Crenk » browser

Google Chrome for Mac is Coming in December

Steven Finch — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:30:30 +0000

PC users have been able to use the Google Chrome browser for some time now, however for everyone using Macs they have been waiting patiently for their own non-developer version. Chrome day for the Mac is coming very soon.

CNET is reporting that recent discussion in a Chrome mailing list points to an early December launch. We could be just weeks away from a beta version of Chrome for Mac.

The Google group update in question is light on details, but by requesting that developers update to support Browser Actions, it also suggests that a December launch date for a Mac version is fast approaching.

Google Chrome’s product manager, Nick Baum, writes:

“The extensions team has been working hard to get BrowserActions ready, and
they’re already working great on Windows and Linux. We’ve noticed that many
of you have updated your extensions to take advantage of the new UI. We’d
like to encourage the rest of you to do so as well!

You can find the latest docs here:
http://code.google.com/chrome/extensions/browserAction.html

Why make the switch now? The earlier you switch, the more time you will have
to polish your experience for our Beta launch in early December. We realize
this means dropping Mac support for a couple of weeks, but we already have
people working on that. If you prioritize the Windows and Linux versions,
we’ll bring you cross-platform parity as soon as we can!”

The post provides an interesting clue to the future of Google Chrome for Mac. We can only hope the early December beta launch date is accurate.

Google Chrome 4 Beta Released on Windows

Steven Finch — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:06:18 +0000

It has been amazing that Google have been able to pump out 4 releases of a browser that has only been in the market for a little over a year. Compare that to Firefox, which took over six years to reach 3.6.

We’ve improved performance scores on Google Chrome by 30% since our current stable release, as measured by Mozilla’s Dromeao DOM Core Tests, and by 400% since our first stable release.” – Idan Avraham and Anton Muhin

Expectedly, Google Chome 4 is currently only available for the Windows platform. Reports have come in that it works just fine with the latest release of Windows, despite the fact that it only specifies XP/Vista as being currently supported.

Download Google Chrome 4 Beta

Appnr: Easily Install Ubuntu Applications from your Firefox Browser

Steven Finch — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:50:36 +0000

Ubuntu has quickly become one of the best Operating Systems around and with this it has become easier and easier to add applications.

Appnr is a new web based tool where you can search and install applications directly on your Firefox within Ubuntu.

Appnr makes use of the apturl protocol to initiate the installation process. Since apturl was included as a dependency for Firefox since Ubuntu 7.10, if you are using a later version than Gutsy, you can simply click and install applications directly from Appnr.com. For other debian based distro, you will have to install apturl:

sudo apt-get install apturl

The navigation in Appnr is easy. On the left are the categories and the respective applications on the right. There is an “Install” button on every application entry and you just click on it to install the particular application.

Google Chrome Theme Gallery Is Now Available

Steven Finch — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:09:10 +0000

Just a few days after being spotted in Chrome’s new tab page, the official Google Theme Gallery is now open for business. Currently there are 29 new themes in which you can add to Chrome.

Remember, you’ll need to be running the Chrome 3 beta or developer channel or be using a recent build of Chromium to get in on the fun. If that includes you, check ‘em out then tell us which one you’re switching to in the comments. Unless you’re not impressed with the selection, in which case – sound off!

Internet Explorer Under Critisism…Again

Dean — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:11:14 +0000

Have you ever downloaded a less than scrupulous piece of software only to discover the next day that you default browser has been changed and your homepage is some rubbish search engine based in North Korea? I have. So have thousands of others who were attracted by freeware never stopping to think of the scheming companies that lurked behind them. Such as Microsoft.

At the present, when users download IE8, the newest edition of Internet Explorer they will quite obviously have to install it. Now when you’re installing any piece of software you’re given a choice.

a) Quick Install

b) Custom install

In most cases the ‘Quick Install’ is already selected for you and most of us will go right on ahead and press ’Next’. Microsoft copped onto that so that when you install IE by choosing the quick install method your default browser and homepage are changed to please Bill Gates.

