I’m sure this is a heap load more complicated than it sounds but apparently there is a new addition to the Chrome Web Store today and it comes to you in the form of appMobi XDK. This new web app will give a developer the tools they need to design cross platform HTML5 software all from within the Chrome web browser. Pretty neat stuff in itself but the real appeal is the fact that these apps can then be ported into native Android and/or iOS apps and submitted into their respective markets.

appMobi XDK features a full set of debugging tools and emulators for testing your newly built apps. It uses JavaScript for testing hardware integration for a device by enabling access to specific functions like the camera, GPS, accelerometer, etc. Does this sound like the perfect way of making apps to anyone else? Now, I’m no developer so I’ll be looking to some of our readers for feedback on some of the pitfalls in using a system like this. So what do you guys think?

[Via Engadget]

If  you aren’t able to take advantage of the Verizon 3G offer but reside in the US, keep in mind that you can purchase an activation plan. That being said, I think users should pay even MORE attention to their smartphone plan. If you’ve got an Android Phone, you can often enable a “hotspot” feature for a monthly price which could be more affordable than your Chromebook data plan.

Using your smartphone hotspot would simply mean buying data service for it, setting it to “hotspot” mode, and then connecting your Chromebook as if your phone was a Wi-Fi connection. You can usually connect up to 5 devices to your phone using this method, often making it a better and more flexible option for users than the Chromebook plans.

The time has come. Google I/O!  The keynote kicks off in just a few minutes and with any luck you, our valued readers, are as excited as we are! We’ll do our best to update you with any interesting Chrome tidbits during the entire event – but seeings how we’re actually here (here? there?)  we may have no choice but to do recaps at the end of each day. In the meantime, head on over and watch the keynote yourself, live!

So what are you hoping for – got any ideas that seam entirely feasible or even probable to you? Sound off and let us know!

[ Google I/O Keynote ]

In a recent article on the Official Google Blog, one Googler explains how he used his 20% time and created Chrome To Phone – an app that’s been downloaded over a million times – during a 12hour plane ride (you can download it here).

Now if you had to calculate an ROI of sorts but counted “downloads” as your “return”, Chrome To Phone would at a MINIMUM look like this:

• 1,000,000+ downloads / 12 hours = 83,333 downloads/hour

Now that isn’t actual downloads per hour, that’s downloads per hour of development work. Pretty astounding. Obviously there’s been a lot of work done since that initial 12-hour beta, but you get the idea.

So what other apps and games out there could match Chrome To Phone in initial ROI – downloads per dev hours?

Imagine printing an important email from your Chrome notebook on your train ride to work, then finding the completed printout in the printer tray when you reach the office. Or printing your airline boarding pass from your smartphone to your home printer, so you can grab the printout on your way out the door. Today, we are one big step closer to this vision.

This is MUCH closer to reality than you think: an entire line of HP printers will be compatible right out of the gate. What will you need to actually print something on a Google Cloud Print enabled computer?

• Printer must be connected to the Internet (either wired or wi-fi acceptable)
• A device capable of sending the “print” command which – on launch – will include: GMail mobile (phone), Googl Docs Mobile (phone), Chrome Extension & Firefox Add-on (desktops & laptops), Android App (yay), and Chrome Notebooks!

I don’t know how often I’d use Google Cloud Print myself because I don’t print a lot of documents. That being said, I can’t tell you how often I WANT to print something out but remember that my Desktop on Vista x86 isn’t compatible with any of our 3 printers and my laptop isn’t recognized via USB with them either so I have to use my roomates computer.

It’s all about making things easier and Google Cloud Print will provide a new level of flexibility and capabilities to a formerly rigid and somewhat irritating printing landscape. Or maybe all along I’ve just been buying crappy printers and crappy computers that have problems… you tell me.

Rumor has it, the long awaited Chrome OS tablet will be launched on November 26th, in time for the big shopping season. But will this be the big iPad killer, or just a really bad idea?

