Sometimes it’s a good idea to question browser stats. While some companies claim that Chrome loses market share, Google says that the number of active Chrome users increased from 320 million (June 2012) to 750 million. According to Google, Chrome is now the most popular browser in the world. “With over 750 million active users…
If you’ve ever wanted a Chrome extension that combines the most important Google services and lets you quickly switch between them, check Black Menu. It’s based on the short-lived vertical menu launched by Google in 2011, but it offers more features than Google’s menu. Mouse over each menu item and you’ll get a gadget-like interface…
Wired publishes an interview with Sundar Pichai, Google’s Senior Vice President for Chrome, Apps and now Android. Back in March, Larry Page announced that “Andy [Rubin] decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google”. Now Sundar Pichai is in charge of Android and many people wondered if Android…
There’s a weird regression in Google Image Search if you use Chrome 27+ and enable “Extended Instant API” in chrome://flags. Extended Instant is a feature I’ve mentioned a few months ago and it’s still a work in progress. It integrates Chrome with Google Search, replaces the new tab page with a special version of the…
Speaking of new-style packaged apps for Chrome, here’s a new app: Google Keep. It’s another way to access the recently launched service for taking notes. The app looks just like the Google Keep site, but it works offline. This means that you can access your notes or create new notes even if you don’t have…
Back in 2010, I wrote a post about the Chrome Web Store and the two kinds of apps that were available: hosted apps (mostly links to web apps) and packaged apps (local apps that work offline and are closer to native apps). At that time, many people complained that the apps from the Chrome Web…
Last year, Google acquired Quickoffice, a mobile app for editing Microsoft Office files. The app is still available and it’s not free. It’s probably the only mobile Google app that’s not free (there’s a free version for Google Apps for Business users). Google started to port Quickoffice to Chrome OS, first as a Microsoft Office…
The latest release of Chrome Beta for Android added an interface for the data compression proxy. You no longer have to enable a flag, just open Chrome’s menu, go to the settings, select “Bandwidth management”, “Reduce data usage” and enable the feature. You can start visiting your favorite sites and check back the “Bandwidth management”…
Some readers of this blog spotted a new feature of the Google Voice extension for Chrome: desktop notifications. I didn’t notice it, since Google Voice can’t be used outside US. “I’ve recently started getting notifications from the Chrome Google Voice extension every time I receive a SMS to my GV number. Of particular interest is…
Ben Goodger, a former Mozilla developer who now works at Google on the Chrome team, thinks that autoupdate is one of the most important Chrome features. Autoupdate is one of Chrome’s killer features. It is magical because it continuously updates an entire development platform invisibly, frequently. Supporting it has driven how we structure our development…
Now you no longer have to wait until your favorite site adds a Google +1 button. If you use Chrome, you can install an extension that lets you +1 any Web page. The extension is developed by Google and it acts just like a +1 button: it shows the number of +1′s and it becomes…
Almost three years after its announcement, Native Client is almost ready for prime time. It’s enabled in Chrome 14, which is now in beta and will reach the stable channel in less than a month. Native Client is a very complex framework that allows browsers to run native compiled code in a sandbox. Google’s goal…
It’s always a bad sign for a platform when developers start jumping ship. Seems like that might be just what’s happening with Firefox. See, for years, there was this extension known as Firebug. If you’re a web developer or programmer, you’ve probably at least heard of the plugin. Apparently, it’s one of the best out…
The month of June saw continued market share gains for Google’s Chrome browser as new Chrome OS powered Chromebooks launched in the US. The Chromebook launch will expand to Europe in July across 6 countries. June also saw the release of Chrome 12 to support the Chromebook launch, which included some significant new security and…
I’m writing this post on a Google CR-48 that I have used since December 2010. I’m happy to report that the device has improved over the past few months. Each software update has brought better performance and stability. I like the CR-48, but do I like it enough to pay $350-$499 dollars or more (see subscription…
