Chrome will pause Flash plugins to improve laptop battery life

Future versions of Chrome for PC will automatically pause Flash plugins that the browser deems inessential, which should result in better battery life, faster performance, and improved stability.

Here’s how it works: 
Chrome detects the Flash plug-ins that load in a page and determines which plug-ins are central to the user experience and which are not. The former category includes, for instance, the main video in a post, while the latter may include ads and other stuff that the user probably doesn’t care about. Chrome will pause these non-essential Flash plugins, though users will be given the option to play them, should they want to.

The feature is already available in the latest stable Chrome version, in Privacy settings, but Google will soon set it on by default for all users. The feature will be activated on the beta channel first, and Google estimates that stable users should get it by September. Google has been working with Adobe, maker of Flash, to implement it.

Auto-playing Flash-based ads can be annoying, but Google is more worried about their effect on battery life and performance. Each Flash process that loads on a page uses up processor time, and over time, this has an impact on battery life. Google has not detailed what kind of improvements should we expect from the feature. Laptop (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and Chromebook users will probably see the biggest benefit in battery life, but even desktop users may observe improvements in performance and stability.

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Google will begin to publicly report driverless car accidents

Google will now publicly report all accidents its self-driving cars are involved in from here on out, on a new website that’s now available to the public. Not only will the new website detail all accidents on a per month basis, it will also include an open forum for community feedback as well as examples of how the cars adapt to everyday traffic situations.

This website is in response to safety concerns following reports that the driver-less cars have already been in more than 10 accidents, though the search giant claims that none were actually the car’s fault. The majority of these accidents involved another vehicle rear-ending the Google-made car, along with a few that included minor sideswipes from other cars.

Google explains in its first report:

"In the six years of our project, we’ve been involved in 12 minor accidents during more than 1.8 million miles of autonomous and manual driving combined. Not once was the self-driving car the cause of the accident."

Google’s self-driving cars are slated to hit the road this summer, so it’s certainly a good thing that the company is being transparent about the cars’ safety.

So what do you think? Are you excited for Google’s new driverless cars?

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What is Kano?

Kano is a computer you build and code yourself.Lego simple, Raspberry Pi Powerful, and hugely fun.

And what’s inside?


Raspberry Pi 2




The Raspberry Pi 2 is the lightweight, powerful brain behind thousands of Kano creations. Its system-on-a-chip packs an 900MHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 and a 1GB RAM.

Books

Manuals are boring. Kano is a story. With illustrated ideas and simple steps, build a computer, make stuff, and explore a new world. Make your own characters and level up.

DIY Speaker

Power up your personal computer with a speaker. Snap together the system, draw power from two secret ports (choose carefully). Then – raise the roof.

Keyboard

Your magic wand. Type overhand or hold it game controller style. Navigate nimbly with an integrated touchpad, and independent click buttons. Wireless, two ways – USB RF for your Kano, and Bluetooth for the World.

SD Card

Pre-loaded with OS: Sandisk Ultra, 8GB, Class 10 micro SD card and SD card adapter.

Case

Transparent and easy-clipping, with cool 

customizations. Build your own style, switch out case cards, print new covers.

Stickers

Decorate your kit, your house, your parents while they’re asleep.

Cables

Connect a screen with HDMI, power up with mini-USB. Ships with a global plug.

WiFi

Get connected with a dongle that configures seamlessly with simple setup.

Source: www.kano.me

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Android M: New Features

Google has officially announced the first Android M features. Here's what you can expect from the follow-up to Lollipop.

Milky Way? Marshmallow? Mars? Mississippi Mud Pie? Well, we still don't know what sweet-inspired name will follow Lollipop, but we do know that Android M is coming later this year. Google revealed details of the mobile operating system update at its Google I/O opening press conference.

While Lollipop was a more design-centric update, Google says it's going back to basics with Android M and is focusing on polishing existing features and fixing thousands of bugs.