Microsoft recently came under fire about these practices you would expect from a smaller more desperate company. They responded by saying on their blog that they were making an update and that by August IE8 will ask your permission to become the default browser first.

“IE will never install, or become the default browser without your explicit consent. However, we heard a lot of feedback from a lot of different people and groups and decided to make the user choice of the default browser even more explicit,” Microsoft said.

IE8 has already been in the spotlight when they released the OMGIGP advertisement which Crenk covered here.

Opera 10 Beta 2 Release

Steven Finch — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:27:35 +0000

Opera 10 Beta 2 was released earlier today by the Opera development team.The changelog lists many changes for this release especially for the Opera user interface, mail, chat and news, display and scripting, security and network. The Windows changelog alone lists more than 100 items that have been added, changed or fixed in Opera 10 Beta 2.

Many users in the Opera forum are reporting problems with the new beta release. The developers are actually warning users stating that it “may have severe known issues, including crashes and data loss situations”. That’s not very encouraging and it is therefor suggested to try the web browser in a test environment and not in a productive environment to ensure that it is working without problems.

Opera 10 Beta 2 can be downloaded directly from the Opera homepage for all supported operating systems. The changelogs are available for Windows, Linux and Mac.

Download Firefox 3.5 Now

Steven Finch — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:23:48 +0000

A couple of days ago we reported that Firefox 3.5 will be released on June 30th. Here is the official release!

Windows: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.5&os=win&lang=en-US

Mac OS X: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.5&os=osx&lang=en-US

Linux: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-3.5&os=linux&lang=en-US

Download Google Chrome for Mac OS X & Linux

Steven Finch — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 22:14:34 +0000

I have been looking to find the offical release of Google Chrome for Mac and Linux, but was having some trouble. I thought some other people out there might also have some trouble finding this release so thought I would let everyone know about it.

If you are looking to install Chrome on a USB stick, check out Portable Google Chrome.

The Google Browser port, known as Crossover Chromium, is also available for download on Mac OS X as a native Mac .dmg file or on Ubuntu, RedHat, Suse, etc. as standard Linux packages.

Peacekeeper: Compare your Browse Speeds for Gaming and Internet

Steven Finch — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:45:41 +0000

Called Peacekeeper, the new app makes a lot of sense for Futuremark. As one of the key brands in computer benchmarking, it’s only logical that they would want in on comparative browser testing. In Internet Explorer, you’ll be asked to install an ActiveX control – other browsers will run the test without any add-ins. Tests were patterned after real-world browsing using sites like YouTube, Facebook, GMail, and Meebo.

To see how your default browser scores, just point it to http://service.futuremark.com/peacekeeper/. Once the test completes, your score will be displayed. To test another browser, just click the button and you’ll be given a link to copy and paste.

Download Internet Explorer 8 from Microsoft Today for Free

Steven Finch — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:32:47 +0000

Microsoft has released the latest version of their web browser for Windows, and you can download Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) now. Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 claims to block upto four times more malware attacks than other browsers and reduces time to complete common tasks on the Web such as searching, mapping and sharing.

Some new features worth looking out for are

Accelerators - make it faster to perform common tasks online by making Web-based services such as ESPN.com, Live Search and Sina available for use directly from the page people are viewing. Simply right-click a word or phrase and instantly map, e-mail, or share it.
Web Slices – makes favorite information from sites such as Digg, Yahoo! Mail, OneRiot, and eBay instantly available when you go online.
Instant search – The Instant Search Box enables real-time search from sites such as The New York Times, Amazon.com and Wikipedia, as well as sites from people’s own Favorites and History, complete with visuals and detailed information.

Download Internet Explorer 8 now in 25 languages.

Google Chrome Releases New Beta

Steven Finch — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:02:56 +0000

Google has just release Chrome (its internet browser) to the world in beta stage. If you are interested in testing out this new browser then head here to download.

So, what does a Google Chrome beta bring? Speed, and lots of it. According to Google, it’s 25 percent faster than the stable build of Chrome, which is nothing short of amazing given that Chrome is already blazing fast.

