Google streaming I/O conference 2011 live for those who can't make it

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Samuel Gibbs on April 8, 2011 at 04:40 AM

The Google I/O conference, a gathering of developers from across the globe to San Francisco's Moscone Center, sold out in under an hour. In an effort to encompass as many people as clearly want to join in with the conference, Google is going to stream the keynotes, sessions and Developer Sandbox, live via the Google I/O website. This is in addition to the already planned I/O Extended viewing parties that Google and others are hosting around the world.

So if were unlucky in getting tickets, stuck at home, or to your desk on May 10th and 11th, but really want to get in on the I/O action, check out the Google I/O Live page, where you can register your interest by displaying the Google I/O Live 2011 HTML5 badge on your site. Oh and check out the fancy, bouncing ball, countdown clock while you're there too. Tags: developer, Google, Google IO, Google IO 2011, Google IO Live, GoogleIo, GoogleIo2011, GoogleIoLive, Web

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Google streaming I/O conference 2011 live for those who can't make it

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Samuel Gibbs on April 8, 2011 at 04:40 AM

The Google I/O conference, a gathering of developers from across the globe to San Francisco's Moscone Center, sold out in under an hour. In an effort to encompass as many people as clearly want to join in with the conference, Google is going to stream the keynotes, sessions and Developer Sandbox, live via the Google I/O website. This is in addition to the already planned I/O Extended viewing parties that Google and others are hosting around the world.

So if were unlucky in getting tickets, stuck at home, or to your desk on May 10th and 11th, but really want to get in on the I/O action, check out the Google I/O Live page, where you can register your interest by displaying the Google I/O Live 2011 HTML5 badge on your site. Oh and check out the fancy, bouncing ball, countdown clock while you're there too. Tags: developer, Google, Google IO, Google IO 2011, Google IO Live, GoogleIo, GoogleIo2011, GoogleIoLive, Web

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Google Hotpot finally (and fully) merged into Places

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Matthew Rogers on April 8, 2011 at 07:07 PM

It's taken months of confused looks, but Google's finally seen the light. Hotpot, which has been a universally scorned moniker for a service that just about everyone called Places, is now simply lumped in with Places.

The actual differences between Hotpot and Places were nearly non-existent, especially when dealing with the mobile aspect (which was even worse, since finding and rating restaurants and other venues is typically done on a smartphone, not a desktop). When it came down to it, Hotpot was basically just the rating/reviewing system for Places -- so while it probably started off as a separate project, it was destined to be gobbled up by the bigger app from the get go.

So, now that the hideous name is over and done with, Places can go on to gain popularity alongside its older sibling, Latitude -- and we can definitely expect both of them to get a major boost now that check-in deals have been brought into the mix. Tags: cellphones, google, hyperlocal, local, mobile, rating, restaurants, social, venues

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Google Latitude check-in deals now available across the US

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AppId is over the quota
by Lee Mathews on April 8, 2011 at 08:18 AM

Recently, Google has been busy beefing up Latitude to make it more competitive with other location apps -- and more fun to use. Location history was added recently, iOS users can post check-ins via Latitude, and now Google has begun rolling out location-based deals which are tied to the service.

If you're in the U.S., you can now score local savings at participating merchants by checking in with Latitude. Google will also be offering "status deals," which users can unlock by visiting a particular merchant on a regular basis. Mashable notes three status levels: regular, VIP, and guru -- though partners can apparently customize those titles if they choose.

Right now deals are available from merchants like American Eagle Outfitters, Arby's, Finish Line, Macy's, Quiznos, and RadioShack. Tags: apps, check-in, checkin, deal, deals, facebook deals, FacebookDeals, google, google latitude, GoogleLatitude, groupon, hyperlocal, latitude, local, location

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Google Chrome now uses SPDY HTTP replacement, halves page load time

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
by Sebastian Anthony on April 11, 2011 at 07:00 AM

We're not entirely sure of the time line here, but it looks like Google has now rolled out the SPDY HTTP replacement to its full bevy of Web services, including Gmail, Docs, and YouTube. If you're currently using Google's Chrome browser you're probably already using SPDY.
We originally reported on SPDY way back in November 2009, when Google introduced it as yet another experiment in making the Web faster, like Go, Native Client and speculative pre-connections. Over the last 18 months, though, SPDY support has found its way into the stable build of Chrome.

SPDY is basically a streamlined and more efficient version of HTTP. At its most basic, SPDY introduces parallel, multiplexed streams over a single TCP connection -- but at the same time, SPDY allows for prioritization, so that vital content (HTML) can be sent before periphery content (JavaScript, video). All in all, the SPDY protocol can halve page load times, which is obviously rather significant.

The best bit, though, is that SPDY is an open-source project. HTTP 1.1 is a lumbering beast that needs to be replaced before low-latency real-time computing really becomes a reality, and SPDY is one of the best options currently on the table. To be honest, we're not sure why SPDY hasn't received more coverage -- it's awesome in every way. At the moment, though, the only way to help speed up SPDY's proliferation, is with an experimental Apache mod.

As far as actually 'trying it out,' your best bet is downloading Chrome, hitting up some Google sites, and then checking chrome://net-internals to see your active SPDY sessions. SPDY is a transparent replacement for HTTP, though, and as such it's rather hard to see its effects. Google's sites definitely feel fast in Chrome, but there are more technologies than just SPDY at work. Tags: browsers, chrome, faster, google, google chrome, GoogleChrome, http, http 1.1, Http1.1, spdy, speed, web

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