Google Chrome for Mac Alpha Beta Beta Beta Beta... BETA.

I was just about to download and build the latest Google Chrome build for Mac (as it's been a few months since the last attempt), when I ran across this fella's pre-built package he made available for us nerds. While it's really almost identical to Safari 4 beta's, it's still pretty heartening to see an alpha-quality browser that beats the tar out of the current Firefox, IE7 (and 8!), Safari 3 and Opera 9's. Here's a quick look:

 

  

Pretty boring, eh?

Obviously still very early in development, current builders haven't put a lick of effort into the interface at all. There is no tab support (thus no per-tab processes to test), no keyboard shortcuts (i.e. cmd-L for the location bar, etc.), and basic things like printing doesn't work. But what I can say about it is that it's wicked fast (I'd say just as fast as the current WebKit nightlies), JavaScript-heavy web apps load in a heartbeat, and the rendering is pixel-perfect (interestingly enough, this build of Chrome supports CSS rounded corners, which the current Windows release of Chrome, 2.0, does not!). It even scores a full 100/100 on the Acid3 test (current WebKits also score 100, Safari 3 scores Firefox 3 scores 71, and the upcoming Internet Explorer 8 gets 23, I believe).

Again, it's very early, and most of what defines Chrome as a new generation browser isn't there yet, but the meat n' potatoes are. Now, we just wait.

C'mon Goog, get the lead out!

It's like an all-ages show that doesn't suck.

I've been a fan of this little site for a few years, as it's served up some of the best live performances I've seen recorded, but just in case any of you out there haven't been privy to La Blogotheque, check it out, especially the Take Away Shows. Some that I've especially enjoyed are (in order of age):

• Okkerville River
• Au Revoir Simone
• I'm From Barcelona
• The National
• Arcade Fire
• Andrew Bird
• Beirut - This made me a huge fan.
• St. Vincent
• Handsome Furs
• Jens Lekman
• Animal Collective
• Bon Iver - Amazing set.
• Man Man
• Lykke Li and El Perro Del Mar
• Seasick Steve - This one is spectacular.
• Tom Jones - Not the best one on there, but very well done. Tom's not exactly my style, but he still rocks.

St. Vincent - These Days

So good. Too bad she's not cute 'er nothin'. Hah!

Goodbye MobileMe, hello Google Sync.

Yesterday, Google rolled out their beta of Google Sync, their over-the-air sync services that ties your desktop and mobile devices to your Google Mail, Contacts and Calendars. Being a Google freak, I of course had to take the plunge immediately on my iPhone, as I've been wanting for ages to have my iPhones native apps sync to my Google account, rather than my $99/year MobileMe account. Don't get me wrong, I like Apple's MobileMe, and I'll probably still have it for a while, but let's be honest... it's about $70/year too expensive, and it's a little too tied to the Mac side. And, while I think Apple's online apps look great, I actually prefer the minimalist looks of Google's online applications. Plus you throw in Google Docs, its integration to gmail and calendar, and the universal accessibility of it all, I think it's a winning combination.
Anyways, moving to Google Sync was pretty darn easy. Basically, here's what ya do:

1. On your iPhone, disable/delete your MobileMe account. I have not tried not doing this, but I'm guessing it'll either go all haywire, or most likely the iPhone will complain when you try to attach it to your Google account.
2. Next, you create an account on your iPhone for your Google account. This is where ActiveSync comes in. Because Apple hasn't provided outside developers a means of doing this in any other way, Google has licensed ActiveSync from Microsoft, which allows you to essentially set up an Exchange account on your iPhone. Follow the quick steps from Google, and you're nearly immediately presented with the options of what to sync with your Google account.
3. That's it. Your contacts and calendars are immediately pushed down to the iPhone, and you're back in business!

I gave it a shot with mail, contacts and calendar, and sure as poop, it works like a champ, with nearly-instant results! I'll post back with how long it takes to go in each direction.

Google adds PDF viewing to Google Docs Mobile

I knew they were listening to me.

Last night, while nerding, I was blindsided with the spectacular news that Google added Google Book Search to their iPhone/Android offerings, and it immediately popped into my partially-toasted mind: Google Books' renderer = Google Docs PDF renderer. This means I can now view the crapload of PDFs I have archived in my googdocs, right on my iPhone, from anywhere. Technical manuals, religion/theism books, cheatsheets, all of 'em. Thanks again, Goog!

Seeing the PDF in the list, I'm used to.

Viewin' the bitch, I am not!