“…while IE9 might not outpace the fastest browsers out there, it’s at least close. And hilariously faster than IE8. Again, they’re at least trying, and when you’ve got the market share (and history of ignoring standards) that Microsoft does, this is, again, worth a lot.”

It sure is. Almost since the beginning Internet Explorer was the bane of web designers and developers everywhere. Sites that were designed perfectly to fit HTML standards with CSS so clean and beautiful is should be published would look like Picasso had gotten hold of them on IE even while they looked fine everywhere else. Now Microsoft is embracing standards, saying that IE9 will support core HTML 5 features like h.264 video, embedded audio, scalable vector graphics, and CSS3. Just like Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera…

All of that is very exciting for web designers/developers and the people they work for, but what about those of you who just want to visit websites? It should mean a faster browsing experience, better video rendering, and fewer sites that tell you to switch to a better browser if you want to view them properly.Plus, IE9 supports hardware accelerated graphics and text — the first browser to do so, according to Nvidia.

Will there come a day when IE is no longer the browser you use just because it’s what came pre-installed and is, instead, the browser you love to use because it’s awesome? With no official launch date I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, you can try out IE9 for yourself. It’s a preview build, though, so you’re not likely to have much fun unless you’re really, really into browsers.

Remember the chatter about Google’s rumored “G-Drive”, the company’s supposed push into the online backup space? The G-Drive itself hasn’t materialized, but Google has made the first steps in that direction with an update to Google Docs & Spreadsheets (docs.google.com) that allows users to upload files of all types (music, photos, video), not only office files. It’s free, offers cheap storage upgrade options, and  is easy to use, but the absence of a file syncing feature keeps it from competing with the big boys.

To access the Google uploader, you sign into Google Docs & Spreadsheets as you normally would. Once inside, you’ll notice an “Upload” button next to the “Create New” drop-down box in the left-hand side of the screen. Clicking it takes you to the file upload page where you’ll see how much of the 1GB of file space that’s available (you can upload a file up to 1GB in size; files converted into Google Doc have smaller, undisclosed limits).

Clicking the “Select Files To Upload” button lets you select files from your The storage device that holds your OS, programs, and data.
Learn Morehard drive. It initially appears that you can only pick one file at a time, but you can choose multiple files if once if you hold “Ctrl” and click on the files that you want to send to Google Docs & Spreadsheets. You have the option of checking a box that lets you convert documents, presentations, and spreadsheets into their Google Docs & Spreadsheets equivalents (the benefit of doing so is that they can be edited online). Next, you pick the destination folder where the files will be stored from a drop-down box, and click “Start Upload.”

In our tests, we uploaded a photo file (14.1KB JPG), an audio file (11.8MB WMA), and two video files (16.6MB MP4, 53.4MB M4V) to Google Docs & Spreadsheets in just under 10 minutes. When we returned to the Google Docs & Spreadsheets main page, we clicked the 53.4MB video file and the service began a virus scan as it would with any office file. This time, however, we received a message saying that the file was too big to be scanned (the other 3 files were scanned without a problem). Google also offers a variety of sharing options including the ability to invite people to check out the file, e-mail it as an attachment, or get the link to share with others.

Google vs Dropbox

We couldn’t help but compare Google’s file uploader to Dropbox (www.dropbox.com), a file backup and syncing program that’s available for Linux, Mac, and Windows PCs. The service offers 2GB of free storage, but is far more expensive than Google if you go beyond that. Dropbox charges $9.99 per month for 50GB, and $19.99 per month for 100GB–there are no incremental amounts. Google Docs & Spreadsheets, on the other hand, demands an incredibly low 25 cents per GB per year for extra storage.  This allows you to purchase the exact amount of extra storage that you want. Should you want to match Dropbox’s 50GB and 100GB offerings, it will cost a wallet-friendly $12.50 and $25.00, respectively.

Despite its higher price tag, Dropbox is a much better solution for users with multiple computers. Unlike Google, which forces you to upload and download files manually, Dropbox takes the contents of a special folder on your hard drive and syncs them with the Web and any other computers you have automatically. Every time you start up one of your computers, it downloads the latest versions of your files from Dropbox’s servers and populates your local Dropbox folder with them.

