web
Google's beautiful HTML5 guide to the Web
20 Things I Learned About Browsers And The Web is a beautiful and educational example of what we can expect from the HTML5 Web. It was developed by the Google Chrome team to showcase both the power of its browser, and of HTML5 itself.
20 Things is fully illustrated, too, and on each page a cheesy subtitle or piece of poetry awaits. Put simply, it's a delight. If you're a hardened Web expert, spend a few minutes leafing through it to enjoy the HTML5esque features -- the offline storage, the page-turning, flipping the light switch in the bottom-right corner -- and then send the link to a friend or family member. Check the Google announcement if you want more details.
It's a damn sight better than Google's last attempt at an HTML5 showpiece, that's for sure. At least this one actually works with Firefox and Internet Explorer 9! It's a little bit slow with Opera, but there should be a hardware-accelerated beta version of Opera 11 any day now...
Google's beautiful HTML5 guide to the Web
20 Things I Learned About Browsers And The Web is a beautiful and educational example of what we can expect from the HTML5 Web. It was developed by the Google Chrome team to showcase both the power of its browser, and of HTML5 itself.
20 Things is fully illustrated, too, and on each page a cheesy subtitle or piece of poetry awaits. Put simply, it's a delight. If you're a hardened Web expert, spend a few minutes leafing through it to enjoy the HTML5esque features -- the offline storage, the page-turning, flipping the light switch in the bottom-right corner -- and then send the link to a friend or family member. Check the Google announcement if you want more details.
Comment Blocker Helps De-Troll the Internet for Chrome Users
Chrome: We've shown you many ways to avoid the less appealing folk on the internet, but if you find some communities are just too troll-infested, Comment Blocker will hide all comments on a specific site with a quick shortcut. More »
Google Chrome Web Store delayed, may not launch until December
Back in mid-October, I mused that the Chrome Web Store might be getting ready to open its doors, but according to MediaMemo's Peter Kafka the launch isn't going to happen any time soon.
Based on his discussions with developers who are building Web apps for Chrome, prevailing sentiment is that the Chrome Web Store will now open some time in early December. While some devs remain optimistic that a mid-November launch could still happen, Google has already missed launch targets -- casting severe doubts.
Interestingly, Kafka also mentions that some developers report receiving monetary "encouragement" directly from Google -- one individual acknowledged receive a $15,000 check. The Chrome Web Store remains enough of an enigma that these delays won't adversely affect it -- but we'd sure like to get a look at it.
Here's hoping the beta launch happens before the year is out.
Chrome Web Store launch may be imminent
The Google OS blog was lucky enough to nab a screenshot of the Most Popular page complete with "Free" tags, though when I checked the site only the spotlight extension at the top showed prices.
There have been other indications recently that Google is gathering steam for the Web Store launch. Not long ago, I received an odd 500 error indicating that the Web Store was not available. Google has also been busy educating extension and Web app developers about accepting payments.
There's also the fact that today's stable channel update brought with it the ability to install apps, though that wasn't mentioned in Google's release post.
While no launch date has been revealed yet, stay tuned -- the Web Store Launch surely can't be far off now.
Google Chrome's in-tab print preview feature begins taking shape
Right now, enabling Preview has no effect on functionality. Flipping the switch does, however, provide a partial glimpse of how the feature is shaping up. Entering chrome://print in your Omnibar will load the page you see above, minus the TSN page, of course. I composited that in to provide some idea how the preview might actually appear with content -- right now, chrome://print just displays the word main in all caps.
Once again, Google is eschewing additional application windows in favor of an in-tab display. As with the bookmark manager and the tabbed options feature in about:flags, building print preview into a tab should simplify deployment of the feature across different OSes.
It seems likely that chrome://print will also feature ties to Cloud Print -- so that you can easily fire off your document to any printer you've connected to the service.
