Best ways to stream movies on the Web

Best ways to stream movies on the Web - Everybody's doing it — watching movies on their computers. So how do you get in on this cinematic system of instant gratification? There a number of services out there that allow you to stream movies on demand, and we've got the lowdown on the best of the bunch to help you find the service that's right for you.

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Netflix

The current reigning champ of movie streaming is Netflix, and with good reason. Netflix boast a wide selection of thousands of movies, many in high definition, spanning a number of decades up to releases as recent as 2011. It has become popular thanks to its variety of content, which includes substantial family and kids offerings, as well as its low monthly subscription fee of $7.99. Many of it films feature closed captioning.

Watching movies via Netflix is remarkably easy. Once you've set up an account, simply search for the film you want to see on the Netflix website and click the play button. It's also a snap to add movies to your Instant Queue for later viewing. And best of all, you can stream an unlimited number of movies every month.

It's worth noting that some Netflix instant movies can disappear from the list of titles, usually because of licensing issues on Netflix's end, so it's possible that movies you've added to your Instant Queue could become unavailable for several months or more if you don't watch them right away. Movie site Starz, which provides a wealth of content to Netflix, recently announced that it will be pulling its programming from the streaming service due to a lack of renewed licensing. This change takes place on Wednesday, February 29.

For a great site devoted to new Netflix releases and information on their expiration dates, pay a visit to Instant Watcher.

Pros: Inexpensive and easy to use; offers unlimited streaming and a large selection of films to choose from.
Cons: Despite plenty of films to choose from, selection can be a bit dated; long wait for new releases.
Ideal for: People who watch several movies a month (to get the best value from their membership fee); people who don't mind waiting a bit for new releases.

Hulu

Although it originally debuted as primarily a TV show streaming service, Hulu has expanded its selection of feature films and documentaries over the past year. While its library isn't as extensive as that of Netflix, it does offer a fairly broad selection, a portion of which can be watched for free. Free is great — however, most of Hulu's films are only available to subscribers of Hulu Plus, which costs $7.99 a month.

Most of the films on Hulu Plus are free from commercial interruption; TV shows streamed with a Hulu Plus subscription still have commercials. Paid subscribers are able to watch in HD. Like Netflix, Hulu offers a queue feature to save movies for later and works right in your web browser. Closed captioning is available some films.

Pros: Inexpensive; easy to use; relatively large selection of films — even a few you can watch for free!
Cons: TV shows occasionally interrupted by commercials; smaller selection than Netflix.
Ideal for: Frequent movie watchers who don't mind the occasional commercial interruption and who are also interested in streaming current television shows.

Vudu

A relative newcomer to the movie streaming world, Vudu offers rentals and sales of streaming films. Prices are competitive with DVD and Blu-ray disc releases and are offered in several price ranges, from standard definition to a proprietary high-definition format called HDX featuring 1080p video and 5.1 surround sound.

Where Vudu differs from Netflix and Hulu is that rather than being a monthly service offering unlimited streaming, it's a pay-as-you-go service that doesn't require a monthly subscription.

Vudu stands out thanks to its large selection of current films, which are added to the service's library on the day they hit stores. In some cases, films will appear on Vudu before they're available in stores — or even while they're still in theaters — as part of special engagements (but at a premium price).

Like Netflix and Hulu, Vudu also works completely inside your web browser. Films begin streaming instantly after purchase and can also be downloaded in their entirety for viewing when you're not connected to the internet. Closed captioning or subtitles are currently available only for foreign language films.

Pros: The earliest new releases; access to some films currently in theaters; no paid membership required.
Cons: Highest cost per movie; no flat rate for unlimited films per month.
Ideal for: The infrequent movie watcher who prefers a pay-as-you-go approach and who wants new releases on time (and sometimes earlier).

Amazon Prime / Instant Video

For the would-be streamer who wants to have their cake and stream it too, online retailer Amazon offers two different ways to watch movies on your computer. The first, Amazon Prime, is an extension of its premium customer program. Growing at a steady pace, it offers several thousand films for streaming via your web browser, many in HD with surround sound. Amazon Prime costs $79 a year, and there's currently no option to pay by the month. Amazon Prime also is great for people who often buy things off Amazon, because it gives you free two-day shipping on many items.

