With ChromeOS, Google will soon launch an operating system that makes web apps the center of the user experience. No other vendor currently offers a similar experience, but with Webian Shell, there is now a project that plans to offer a full-screen web browser “for devices that don’t need
+1
It’s a big day for buttons today. Twitter just introduced its new Follow button and thanks to an unfortunate leak, we also know that Google is planning to launch its +1 button for third-party sites tomorrow. Twitter’s Follow button has long been overdue. It allows site owners to
Bing
Microsoft today released a number of major updates to the Streetside feature in Bing Maps. Streetside used to be very similar to Google’s Streetview, but Microsoft just mixed things up a bit and included an important twist. Instead of showing you the street from a car driver’s perspective,
apple
In what is an unprecedented move for Apple, the company this morning announced what it plans to announce during its keynote at the company’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) next week. Typically, these events are shrouded in mystery and the days ahead of the conference are ripe with rumors and
courteous.ly
Managing email isn’t just about wading through incoming messages, writing replies, filing messages into different folder, but it’s also about managing the expectations of the people who are writing to you. Courteous.ly, a new research project by Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing professor Eric Gilbert wants
alpha
Mozilla’s new rapid release schedule remains on track. Firefox 5 is now in beta and, right on schedule, Firefox 6 is now entering its development cycle. The next version of Firefox will introduce a number of new tools for both regular users and developers. The alpha version of Firefox
Application programming interface
It’s in Google’s DNA to try a lot of things. Some work out great, some fail. Among those that are looking like a failure is Google’s experiment in power metering. Yesterday. the company announced that it would deprecate and shut down quite a few of its APIs
Google now allows you to search for flight schedules. After a long delay, the company’s acquisition of airline logistics company ITA closed last month and it looks like Google is now free to add more travel-related feature to its search engine. While Google stresses that “this flight schedule feature
Credit card
Google Wallet, which the Mountain View-based search giant introduced earlier today, wants to change the way you pay for products and services, but I’m not sure it will. Google’s contactless near field communication (NFC) payment system currently only works with one phone and only in San Francisco and
Among the most useful Gmail extensions today are tools like Rapportive and Xobni that show you more detailed information about your contacts as you read your email. Now, Google apparently wants to get into this market itself (and, after all, those tools replace Google’s text ads with more useful
amazon
Amazon today quietly launched its Mac Download Store, a direct competitor to Apple’s new Mac App Store for desktop apps. Amazon has lately had a propensity for launching stores that directly compete with existing solutions. Just a few weeks ago, it launched an Android app store that takes on
Google today announced its new Google Wallet service for contactless payments with your phone. To launch this new product, Google has partnered with MasterCard, Citi, FirstData and Sprint. As for retailers, Google is working with Macy’s, Noah’s Bagels, Jamba Juice, Peet’s Coffee & Tea and others. A