One of the biggest features of many of Google’s web apps has been their ability to work offline. Through Google Gears we’ve been able to use Gmail and Google Docs among others without having an Internet connection. The offline feature isn’t going away any time soon, but it looks like Gears will be.
Sometime this month, Google will release the beta version of Chrome for Mac, and unlike its Windows counterpart, Chrome for Mac will not feature Google Gears built in. Part of this is technical, Snow Leopard won’t run Gears properly, but that’s not the main reason. Google is slowly turning away from Gears, and turning its focus to HTML 5. HTML 5 has the ability to work offline, and will work with any browser that supports it (which is everyone but IE). This doesn’t mean that Google will stop supporting Gears. The company will continue to support it as long as people use it. If HTML 5 can do everything Gears does, however, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to continue using the old system.
With offline access support, HTML 5 looks to be the wonder child that Google claims it is. Its doubtful that it will supplant all browser plugins, but the ability to use services offline, and have embedded video without relying on the resource-heavy Flash sound really nice. Of course Internet Explorer might be holding it back from being adopted more quickly, but hopefully that issue can be fixed soon.
Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter, has unveiled the company website for Square. Square is a mobile phone payment service which essentially means that you attach this thing to your phone via the headphone and microphone jacks, and you can make or receive credit card payments over the phone. The jacks provide the power the device needs to read the data from the credit card which is sent through the microphone jack. Square pretty much lets you buy things wherever you want to with your credit card.
According to the website, Square will also act like a store credit card offering tangible rewards. They claim that Square will contact the company if you are a frequent visitor and you might be able to receive rewards such as getting a free sub after purchasing five.
This idea will only boost sales for major retailers but on the other side, companies like PayPal might suffer from it. Though there has always been the ability to use your credit card over the internet, PayPal managed to make this process much more painless. But now, with the ability to just pull your card out and swipe it just like at a store, the need for PayPal diminishes.
Square is obviously being advertised as for the iPhone right now; but delving deeper into the website, they are looking for client engineers for Android and Blackberry so we can be sure that Square will be compatible with all three.
Yesterday, we reported on the growth statistics of Black Friday provided by Coremetrics. Today, Coremetrics released the same statistics for Cyber Monday that had similar results.
Last year, the average sale amount was $130.24 while this year the average sale was $180.03; an increase of 38.2%. Similar results for online purchases were found for Black Friday this year as well with an average sale increase of 35%. Overall sales were up 13.7% as well.
The biggest difference between Black Friday this year and Cyber Monday this year was the amount of items sold per order. Cyber Monday had 10% more items per order than Black Friday and 30% more than Cyber Monday last year. Apparel and jewelry retailers made out with the biggest increase in sales on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year.
Just as with Black Friday, these results are comforting. They show a positive growth trend in the economy which is further proof that we are getting out of this economic depression. It also shows how much the internet is changing our lives. More and more people are relying on it for making their purchases. And more and more retailers are finding it a suitable place to make a substantial amount of sales.
FROM APPLETELL - I took MIMO’s 720-S for a spin to see how well the Mobile Slider line of USB monitors performs and compares to other available USB monitors. MORE »
FROM GAMERTELL - Sony Europe has announced that anyone in Europe who purchases a PSPgo between December 1, 2009 and January 10, 2010, will get one full, free game to go with it. MORE »
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For those of you that can't afford this glamorous iPhone, Samsung has something in mind for you. They are calling it the Diva Collection. This collection is specifically targeted towards the girly girl type; and lucky for you, they plan to update it every year so you can always have a glam phone no matter how fast technology grows.
Currently, the Diva Collection consists of two phones. The first is the S5150 Olivia which is more then just your basic flip phone. It sports a, quote "glittering LED" that will flash in various ways when you receive calls.
The second is another iPhone look-a-like called the S7070. The S7070 features a 3-inch display with a large, diamond shaped button at the bottom. Other features include a 3.2 megapixel camera, a microSD slot, Bluetooth, and a quilted-style back cover.
Unfortunately, these won't be released until sometime in the first half of 2010, so no hopes to find this under your tree. Also, there is no price range yet so theirs no telling how much of a diva you really have to be.
