Chrome surpasses 1 billion monthly users on Android and iOS

Google has announced that the mobile version of its Chrome browser, running on both Android and iOS, has now passed 1 billion monthly active users. This puts Chrome in the same club as products like YouTube, Maps, and Search, all of which have passed the same milestone.

From TechCrunch:

Google says its users now load 771 billion pages per month (on desktop and mobile combined), and they use Google Translate for 3.6 billion of these pages. The company also says that its data-saving features for both the desktop and mobile now saves its users a total of 2 million gigabytes of data used every month.

Google didn’t break down of how many people used Chrome on each platform, and while Android no doubt leads those numbers, it’s likely that the iOS version has proven popular as well.

This announcement comes just one week after Google released Chrome 50 for desktops.

‘Shadow Complex Remastered’ hits the PS4 on May 3

Sony announced on Wednesday that is bringing the last-gen hit sidescroller Shadow Complex into the modern gaming era and release a remastered version of it on May 3rd for the PS4. For those not familiar with the title, Shadow Complex follows the exploits of one Jason Flemming who must rescue his girlfriend (guh, cliche much?) from a faction of high-tech soldiers in a secret underground bunker. It utilizes the same sort of 2.5D gameplay as Super Metroid, wherein the environment is 3D but the player can only move in two dimensions — enemies are not, however, similarly restricted and can attack from anywhere.

Shadow Complex was one of the most popular Live Arcade games ever released on the Xbox 360. The Xbox One got its own remastered version in March. The PS4 version will include the same graphics boost as well as additional Challenge Levels. There’s no word yet on how much the the PS4 version will cost when it hits Sony’s virtual store shelves.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Find and play podcasts in the Android Google app

Google finally added podcasts to Google Play Music this week, but the episodic content is still rolling out to the music service’s Android app. While you’re waiting to have all of your listening content in one place, the folks in Mountain View are giving you another option in the main search app. Starting today, you’ll be able to fire up a podcast right from the search results in the Google app on Android. Once you start a show, a player appears at the bottom of the window with play/pause controls and options for skipping ahead 30 seconds and skipping back 10 seconds.

Need to do something else on your phone? The podcast will continue playing from the Google app if you leave, and those controls are easily accessible by swiping down on the notifications menu — similar to other audio apps. What’s more, some podcasts that aren’t available through Google Play Music are with this new feature in the main Google app. For example, searching for Serial or Fresh Air produces the last few episodes, but those two popular podcasts don’t show up in Music’s web-based desktop app. The opposite is true as well: some of the podcasts in Music on the desktop don’t immediately pop up when I search for them in the Google app.

The initial search results show you the three most recent episodes with a play button beside each one. If you need to go back further, tapping “more episodes” will display the podcast’s description and a longer episode list. In the case of Serial, you see all 26 episodes, but for one that’s been around longer, like Fresh Air, Google will let you browse the last 50. If you don’t mind streaming podcasts, this is a handy add-on to an app you already have on your phone. However, if you prefer to take your listening offline, you’ll need to look into options like Pocket Casts, Spotify and others.

Source: Google

Google Keep finally gets a Chrome extension for easier saving

Heads up, taskmasters and note-takers: Google Keep just got a few new features that should help it fit better into your workflow. For one, Google finally got around to making a Chrome extension so you can save web pages (or parts of them) straight to Keep with handy notes in tow. A small (but vocal!) subset of Keep fans have been clamoring for a proper in-browser option for ages, prompting some developers to cook up their own extensions — all without a proper Keep API from Google.

Creating new Keep entries while multitasking just got easier on Android, too. Sweet, sweet content (like web links, photos and text) in other apps can be saved to Keep via the Share menu. Google’s own example demonstrates saving a link from Chrome for Android, but the trick also works for non-Google software — we’re told that any app that supports Android’s Share Intents will play nice with Keep. We also now have the power to categorize our Keep notes with #hashtags (naturally), though it’s really just an easier way to add existing labels or create a new ones. Throw in some minor UI changes for Keep’s Android app, and we’ve got a surprisingly substantial update — you’ll be able to start playing with these features shortly.

Source: Google Docs blog

Perfect your resume with Resumonk Resume Creator

Your career accomplishments will set the course for greater success in the future, but properly conveying your expertise is essential for opening doors to new opportunities. When you’re ready to take the next step in your career, construct a top-notch professional resume via Resumonk Resume Creator, with a lifetime subscription now available at 59 per cent off on Pocket-lint Deals.