Other new features are form autofill, full page zooming and autoscroll, as well as a way to get a side-by-side view by dragging out tabs to the side of the browser window, which you can see in the amazingly short video below.

10 Best Extensions To Pimp Out Your Web Browser

eva — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 18:12:44 +0000

Rather than filling your laptop with chunks of programs and your bookmarks with an overload of web based tools only to end up wasting time, why not have all your favorite tools and plug-ins directly in your web browser? Create your own pimped out browser! Colorful tabs, ad-blockers, pagerank, integrated music players, and other goodies. Here are the 10 best Firefox extensions to get pimped out.

Oh yes, and these extensions are of course, for Firefox. So don’t be lame and use IE6,7,8 or whatever.

1. FoxyTunes

Listen to your music directly from the web browser. Skip the hassle of running iTunes, Winamp or any other media player, that will not only take precious RAM but also force you to jump between programs only to skip a track. FoxyTunes extension is your web browser integrated media player, where you can choose audio source and even change skins to pimp out your browser.

2. Colorful tabs

Who said fashion don’t belong online. In the true words of pimping out your web browser – Colorful Tabs extension is a must. Adding color to a normally gray interface will inspire your daily web exploring.

3. Ad Block Plus

For a less ad-attacking web experience. Ad Block Plus lets you disable and hide all advertisements on the site your visiting. Without annoying banners and pop-ups trying to steal your attention, you are with ABP assured a more personal day on the WWW.

4. User Agent Switcher

See directly in your browser how a website is displayed in Explorer, Netscape and other web browsers. A useful tool when creating web sites since all web browser run on different CSS standards.

5. Search Status

Keep a tab on how websites are ranking in PageRank, Alexa and overall ranking. Get additional information concerning back links, indexed pages and much more SEO goodies.

6. FireFtp

A great extension that sets up a FTP function in your browser with which you can access your server accounts and website root directories without having to download, start or buy any FTP programs to your computer. Perfect for anybody owning a website. Good FTP clients are hard and expensive to find. FireFTP is 100 % free and optimal in usability.

7. Google Toolbar

Perhaps not the most pimped out feature but none the less a must-have extension for your web browser. A toolbar with all necessary functions summoned into one thin bar. The best is that you don’t have to return to Google.com every time you need to make a search. Which is like three hundred times every day.

8. SEO Quake

All useful and necessary SEO tools summoned into one extension. Get PageRank, Backlinks, Yahoo links and many other features displayed above the page or underneath search result in Google. Like an extended SearchStatus.

9. Google Preview

Get a preview of the web design on the website you are about to enter. Only one click away, yet we all know how humans fear the unknown. If anything, Google Preview extension will at least add some graphics to a otherwise quite dull SERP.

10. CoolIris

Activate CoolIris from a button in your web browser navigation bar and get thrown into a world where you can search Google in an image and video interface. The web becomes one big slide show.

And an eleventh because I couldn’t help it.

11. Firebug

I just thought of this as I use it a lot. Trying to figure out why something on the page has a funny font size? Especially when editing CSS for my WordPress blog and then going back and forth in my cpanel hosting manager, I can never figure out why some color or font went AWOL. Firebug is there to load at the base of the browser. Jolly goodness!

And there you have it, 10 great extensions for your web browser that will not only optimize your user experience but also allow you to create your own personalized interface. Remember, installations of multiple extension may cause your web browser to slow down. Just A bit.

TweetReplies: Send Twitter Replies To Your Email, Browser or RSS

Steven Finch — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 10:40:37 +0000

Everyday I have about 30 people start following Crenk on Twitter, but today I had a very interesting company show up. Tweetreplies is a new startup which sends twitter replies to your email address. I know there has been a lot of talk about this specific type of Twitter startup in the last week or so, especially with Twply.com. Unlike Twply (which sold for $1200 a few days after launching), Tweetreplies doesn’t require your Twitter username and password to actually operate. There are a lot people out there that have been talking about giving out their Twitter passwords to third party sites, so this is a great way to have a tool and not give up your password.

