Social Items

The latest project on Google's portfolio, Google+, has promised a more connected and realtime social experience, invariably intensifying its footprint on the social circle. Albeit, some early reviewers have termed it, a take-on on Facebook, its rather more a collaborative platform, intending to bring realtime sharing across the social networking platforms.

Google Plus is designed along what it calls plus circles, a realtime social interaction circle, that will allow users to selectively share information with specific groups, rather than all social connections. It also features a web conferencing option, in which up to 10 people can join.

It will incorporate web content on various topics, allowing users to subscribe through a feature known as Spark. And users can create custom categories, also share contents with friends.

Google Plus, 'Huddle' feature will automatically turn conversations into group chat. Amidst the cluster of information, however, will be the Cloud storage facility available for users photos and group chats, with an instant upload capability.

Google definitely is not a newcomer in the social circle, as its Buzz service has been briskly successful. But, how it will implement this new platform, against the ever increasing privacy issues remains to be seen. The company have commenced a total revamp on its page looks and feel, which will continue over the next few months, as it introduce a 'What Do You Love?' (www.wdyl.com) page.

Google Plus (Google+): Realtime Social?

Microsoft's radical shift in Windows 8 programming foundation has perhaps heralded the much awaited next generation of web applications development, albeit, presenting a credible challenge to the Google initiated WebGL project, an open-source cross-platform API intended to provide support for hardware graphics acceleration on the web.

Chrome requires hardware graphics acceleration to compete effectively with Internet Explorer, which introduced same in IE9 through Windows DirectX Graphics API.

The introduction of WebGL in Google Chrome 9 enabled the experience of high quality 3D direct on the browser. Microsoft dismissed the new technology citing its open vulnerability to attacks, given instance being the report posted on its Security Research & Defense Blog.

The next-gen Windows will allow developers build native apps with the same technologies employed for web application development, a possibility Microsoft has termed, 'Tailored Apps'. The Windows 8 'tailored apps' will employ: HTML (for describing web pages), CSS (for formatting) and JavaScript (for executing programs), all browser interfaces that run web programming.

Tailored Apps, unlike desktop apps, will make use of browser engines - higher level interface, possible reason for the change is to make room for the mobile web convergence as the new Windows code best support processor independence. However, the immediate challenge will be on how developers falls into the plan, how programmer can quickly churn-out tailored apps.

Next-Gen Apps: Windows 8 Challenge

Internet search technology invariably means instant information, hence the search giant, Google has enabled 'Instant' on all its search products: Instant Search, Instant Pages, Instant Image Search and Instant Availability in 32 languages. The latest addition being the introduction of Instant Pages, whose announcement follows at the Google Inside Search Event holding today in San Francisco.

Instant pages, automates query to open results nearly instantly, allowing a pop up to the given search page. The average time taken normally to launch a page under Google search is 5 seconds, whereas, the new feature takes only 3.2 seconds at most.

Google Instant has also been extended to Image Search, enabling instant change of images as your enter search queries.  

Google's lead in the search technology front is one that can never be questioned, with incessant churning of search innovations. Albeit, that Microsoft and Yahoo have combined their search technologies to challenge the Google advances, no tangible headway has been achieved.

The new features will be available starting this week on the Chrome beta, however, Mobile search version will follow soon.

Instant Search Everywhere - Google

The fact that Microsoft has shifted its tent in favor of the new coding tool, HTML5 is no longer news.The evidence even now more pronounce as it demos the next version of its operating system Windows 8 at the recent D9 conference, signaling its intent to switching Windows coding to HTML5 and JavaScript.

The signal observed through an app in Windows 8 written exclusively with the new developer standard HTML5, pin-points to the trend. Windows 8 will run a new API, that will not require writing web-pages to use.Given an instance in which Windows developers, already used to the traditional programming tools of Visual basic, .Net, among others, will have to employ HTML5 and JavaScript, portends a horrid reaction from such turn.

Albeit, that the specification of the emerging coding tool, HTML5 are still awaiting finalization. How developers would embrace tools termed less capable, renouncing their current platforms, may well put Windows developers at lurch.

Microsoft, earlier made available the F12 HTML tools in Internet Explorer, but until generally accepted a tooling for HTML5 on that platform, the traditional tools remains indispensable.

Definitely, Microsoft's ultimate aim of weaning developers off traditional Windows tools, perhaps will have to wait, at least for now. Microsoft's support for Silverlight will continue, and not just as a browser plug-in, among other things.

Traditional Programming Tools Exit?

The technology trends positioning web apps to compete effectively with desktop apps is one that has engaged the better parts of the developer communities efforts. Google, definitely is at the forefront of the current innovation, with its Chrome browser, working out the speed requirements - SSL False Start (TLS Implementation), a client-side only change to reduce the overall SSL connection setup time.

Transport Layer Security (TLS), dubbed SSL False Start, has undergone a benchmark performance test by Google software engineer team, according to the Chromium blog. The result yielded significant reduction in overall SSL connection setup time, the latency to the SSL handshake was reduced by 30%.

The performance test was implemented in Chrome 9, with the results relatively stunning, even as more content providers embraces SSL for secure connection to the web.

Google compiled a list of all known https websites from its index, and the False Start test was carried out on all the listed websites. However, implementing SSL False Start was backward compatibility, there was no easy way to know whether it will work on all websites. The result of the tests were as follows: 94.6% succeeded, 5% timed-out, while 0.4% failed.

How the data would be interpreted by other browser vendors and the model effectively adopted into the mainstream of server-side security using SSL/TLS protocol remains to be seen.

