Google to Speed Up Chrome for Fast Internet Browsing

 

Google is planning to make Chrome faster in order to provide its users fast Internet browsing experience.

Thanks to a new, open-source data and web compression algorithm for the Internet called Brotli, which Google announced last year to boost its web page performance.

With Brotli, Google will speed up Chrome and users could get a significant performance boost in coming months.

Google introduced Brotli last September and claimed that the new algorithm is a "whole new data format" that could reduce file sizes by up to 26 percent higher than Zopfli, the company's three-year-old web compression technology.

Net result – Fast Internet Browsing

In a post on Google+ on Tuesday, web performance engineer at Google Ilya Grigorik announced that the new algorithm is coming to Chrome soon, which will change the way files are compressed, improving loading speeds by a quarter.

Besides faster loading speeds, Brotli also have additional benefits for smartphone users, which includes:

• Lower data transfer fees
• Reduced battery use

Brotli is currently in beta testing mode, with a current status "intent to ship", however, it is likely to be rolled out with the next stable release of Chrome.

Advantages of Brotli

• Brotli outperforms gzip for typical web assets (e.g. css, html, js) by 17–25%.
• Brotli -11 density compared to gzip -9:
• html (multi-language corpus): 25% savings
• js (alexa top 10k): 17% savings
• minified js (alexa top 10k): 17% savings
• css (alexa top 10k): 20% savings

Chrome to Speed Up Web Page Performance Over HTTPS

At present, Brotli is restricted to HTTPS connections, and if you are curious to see Brotli in action, you can activate the feature in Chrome Canary, which is Google's browser for testing new features.

Thereby, you can carry out internet speed test with the help of various website performance testing tools to know what difference Brotli makes to your Internet browsing experience.

So, Get Ready to Speed Up Chrome and make your web page performance faster.

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Google Play Store finally adds support for app promo codes

Just like on iOS, developers can hand out codes for a free download or in-app purchase.

The Google Play Store is finally catching up to Apple by offering a critical promotional tool for developers: app promo codes.

This allows devs to give out a code that’s then redeemed in the Play Store for free downloads or in-app upgrades. According to the developer console help page, devs are allowed a total of 500 promo codes per quarter. The 500-code limit includes any combination of app giveaways or in-app promos, though unused codes don’t carry over to the next quarter.  

Google offered up a few suggestions for how the codes could be put to use:

• A game could have a special item, such as a character or decoration, that’s only available to players who attend an event. The developer could distribute cards with promo codes at the event, and users would enter their promo code to unlock the item.

• An app developer might distribute promo codes at local businesses, to encourage potential users to try the app.

• An app developer might give out “friends and family” codes to its employees to share with their friends.

There’s a little more legwork to perform if you are thinking of giving away in-app content with a promo code, which is explained in a Google help page.

This feature is long overdue, considering it’s been available for iOS and Mac developers for years. This will greatly simplify the process of sending out apps to the media or fans to try out the latest creation. Previous to this, developers had to work out their own system for promotional in-app upgrades or hand out the APK to get others to try out their app.

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai may launch an online poll to name Android N

Nutella? Nougat? Nestle? You may have a say in what Google calls the next release of Android.

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You might may get to vote on what Android N stands for.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai told a group of students during a visit to India that the company may conduct an online poll to select the name of the next version of Android, which is already referred to as Android N. He also quipped that if all of India voted, the dessert could bear an Indian name.

It’s been all American-friendly treats so far. Google got started on its dessert craze for Android names with version 1.5, named Cupcake. It then continued with Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat (which included a marketing agreement with Nestle), Lollipop, and current version Marshmallow.

 An online poll sounds like a lot of fun, and would probably generate plenty of buzz amongst the Android faithful. Plus, it could drum up more attention for Google’s mobile efforts in India, an area of focus for Pichai with the Android One initiative. You can’t go wrong with a tasty treat like Nutella, but there’s no telling if Google again wants to partner with another dessert maker like it did for KitKat.

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Google will revoke trust in a Symantec root certificate

Website owners and developers who have certificates linked to the soon-to-be-retired CA should get new ones

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Very soon, the Android OS, Chrome browser and other Google products will stop trusting all digital certificates that are linked to a 20-year-old Verisign root certificate.

The announcement comes after Symantec unveiled plans to retire the Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority from public use. This is a widely trusted CA that it acquired along with Verisign's SSL business in 2010.

In an alert, the company said that as of Dec. 1, it no longer was using the root certificate, which is trusted by default in most browsers and operating systems, to issue TLS/SSL or code signing certificates.