Resumonk offers a range of stylish, customizable templates to highlight your strongest traits and work history highlights. You’ll be able to customize the fonts and colors of any chosen template, and save time by importing your information from LinkedIn. Once complete, you can download your document in .pdf or .docx formats.

For online applications, Resumonk lets you set a custom URL that links directly to your resume, and gain access to analytics to see whether prospective employers have explored your compilation of professional accomplishments.

At Pocket-lint Deals, you can currently grab lifetime access to Resumonk for just ‎£16.90 ($24).

LG 4K HDR choices for 2016: G6, E6, C6 and B6 TVs compared

LG’s message in its 2015 televisions was about curved OLED, later releasing flat models to accompany the curved versions. With 2016, the message is still very much about OLED, Ultra HD and HDR, but guess what? The lead model moves to flat instead.

OLED is expensive to make but has always pushed the message of offering superior blacks and superior colours over its LCD competition. That’s down to the way that OLED can turn off each pixel to achieve absolute blacks, where LCD lights in sections. With LCD offering more affordable panels and increasingly proficient visuals with a range of enhanced dimming techniques, LG’s refinement of its OLED TVs continues. 

All the LG OLED models for 2016 feature Ultra HD/4K, HDR, LG’s Perfect Black, Perfect Colour, Perfect Clarity and webOS.

LG

LG G6 Signature

The flagship television for LG in 2016 is the G6, not to be mistaken for the equally lavish private jet, part of LG’s new Signature family of premium products.

The LG G6 Signature features Ultra HD, HDR and 3D. But it’s the Picture on Glass design that makes this a very attractive telelvision. Thanks to the super thin nature of OLED, this screen is just 2.57mm in depth, so that’s thinner than your smartphone. It’s certainly a showcase design.

As a result all the components are placed in the bottom where LG has cleverly doubled the stand as a soundbar. This offers 60W front-firing audio with a 4.2 channel system designed by Harmon/Kardon. So smart is the design, even the stand can be folded back in case you want to wall mount this TV.

The G6 comes with the webOS Smart TV platform, meaning super-simple access to everything via clear icons and premium motion sensitive remote control. This TV is Ultra HD Premium certified, as well as supporting Dolby Vision HDR standards. In the UK this display won’t support Freeview Play, as LG thinks that those opting for this premium flagship will likely pay for premium TV services too, like Sky Q.

The LG G6 also comes Netflix recommended, supporting the clever instant on feature, that will mean when you turn your TV back on, you’ll be returned to the Netflix programme you were watching when you switched it off, rather than booted back into the main menu.

Of course all these specs and design flair come at a cost: the 77-inch G6, out later in the year, is £25,000 while the 65-inch model, out in May, is £6000.

LG

LG E6

The LG E6 is the model that stands a step down from the G6 flagship. While this means a drop in price, the spec change is not hugely different.

You still get the Ultra HD OLED 3D panel with HDR but it also features that Picture on Glass design 2.57mm screen, plus the addition of Freeview Play in the webOS platform. This is also an Ultra HD Premium certified TV offering support for Dolby Vision too.

The E6 comes in smaller size options and has a similar soundbar but one that tops out at 40W and 2.2-channels. The design is also different in the rear with a crystal glass backing.

The LG E6 65-inch and 55-inch televisions, available in April, are £5000 and £3500 respectively.

LG

LG C6

The LG C6 represents a more significant level drop in the OLED range, both in offerings and price. The big difference here is that the C6 does not feature the super thin Picture on Glass design nor does it sport a built-in soundbar. This model offers a curved OLED display, very much like LG’s 2015 offerings, but is still only 5mm thick.

The LG C6 offers an Ultra HD/4K panel offering 3D, and Ultra HD support in the form of Dolby Vision and again carries the Ultra HD Premium badge.

The LG C6 comes in 65-inch and 55-inch models, due in June, for £4500 and £3000 respectively.

LG

LG B6

The LG B6 is the same as the C6 but offers a flat panel rather than a curved one. It’s still a slim profile television, but a step down from the picture on glass flagships.

The LG B6 offers an Ultra HD/4K panel with HDR support, carrying the Ultra HD Premium badge and supporting Dolby Vision. It runs on the webOS platform, offering Freeview Play in the UK.

The LG B6 is available in 55 or 65-inch options, costing £4500 and £3000 respectively. They will be available from June 2016.

Accomplish more in your day: 2 apps to boost productivity

For the creative mind, staying organized can be an uphill battle that lasts a lifetime.

Keeping your thoughts and ideas structured is essential to turn them into successful executions, and that’s why we’ve put together two great new offers on Pocket-lint Deals to eliminate clutter, cut down on distractions and help set you on track for success.

