Category: GReader

A policy professor says school nutrition programs have failed to address child hunger, resulting in “food insecurity,” a phenomenon stemming from not knowing where one’s next meal will come from.

It’s that time of the year again for the Chrome team, when we pause on our anniversary to reflect on the amazing life and times of the web. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been three years since we launched our open source web browser, Chrome.

In that time, the web community has continued to inspire us, bringing the power of the web into all kinds of apps and experiences, with all modern browsers making great strides in speed, simplicity and security. To pay homage to the goodness of the web, we’ve put together an interactive infographic, built in HTML5, which details the evolution of major web technologies and browsers:

In our third year, we’ve also brought Chrome’s principles of speed, simplicity and security to a new model of computing: the Chromebook. The Chromebook is pure Chrome—a computer built for everything you ever need to do on the web while doing away with all the usual annoyances of an old, slow PC.

Here’s a quick fly-by through the some of the highlights of the past 12 months on the Chrome platform:

Faster and faster

• We kick off the Year of the Rabbit with a new compilation infrastructure for the V8 JavaScript engine, codenamed “Crankshaft,” which improves JavaScript performance by up to 66 percent.
  
• Chrome’s new settings interface helps you find the right settings quickly with an integrated search box. It also provides direct links to each settings page, which can be copied and pasted for easy troubleshooting.
  
• The omnibox is improved to better suggest partial matches for webpage titles and URLs.
  
• You can optionally enable Chrome Instant, which shows relevant content in the browser window as you type, before you press Enter.
  
• Chrome’s built-in prerendering technology enables sites to build even faster experiences for their users—such as Instant Pages in Google search, which in some cases makes search results appear to load almost instantly.
  

Simpler and more accessible

• Chrome supports many popular screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA and VoiceOver to help visually impaired people better experience the web.
  
• Print Preview, a popular feature request, uses Chrome’s built-in PDF viewer to display the preview, and enables you to save any webpage as a convenient PDF file using the “Print to PDF” option.
  
• Chrome’s icon takes on a simpler look to embody the Chrome spirit, since Chrome is all about making your web experience quicker, lighter and easier for all.
  

An even more secure platform

• Our integrated and sandboxed PDF viewer enables you to view PDF files on the web without installing additional software. Furthermore, we built an additional layer of security around the PDF viewer called a “sandbox” to help protect you from security attacks that are targeted at PDF files.
  
• Adobe Flash Player is sandboxed on Windows, further protecting you from security attacks and malware targeted at Flash content on the web.
  
• Chrome warns you before downloading some types of malicious files with enhanced Safe Browsing technology. In order to help protect privacy, malicious content is detected without Chrome or Google ever having to know about the URLs that you visit or the files you download.
  
• To provide greater transparency and control over the data that websites store on your computers, Chrome lets you delete Local Shared Objects created by Adobe Flash Player using the browser’s built-in setting dialogs.
  

Wowzah, the modern web!

• The Chrome Web Store is an open marketplace where you can search for and discover web applications, both free and paid, along with ratings and reviews. Developers can add in-app payments to their apps for a flat 5 percent transaction fee.
  
• Chrome supports WebGL, which brings hardware-accelerated 3D graphics to the browser with no additional software needed. For a taste of what WebGL can do, check out “3 Dreams of Black,” a 3D music experience for the web browser.
  
• Chrome’s support for the HTML speech input API enables developers to give web apps the ability to transcribe your voice into text. Try it out on www.google.com by clicking on the microphone icon in the search box.
  
• Hardware-accelerated 3D CSS enables snazzier experiences in webpages and apps which use 3D effects.
  

Delivering a new, simpler model for computing

• Chrome is enterprise ready, with an MSI installer and support for managed group policies. Many organizations such as Vanguard and Procter & Gamble have successfully deployed Chrome to thousands of users in an enterprise setting.
  
• As of this past July, Chromebooks are now available for purchase in eight countries—the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and South Korea. And just like Chrome, the Chromebook always keeps getting better. When you turn your Chromebook on, it updates itself automatically: you get the latest and greatest version of the operating system without having to think about it.
  

There’s more to come. Keep an eye on the Chrome blog to hear about new features and performance improvements as we continue to ship stable channel updates every six weeks. As always, on both Chrome and Chromebooks you’ll be automatically updated to the new versions as soon as they’re released.

