Subcribers to Google’s beta channel can now play with a new beta of Google’s hot Chrome browser. Non subscribers will usually get the stable builds of these beta versions at a latter date.

So what should we expect from this beta? Well, first, it is going to be a faster browsing experience. Benchmarks show that a 30 percent increase in performance can be expected from the new build. The benchmarks used are the V8 and SunSpider benchmarks, this means you can expect significant speed boosts in running JavaScript.

The improvements do not end with faster performance though. Google has programmed Chrome to be smarter in prioritizing the loading of pages when a user opens a new web page while other pages are still loading.

Chrome’s New Tabs page has also been improved along with the unique Omnibox. The New Tabs page is now customizable. Users can now pin frequently visited sites in certain locations. The Omnibox now also includes icons next to the suggestions as a way of differentiating between a web site address or a bookmark. An additional aesthetic improvement is the addition of customizable themes.

If you want to try it for yourself now, subscribe to Google’s beta channel. But if you’re not a fan of unstable betas, then just wait for when Google officially releases it.

>raman amplifierter is getting massive attention from practically everyone lately. It’s gotten to the point where a person as mainstream as Oprah has appeared on Twitter. Of course, with Ms. Winfrey’s involvement, Twitter’s traffic has received a 24 percent boost. That’s a great help in Twitter’s continued growth. But according to studies, Twitter may not be getting the full benefits of this increased attention.

Reports have come in that Twitter is not getting the retention rate that it needs to ensure continued growth. Nielsen Online reported that 60 percent of Twitter users do not return the following month. This means that Twitter’s retention rate is only pegged at 40 percent, and that’s Post-Oprah figures. Pre-Oprah, the retention rate was only at 30 percent.

Even though a high retention rate does not necessarily guarantee a big audience it is still considered important. For instance, MySpace and Facebook had a retention rate that was twice that of Twitter’s right now. When these two sites exploded into the public consciousness, the retention rate increased and are now pegged at 70 percent.

I’d love to find out what strategies Twitter will use to increase retention among its users. This will be a make or break phase for the new kid in town.

Opera, the web browser that enjoys a strong cult following, is on its 15th year today.

The browser was first developed in late April 1994 bt Geir Ivarsoy and Jon von Tetzchner, who is currently the the CEO of the company.

According to Opera, there are 40 million people who are now using its browser all over the world.

Happy birthday Opera! Here’s to more years as a successful and viable choice as a browser. God knows we need choices when it comes to browsers.

Firefox’s never version is almost done and to mark it, what may be the final beta will be released on Thursday.

A bit of confusion is being generated though because of the version numbering. Logically, it should be version 3.1, but according to Mozilla the new version will be named 3.5. An explanation is that the new version is much more than a slight or incremental improvement over the previous version and thus would deserve a bigger number jump.

Firefox 3.1 or 3.5 will have changes in the private browsing mode, the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, and also new standards support. This new version will also be released a week before the release of the final version of Internet Explorer 8.

Southwest Airlines recently introduced the beta version of its onboard internet connection on four of its 737s.

Southwest Airlines said that internet access during the duration of the evaluation period will be free of charge. Passengers who avail of the service will be asked to fill out a survey to get further inputs on many aspects of the service and also help the airline in deciding on whether to equip all of its fleet with the internet service.

Lag and subpar VOIP services should be expected in the said service because the internet connection will be through satellite.
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