New Release Keeps Flock Soaring

Luis Sandoval — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:18:06 +0000

When Flock was launched last fall, it was the browser geared towards the social network savvy surfer. It was a new way to integrate all the most popular social sites and keep them at your finger tips while doing your standard day to day browsing online. No longer were you forced to open tab after tab, window after window for each network you wanted to connect with. Now, with some minor prep time by inputting accounts and passwords, Flock will keep everything on file and load all of your chosen networks as soon as you start your browser.

Flock has just released the latest version of its broswer software, and already it’s looking like the browser to beat. When Google release Chrome, it was a mad dash by early adopters to test out this mysterious new entry into the browser wars. The excitement lost steam pretty quickly as users were left wondering exactly what the purpose of Chrome was because the bells and whistles were just not there. The browser that was meant to be used not seen seemed to be the mantra. Flock flies directly in the face of such philosophy by making sure every aspect of the user interface is useful and interactive.

The new release integrates Media RSS which can now keep the most watch media on the front page of your start window for immediate viewing; pics, movies, podcasts, all accessible with a click of a button. New to the social network offerings is MySpace, which has finally been brought into the fold, allowing users to chat with their friends directly from the sidebar without having to visit the actual site.

Since it’s founding 3 years ago, and with the first release this past fall, Flock has attracted 6 million downloads. A true testament in its efforts to get attention from users. Having been built on Firefox’s code, similarities are welcoming with a taste and flavor all its own.

Joost: Music, Television Shows, Films, All In Your Browser

Steven Finch — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:45:03 +0000

As Mashable has reported this morning, Joost has now moved to a web based version. If you don’t know what Joost is, it is basically a television streaming service but without the ads. There are hundred of channels to choose from and you are able to watch programs straight in your browser.

Joost has channels in a variety of sectors, old television programs, sports, news, music videos and more. It is totally free to watch and can be viewed from any country in the world, unlike Hulu.

When you head over to the site all you need to do is register and then download the plugin that launches the application within your browser, and thats it.

Google Chrome browser 1 week later

Mike Panic — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 19:00:19 +0000

Last week I gave a first 5-minute impression of Google Chrome, the new browser that is supposed to be faster and better than anything else out there. A week later and what seems to be a hundred thousand reviews in the blogsphere later, everyone seems to like it, and no one seems to be using it. Less than 1% of Crenk readers are using it, more people are using Opera belive it or not.

What’s so great about it? Well it’s new and shiny, has a minimalist look and feel to it and consumes about 75% less memory than Firefox does, at least for me on my Windows XP box. Google really seems to have done their homework with regards to chewing up your CPU cycles and there appears to never be a memory leak. Additionally, you just need to type something in what used to be known as the address bar, as it now functions as a search bar and many other things. It’s also fast, but how fast? My seat dyno says slightly faster than Firefox, but to a normal user, it might only feel faster because it’s new.

What’s not so great about it? Well first and foremost, Windows only. As a Mac user, I once again feel like someone put me out in the cold. Lack of any add-ons that I’ve come to love with Firefox is also missing, but if you were coming from Internet Explorer you wouldn’t know what I’m talking about anyway. Dedicated search box is something I miss. Why you ask, since Google answers all questions on it’s own? Because it simply doesn’t. I’ve been using a Firefox add-on called OpenSearchFox for more than a year now; it allows you to add a drop down in Firefox to search any site that has search enabled on it. That means, rather than going to say Netflix and then searching, I can select Netflix from my drop down menu in the search bar and type in my query there. My other gripe is the lack of a status bar. I understand how important screen real estate is, but I like it, I’ve been using the status bar for more than 10 years in browsers, I’m used to it. Lastly, Chrome doesn’t work with all websites yet. One site that I order digital photos from requires a Java plugin, to upload the photos. I have the plugin installed in Windows but the browser doesn’t pick it up. I’m sure small kinks like this will iron themselves out but it’s still an inconvenience.

One of the most interesting Easter eggs is kind of a joke in Chrome. In the address bar type about:internets – then sit back and chuckle, at least someone around the Google camp has a sense of humor. Chrome is interesting, but it’s not a killer app for me yet, nor do I plan on switching. For now, I will use it to beta test website design and other various things on the Internet but Firefox will continue to be my primary browser.