Some of the features will mean more to the developers that make the apps, but there's plenty still for Android phone and tablet users to look forward to. Here's the best of what we know about Android M so far.



Android Pay

With the arrival of Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, Google is revamping its own mobile payment service it actually introduced back in 2010 with Android Gingerbread. Compatible with phones running on Android KitKat and above, Android Pay will let you walk into stores and tap on an NFC terminal to pay for products.

Google Now on Tap

Google's virtual assistant is arguably one of Android's best features and it's going to get even better in Android M. Now you'll be able to get useful, contextual information on anything you have currently running on your phone screen. So if you're watching a video on YouTube, simply hold down on the home button to find out more information about someone in the video. Another example where on Tap could be useful is getting restaurant suggestions when you're talking about going out for dinner in a text message conversation.

Other additional Google Now improvements include the ability to say 'OK Google' wherever you are in the Android operating system.

Standardized fingerprint support

While fingerprint technology is not really widespread on Android phones, Google is opening the necessary APIs to allow developers to add fingerprint support with any app. That improved bio-metric authentication will also be extended to Android Pay to authorize payments, making it work a lot like Apple Pay.

Doze

In a bid to hopefully give your battery life a boost, Android M is introducing a feature that recognize when the Android device is in a rested state to help conserve power. Google says it has tested it with a Nexus 9 and claims it can help make battery life last two times longer in standby mode by using fewer background services. If you're worried about missing out on alarms and incoming instant messages, Doze will still allow those notifications and modes to be activated.

USB Type C

Apple has already announced support for the next generation USB standard on its latest Mac-book earlier this year, while the new Chromebook Pixel also includes support.

Android M will bring full support for Type C, which should hopefully mean that we'll see Android phones and tablets in the not too distant future that can be charged quicker and easier thanks to the more versatile charging method.

Simplified volume controls

The redesigned volume controls in Lollipop were not universally loved and Google has listened. It's tidier and now also includes the ability to individually monitor audio from anything making sounds, whether that music or alarms.

Chrome Custom tabs

In a move to improve web experience on phones, the new Chrome Custom Tabs is one for developers. When an app wants to push you into a web view, app developers can now use custom tabs to load on top of the app so you don't need to open another browser. Those tabs support automatic sign ins, saved passwords, multi-process security and auto-fill.

When will Android M be available?

Like previous versions of Android, we can expect it to roll out to phones and tablets in the Autumn. Currently, developers can play around with early Android M builds on the Nexus 5 and 6 smartphones plus the Nexus 9 and Nexus Player set-top box.

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'JIVEBIKE' Explained!

We’ve seen more personal e-vehicles sprout up in the last year than I care to remember, but today yet another joins the fray.

Meet the JiveBike.

Unlike one category of e-bikes that look and feel just like a regular bike, the JiveBike’s appearance is a bit different. It has a low center bar, which holds the batteries and the Raspberry PI CPU that’s running the show. But, at the same time, the JiveBike doesn’t look so different from a traditional bike that you will turn into some spectacle on the road.

Oh, and it folds.

We’ve seen e-vehicles that fold down to compactness before — the Urb-E, in particular, comes to mind — but not very many e-bikes maintain the appearance of a real bike and still fold down to something more manageable.

The JiveBike can last 20 miles on a two-hour charge, with a maximum speed of around 15 miles per hour.

You can choose between three driving modes: electric, manual or assisted pedaling.

Plus, it also comes with a mount for your smartphone, and Bluetooth connectivity so you can pair with the JiveBike app, letting you see how many miles are left on the bike and charging status. And if that weren’t enough, you can plug in your route on maps and have easy-to-read directions while riding around.

There’s just one caveat. The price on this bad boy is sky high. You can pre-order a JiveBike now by paying half of the full price, which is just north of $2,000, and then pay the second half of the pre-order after receiving your JiveBike and testing it out.

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