Google’s Blogger service has launched a new extension for Google’s Chrome browser today, called Blogger Dynamic Views. As its name implies, this is related to last week’s unveiling of five new HTML5-based Dynamic Views for Blogger.

The extension adds an orange Blogger icon in your address bar when you’re visiting a Blogger blog. If you click on the orange icon, you’ll get a list of the five aforementioned Dynamic Views. You can then select an option and Chrome will render the blog you’re visiting using that particular view. Rinse and repeat if needed.

Naturally, you can still access the new Dynamic Views (in any ‘modern’ browser) just by appending /view to the URL of the blog you want to visit, however the Chrome extension makes it a lot easier to get to the new layouts.

Download Blogger Dynamic Views from the Google Chrome extension gallery

Tags: AJAX, Blog, blogger, blogger dynamic views, Blogger.com, BloggerDynamicViews, blogging, chrome, chrome extensions, ChromeExtensions, Css3, design, dynamic views, DynamicViews, google, google chrome, google chrome extension, GoogleChrome, GoogleChromeExtension, layout, templates, Web

When it comes to car-sharing service Zipcar, iPhone users get to have all the fun. But Android users — who have thus far been relegated to using the mobile website for car reservations — are about to get in on the app action. Zipcar has confirmed via Twitter that Android users can expect an app, and more details will be released soon.

There’s no expected released date for the app, yet. There’s also no word on whether the Android version of Zipcar will have the iPhone app’s most futuristic feature: unlocking your borrowed car from your phone. Android users will just have to sit tight for the moment and try not to drool on those shared car seats.

Tags: android, apps, car sharing, cars, CarSharing, mobile, reservations, zipcar

Nortel, once one of the biggest telecoms company in the world but now in the death throes of bankruptcy, has selected Google’s $900 million bid for its patent portfolio as the stalking horse bid. This doesn’t mean that Google will automatically win Nortel’s massive array of telecoms patents, but it does mean that Google is the preferred buyer.

Google, which has a history of lobbying for patent law reform, has been the target of many patent litigation suits. Google’s relative infancy means that it has a lot less patents in the vault than big-hitters like Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, and buying Nortel’s portfolio of 6,000 patents could provide better protection against patent litigation in the future. It’s worth noting that both Apple and RIM have showed interested in the portfolio, too.

Mashable speculates that the patents — which are nearly all telecoms-related — will be used to defend against Oracle’s attacks on Android’s use of Java. We reckon that Google is simply looking to cover its future endeavors in the world of networking. In the absence of patent law reform, and continued threats to net neutrality, owning a bunch of telecoms patents sounds like a very sensible move.

Tags: bankruptcy, google, litigation, nortel, patent, patent law, patent portfolio, PatentLaw, PatentPortfolio, patents, telecom, telecommunications, web

Adobe’s just let fly its latest beta of Flash Player bringing it to 10.3 beta 2. The update brings stability increases and bug fixes, as well as all the new features from the beta 1 release earlier this month. Adobe has also brought its AIR runtime up to speed with the latest developments in Flash, releasing Adobe AIR 2.7 beta for your downloading pleasure.

AIR 2.7 adds support for Adobe SiteCatalyst’s Media Measurement tools that allow media analytics with just a few lines of code. Adobe’s Acoustic Echo Cancellation, which it introduced with Flash 10.3 beta, has also made it across into its AIR brother, allowing developers of AIR-based VoIP systems to take advantage of Adobe’s new audio enhancement tools. Finally, an enhanced HTMLLoader API has made the cut, giving standalone AIR apps more control over clickable HTML links.

For the full skinny and to download Flash Player 10.3 beta 2 and AIR 2.7 beta, then head on over the Adobe Labs.