Amazon Instant Video is more akin to Vudu, in that Amazon offers a large selection of current and classic movies for sale or rent in SD and HD definition. These can be streamed within your web browser. Like Vudu, the availability of closed captioning here is limited to foreign films.

Pros: The least expensive annual plan; flexibility of unlimited streaming of older films with pay-as-you-go for newer releases.
Cons: Amazon Prime has the most limited selection of membership model streaming services.
Ideal for: People who watch several movies a month and who are frequent Amazon shoppers who enjoy free shipping. (And really, who doesn't like free shipping?)

Other options

Cable subscribers, as well as Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, and satellite customers also have varying options when it comes to streaming movies. These extras vary by service, but typically allow you to stream both new and classic movies straight through your in-home TV box. Unfortunately, features like user queues and reviews are often left out, and most charge standard pay-per-rental rates for newer flicks, and are usually more expensive than web-based options.

If this type of rental option is available to you, it's definitely something to consider, but with the large licensing agreements made by the companies above, you're likely to get more bang for you buck by avoiding individual rentals through your TV provider, which can quickly tally up. ( Today in Tech )

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Facebook Launches iPad App, Mobile Platform

Facebook Launches iPad App, Mobile Platform – After months of anticipation and leaks, Facebook on Monday launched a mobile app platform and an iPad app.

Facebook users previously had to use their computers for most of their Facebook gaming and app needs, but now they should be able to play and participate from almost any device with a web browser -- and they may get a better experience if it happens to be an Apple iOS device.

Though this launch had been described as an affront to Apple, the new Facebook mobile versions will defer to Apple's native platform and even its payments system whenever possible.

A big reason why Facebook apps, especially games, did not work on phones was because iOS devices do not support Flash. Facebook has helped a select set of developers -- Audiovroom, Branchout, Flixster, Gilt Groupe, Huffington Post, EA, Moblyng, Storm8, Wooga and Zynga -- create HTML5 versions of a selection of their apps and game titles that will work in mobile web browsers.

Facebook has finally launched an iPad app, after months of anticipation

But HTML5 still does not offer the performance that many complex apps require, so if the developers have created native versions of their apps, they can also connect Facebook users directly to that native app.

Now, when a friend sends you an invitation to play Words With Friends, and you view it on the Facebook app on your iPhone, you can click to play and be taken to the Words With Friends app. If you do not have the app, you will be directed to Apple's App Store.

If you are using an Android phone, you will be taken to an HTML5 version in your mobile web browser. Facebook CTO Bret Taylor told AllThingsD Monday that Facebook is also working on an update to its native Android application.

While many people will appreciate having a more consistent Facebook app experience, this launch also should make it much easier for users to find new mobile apps through their friends. Mobile app discovery has been a huge challenge for developers, and social could help unlock that problem by showing people what apps their friends are using.

"We really hope that we can fill a gap in app discovery here," Taylor said.

On the downside, there is one place Facebook was not able to negotiate a consistent experience for users: payments, which was a major sticking point in ongoing discussions with Apple.

Facebook Credits cannot be used to pay for virtual goods in native iOS apps or mobile web apps running within a Facebook app on iOS. Instead, users will have to buy separate in-app currency through Apple's own in-app payment system. The move comes after Facebook just required all of its game developers to switch to exclusive use of Credits earlier this year.

"We realize there's some inconsistency," Taylor admitted. He would not say if Facebook gets a share of revenue for in-app purchases it refers to Apple.

As for the Facebook iPad app, it has been close to being released for over a year, according to people who have seen it and worked on it -- though the app has changed in scope throughout.

Along with the ability to use Facebook platform apps, the iPad version will feature "an immersive and full-screen photos experience," plus new and speedy chat and messages interfaces, Taylor said. ( foxnews.com )

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Take Control of Your Email at Work

Take Control of Your Email at Work. Six Steps to Increase Productivity, Minimize Clutter. Email makes workplace communication faster and more efficient -- but it can also be overwhelming.

Almost two-thirds of executives list email as their preferred method of communicating at work, according to an OfficeTeam survey -- a number that has almost doubled in the past decade.

"Email is front and center today," said Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam, a division of staffing company Robert Half International. "Still, there can be too much of a good thing."

Experts offer the following tips for making email work for you.

Send less.

This doesn't mean you should forego important memos or leave people out of the loop. But you should think twice before you hit Send, especially if you're replying to everyone in a large group.