First 5-minute Impressions With Google Chrome

Mike Panic — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:04:49 +0000

Yesterday Google’s new browser, Chrome was announced so today I downloaded and installed it onto my work Windows XP box to see what all the fuss is about and check for cross compatibility on sites we work on. I spent about 5 minutes poking around, if I can’t figure out how to use a browser in 5 minutes, it’s too complicated for anyone but the most 733t 1337.

Download was very small; it then opens an applet and downloads the rest of the software. Installation requires Firefox to be shut down so Chrome can import all your bookmarks, favorites, history and passwords; this goes quickly and rather painlessly. Next you get a TOS about reporting options for crashes, I denied their request and the install was complete.

Upon launching Chrome for the first time an unusual question is asked, “Do you wish to keep Google as your default search engine?” It’s unusual in that, it’s a Google product and the first thing about this new killer app is to strip out Search, the one thing Google does very, very well. I selected to keep it.

All my bookmarks and history imported, what didn’t was my homepage. I’m a long time iGoogle user and rely on the RSS feeds to get me caught up quickly at a glance to what is going on with the sites I follow. Not there. Instead six white boxes stare at me. A little note tells you that these are your most visited sites. Nice idea, but not for me. I easily look at 50+ sites in six different tabs of iGoogle. There is no apparent way to set a traditional “homepage” only what Google wants you to see.

The other thing lacking is an option to show the status bar. I rely on the status bar while at work and home to see where any link will take my, by hovering over it. There are also several add-ons for Firefox that sit in my status bar that I’ve come to love, from what I can tell in Chrome, there is no status bar option.

On the plus side, it is fast. How fast? I don’t have scientific numbers or pretty pie charts, but it really feels fast. One site that I know uses a fairly common Java plugin to run an app wouldn’t work and there was no option to install it but everything else on the dozen or so sites I quickly browsed seem to work.

Is Chrome the next killer app? Hard to say now, Firefox has such a loyal, loving fan base to it, but I think this could compliment it very well.

Google to Launch Open Source Internet Browser in 100 Countries Today, Called Chrome

Steven Finch — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:22:19 +0000

Google to launch a web browser today to 100 countries, and it will be named Google Chrome. There is a lot of buzz already about this new product and Im sure you have probably already read about it on Techcrunch, AllthingsD, Sizlopedia and more.All of this was just a rumour until it was confirmed by the Official Google Blog.

For a long time now there have only really been 3 key players in the online browser market, IE, Firefox and Safari (MACs). I’m very interested to use this product today and see how it compares to all these other browsers.

For a long time also Google has been funding Mozilla by paying to have their search engine as default in the browser, so if Google Chrome becomes popular and out grows Firefox, will they still pay top dollar to be the default search in Firefox?

ATT’s Browser: Pogo is a No Go

Steven Finch — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:49:54 +0000

By: Luis Sandoval

Okay, laugh if you must, roll your eyes at worst, but it did not take me all night to think of that title. How could I refuse, it was too easy!

So ATT has jumped into the browser market with Pogo, and their first foray into the fight, let’s just say that this browser will leave a sour taste in your mouth, if not a hole in the wall where you put your fist through in frustration. Let me at least point out that this browser is still in beta, and while not available to the public I am skeptical that much will change from what I see.

Here we go!

Installation: This browser is not for the faint of heart. Jokingly amongst my friends we stated that if you did not pay 2k for your computer or more than bow out and save yourself this frustration. A bit of an exaggeration perhaps, but this monster requires a 1.6GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, and a video card with at least 256MB of VRAM. Ladies and Gentleman, let me just say that even with the minimum you might be forced to destroy a small country in anger with how sluggish it can run. If you have more than the requirements good for you, enjoy the experience, but it seems a little steep just to run a browser don’t ya think?