The company advises owners of digital certificates that chain back to the Class 3 Public Primary CA to obtain new ones that link back to a more modern root. Such replacement certificates are available for free.

According to Google, Symantec will not completely kill off the Class 3 Public Primary CA root and intends to use it for new, unspecified purposes. Because of this, the browser maker cannot guarantee that non-public certificates issued under this root in the future won't be used to "intercept, disrupt, or impersonate the secure communication of Google’s products or users."

"As Symantec is unwilling to specify the new purposes for these certificates, and as they are aware of the risk to Google’s users, they have requested that Google take preventative action by removing and distrusting this root certificate," said Ryan Sleevi, a Google software engineer, in a blog post.

The company will remove two versions of the Class 3 Public Primary CA certificate from its products' trust lists. One version is signed with SHA-1, a hashing algorithm that is in the process of being phased out, and one is signed with MD2, an even older hashing function. Both versions were issued in 1996 and are set to expire in 2028.

According to Google, Symantec doesn't believe that any of its customers who operate HTTPS websites, or their users, will be impacted. However, in its own advisory Symantec acknowledges that users might receive errors in the future if they try to access websites whose certificates chain back to the distrusted root.

This might also happen with signed applications if OS makers also start removing the Class 3 Public Primary CA certificate from their trust lists. Therefore developers should also change their certificates if their chain back to this root and re-sign their code.

Symantec notified all major browser vendors in November to remove the VeriSign Class 3 Public Primary Certification Authority G1 (PCA3-G1) from their trust lists because it is based on older and lower-strength security than currently recommended, Symantec spokesman Noah Edwardsen said via email. The root certificate hasn't been used to generate new certificates in several years and the company's scans confirmed that it's removal poses no risk to the public Internet, he said.

Edwardsen also clarified the certificate's new purpose, saying that it will be used "to provide transition support" for some of Symantec's enterprise customers' "legacy, non-public applications."

"By announcing that they will be blocking this root certificate, Google has indicated that they intend to do exactly as we requested, a step that other browsers started taking in 2014," the Symantec spokesman said.

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Now you can share your Project Fi data with your tablets

Google has expanded its cellular service to support up to nine data-only devices per account, with no extra fees.

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Project Fi is finally coming to more devices. Google updated the support page with information on how to get the data-only service for your tablet. All you have to do is open your account preferences and order a data-only nano SIM. When you get the SIM and pop it into your tablet, it will share the same data pool as your main Project Fi device (current at a rate of $10/GB), with no extra fees.

Currently supported tablets include the Nexus 7, Nexus 9, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S. In a roundabout way, this marks the first support for Google's MVNO carrier experiment on an Apple device. Google added that the data-only SIMs may also work with with devices that aren’t on the list. So, if your tablet is cellular-enabled, and you're already a Project Fi customer, you can order a data-only SIM card for free and try it out for yourself. The same works for any other smartphone that isn’t a Nexus device, though you won’t be able to make calls and texts on the cellular network.

The nano SIM is free as long as you have an active account, so it’s worth the try. You can add up to nine data-only devices. Bear in mind that any extra charges you incur past your data allowance will show up on your monthly Project Fi bill.

Why this matters: Finally, you can use Project Fi with a device other than your Nexus smartphone. Granted, it’s only data, but the upside is that you’ll no longer have to worry about tethering to connect a companion tablet to the Internet. You still need a modern Nexus phone to sign up for Project Fi in the first place, though, so this doesn't do anything to expand the pool of users that are able to use Google's competitively-priced service.

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When will your phone get Android Marshmallow? Here's what we know so far

A statue for Google's Android Marshmallow operating system sits on the Google campus in Mountain 

Whether you have a Samsung, Motorola, LG, HTC, or Nexus, here's a rundown of all the latest news and rumors about when Marshmallow is coming your way.

 Android Marshmallow is here! Well, sort of.

You see, Android updates are a tricky affair. Unless you have a Nexus device, where you get the updates directly from Google, it’s a bit of a slog before you can actually get the latest Android operating system on your phone. 

That’s because there’s a process. It’s quickest with unlocked phones, as the manufacturers test the software on their devices, and then will zip it your way when it’s ready. It’s even longer if you have a phone purchased through a carrier. After the manufacturer prepares the software, they have to run it through Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, or whomever you have service with to incorporate carrier-specific features (and bloatware) and test the new software thoroughly on the network. After some collaboration, the carrier will then approve the update and push it out to your device.

