It may have taken a long time for Google to get around to releasing its popular Chrome browser for the Android platform, but that day has finally come.

In order for your tabs to sync from the desktop version of Chrome to the Android Chrome Beta, you will first need to install Chrome Beta on your Android device, and ensure you are running the latest version of Chrome on your desktop.

Once you have both apps installed and up to date, sign in to each respective browser using the same Google account. You can sign into Chrome desktop under Preferences > Personal Stuff. Chrome Beta on Android will prompt you to sign in the first time you launch the app.

Now that you're signed in under the same account in both browsers, launch the desktop version of Chrome and open the Preferences tab.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)

1. When viewing the Preferences tab, click on Personal Stuff and then under Sign In, click on Advanced.

(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)

2. Under the Advance menu, you will need to ensure the "Open Tabs" box is checked. If you have enabled Chrome to sync everything, you won't have to change anything. However, if you are manually managing what Chrome syncs, you will need to check the box next to open tabs.

That's all there is to setting up tab sync with Chrome desktop. You can repeat these steps as ... [Read more]

Google just released Chrome Beta for Android.

Chrome Beta brings all of your favorite Chrome features to your favorite smartphone or tablet, including Incognito mode. Here's a quick rundown of how to open and manage Incognito tabs.

Before we begin, you will need to download Chrome Beta from the Android Market. If you aren't using a device running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, you won't be able to download Chrome Beta as it's only compatible with ICS devices.

1. To open an Incognito tab, tap on the Menu icon on any screen.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)
2. Select New Incognito tab from the list of options.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)
3. You will then see a blank Incognito session open. The information displayed is letting you know anything you do in a Incognito tab isn't tracked. If you want to open an additional Incognito tab, tap on the tab icon.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)
4. You will then see a cardlike preview of the tabs you currently have open. Tapping on the New Incognito tab option up top will open an additional tab.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipr... [Read more]

(Credit: Google)

Earlier today, the Google Voice app for Android was quietly updated, moving it to version 0.4.2.44.

While the minuscule version number may suggest otherwise, this newest iteration is significant, as it shows off a completely redesigned user interface and a shiny new app icon. Both are marked by the clean lines and cyan accents of the newest Android operating system, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The most notable feature added to Google Voice is Click-to-Call, located in the top-right corner of the tablet version of the app. Click-to-Call summons a small pop-up window that, as you can imagine, makes placing calls from the app easier than ever. Meanwhile, the smartphone version of Google Voice has the new interface and icon, but no Click-to-Call feature.

Google Voice's new Click-to-Call feature on an Android tablet running Honeycomb

(Credit: Jaymar Cabebe | CNET)

The new Google Voice (download) is available for free now in the Android Market.

[Read more]

Path founder Dave Morin, speaking at the 2011 Web 2.0 Summit.

(Credit: CNET/James Martin)

The popular photo sharing service Path is deep in the weeds today after a blogger revealed that the company's app automatically uploads iPhone users' entire address books to its servers.

In a blog post, a developer named Arun Thampi said that he discovered that his "entire address book (including full names, emails, and phone numbers) was being sent...to Path." And while he also wrote that he wasn't accusing Path of doing anything "nefarious," he noted that the service had never asked for his permission to upload something as sensitive as his contacts.

In a response to Thampi's post, Path founder and CEO Dave Morin wrote:

We upload the address book to our servers in order to help the user find and connect to their friends and family on Path quickly and [efficiently] as well as to notify them when friends and family join Path.

Morin's response also noted that while Path has specifically been asking Android users for permission to upload the address book for "a few weeks," the company has not yet made the feature opt-in on iPhones. Path is "rolling out the opt-in for this in 2.0.6 of our iOS client, pending [Apple's] App Store approval."

... [Read more]

You found this really amazing app in the Android Market and you want to share it with your friend who has an iPhone.

Sure, you could tell your friend the name of the app and wait patiently while they fumble through the half a million apps in the App Store looking for it, or you could send them a direct link for the app in the App Store, right from your Android device.

A new app, iTunes App Store Explorer, allows Android users to browse the App Store directly on their device. Of course, you won't be able to download or install any of the apps you view in the app on your Android device. Now, this may seem like an obvious statement, but if you read through the Market reviews you will understand why it had to be made.