Posted by Ben Goodger and Darin Fisher, Software Engineers

Here it is, official as official gets: Samsung just announced the Galaxy Tab 7.7. As the name suggests, it has a 7.7-inch (1280 x 800) display — specifically, a Super AMOLED Plus panel. Like so many other 7-inchers hitting the market, it runs Android 3.2 and yes, that’s a skinned flavor of Honeycomb, with Samsung’s tablet-optimized TouchWiz UX layered on top. Inside, it runs the same Samsung-made dual-core 1.4GHz processor found in the new Galaxy Note, along with an HSPA+ radio promising theoretical download speeds as high as 21Mbps. Other specs for the 0.74-pound (335-gram) tablet include 16GB to 64GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, a 5,100mAh battery rated for 10 hours, 802.11n WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 3.0 and dual 3MP and 2MP cameras. In a nutshell, it’s the in-between-sized do-over a lot of folks have been awaiting since the original Galaxy Tab grew stale — a slate that promises faster speeds and some seriously improved viewing angles. We’ll be the judge of that in our review, but in the meantime stay tuned for some early hands-on impressions.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 official: dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, Android 3.2, HSPA+

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 official: dual-core 1.4GHz CPU, Android 3.2, HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

SaskTel has honestly stepped up since their 4G network launch. The latest devices such as the BlackBerry Bold 9900, Torch 9860 and the Samsung Galaxy SII and now they have slapped the “coming soon” label on one of the hottest tablets. No word on the release date or price, probably $499.99 outright.

Here’s a rundown of the specs: the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 4G runs Android 3.1 Honeycomb with TouchWiz, measures in at 8.6mm thin with a weight of 565grams, a 10.1-inch display that has a resolution of 1280×800, dual-core 1Ghz Tegra 2 processor, 1GB RAM, 3 megapixel camera on the back with a 2 megapixel.

The Tab 10.1 4G will also be available through Bell, TELUS and Rogers. Until this launches you can check out our quick overview here.

Source: SaskTel
(Thanks Tyson!)

Related posts:

1. Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant coming to SaskTel!
2. Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant hitting SaskTel August 25th
3. SaskTel releases the Samsung Galaxy Gio

Blockbuster Canada’s receiver wants a court order to shut down the movie rental company’s 253 remaining retail locations, saying it can’t find a buyer.

Sony announced that their Android 3.1 Tablet S will be coming to Canada today, we found out the official launch date is actually the 16th of September. There are a couple versions, a 16GB for $499.99 and a 32GB for $599.99. So what makes the Tablet S different than all the other tablets that have arrived on Canadian soil? Here’s a few quick notes with my short time with it.

First, the design is different. Sony says the idea of this tablet came from a folded piece of paper, actually they dub it a “folding design”, with most of the weight being at the top, while the bottom is incredibly thin. It only weighs 590 grams and overall dimensions are 9.5 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches, so a bit smaller than the iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab. This is mainly due to the display, coming in at 9.4 inches, which is actually a good size and compliments the unique elevated design when it sits on a table/your lap. The display itself catches a massive amount of fingerprints, but has a high resolution to it at 1280 x 800. The viewing angles were good and in our full review we’ll take it outside and see how it does with direct sunlight.

As for other specs, the Wi-Fi only Tablet S comes with NVIDIA’s dual-core Tegra 2 processor with 1GB of RAM. I saw little lag time during the quick overview but noticed the accelerometer took its sweet time to adjust to the way the tablet was being held. On the front of the tablet is a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video calling, on the back is a respectable 5-megapixel camera that can shoot 720p HD videos. One of the cool aspects of this is the ability to share media via DLNA capable devices. In the video you’ll see a quick demo of how you can immediately push images and videos to the TV, plus share music wirelessly.

The huge advantage that the Tablet S has over the other tablets is the distinctive and standout muliti media features. This is the only tablet that’s PlayStation certified, this comes pre-loaded with a couple titles, Crash Bandicoot and Pinball Heroes. Sony expect more games to be coming out by the end of the year.

As for accessories, to start the Sony Tablet S has two. A Bluetooth Keyboard that has dedicated keys for Android (top left hand side) will retail for $79.99 and a Desk Cradle that will cost $39.99. There’s so much more, like the Reader eBooks and the ability to watch movies from Q Video on demand. We’ll have a full in-depth review up shortly. The Tablet S will be available at the Sony Store (and online), Best Buy, Future Shop and London Drugs.

Related posts:

1. Sony Tablet (Sony S1) launching in Canada, possibly September 14th
2. Sony Tablet S launching in Canada this September, 16GB for $500 and 32GB for $600
3. Leaked video shows 18 glorious seconds of the upcoming Sony S2 Android tablet

RCMP will continue to police Saskatchewan for at least another 20 years — at a cost of about $4 billion.

Today, the top speed limit in the country is 80 mph. By tomorrow, September 1, 2011, the Texas Legislature will have upped the state’s maximum speed limit to 85 miles per hour, faster than any other state in the nation. More »

Today, the top speed limit in the country is 80 mph. By tomorrow, September 1, 2011, the Texas Legislature will have upped the state’s maximum speed limit to 85 miles per hour, faster than any other state in the nation. (Note: A more thorough reading of the bill reveals the Texas DOT was granted the option to raise the speed limit to 85 on the day the bill was signed, back in June. The September 1 milestone eliminated separate night speed limits.) More »

University of Alberta researchers are hoping a tiny sensor placed on the helmets of young hockey players to help determine when they have sustained a concussion.

