google i/o

Google Docs goes offline

SAN FRANCISCO - Google announced today at it's Google I/O conference here that Google documents is going offline.

The Google word-processing service is a Web-based alternative to programs such as Microsoft Word. Because Google Docs is a Web-based service, people who use the application have not been able to use it unless they have an Internet connection. But now that will be changing. And people will now be able to work in Google Docs on airplanes and other places where a Web connection may not be available.

Google said that other services, like Google Presentations and Spreadsheets will … Read more

Google Chrome and Drive come to Apple iOS devices

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google announced at its annual developer conference Thursday that its Chrome browser and its Google Drive, a Dropbox-like storage service, are coming to Apple iOS devices.

Adding the Google browser to iOS devices means Google users will be able to get a more consistent experience across multiple devices, including their iPhones and iPads. Brian Rakowski, vice president of Chrome, showed off how the browser will work on iOS devices.

Specifically, he showed how the sync feature that Google recently added to Chrome will work on iOS devices. Sync allows people to share their browser settings across multiple … Read more

Save maps for offline use in Google Maps for Android

Shortly after the Google I/O keynote yesterday, Google rolled out a list of app updates, one of which was an update to Google Maps. In the update, Google enabled the ability to save a section of a map for offline access. This is a great feature when you are traveling in an area with spotty coverage.

To save an area, launch Google Maps and tap on the menu key. Select Make Available Offline from the menu and then narrow down the area you want to save. You'll want to make sure you do this in advance and when … Read more

Dolphin gets a Garage to stash add-ons

SAN FRANCISCO--Tugging on Chrome's coat tails, the popular Dolphin browser has announced alongside the Google I/O developer conference a new framework for developers called Dolphin Garage.

Garage is an open API program for extending the functionality of Dolphin. Powered in part by Adobe Phonegap and Dolphin's own HTML5 framework called Engine, it will include the release of more than 150 APIs, which will allow developers to create their own add-ons for the browser.

Engine has proven to be a big boon for Dolphin, explained David Dehghan, technical architect at Dolphin. While at a W3C Web standards meeting … Read more

Brin: Google Glass lands for consumers in 2014

It could be a few years before the rest of us get the chance to take our own pair of Google Glass skydiving.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin told Bloomberg that the "Explorer Edition" of Project Glass will be delivered to developers next year and made available to the general public a year after that -- that means 2014. … Read more

Google Nexus tablet poses no threat to iPad, says analyst

Apple can breathe easy -- Google's new Nexus tablet poses little competition for the iPad. At least that's the opinion of Topeka Capital Markets analyst Brian White.

Most of the specs for the Nexus 7 are impressive -- Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, a 1280x800 pixel resolution, Tegra 3 quad-core processor, a nine-hour battery, a micro-USB port, GPS, a gyroscope, and support for NFC and Android Beam. The tablet is also price friendly, selling at $199 for the 8GB version and $249 for the 16GB model.

But White thinks the iPad will continue to reign as king of … Read more

Nexus 7 tablet guidebook now available

Want to know more about Google's Nexus 7 tablet and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean? A free 84-page guidebook explains how to use the new tablet and OS.

The guidebook is available for Android, IOS, and PC users via Google Play.

Essentially an early version of the manual for the new tablet, the guidebook is geared more for people who already own the Nexus 7. But those of you thinking of buying the tablet when it debuts in mid-July can learn a lot about its operation and its use of Android 4.1. The document covers just about everything … Read more

Join us for the Google I/O 2012 Day 2 keynote (live blog)

Tune in to CNET's live blog from the second Google I/O keynote starting at 9:30 a.m. PT.

SAN FRANCISCO--Sure, it was a very busy first day at Google I/O, but our friends from the Googleplex are only getting started. Thursday brings yet another keynote at San Francisco's Moscone Center and if the big news of Wednesday (Nexus tablet! Jelly Bean! Google Glass!) is any indication, we're in for a lively day tomorrow, as well.

While the Wednesday keynote focused on hardware and Android, the second-day event will shift to Google's Web presence … Read more

Google I/O Day One: Google continues attacks on Apple, Amazon

At the Google I/O conference today, Google showed a renewed understanding of consumer behavior, with a new version of Android (4.1) that's much slicker and that has a better search experience, a new Google-designed tablet that uses Android 4.1, and a radically different living-room product, the Nexus Q media streamer.

The 4.1 ("Jellybean") version of the mobile operating system features updates from the Project Butter team at Google. The updates are said to make the operating system more fluid and responsive. The engineering culture at Google is giving way, showing that it understands … Read more

BlueStacks ports Android apps to Mac

SAN FRANCISCO -- App player BlueStacks announced the "marriage" of Mac and Android under a wedding tent today, across the street from the Moscone West home of Google I/O.

You can download the BlueStacks alpha for Mac from CNET Download.com or BlueStacks.com.

The public alpha of BlueStacks for Mac brings BlueStacks' LayerCake technology to OS X and features several apps from BlueStacks partners such as HandyGames, CreativeMobile, and Pulse, in addition to the Android basics. BlueStacks will work on OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and above.

When asked about whether people want Android apps … Read more