WebProNews

Chrome Celebrates 2nd Anniversary with New Stable Version

Google announced today that it is releasing a new stable version of Chrome, which the company says is even faster and more streamlined. In fact, Google claims it is three times faster on JavaScript performance than it was two year ago, when Chrome was first launched (it's the two-year anniversary, by the way).

AOL Renews Search Ad Deal With Google

AOL said today it has signed a five-year search advertising deal with Google renewing its partnership with the search company that dates back to 2002.

Google, Facebook and Boxee Respond to Apple

At Apple's music event yesterday, where the company launched a new version of iOS, a new version of iTunes with a new social network (Ping), a new line of iPods, and a new version of Apple TV, Steve Jobs took a shot at Google involving numbers of smartphone activations. Last month, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that Android gets over 200,000 devices a day.

Implications of New Gowalla Feature, Facebook Gift Cards

Gowalla has launched a new feature called "highlights" which it describes as "little rewards you can give to places that are important to your life". MG Siegler talks about the potential significance of such a feature.

Google Launches New Major Upgrade to SketchUp

Google has launched a new major version of its 3D modeling tool SketchUp: version 8. This comes ten years after the launch of version 1. Google says there are over a million people using SketchUp. "That's a pretty humbling number of 3D model makers," says SketchUp Product Manager John Bacus.

Google Adds Company Logos to Locations in Google Maps

Google announced a new feature for businesses in Google Maps in the U.S. today. The feature lets businesses include sponsored map icons that appear on the maps themselves. The feature actually began in a pilot program earlier this year in Australia.

Who Will Win the TV OS Battle?

There is a lot of talk about connected TV, particularly with Apple's announcement on the subject expected this afternoon. Retrevo reached out to WebProNews with some commentary on the subject. The following comes from Retrevo's Andrew Eisner, a computer journalist and the director of content for Retrevo.

Google Now Indexes SVG Files

Google is now indexing SVG files. SVG, which stands for scalable vector graphics, is a widely-deployed, royalty-free,  XML-based format for vector graphics and support for interactivity. The format was developed and is maintained by the W3C SVG Working Group.

Facebook Goes Back to the University, A New Spin on Online Charities

Facebook has launched a "Universities on Facebook" page to "help students and campus organizations discover how to take full advantage of Facebook's features to publicize events, distribute content, and foster community and school spirit." The company has also acquired an interesting search patent for ranking based on click frequency.

Google Outlines Display Ad Strategies

Google has an interesting post up today on its official blog, outlining its efforts in growing display advertising. Within this outline are five what Google calls "key principles guiding our future product innovations in this area." In short, these principles are: making life more efficient, total revenue management, more insight and control, betting on openness, everything is going to be "display".