Windows 7 users are now being plagued by an error that was supposedly released in the latest security update by Microsoft. Victims find their computers freezing up and display a black screen, or in rare cases showing only “My Computer” Explorer window.
The security company Prevx has already been working on the problem and has a released a software fix for it. Prevx believes that this flaw in the programming of the Windows 7 software could be a huge problem and could affect millions of PC owners.
Microsoft, however, has gone on the record saying that, “Microsoft is investigating reports that its latest release of security updates is resulting in system issues for some customers. Once we complete our investigation, we will provide detailed guidance on how to prevent or address these issues.”
Until then, it seems as though the new BSOD lives on.
FROM APPLETELL - iSing is an application that aims to bring American Idol to the mobile platform, allowing users to vote on the talent of others and to submit their own performances. MORE »
Been wanting to check out and run Chromium OS and felt left out because you did not have a spare 4GB USB flash drive or SD card laying around. Well, you can worry just a little less now because Chromium has been slimmed down and now requires little more than a 1GB drive.
And the nice part here is that not only has Chromium OS gone on a diet, but there has been extra hardware support added and nothing has been cut. The extra support comes in the form of much welcomed improved Wi-Fi support.
Anyway, for those interested, hit the download link below and choose the “Download Chrome OS Diet USB” link from the developers page. In addition to the OS downloads, you will also be able to find instructions for making that flash drive on Windows, Mac or Linux based computers.
With that it seems the major hurdle of checking out Chromium OS is not that you do not have a spare 4GB flash drive handy, but simple laziness or lack of interest.
"We're excited to be the first wireless provider to introduce Canadians to the Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot and the convenience of portable Wi-Fi access." said Adel Bazerghi, Senior Vice President of Products at Bell Mobility.
Price wise, the MiFi 2372 will set you back $249.99 if you choose to go contract free, or a much more reasonable $99.99 for those willing to commit to three-years.
Detail wise, the MiFi is similar to the version that we have seen here in the US with Sprint and Verizon and will allow up to 5 devices to be connected at any time. And those connected devices will be using the 7.2Mbps Bell network. Of course there is one additional feature found on this version that has me just a little jealous—the built-in microSD card slot that can add up to 32GB of additional storage. Personally, I cannot say enough good things about the MiFi. I have one with Sprint and it has come in handy so many times that I lost count a long time ago. Bottom line, if you are considering the purchase of a 3G modem with service than the MiFi is the way to go.
Robots are classy, this much we know. So when Suck UK announced they had Salt and Pepper Bots, we knew they had a hit on their hands. These new bots are fully capable of walking across your table to deliver their bounty.
The biggest question remaining about these bots is if the capacity indicator on their chest actually works. In the gallery, it appears as if the indicator is at different levels, perhaps suggesting it will in fact alert users if it runs low. I suspect not but if you pick one of these up, let us know. There is no mention of these secret feature in the movie below.
We suspect you’ll squeal in delight as your guests pass the salt or pepper via a slow robot march. The Bots will be in stock at Suck UK “soon” though the email I received says they are in now. They sell for a reasonable $33.16 US dollars. Just watch out for the bad motivator (I thought I as going to be able to get through this without a Star Wars reference, oh well).
A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed Office 2010 will launch in June of 2010. One of the new directions for Office 2010 will be a web apps component, allowing users to access a limited Word or Excel experience online and is expected to be free. Microsoft sounds concerned about walking the fine line between usability and getting users to pony up for features they feel they need in the installed version.
From betanews: “The key to what will and what won’t be in the Web Apps is really based on customer feedback and usage scenarios,” Janice Kapner, Microsoft Communication Director told us. “So if you think about it, we have 500 million users, we talk to them a lot about what it is they do and don’t do, and will and won’t do. This is our first shipment of the Web Apps, but we’ve been very realistic about how we think people will use these things, and try to supply features and functionality that will support those usage scenarios.” As an example, Kapner cited a case of remote users being able to check the progress of a PowerPoint presentation being constructed by the team at home, via a Web browser on a PC or mobile phone.
