Google Chrome gets an update to third beta ! [ MUST UPDATE ]

Hello Humanoids . Chrome is the  newly added web browser from Google who initially achieved success but then started loosing its touch due to tons of errors .But the developer team is back with a great beta .

I am writing this post , after i stumbled upon the Google Japan Blog , surprisingly people from Google Japan officially announced it yesterday , but Google ( U.S ) still hasn't updated it , that's why only few people know about it !

How to update Google Chrome ?

Open the web browser , and navigate to Customize and Control Google Chrome icon ( Top - right ) and then go to About . Here Google Chrome will automatically tell if you need an update or not and yes this time you do , so click on Update and it shall be updated pretty quickly.

I thought , i could fit in these screen shot if you don't mind  :   These are meant to show Chrome About before the update and Chrome About after the update .

 

 

First impressions ?

There hasn't been any physical changes , it is the same old Google Chrome and has no added features . Though , the performance seems better ( after i used it for half an hour ) , the speed is great and has less stability issues and i tried the recovering tab feature , which worked .

So what are the changes  ?

Here is the list of what exactly did change :

Security Update

• This release fixes an issue with address spoofing in pop-ups. A site could convince a user to click a link to open a pop-up window. The window's address bar could be manipulated to show a different address than the actual origin of the content.

Security rating: Medium. This flaw could be used to mislead people about the origin of a web site in order to get them to divulge sensitive information.

Disclosed by: Liu Die Yu of the TopsecTianRongXin research lab.

Top Issues Fixed

•  Scrolling with laptop touchpads now works.
•  Improved performance and reliability for plugins (like Flash, Silverlight, QuickTime, and Windows Media). We fixed issues with video not loading, stopping after a second, and slowing down or freezing Google Chrome (100% CPU usage).
•  Fixed the 'chrome has crashed' message when you close a tab that was showing PDF using Adobe Reader 9.
•  We no longer store data from secure sites (they use https: and show a lock in the address bar) in your history. You can still search your history for the site's address, but not the contents on the page.
•  Improved performance and reliability for people who use web proxies (thanks to griffinz for the fixes).

Changes to how things look and work

•  The New tab, New window, and New incognito window options moved from the 'Control the current page' menu to the 'Customize and control Google Chrome' (wrench) menu. Thanks to Szymon Piechowicz for the patch.
•  'New incognito window' always opens a new window. 'New window' always opens a new normal window. Both options are always visible on the wrench menu.
• The spell checker works on text input fields and underlines misspelled words. You can now add words to the spell check dictionary so they are not shown as misspelled (right click on a misspelled word and choose 'Add to dictionary...').
• The download behavior for files that could run programs (exe, dll, bat, etc.) has changed. These files are now downloaded to unconfirmed_*.download files. Google Chrome asks you if you want to accept the download. Only after you click Save is the unconfirmed_*.download file converted to the real file name. Downloads that you never confirm are deleted when Google Chrome exits.

Source : Google Chrome Blog

I remember when i downloaded the second beta of the Google Chrome , there were lots of problems  , it was difficult to type in forums and editing , copy and pasting the urls from the url bar was a difficult task , but now all of this changed and this version is a MUST UPDATE .

Download the Google Chrome third beta from here . If you don't have it already , of course.

There must be some errors ( nothing is  error proof ) ,  i cant wait for somebody to find errors and mind you , have a look at the Google Chrome Blog's comments , this will be useful if you want to know the bugs and all that stuff . I am pretty much very happy with this beta , can't wait for extensions and toolbar support to arrive !

Take Care ,

Swype : Next Generation of Keyboard Input !

Hello Humanoids . Its time to have a   look at Next -  gen technology in mobiles . This is the age of Touch Screen Mobiles, leading the pack is iPhone 3G  . But here is one application from the T9 fame who could be on every touch screen mobile possible  :


What is Swype and what does it do ? 

Swype provides a faster and easier way to input text on any screen. With one continuous finger or stylus motion across the screen keyboard, the patented technology enables users to input words faster and easier than other data input methods—at over 50 words per minute. The application is designed to work across a variety of devices such as phones, tablets, game consoles, kiosks, televisions, virtual screens and more.

Swype works with an on-screen QWERTY keyboard like you have on the tablet version of Windows and on the iPhone . But instead of tapping letters out, you press your finger or stylus on the first letter, then, without lifting it, move it to the remaining letters in the word. When the word is done, then you lift. In other words , Swype allows you to type out your text messages by connecting the dots. All you need to do is put your finger or stylus on a touchscreen keyboard, and “Swype” it along the word that you need to spell.

Features of Swype  :

• Over 40 words per minute on touchscreen devices
• Standard QWERTY layout
• Use a stylus or finger
• Ideal for Smartphones and Tablet PCs
• Multiple languages available
• Supports common editing actions
• Patented
• SDK available now!
• Single Tap Predictive Text for mobile device

 You can see more of it here :  Specifications

So who developed this thing ?

It was developed by Cliff Kushler, a developer of the T9 text entry system that most of us use on our text messaging in order to avoid hitting the same button more than once for a different letter.

Current Platforms they are working on : 

The development team is focused on Windows Mobile (smartphones) and also the tablet version of XP and Vista, and Surface . They are planning to develop for Linux and Symbian platform as well .

 Is it as simple as it sounds ?

After observing some videos i have observed 1 most important thing :  The frequency of typing the letters and the results was approximately 21 words per minute which isn't impressive and to improve this you need to practise hard at this !

Here are the advance keypads in Swype :

But according to Skype : Swype is faster than existing text entry methods because it has built-in intelligence that does not require users to hit each letter accurately. Also, tracing a smooth, continuous path is much faster than “target-tap-lift-target-tap...”. Even novice users can quickly achieve sustained data entry speeds of over 40 words per minute.

The biggest Problem for Swype :

Firstly , the name itself ,I thought it was some Skype product but then when i did read about it ,I came to know it was a great product .  
Personal Secret :  every time i tried typing Swype , i mistakenly kept typing Skype ! It was truly annoying :-(

The biggest challenge is convincing the users to use their products instead of the default ones , which is very difficult indeed . If Swype does have few talks about getting into as a default application , then only it can survive .

Great , so when is it going to be publicly or officialy available ?   :

Have no idea to be honest , but you can do  a self help !  Just register yourself here and get to know when it is coming to a device near you !

 Here is a video  from CNet which explains it all :






So thats all from the world of Mobiles and its technology ,

Do bring in your views about the changes from T9 to Swype and of course the Evolution of Mobiles !

Take care ,