Google updates Google Drive and Chrome apps for iOS and Android

Google has updated their Google Drive and Chrome apps on both the platforms.

The new Google Drive app gets a slew of new features but the biggest one is the ability to edit spreadsheet within the apps, which makes it so much more useful now.

Other changes in the app include:

Edit contents of tables in Google Docs editor
Formatting is maintained when copy/pasting within Google Docs
Single tap to enter edit mode in Google Docs editor
Add a shortcut to Drive files/folders to your homescreen for quick access
Send Link now supports copying link to clipboard

As for the iOS version of the app, the following changes have been introduced

Create, edit and collaborate on spreadsheets
Upload to Drive from other apps using “Open in…”
Manage upload progress and see recent uploads in new Uploads section

Rich text copy-paste within a document
Improved speed and stability
Improved contact search for sharing

Bug fixes

The Chrome app didn’t get as many updates. According to Google’s change log, the Android version gets stability fixes and performance improvements. The iOS version gets ability to open PDF files in other apps, Passbook support, text encoding detection and other performance improvements.

In my opinion, Chrome still lags behind the stock browser on either platforms in terms of performance, and I don’t mean just page loading speed. It’s especially bad on Android, with all that stuttering and blanking out every time you scroll, even on powerful devices. Having said that, it has come a long way since it first released, so hopefully it can catch up to the stock browser in terms of performance some day. Especially now that Google is replacing the stock browser with it in Nexus devices.

OCZ VECTOR SSD POWERED BY INDILINX BAREFOOT 3 CONTROLLER (VIDEO)

OCZ Technology is back with its new Vector series solid state drive, the first product line powered by the company’s own Indilinx Barefoot 3 controller. The new Vector SSD comes in a super slim 7mm form factor that fits even the slim Ultrabook computers, and gets a sleek alloy housing. It uses SATA III interface and is equipped with OCZ’s in-house powerful controller and optimized firmware to deliver enhanced performance and reliability.

The new Barefoot 3 architecture is in fact OCZ Technology’s first controller silicon and firmware designed completely in-house from start for finish. It is said that the new controller is equipped with an advanced suite of flash management tools to improve endurance of NAND flash memory and overcome the shortcomings associated with MLC NAND flash, delivering 20GB host writes per day for 5 years.

The 7mm, 2.5-inch Vector series is available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB capacities. It offers up to 550MB/s read and 530MB/s write speeds and random read/write performances of up to 100,000/95,000 IOPS. It includes support for TRIM command and ideal time Garbage Collection. A 3.5-inch adapter bracket is included for using the Vector SSD on desktop computers, while the Acronis True Image cloning software allows users to transfer data from old drive easily and quickly.

OCZ’s Vector is priced at $159.99 for 128GB, $289.99 for 256GB and $569.99 for 512GB. They are available now from Amazon.com.

Apple’s new iMacs to go on sale on November 30, the 21.5-inch model goes first

Apple finally came clear about the launch date of its new generation of iMacs. Thinner, faster and DVD-less, the new iMacs will hit it off this Friday, November 30.

Unfortunately, it’s only the 21.5-inch (1920x1080px) model that will ship immediately. The 27-inch iMac (2560x1444px) will join the little one in early December and it would only be available online.

The new iMacs have a new, slimmer build, a less reflective screen, and feature Fusion drive, Apple’s latest hip name for a hybrid drive. Apple’s drive, however is not any hybrid drive. The Fusion drive pairs a 1TB standard drive with a 128GB worth of flash storage to deliver faster performance in most tasks. Mac OS will auto manage the drive, deciding which files to store on the flash portion for speedier access. Of course, Fusion drive is an option and it will cost you extra.

Price-wise, the 21.5-inch model starts from $1299/€1349 for a a 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor with Nvidia GeForce GT 640M graphics.

The 27-inch model starts from $1799/€1879 for a 2.9GHz quad-core Core i5 with Nvidia GeForce GTX 660M graphics.

Microsoft Sold 40 Million Licences of Windows 8 just in One Month

At the end of October, Microsoft officially launched the Windows 8 operating system and now, a month later, the company reports it has already sold 40 million licenses.

An impressive achievement for the guys at Redmond, indeed. In comparison, there were 60 million Windows 7 licenses sold in the first 10 weeks after its launch at the end of 2009.

The news was announced by the finance and marketing chief of Windows, Tami Reller, who didn’t detail how much of the 40 million Windows 8 licenses were upgrades or came as a part of a new PC or notebook. However, he outlined that “Windows 8 upgrade momentum is outpacing that of Windows 7″.

Mr. Reller hasn’t disclosed any interesting statistics on how the Windows 8 RT piece of the Windows 8 ecosystem is doing in its first month and more specifically the Microsoft Surface tablet.

MSI GX60 GAMING NOTEBOOK PACKS AMD TRINITY A10 AND RADEON HD7970M

MSI launches in the US its new GX60 affordable high-performance gaming notebook powered by AMD’s CPU and GPU. The 15.6-inch gaming machine is powered by AMD’s Trinity A10 quad-core processor and Radeon HD7970M graphics card with 2GB video memory. To deliver enhanced gaming experience, MSI even adds Killer E2200 Gaming network card and SteelSeries chiclet gaming keyboard. It also includes Turboo Drive Engine technology for instant one-touch overclocking.

The GX60 comes equipped with 8GB of RAM and 750GB 7200RPM hard drive, as well as a Blu-ray Disc drive for users to enjoy high-definition movie. It has a 15.6-inch 1920×1080 Full HD display with an anti-reflection coating to reduce eyestrain. To deliver great sound, the laptop packs THX stereo speakers and subwoofer and includes Audio Boost sound enhancement. It even gets headset amplifier and gold flash jack to offer high-fidelity sound via audio jack. The GX60 supports WiFi and comes with a 5-in-1 card reader, three USB 3.0 ports, HDMI 1.4 port and a multitouch touchpad.

MSI’s GX60 comes running Windows 8 64-bit. It is priced at $1299.99.