Category: GReader

Smartphones on Canadian high-speed networks are not coming close to getting the speeds the networks’ advertisements say they deliver, new tests suggest.

Windows only: Google Docs is a great on-the-go and collaboration tool, but using the webapp to upload and download files is a little slow. SyncDocs keeps your Google Docs library in sync with a local folder on your computer for easy access. More »

Microsoft has launched a new Canadian-based online advertising campaign aimed at trying to convince consumers that they should once again choose a Windows PC over a Mac.

According to The Inquirer, the campaign is entitled “Do the math” and offers up a varying range of personal computers from Apple while showing…

When to wean a child from the bottle can be a tricky call for parents, but new research appears to support a decision of
sooner rather than later

Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog

When we launched Google Earth in 2005, most of us were still using flip phones. At the time, the thought of being able to cart around 197 million square miles of Earth in your pocket was still a distant dream. Last year, that dream came to fruition for Android users when we released Google Earth for Android. With the recent release of tablets based on Android 3.0, we wanted to take full advantage of the large screens and powerful processors that this exciting new breed of tablets had to offer.

Today’s update to Google Earth for Android makes Earth look better than ever on your tablet. We’ve added support for fully textured 3D buildings, so your tour through the streets of Manhattan will look more realistic than ever. There’s also a new action bar up top, enabling easier access to search, the option to “fly to your location” and layers such as Places, Panoramio photos, Wikipedia and 3D buildings.

Moving from a mobile phone to a tablet was like going from a regular movie theatre to IMAX. We took advantage of the larger screen size, including features like content pop-ups appearing within Earth view, so you can see more information without switching back and forth between pages.

One of my favorite buildings to fly around in Google Earth has always been the Colosseum in Rome, Italy:

With the larger tablet screen, I can fly around the 3D Colosseum while also browsing user photos from Panoramio. The photos pop up within the imagery so I can interact with them without losing sight of the Colosseum and its surroundings. Also, by clicking on the layer button on the action bar, I can choose which layers I want to browse.

This version is available for devices with Android 2.1 and above. The new tablet design is available for devices with Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) and above. Please visit the Google Earth help center for more information.

To download or update Google Earth, head to m.google.com/earth in your device’s browser or visit Android Market. Enjoy a whole new world of Google Earth for tablets!

Posted by Peter Birch, Product Manager

A NASA probe circling the Earth has found evidence that confirms two key predictions based on Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

About 2,000 school teachers rallied in front of the legislature in Regina on Thursday morning as part of a day of job action.

If you have trouble sleeping, you're definitely not alone. More than half of US adults experience some symptom of insomnia at least a few nights a week. To help us get more of that elusive thing called sleep—and address issues beyond insomnia, like snoring, "monkey brain", and difficulty waking—we enlisted the help of a sleep specialist. Here's what we learned. More »

Cue up “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and call up the Wettest Bandits you know – the Winnetka home from the blockbuster 1990 film “Home Alone” is up for sale. [ more › ]

LastPass noticed a possible security issue with one of their databases and is now requiring some users to change their master password. If you’ve been having issues with the service but haven’t seen this notice yet, this may explain your problems. Also, oh really? You’d think a password vault would be a little more impervious than say, the PlayStation Network. But I really like how they responded to this intrusion. More »

Scientists have for the first time discovered a ‘happiness gene’, which works by regulating the transport of serotonin in the brain.

read more

Like two knights jostling for the hand of a fair maiden, both Facebook and Google appear to be courting the graces of Skype. A source close to Facebook recently told Reuters that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is thinking about buying Skype outright, as part of a deal that could be worth $3 to $4 billion. A second source, meanwhile, claimed that both Facebook and Google are more interested in forming a joint venture with the teleconferencing company, which has yet to issue an IPO. With discussions still in a nascent stage, both suitors are playing their cards close to their chests, while Skype, rather coyly, has declined to comment on the speculation. At this point, details are still hazy and rumor-infused, though it’s certainly not shocking to hear these kinds of murmurs buzzing around. Skype’s been integrating Facebook more deeply into its software for a while now and has gradually branched out to Android, as well (albeit with mixed results). Both Facebook and Google would also stand to benefit from Skype’s millions of users and all the targeted advertising potential they’d offer. Until we receive more substantiated reports, however, all discussions of possible unions remain restricted to the realm of conjecture.