"Eighty percent of email is totally necessary," said Mike Song, CEO of Cohesive Knowledge Solutions and co-author of "The Hamster Revolution: How to Manage Your Email Before it Manages You." The key is to identify and eliminate the remaining 20 percent. "A lot of people will just hit 'Reply to All' to say thank you to somebody. And sometimes that person will hit 'Reply to All' and say you're welcome. It really gets in the way of getting things done."

Set a schedule.

Turn off the "ding" sound that alerts you to incoming mail. Figure out how frequently you need to answer your email: once a day? Three times a day? Then set aside time to read and reply to messages.

"It's easier to manage your email in chunks of time rather than continuously throughout the day," Domeyer said. For example, you can read and reply to email first thing in the morning, once in the middle of the day, and once at the end of the day.

Use the technology.

Use a good spam filter to remove the truly unnecessary mail. Also, set up folders for low-priority messages, such as notes from your professional association. You can check these folders as often as necessary -- once every few days, for example.

Organize it.

Make folders for your email so you can move messages out of your inbox once you've read them. This will make the messages in your inbox seem less overwhelming. It will also help you find messages later when you need to refer to them.

Don't be too brief.

It's good to make your emails as short as possible -- and especially tempting when you're typing on a PDA. But if you're replying to an email that mentions several ways to handle a problem, for example, and you reply with "sounds good," you may soon receive yet another email, asking which solution you think sounds good.

Know when not to email.

There are times when talking to someone, either in person or on the phone, is the better option. "If you have a difficult or challenging situation to resolve, better to do that in person," Domeyer said. "You'll find it to be more efficient and much more likely to be resolved in a satisfactory manner." ( Yahoo! HotJobs )

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Small businesses flock to Twitter, Facebook

Small businesses flock to Twitter, Facebook. Small businesses are using social media, services like Facebook and Twitter, like never before to communicate with customers, advertise on the cheap and create buzz around their business.

"I think Facebook and Twitter, whether we like it or not, have become the new word-of-mouth," said Donna Dooher, executive chef and owner of Mildred's Temple Kitchen in Toronto.

Mike Charbonneau of the Revue Cinema said he uses Twitter as a 'digital marquee.' (CBC) But while the technology may be new, some small business owners see the idea behind social media as old.

"We speak to each other differently. So for us it makes sense to explore the possibility to use those networking opportunities to create some buzz around our business."

For Willie Cromack of John Henry Bikes in Vancouver, using social media is about informing his customers — many of his company's tweets and Facebook posts include tips on riding — and maintaining an online reputaton.

"We do a lot of talking on our social networks to get people to understand that we're good people, and we're not going to mess them around," said Cromack.

Lewis Hilsenteger of iUpgrade, a store selling pre-owned Apple products that opened in June 2008, said using Facebook and Twitter is about survival.

"I don't think we would be around within this year without social media," said Hilsenteger.

Because he's selling a specialized high-tech product, Hilsenteger said his customers need to know what's in his store at a given moment. Many of them receive his tweets directly to their iPhones, he said.

"Most of [our customers], either through Twitter or through our website, find it important to know what our inventory is and how quickly it turns around, particularly because the inventory is changing so often. They don't know that there will always be another one," said Hilsenteger.

Use Twitter, Facebook for different tasks

Twitter and Facebook offer services that are in some ways similar — a stream of updates delivered over the internet — but businesses tend to use them for different purposes.

'We do a lot of talking on our social networks to get people to understand that we're good people, and we're not going to mess them around.'—Willie Cromack, John Henry Bikes

Twitter updates are just text, and no more than 140 characters, but they can include links to web pages. Twitter users can follow these updates so they can see them as soon they're posted.

Dooher said Twitter is great for daily updates delivered quickly.

"We do use Twitter every day before lunch service, and we tweet out our quickie [lunch special] of the day.

"That's just helping them make a decision. If they choose to come down, that's great. They know exactly what they're going to get. If it's something that doesn't appeal to them, they move on," she said.

Mike Charbonneau, marketing director for the Revue Cinema in Toronto, said he uses Twitter as a "digital marquee" for his community movie theatre.

"That's really what we use Twitter for, to let people know on a daily basis what's playing," said Charbonneau. "If they don't check us out at the website, if they don't check us out in the magazine we publish, if they don't check us out on Facebook, well, hopefully they will on Twitter."