Read the late.st gaming news, get game downloads, mods, patches, and watch game videos at FileFront

Every now and then I get some totally random emails. This flier came in one. Is this one of the best or worst ideas you’ve seen in a while?

Chrome: Google’s adding offline support to Gmail, Calendar, and Docs. The offline support comes via the Offline Google Mail extension, available now in the Chrome Web Store. More »

Sony Tablet was officially announced today, it’s actually called the Sony Tablet S. This runs off Android OS 3.1 Honeycomb and will come in 2 models, a 16GB for $500 and a 32GB for $600. Sony stated in a press release that the Tablet S “will be available at Sony direct and online stores and authorized dealers across Canada”… this is now up for pre-sale and will hit shelves in September, probably the 14th like we previously stated.

The Tablet S has a 9.4-inch display with a resolution of 1280×800, Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor, Wi-Fi, DLNA (Sony says you’ll be able to use it as a remote control for your TV and “throw” personal content like photos and videos to your TV to view on the big screen”), weighs in at 590 grams. Most importantly, Sony is continuing to bring all their products together, the Tablet S is PlayStation certified, ability to access Reader eBooks, purchase music and watch movies from Q Video on Demand”

We’ll have a hands-on up shortly.

Source: Sony
Via: CNW

Related posts:

1. Sony Tablet (Sony S1) launching in Canada, possibly September 14th
2. HP webOS tablet leaks out… Rogers and Bell launching “Opal” September 2011
3. HP TouchPad priced dropped again at Best Buy, 16GB and 32GB reduced by $50 each

I go off the grid four times a year for a week at a time. During these weeks I put up a vacation reminder that says I’m off the grid, not checking email or phone, but if it’s an emergency I can be found by my assistant Kelly. While I leave her email and phone info in the vacation responder text, she still checks my email to make sure that nothing critical is going on. While this works well, Josh Kopelman blew my mind with his awesome vacation responder a few weeks ago.

I am currently out of the office on vacation.

I know I’m supposed to say that I’ll have limited access to email and won’t be able to respond until I return — but that’s not true. My blackberry will be with me and I can respond if I need to. And I recognize that I’ll probably need to interrupt my vacation from time to time to deal with something urgent.

That said, I promised my wife that I am going to try to disconnect, get away and enjoy our vacation as much as possible. So, I’m going to experiment with something new. I’m going to leave the decision in your hands:

• If your email truly is urgent and you need a response while I’m on vacation, please resend it to interruptyourvacation@firstround.com and I’ll try to respond to it promptly.
• If you think someone else at First Round Capital might be able to help you, feel free to email my assistant, Fiona (fiona@firstround.com) and she’ll try to point you in the right direction.

· Otherwise, I’ll respond when I return…

Warm regards,
Josh

From now on, I’m going to set up an account at interruptyourvacation@foundrygroup.com and leave this in your hands. Powerful – and fucking brilliant.

Over-the-air TV signals switch to digital from analog transmission as of Thursday morning in most major cities across Canada. Here’s how it will affect you.

According to ComScore, out of the 82.2 million people in the US with a smartphone (up ten percent from last quarter), Android came in first as the biggest platform yet again, capturing a whopping 41.8 percent of the market like a boss. In a not-so-close second, Apple was able to snag 27 percent, followed by RIM in the third place spot with 21.7 percent — down 4 percentage points from last quarter. Pulling up the rear is Microsoft with 5.7 percent, and lastly Symbian with a grim 1.9 percent — both down when compared to the previous three months. As far as US hardware manufacturers goes, Samsung is still on top with 25.5 percent of the market, while LG got 20.9 percent and finally Motorola with 14.1 percent, down 1.5 percentage points from before. Apple was able to snag some standing in the OEM space with a 9.5 percent share, while BlackBerry-maker RIM only captured 7.6 percent. As the battle wages on, looks like Androids, iPhones, and BlackBerrys (oh my) are still on top — at least for this quarter. Check out the PR after the break for the full scorecard.

Continue reading ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM

ComScore calls Android top dog, Apple pulls further ahead of RIM originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 04:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TG Daily  |  comScore  | Email this | Comments

The Mozilla team has been quietly toiling to bring Firefox to a mid-sized screen near you. It’s already a perpetual favorite on the desktop and has made a bit of a splash on Android phones, now the group has Honeycomb tablets squarely in its crosshairs. It’s still very much in the early stages of development but a few UI decisions have been made, including the choice to adhere pretty strictly to Android 3.0’s minimalist appearance. In landscape mode tabs will be represented as a persistent thumbnail bar on the left, but in portrait they’ll revert to the top with a more familiar appearance. The tabbed Awesome from the mobile version also returns. Check out the gallery below, as well as the source for more detail and more mockups.

Firefox for Honeycomb UI shown off, inching closer to a tablet near you originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Ian Barlow  | Email this | Comments