Transport Layer Security (TLS) Application

The technology convergence bringing the web and mobile platforms together, and how businesses can leverage the emerging technology platforms, are questions that had been on the table of technology analysts since the advent of the mobile web. Technology trends as it relates to businesses, innovations that cut across online video, instant messaging and voice communication are the collaboration platforms of modern enterprises.

Microsoft has distinguished its products with special preference for business usage, an arsenal of collaboration tools, and now have concluded a deal for the acquisition of Skype, the voice and video communication provider. Also, cloud-based services have been on Microsoft's drawing board, which will greatly enhance its Exchange email and SharePoint platforms.

Skype acquisition has been seen as Microsoft's answer to Google Voice, and the FaceTime service from Apple, apps which have had more mobile applications than its web usage. Application development is a continuum that must embrace the novel idea of merging the mobile and web software.

As internet access becomes ubiquitous, less identification of applications as mobile or web apps will perhaps be the greatest challenge to the developer communities.

However, the major challenge to the actualization of a mobile web convergence may perhaps rest on the implementation of a true open web system. The open web system will afford a freedom to publish code and implement the standards that content/apps will depend.

Collaboration: Mobile Web Convergence

Now, you can take your Google Docs everywhere you go, courtesy of an Android app that was recently announced by Google. Google Docs, which is fast becoming a viable alternative to the ever popular Microsoft Office now spots an all important element in the availability of the service on the mobile platform.

The Cloud storage facility, earlier added to the service, making the availability of users data on Google Docs accessible everywhere there is an internet connection, a feature that has endeared it to the heart of the busy executives, who are always on the go, remains strategic to the success of the service.

The new Google Docs app for Android, makes it easy to access, edit and share documents on the go. You can filter and search for your contents across all Google accounts right from within the app.

The uniqueness of the app, however, stems from the fact that it appears to be native to the Android OS and seems to rather load the web-based Google Docs service, allowing quick access to your cloud-based documents. You can also toggle between documents and shared items in your account, in addition, also upload content from your mobile device and open documents direct from Gmail.

The interface allows you to add widget, for easy access to core services which includes: jumping to starred documents, taking a photo to upload, and creating a new document with a single tap of the button. The new technology of optical character recognition (OCR) is also called to bear, using the app and your phone camera, you can turn photos with text into editable Google documents.

The Google Docs app for Android is currently available in English and supports Android 2.1 and above. It can be downloaded free from the Android Market Place.

Google Docs On The Go

RockMelt, a social web browser that made debut late last year with lots of fanfare, has extended its reach to the mobile app market. The social browser is now available for download as an iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad app on the iTunes Market place, and the core experience still is centered on social web and information sharing, now even more possible everywhere.

The outstanding feature of the social browser, Cloud Storage Facility, is perhaps more applicable to the mobile web, as your favorite bookmarks and many more website preferences are automatically sync in the Cloud. Quick access to frequently visited sites are synced with RockMelt for Mac and PC.

Again, RockMelt is the first and only browser that require user login access, thereby ensuring high security for user information and stress-free online experience. It incorporates Twitter and Facebook streams in one place, as well as web search bar and RSS feeds from your favorite websites.

It syncs direct with the desktop browser, so you can save web links and posts to read later when you have more time. 

Definitely, you would agree that this doesn't sound like a mere mobile browser, and you are right. Its more than just a browser, it reflects the next generation, and perhaps the mobile web is the future.

The Social Browser Goes Mobile

The emerging technology platform, HTML5, is home virtually in all vendors front, including the supposed competitor, Adobe. Microsoft now claims the HTML5 native experience on its Windows 7 running on Internet Explorer 9 (IE9), as pronounced by Dean Hachamovitch, VP for Internet Explorer, at the opening keynote of MIX 11 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.

HTML5 native experience implies that Internet Explorer 9 was built with the platform in mind, and for Windows to deliver the most native HTML5 experience on the web.

The progressive step in delivering the most native HTML5 experience as supposed is in the support expected on IE10 platform preview, now available for download. Internet Explorer 10 directly trails the path of IE9, using Windows features devoid of abstractions, layers and libraries that slow down web experience.

'Native HTML5' is far more than hardware acceleration, as it incorporates general performance, and not just embracing HTML5 as a way of building native Windows applications. What differentiates Native apps from  web apps? Browser-based applications is the basic differentiation, and you don't expect to double-click a document and have it launched on a browser to render the file on a website.

How Microsoft intends to implement such features are yet unknown, nor what the various types of applications needed to translate and feel like a native app. However, web developers will have a handful to offer, and as it sounds, may perhaps herald good tidings for the new standards, HTML5 and CSS3.

HTML5: Native Experience Hype

Google is notorious for disruptive technologies, and such is expected from its new operating system that is purported to make debut  mid 2011. Chrome OS is a Linux based operating system designed to work exclusively with web apps, which according to early buzz will incorporate media player and browser only.

The line of contention, however, falls on the relationship that will exist between its erstwhile mobile operating system, Android, and the new beast in the making.

Chrome OS comes packed with outstanding features, most notable ones being, sophisticated and secure sandbox technology, and cloud-based storage facility. The differentiators being the way the two operating systems run applications, Android platform requires download and installation of apps, while on Chrome OS, Chrome web store will be the main directory for software.

Google's obsessions for speed is again brought to the fore, as Chrome OS loads in seconds rather than minutes.

Those whose interests cut across web applications running efficiently on tablet devices will definitely need to wait for the Chrome OS.

Chrome OS: What To Expect?

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