Here’s what we know at this point about when your phone or tablet will get Android Marshmallow. We’ll update our list as the carriers or handset makers detail their plans.

Nexus

Factory images are here for these Google-branded devices. You can wait for an over-the-air update, to install Marshmallow yourself. However, notice what didn’t make the cut: the Nexus 4, 10, and 2012 version of the Nexus 7. Hey, nothing lasts forever. Here’s the full list:

• Nexus 5
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 7 (2013, Wi-Fi and LTE models)
• Nexus 9
• Nexus Player

Also, the OTA updates are on their way. You’ll get a push notification on your Nexus device when it’s ready for you to download. Typically Google sends these out in stages to ensure they don’t wreak any havoc, so it could be several days or even a few weeks before Marshmallow arrives for you.

OnePlus

The OnePlus One and OnePlus 2 will get updated to Marshmallow in the first quarter of 2016, according to a company blog post.

For the OnePlus One, the update will come to the CyanogenOS version—the OxygenOS build is a “community build” that will updated in the future as time allows. In the meantime, OnePlus is focused on updating the OS that the phone came with.

The OnePlus 2 ships with Oxygen OS, which will also be updated to Marshmallow in the first quarter of 2016. In this update the fingerprint sensor will be updated to the standard Marshmallow fingerprint API, instead of the current proprietary implementation.

Samsung

Updates with Samsung are a little harder to nail down because the company sells so many versions of the same phone. So an AT&T Galaxy Note 5 will be on a different update timeframe than a Verizon model. However, it’s a safe bet that the following devices should see Marshmallow at some point. Samsung rolled out Android Lollipop to most editions of the Galaxy S4, so that bodes well for some older devices in terms of eventually getting Marshmallow. However, when you get it will vary widely based on your carrier:

• Galaxy Note 5
• Galaxy S6
• Galaxy S6 Edge
• Galaxy S6 Edge+
• Galaxy S6 Active
• Galaxy S5
• Galaxy Note 4

With previous releases, it’s usually taken a few months for Samsung to push out major OS updates—so prepare to be patient. The good news is that all its flagships and many mid-range devices eventually got Lollipop, so even if you don’t have the latest Galaxy smartphone, there’s a great chance you’ll see Marshmallow at some point, even though only high-end devices have been confirmed so far.

Motorola

Motorola has tweaked its plans a few times, adding support for more devices and starting its upgrade to the Moto X Pure Edition. The U.S. version of the 2015 Moto E is still a no go, but international models will get Marshmallow. Such is the world of Android updates.

Here are the other phones Motorola confirmed will get Android 6.0 or above.

• 2015 Moto X Pure Edition
• 2015 Moto G
• 2014 Moto X 
• 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE
• Droid Turbo 2
• Droid Turbo (first gen)
• 2014 Moto MAXX
• 2014 Moto Turbo
• Nexus 6

Motorola recently added on the the original and current-generation Droid Turbo models to the list. However, they have to go through the typically slow Verizon approval process. So don’t count on seeing new software for a few months if you have an older model or just picked up one of Motorola’s new shatterproof phones.

LG

LG has great news: if you live in Poland. That’s where the company is going to first roll out Android Marshmallow for the G4. It did the same last year with the G3, using Poland as the test market before sending Lollipop to its devices worldwide. LG says close work with Google (likely from the partnership to create the Nexus 5P) enabled the company to get the software ready fast. Along with the G4, we also expect to see the following get an update at some point:

• LG G3
• LG V10

Keep in mind that many of the U.S. variants of these devices are sold through carriers, so your speed at getting Marshmallow might vary.

Sony

Sony makes a lot of different models of phones and tablets. That’s probably why a recent report indicates that some models are skipping Android 5.1 and going straight to Marshmallow. The Xperia Z3+, Z4 Tablet, C4, C5 Ultra, M4 Aqua, and M5 all have Marshmallow pegged as their next update on the Sony support site.

So far, Sony has confirmed the following are on the Marshmallow track:

• Xperia Z5
• Xperia Z5 Compact
• Xperia Z5 Premium
• Xperia Z4 Tablet
• Xperia Z3+
• Xperia Z3
• Xperia Z3 Compact
• Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
• Xperia Z2
• Xperia Z2 Tablet
• Xperia M5
• Xperia C5 Ultra
• Xperia M4 Aqua
• Xperia C4

If past updates are any indication, a handful of these devices will get updated in the first couple months, but the rest could take awhile. And of course, it’s not just in Sony’s hands—you’ll have to wait for your carrier’s build to be created and tested.