A Chrome OS tablet sounds like a good idea, especially with the high specs we’ve heard about so far: which would include a 1280x 720 multitouch dislay, 2GB of RAM, a minimum 32 GB solid state hard drive, WiFi/Bluetooth/LTE connectivity, GPS, webcam, and expandable storage via a multi-card reader.

Even better, it’s supposed to be much cheaper than the iPad, as Verizon will apparently be strongly subsidizing the tablet in order to make it a lot cheaper than Apple’s iPad.
However, is Chrome OS the right os to go for? Or should Google go for it’s Android system?

Chrome OS is a browser-based operating system that stores all of a computer user’s applications and data online, which is may be a bit too fanciful for today’s mobile-Internet reality because it isn’t always as reliable as you’d like it to be, nor stable enough to be able to use all it’s attributes.

"Chrome OS was developed for highly and persistently connected devices," says IDC mobile analyst Susan Kevorkian. "In that context, the device and the operating system are highly reliant on a dependable connection. But the reality for many consumers today, even with mobile broadband, is that connectivity isn't as reliable as we'd like it to be, either for Wi-Fi or mobile broadband."
Ipad killer or bad idea? Only time will tell.

Finally, there’s a (rumored) concrete date, that Google is launching its Chrome OS tablet on Verizon on November 26th.

Google hasn’t made any official statements, but according to the Downloadsquad, the tablet will launch on Verizon and sales might commence as early as November 26th. In the US this is Black Friday, the most important shopping day of the year.
Since January, persistant rumors have been circling that HTC and Google working on tablet hardware and now there seems to be a firm date.

I’d be interested to know how much this puppy will cost. So far, all we know is that it’ll be cheaper than the iPad (duh) along with a Verizon subscription. Funnily enough, there are a few Android tablets due to be released there as well, so Google’s major competition might be… Google!
Still, can’t hardly wait!

So, on the back of this smashing success, how about Chrome OS? Schmidt was also asked about the upcoming Chrome OS to which he responded: “Maybe we can get the same success out of Chrome OS (as Android). Chrome OS is targeted at a different part of the market.”

Google Android Tablet

According to the New York Times, Google exec Eric Schmidt is all excited about developing an iPad rival. The tablet is being built in the utmost secrecy, and apparently it won’t be using Chrome OS, but Android!

As Devin Coldewey from Zikkir.com pointed out: it wouldn’t pay to use Chrome OS as there are currently no apps and that would render it pretty useless compared to the iPad.

So we’re up for yet another battle in the war between Apple and Google!
Since the launch of the ipad rumor has been rife that Google will develop a rival tablet.
This is what the New York Times wrote:
“Eric E. Schmidt, chief executive of Google, told friends at a recent party in Los Angeles about the new device, which would exclusively run the Android operating system. People with direct knowledge of the project (…) said the company had been experimenting in “stealth mode” with a few publishers to explore delivery of books, magazines and other content on a tablet”
Let’s hope the Gpad will iron out the teething problems the ipad is facing.
We may be in for a battle of the tablets, as latest news is that HP is building one as well!

Augmented reality

Just when you thought AR browsing was the dog’s bollocks, panoramic and bird’s eye zooming are set to make augmented reality browsing on your mobile phone even more exciting!

Mobile phones have gotten a lot more fun and interesting since they added augmented reality browsing. Basically: you point at stuff and a layer is added with information. For instance, you’re looking for a pizza, point your phone and, theoretically, all pizza places in your vicinity pop up.  Of course it’s not perfect just yet, but new apps and layers for augmented reality keep being added.

For now augmented reality is still quite primitive. For instance, you can only click on buildings or other stuff within your immediate view. Daniel Wagner, a virtual reality researcher at Graz University of Technology, has two new ways to make AR browsing better: panoramic and bird’s-eye zooming.

Cool huh? No word as yet on when this will be available, but we’ll keep you posted!