Recently in Google Category

ChromeOS: The Operating System for Gadgets?

By
Karl Hodge
 on November 20, 2009 10:02 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

google-chrome.jpegYesterday evening (yesterday afternoon in the USA) Google formally demonstrated Google Chrome OS to a throng of salivating journalists. It's been known about for a while, but this was the first time anyone was able to look at it working. Those cynical scribes, almost to a man and woman, hit Twitter and the blogs soon after with a general response that can be largely summed up as "so what?"... Of course, there were positive voices here and there but, on the whole, it feels like most commentators were competing to be the little boy who saw the Emperor naked.

Chrome OS isn't an operating system in the traditional, desktop computing sense. It's designed to boot up from solid state hardware in about 7 of your Earth seconds, and be ready to use. Instead of applications on your local drive, the apps are online. They're Google apps like Docs and GMail, services like Facebook and Twitter. Although the OS has already been found out in the wild, you won't be able to buy Chrome OS in a box. You'll have to buy a device with the OS already embedded. 
My take is this: Chrome OS is for a growing audience of service users - people using the web, Facebook, emailing each other... It's for that generation of folks who have grown up with computers and mobile devices to whom SMS and Bebo are second nature, but who wouldn't know a spreadsheet even if their name appeared in one on Wikileaks. It's not necessarily for business users or digital specialists - though they can be online service users too.

The criticism I'm seeing splits into two camps. The first is should the Windows/Apple hegemony be quaking? It's a moot question - because until cloud computing is powerful enough to replace Exchange, Office and the MS monopoly in business, there will be a need for traditional laptops running Windows. Specialist apps will need a local OS for the time-being. Graphic designers will still want Photoshop on their Mac Pros. Gamers will still want machines you can max out with RAM and fit with the latest graphics card. 

What Google seem to be asking though, is why do you need all that just for getting your emails?

The second lot of criticism seems to be - "HAHA it's not an operating system at all! I am clever and techy and it's just Linux on a ROM chip!". This says more about journalistic expectation than the apparent intention of Chrome OS. People expected an OS that fit their existing view of Windows, OS X and the *NIX family. Google's offering is something different. It's "just a browser". That's kind of the point.

Could it fail? Yes, it most certainly could. There's a history of thin client devices coming to market and being given a jolly good ignoring by the general public and business. Oracle and Sun invested heavily in them during the 90s for example, with very little take up.

But, here's why I think the concept could work now in the consumer market. Next year is shaping up to be all about tablet PCs and netbooks: portable, lightweight computing devices that straddle the niche between smartphone and laptop. See where I'm going? Chrome OS will be debuting on a device, will be coming into a market and competing with similar products from Microsoft (the "Courier" project) and Apple (the mooted "Slate") - as well as in all probability ASUS, Dell and a bunch of others. So - this won't be a "wilderness" product; something no one understands. And, it'll be cheap, be branded with a name everyone knows and it'll be fast.

Could the public's willingness to accept Linux on netbooks be an indicator that they'll be happy to work with Chrome OS on a netbook or tablet? We don't have a crystal ball - just balls of steel. And we're willing to wait and see rather than condemn Chrome OS before the products have even come to market. In the meantime, you can find out what all the fuss is about on YouTube.


Review: Google Maps Navigation

By
Karl Hodge
 on November 16, 2009 11:38 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There's been a bit of kerfuffle on the Internetworks about Google Maps Navigation lately.  Here are the Cliff's Notes:  A recent, Android-only update to Google Maps added turn by turn navigation to the app.  That means that anyone with a supported mobile phone, unlimited data and a built in GPS can now use Google Maps Navigation as a route planner and in-car navigation tool.  For nowt.

Unfortunately, Google Maps Navigation has only launched in the USA so far - and only on Android 2.0 devices.

But in all the Twittering and gnashing of keys, no one seems to have noticed that the current incarnation of Maps on Android - available here in the UK - is pretty handy right now.  You can already do route planning, turn by turn navigation and 3G location.

I've been trialling an HTC Hero on Orange (full deposition coming later this week) and used the opportunity to give the current navigation features a go.  My verdict? They're very handy - great for stomping around an unfamiliar city or taking a country walk - but the likes of Tom Tom and Navman don't have to worry too much.  Not yet anyway.  

The new and improved Google Maps Navigation on the other hand, that includes juicy features like Street View navigation and voice control.  And you'll never have to update a map again.   


Continue reading Review: Google Maps Navigation.

Video: The Cookie Monster created Google! Well, he sang about it 27 yrs ago

By
Faisal Alani
 on November 5, 2009 2:25 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
We all love the Cookie Monster and of course we also love Google so whenI heard that there was a video of the Cookie Monster singing about Google I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

What's amazing is the fact that this track was recorded TWENTY SEVEN YEARS AGO, sixtten years before Google was created. Coincidence? I don't think so.



It will surprise you to know that the Cookie Monster is... the creator of Google. I know it sounds bizarre but think about it. It all makes sense now, the crazy colours, Google Wave (he's always waving) and the fact they named one of their products 'caffeine' which is in coffee which goes well with, yep you guessed it, cookies.

cookie monster google.jpg

Google celebrated the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street with another one of their trademark homepages and, I think, to pay homeage to their leader.

It sounds so crazy it's believable. Of course it could be that he's singing about googly eyes but I'm not having that.

So, clear your cache before you switch your computer off. In fact you can clear your cookies as well... oh.

Google Music Search is here! Sort of.

By
Karl Hodge
 on October 29, 2009 8:51 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
The Official Google Blog has announced Google Music Search, in a clear attempt to grab some of the online audio pie that iTunes and Spotify are so gleefully scoffing.  Early, snarky rumours about the service linked Google with iLike - Facebook's default music application. With only a handful of tracks available from each artist in its vast catalogue of commercial and unsigned bands, the iLike service has always seemed more like a promotional app than a useful music finding tool - and the prevailing commentary reflected that.

