With today’s jump to version 6.0, Google Maps for Android is taking its powers indoors.

Instead of just dropping you off at the front door of your destination, the improved app is now helping you find your way around the inside of the building. Once you’ve stepped into a building with coverage, just zoom in to see a detailed floor plan, and as usual, the “blue dot” icon will indicate where you are. You can swipe around just as you would with an outdoor location, and even check out different floors using the numbered selector on the right. Otherwise, whenever you move to a different floor, the floor plan will update automatically.

Mall of America in Minneapolis before and after

(Credit:
Google)

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For now, the technology only covers select airports, transit stations, and big-box retailers in the U.S. and Japan, but we’re sure the list will grow rather quickly. Google is even inviting business owners to manually add floor plans to its map database at … [Read more]

Smartphone-app makers have a new way to classify age-specific ratings for their software using an already-popular program, but some of the biggest players in the mobile-app business are not on board with its launch.

Wireless-industry trade group CTIA and the Entertainment Software Rating Board today formally announced a system that lets developers assign a rating to their game, letting users and parents get an idea of its content before download or purchase.

Under the free program, developers designate what types of content are in the software. That information is turned into an age-specific rating assigned by the ESRB, which the developer can then note when sending its software to a participating storefront. The ratings then show up to let buyers know what’s in a title before hitting the buy button.

Among participants in the new program are carriers such as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless. The only noncarrier in on the launch is Microsoft, which is already using ESRB ratings for games on its Windows Phone 7 Marketplace that were ported over from other platforms.

Notably missing are Google and Apple, whose mobile operating systems collectively are used by the majority of U.S. smartphones by market share, … [Read more]

Sodasynth, a music-looping app, is built using Google's Native Client and available through the Chrome Web Store.

(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Native Client has taken only baby steps in its first three years of existence, but Google evidently is hoping its browser-boosting technology will take larger strides soon.

The company has sent out invitations to a Native Client event on the evening of December 8 at Google’s Mountain View, Calif., offices, where “we plan to share some news about Native Client,” show some demos, and share some wine.

Native Client, aka NaCl, lets Web-based software run natively on x86 processors–and therefore run more quickly than traditional Web apps. That’s what Office and Photoshop do, too, of course, but NaCl comes with security protections designed to let people safely run software they just downloaded over the Web, not just trusted software they install themselves.

NaCl now is built into Google’s Chrome browser. But because other browser makers range from uninterested to disapproving, NaCl doesn’t show many signs of extending any farther at present. Its future therefore hinges on how well Google can generate programmer interest and excitement that will bring others on board… [Read more]

Angle, a Google graphics project for Windows computers, has passed an important certification milestone that could improve some browsers’ graphics.

Google launched Angle in March 2010 as a way to help the fortunes of WebGL, the nascent 3D graphics technology for browsers. And yesterday, Google programmer Vangelis Kokkevis announced Angle has been certified to pass the OpenGL 2.0 certification test suite.

WebGL provides a low-level graphics interface that mirrors the OpenGL standard used on Mac OS X, Linux, iOS, and Android, but that’s still a second-class citizen on many Windows machines. Windows comes with Microsoft’s rival standard called Direct3D, and it’s Angle’s job to translate OpenGL commands into Direct3D.

“Angle is a necessary step in our continued efforts to push the web platform forward. Without Angle, it would be impossible to reliably run WebGL on many Windows computers, so we couldn’t enable great applications like MapsGL,” Kokkevis said. MapsGL is an optional WebGL-based interface to Google Maps that provides 3D buildings and other features not ordinarily present in the online mapping tool.

Angle is used in both Chrome and Firefox to bring WebGL to Windows machi… [Read more]

The new OOptOut extension for Chrome adds toggles to the top of the Facebook permissions window for locking down apps of dubious origin.

(Credit:
OOptOut)

Still in rough development, a new extension for Google Chrome puts in your hands a useful power tool for separating your data from Facebook apps of dubious origin. Called OOptOut (download), the add-on by Chad Selph helpfully lists above the Facebook header for you any permissions that a newly-installed Facebook app requests.

Check boxes next to each let you toggle the select permission. Keep in mind that this extension isn’t for casual enthusiasts. Disabling permissions can prevent an app from functioning properly. A gaming app that wants your location data may seem strange at first, but it’s possible that the game has a legit reason for the request, such as finding other players that are nearby.

Another problem with the extension is that the developer freely admits that it’s in rough shape as it now. As the instructions on the download page indicate, sometimes it breaks sites, but it requires a certain degree of savvy to even install. You must be comfortable creating a git clone of the extension repository and working with Google Ch… [Read more]

(Credit:
DroidHen)

DroidHen’s Defender for Android puts you at the gates of a medieval castle under attack.