G*****n Work helps Google Chrome users count down to the end of the day
Sure, most operating systems display the time, and the exertion required to figure out how far off 5:00PM is if your clock reads 11:15AM is pretty minimal... But there are days when the grind is all you can take and your brain simply can't handle that smidgen of additional thought.
Exhausted, you glance up at your browser for a little good news. 2:20 until you go home! Crap. That means two more hours of feigning interest and four more five-minute trips to the bathroom to kill time. But at least you had the G******n Work extension installed in Google Chrome to give you the heads-up.
I'd like to think that this is the kind of extension Fred Flintstone would use in his browser. You know, rather than waiting on that blasted bird to blare out the end-of-day signal.
Google offers up to a 40% discount on all JPEGs -- with new WebP format!
Following in the freshly-trampled footsteps of its video cousin WebM, Google claims that average savings of about 40% over a comparable JPEG can be achieved. Curiously, the image they chose to provide CNet as an example only saved about half that.
Either way, smaller images filesizes would lead to faster Web page loading times, and a faster Web makes everyone happy, right? There's one downside, however -- encoding in WebP takes about 8 times as long as JPEG. I'm not sure I'd even notice the difference, since eight times the fraction of a second it takes Paint.Net to save a JPEG is still a fraction of a second.
If you find yourself getting all tingly-like waiting to take a look at WebP in action, you won't be waiting long. Google says native support is coming to Chrome "in a few weeks."
Overheard on our team chat: "Anyone remember JPEG2000? Lol."
August browser stats show Android, Chrome on the rise
It's the beginning of the month again, and that means it's time for the big analytics guns to release their browsing snapshots once again. While there's not a lot of movement to report on for August of 2010, Google is no doubt pleased with the way things played out.
Android made a fairly major jump last month, climbing more than a full point -- from 7.91 to 9.22%. That gain came mostly at the expense of iOS and Symbian, both of which slid about half a point. Blackberry OS also continued to rise, finishing August up .5%.
On the desktop, Google surged ahead almost a full point to finish at 10.76%. That's nearly three times Chrome's user base from this time last year, and it's the first time Chrome has crossed the 10% mark.
And yes, Internet Explorer slipped yet again. IE is still dominant, yet it's also now dangerously close to slipping below 50% share for the first time ever. Perhaps the IE9 beta will help stem the tide -- it's due to arrive in less than two weeks.
Chrome extensions with right-click context menus coming soon! And your chance to win a Chrome hoodie...
In a move that is surely an effort to keep pace with Firefox's helter-skelter development of Jetpack, Chrome Beta now has a context menu API!
There's also a bunch of other new APIs, the most exciting being the Omnibox API. Imagine Chrome's built-in search engines (type 'Amazon', then a space, and then a book name -- it searches Amazon!), but with extension access. Type the name of an extension into the Omnibox, and then any further input is redirected to the extension. Actually, having said this is an exciting addition, I'm really not sure what an extension would do with it... Perhaps something Ubiquity-esque?
The new Infobar API might be of interest, too. You know that blue bar that appears when Chrome asks you whether you want a page to be translated? Well, extensions can now pop those up for you. I can see security and privacy extensions like LastPass making use of them, or an extension that alerts you when a page you're visiting has an 'official Chrome extension' (you know, instead of that awful JavaScript hack...).
Oh, and if you make an extension (featuring the new APIs? It's not clear), let Google know and they might send you a free Chrome hoodie! Hooray.
Chromium hits version 7
While the number has changed, I didn't notice any significant changes at first glance -- other than a broken sync window which was totally blank (and will no doubt be fixed immediately). Google's accelerated release schedule for Chrome means you're likely going to see version bumps more frequently. Anyone want to place bets on where we'll be at this time next year? 9? 10?
Chrome's dev channel will likely be bumped in the coming days. If you want to make the jump now, grab a Chromium snapshot build.
Google Chrome Web app support continues taking shape -- here comes sync!
