Developer tools

With an open-source project called Collide, Google has released remnants of a tool that brings a collaborative, browser-based interface to programming.

The software runs on a server, letting multiple programmers tap into a project at the same time. It's similar to how Google Docs lets members of a group simultaneously edit the same document and thus a new example of the cloud-computing approach to software that Google advocates so fervently.

But apparently Google wasn't so fervent about Collide, because the two programmers who announced it, Scott Blum and Jaime Yap, said it's actually an ex-Google Project now. … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--It began with a mere toolbar, an add-on that gave browsers a handy Google search box.

That modest project is what eventually led to Google Chrome, now used by 310 million people by Google's tally. It's what got the project's leader, Sundar Pichai, promoted to senior vice president of Chrome and Apps. And it's what led to a very lucrative new source of profit for the company.

Chrome has spread steadily over its three-and-a-half years of public existence. It launched on Windows, extended to OS X and to Linux personal computers in the months afterward, … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Adding offline editing abilities to Google Docs may sound like a modest, incremental change, but it's actually a major step ahead for the company's Web-based services.

And those services will take two more steps soon: Offline editing is coming to the Presentations and Spreadsheet apps, too.

"You'll see that coming out before long," Alan Warren, senior director for Google Docs and Drive, said in an interview at the Google I/O show here. Both of the apps will allow users to read and edit files offline, he added, with editing abilities coming &… Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google Play, Google's online market for Android apps, movies, music, and books, now lets people purchase movies instead of just rent them.

"We're also adding TV," announced Chris Yerga, an engineering director for Android, at the Google I/O show today here. "You'll be able to purchase episodes or entire seasons."

Google has partnerships for the service with a range of producers, including NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, Disney, Bravo, Paramount, Virgil Films, and Sundance, he said.

Also new are magazines, purchased individually or by subscription, he said. Google has deals … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, gets a more responsive user interface, a much more interactive notification system, better voice transcription, overhauled search, and a major new feature called Google Now that tries to anticipate what a person needs to know at any given moment.

Android has exploded in popularity, but the OS takes a lot of heat for allegedly being an Apple iOS copycat. Google is clearly trying to vault over that issue with new features detailed at its at its Google I/O show today here.

Google Now, triggered by swiping from the bottom of … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- A total of 1 million Android devices are activated each day, Google announced today at its Google I/O show today.

The number is a big jump from the 400,000 per day the company reported at last year's show in May. In addition, Google said 400 million Android devices have been sold so far.

"Four hundred million is a pretty huge number, but were definitely not slowing down," said Hugo Barra, director of product management at the show's opening keynote. The more customers use Android, the easier it is for Google to … Read more

Squashing any lingering doubts about the arrival of the next version of Android, Google has put up a Jelly Bean sculpture on its campus.

The sculpture appears next to others in a collection of alphabetically ordered sweets after which new versions of Google's mobile operating system is named: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, and Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Google Developers Google+ page showed off the new sculpture today, the day before the company's Google I/O conference begins in San Francisco. The show is geared for Android and Web developers and others who tap into Google's … Read more

Google has announced an 88 percent price cut for those using Google Maps on high-traffic Web sites and services.

The move, which Google Maps API product manager Thor Mitchell announced yesterday, comes a few days before the developer-oriented Google I/O show and two weeks after Apple ditched Google Maps for the upcoming iOS 6.

Google lets others embed Google Maps on their own sites and services through the Google Maps API, or application programming interface. When Google announced new limits to Google Maps usage last October, Mitchell said at the time, "We need to secure its long-term future … Read more

When it comes to producing professional-looking movies and demos from your computer screen, TechSmith's Camtasia Studio is known for striking the right balance between a powerful toolset and ease of use. Version 8, released today, adds even more useful features that encourage end-user interactivity without making the app any more complex to use.

The feature-packed screencast app, which includes HD production settings, does have a learning curve, but the user-friendly interface and front-and-center icons for most-used tools go a long way toward lowering the intimidation factor a notch. Plus, TechSmith provides a useful online help center that includes several … Read more