Kindle software coming to Mac; Google Chrome hits milestone
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.
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.
Comments
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
select count(*) from teckstud_knowledge still returns 0.
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!
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.
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.
People seem utterly incapable of being diddled around by, and feeding the ego of a complete know-nothing.
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.
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.
...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.