It was back in January of 2008 when Google first released their very own web browser by the name of Chrome, since that time it had only ever been available to people running windows as their operating system. Unfortunately for those of us who run either Mac or Linux as our main operating systems we weren’t able to get in on the action of this new browser. Ever since the launch however Google had said that there were plans for a Mac and Linux based version of the browser which has now arrived.
I downloaded it late last night and thought I would have a quick browse around with it. I almost always use Safari on the Mac which I consider to be a very fast web browser and on par with Firefox, but upon opening up Chrome and using it for a little while you do notice the speed in which web pages load. Speed is always something that we are looking for in a web browser because we all want the fastest load times possible and Chrome certainly doesn’t disappoint here.
As far as appearance goes, if you have used the Windows version of Chrome at all you will notice that it is all very similar but with a more…Mac’ish feel to it, the colour scheme has been adapted to better fit within the OS X environment. Although Google have equipped Chrome with a host of different themes that can be added to it as well to change up the look. It does offer the now expected feature of tabbed browsing, however it does so in a different manner to what we are all used to. As mac users if you remember back to when the beta version of Safari 4 was released the behaviour of the tabs was to sit above the address bar? Well this is the same way that tabs are implemented in Chrome – I really like this way of setting out the tabs as it maximises your viewing area which can be especially valuable if you are on a laptop and it is something that I wish had been kept in Safari.
The other neat thing that you will notice is that you lose the search bar that we have come to expect, it is no longer a separate box to type your search into. Google Chrome integrates the address bar and search box all into one and they call it the Omnibox. Therefore if you know the URL go ahead and type it in, but if your not sure use the same box and do a Google (or other specified search engine) search.
One of the other things that has become standard in all modern browsers is the ability to browse the web in ‘private’ mode, Chrome also has this functionality which they call Incognito. Essentially meaning that there will be no cookies or web history saved from sites you visit while ‘incognito’ this is a very good feature if you are using a public computer and would like to further increase your safety while doing internet banking or shopping. I do however like the rather humorous explanation that Google gives about the Incognito function.
All in all this is a very capable browser and I like it a lot! I’m glad it is finally available on the Mac and Linux platforms for all to utilise. Google Chrome is available for download here: http://www.google.com/chrome
It all started with the introduction of the iTunes Music store! Since then there has been an increasing availability of online music stores where you can legally purchase and download your favourite music tracks and albums. It was just the other night I purchased a full album off the iTunes store when I had a little realisation. Wow that was easy, and I didn’t even have to leave my house.
This all made me think a little about what actual purpose the ‘Record’ store actually serves in the current world that we live in. One of the biggest differences between the two and reason that I think that online music stores have been so successful is not so much the ease of purchase but more so the ability to pick and choose exactly what songs you want. No longer do you have to spend $30 for an album where you only get two or three songs that you actually want to listen to. It think this is the major appeal, but what about pricing?
While albums available for online purchase all come in at different prices depending on the number of tracks, when comparing their prices to purchasing a CD from a store there is a significant price saving.
I have a feeling that the preference to purchase music on a form of media like a CD may also be a bit of a generational thing as well. Given the fact that in the past people have always had a very tangible experience when purchasing music and movies, essentially they would walk into a store, hand over their hard earned cash and physically get something for it. From what I can see it seems that those generations of people still want that tangible experience. However for the younger generations that are used to the more intangible experience of handling their media I think we will slowly see the need and want to have a physical copy of a movie or music slowly fade, and with it will the need for bricks and mortar record stores. Just the way I see it anyway. What do you think? Let us know in the poll below!!
Plasma was the original technology when it came to the original big modern & slim flat screens we are familiar with today and while in the beginning it did suffer a few teething problems with failing pixels and the like it has definetely proved itself in the marketplace as a suitable technology. However in recent times it seems like LCD technology has been surpassing plasma in leaps and bounds.
In recent times LCD panel makers have been investing a lot of time in LED backlit displays to help improve contrast which was always one of the downsides of LCD televisions, and we are continuously seeing thinner and thinner displays.
As a personal preference I do prefer the picture that plasma television screens give off, they have deeper blacks and better viewing angles and all up I feel they have a superior picture. Whereas LCD has always battled (although they are almost on par now) problems with contrast, ghosting and the ability to view on wide angles.
Panasonic has just released their next generation of Plasma television panels to be included in certain models, this technology has been named NeoPDP. One of the big selling points of this new technology is that the new panels consume less power than previous plasma’s – another reason for people choosing to purchase LCD instead. However the NeoPDP also boasts full 1080 HD resolution with improved analysis of the picture data to supposedly improve the image quality in fast moving images on the screen.
The contrast on the panels have also been improved and they are now boasting 2,000,000+:1 Dynamic Contrast. This is intended to produce blacker blacks while maintaining the proper balance of darks and lights to help reproduce the picture the way it was intended. This is combined with richer graduation technology to help ensure colours are reproduced and even the delicate shades of colours in an image are reproduced accurately.
I’m happy to see that at least one television manufacturer is putting effort into ensuring there is a future for the plasma television so that we can continue to enjoy the benefits that this type of display provides. Below is Panasonic’s latest commercial advertising the new technology.
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