated from the Canary channel and is now part of the latest Beta release. And you know what that means, right? It's just one step away from being incorporated into the stable browser. Chrome Beta 42 (for all platforms) comes with two new APIs that allows websites to send you notifications even if the browser isn't open. Each message comes with "Site Setting" beneath it, though (as you can see below the fold), providing a way to quickly switch off notifications from that particular service or website.
Chrome experiment turns Wikipedia into a virtual galaxy
There's no denying Wikipedia's usefulness, but French computer science student Owen Cornec believes the website could stand to display entries "in a more engaging way." Thus, he created WikiGalaxy: a special Wikipedia browser that visualizes the website as a 3D galaxy. Each star represents an article, and related entries form clusters of stars -- clicking a star loads the entry itself on the left-hand panel and links to relevant articles on the right. If you want to make browsing Wiki even more interactive, you can activate "fly-mode," which sends you zooming through the stars with each click. It's a really fun way to discover new articles, and you have to try it out if you can.
Chrome update lets you share your browser, not your history
If you typically share your computer and your browser with a sibling, a roomie or a friend who has no respect for your privacy, this latest Google Chrome beta update might make things easier for you. It comes with a pull-down menu that lets you easily switch users, put the browser to guest mode or launch an incognito tab on Windows, Mac or Linux. According to some comments in the update's Google+ announcement, though, you still have to log off from your accounts to be sure your activities remain for your eyes only, just in case someone decides to peek. The guest mode automatically deletes the other user's browsing information, on the other hand, so they won't have to worry about you seeing their secrets.
Google Chrome will start flagging misleading downloads
Not surprisingly, Google wants to keep everyone on the internet as protected as possible -- after all, it has to stay true to its "don't be evil" ways. Today, in an effort to continue guarding you from virtual harm, the search giant has introduced a new feature that's part of its Safe Browsing initiative. According to Google, the goal with this expansion is to protect people "against additional kinds of deceptive software," something like a malware program that may be looking to make abrupt changes to a computer. On the Chrome browser, soon you'll start seeing a warning every time a third-party tries to lure you into downloading a piece of software -- ultimately, though, it's up to you to determine whether or not to install it. Naturally, Google's blog post does emphasize that you should always beware of the sources you trust, but you already knew that, right? Life 101, folks.
You can get LG's first Chrome all-in-one later this month for $350
Five months is almost enough time for us to question whether a product announced at CES will become vaporware, so any news about the LG Chromebase is welcome. This morning, we learned that LG's first Chrome OS-based all-in-one will be officially available at online retailers on May 26th for $350. The Chromebase comes with a 21.6-inch 1080p IPS LCD, an Intel processor that's based on Haswell and 100GB storage space on Google Drive for two years. This was just one product out of several announced in tandem by Google and Intel today, all of which are reasonably priced and are aimed at competing against the PC industry.
Google Search: A visual history
"To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." That was one of the primary goals Larry Page and Sergey Brin set when they launched Google in 1998 as a privately owned search company. Since then, the Mountain View-based outfit has branched out, creating a mobile operating system, mapping service, cloud-based productivity apps, branded devices and, now, smart thermostats. All of those offshoots, however, always point back to the company's original aim: search. That baseline service is something Google's been making refinements to ever since its inception. A practice that continues to this day, with the company constantly improving upon the usability and design of its search-based offerings. This means cleaning up a UI when needed, and launching new features that serve up that much-lauded universal accessibility in short order. What may come across as a small box centered in a vast expanse of white is, as you'll see, actually something that's constantly evolved since '98.
Google Now comes to the desktop in Chrome and Chrome OS betas
Rumblings of Google Now on the desktop first started surfacing back in December of 2012, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that it actually broke cover. If you were a user of the Canary build of the Chrome browser, you could enable the card alerts by ticking an option buried deep within the recesses of chrome://flags. This week though, Google will bring the desktop version of its virtual assistant to the betas of Chrome on Windows and OS X, as well as Chrome OS. You won't need to dig through any advanced options; you'll just need to sign in with the same account you use on your handset -- so long as you have Now enabled on your phone. Unfortunately, it sounds like Linux users are left out in the cold for now. Presumably that has something to do with how Now ties into existing notification systems on those other platforms (we've asked Google to clarify). With Now hitting the beta channel, enabled by default, it's only a matter of time before Mountain View brings the feature to the masses. But if you're anything like us, you're already using the beta build and are maniacally hitting the update button hoping to be among the first customers it rolls out to.