Google Docs & Spreadsheets’ new ability to store any form of data is quite useful, as it gives users the chance to save and access their content from virtually any web-connected device. We prefer the simplicity of Dropbox (and its ability to sync data across multiple notebooks and operating systems), but Google Docs & Spreadsheets offers a fluid (and dirt-cheap) capacity upgrade scheme for those that desire a specific amount of storage and the ability to share individual files.

• Over 500,000 users
• Over 1,000,000 badges have been awarded
• Over 1.4 million venues with 1200 offering specials
• Over 15.5 million checkins

It’s good to see a nerdy idea take fruition and last beyond the first baby steps. And hey, you know you’ve arrived when other social networks try to copy your ideas. (Yes, I am talking about you, Yelp. I’ll stop being snarky when Check-Ins come to the Android app!)

Here’s to another year of friends flooding Twitter and Facebook with half-hourly check-ins and exultations on becoming the “Mayor” of a place. Oh wait…

No seriously: congrats, guys.

Wait a minute. Didn’t Slacker 2.0 for BlackBerry do caching for free? Yes, and you can still use the older app, although it won’t be seeing any feature upgrades.

The big benefit of Slacker Radio 3.0 is the new Auto Station Refresh feature, which updates cache stations overnight via 3G or Wi-Fi. It literally wakes up your device to deliver an updated batch of tunes. Before you had to tether your BlackBerry to your notebook via USB. And Slacker has never offered caching on Android at all. You also get unlimited song skipping, no ads, and complete song lyrics.

Slacker Radio 3.0 for BlackBerry is compatible with models 8500 and higher, including the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Storm ($339.99), and BlackBerry Curve series smart phones. Slacker 2.0 for Android should work with all existing devices.

Time will tell if Slacker users will be willing to pay the premium for wireless caching. But to give users a taste of the benefits the company will offer 14 days of caching for free. And you can always stream the old fashioned way without paying a dime, at least for now.

The Mac and PC-compatible GoToTraining enables companies to save time and reduce travel costs by moving their training curriculum online and delivering sessions to trainees in multiple locations. Some of the features include:

• Full-service registration makes it easy to schedule, track and manage cancellations. Trainers can limit class size to optimize interaction during sessions and an online course catalog lets participants self-register for training sessions.

• Content library and material distribution lets trainers organize, store and reuse course materials such as tests, surveys and recordings, and eliminates the need to email materials to attendees.

• Real-time curriculum management features allow trainers to instantly adjust programming based on real-time feedback. Trainers can update polls, tests and materials on-the-fly in session.

• Testing options allow trainers to measure attendee knowledge prior to sessions and gauge retention of course material both during and after sessions conclude.

• Integrated audio conferencing gives organizers the option to offer phone conferencing, VoIP, or both to attendees.

Pricing is determined by the number of attendees present. If you’re expecting a maximum of 25 seats, GoToTraining costs $140 per month, or $1,428 annually; a maximum of 200 attendees will drive the cost up to $349 per month, or $3,348 annually. Even better, when you purchase GoToTraining, GoToMeeting is included at no extra cost.

First up is a new browser that RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis touted as being capable of accelerated browsing over carriers’ networks and rendering Web pages more efficiently. Unfortunately, a formal name and release date weren’t revealed.

Also in the works are what RIM dubs “Super Apps”, contextual applications that will be integrated into a BlackBerry’s core functions. Lazaridis demonstrated how BlackBerry users can send and read Twitter updates from their inboxes.

RIM also took the lid off another new product, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express, which is free server software that wirelessly syncs BlackBerry handsets with Microsoft Exchange (2010, 2007, 2003) as well as Microsoft Windows Small Business Server (2008, 2003). Available in March, BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express is for small and medium-sized business customers and companies that want to let employees use their own phones for corporate email, contacts, calendar, tasks, and other business related tasks.

Check out the YouTube clip below (which lacks audio) to see the browser in action.

