Kindle software coming to Mac; Google Chrome hits milestone

[AppleInsider]

Amazon Kindle customers will have the ability to read their content on the Mac when the official application is launched in the future; and Google Chrome inches closer to release with its developer preview.

Kindle reader coming to Mac

Amazon announced alongside the launch of Windows 7 Thursday that it would bring a desktop reader client to PCs. A company spokesperson later confirmed to Fast Company that the book seller also intends to release software for Mac OS X in the future.

As the Kindle platform has matured, Amazon has worked to take it beyond its e-reader hardware and onto other devices. In March, the company debuted its Kindle reader on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software allows readers to access their content and sync what page they were last on to a number of devices.

Apple and Amazon could soon compete in the e-reader market, as rumors have suggested for months that the Cupertino, Calif., company's long-rumored tablet device will, in part, function as a portable device designed to transform newspapers, magazines and other print media into digital content. The tablet is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2010.

Google Chrome adds QuickTime, printing

The latest release of Google Chrome for Mac this week is another milestone in the Web browser's long path to Mac OS X: the official developer preview. On the official blog, the development team announced that QuickTime and printing have made their initial appearance in the browser.

As first reported by ArsTechnica, the latest build is the first time the Mac OS X browser has been available for public download outside of nightly development builds. The report noted that the browser seems stable enough for daily use.

The Chrome is expected to come to the Mac with version 4.0 sometime this year, though it is not yet in beta. Google co-founder Sergey Brin, speaking at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, said that he wishes the browser had already been released and was more stable.

In August, a test of an early version of Chrome 4.0 for Mac found it was the fastest browser on the platform by 34 percent. Google's then-bug-filled browser outperformed Apple's Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera 10 in a SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[iphonedeveloperthailand]

Nothing for windows?

[caljomac]

Maybe I should buy a kindle...nooo I forgot about itablet lol

[teckstud]

Oh god - here comes the Amazon and Google bashers now. Funny it's the same ones who bash Microsoft, Blu-ray, Palm, the Beatles, etc, etc. Tell us again how they copied from Apple, are lousy products, etc, etc. Please I won't be able to sleep unless I hear your words of wisdom.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

In August, a test of an early version of Chrome 4.0 for Mac found it was the fastest browser on the platform by 34 percent. Google's then-bug-filled browser outperformed Apple's Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera 10 in a SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test.

That was only true on Leopard. On Snow Leopard Nitro trounced V8 in both 32-bit and 64-bit modes. I’d wager that when the official beta hits it will once again be faster on SunSpider.

[PaulMJohnson]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple and Amazon could soon compete in the e-reader market, as rumors have suggested for months that the Cupertino, Calif., company's long-rumored tablet device will, in part, function as a portable device designed to transform newspapers, magazines and other print media into digital content. The tablet is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2010.

Is it just me, or is this looking for a battle that just will not be there? A tablet will surely be a relatively full-featured computer, whereas Kindle is deliberately only there to do one thing relatively cheaply (actually I can't write that without smiling, Kindle is far too expensive) and is light enough to reasonably replace a book.

I just don't see the two competing.

On the main topic though, I'm please Kindle apps are coming out for Windows PC's and Macs. The more places I can have my content from my Kindle, the better.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by PaulMJohnson

Is it just me, or is this looking for a battle that just will not be there? A tablet will surely be a relatively full-featured computer, whereas Kindle is deliberately only there to do one thing relatively cheaply (actually I can't write that without smiling, Kindle is far too expensive) and is light enough to reasonably replace a book.

I just don't see the two competing.

On the main topic though, I'm please Kindle apps are coming out for Windows PC's and Macs. The more places I can have my content from my Kindle, the better.

I agree- the Kindle app is amazing for the iPhone and I don't own a Kindle.

[souliisoul]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Oh god - here comes the Amazon and Google bashers now. Funny it's the same ones who bash Microsoft, Blu-ray, Palm, the Beatles, etc, etc. Tell us again how they copied from Apple, are lousy products, etc, etc. Please I won't be able to sleep unless I hear your words of wisdom.

