Google Docs delivered another solid blow to Microsoft’s office suite on Monday by finally delivering the ability to work without an active Internet connection, a major feature that users traditionally had to cling to the likes of Microsoft Word for. Docs users can now access and edit their entire libraries of Docs files while away, then sync them up seamlessly when an Internet connection is restored.
Google Docs’ newfound offline capability comes from Google Gears, a browser plug-in that enables Web 2.0 applications to run sans Internet. While Gears has been available in beta form for nearly a year now, support for Docs, one of Google’s most robust Web applications, is new.
To enable offline editing, Docs users must install Gears, then log on to as they normally would with an Internet connection. Gears automatically syncs a users’ Docs files, downloading them to the computer for offline use. When connected, a green icon at the top of the screen shows users that their changes are being made to both Web and local copies, while a grey icon indicates that Web access isn’t available.
Currently, only word processing documents can function with Gears – support for presentations and spreadsheets has yet to come down the pipe – and English is the only supported language.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Google DeepMind's AI world model Genie 4 can now build interactive worlds that you can explore and reshape as they run. It also generates ambient sounds, music, and dialogue that respond to your actions.
The new world model builds on Genie 3 with improved realism, more natural human movement, and better simulations of real-world physics. It could eventually help with everything from game development to training robots.
Apple has an incredible talent for making me admire its products while simultaneously questioning what on earth it's thinking with the pricing. This isn't even something as bizarre as a monitor stand, but the audacity for starting a new laptop lineup from $2,000 doesn't surprise me.
The newly announced 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6 is just the latest to showcase this. The funny thing is, I already know that it's going to be a reliable workstation. You get a powerful new 2nm M6 processor, a gorgeous Liquid Retina XDR display, and up to 24 hours of battery life. We were impressed by the M5 MacBook Air, so the high-end M6 powered MacBook Pro definitely won't let us down.