Then, I got to see a preview of Opera Mini for iPhone, which Opera announced last week but has yet to submit to the App store for approval (for that reason, I wasn’t allowed to film video, although the screenshot at right is revealing ). Read on to see our hands-on video and find out why both are worth switching to (even if the iPhone version never sees the light of day).

Opera Mobile 10 Beta

With a home screen that’s reminscent of Google Chrome, Opera Mobile 10 for Android looks the way Android’s default browser should look. It has a “speed dial” of favorite sites, whose thumbnails are arranged like numbers on a keypad. As with Android’s interface in general, you can customize the speed dial, editing URLs or removing sites altogether.

Unfortunately, Opera does not support multi-touch gestures, such as pinch to zoom. These gestures are now standard on the Google Nexus One’s Android browser and are available on other Android phones by installing Dolphin Browser.

Aside from the speed dial, I’m a fan of Opera’s red-and-white interface, which leaves plenty of room for, you know, Web pages, even with multiple tabs open (this is true of Opera on any platform, including the iPhone). One of the reasons I’m not as sweet on Dolphin Browser, is that it takes up more on-screen real estate than I’d like. True, Dolphin allows for multi-touch gestures and Opera does not support multitouch, but I don’t think that outweighs the fact that it takes up more precious pixels than necessary.

No word yet on when Opera Mobile 10 will make its way into Android Market, but when it does I suggest you try it.

Opera Mini for iPhone

It’s a bummer that we couldn’t film a video walking you through Opera Mini for iPhone. As you see, at least from the screens, the interface is more or less the same as the forthcoming Android version, including the tabbed browsing and an engine that compressses Web pages to a tenth of their size, making them faster to send. Indeed, in a side-by-side comparison of two iPhones, one with Safari and the other with Opera, loading NYTimes.com over Wi-Fi, the one running Opera finished more than thirty seconds earlier.

While Opera Mini for iPhone is faster than mobile Safari and has a more space-efficient and sleek interface, I couldn’t help but feel that Opera wasn’t taking full enough advantage of what the iPhone has to offer. With one exception (more on that in minute), Opera’s policy is to endow Opera Mini for iPhone with the same feature set that every other version– even the ones loaded on feature phones– have. That’s democratic of Opera, to be sure, but it also means that the browser has no multi-touch support. Watching an Opera rep handle the iPhone by double tapping the screen to zoom just didn’t feel right.

One exception Opera did make for iPhone is allowing the text to fit (or nearly fit) the size of the screen when you zoom. That means, no matter how far in you zoom, you still won’t have to do any sideways scrolling, if any, to read a full sentence.

No word on when Opera will submit Mini for iPhone to the App store. Regarding Apple’s history of vetoing third-party browsers, a rep on site said, “We’re veryconfident that we are compliant with the SDK.” That may be, but I’m not sure an app has to be incompliant for Apple to reject it. In any case, best of luck, Opera.

Typically, making Valentine’s plans is all about hunting down the remaining restaurants with open reservations, setting up flower deliveries, ordering big pink bears or glimmering jewelry, all of which takes time. But only a few days left till the holiday, you can’t waste a second.

If you’ve got a smartphone that connects to an app store (looking at you BlackBerry, Palm, Android, and iPhone owners) you might be able to swing some last-minute plans for Sunday night. Godiva Chocolatier’s app can have chocolates sent to a doorstep near you (or someone else) faster than you can visit a Barnes & Noble, and a good sommelier app can help you pare a wine with your dinner whether it’s out at a restaurant or cooked in the hearth.

For more apps to help with Valentine’s Day, click below.

• Introduction
• Web OS
• BlackBerry
• Android
• iPhone

]]> http://blog.laptopmag.com/valentines-day-a-last-minute-smart-phone-app-guide/feed 0 http://blog.laptopmag.com/google-launches-buzz-a-twitter-competitor-for-posting-updates-from-gmail-phones-google-maps http://blog.laptopmag.com/google-launches-buzz-a-twitter-competitor-for-posting-updates-from-gmail-phones-google-maps#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:23:08 +0000 Dana Wollman http://blog.laptopmag.com/?p=29154 Today, Google announced Buzz, a service that will let users post Twitter-esque updates from within Gmail, as well as from select mobile platforms. The service is free, and will roll out over the next few days.

