Chrome OS 32 beta makes it easier to find the right window

Acer Chromebook C720

Windowing has been a familiar sight in Chrome OS for a while now, but it hasn’t always been easy to find the window you’re looking for. That search should be much quicker if you’re running the just-launched Chrome OS 32 beta, though. The test release brings Vista-style window thumbnails when using Alt-Tab to switch tasks, and the overview button now shows an organized view of all those panes. Early adopters can get the beta today, although it’s not currently available for either the original Acer C7 or the HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook.

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Source: Chrome Releases

YouTube app for Android gets multitasking, playlist searches and a new UI

YouTube app for Android gets multitasking, playlist searches and a new UI

The YouTube app for Windows Phone may be having some troubles these days, but the Android version continues to get better and better. Today, YouTube started rolling out a big update for users, with the headlining feature being in-app multitasking — meaning you can minimize a playing video while you search through the rest of YouTube’s trove of moving pictures. The feature allows users to minimize a playing video to thumbnail size with a single tap, which relegates it to the bottom right corner of the screen. From there, you can dismiss said video by swiping it left or right, and bringing it back to full size is accomplished by tapping the video or an upward swipe. In practice, we found that the feature really shines when building out music video playlists, as you can listen to the tunes you’ve added while you search for new ones. Plus, the shrunken video can get a bit jittery at times and is too small to watch (especially on a phone), but the audio plays flawlessly.

Multitasking’s not all users get with the new version, of course, as the update has also made playlists searchable and improved the YouTube Chromecast experience, too. Now, once you’ve hit the cast button in the app and tap to play a video, a window pops up with a thumbnail image, video description and the option to either play the video or add it to your playlist. And, along with that particular improvement, the entire app has been refreshed with Google’s near-ubiquitous card UI first favored by Google Now. The update has just started rolling out to some Android users today, with more platforms set to receive the new features soon.


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Paranoid Android’s HALO does Chat Heads-inspired multitasking, goes open source

Paranoid Android's HALO does Chat Headsinspired mutitasking, goes open source

It’s been a couple months since we first saw the fruits of team Paranoid Android’s labor around in-app pop-up window multitasking, and it looks like Paul Henschel and co. are finally sharing the finished product. HALO, as it’s called, loosely combines the ideas behind Samsung’s Multi Window and FaceBook’s Chat Heads into a slick multitasking interface. The feature is activated from the notification tray. It places an icon — or halo — on the display, which can be moved around very much like Chat Heads, or dismissed by double-tapping and dragging it towards the red X at the top. Swiping sideways from the halo shows a series of white lines and text bubbles that match and highlight the notifications in the status bar. Releasing your finger is like tapping on the selected notification, but instead of launching full-screen, the app opens in a pop-up window on top of whatever’s already running, just like Multi Window. The background app continues to run while you interact with the foreground app — to dismiss the pop-up window, simply tap outside of it. Other cool functionality includes swiping up to dismiss the last notification and the ability to pin apps permanently to the halo. But what’s really most exciting is that team Paranoid Android‘s decided to make HALO open source so anyone can be involved. Check out the awesome demo video after the break.

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Via: xda-developers

Source: Paranoid Android (Google+)

Paranoid Android teases in-app pop-up window multitasking (video)

Paranoid Android teases inapp popup window multitasking

As advanced as multitasking gets on smartphones, many times you’re still left to completely switch between apps. Paranoid Android is looking to set things into overdrive with in-app, multiple-window multitasking for its skin of Android, going beyond the similar (but limited) functionality seen in the likes of Samsung’s basked-in Galaxy apps. PA’s Paul Henschel recently posted a demo to YouTube highlighting the feature working with various apps on both an Android tablet and a Nexus smartphone, with a post to Google+ saying it shows less than 10 percent of the planned functionality. If that weren’t enough, the post further clarifies PA’s drive to build out its version stating: “We think these [Samsung, Cyanogen & Cornerstone] implementations suck and we want to get it right this time.” Thirsty for more info? Hit the source link and the video after the break, while we eagerly wait further updates.

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Via: liliputing, Reddit

Source: Paranoid Android (Google+)

The Next iOS Needs to Look Like This

It’s not a good sign when the best iOS features are imaginary ones designed by people who aren’t getting paid to do it instead of, you know, Apple. Like this revamped vision for iPhone multitasking. Apple, steal this now. More »

How Android’s Multitasking Experience Could Be Even Better

Lately I’ve been thinking about the multitasking experience on Android and I feel like there’s still a lot to improve. I love how the thumbnails come up, but in 4.2.2 they made it so that the current app joined the list of “Recent Apps”. This looks great on phones and small-sized tablets, but it looks really bad on large tablets (ie. Nexus 10) in landscape mode. Here’s how to make it better. More »

Is Samsung’s multi-window mode coming to the Galaxy S III?

Is Samsung's multiwindow mode coming to the Galaxy S III

While the productivity-boosting wiles of the Galaxy Note II‘s multi-window feature have been promised to the original Note, these screenshots suggest that its slightly smaller brother might also add them to its repertoire in its next software update. According to TGSpot, these screens show how dual-browsing would look on the Galaxy S III‘s slightly smaller 4.8-inch screen — we reckon Samsung’s floating keyboard might shrink a little too much here. SamMobile made a similar claim just last month and posits that users could see the update before the end of the year. Nothing quite like the holidays to bring out the multi-tasker in all of us.

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Is Samsung’s multi-window mode coming to the Galaxy S III? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 09:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This 21:9 Monitor Is a Multitasker’s Wet Dream

LG’s EA93 monitor is claims to be the first 21:9 aspect ratio monitor the world has ever seen—which makes it a multitasker’s wet dream. More »

Neo Geo X hands-on

Neo Geo X handson

When the Neo Geo AES hit the scene 20 years ago, it was one of the largest, most powerful and most expensive game consoles the market had to offer, ringing in at a steep $650. Used AES machines aren’t much cheaper, and modernized slim variations don’t cost a penny less than the original hardware, either. A full home console might be a bit outside of the average gamer’s budget, but SNK’s 20th anniversary Neo Geo X hits a little closer to home: $200 for a portable handheld, 20 pre-loaded games, a faithful recreation of the original console arcade stick and an AES-shaped charging / controller dock that pipes video and audio out to a proper television. The end result? A handheld dressed up in a home console’s skin. This is something we needed to see — we spent some time with the setup to give it a once over.

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Neo Geo X hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won’t be mad if you tweet at the same time (video)

LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won't be mad if you tweet at the same time (video)

LG’s been stepping up its mobile game recently, with the Optimus G being the firm’s clearest display of podium-position ambitions yet. And just like its regional neighbors, it’s getting in on the “explaining-ideas-behind-concepts” video action. In this clip we see senior research engineer, Sebastian Hochan Song, explain the inspiration and process behind the new phone’s QSlide multitasking function. Again, like its fellow Korean nationals, nature and the real world play a heavy part in the idea process. Head past the break if you want to see LG’s thoughts about pushing Android multitasking forward, and keep an eagle eye out for one of our very own editors’ quick cameo appearance.

Continue reading LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won’t be mad if you tweet at the same time (video)

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LG tells the story behind QSlide multitasking, won’t be mad if you tweet at the same time (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 20 Oct 2012 15:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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