Month: July 2020

WSJ: Quit Google Chrome, Safari and Edge are just better web browsers

CompuScoop Staff July 13, 2020 0

While Chrome has gobbled up 69% of the desktop-laptop browser market share, according to NetMarketShare, its competitors, all with single-digit percentages, have been laser-focused on kicking Chrome square in the blue dot.

Microsoft’s new Edge browser, rolling out to Windows 10 machines this summer and available now for download on a Mac, is based on Chromium, the same underlying technology as Chrome — yet it uses less of your Windows computer’s RAM and battery.

Meanwhile, Apple’s built-in Safari browser has the best blend of privacy, performance and battery to offer on Macs, and it’s only getting better this fall with MacOS Big Sur.

Safari used about 5% to 10% less RAM than Chrome, Firefox and Edge in my tests. Compared with Chrome, Safari kept the 13-inch MacBook Pro running an extra 1 to 2 hours on a charge. Plus, the laptop was a lot cooler and quieter… None of this is new. Safari has long been as gentle as a feather duster on a Mac. The problems have always been with features and compatibility…

Good news: In the next release of Safari coming this fall in MacOS Big Sur, Apple made it easier for developers to port Chrome extensions over. Plus, the updated browser, which I’ve been testing in beta on a MacBook Pro, is faster — and has those little tab icons, aka favicons, turned on by default… Cross-gadget support is another big factor in picking a browser these days. If you are all in on Apple devices, Safari should be your pick — with another browser as a backup for web compatibility issues.

Apple Silicon will force industry to rethink on Intel chips, according to an ex-Apple executive

Dan Uff July 13, 2020 0

[AppleInsider.com]: The creation of Apple Silicon will force Microsoft into making its Windows variant for ARM better and to make better ARM-based hardware, former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassee has suggested, as Apple's shift will prompt the rest of the PC industry to reconsider its usage of Intel chips.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

IT’S FINALLY HERE, TREKKIES! Pluto TV will soon add Star Trek Channel!

CompuScoop Staff July 13, 2020 1

[TrekMovies.com]: ViacomCBS continues to take advantage of the opportunities created from its recent re-merger, this time by adding a number of CBS shows to the Pluto TV free streaming service.

Today ViacomCBS announced 40 CBS-produced shows will be added to Pluto TV, the popular ad-supported streaming service Viacom purchased in 2019. One of those shows will be Star Trek: The Next Generation. A spokesperson for Pluto TV tells TrekMovie that TNG is the first series for a new Star Trek channel being added to the live streaming service, with more Star Trek series being added later.

In addition to Star Trek: The Next Generation, starting on July 14 and continuing through the summer, the new slate of CBS programming on Pluto TV in the USA also includes Survivor, CSI: Miami, The Amazing Race, Beverly Hills 90210, Everybody Hates Chris, JAG, MacGyver, Scorpion, and Numbers. Pluto TV will also begin streaming select episodes from the first 10 seasons of South Park.

“Pluto TV is the leading free streaming television service in America and is distinguished by both the quantity and quality of its content,” said Tom Ryan, CEO and Co-Founder of Pluto TV. “With over 100,000 hours of unique content in the US alone, now supplemented by these iconic ViacomCBS franchises, Pluto TV is one of the broadest and deepest streaming services in the world, and guaranteed to offer something for everyone, on any device, for free.”

In addition to the new TV shows, a number of new films are being added to Pluto TV in July, including Star Trek Beyond and Galaxy Quest.