Sony has announced that it will let 10,000 users in its Concept for Android program test drive its Android 6.0 Marshmallow release. However, there’s a catch: It’s only for users with a Xperia Z3 or Z3 Compact in the European countries of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Germany.

HTC

HTC is actually rather transparent about its updates, as the company recently tweeted its own list of devices that will get Marshmallow.

• One M9 (coming end of 2015)
• One M8 (coming end of 2015)
• One M9+
• One E9+
• One ME
• One E8
• One M8 EYE
• Butterfly 3
• Desire 826
• Desire 820
• Desire 816

From the list, it’s clear the One M9 and M8 are getting top priority, with a promise to get Marshmallow by the end of this year. That means the other devices may have to wait until 2016. A lot of these phones are carrier-branded also, so that could hold things up even further.

Also, you should also follow HTC’s Mo Versi, who regularly tweets about when the company’s phones are getting updates. 

Huawei

Huawei is relatively new to the U.S, though it has a sizable business in China and other international markets. The Nexus 6P is grabbing most of the attention here, though as a Nexus device it already comes with Marshmallow.

The company’s Indian Twitter account recently said the following devices will get Marshmallow in February 2016:

• Honor 4C
• Honor 4X
• Honor 6
• Honor 6 Plus
• Honor 7

The company has previously confirmed these additional phones will get Marshmallow, though has yet to offer a specific timeframe:

• Ascend P8
• Ascend P8 Max
• Mate S
• Mate 7
• Ascend G7
• Ascend G7 Plus
• Ascend G8
• Honor 7i
• MediaPad X2

Asus

Asus makes a ton of phones, which can make it a little difficult to pin down updates. Thankfully, the company posted a list of devices that that will get the upgrade to Marshmallow. Asus didn’t offer a timeline, but did promise that it’s begun work on the following models:

• PadFone S (PF500KL)
• ZenFone 2 (ZE550ML/ZE551ML)
• ZenFone 2 Deluxe / Special Edition (ZE551ML)
• ZenFone 2 Laser (ZE500KG/ZE500KL/ZE550KL/ZE600KL/ZE601KL)
• ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL)

T-Mobile

There are a lot of great things about T-Mobile, but one of the best is that the “uncarrier” has a dedicated device update site.

Each phone or tablet is categorized as either in Manufacturer Development, T-Mobile Testing, or Completed. Here’s the current list of devices that T-Mo says will get Marshmallow:

• HTC One M8
• HTC One M9
• LG G3
• LG G4
• LG G Stylo
• Nexus 5
• Nexus 6
• Nexus 7 (2013)
• Nexus 9
• Samsung Galaxy Note 4
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5
• Samsung Galaxy Note Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S5
• Samsung Galaxy S6
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

Carrier-branded phones take longer to update than unlocked devices sold directly by the manufacturer, since T-Mobile must test and certify the update. But since T-Mo has a dedicated site for updates, you can check back occasionally to see where your phone has moved along in the process.

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Google Now on Tap gains screenshot feature on Marshmallow devices

If you have the latest version of the Google app, you won't need to fiddle with holding down multiple buttons anymore.

Google Now on Tap has a nifty new trick: taking a screenshot. 

It may not sound all that life-changing, but think about all the times you’ve had to play gymnastics with your fingers just to capture an image of your screen. Now if you have the latest build of the Google app, all you have to do is hold the home button to launch Now on Tap, touch the sharing button, and after a brief animation, you’ll be able to send off the screengrab.

Use Google Now on Tap for quick screenshots that you can more quickly share and organize.

Granted, this process is more involved than pressing the volume down and power button simultaneously. But it does have a couple advantages.

First, you can better organize your screenshots. Direct them into a specific Google Drive folder or another preferred cloud storage space so they don’t clutter up your camera roll. Also, this allows you to share it with a contact or to a social network all in one action.

You’ll need to have a device running Marshmallow and the latest build of the Google app to make this happen.

Why this matters:  This is especially a lifesaver if you have the official Nexus 6P case on Google’s flagship phone. It’s not snug enough, so when you go to hit the screenshot key combo (power and volume down) the case triggers the power button or volume control first, killing your ability to take the picture. It’s rather frustrating, and had led me to take the case off when I needed to take a lot of screenshots. Granted, you may take fewer of these than the average tech writer, but the new method can avoid frustration next time you need to troubleshoot an issue and send a screenshot or capture that tweet before you friend deletes it.