• After installing iTunes App Store Explorer on your device, you will be taken directly to the top paid apps list in the App Store. From here you can either search for an app by name or developer, as well as view apps by category.
(Credit: Screenshot by Jason Cipriani)
• If you want to change the country or language for the App Store, you can do so in the settings pane.

This app will also come in handy for developers with apps across multiple platforms who want to keep tabs on their app's current ranking in the App Store.

iTunes App Store Explorer is fre... [Read more]

In The Hacker, you must solve various mini-game-style puzzles to break into servers--all while uncovering a mysterious plot.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida)

If you're old enough to remember green-screen monitors, bulletin-board systems, and the 1983 movie classic "War Games," you need to check out The Hacker for iOS.

It's a game, yes, but also a kind of love letter to fans of DOS, text adventures, ASCII games, and old-school hacking.

The app "installs" the Glider Operating System, in all its green CRT glory, on your device. Once you get past the amusingly realistic DOS-style setup screens, you'll find yourself able to connect to the Glider network, along with its mail system, Web browser, and game emulator.

(Credit: Screenshot by Rick Broida)

But this isn't just some '80s-throwback OS; there's a plot that unfurls as you poke around, one that involves the Glider Corporation itself and some disgruntled ex-programmers.

Your chief goal is to hack your way into eight global servers. Don't worry, there's no actual coding required; instead, you must solve variou... [Read more]

Chrome for Android overlays multiple tabs if you tap the tab button in the upper right.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Google today released a beta version of its Chrome browser for Android, a momentous step that marries two of Google's most important programming projects.

The new browser, unlike the stock Android browser, is available in the Android Market so that people don't have to wait for handset makers to offer it through an operating system upgrade. But its reliance on newer hardware acceleration interfaces means it only works on Ice Cream Sandwich, which despite emerging last year on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus smartphone remains a rarity in the real world.

Chrome comes to Android, but only ICS

Chrome for Android (review) includes the desktop version's V8 JavaScript engine, has gesture-based controls for moving among multiple tabs, synchronizes with the desktop version of Chrome, and shuts out plug-ins including Adobe Systems' Flash Player and Google's own Native Client. With its performance and features, Google expects Android users to increase their browser activity.

"In general, we have seen usage go up," said Sundar Pichai, Google's senior vice president of Chrome ... [Read more]

Apple has sent a stern warning to developers who try to inflate their App Store rankings.

"Once you build a great app, you want everyone to know about it," the company announced to developers last night. "However, when you promote your app, you should avoid using services that advertise or guarantee top placement in App Store charts. Even if you are not personally engaged in manipulating App Store chart rankings or user reviews, employing services that do so on your behalf may result in the loss of your Apple Developer Program membership."

App Store rankings are based on a closely held algorithm Apple has developed. The algorithm is believed to include elements of an app's download figures, news articles about a respective program, and whether it has been featured by Apple. User ratings also appear to be a key ingredient.

Getting into the Top 25 in Apple's App Store is a near-obsession for developers. The apps that make it into that list generate far more revenue, and usually help companies expand their sometimes-small operations into real businesses. Angry Birds developer Rovio is a huge business today partly because of its ability to find its way to the Top 25.

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• ... [Read more]

The free update is now available in the Android Market (click to enlarge).

(Credit: Rdio)

Rdio, the subscription music service, just put out an update to its Android app, and it's a big one.

On top of offering support for Android Ice Cream Sandwich's new remote control client, the app is more streamlined and highlights Rdio's "rich" social features and extensive music discovery options. The free app is available for both smartphones and tablets in the Android Market.

According to Rdio, here's what's new:

• Streamlined top-level navigation: All-new home screen design gives one-click access to key features in the app.
• Convenient control: Take advantage of Android Ice Cream Sandwich's new remote control client to manage playback controls on the lock screen, including viewing controls and album art.
• New releases: Be the first to listen to new albums and singles on the day they are released, and access new albums released up to two weeks prior.
• Top charts: Check out recent chart-topping albums.
• Recommendations: Discover more music by exploring fresh album recommendations based on your listening history.
• En... [Read more]