Chrome 25 makes extensions get your permission
Google has released Chrome 25 to the beta channel for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and while the previous release wasn’t too surprising this one has some particularly important changes.
Perhaps the most significant will see external extension deployment disabled by default, which means if you install an application on your Windows system, for instance, the author will no longer be able to silently add a Chrome extension as well just by manipulating the Registry. They’ll normally have to ask your permission to install any add-ons within Chrome itself.
Google releases Chrome 24 -- get it NOW!
Google has released Chrome 24 to the stable channel for Windows, the Mac and Linux. And while there are no major additions this time around, the build still has enough to make for a worthwhile upgrade.
There’s the usual focus on performance, for instance. When the Chrome 24 beta appeared the development team claimed a 26.3-percent improvement in JavaScript performance over the last year, and the latest release includes yet more optimizations. No need to take their word for it, though: run Chrome’s Octane benchmark before and after upgrading, see for yourself.
[Mihaita] The tech I used most in 2012
If there's one word that best describes my personal tech use for 2012, change is definitely it. For the most part of the year I "cheated" one platform with another, with no particular personal favorite to get me through (almost) 365 days. Each piece of software and hardware is used for a particular scenario, something that I find rather soothing for my personal early adopter endeavors as well as my sanity. I just can't stand tinkering with the same bit of tech for longer periods of time, although there still is a dear old friend in my life...
My colleagues Alan Buckingham and Wayne Williams already wrote about their personal tech choices in 2012, and now it's my turn. Without further ado here is what I used most throughout the year, starting with my trusty dear old friend.
[Alan] The tech I used most in 2012
The year has almost passed and that makes it a great time for reflection. Of course, I have thought most about my family -- what we did in 2012 and our plans for 2013. I have thought of household repairs and projects planned for the coming year, goals I would like to attain, but I also considered what technology I used the most and the changes I made.
My colleagues and I plan personal tech retrospectives. I'm first up.
This Chrome extension masks your email address
Sign up for an account with a website and you’ll usually see them promising not to share your details with others. “We hate spam as much as you do”, they might claim, although none of this seems to prevent the endless torrent of junk which pours into our inboxes on a daily basis.
It could be a better idea to simply never give out your main email address in the first place, then. And MaskMe is an excellent Chrome extension that can help.
Google cuts out the middleman, releases 'Save to Drive' feature for Chrome
The Google Drive team on Tuesday announced a new Chrome extension called "Save to Drive," which ties browser activity directly into the user's Google Drive cloud storage account and eliminates the need for third-party extensions to provide the functionality.
Prior to today's release, an extension from the prestigious MIT going by the name "save to drive" was available. Now, Google has borrowed the name and made it available in the Chrome Web Store. The search giant takes the concept a lot further though.
Chrome for iOS 23 supports Apple Passbook
Google has updated the iPhone and iPad version of its famous browser, adding support for Passbook and allowing users to open PDF files in other applications. Google Chrome for iOS 23.0.1271.91 also includes a number of tweaks and bug fixes.
The update is joined by a minor stability update to Google Chrome for Android 18.0.1025469, which Google promises to resolve issues with “frequently occurring stability issues”.
Use CCleaner 3.25 to manage Chrome extensions
Software developer Piriform Ltd has announced the release ofCCleaner 3.25, the latest build of its Windows freeware cleaning tool. Version 3.25, which is also available in portable form as CCleaner 3.25 Portable, adds Google Chrome Extension management to its feature roster amid a number of compatibility and cleaning improvements.
The update follows hot on the heels of Recuva 1.44, a new version of Piriform’s free data recovery tool, which offers improved recovery of large files and Outlook Express messages as well as a host of other minor tweaks and improvements.
The post-PC era already is over
That was fast, if it ever was. Don't blink or the so-called PC era will pass you by. For years, I've called it the cloud-connected device era because of the deeper meaning: Context. But more appropriately, the new epoch is contextual computing, which really extends a transition underway since the World Wide Web opened to the masses about 20 years ago. During the two earlier computing eras, mainframes and PCs, location defined the user. During the contextual computing era, the user defines location. If you listen to analysts obsessed with selling services to enterprises or companies like Apple, post-PC is all about devices. It's anything but.
Context is everything today. I started writing about the concept circa 2004, borrowing from my boss of the day -- Michael Gartenberg. The concept is simple: People are satisfied with what they've got on hand. In context of the airport, a hand-held game console is good enough, while at home the person prefers Xbox and big-screen PC. But because of the cloud connected to an increasing number of mobile devices, context is a much bigger, broader and badder technology trend.
Google releases Chrome 23 -- get it NOW!
Google has announced the release of Chrome 23 to the stable channel, and it’s an interesting update, with some welcome developments.
New support for GPU-accelerated video decoding will reduce the load on your system’s CPU, for instance. And as GPU’s use less power than your primary processor, this can notably extend your battery life (Google’s own testing suggests you could see up to a 25-percent improvement).
Google releases Chrome Remote Desktop -- get it NOW!
One year after launching Chrome Remote Desktop in beta form, Google today announced that the Chrome browser app is now available as a stable release. What features can users expect?
Using the "Remote Assistance" feature from Chrome Remote Desktop, users can connect to other computers to offer or receive assistance. The set up is fairly straightforward and it involves typing in a Chrome generated code to gain or provide access to one's computer. For those that want to access their own computer via remote control, "My Computers" let them do just that using solely a PIN number after activating the feature.
Beware of fake Bad Piggies apps on Chrome Web Store
"Bad Piggies", a mobile game that was quietly launched by software company Rovio Mobile, is one of the most popular games to be launched in the late period. Unfortunately, it's also a security risk if installed via third-party, free, extensions from the Chrome Web Store that claim to be the original app.
Security experts from Barracuda Networks have analyzed the number of free apps that turn up after searching for the popular game title in the Chrome Web Store. The company has found that these extensions, while obviously being a far cry from the actual Bad Piggies game, require elevated permissions. To profit from misleading the user, they also install a plug-in that delivers advertisements on popular websites. The severity of this security risk might be overlooked by users seeking to play the popular title.
Chrome 23 Beta improves HTML5 video support
Google has updated both Beta and Dev pre-release channels of its open-source, cross-platform browser, Google Chrome to versions 23 and 24 respectively.
While Google Chrome 24 Dev is a minor update, Google Chrome 23 Beta introduces support for a number of APIs and HTML5 technologies that, while superficially of most interest to web developers, will improve both web-based video playback and real-time audio/video communications over the internet for end users.
Google Chrome for Android update paves way for Motorola Razr i
Most smartphone users wouldn't know if their device packs an ARM or Intel processor. They would care, perhaps, if software doesn't run, particularly as the first Intel-powered devices reach the mass-market.
Google has updated Chrome for Android, to run on x86 processors, paving way for its own subsidiary, Motorola, to release Razr i, which packs a 2GHz Intel Atom powerhouse.
Do you use Google Chrome?
To celebrate Chrome's fourth-anniversary -- well, in beta -- we're asking readers if and why they use Google's browser. The search and information giant released the first public test build, for Windows, on Sept. 1, 2008, with the one-oh release following just three months later. For a company renown for perpetual betas (wasn't it five years for Gmail), the rapid push to release build was uncharacteristic -- and foreshadowing. As Martin Brinkmann explains, Google set a rapid-release cycle -- new versions about every six weeks -- that transformed web browser development.
Yesterday, Tim Conneally told his personal story about using Chrome, starting from the beta. I would like to hear your story, too. You can comment to this post, or, better, email me -- joe at betanews.com. I'd like more than a comment, but your story to which we can put your byline, bio and photo.
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