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Just yesterday, I suggested that Gmail for iOS, which new version links to Google apps rather than Safari, might be a bigger deal. Sure enough, is it ever. The search and information giant is hellbent on co-opting Apple’s mobile platform by offering superior apps tightly tied to web services. But the strategy depends on Chrome.

Contrary to popular tech convention, Android isn’t the future of Google platforms, neither is Chrome OS, nor is an amalgamation of the two. The browser is the go-forward platform of choice. Android and Chrome stand apart, competing with operating systems like iOS and Windows. Chrome can co-opt them and others. The browser is more natural fit for Google services and anchors them anywhere. This is the lesson from March’s corporate shake-up that put Android under Sundar Pichai, who leads Chrome and Apps.

But Chrome on iOS was an illegal alien granted temporary visa. Now the browser is a resident alien seeking citizenship and cooperation of other Apple platform immigrants. Gmail’s new-found capability — linking to apps like Maps and YouTube — foreshadows the future. Google plans to help every Tom, Dick and Jane developer bring anarchy to iOS, by providing means to link to Chrome instead. The strategy is brilliant and unfathomable. How could Apple let the maker of Android get away with something so bold?

Perhaps this is a symptom of the post-Steve Jobs era. Remember, Jobs blocked Adobe Flash, spinning falsehood — that the tech sucks — to distract from truth: He didn’t want a competing development environment on iOS. Apple’s cofounder wanted to control the app platform — his way and not any other. The tactic made Flash a dirty word across the Internet and ensured the App Store’s success, under Jobs’ watchful eye.

The platform flourished, consumers got consistent user experiences, apps maintained a reasonably high quality and riffraff found placing malware more challenging compared to many other operating systems.

Chrome is far more dangerous to iOS than Flash, because Google packs development punch and the wherewithal to drive apps — its own and others — across multiple operating systems. Packaged Apps are coming, for example, and they will make the browser a pseudo operating system usurping others. Put iOS head of the class.

Michele Aiello, Google software engineer, explains: “As an iOS app developer, when your users want to access web content, you currently have two options: create your own in-app web browser frame, or send users away from your app to a browser”. Go ahead and say it. Safari. “With Chrome’s OpenInChromeController class with x-callback, users can open a web page in Chrome and then return to your app with just one tap”.

The project isn’t new, but suddenly quite believable, looking at what Google demonstrates with Gmail and Aiello’s explanation yesterday. And Apple just lets Google strut around iOS like it owns the place. Developers tapping their apps in the Chrome won’t flaunt Safari.

Wait! What’s that sound? Do you feel the earth tremble? Steve Jobs just rolled over in his grave. I wonder what apparition will visit Apple CEO Tim Cook in dreams tonight.

After introducing Android and iOS apps, enterprise social network Unison has shifted its focus from mobile handsets to large team collaboration, introducing the ability to voice chat with up to 250 users straight from the browser. The feature is currently available only through the official Chrome app.

Compared to the traditional way of doing things on Unison — text chatting — the latest feature allows users and members of large teams to interact in a more personal way. Voice is also more immediate than writing and can trigger a faster response, something which can be helpful when dealing with fast-approaching deadlines or other critical scenarios. In some cases, businesses can also replace the traditional phone conference and, therefore, rely less on other services for basic but essential tasks.

But why provide this feature only through Chrome? “We support the other popular browsers, but we optimize for Chrome and will enable our full audio/video capabilities there — right inside the browser, with no software or plug-ins required”, Unison says.

The enterprise social network also tells me that Chrome users will be able to take advantage of other two new features. Unison says that in the upcoming period desktop notifications as well as one-to-one voice and video chats will be enabled.

These two features will enable Unison users to take their voice and video discussions private and see the latest updates from fellow users without having the browser tab opened in the foreground. That should drive up productivity and enable Unison to better compete against other services such as Yammer.