With your trusty bow, a bottomless quiver of arrows, and a few magic spells, you’re the kingdom’s only hope of fending off what seems likes endless waves of monster assailants.

To start, you are equipped with a basic bow, fixed in position on the left side of the screen. As enemies bull-rush your castle walls, tap and hold anywhere to send a continuous stream of arrows to that point. If you drag your finger across the screen, you can also get a machine-gun-spray effect that not only looks awesome, but also works like a charm against particularly large waves of enemies.

But Defender isn’t just about shooting arrows. As we all know, medieval storylines often involve magic, and this one is no different. If you find yourself being overrun by monsters, tap and drag a spell to any point on the screen to unleash a magical attack. You can choose from fire, ice, and lightning, all of which are visually stunning.

The best part about Defender is its huge menu of weapons upgrades. As you beat each level, you collect more coins and jewels, which can be used to purchase more magical energy (Mana), strengthen your castle walls, learn new spells, improve your strength and shooting speed, and of course, unlock new, more powerful bows. It’s these upgrades that are sure to keep you nose-down for hours at a time.[Read more]

Twitter has acquired an Android security firm, but exactly what the social-networking company wants to do with it is currently unknown.

Whisper Systems announced on its blog today that it will become part of Twitter. Although the company didn’t disclose an acquisition price, it did say that it will bring its “technology and our expertise into Twitter’s products and services.”

Whisper offers a range of security products–currently all in beta–that focus on safeguarding device data, network connections, backups, and calls. Considering that, it’s quite possible Twitter will try to improve the security of its mobile apps with Whisper’s technology.

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That said, don’t expect to see Whisper’s apps, including TextSecure and RedPhone, to be available for a while. Whisper said that as part of its transition to Twitter, it will be forced to take its services down until the social network decides to put them back up. However, they will all be making a comeback.

For its part… [Read more]

Google has begun adding its own ads to the top of Chrome's new-tab page.

(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Google just found another digital billboard for online ads: its Chrome Web browser.

I just started noticing the ads on one of my computers yesterday, and I’m not the only one to see them. Right now, the ads tout Google’s Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks, which not coincidentally happen to be on sale for the holidays.

The ads don’t interrupt ordinary Web browsing by pushing aside Web page content and don’t compete with regular Web page ads. Rather, they appear in a yellow-tinted box at the top of the new-tab page in Chrome.

That page is typically a mere way station for users on their way to other destinations, but it’s getting more important as a hub for Chrome Web Store apps and as the home screen for Chrome OS.

The ad reminded me most of the occasional promotions Google puts on its otherwise spartan Google.com home. They’re not obnoxious flashing distractions, but they stand out against amid the uncluttered field.

You can’t blame Google for wanting to take advantage of a chance to make money. But as the Spiderman saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility.

When … [Read more]

VMware Fusion is a virtualization program that lets you run Windows applications on any Intel-based Mac–and quickly switch back and forth between Windows and Mac apps. This app’s Unity feature alone makes it worth trying VMware Fusion’s 30-day trial. With Unity, Windows apps appear right alongside Mac apps as windows in your Mac OS, as well as in the Dock and Expose. This latest version of VMWare Fusion fixes bugs while running Mac OS X in virtualization.

Also this week, we have the latest version of Pixelmator, the full-featured image editor without the hefty price tag of big-name software. This latest release is primarily a maintenance release, but the recent update to 2.0 added a laundry list of new and useful features, making it much better than previous versions.

Our game this week is X-Plane, a popular flight simulator that lets you fly from one end of the country to another. While the full version of this game offers amazing features such as autogenerated scenery and downloadable planes and helicopters (or just about any flying machine), this demo limits you to only 60 minutes of gameplay. In other words, only those who are serious about flight simulators should take on the large download.

Don’t forget to check out ou… [Read more]

Google's Matt Cutts urged people to upgrade their parents' browser if they're still using an old one.

(Credit:
screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Perhaps you have a hard time getting behind National Parfait Day or Dress Spotty Day.

Here’s a worthy cause for today, though: Update Your Parents’ Browser Day.

The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal came up with it as a constructive pasttime for the day after Thanksgiving, when many folks are visiting their folks at home.

If you can’t persuade your parents to drop Internet Explorer 6 because YouTube will stop working, “wait until they slip into a tryptophan-induced coma and then sneak into the den,” Madrigal suggests.

I’d throw protection against security vulnerabilities into the upgrade argument, too–there’s a time and a place for scare tactics, and browser upgrades is one of them. And I’d also advise sticking around to make sure your parents are comfortable with any user-interface changes.

My own personal motivation is a lot more carrot than stick, though. Using old browsers sucks up Web developers’ time as they struggle with compatibilit… [Read more]