The updates, or tweets, are public and searchable, so it's possible for anyone searching Twitter to find posts there. Charbonneau said that feature has helped expand the Revue's audience beyond its Roncesvalles neighbourhood.

Mildred's Temple Kitchen earned a mention in the blog of Peter Merholz — who coined the word "blog" — after someone recommended the restaurant to him over Twitter. A member of the kitchen's staff saw the recommendation and thanked Merholz's friend for the referral.

Facebook, on the other hand, offers more options for its posts. There's no limit on the size of the updates, and they can include photos and video. Links to other websites can include more information on the content there, including a thumbnail view. As well, discussions are more intuitively organized on Facebook, so they're easier to follow.

'A good place to go'

However, Facebook updates will more than likely only be seen by users who become fans of the Facebook page of a business or join its Facebook group.

A fan of the Revue Cinema started a "Friends of the Revue" Facebook group, which Charbonneau subsequently took over.

"People can go there and have a discussion, post pictures, so for people who are big fans of the Revue, that's a good place to go," Charbonneau said.

Willie Cromack of John Henry Bikes said he uses the company's Facebook fan page for prizes and communicating with his customers, but his posts can get lost among updates from friends.

"More conversation can take place [on Facebook], but it takes a more entertaining comment to get the responses," said Cromack.

"You can't just say, 'We got some boxes in today.' You have to have a video, a picture, a link that says, I'm going to be more entertaining today than the next guy," he said.

Cromack uses other social media sites, like Flickr and YouTube, to host his business's pictures and videos, and links to them from Twitter, Facebook and the company's blog.

Businesses can also invite their Facebook fans to special events, and Facebook will remind them when the date is approaching.

"The really good thing about Facebook is the events component. We frequently have special programming at the Revue," said Charbonneau. "Facebook's great for that."

Facebook and Twitter also differ in the number of people who use them. Facebook has over 300 million users worldwide, while Twitter, a newer service, expects to have 25 million users by the end of 2009. However, the businesses we talked to all had more Twitter followers than Facebook fans.

"We try to use Facebook for some special offers. Sometimes we'll have a discount provided strictly for members of the Facebook group that only they would know about," said Hilsenteger.

Free advertising

Because Twitter and Facebook are free services, they're especially attractive to small businesses in a tight economy.

"As a non-profit organization, you can imagine, the more ways we can get our message out about what's playing, the easier it is for us to fill the seats with people," said Charbonneau.

"Social media has allowed companies like ours to reach a significant amount of people with little or no cost at all," said Hilsenteger.

Cromack said Twitter, Facebook and his company's blog allow him to compete with bigger companies on a more level playing field.

"This is a great opportunity for us to be best-in-class, first-in, to have the same size of screen that Coke and IBM work with, and I could be as good or better than them without spending a ridiculous amount of money," said Cromack.

Dooher said social media offer an attractive alternative to traditional advertising media.

"We were being pushed to look at online advertising, print advertising, radio advertising, which really is a big investment of money, and it's very hard to get a return on that investment," she said.

"But word-of-mouth is always been the best way to promote a hospitality facility. And it's free," said Dooher.

However, tweeting every day and updating Facebook pages does take time, and the small business owners we talked to cautioned against getting lost in social media.

"We have a website, we have a newsletter, we have Facebook, we have Twitter, and sometimes I think, 'Oh, and we cook! Oh yes, I forgot about that!'" said Doohan.

"I find it's important to remember what you do, and not to get too caught up in [social media]. And we were getting a caught up in it. We were losing our minds, and we thought, 'What are we doing? Why are we doing this?'" she said.

Doohan said he found delegating some of the social media responsibilities to other members of her staff helpful.

"I will confess to you, I am 55 years of age, so it's not technology that I'm very comfortable with or familiar with, and I have engaged the services and the consultation of many of the young people that work with me," she said.

Cromack also recruited his employees to help with writing the daily biking tips for Twitter, recording videos for posting on YouTube and writing reviews of new products.

"Once I worked out the system that I wanted, and the plan I wanted in place, then I could delegate sections of it to staff," said Cromack.

"It is time-consuming, but in the end, so is talking to a customer, so it depends on where you think your time is valuable," he said. ( cbc.ca )

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Can Governments Get Smarter?

Can Governments Get Smarter?. Around the world corporations and individuals have embraced technology to make their lives easier and their businesses more competitive. But what about governments?