Like the Galaxy Note 8.0, but not really fond of that white color? Samsung is reportedly prepping a “Brown Black” version of the device for a mid-June release. Unfortunately, they didn’t release any sort of pictures, and Brown Black is a pretty ambiguous name for a color, especially since Samsung made both a brown and black version of the Galaxy S III. Either way, more options is always a good thing. We’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any leaks of the new color for the tablet.

source: SamMobile

Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8.0 to receive new color option

According to SamMobile, Samsung will be releasing their newly unveiled Galaxy Tab 3 this week in Eastern Europe. The 3G/WiFi model can be expected around June 10th. The 8.0 and 10.1 models of the Galaxy Tab 3 are expected to drop around June 3rd, with the 3G models of those just a few weeks after that.

These aren’t the high end tablets Samsung is expected to bring to market this year, but the Galaxy Tab line has always been a mid-range series of tabs, which isn’t a bad thing. No word on American availability, but I’m sure it won’t take too much longer. Anybody planning on picking up one of these tablets?

source: SamMobile

Come comment on this article: Samsung to release Galaxy Tab 3 in in Eastern Europe in June

Google is trying to bring its Fiber service to as many places as possible in 2013, and next on the list is Grandview, Missouri. While there’s no actual build out yet, it’s received the green light for planning and eventual deployment. They didn’t announce any official date for availability, but I wouldn’t expect it to take too long at Google’s pace. We’ll be sure to keep you updated.

source: Google Fiber Blog

Come comment on this article: Google Fiber gets green light in Grandview, Missouri

Google Glass isn’t commercially available yet and was mocked by SNL a few days ago, but the new product is receiving a substantial new software update. Named XE5, the new software adds a few important features, including Google+ notifications, crash reporting, and international calling. If you are lucky enough to have a headset, you need to have your device plugged into a charger in order to update.

You can find the changelog after the break.

Among the new features in XE5:

• Change to sync policy: require power + wifi for background uploads
• Crash reporting
• Incoming G+ notifications (direct shares, comments, +mentions), including ability to comment and +1
• Incoming Hangout notifications
• Transcription of queries & messages is now wicked-fast
• Long-press to search from anywhere in the UI (no longer just from off)
• International number dialing + SMS
• Hop animation on disallowed swipes in the UI
• New On-Head Detection calibration flow
• Show device Serial Number on Device Info card
• More reliable estimation of battery charge remaining
• New recipient-list mosaic

Source: Phandroid

Come comment on this article: Google Glass Explorer Edition receives XE5 software update with many important new features

One of our top music streaming apps, Spotify, released an update today that adds some very useful new features and fixes some others that make the app much more user friendly. Headlining the changes is the ability to filter and sort playlists and tracks. This will help users find just the tune they are looking for that much faster. Spotify also fixed a couple features related to your listening history. First, when returning to the playlist view the app will take you back to the same position you were in when you left that view. Second, if you leave the app entirely, when you log back in you will go right back to what you were listening to. Spotify also addressed an issue with special characters in usernames. As for the trousers option, that is a fictitious addition in this version which states the “app looks great in trousers.”

If you want to try out Spotify, hit one of the download links below. Just note that while the app is free, full functionality requires a Spotify Premium subscription.

Google Play Download Link

Come comment on this article: Spotify update adds new features, trousers option

Recently, we heard from a source that Google was planning on launching retail stores by the end of 2013. These stores were supposedly being set up to sell all kinds of Google ware, but now we’re hearing some clarification that those stores are going to be specifically for Google Glass. Google is obviously trying to spur up some interest for the device, and the best way to do that is to demo the device and get it into potential customers’ hands. And according to Business Insider, Sergey Brin himself is helping to plan out the stores.

Obviously you should take this with a grain of salt. Google has been to known to pick up and drop ideas at the drop of a hat, so this may or may not happen, and it might end up just being a full Google store like we’d originally heard. Either way, we’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything.

source: Business Insider

Come comment on this article: Google planning on opening stores just for Google Glass