Like your extensions (and everything else which makes your Chrome install yours), installed Chrome apps will follow you across all your installs. The plumbing for app sync has already landed but is not yet active. There's really no reason for it to be at this point -- the Web Store isn't open yet and Canary is the only Chrome version with app support by default. As with extensions, expect Chrome to only sync those extensions that were downloaded from the Web Store.
While I'm willing to bet the Store will be open soon, we don't really have any clues as to when that might be. Well, at least not anything more precise than "before Chrome OS tablets wind up on retail shelves."
Browser Comparison: What's the Most Pixel-Friendly Browser? (Mac Edition)
Yesterday we set out to find the most pixel-friendly browser on Windows machines. Today, designer and Lifehacker reader Kyle Dreger took it upon himself to determine which OS X browser makes the best use of your precious screen space. More »
Browser Comparison: What's the Most Pixel-Friendly Browser?
Firefox 4 Beta is out with a revamped UI, Google Chrome continues to gain popularity, and Opera has a slick new version. Let's take a look at which browser uses your screen the best without wasting space. More »
Seesmic Web gets huge update: Facebook, FourSquare, LinkedIn, desktop notifications arrive
There's also added support for desktop notifications in Google Chrome, which you can see in my screenshot. They're an incredibly useful way to know when your Seesmic tabs needs attention. Yfrog has been added to your image posting options, and a number of other interface refinements (like color-coded direct mentions) have been made as well.
The update also brings a significant speed boost to Seesmic. The momentary lag I used to notice (especially in Firefox 4) is now totally gone, and Seesmic is zippier than ever.
If you've got a Facebook page, I've got more good news for you. Now that Seesmic has bolted on initial support for Facebook, Loic Le Meur informed me that page support is he's been wanting as well -- and that it's coming "very soon."
For more info about the refresh, check out Seesmic's blog post. Not seeing the changes in your browser? Hit the refresh button, or close and restart -- that should do the trick!
Google Chrome Tells You When Sites are Down for Other Users
If you're wondering whether your router really needs a reset, or if you want a second opinion on downforeveryoneorjustme.com's advice, Google Chrome appears to be letting its users know when other Chrome users can't reach a site, according to one Lifehacker reader. More »
Work under way to add sidebars to Google Chrome
Not yet at least. Work is underway, however, on building sidebars into Chrome's extension API. The awesome ASCII mock up was created by Chrome developer Aaron Boodman, who also references Aza Raskin's Viemo clip of the Mozilla Jetpack sidebar setup.
Persistent sidebars would be a welcome addition for any number of existing Chrome extensions -- like the many social networking, content clipping, and discovery extensions.
Curious what else is being considered for addition? Have a look at the Chromium Extension API Wish List. And before you ask, yes, "downloads" is listed and DownThemAll is given as the use case. I sincerely hope this is next on the list -- Chrome's download mangler manager is one of my most frequent sources of irritation.
The full sidebar API proposal doc is available after the break -- check it out!
Google's HTML5 plans for Gmail include 1 second-to-Inbox startup
The Download Squad staff loves their Gmail, and so do our readers (according to Sebastian's recent-but-not-at-all-scientific poll). It's an excellent app, and I can't imagine ever changing back to a desktop email client.
But Google wants to deliver a more desktop-like user experience in Gmail, and they're planning to lean on HTML5 to do it. Recently Google added drag-and-drop support via supported browsers, and it's a feature some of my less-technical friends love. Google is now working on reversing the process -- allowing us to drag files out of Gmail messages and drop them onto our local folders.
Apart from making user interaction in Gmail more like our desktop apps, Google also hopes to use HTML5 tech to turn on the afterburners. In a discussion with Technology Review's Erica Naone, Adam de Boor talks about possible performance leaps with the upcoming extension app support in Google Chrome.
Extension apps will further blur the divide between Gmail as a Web app and desktop email with permission to access additional local resources, and Boor hopes that it will eventually lead to Gmail startup times of "less than a second."
That'd be sweet... you know, if I ever closed my Gmail tab.
Stopwatch image by Flickr user Erika_Marshall