The challenges facing the government sector are immense, expensive and complicated. Yet there is room for innovation and effective solutions. Consider this: renewing a driver's license in person cost about $8. The cost to renew it online? One dollar.

In everything from health care wait times to public safety issues, to repairing potholes, governments around the world are implementing solutions that make their citizen's lives easier. Here's a few example of innovations from around the world.

Networks and Social Networks

Sometimes it's as simple as using social networking applications like Twitter to report problems with government services. For instance the city of San Franscisco is using Twitter for service complaints (street cleaning, graffiti, potholes etc.) and trying to resolve the complaints within 3 days. Governments could expand to government collaborating with citizens using online brainstorming sessions and real time voting.

In Ontario, data that can be used multiple times on a citizen's behalf--such as in registering a newborn or applying for social system benefits--need be entered only once, eliminating the need for users to input data multiple times when interacting with government online.

Smarter government also means putting the citizen at the centre of government services. For instance, in Australia, the Centrelink service is groups disparate government departments around citizen's life events, like marriage, births or the need for elder care, instead of forcing citizens to visit multiple different departments.

Thinking About Analytics

Government agencies have used statistical analysis for a long time, for instance to measure tax compliance, what's new is that now governments are turning to analytics as a basis for decision making.

Government analytics involves statistical analysis to help detect patterns and trends in raw data and use it to make better decisions.

The U.S. Postal Service is using to analytics to make mail delivery faster. They've improved on-time delivery rates from around 80 per cent during the 1980s to 94 percent for first class mail today.

To do this, the service puts test pieces of mail into the system every day and tracks how long it takes the test letters, postcards and boxes to be delivered. This system is used to identify bottlenecks and correct problems.

Open up the Data Vault

Allowing citizens access to the government's vast data sets enables a better understanding--and, ultimately, a better stewardship--of government and its resources.

Increasing access to government data, by putting more data online in accessible format that citizens can use leads to new applications and innovations.

For example the Toronto Open Data initiative launched in early November to make that city's government data sets more "open, accessible and transparent." The data includes catalogues of events such as festivals, lists of licensed child care centres, priority investment neighbourhoods, and in the future data on crimes, homelessness, city budgets and expenses and expected to be released. Making this data accessible empowers citizens to innovate with it.

As one citizen said, one of the roles of government is to unleash the potential of its citizens.( cbc.ca )

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MPs fight online predators who counsel suicide

MPs fight online predators who counsel suicide. The House of Commons voted unanimously in favour of a motion Wednesday that could change how the Criminal Code deals with people who counsel others over the internet to commit suicide.

The motion put forward by Harold Albrecht, Conservative MP for the Ontario riding of Kitchener-Conestoga, was a response to the death of Nadia Kajouji, an 18-year-old Carleton university student who threw herself into the Rideau River in March 2008.

Nadia Kajouji committed suicide in March 2008. Police discovered that a 47-year-old male nurse from Minnesota — who was posing as a 28-year-old woman online — might have encouraged Kajouji via an internet chat room to commit suicide. (Courtesy of Nadia Kajouji's family)

During the investigation into Kajouji's death, police discovered that a 47-year-old male nurse from Minnesota — who was posing as a 28-year-old woman online — might have encouraged Kajouji via an internet chat room to commit suicide. No charges have been laid in the case, under either U.S. or Canadian law.

Definition of 'aiding and abetting' unclear

Section 241 of the Canadian Criminal Code says "everyone who … counsels a person to commit suicide, or aids or abets a person to commit suicide, whether suicide ensues or not, is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fourteen years."

Albrecht would like to see the definition of aiding and abetting clarified to include the use of technologies like internet chat rooms. Wednesday's motion isn't legally binding, but Albrecht intends to work with the federal Justice Department to draft a formal bill.

"I think clarifying it in the law will give that deterrent message to close that potential loophole, and there will be adequate pressure to make sure that another story like Nadia's never occurs, " Albrecht said.

After nearly two years of suffering, Wednesday's motion brought some peace to Kajouji's family.

"All those people over there, all the MPs, they're doing something for Nadia and other kids. And it makes me very happy. It makes me very proud, " Mohamed Kajouji, Nadia's father said.

Marc Kajouji, Nadia's brother, was relieved to see something positive come from his sister's death.

