Chrome 66 Beta Delivers On Async Clipboard API, Web Locks API

Google on Windows and Android has released the latest Chrome 66 Beta version.
The Chrome 66 Beta version is available for download in the beta channel and it will restrict media auto playback and reduce browser crashes on Windows. There will be additional features like Chrome Home Duplex and a new Design tab on the Android app.

The Chrome 66 Beta version, which is in the beta phase, promises to block autoplaying videos with sound. Google was supposed to do it in Chrome 64 in the month of January, but the block on autoplay video will come along with the Chrome 66.

The Chrome 66 beta is expected for release in mid-April.

According to Google, the Chrome 66 beta will allow autoplay only when the video is muted or when the media does not play sound or if the user is interacting with the media on the site or has frequently accessed media on the same site. This ensures that there will be no unexpected video playbacks with sound as soon as the web page is opened.

The Chrome 66 beta will reduce the number of browser crashes caused due to third party software on Windows. It will display warnings in case a crash occurs.

As regards the Chrome 66 for Android, the Chrome Home Duplex replaces the Chrome Home bottom bar. There will also be a new sliding bottom toolbar to redirect to the New Tab page. It will be a quick way to launch bookmarks, but it is still in the development stage. It also includes a new Modern Design flag which has a rounded bar for URLs and icons. There will be a white background on the tab switcher and New Tab page.

Features of Chrome 66 Beta: 

AudioWorklet API

Earlier, the Script Processor Node was asynchronous and required thread hops, producing unstable audio output. For developers, the Chrome 66 has the new AudioWorklet API for enhancing audio performance. The AudioWorklet provides a synchronous JavaScript execution. With the help of a program, the developers will be able to control audio without any additional latency and provide higher stability in the output audio. Media streaming resolution will be better on websites with the new decoding Info API which determines the decoding capabilities of devices.

Asynchronous Clipboard API

A new Asynchronous Clipboard API will improve the read and write functions on the clipboard and the later Chrome versions will provide additional support for copy and paste functions of images and other data.

CSS Typed Object Model

Earlier when the developers wanted to manipulate CSS properties, they had to do so by manipulating the strings for the browser and then convert it back to a typed form. The drawback was that when the value of the CSS property had to be read in Java, the typed value was converted back to a string.

With the Chrome 66, the CSS Typed Object Model (OM) Level 1 shows the CSS values as typed JavaScript objects instead of strings. The developers are able to write codes that can be maintained and easier to understand.

ImageBitmap Rendering Context

Previously, in order to render an image on to a canvas, the first thing was to create an image tag and then the contents were rendered onto the canvas. In the process there were many copies of the image which were created and they had to be stored in memory. With the new ImageBitmap rendering context, there is no memory duplication and the ImageBitmap objects were rendered more efficiently.

8 of the Best Google Chrome Extensions to Make Your Life Easier

Digital Gadgets – Google Chrome

Various digital gadgets are available in Chrome’s web store thus making web browsing experience besides being simple and fruitful, also pleasant. The following are some worth mentioning which can be downloaded at no cost within a few minutes-

LastPass

It means that the user needs to recall one password in order to keep the login details secured in one place. Moreover the gadgets could also be beneficial in keeping the other accounts secured by creating a secure password which would be filled in automatically whenever the need arises. An area for notes for offline details which can be secured is also available and can be installed if needed.

Colorzilla

Eyedropper of Colorizilla tends to check any pixel and can inform the user when you desire to know the exact hue of online matter. The data of the colour can then be pasted into another programme or the values adjusted and saved within the extension for reference in the later stage. These gadgets could be an important extension for the purpose of digital design work.

TinEye

TinEye’s reverse image search is said to be the best gadgets while locating the source of an image which seems complex. It targets the nearest match rather than the similarity which makes it advantageous in locating the originals, higher resolution versions or checking online replicas. The extension makes the possibility of search available within a couple of clicks and can be installed with ease.

Unpaywell

Users interested in reading academic papers without subscription fees could utilise Unpaywall gadgets. This free extension navigation is beneficial for those looking for research andis a probable saver on time as well as money.