Scrivener is a hugely popular word processor and project management app for Windows. Writing professionals love Scrivener’s dedication to providing a clean writing interface and essential reference tools, streamlining and organizing research and writing on your computer.

With a suite of features including “snapshot” edits, storyboard options, scriptwriting mode and more, Scrivener will keep your ideas clearly defined and secure with automatic backup. Right now, you can pick up a copy of your own for as low as £14.08 ($20) on Pocket-lint Deals, a full 50 per cent off the MSRP.

If you find yourself jotting down notes and ideas on scraps of paper or whatever else you can get your hands on, the chances are good that chaotic clutter is preventing your concepts from seeing their full potential. To help, Scapple allows you to make notes anywhere on your page and connect them in a variety of manners, building a web of interconnected ideas and projects.

Scapple is a simple app that eschews the redundant frills for a functionality you can rely on. It’s a freeform text editor that allows you to connect your ideas to one another, and lets you move them around to your heart’s content. You can then attach new ideas with arrows, lines, or just leave them on their own. Supercharge your workflow and stay organized with Scapple, now just £6.33 ($8.99) on Pocket-lint Deals.

Mini review video: Our verdict on the LG G5 in about a minute

LG’s latest flagship phone, the G5, is a fascinating device. Just plug in optional modules — excuse us, “Friend” accessories — and you can enjoy extra functionality when you need it: everything from a camera grip with a secondary battery to an audio DAC that upscales sound quality. It also offers fast performance and a dual-camera setup that’s actually a lot of fun to use. But while the phone wins points for innovation, the first modules fail to impress in real-world testing. Meanwhile, it’s clear LG cut corners in other areas, with the forgettable design and middling battery life being the biggest offenders. As our reviewer Chris Velazco notes, the device has the potential to improve over time as new and improved Friend modules come out, but for now, it’s a work in progress.

Firefighter mask offers hands-free thermal imaging

When firefighters tackle a dangerous blaze, thermal imaging can be their greatest ally. It’s usually integrated in a small handheld camera, helping team members to quickly locate civilians, peak through walls and identify safe passageways. Tyco’s Scott Safety has now developed a face mask which includes an integrated thermal camera and display, called “Scott Sight.” A small image is shown inside the mask — similar to how Google Glass’ would appear in your peripheral vision — at nine frames per second, for up to four hours. The user can also switch between four different interfaces, as well as ambient and max temperature settings.

The combination should allow firefighters to keep their hands free. Whether they’re guiding people to safety, or using specialized equipment, Scott Sight should help firefighters to be more effective and tackle blazes faster. The only downside is that each crew member will need their own mask to see the world through thermal vision — a handheld camera, in comparison, can be easily viewed and shared between multiple people.

Nevertheless, Scott Sight feels like a logical step forward. It sets the foundation for a more advanced overlay, similar to Microsoft’s HoloLens, which firefighters could enable on the fly. Such a system would remove the need to constantly peer at a tiny screen, keeping the wearer’s gaze front and center — a behavior that’s paramount in a fire-fuelled situation, where potential dangers could present themselves at any moment.

Via: Gizmodo

Source: Tyco, Scott Safety

BBC to air early David Attenborough documentaries in colour

Sir David Attenborough has been making natural history and wildlife documentaries for more than 60 years. One of his earliest productions, Zoo Quest, was broadcast in the early 1950s, before colour TVs were a household staple. Now, decades later, a BBC archivist has discovered six hours of Zoo Quest footage shot in gorgeous colour. It was a complete surprise because everyone, including Attenborough, had assumed the films were captured in monochrome. As he tells the BBC:

“I was astonished when someone said we’ve got nearly all the film of the first three expeditions you did in colour. I said it’s impossible — we shot in black and white.”

As Radio Times reports, the film canisters were found in the library of the BBC’s Natural History Unit in Bristol. The labels simply read “Attenborough,” which is presumably why no-one had noticed them or thought to play them back. “The most experienced archive researcher who’s been here 30 years didn’t know about them,” Miles Barton, Attenborough’s filmmaking partner said. “They were uncatalogued and unlabelled. I find it unbelievable myself. I was totally amazed.”

The newly discovered footage will be edited into a 90-minute special and and broadcast on BBC Four next month. It’ll be called Zoo Quest in Color and feature new commentary from Attenborough and his cameraman Charles Lagus. Three documentaries will feature — Zoo Quest to West Africa, Zoo Quest to Guiana, and Zoo Quest for a Dragon — hopefully providing a new perspective on Attenborough’s prestigious career.

Source: BBC, Radio Times