Google has introduced the Chrome for Android (beta) for Android 4.0 (ICS), which brings speed and simplicity of desktop Chrome to Android phone and tablet. It enables you to sync bookmarks and tabs across devices.

Chrome for Android Features:

1. Browse fast with accelerated page loading, scrolling, and zooming
2. Search and navigate directly from the omnibox
3. Open and switch between unlimited tabs in an easy-to-view stack
4. Sign in to Chrome to sync your bookmarks and view tabs you have opened on your computer
5. Send pages from desktop Chrome to your smartphone or tablet with one click and read them on the go, even if you’re offline
6. Browse privately in Incognito mode

Not support Adobe Flash!

On the side note, Adobe has confirmed that Chrome for Android does not support Flash:

…Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers, and thus Chrome for Android Beta does not support Flash content. Flash Player continues to be supported within the current Android browser.

No surprise there as Adobe announced in November 2011 that Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers.

Android phone seller should stop highlight “supporting flash” as a feature in 2012! It’s HTML5 now.

Download Chrome for Android

Chrome for Android Beta is for Android 4.0 (ICS) only. You can download it from Android Market.

Based on current 2320 user reviews, the app gets a average rating of 4.3 out of 10. Not suitable to set as default browser for the moment…

My two cents

I like the sync features for bookmarks and view tabs, and the ability to send pages from desktop Chrome. I believe that Chrome will soon replace Android browser and become the default web browser for Android platform.

Chrome for desktop is currently the 2nd most popular web browser in the World.

Google Announce Chrome Beta for Android – Not Support Flash is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Joomla! Day Malaysia 2011 will be held at 25 June. The yearly, non-profit making event aims to provide a platform for web developers, companies and Joomla! community to learn more about Joomla!.It also serves as networking platform from Joomla! community in Malaysia with Joomla! experts from the industry, as well as Joomla! core team members.

Event detail:

Time: 25 June 2011 (Saturday), 8:30am-5:30pm
Venue: Auditorium Microsoft, Level 29, Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC. (Google Map)

Ticket: RM120 per person. Get 25% discount with a group of more than 5 people. Breakfast, lunch, tea breaks are provided. Click here to register.

The invited speakers are:

1. Ryan Ozimek — President of Open Source Matters
2. Chris Rault –- Co-Founder of Prothemer
3. Syed Ahmad Fuqaha –- Joomla.my co-founder
4. Azrul Rahim –- Creator of JomSocial, Joomla! Social Network
5. Saurabh Shah –- Front-end Developer of CloudAccess.net
6. Shyam Verma Sunder –- Lead Developer of JoomlaXi
7. Ross Firdouss –- Front-end Developer of JomSocial

Check out the Joomla! Day Malaysia 2011 schedule here.

Info: Joomla! is a free and open source content management system (CMS) for publishing content on the web. Learn more at Joomla! official site

Event: Joomla! Day Malaysia 2011 is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Ubuntu Linux 11.04 has been released with new look and new features. The popular linux operating system now use Unity as default desktop environment and it looks like Apple Mac OS X.Here are Ubuntu 11.04 new features and the similar features in existing Mac OS X:

The launcher

Ubuntu 11.04 has a launcher on the left-hand side of screen. It is where you put your favorite applications for quick access and keep track of your open windows.

Mac OS X: You get a dock which do the exactly same thing.

The dash

Clicking on the Ubuntu logo in the top-left corner of your screen, the new dash will appear. It allows you to search for application, files and folders.

Mac OS X: the spotlight search located in the top-right corner of your screen also allows you to do system wide search for applications, files and folders.

Workspaces

Ubuntu 11.04 Workspaces is a virtual desktop spaces for you to easily manage multiple windows and applications.

Mac OS X: the Spaces feature does exactly the same thing.

Download Ubuntu 11.04

Unlike Mac OS X, Ubuntu is a free operating system and you can install it on almost any computer. Do not need specified hardware. Download free Ubuntu here.

Video: What’s new in Ubuntu 11.04

The following is the Ubuntu 11.04 new features video:

My two cents

As an OS X user, I found Ubuntu 11.04 interface very familiar and I would love to install it in my non-Mac computer.