Recently though, iLike was snapped up by MySpace. The once hip social network is putting the brakes on its credibility haemorrhage by refocussing on music - and succeeding.  Other Google Music Search partners include Pandora, the US-only, proto-Spotify music streaming site, and big industry names Sony, EMI, Universal and Warner Bros. Apple and Spotify are absent from the register so far.

The service sees direct links to streaming songs appear at the top of your Google searches for favourite artists.  And even the ones you don't like. In other cases, you'll get a link to buy and download a track or three.  It'll return results for song titles too, or even that one line you can remember from the lyrics. Unfortunately, typing "What's that song that goes de doo, de doo, de doo doo?" isn't quite as effective*.

We'd love to be testing Google Music Search right now but, as ever, it's rolling out across the US first.  This isn't a surprise given the metric gigatonne of industry honchos that will need wining and dining to clear up all the required copyright and licensing issues.  In the meantime, Google have kindly made a video showing how it will all work. Eventually.




* The answer, of course, is "Yellow" by Coldplay.



Android Market update 1.6

By
Faisal Alani
 on September 4, 2009 11:00 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Google have revealed the changes that the Android Market update 1.6 will include with better user interface (UI) and new app sub-categories and support for Italian.

The UI is ok. Not that special but it's an improvement, I mean they've finally added screenshots and the descriptions are a lot better.

So yay Google. There's a video at the bottom of their note.

Some News from Android Market
Posted by Eric Chu, Android Mobile Platform on 03 September 2009 at 3:30 PM

I'm pleased to let you know about several updates to Android Market. First, we will soon introduce new features in Android Market for Android 1.6 that will improve the overall experience for users. As part of this change, developers will be able to provide screenshots, promotional icons and descriptions that will better show off applications and games.

We have also added four new sub-categories for applications: sports, health, themes, and comics. Developers can now choose these sub-categories for both new and existing applications via the publisher website. Finally, we have added seller support for developers in Italy. Italian developers can go to the publisher website to upload applications and target any of the countries where paid applications are currently available to users.

To take advantage of the upcoming Android Market refresh, we encourage you to visit the Android Market publisher website and upload additional marketing assets. Check out the video below for some of the highlights.



Boy attacked by snake, google mobile saves the day!

By
Faisal Alani
 on August 10, 2009 8:59 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
rex_817211dr.jpgI love The Metro. There was a story in this morning's paper about a boy that was attacked by a gang armed with a snake.

The reason I'm blogging about this story is because it was mostly about the fact that the "Incident support officer googled 'snakes' on his mobile and showed pictures to the panicked boy" to identify which one bit him. He then sent the image to the control room.

It's so funny that the OMG factor to the story is that he used Google on his phone and not that these crazy kids are using a ****ing snake to attack people!!

Am I mad? What the hell are these kids doing running around with a snake as a weapon? What next, tiger? A dinosaur?

I can imagine it now, the "Incident support officer googled youtube and found clips of the Jurrasic Park trilogy and asked the boy to identify which dinosaur bit him".

Come on people let's get over the fact our phones can go online. The iPhone has been out a while now, it shouldn't make the papers anymore that we can access Google.

Let's find these scary, psychotic kids and stop them using insane weapons to attack people.

Picture from Rex Features.


Google Android G3 or HTC Hero emerges to save us!

By
Faisal Alani
 on May 6, 2009 3:16 PM | | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
Thanks to CodeAndroid.org, here are some leaked images of the Google Android G3 or HTC Hero.

It looks a lot like the HTC Magic in terms of looks but it's lost its marbles (there's no trackball) which is quite disappointing.

Some good news in that there appears to be 3.5mm headphone jack.

T-mobile to ship Google Android tablet and home phone

By
Faisal Alani
 on April 6, 2009 9:52 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
According to The New York Times, T-Mobile are to release a home phone and tablet in 2010 that will run on Google Android.

The New York Times says that the information is 'according to confidential documents obtained from one of the company's partners'.

The home phone 'will plug into a docking station and come with another device that handles data synchronization as it recharges the phone's battery'.

There isn't a lot known about the tablet but the confidential documents say that it will be a 7-inch touchscreen laptop with no keyboard. It will 'handle basic computing jobs like checking the weather or managing data across a variety of devices in the home,' reports the NYT.

Verizon have taken similar steps by confirming that they will ship a 3G-enabled netbook.

Source: [Gizmodo via The New York Times]

Google real time search engine - Twoogle?

By
Faisal Alani
 on April 3, 2009 10:13 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Following the news that Google is looking to buy Twitter, we heard that they are also looking at using Twitter to do a real time search engine.

So what does a real time search engine mean/do? Well, basically people are starting to use Twitter to talk about brands in real time. Twitter added the search field recently which is a way of keeping users on the page as they continuously look at topics, brands and trends depending on what's in the news etc.

Twitter search.jpg

Therefore a well-implemented real time search engine can bring users together to talk about particular brands and trends which makes it easy to target advertisements against them. Twitter has already started experiments with ads by placing a small unit right below your profile and stats.

So to put it simply: You're watching a football match, you do a real time search on one of the teams, you find like-minded people and exchange views etc. while there are ads on sporting goods on the page. Advertisers can then implement strategies quicker and more effectively.

Twitter's traffic figures are growing exponentially, with numbers growing 3000% in the year from February 2008 to February 2009.

See also: Google rumoured to be buying Twitter and Google in late stage talks to buy Twitter


« Games | Main Index | Archives | Green »