Instapaper/Save to Pocket

Any ofthese extension gadgets would enable the user to save web pages as well as the articles to read later on synced devices without an internet connection. They have premium version if the user needs to support the developers and obtain additional features

The Great Suspender

To open illogical amount of tabs in the browser is a simple task. Here the Great Suspender gadgets are supportive in handling the performance of the computer by restricting abandoned tabs till the clicks back on them. Plenty of space is available for configuration and the extension enables in keeping certain sites open for an indefinite period of time or unloads the other after a shorter duration of time.

Backstop

One wrong key press could take you back to the earlier page and at times some of the information edited could get erased. This can take place with any one. These simple extension gadgets tends to stop the backspace key from moving to the previous page thereby saving the user from wasting time and inconvenience.

Wunderlist

These are amazing gadgets in helping the user in tracking and sharing to-dos. This extension available as an app helps in creating as well as saving the to-do lists ranging from work project to the things needed to be brought from the grocery store to the items for reading during your journey back home. Moreover it also enables you to share the list with several co-workers. These can be saved across several devices and on accomplishment,the same can be termed as completed.

Researchers Demonstrate Existence of New Form of Electronic Matter

According to the news that has been published in the journal ‘Nature’, engineers based at the University of Illinois have shown that a new form of electronic matter exists. It is called quadrupole topological insulators (QTI).

The properties exhibited by this electronic matter, QTI could bring about a wide range of possibilities in the computer field. It holds great promise in the manufacturing of low-power, robust computers and various devices, that are all defined at the atomic scale.

The topological insulators (TI) are basically electrical insulators on the inside but are conductors along the boundaries. This unique property exhibited by the topological insulators makes them a special type of electronic matter.

A group of electrons form their own phases within the materials. This can be either in the solid, liquid and gas phase, as is seen in water. They can also form an uncommon phase like a topological insulator.

What is this new phase of Electronic Matter? 

The new form of electronic matter is the Quadrupole Topological Insulator. According to theoretical physics, some of the topological insulators have an electrical property known as quadrupole moment.

As we see in a material, the electrons carry a charge. In the process, the material becomes bipolar, that is it contains the positive as well as the negative charge.

Now, in a higher order class of material, we get a quadrupole which is a coupling of two positive and two negative charges. In crystals, the electrons can arrange themselves in such a way that they can give rise to high-order multipoles besides the usual dipole units. In the case of multipoles, four or eight charges are collectively arranged in a unit. The basic forms of multipoles are the quadrupoles wherein two positive and two negative charges are coupled together in a unit.

An analog of a QTI was shown by the researchers of the University of Illinois. They demonstrated it by using a special material from printed circuit boards.

Each circuit has a square of four identical resonators or devices that can absorb electromagnetic radiation at a particular frequency. The boards were positioned in a grid to form the crystal analog.
Each of these resonators behaves like an atom and the connections between the resonators act as bonds between these atoms.

The system is then subjected to microwave radiation to measure the amount that has been absorbed by each of the resonators. This in turn will indicate the behavior of the electrons in an analogous crystal. If the microwave radiation absorbed by a resonator is more, then there are higher chances of finding an electron on the corresponding atom.

In the above experiment it was inferred that the corners of the connected resonators absorbed the microwave radiation at a specific frequency whereas the rest of the units did not do so. The researchers then separated the bottom row from the grid and on subjecting it to the microwave radiation, it was noticed that the next highest rows showed the topological effects on absorbing the radiation.

They concluded that the edges of a QTI are not conductive unlike that seen in a TI. It was only the corners which are active and they correspond to the four localized point charges that form the quadrupole moment.

On measuring the amount of microwave radiation each of the resonators absorbed in the QTI, it was confirmed that the resonant states was in a particular frequency range and localized in the four corners. This shows the existence of predicted protected states that would be filled up by electrons that would in turn form four corner charges.

With the experiment conducted, scientists are beginning to understand the possibilities of the new electronic matter and its application. As of now, the physicists can predict that the new form of electronic matter exists, but no material has been found to have these properties.

How to Stop Annoying Robocalls on Your iPhone or Android phone

Smart ways to stop spam calls on iPhone or Android devices

In the recent times we had seen an unwanted and extreme rise in the number of spam calls which had almost become an epidemic. A number of surveys have shown that on an average people gets 4-6 spam calls each day. Spam calls has become such a great nuisance that Federal Trade Commission got over 350,000 complaints for every month of last year. Spam calls are nothing more than unwelcome distraction which can become quite frustrating over time. Internet has simply offered a great power to the scammers by allowing them to shoot countless call ease like never before. Here are some smart ways to stop spam calls on both iPhone and Android devices.