Downloading is not as bad as the actual installation itself. The process is long and tedious and rather than just walking away, it will check your system, offer suggestions, and update if necessary. At some point it may say your system is not up to par, and if so you have the option to bow out, but why they would even allow you to click continue is beyond me. They have requirements for a reason, and if not taken seriously you will desperately wonder why you allowed that time in your life to be wasted…literally.

Interface: Now that you’ve had this monstrosity installed, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. For starters, Pogo thinks that it needs to be so different that icons and naming conventions should be entirely different to what users are expecting. Buttons are not easily recognizable in terms of functionality, and instead of tabs for the pages, they are called “cells.” Each of your “cells” is tabbed at the bottom instead of the top, and instead of a tab, you get a thumbnail version of the actual page you are on. WARNING: One or two “cells” might be okay, but anything over that really taxes your system’s resources.

You cannot import your bookmarks, from what I could tell. Perhaps it’s an option that I overlooked, but the bookmarks that I did make are instead viewed in a coverflow-like window that practically made my computer want to explode. The flow was sluggish and lagged at times that I almost wanted to just throw the computer out the window. Luckily, since there is a minor similarity to FireFox in terms of what’s behind the scenes, a quick button combination (Ctrl-I) puts the listing in textual format. While coverflow looked pretty it did nothing to enhance the experience for practical use.

Final Thoughts: I hope, I can only hope that ATT is still a long way off from finalizing this product. The size and it’s downfalls will sink this browser quickly. It’s a pretty web browser, that is a fact, but it’s not enough to save it. I personally would never use this browser for everyday use, especially in the state that it’s in. Again, this browser is in beta, but right now FireFox and all it’s plug-ins are find for me. With ease of use, easily recognizable features and buttons, and compatibility across the board for MAC and PC, I prefer to stick to what I know…for now.

Pogo was a no go for me. I uninstalled it and hope to never experience frustration like that again. Innovative yes, practical…nope!

Firefox 3 Download Day Is Here and Where Is The Download?

Steven Finch — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:24:14 +0000

Today is Firefox 3 Download Day and it is past the launch time of 10am PDT and still no download to be available. Im sure there are thousand if not millions of people trying to get this download at exactly the same time, but come on they had months to prepare for this!

I think I am just going to have wait until tomorrow my time to get the download and actually review it for everyone here.

Firefox 3 Is Coming On June 17th: Make Sure You Join Download Day!

Steven Finch — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:01:48 +0000

Firefox 3 is coming on the 17th of June. So next Tuesday make sure you are online and actually downloading the new firefox. Seriously, it’s been a long time. 34 months of development, 5 betas and 2 RCs, that’s enough to make any user squirm with anticipation. If everything goes well, we’ll finally be able to wave memory leaks and instabilities goodbye. If not, we’ll be the first to complain, don’t worry.

Currently, I am already using the Firefox 3 RC2 and it is great. Im looking forward to seeing if they make any more major changes before they launch to the public. Remember if you want to download Firefox 3 RC 2 now then you can, all you have to do is head over here and download it. Im guessing that when they upgrade to the public Firefox 3 then the current users will just see a basic update appear.

7 Firefox Add-Ons To Browse Anonymously

Steven Finch — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:45:37 +0000

Following on from the Firefox 3 RC1 post the other day, I thought I would write another article about Firefox Add-ons. Here is a list put together showing 7 Firefox add-ons to browse the web anonymously.

Anonymization Toolbar – This special tool will enable you to stay more anonymous while browsing the internet through Firefox. There are one click options that allow you to delete your browsing history, cache and cookies.

FoxTor – This program will help hide your computer behind different proxies, changing your IP address as you surf different websites on the internet.

FoxyProxy – Gives you complete control over the proxy configuration. Can be used to browse anonymously.

ProxySel – Add-on that allows you to choose a proxy from a drop down list and also to import proxies from proxy lists

BrowseAtWork – Add-on ideal for viewing webpages blocked by many corporate or school filters.

SwitchProxy - This add-on allows you to easily switch between proxy configurations and keep your surfing more anonymous.

Torbutton – Add-on for enabling and disabling Firefox’s use of Tor for safer surfing.