Facebook, Google rumored to be vying for Skype deal originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 May 2011 06:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Reuters  | Email this | Comments

The Playbook’s 7-inch stature didn’t bother our reviewer Matt so much, but people are whispering that RIM is preparing a larger 10-inch size, to go head-to-head with the iPad/Motorola Xoom. BGR is hearing it’ll be later this year, and that the newly-announced BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 handset’s “summer” launch is expected to be August at the earliest. [BGR] More »

If you are a tech head, you’ve probably amassed quite a collection of miscellaneous cables that you aren’t currently using, but might need later on. Keep them organised and tangle-free with a few toilet paper tubes in a box. (more…)

Saskatchewan’s rural roads are taking a beating from all the excess moisture in the province, the minister of highways is warning.

U.S. President Barack Obama won’t release photos of Osama bin Laden after he was killed in Pakistan by Navy Seals because doing so would risk national security.

Like we did with WordPress 3.1, we are here again to keep you updated with what might be coming ahead in WordPress 3.2. After the delayed release of WordPress 3.1, the goal in the future is to have faster release cycles. Mark Jaquith has taken command to make sure that everyone stays focused to get the job done as fast as possible. So lets check out what is exciting in WordPress 3.2.

Note: The screenshots below are very new and not even alpha version yet. Chances are that they will be changed, improved, upgraded etc by the time the full release comes out.

New Admin Layout

Through out the past, WordPress user interface has evolved (Check out our article that shows you the evolution of WordPress user interface from 2003 – 2009). In this release, we are finally seeing another major refresh of the design. The goal behind this is to make everything much more simpler and cleaner. So check out some of the images below:

Note: You can click on the image to make it bigger

Dashboard View

Themes View

Menus View

Widgets View

Plugins View

New Post View

Distraction Free Writing

This has been part of the plan for quite some time now. In WordPress 3.1, the writing interface was cleaned up a little by hiding Custom Fields and such by default. In WordPress 3.2, a new distraction Free write panel is coming along that lets you make your writing interface full screen, so you can focus just on the content rather than other tidbits on the screen. The goal is to make the writing experience more lightweight and calming.

Twenty Eleven Theme

Did you remember with WordPress 3.0, a new theme was introduced known as Twenty Ten? Well in WordPress 3.2, plans are to release a new theme called Twenty Eleven. The goal is to have new and fresh default designs for WordPress more frequently rather than repeating the Kubrick theme situation all over again. For those who don’t know, Kubrick was the default theme for a very very long time. This theme comes with two color schemes:

This new Twenty Elven theme also comes with a Theme Options page that lets you pick color schemes and layout. (Hmm, sounds like a Paid Theme but FREE, WOOT!!) – Mad Props to the WordPress UI team.

There is also new templates that are added for pages. By default the page templates are with No-Sidebar. There is a Sidebar version, and also a very interesting Showcase option that has a slider built-in. It was a little buggy on the local host, so we are not posting screenshots of it just yet.

One of the most wanted feature is added in the Twenty Eleven Theme’s Header Images area which lets you show Random Images on each page. Many users wanted to see that feature previously. This looks like a very neat feature.

Upgrade Improvements

While the upgrade system right now is not bad, it can certainly be improved. In WordPress 3.2 and further, when an upgrade is available, only the changed files will be upgraded thus cutting down slow upgrade times for some users.

Speed Improvements

WordPress still support some of the older technologies in the CORE which will be dropped in this version to make it load FASTER! Nacin is looking at PHP lazy loading. A patch is in the work to make the admin menu load faster as well as making the FTP improvements that would upgrades a lot faster.

New PHP and MySQL Requirements

WordPress 3.2 will require PHP 5.2.4+ and MySQL 5. So if you want to upgrade to this version, then make sure your host is using it already. Quality WordPress Hosts are already using the latest technology. We recommend HostGator. If you want to check if your host is compatible with WordPress 3.2, then download the plugin called WordPress Requirements Check. This plugin will let you know whether your host is on latest technology. If they are not, then we would suggest asking them to upgrade, or switch hosts.

You can start testing yourself by downloading the Nightly Builds. It is fun and exciting to see the new features. According to the Roadmap, WordPress 3.2 is expected to be released around June 30, 2011.

Live Demo for WordPress 3.2

Upon popular request, we are creating this Live Demo site for you to get the look and feel of WordPress 3.2 admin panel, and the twenty eleven theme. Live WordPress 3.2 Demo

Let us know what you think about it.

What’s Coming in WordPress 3.2 (Features & Screenshots) is a post from: WPBeginner which is not allowed to be copied on other sites.

Related posts:

1. What’s Coming in WordPress 3.1 (Features)
2. What’s Coming in WordPress 3.0 (Features)
3. What’s New in WordPress 3.1 (“Reinhardt) Features and Screenshots

Do you think you have a difficult job? Try working for Foxconn in an Apple iPad/iPhone factory in China. As reported by The Daily Mail, in addition to working nearly 100 hours of overtime in a month, standing on their feet for 12 hours at a time, and not being…