Google Chrome can listen in on your conversations (but it probably isn't)
Google Chrome users are no strangers to speech recognition software -- heck, the internet browser has "Ok Google!" voice recognition built right into its URL navigation bar. But that recognition is triggered to "listen" only when you've opened a new tab or navigate to Google's homepage, and the expectation is that the browser isn't able to listen in otherwise. Not so, says speech recognition program developer Tal Ater, who discovered an exploit in Chrome's speech recognition that enabled unscrupulous websites with speech recognition software to listen in when users aren't expecting. First, you have to give permission to a website to allow speech recognition to work. After that, however, the website may open a pop-under window with the intent of secretly continuing to listen -- even if you've closed the tab and moved on. Google Chrome must remain running, and you have to miss seeing the pop-under, but it's certainly an issue. Moreover, Google knows of the problem and has yet to fix it...despite a fix existing. Ater describes reporting the issue to Google, finding out it was fixed by the company soon after, and that fix not being implemented in subsequent updates. Google confirmed that to Engadget with the following statement: "The security of our users is a top priority, and this feature was designed with security and privacy in mind. We've re-investigated and this is not eligible for a reward, since a user must first enable speech recognition for each site that requests it. The feature is in compliance with the current W3C specification, and we continue to work on improvements." Given Google's compliance with speech recognition standards, it sounds like Mountain View isn't changing the way Chrome's speech software works just yet, though we'd be surprised if some form of visual indication of recording wasn't included in a future build. A video of Ater demonstrating the exploit is just below.
Google brings autofill to Chrome for iOS, improves it on Android
There are two types of people in this world: those who like the convenience of autofill, and those who don't think a browser should double as a PA. For the former group, Google's updating its mobile Chrome apps today, and autophilics will be pleased to hear the feature is being added to iOS, with form data from other devices synced up for immediate use. Chrome for Android received autofill abilities earlier this year, but today's update should "further streamline online forms" to save you a little bit more time. Retailers need to adopt this "faster checkout flow" on their end (Betabrand is in from the get-go), but with the holidays coming up, we're sure several sites will want to make those last-minute purchases as painless as possible. Now, we're off to order some Catan socks.
Google Chrome now lets you see which tab that unwanted music is coming from
Sometimes you just want to look up a restaurant menu at work without your coworkers knowing you're slacking off. ('Sup, Marc?) Thanks to a new Google Chrome feature, if you click on a site that auto-plays music or maybe a video ad, you can at least silence it quickly. If you download the Chrome 32 beta release, you'll see indicators on tabs that are playing audio. Likewise, it also lets you know which tabs are using your webcam, or streaming to your TV over Chromecast. Additionally, the Safe Browsing features now automatically blocks malware files, instead of advising you to merely proceed with caution. Finally, the Windows 8 Chrome app has gotten a makeover so that the Metro Modern version looks more similar to the experience you'd get on a Chromebook. Curious? The download page is the third site we link to in our sources list below.
Daily Update for October 3, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Chrome 30 hits the stable channel with new Android gestures and simpler search by image
In August Google pushed out an update to its Chrome Beta channel that included quicker access to search by image via a long press or right click along with a slew of other features. Today, version 30 of the browser is hitting the stable channel, along with its revamp of gestures for the Android version. Over the coming days, users will receive an update on their handsets and tablets that moves all the gestures to the toolbar: swipe down to open the tab switcher and flip through open tabs by running your finger left or right. Chrome 30 also includes a host of backend improvements and access to new APIs such as MediaSource and DeviceMotion, for better integration between webapps and your handheld hardware. For more details about all the changes to both the mobile and desktop versions of Chrome, hit up the source.
Google invites iOS users to experience data compression with Chrome
Like it or not, thinking about every megabyte is essential for smartphone owners hoping to keep their monthly usage from topping whatever tier they've purchased. The nasty, unbecoming world of data caps isn't changing in the near-term, and Google knows it. Following in the footsteps of Opera, the outfit's Chrome browser for iOS is evidently equipped with a data compression feature that's engineered to save precious bytes when browsing via mobile. This technology has existed for some time, but it's just now being rolled out en masse to those with an iPhone. We're told that it "compresses and minimizes HTML, JavaScript and CSS resources, removing unnecessary whitespace, comments and other metadata not essential to rendering the pages," which can reduce data usage by up to 50 percent on certain sites. So, Apple -- thinking about tossing something similar under the hood of Mobile Safari?
