Google Chrome 3: New and Improved (Really)

Google's Chrome web Browser has now been available for just over a year, and people all over have been discovering its power and simplicity. If you've been waiting for it to mature a bit, or if you haven't given it any thought...now is the time to act.

Today Google has made Chrome version 3 available to the masses. This, of course, doesn't count the Chrome 3 betas that have already been available to software/internet geeks.

Since the update was waiting for me when I opened Chrome this morning, I gave it a spin to test out the new features they've added. I'm very pleased with the speed of navigation and page rendering/loading. Please keep in mind that I'm not a top-notch geek, so the following is by no means a comprehensive list of the new feature set.

Improved Performance

One of the things that most impresses me is that Chrome 3 uses HTML 5 as a standard. To me and the rest of you average end users out there, this means you're going to see all that embedded media without plugins like a Flash player, because the HTML 5 protocol automagically takes care of rendering dynamic content.

The Look

Many of us love shiny, pretty things. Chrome 3 has finally given us some of that visual swag. The default theme itself is wearing a new slick gradient skin and the navigation icons seem to pop a bit more. Now, however, you're not going to be "stuck" with the default theme if it starts to bore you. They've given us some very cool and colorful themes to tart up the browser a bit.

Fastest Yet

I definitely see an increase in speed, and so will you. Not just in navigation time, but in page-load terms as well. Even if you have multiple tabs open...doesn't matter. Chrome 3 is beating the pants off my Firefox right now.

As I said above, there are more improvements in Google Chrome version 3 than what I've mentioned. If you want to see the full story, head over to the Official Google Blog.

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Grooveshark: Coolest Free Online Music Service You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Pandora? Rhapsody? LastFM? Project Playlist? All very good online music services, in my opinion. They're also very popular, but have you heard of Grooveshark? If you have, you can stop here and congratulate yourself for being party to its awesomeness. If you haven't, read on because this info is for you.
Far from being "just another free online music service," Grooveshark is not new. Nor is it a secret, though many people I've asked don't know about it.
Once you hit the link and land on the home page, you're greeted with a slick and simply functional user interface with a can't-miss-it search box right in the middle of the page. The box wants you to enter a song, artist, or album to search for...and you're going to be hard-pressed to enter a song, album. or artist request that doesn't come up with what you're looking for. Grooveshark seems to have everything.
Underneath the search box is a row of link buttons mostly for those with a Grooveshark account (quick and easy to do), but the popular button shows you what tracks are getting the most play.
Of course you'll want to set up an account right away. Once you do, you're ready to get busy adding songs to your favorites list, setting up playlists, and even customizing playlist widgets that you can post to popular social networking sites. If you can copy and paste HTML, you can embed the widget on your own website too. For an example of this, check my sidebar for the "Rock and Metal" playlist widget.
There's even an option to upload music. This feature is one you can explore on your own, since I honestly don't feel the need to. And of course, being a free online music service, there's no downloading...unless you're an accomplished hacker.
In addition to the free Grooveshark service, there is the VIP account option. For $3/month or $30/year, you get an advertisement-free experience, priority support, and advance notice of new features, products, and other goodies.
So, now that I've gotten your interest piqued, check out Grooveshark.

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HTC Touch Pro 2: New, Improved, and Coming to Your Wireless Provider (Most Likely)

Yes, I know...everyone's into their iPhones, the Palm Pre, the Blackberry Bold, and so on, and so on. In my opinion, one PDA/Smartphone flavor that isn't getting a lot of press (despite its awesomeness) is the HTC Touch Pro 2. I wrote about its predecessor, the HTC Touch Pro last year in this post.
Of course the Touch Pro 2 is an improvement over the original, inside and out. The hardware overhaul includes a larger screen, the clunky and space-eating D-pad has been replaced with a more sensible row of navigation keys, and the side-sliding QWERTY keypad has been revamped into a more familiar offset pattern like a regular computer keyboard. HTC even brought back the tilting screen from the HTC Tilt (a.k.a. TyTn) from a couple of years ago, which is a great feature for setting the phone on a table to watch video content.
Under the hood are the expected improvements in the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, with the carrier specific user interface going deeper into the menu system than the original HTC Touch Pro. It's just speedier and more user-friendly than before.
Speaking of carriers, The HTC Touch Pro 2 is going to have pretty widespread availability and choice of mobile service. Usually, only one or two wireless providers pick up a given phone. The HTC Touch Pro is already available at Sprint and T-Mobile, is expected at Verizon and AT&T Wireless later this month, and sometime soon at US Cellular. At the moment, though, price is a bit of an issue. For example. both Sprint and T-Mobile are offering their respective versions of the HTC Touch Pro 2 for $349 after rebate/instant discount with a 2-year contract. No word yet on pricing by the other carriers yet, but one would hope that once they're all hawking this gem, the prices should get a bit more competitive.
If you haven't seen the HTC Touch Pro 2 in action, here's a video unboxing/review by Noah Kravitz of Phonedog.com.

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