Come Teckstud are you really going to buy a Kindle, just to read books. I understand some people want this type of product, but it could be so much more. I do use Zino to read my magazines on my mac, so I can see the use for Kindle software on mac, but not going to spend $200-300 (not checked the price for long time), just to read books.

AS for bashing, you one to talk

[Drow_Swordsman]

Anyone try this public Chrome OSX version yet? I'm definitely interested. I really like Safari 4 but I'm admittedly a fan of Google and like what I see in Chrome.

[anonymouse]

Originally Posted by teckstud

Oh god - here comes the Amazon and Google bashers now. Funny it's the same ones who bash Microsoft, Blu-ray, Palm, the Beatles, etc, etc. Tell us again how they copied from Apple, are lousy products, etc, etc. Please I won't be able to sleep unless I hear your words of wisdom.

select count(*) from teckstud_knowledge still returns 0.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by souliisoul

Come Teckstud are you really going to buy a Kindle, just to read books. I understand some people want this type of product, but it could be so much more. I do use Zino to read my magazines on my mac, so I can see the use for Kindle software on mac, but not going to spend $200-300 (not checked the price for long time), just to read books.

AS for bashing, you one to talk

I won't be buying it because , haven't you heard, I can't read!

Seriously it's not for me- I'm a non-fiction fan- no novels for me. However it has its market- commuters, Jane Austen lovers, etc. But it appears to be doing very well for Amazon contrary to what others on here predicted last year. http://earthlink.com.com/8301-1023_3...part=earthlink

I also like the "beam me up" app which comes free with Dracula, Benjamin Button , and Pride and Prejudice. It scrolls like Obama's teleprompter.

[teckstud]

Originally Posted by anonymouse

select count(*) from teckstud_knowledge still returns 0.

I told you - where's you other buddies- slopsism ,etc. Should be a matrix-like attack any minute- I can feel it.

[mjtomlin]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

In August, a test of an early version of Chrome 4.0 for Mac found it was the fastest browser on the platform by 34 percent. Google's then-bug-filled browser outperformed Apple's Safari, Mozilla Firefox and Opera 10 in a SunSpider JavaScript benchmark test.

Real world tests are much more appropriate for testing software. Honestly, Chrome beat the all the other browsers in a Javascript test, but crashed every few page views. What good is bragging about how fast you can run, when you got two left feet constantly tripping over each other? Also, wait until you have a feature frozen build, before running tests and making such claims.

What is the point anyway? The only significance is that all the "other" browsers run circles around MSIE, hopefully making it obsolete in the near future.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by souliisoul

Come Teckstud are you really going to buy a Kindle, just to read books?

Despite the lack of colours and pop-ups, they do offer a selection that fits with level of reading comprehension.

• http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=...rnid=155009011

Originally Posted by Drow_Swordsman

Anyone try this public Chrome OSX version yet? I'm definitely interested. I really like Safari 4 but I'm admittedly a fan of Google and like what I see in Chrome.

Test it for yourself. Safari still beats it in JS testing in 64-bit mode, but that won’t last long.

• http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en...ev.html?dl=mac

Originally Posted by anonymouse

select count(*) from teckstud_knowledge still returns 0.

That will never get old.

[PaulMJohnson]

Originally Posted by teckstud

I won't be buying it because , haven't you heard, I can't read!

Seriously it's not for me- I'm a non-fiction fan- no novels for me. However it has its market- commuters, Jane Austen lovers, etc. But it appears to be doing very well for Amazon contrary to what others on here predicted last year. http://earthlink.com.com/8301-1023_3...part=earthlink

I think it's useful for people who travel a lot. For those who don't I'm not really that sure.

Even people who commute, if you're going home every evening, you can just pick up a different book.

However, I do at least 2 long haul return flights each month (I'm single handedly causing global warming!) and the Kindle has become a Godsend. Because I travel to non-English speaking countries, it's hard to buy English books there, so I end up carrying 3-4 books with me, which is a pain. The Kindle has solved that.

It's a great device, for what I thought would be a niche market - but the sales have proven me wrong!