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Google's biggest hits, misses, and WTF moments of 2015

The mega-company's products and services still managed to shake things up—for better and worse.

For Google, 2015 was a year of transformation, as the company breathed new life into old products, got serious about some previously experimental efforts, and even announced a major restructuring. But it was also a year in which the past caught up to Google, with previously-minor nags turning into bigger headaches.

Here are the highlights and lowlights of Google’s 2015.

Hit: Chromecast cashes in

Not everyone was sold on Google’s cheap streaming video dongle when it first launched in 2013. But two years later, Chromecast is an unequivocal hit, with 20 million units sold to date. Although the 2015 upgrade isn’t a major improvement, it doesn’t need to be; new software features and a booming app selection have allowed even the original Chromecast to get better with age.

Miss: Android Wear doesn’t get worn

Google-powered smartwatches made lots of progress this year, with iOS support, better standalone functionality , and a bunch of better-looking hardware. But so far those efforts haven’t translated to significant sales. A November report by Canalys claimed that no smartwatch vendor shipped more than 300,000 units in the previous quarter except Apple, which moved nearly 7 million smartwatches by comparison. If there’s a key to widespread smartwatch success, Android hasn’t cracked it yet.

Hit: Google Photos subtracts the “Plus”

Google’s photo storage service was always doomed to obscurity as a social networking byproduct, and 2015 was the year Google finally acknowledged it. Liberated from Google+, the new Google Photos is far more compelling, especially with features like automatic (and private) facial recognition. As before, free storage is unlimited if you agree to let Google compress your photos.

Miss: Map Maker’s indecent exposure

Google wasn’t directly to blame when an image of the Android mascot urinating on an Apple logo appeared in Google Maps last April. Instead, the user-created prank illustrated a serious lack of oversight in Google’s Map Maker tools. The embarrassing Easter egg prompted Google to shut down Map Maker for four months while the company worked on better moderation schemes.

Hit: Self-driving cars hit the road

Although Google has been retrofitting SUVs with self-driving hardware for years, in 2015 a new fleet of prototypes arrived with automation in mind. (Riders can even detach the steering wheel.) They’ve been cruising the streets of Mountain View and Austin since the summer, capped at 25 mph, with human minders-slash-drivers required to be on board. The path to commercialization is murky, but you can be sure the auto industry is paying very close attention now.

Miss: Feeling the squeeze from Apple

Google loves to talk about the growth potential for mobile search, but the ugly truth is that three-quarters of the company’s current mobile ad revenue comes from iPhones and iPads, the New York Times reported this year. That dependence could become a liability as Apple keeps pushing Google out of the iOS ecosystem. With more powerful search built into iOS 9 Spotlight, and the arrival of Safari ad-blockers, Google’s money-making opportunities may shrivel. It’s unclear whether app streaming and deep linking can compensate.

Hit: Nexus phones for everyone

Buying an unlocked Nexus phone used to be tough to justify, especially in the United States, where carrier subsidies once reigned. But that’s changed with the rise of contract-free service on all the major carriers, who offer cheaper monthly bills when you bring your own phone. The new Nexus 5X and 6P are the perfect candidates for this type of service, with bloatware-free versions of Android and some of the best cameras on the market.

Miss: Android catches Stagefright

Android’s security reputation took another hit this year with Stagefright, a vulnerability tha tallowed remote device takeover with a simple MMS. Although Google quickly patched the problem on its end, and noted that Stagefright was only proven in a laboratory setting, many users won’t ever see a fix, as device makers and wireless carriers fail to keep their software up to date. Meanwhile, researchers keep discovering new vulnerabilities, further eroding confidence that non-stock versions of Android can remain secure.

Hit: Just a letter of the Alphabet

Arguably the strangest Google news this year was the creation of an entirely new company called Alphabet, in which Google would be just a subsidiary. Other parts of Alphabet include Verily (formerly Life Sciences), with its glucose-sensing contact lens and longevity efforts, and Access (for Google Fiber and connectivity projects). The jury’s still out on whether this restructuring really matters, but it at least shows confidence that Google’s weirder experiments can become legitimate businesses.

Miss: Okay, go ahead and be evil

Google’s switch to Alphabet did bring one immediate drawback: Its code of conduct no longer says “don’t be evil,” and instead tells employees to “do the right thing—follow the law, act honorably, and treat each other with respect.” The new code is arguably more realistic, but it also notes that the board can approve “waivers of this Code for directors or executive officers.” Finally, the company’s top brass have the freedom to be as nefarious as they like.

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