[OS X spaces screenshot via Geezy]

User Interface Compared: Ubuntu 11.04 VS. Mac OS X is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Firefox 4 has a slicker look and tab bar is at the top by default. Some new features are Firefox settings synchronization, tabs organizer, and new add-on manager that opens in tab.

A major improvement in Firefox 4 Beta is the huge performance enhancements (few times better than Firefox 3.x).

Refer to the chart below:

I downloaded the Firefox 4 beta 10 for Mac OS X version. In order to test Firefox 4 beta in production, I have set Firefox as my default browser (I was using Google Chrome as default web browser).

In my test, loading Facebook.com is about 1 second faster than Google Chrome. The memory usage is well kept under 300MB, while Google Chrome is a memory monster!

In a nutshell, I like Firefox 4 and I will try it for a longer time to see if Firefox will return to be my permanent default browser or not.

Have you installed Firefox 4? What do you like/dislike about it?

Download Firefox 4 Beta Now. It is FAST! is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Since its arrival in the market, VoIP has undergone a lot of developments. Now it is being used in many large corporations as the only calling service. Here I would like to discuss the most popular VoIP apps for Linux.

Ekiga

It was previously known as Gnome Meeting. It can be downloaded free. We can enjoy videoconferencing and VoIP calls through Ekiga. All H.323 compatible hardware and software can be used with Ekiga. We can use it with UNIX also. To use Ekiga, we should have SIP account. Meanwhile, to make PC to phone calls, you should have account with any VoIP service provider. Although Ekiga people recommend Diamond card Worldwide Communication Service but there are many other VoIP service providers like Vonage, Axvoice, Broadvoice etc.

Gizmo5

It was earlier known as Gizmo Project. This is free software for pc to pc calls. Like other applications, it also has features like call recording, missed calls, messenger style text messages etc. It can be used for computer to phone calls too.

(Editor note: Gizmo5 has been acquired by Google on November 12, 2009)

Skype for Linux

The most commonly used VoIP application is Skype. It has approximately 500 million users across the globe. The reason behind its popularity is that it is built on the basis of another VoIP service and users do not have to deal with the complicated SIP settings. Although, Linux version of the product is not as comprehensive as that of windows but still it is useful for the people who want to use it on Linux. However, there are many who fail to detect camera with Skype.

Empathy

This software is like an universal client for various instant messengers or chat software. Nearly all the chat software features are included in this software. This software is included in Gnome in its 2.24 version.

Twinkle

Twinkle is the most popular Linux based SIP software. It supports Linux only and it is an open source SIP client. We can use two lines simultaneously in Twinkle. It offers 3 way conference calling facility. It has in band as well as out of band DTMF. STUN support for NAT traversal is also available. It is available as a Firefox extension also.

KPhone

This SIP user agent is also used for Linux. It supports IPv4 and IPv6. Kphone supports NAT-traversal STUN. It offers SRTP encryption for voice.

Check with your VoIP provider

The point to remember is that only software is not enough if you want to make VoIP calls. You have to subscribe with some VoIP provider also. There are several VoIP providers like Vonage, Axvoice and Skype etc. Some VoIP providers recommend particular software for their service. Before you install the software, you should ask your service provider if any particular application is required for their application.

Guest post: This article is written by Mr. Zach Ripples. Blogging is his passion and he has been doing this since he was an O level student. His favorite topic is VoIP technology. Currently He is working for Axvoice – Internet Phone Service Provider in USA and Canada.

[image courtesy of Florian Seroussi]

6 Popular VOIP Software for Linux that You Might Not Know is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Happy 6th birthday, Firefox! Firefox 1.0 was released at November 9, 2004. Firefox has been downloaded over 1 billion times (2009) in the past years!

Many people have switched to Firefox from Internet Explorer because the latter sucks. I was one of the hundred millions Firefox user till… this year. I have switched to Google Chrome web browser this year because it is lighter and faster than Firefox.

Anyhow, I appreciate the great browsing experience given by Firefox. I might try Firefox 4 when the final version is released.

Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome? Please take a second to vote the poll below.