Facing pressure from Google, who offers their web applications for free in the cloud, Microsoft’s web apps are late to the game. Just how crippled the web versions of the gold standard for business document processing will be remains to be seen. We’ll know in June. In addition to a web app version, Office will also come in a crippled downloaded Starter version.
The mythical “Googlephone” that blogs have been drooling over has hit a new level in the rumored gadget-space. According to Gizmodo, the phone is, in fact, going to exist and is already in prototype form.
As we can expect in traditional Google fashion, this will be a well kept secret until Google wishes to release the device to the public. According to Gizmodo’s inside man, however, the mythical device sports a large LCD display and supposedly runs a version of the Android OS not yet seen by anyone on the outside of Google. But, we can all assume that Google will incorporate Google Voice at the heart of the device.
Before you know it, Google will own everything about you, from your search, to your mail, to your phones. Let’s just hope they have trusty servers.
Since it’s beta release, I have found Google Wave to be kind of like the iPhone. Without all the developer apps, it’s nothing special. So of course being in the limited beta phase, there is little to do but play Sudoku. But now, the Seattle Times has found a new use for Google Wave; finding a wanted criminal.
The Seattle Times has set up a public Wave to try and track the movements of a criminal suspected to have killed four police officers. With Google Wave's current set up, this could be a very effective, or very traumatic way to find this guy. I say this for one reason; Google Wave allows you to edit any reply made. So on a good side, they could have a reply specified for spotting where people could edit the post with locations of where they have spotted this guy. But on the bad side, these posts can be edited with false information or even changed completely.
As I write this, (10:00 P.M on Monday) there are about 500 people that are a part of this Wave. Whether or not that many people is beneficial is another story. But at least most of them are there to try and help. The current status of the investigation is as follows:
- Officers on alert at “every exit route out of Washington” looking for officer shooting suspect (source: @seattlepi)
Previously: Suspect reported near 13th and Lander (Unrelated 11/30 3:34 pm PST) Officers investigating break-in near Cowan Park. Unclear if related or not (source: Publicola) (cleared: 11/30 3:02 pm PST) Brooklyn and 62nd (updated: 12:38 PST) (cleared 11/30 2:09 pm PST) “a lot” of liquid blood found in nearby park? (source: scanner) - (Time?)
Suspect Vehicle Description (updated 11/30 2:56 pm PST): Police no longer looking for '97 Mazda Millenia - WSP Trooper Brandy Kessler says it was sold 2 months ago (source: @KIRO7Seattle) green 1997 Mazda Millenia, WA license 208SSX(vehicle is registered to suspect’s wife)
We’ve been covering a lot of smartphone recently, it seems. Those Android and Windows Mobile 6.5 devices seem to come out once every two or three weeks. Not to mention the juggernaut that is the iPhone. With all these smartphones and other handheld devices, those of us who are heavy users find ourselves tied to power outlets from time to time, or with a dead phone if we can’t find one or a charger.
For those times, it could be worth your while to look into getting a Callpod Fueltank either for yourself or as a gift for a heavy user/traveler. The Callpod Fueltank is essentially a huge external Lithium-Ion battery. I connects to a variety of devices including iPhones/iPods, other smartphones and Bluetooth headsets through the mini-USB connector and a series of adapters. Callpod claims the Fueltank hold enough for three charges, with the Uno charging one device at a time and the Duo charging two at a time.
The Callpod Fueltank certainly looks to do exactly what it says. Most of the Best Buy reviews look to be quite positive. As mentioned, having a charge for a smartphone, iPod or other device when an outlet is not handy is always a good thing. I can think of plenty of instances where this would have been useful to me, and I’m sure some of you can as well.
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One of the biggest features of many of Google’s web apps has been their ability to work offline. Through Google Gears we’ve been able to use Gmail and Google Docs among others without having an Internet connection. The offline feature isn’t going away any time soon, but it looks like Gears will be.
Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter, has unveiled the company 
Windows 7 users are now being plagued by an error that was supposedly released in the latest security update by Microsoft. Victims find their computers freezing up and display a black screen, or in rare cases showing only “My Computer” Explorer window.
Robots are classy, this much we know. So when Suck UK announced they had Salt and Pepper Bots, we knew they had a hit on their hands. These new bots are fully capable of walking across your table to deliver their bounty. 
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