[mrarlen]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

As the Kindle platform has matured, Amazon has worked to take it beyond its e-reader hardware and onto other devices. In March, the company debuted its Kindle reader on the App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. The software allows readers to access their content and sync what page they were last on to a number of devices.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

Recently, Amazon updated their iPhone app to add multi-touch highlighting and annotations which will sync with Kindle devices via whispersync.

For users like me who do a lot of annotating and highlighting, Kindle for iPhone has become the best Kindle around.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by mjtomlin

Real world tests are much more appropriate for testing software. Honestly, Chrome beat the all the other browsers in a Javascript test, but crashed every few page views. What good is bragging about how fast you can run, when you got two left feet constantly tripping over each other? Also, wait until you have a feature frozen build, before running tests and making such claims.

What is the point anyway? The only significance is that all the "other" browsers run circles around MSIE, hopefully making it obsolete in the near future.

You make a good point. Even if it were just as stable I’d likely still use Safari, for the same reason others prefer Firefox: it has features that you can’t get elsewhere. With Firefox, it’s plugins, with Safari, it’s integration. The performance V8 will bring over Nitro is quite small, certainly not enough to make someone switch. I don’t think people are switching from Firefox in droves despite Chrome and Safari having much better JS speeds and other performance gains. It’s a victory, but ultimately pointless. Even IE8 has it’s benefits that speed may not be the most important feature to consider.

[anantksundaram]

Wow. AI has degenerated into one big Pavlovian mess.

People seem utterly incapable of being diddled around by, and feeding the ego of a complete know-nothing.

[prw]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

The Chrome is expected to come to the Mac with version 4.0 sometime this year, though it is not yet in beta.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

Well, my version of Chrome on my iMac is 4.0.223.8. I used it to post this reply.

[Erunno]

Originally Posted by prw

Well, my version of Chrome on my iMac is 4.0.223.8. I used it to post this reply.

You are using a version from the developer channel.

Anyway, it's interesting to note that V8 is almost as fast as Nitro without whatever optimizations the Nitro guys did specifically for the 64 Bit version. If the same optimizations can be applied to V8 it might also get a major speed bump once the 64 Bit port becomes available. I'm looking forward to a well-integrated browser which is not prone to beachball and does not block the whole system when opening a new tab and which can restore a session automatically.

[John.B]

...first time the Mac OS X browser has been available for public download outside of nightly development builds.

I'll consider it a real milestone when they have a release version for my Mac.

Even an eternal beta would be an improvement.

[quinney]

Originally Posted by anonymouse

select count(*) from teckstud_knowledge still returns 0.

please drop table teckstud_knowledge or drop database teckstud so people will not be tempted to make queries.

[TheToe]

Any idea if desktop Kindle will support any kind of sharing? At least between one's own iPhone and Mac?

Currently it appears that one can't share a purchased book even with a family member. Seems to violate the whole spirit of books....

[nvidia2008]

It's the stud. Lookin' for a fight around every corner.

Who's bashing Google? More browsers make developing web 2.0 difficult but virtually everyone except Microsoft (this is clear, you can argue against this point as much as you like) are looking to make the browsing experience better, faster and more standards-compliant.

Plus Chrome will keep Safari and Firefox on its toes.

Somehow, teckstud, I think you have something to do with the rampant continuing use of Internet Explorer 6 to this day.

Originally Posted by souliisoul

Come Teckstud are you really going to buy a Kindle, just to read books. I understand some people want this type of product, but it could be so much more. I do use Zino to read my magazines on my mac, so I can see the use for Kindle software on mac, but not going to spend $200-300 (not checked the price for long time), just to read books.

AS for bashing, you one to talk

Originally Posted by teckstud

Oh god - here comes the Amazon and Google bashers now. Funny it's the same ones who bash Microsoft, Blu-ray, Palm, the Beatles, etc, etc. Tell us again how they copied from Apple, are lousy products, etc, etc. Please I won't be able to sleep unless I hear your words of wisdom.

[nvidia2008]

Originally Posted by Drow_Swordsman

Anyone try this public Chrome OSX version yet? I'm definitely interested. I really like Safari 4 but I'm admittedly a fan of Google and like what I see in Chrome.