“Happy 6th Birthday, Firefox!”, from a Google Chrome Switcher is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Vanilla Forums 2 has been released. It is a simple, lightweight, open-source forum software that support add-ons and customized themes.

I was looking for a bbPress forum alternative (lightweight, highly customizable, open-source, etc) and I found Vanilla Forums.

I have tried Vanilla 2 beta for a couple months. It is exactly my ideal forum: simple, clean, focus on threads (instead of forums), support add-ons and themes, etc.

Check out the Vanilla 2 features, try it for free, or download and install on your hosting.

Why not bbPress?

bbPress is great piece of open-source forum script backup by WordPress but the development is toooooo slooooowww.

The latest stable version of bbPress (version 1.0.2) was released 1 year ago! Matt Mullenweg, the founding developer of WordPress, was only recently updated bbPress blog, 7 months 2 days since his last post.

Once, I almost thought bbPress was dead…

Therefore, Vanilla Forums with active developments and strong support forums is my pick of lightweight forum software.

P.S. It is easy to integrate Vanilla Forum to WordPress blog, too!

Download Vanilla Forums 2, Lightweight Open-source Forum Software is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Tip: Click here to scan for Windows Registry Errors and Optimize PC performance

Mozilla Firefox 3.6 final has been released. Why should you install update?

1. Fastest Firefox (20% faster than Firefox 3.5). Faster startup time. Better JavaScript performance e.g. load Facebook faster!
2. Get your Firefox in your language (available in more than 70 languages).
3. Support for new Personas theme which allows you to change Firefox theme instantly.
4. Automatic protects you from out-of-date plugins
5. Can display video in full screen
6. Support for HTML5 (watch Firefox HTML5 videos here, no Flash player needed)
7. Fewer crashes caused by 3rd party software
8. You are using Firefox!

Click here to download the latest Firefox.

8 Reasons Why You Should Update to Firefox 3.6 is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

Mozilla Firefox 3.6 Release Candidate (RC1) is now available for download.

Firefox 3.6 is build on the Gecko 1.9.2 platform (3.5 uses Gecko 1.9.1) with the following new features:

• Users can change the browser’s appearance with a single click using Personas.
• Firefox 3.6 alerts users about out of date plugins to keep them safe.
• Changes to how third-party software integrates with Firefox to increase stability.
• Improved automatic form fill provides better options from your form history.
• Open, native video can now be displayed full screen, and supports poster frames.
• Support for the WOFF font format.
• Improved JavaScript performance, overall browser responsiveness and startup time.
• The ability to run scripts asynchronously to speed up page load times.
• Support for the HTML5 File API
• Support for new CSS, DOM and HTML5 web technologies.

I installed Firefox 3.6 RC1 and “feel” (no serious testing done) that it is much faster than Firefox 3.5.7. The loading speed of Facebook homepage, which use A LOT of Javascript, is improved quite significant.

All the Firefox add-ons that I am using (20+ of them) are either support or compatible with Firefox 3.6 RC1. Great!

Have you installed Firefox 3.6 RC1 yet? Download it here.

Download Firefox 3.6 RC1 is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.

The Chrome OS image (300MB compressed / 700MB uncompressed) is compiled from the Chromium OS source code (developer preview 0.4.22.8) by Jon Ursenbach (gdgt.com engineer). You can use it in VMware, VirtualBox, and on a USB drive.

Please note that the Chrome OS is still in its VERY early development. It could be very buggy and very limited functionality.

Download it at your own risk! (although it can’t do much harm by running in virtual machine)

For geeks who installed Chrome OS, How is it? What do you like/dislike about Chrome OS? How’s the performance? Super-FAST?

Google Chromium OS (Chrome OS) login screen

Update: I downloaded the Google Chrome OS VMWare image and load it on VMware Fusion (Mac). But I can’t log into the OS because it cannot detect the network connection. A Google Account (Gmail) and Internet connection are required in order to login Google Chrome OS.

Now You Can Download Google Chrome OS for Free! is an article from: LiewCF Tech Blog. For more updates, please follow @liewcf on Twitter, join Facebook page and subscribe free newsletter.