Google Gears with Chrome, not on OSX #gears #google

These past weeks I have been working on a MacBook Pro and as such was collecting all the applications I needed. Obviously I need all the browsers, with add-ons. While running Google’s Chrome browser I discovered that Chrome for Mac OS Snow Leopard is crippled.

I find this ironic as they are both Google products, one of which is frequently pushed to me by Google’s ads while using Safari and Firefox, and don’t interoperate. I can get Gears for Internet Explorer 6.0+ and mobile, FireFox 1.5+ on Windows/Linux/OSX, Safari 3.1.1+ on MacOS Tiger and Opera Mobile 9.51; so they do interoperate with much of the browser cosmos. After a little searching I discovered that the only Chrome for Windows and Chrome Lite for Android support Gears.

Getting Google Gears for Chrome on Mac OS Snow Leopard

System requirements

• Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, G4+/Intel CPU
• Firefox 1.5+
• Safari for Mac OS Snow Leopard is not supported
• Chrome for Mac OS Snow Leopard is not supported

What’s going on?

According to the LA Times Technology blog^[1] Google is going to end of life Gears, and migrate to HTML5. Apple had the same idea when they didn’t enable Flash support on their IPhone and IPad devices.

“We are excited that much of the technology in Gears, including offline support and geolocation APIs, are being incorporated into the HTML5 spec as an open standard supported across browsers, and see that as the logical next step for developers looking to include these features in their websites,” wrote a Google spokesman.^[1]

Last November TechCrunch noted:

Gears, which allows for offline web app functionality, is completely off the table as a Chrome for Mac feature right now, according to project lead Mike Pinkerton (he actually noted this back in July). Apparently, Google plans to push ahead with full HTML5 support rather than rely on Gears, at least on the Mac.^[2]

So what shall I do in the mean time? What would you do?

1. What’s powering Web apps: Google waving goodbye to Gears, hello to HTML5
2. Features Chrome For Mac Beta Will Be Missing

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LinkedIn connection count revealed #iphone #linkedin

I just received a note from a friend of mine who tells me that LinkedIn connection count is visible in the new iPhone app. I don’t have an iPhone, so I cannot confirm this, although he was able to correctly quote my connection count.

Too little, too late?

Flogs #calendar #ical

Michiel Mol, known for his Spyker Formula One team, is creating a new service called Flogs. Flogs is an iCal service, which integrates into Google Calendar, Apple’s iCal and can even send updates to the CrackBerry. The service is similar to iCal World, although the former includes exclusive data which is tailored to the user.

I’m wondering what the business model is, possibly advertising.