"There's a lot of joy today surrounding me. And that's obviously because of Nadia, who's definitely smiling down on us, and very happy with the result I'm sure." ( cbc.ca )

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Depressed woman loses benefits over Facebook photos

Depressed woman loses benefits over Facebook photos. A Quebec woman on long-term sick leave is fighting to have her benefits reinstated after her employer's insurance company cut them, she says, because of photos posted on Facebook.

Nathalie Blanchard, 29, has been on leave from her job at IBM in Bromont, Que., for the last year and a half after she was diagnosed with major depression.

The Eastern Townships woman was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits from Manulife, her insurance company, but the payments dried up this fall.

Nathalie Blanchard, shown here on a beach holiday during her sick leave. (Facebook)

When Blanchard called Manulife, the company said that "I'm available to work, because of Facebook," she told CBC News this week.

She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on the popular social networking site, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday — evidence that she is no longer depressed, Manulife said.

Blanchard said she notified Manulife that she was taking a trip, and she's shocked the company would investigate her in such a manner and interpret her photos that way.

"In the moment I'm happy, but before and after I have the same problems" as before, she said.

Blanchard said that on her doctor's advice, she tried to have fun, including nights out at her local bar with friends and short getaways to sun destinations, as a way to forget her problems.

She also doesn’t understand how Manulife accessed her photos because her Facebook profile is locked and only people she approves can look at what she posts.

Insurer confirms it uses Facebook

Her lawyer Tom Lavin said Manulife's investigation was inappropriate.

"I don't think for judging a mental state that Facebook is a very good tool," he said, adding that he has requested another psychiatric evaluation for Blanchard.

"It's not as if somebody had a broken back and there was a picture of them carrying with a load of bricks," Lavin said. "My client was diagnosed with a major depression. And there were pictures of her on Facebook, in a party or having a good time. It could be that she was just trying to escape."

Manulife wouldn't comment on Blanchard's case, but in a written statement sent to CBC News, the insurer said: "We would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on websites such as Facebook." It confirmed that it uses the popular social networking site to investigate clients.

Insurance companies must weigh information found on such sites, said Claude Distasio, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.

"We can't ignore it, wherever the source of the information is," she said. "We can't ignore it."

Blanchard estimated she’s lost thousands of dollars in benefits since Manulife changed her claim. ( cbc.ca )

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Google to launch Chrome netbooks next year

Google to launch Chrome netbooks next year. Google plans to offer its Chrome operating system, which will let computers work without Windows and connect directly to the internet, on netbooks by Christmas next year.

The company, in a webcast news conference on Thursday, touted Chrome as a revolutionary approach that will speed users' access to the internet by making computers feel more like televisions, which work right away after being turned on.

Google's Chrome operating system will feature an interface that looks like a cross between a web browser and a smartphone.

"This is a fundamentally different model of computing," said Sundar Pichai, vice-president of product management at Google. "We're going to go through a paradigm shift."

The problem with current operating systems, such as Microsoft's Windows or Apple's OS, is that they require a sometimes lengthy boot-up to load all sorts of functions and applications that most people never use, Pichai said. Chrome does away with most of that process and takes users directly to their web browser. Pichai said current boot-up time is seven seconds, but Google is working to shave that further.

Google is working with several computer makers to combine the operating system with hardware, which will be slightly bigger than current netbooks and will feature full-size keyboards, he said. The devices will use the wireless "n" wi-fi standard to connect to the internet and will have solid state flash storage, rather than the disc drives found in many computers.

Chrome, which is free for hardware makers, is also being designed with laptop and desktop computers in mind, Pichai said, but for now the company is focused on netbooks. Google expects the Chrome-based netbooks to retail for about the same as existing models on the market.

The company also announced it was making the operating system completely open source, so that anyone who wants to develop applications for it can do so. Pichai demonstrated that Microsoft, the company that Chrome takes direct aim at, has already developed its own applications that work within Google's web browser, also called Chrome. Users can open their Excel spreadsheet documents, for example, through a web-based version of Microsoft's software.

Chrome will consequently push further the idea of cloud computing, where all of a user's files are stored on the internet rather than on their computer's hard drive. Critics have said the concept is problematic because users could lose control of their data or would be at the mercy of outages at service providers, such as Google.

Pichai countered such questions from reporters by suggesting that users will always own their own data and that online outages are far less frequent than problems that occur with the computers themselves. The cloud's reliability "compares very, very well," he said. ( cbc.ca )

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