I've played around with it a bit but I don't see huge benefits adding another browser to my mix, Safari 4 is fast and stable on Snow Leopard and Firefox does whatever else I need to.

I'm super paranoid I prefer to run virtually all my browsing sessions in private mode so the only feature of any web browser I really use is just tab views and bookmarks. All this special smart start page and this and that fancy bits don't tickle my fancy.

I'm done with ads, I use GlimmerBlocker now so a lot of Flash and Javascript overhead is reduced for me. Maybe that's why also with Safari 4 on Snow Leopard it is more stable with less crashes.

[old-wiz]

I worry about buying an e-book on the Kindle and then having Amazon delete it due to some internal mixup or new DRM rule. If I buy a physical book from anywhere, it's pretty hard for them to come into my house and remove the book. I'll stick to physical books.

[nvidia2008]

Originally Posted by solipsism

Despite the lack of colours and pop-ups, they do offer a selection that fits with level of reading comprehension...

Aww... this one is sooo cute!

Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library!
When Librarian Vicki Myron finds a young kitten abandoned in the Spencer Library return box, she nurses him back to health, deciding then and there that he will be their library cat, and naming him, appropriately, Dewey Readmore Books. Dewey loves his new home, but once he discovers the littlest library visitors-who like to chase him, pull his tail, and squeeze him extra tight-Dewey begins to wonder if he's truly cut out for the demands of his new job. In the end, he is triumphant as he realizes that helping people big and small is what he is meant to do, and that by sharing his special brand of Dewey love, he can be the best library cat of all.

[Gwydion]

Originally Posted by iphonedeveloperthailand

Nothing for windows?

The beta version with support for multitouch has been released.

http://gizmodo.com/5387663/amazon-mu...-for-windows-7

[John.B]

Originally Posted by nvidia2008

Aww... this one is sooo cute!

Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library!
When Librarian Vicki Myron finds a young kitten abandoned in the Spencer Library return box, she nurses him back to health, deciding then and there that he will be their library cat, and naming him, appropriately, Dewey Readmore Books. Dewey loves his new home, but once he discovers the littlest library visitors-who like to chase him, pull his tail, and squeeze him extra tight-Dewey begins to wonder if he's truly cut out for the demands of his new job. In the end, he is triumphant as he realizes that helping people big and small is what he is meant to do, and that by sharing his special brand of Dewey love, he can be the best library cat of all.

Ya know, some of us have kids. Sheesh!

[nvidia2008]

Originally Posted by nvidia2008

Aww... this one is sooo cute!

Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library!
When Librarian Vicki Myron finds a young kitten abandoned in the Spencer Library return box, she nurses him back to health, deciding then and there that he will be their library cat, and naming him, appropriately, Dewey Readmore Books. Dewey loves his new home, but once he discovers the littlest library visitors-who like to chase him, pull his tail, and squeeze him extra tight-Dewey begins to wonder if he's truly cut out for the demands of his new job. In the end, he is triumphant as he realizes that helping people big and small is what he is meant to do, and that by sharing his special brand of Dewey love, he can be the best library cat of all.

Originally Posted by John.B

Ya know, some of us have kids. Sheesh!

Eh? I didn't say there was anything wrong with that book. It sounds cheesy but really cute...! I like cats... And yeah, go for it, if you have kids. Or otherwise. Besides, the cover is really cute! A pity about Kindle being black and white and having no graphics. What happens to the lovely cover and illustrations? Especially for kids??? Makes you wonder, doesn't it.

On a side note, apparently there's an adult fiction version where the "cat" is actually the Librarian that dresses up as one when she goes out partying... Just kidding.

[nvidia2008]

Originally Posted by old-wiz

I worry about buying an e-book on the Kindle and then having Amazon delete it due to some internal mixup or new DRM rule. If I buy a physical book from anywhere, it's pretty hard for them to come into my house and remove the book. I'll stick to physical books.

Yeah, be careful though about lending those physical books to anyone. That's a big kind of PRM* violation and the FBI will be banging down your door.

*Physical Rights Management