Block numbers  of Spam Calls individually

If you wish to get rid of the spam calls for once and all embark on the laborious journey of blocking each spam number one by one. On iOS device just go the Phone app click on the Recents then tap on the blue information icon right next to the number you wish to block. On Android devices open the Phone app then click on Recents section finally give a long press on the spam number and block it. Do it repeatedly to clock all the spam calls from the spam numbers.

Get help of the carrier to protect yourself from Spam Calls

Almost all the telecom providers’ offers certain kind of service either paid or free which allow user to safeguard themselves from the commonly identified spam calls. AT&T provides a free app called "Call Protect" which helps in blocking a number of fraud spam calls with ease and simplicity.

This app doesn’t help in completely clocking the spam calls but it does help in identifying the suspected spam calls. 0n other hand some apps offers a Premium Caller ID which helps in identifying the spam callers and almost every other number which isn't available in the contact list at a price of $3 per month. T-Mobile also offers a Scam ID and Scam Block for free but only for the postpaid users and it is very good at blocking the spam calls even before the phone rings.

Make use of Third Party apps to block spam calls

A number of apps have cropped up on both the iOS and Android platform which are designed to get rid of the spam calls altogether. These apps are smart enough to do away with the spam call even before the phone start ringing. But these apps aren't free and can cost just a little bit for a monthly or even annual subscription.

These apps work through constantly updating and evolving the database of the fraud or spam callers in order to stop the nuisance spam calls with perfection. Whenever a call comes then this app runs it thorough its massive list of the scam numbers.

In case it registers a match then the incoming call is subsequently killed even before the phone rings. These apps even allow phone users to maintain their own set of blacklisted numbers which might be bothering or whitelist those which are of certain importance and need to be attended.

HTC U12 with Dual Rear Cameras Expected in April

Leaks suggest HTC U12 will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 chipset

Finally the time of the year has come for HTC to launch the next iteration of its flagship U series. As the trend suggests the new HTC U12 will be powered by the latest Snapdragon chipset 845 and it will become the second new flagship of this year after Samsung’s S9 to feature this chipset. There is no doubt that HTC will stick to its exiting nomenclature for the flagship as HTC U12 as last year’s version was HTC U11. This device was shown just a month ago in a 5G industry event. The leaks regarding the HTC U12 has come from a reliable leakster and ROM developer called LlabTooFeR.

Features to be seen in HTC U12

HTC U12 will feature a Quad HD+ display screen with 5.9 inches in the popular 18:9 aspect ratio. 18:9 aspect ratio has become the stand feature of all the flagship which are likely to be launched in 2018 thereby leading to the sad demise of 16:9 in the flagship market. It will sport the Snapdragon 845 processor along with the 6 GB RAM and an astonishing massive storage of 256 GB. It is likely that HTC will be launching some other variants of this HTC U12 with low RAM and storage as well as screen in upcoming days.

Building the perfect flagship

 

It will certainly boast of the dual camera setup at the back which had become a norm. Herein it has a 12 MP sensor along with a 16MP Sony IMX3xx sensor at the back while for selfie it has an 8MP shooter. To be a complete flagship it has to offer a reliable battery life therefore HTC 12 boasts of a commendable 3420 mAh and it does also possess IP68 rating. HTC12 users will not have to worry about the accidental drops in water as this device now comes with dust and waster resistance capability.

HTC 12 comes with Android Oreo along with the company’s very own Android skin called Sense UI 10. HTC iconic Edge sense 2.0 is also present here which allows users to perform various simple tasks based on the pressure given while gripping the phone. Following the Footsteps of Apple and varied other Android manufacturers HTC 12 will also be boasting its very Face Unlock capability. HTC is expected to launch this device in both single and dual sim versions globally.

Launching soon in April 2018

This leakster has revealed the complete specsheet on the twitter and had confirmed the launch of the device in April. Having a look at the specsheet it can be easily seen that HTC is playing safe with HTC U12 by offering the all the requisite features which has become staple in the last year. The presence of dual camera setup along with 18:9 aspect ratio is a welcome addition. The massive internal storage of 256 GB is simply too much for any user. If HTC wishes to remain competitive and get better sales traction then it has to be place the HTC U12 more competitively than past years.