Google outs Chrome 9 with Google Instant, Web Store features

Google has released the stable version of Chrome 9 browser and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It had been in the beta stage for quite a long time but now finally it has got released in the stable version.
The stable Chrome 9 includes three new features that include WebGL support, Google Instant and Chrome Web Store.
The WebGL brings hardware accelerated 3D rendering to Chrome, which means that people will now be able to see 3D animations without the need of any additional software. Google Instant is the real time updates that appear in a search result when we enter a query. It fastens the search results depending on the browsing history.
The Chrome Web Store is open to U.S. users only, as of now and has been designed in the lines of Apple’s App Store. 

Honeycomb for phones: Google points to Android Ice Cream

After Google showcased Honeycomb at the CES 2011, the question in everyone's mind was will Honeycomb, Google's tablet-only operating system, come to the mobile phones or be confined to the tablets? However there is not yet a clear answer to the question except the fact that it has been learnt that Google has started creating a new smartphone build called the GRI17, codenamed Ice Cream.
A source from Google has narrated to Phandroid that it has indeed started work on GRI17 that will bring in some Honeycomb flavors to the phones in future. However the features that will be seen in the phones is not known yet.

Also the release of the new version of Android does not seem to be happening very soon. This is in keeping with Google's decision to give developers, OEMs, and users, time between versions of Android, to understand and explore the platforms properly.

If the features of the Honeycomb is anything to go by, then may we say that the smartphones laden with the future Android version will be a dream to use. Right now, however, the focus will be on Gingerbread loaded phones, many of which will be showcased in the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. 

Facebook, Twitter to be used for Census 2011

Social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter will also used to make people aware of the importance of Census 2011, an official said Friday.

The Madhya Pradesh government and the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) held a day-long workshop on the role of media in Census 2011.

It was announced that two pages on census related information had already been made on Facebook.
"While the centre's brand ambassadors are Sachin Tendulkar and actress Priyanka Chopra, lyricist Gulzar and television actress Divyanka Tripathi would be the brand ambassadors for census work in Madhya Pradesh," said Sachin Sinha, director of the directorate for census work.

"It is a real challenge for us to include everyone - from beggars to the elite class - in census," he said.

The second phase of Census 2011 will begin Feb 9 and continue till 28 across India. 

A wall socket to take with you: Mobile phone power packs

Most people charge their mobile phone using the power cord that came with it. Yet we’ve all encountered situations where there’s no socket within reach. Power packs are the solution.

Yet the external batteries in power packs don’t always achieve everything they promise.

Power packs are generally the same size as a mobile phone and cost between $20 and $40. Countless models are available on the market; several can even produce their own electricity using solar cells. Kai-Christian Moeller from the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research in Wurzburg, Germany, sees them as little more than bells and whistles. “Solar cells of that size aren’t big enough to charge a mobile phone,” he says.

Solar power packs — and all other battery packs of this type — are filled with rechargeable batteries. Even under ideal conditions, it could take eight hours or longer, Moeller says. Owners of a solar cell power pack would ultimately end up relying primarily on the same wall socket as everyone else. Moeller has been researching single-use and rechargeable batteries for years. He isn’t particularly impressed by power packs without solar cells either: “To be completely honest: I’d rather just bring along a second battery.” But that’s not always possible, says Daniel Schaechter, editor at the online tech magazine CNET. “The decisive benefit of a power pack is that I don’t have to turn my mobile phone off to charge it,” Schaechter says. Furthermore, there are some devices, most notably Apple’s iPhone, whose battery cannot be removed without tools.

Cracking the case open to get at the battery typically voids the warrantee.

Power packs could be of potential interest for business travellers, Schaechter explains. “On some days I know in advance that I’ll be doing a lot of calling or e-mailing, such as at trade fairs,” he says.

In those cases a power pack is the more practical option. “I usually have to have the second battery in the phone to charge it. So that means I’ll have to be switching batteries ahead of the trip, during the trip, and afterwards,” he says. A power pack eliminates some of that complexity.

External energy sources can also be helpful for vacationers with a second mobile phone, MP3 player, or digital camera in their luggage.

Cellphone offers clue to your personality

Believe it or not, mobile phones say quite a lot about their owners, says a new study.

Social analyst David Chalke said a person's mobile phone could give outsiders insight into their attitudes towards work, rest and play.
"Twenty years ago when you said 'your phone', you meant the white Telecom commander on the wall in the kitchen, but it doesn't mean that at all now it means your social accessory. In fact, a research by Roy Morgan revealed most attributes differed between owners of mobile phone brands.The iPhone users thinks computers give them control over their lives. "iPhone is the Alfa Romeo," Chalke said. SonyEricsson users like a full social life. LG users are women aged 14 to 24. Samsung users tend to be conservative dressers over 50. "Samsung is the Daihatsu." Blackberry users are high-earners aged 35 to 49. Nokia users are unlikely to be aged 14 to 24 and less likely to have played arcade video games in the past three months, according to him. "Nokia is the security blanket."