Google showing off 'next dimension' of Maps at event next week

Android Central

Press invites are going out for a Google Maps press event next Wednesday, June 6, where the company says it'll show off the "next dimension" of Maps. That'll be some sort of 3D offering then, we'd imagine. Right now the Google Maps web interface supports 3D features through WebGL, while the Android app can show 3D buildings and Street View images. So presumably whatever's next will be an expansion of these features, possibly bringing in elements of Google Earth, too.

Little solid information is presented with the invite, though attendees are promised a "behind-the-scenes look at Google Maps," as well as a demo of "some of the newest technology" and "upcoming features." These will apparently "help people get where they want to go -- both physically and virtually." So new 3D functionality is certainly a safe bet.

The event will take place just five days before the start of Apple's WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference), where Google's arch-rival is expected to unveil its own iOS maps solution. Right now Maps on iOS is powered by Google Maps, and recent reports have suggested Apple will look to re-vamp Maps with new 3D features, and a new non-Google back-end. (Thus depriving its foe of the associated ad revenue.)

The natural place for this kind of Google Maps announcement might've been the Google IO Developer Conference, which takes place in late June. But by strutting its 3D stuff a few weeks earlier, Google will be hoping to beat Apple to the punch. Whatever's shown off next week, you can bet Android will account for at least part of it, and so we'll be watching with interest next Wednesday.

Source: TNW

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/0awwVQCkYYY/story01.htm

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Yahoo Time Traveler, Music Unlimited, and More [Iphone Apps Of The Week]

We've got all kinds of goodies for you in this week's best iPhone apps. So load up the App Store, because you'll definitely want to make some new additions to your portfolio. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/E01v_rVGvLg/

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Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs

Firefox slow-addons list
Mozilla, continuing its year-long crusade to speed up Firefox startup and shutdown times, has published a name and shame list of the Firefox's slowest add-ons.

The list is just one part of Mozilla's new efforts to highlight slow add-ons, and to help developers make their add-ons more efficient. Over the next two weeks, 'slow performance warnings' will be introduced in the add-on gallery so that users can see, before installation, which add-ons will slow down their browser. If that isn't enough to spur developers into cleaning up their add-ons, Mozilla has also begun reaching out to developers of slow add-ons with tips on how to improve add-on performance. Finally, add-on developers will soon have the ability to perform 'on-demand performance testing,' so that they can test their add-on before it's deployed publicly.

Mozilla reports that the average Firefox add-on slows down Firefox's start-up time by 10% -- which means, if you install 10 add-ons, you will double your start-up time. On fast desktop PCs that kind of slowdown might be negligible, but on older computers, laptops and smartphones, it could be the difference between a 5 and 10 second startup. Mozilla has obviously realized that while massive performance gains might've been made with Firefox 4, the addition of third-party add-ons can destroy any user-perceived improvements.

In other news, Mozilla says that a future build of Firefox will block the installation of add-ons (such as toolbars) by third-party software. Add-ons and toolbars that are bundled in this way will require explicit approval when you next open up Firefox. Hooray!

Mozilla publishes name and shame list of slow Firefox add-ons, cracks down on tardy devs originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/mozilla-publishes-name-and-shame-list-of-slow-firefox-add-ons/

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Hands On With Windows 8 Release Preview: It’s All About the Apps

Windows users are one step closer to getting a major system facelift -- and if today's release of Microsoft's latest OS build tells us anything, it's that the company is putting the system's strongest focus on lean and mean Metro apps.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/hands-on-with-windows-8-release-preview-its-all-about-the-apps/

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Words With Friends for Android updated, promises "smoother game experience"

wordswithfriends
As several of you noted in the comments to our post asking for cross-platform iOS/Android games, Words With Friends for Android does not provide the smoothest gaming experience... and that's being rather charitable.

You might be happy to hear that a couple of days ago Zynga released an update which promises to solve many of the Android-specific issues, such as notifications not popping up.

Sadly, installing the update is not a smooth experience; you have to manually uninstall the previous version, and then go to the Android Market and install it. What's nice is that it doesn't lose your saved games - this screenshot shows a game I've started before the update and continued after updating.

How's the new update working out for you? Let us know in the comments!

Words With Friends for Android updated, promises "smoother game experience" originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/04/words-with-friends-for-android-updated-promises-smoother-game/

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Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only

Amazon Android Cloud Player appIt's hard to believe: our world-spanning network, our Internet, which is the cornerstone of free speech and free society -- which, on a good day, is capable of causing populist revolutions -- is still crippled by banal geolocation restrictions. We are, of course, talking about Amazon's two latest offerings, both of which are only available in the United States. Last week it was the excellent Android Appstore for Android, and today it's the Amazon Cloud Player for Web and Android.

Along with Cloud Player, Amazon also launched Cloud Drive, which is basically just like any other cloud storage digital locker. It's not particularly feature rich, and there's no real reason to use it over something like SugarSync or SkyDrive -- it does work outside the US, however.

Its primary purpose, as far as we're concerned, is that it stores your your Cloud Player music in a subdirectory. You get 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, and then it's $1 per gigabyte per year if you need more space.

The Amazon Cloud Player itself will not, to put it bluntly, blow your mind. It works, but it's very much an early, and possibly rushed, release. Let's dive in to the Web and Android players for a closer look.

Continue reading Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only

Amazon Cloud Player review: functional, not mind blowing, and still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/29/amazon-cloud-player-hands-on-review-functional-not-mind-blowin/

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The Easiest, Most Trigger-Happy Way to Complain About Your Lousy Meal [Apps]

Leaving a nasty Yelp review seems practically pointless, now that there's an SMS service connecting cranky customers directly to a restaurant's owner/s and management staff. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/4maY8-GS-a4/the-easiest-most-trigger+happy-way-to-complain-about-your-lousy-meal

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OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

ommwriter
I have a thing for full-screen text editing. I use WriteMonkey for my creative writing needs, and VIM in a full-screen PuTTY session for my Web development work. That being the case, I'm all over the monospace, dark-background, focused editing scene.

OmmWriter attempts to take that aesthetic and make it somehow more spiritual, with three picturesque backgrounds and ambient background audio tracks (there are seven of each in the paid version).

I'm of two minds about this app. On the one hand, yes, it's beautiful. But if you want music as a background to your writing, why not pick your own soundtrack with Winamp or Foobar2000 running in the background?

OmmWriter also offers three keyboard-clicking sounds, which are kind of nice. None of these features are groundbreaking, really. OmmWriter could be seen as a way to gently ease into the world of distraction-free writing -- in case something like WriteMonkey's dark background is just too oppressive for you.

After the fold you can see a video showcasing several of OmmWriter's features and creative soundscapes.

Continue reading OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows

OmmWriter brings its clean, calm writing interface to Windows originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/ommwriter-brings-its-clean-calm-writing-interface-to-windows/

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