In his opening remarks, VP of product marketing Bradley Horowitz described the glut of information we currently receive in our social networks: endless updates from potentially thousands of “friends.” This is “a large scale problem,” he said. “A relevance problem. The kind of problem we’re good at.” He likened Buzz to the convenience of being able to chat within the Gmail interface, a single browser window.

First and foremost, Buzz is available as a feature within Gmail. When you first launch it, Buzz will automatically follow your most frequent Gmail contacts. Users can post textual updates, as on Twitter, as well as rich media, such as Picasa albums and YouTube videos.

In order to post updates yourself, you’ll need a Google profile. Every time you post, you can choose to make those updates public or private. To buzz publicly means that your updates will appear in your Google Profile. It’s not unlike having a public Twitter, although Twitter doesn’t let you make individual tweets private.

Personally, the idea of having my updates indexed in my Google Profile is oddly scary to me, even though my tweets are all public as well. I think the difference, for me, is that someone has to be on Twitter, seeing my tweets in their timeline, to become aware of me. My Google Profile appears every time someone searches for me on Google.

On the desktop side, Buzz borrows elements from Facebook and Twitter. If you type “@” plus a Gmail contact’s name or e-mail address, their name will Autocomplete, as if you were adding recipients to an e-mail. That reply will then go straight to that person’s inbox. Meanwhile, users can comment on updates, just as Facebook users can on pretty much anything in their feed.

Then there’s mobile devices.

First, the Google homepage will appear slightly different on iPhones and Android devices. In the upper right hand corner there will be an icon for uploading a buzz. By default, it determines your location so that it can geotag your update. A Google rep confirmed, however, that if the buzz you’re generating on the road happens to have nothing to do with your location, you can opt not to include it (ditto for people who want to keep their whereabouts private). Android users can also speak their updates and watch it appear as text in the text field.

In addition, Buzz will integrate with Google Maps (for now, this applies to Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Android). If you wish, you can select an additional layer of information on your map called — wait for it– Buzz. Again, you can geotag posts that you write yourself. In addition, if you’re searching for a restaurant you can read the Buzz about it. That strikes me as a dual shot at Foursquare and Yelp.

Google also announced it would “soon” announce a version of Buzz tailored for the enterprise. My two cents: Google needs to first do a better job of integrating Google Apps with its own Android OS (I can’t log into Google Talk on my Droid using my Google apps email address, and my Droid doesn’t see my Google Apps calendar either).

Google Buzz will roll out over the next few days. Stay tuned for some hands-on first impressions.

But not anymore. With the arrival of Nvidia’s Optimus technology, the switchable graphics experience has become what users (and reviewers) always thought it should be: seamless and simple.

The first notebook with the Nvidia Optimus technology is the ASUS UL50VF-A1 ($823.53), which automatically switches between integrated Intel GMA 4500MHD and discrete Nvidia GeForce G210M graphics when needed. Previously, when graphics were rendered by either the integrated or discrete GPU, they had to pass through a multiplexer on the way to the display; switching between the two GPUs would cause the aforementioned issues. Optimus works by having intensive video information (such as games or Flash videos) rendered by the discrete GPU, which then swiftly copies the data to the system memory, where the Intel GPU directly drives the display. No multiplexers needed.

As a result, the switch between the two GPUs is is practically instantaneous and invisible. When we installed and fired up Dungeon Fighter Online or watched 30 Rock on Hulu, there was nary a flicker of the screen as the UL50VF-A1 activated the Nvidia GPU. Closing out those applications automatically switched back to Intel’s offering. It’s remarkably effective in its simplicity; users will no longer accidentally leave their notebooks in Graphics chips are responsible for processing all images sent to your computer?s display.
Learn Morediscrete graphics mode, sapping precious battery life.

To see the full results of our Nvidia Optimus testing, check out our review of the ASUS UL50VF-A1 and this video of the seamless transitions below:

For a more in-depth explanation of the benefits Optimus provides, click over to Nvidia’s blog.