Google Chrome

Google wants to change the world. Knowing what they know and not doing anything with it is anathema. Being able to see what people want, how they think, all this is part of their intention to build something different. That isn't a bad thing, they're not out for control in a cravenly sense, and they aren't positioning themselves as a kind of benevolent dictatorship. And Chrome, in its simplicity, telegraphs their plan.

Firefox replacement? Hardly. Microsoft replacement? Nothing like that. What Google is working on is an Internet replacement. Or rather, an alternative.

And Chrome fits into it like this: Google is creating some mental real estate with their own browser. They're never going to stop backing Firefox, they'll need their Mozilla compatriot down the road; I'd be surprised if they ever pull funding. But they want to get people used to the idea that they can browse with Chrome. Because while Microsoft starts small and works to big, starting with a Windows computer, then bringing in hardware people, software people, developers, artists, musicians, and whoever else they can populate their ecosystem with, Google is working from the other direction: collect and study every bit of data, develop a brand, build an infrastructure, create the idea of a platform, and then make something new.

Taking a step back, what has Google got already? They gots the datas; all of them, don't make any assumptions to the contrary. They'll always have that. This is the heart of their business and their product. Without Google, the Internet wouldn't be nearly as important or even valuable: think about it, it'd be a whole lot of crap pages tied together using banner ads and webrings. You remember 1998? You remember Netscape? It was worthless. So they fixed it, and now Google is a brand - even your mom knows the Google. It costs GOOG dollars. It's real.

Original Article

Microsoft admits Vista isn't up to their standards

To all the readers reading this blog, who has a Microsoft Vista? I'm sure that most of you who have it, first thought it was confusing to deal with. In a lot of people's perspective, Microsoft Vista is just a knock off version of Apple's software. And sure enough Apple has made their software a lot more different to use than PCs. But did Microsoft really think that Vista is failure? DELL noticed that their sales went down when switching to Vista, and wanted to get XP back. Let's face it, Microsoft can never beat Apple and we all know that those are the two largest companies when it comes to computer and software.

WITH TWO OVERLAPPING events, Microsoft admitted what we have been saying all along, Vista, aka Windows Me Two (Me II), is a joke that no one wants. The other equally monumental Me II failure? Gates in China launching a $3 version of bundled XP. Why is this not altruism? Well, it goes back to piracy and how it helped enforce the MS monopoly. If you can easily pirate Windows, Linux has no price advantage, they both cost zero.


Original Article

BlackBerry's Pearl Flip first in fold

I personally, am a blackberry owner. So when i heard that Blackberry was going to introduce a flip phone, it blew my mind. Never has blackberry had such thing available to the public so this news is very intriguing to Blackberry users and non users alike. Research in Motion (RIM), the manufacturer of BlackBerry phones, is set to unveil a phone that folds in half, a departure from the slab-like design that has defined its products.

The long-rumoured phone will be called the BlackBerry Pearl Flip and will be available from T-Mobile USA and from overseas carriers later this year, at an undisclosed price. The "flip" or "clamshell" design, where the display and keyboard are separated by a hinge, is a popular one for conventional cellphones, particularly in the US. Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive of Rim, said 70% of handsets in the country have this shape.

"Bringing this form factor to the smart phone category is, we think, very special," Balsillie said. Smart phones expand the features of a regular phone with applications like web browsing and e-mail access, which is RIM's forte. The Flip is the successor to the BlackBerry Pearl, which launched two years ago. It has a standard "candybar" shape. Both models have 20 keys and double up some letters on each key, in contrast to the wider, more professionally orientated BlackBerries that have more keys and assign only one letter to each key.

RIM has done very well with the Pearl, which was its first entry into the consumer smart phone market. It turned the BlackBerry from an accessory for corporate e-mail slaves into a hot item for consumers who wanted a bit more from their phones. Figures from research firm IDC showed that RIM nabbed 54% of the US market for smart phones in the second quarter, though that figure was probably inflated because buyers looking at getting an iPhone from Apple were holding off in the quarter, waiting for a new model to arrive.

Original Article

Starwars game hits the market

Gamers and Starwars fans alike got a new taste of the film classic on their game consoles as LucasArts released Starwars:The Force Unleashed Wednesday. Associated Press reported that the game has garnered mixed reviews, but a toy industry analst, Anita Frazier predicted good sales for The Force Unleashed given the iconic stature of the Star Wars franchise. Some complaints that have been gathered so far include the inability of the Wii controller to be used as a light saber. The Star Wars game was released in many platforms, "including Microsoft's Xbox 360; Nintendo's Wii and DS; Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and PSP; and even Apple's iPhone and iPod touch." In doing so, Lucas Arts accomplished two milestones. First, it was the first time the game developer ever released anything for the Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox. Second, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the first time that a game of such iconic position was ever released for the Ipod and the Itouch. The goal of Lucas Arts is obviously to increase their bottom line, and that remains to be seen. But at least for now, they can bask in the historical victories of their accomplishment.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080918/bs_nf/61963;_ylt=AgTpoxtVWSeXhaF74mR5pywK77EF

PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jldavid/2787471674/

Microsoft improves Zune connectivity

Microsoft has good news for its Zune users and prospective buyers. The company just put out a software that would make it easier for Zune users to download songs and discover new music. The free software is considered as a way to compete with the Ipod's product lineup, and will allow Zune users to download music straight from their players "either over a home wireless network or through Wi-Fi hot spots at more than 9,800 McDonald's restaurants in the U.S., courtesy of Internet access provider Wayport (Long 2008)." Associated Press reported that new technological changes have allowed Zune players to store information on a lot of songs over the radio. This means that folks can listen to a song on the radio and directly download it to their players. The new software will also allow Zune users to get music recommendations from the Zune editorial staff and also share their play list with select friends.These improvements, however, won't stop Microsoft from tweaking their products more, as they also plan to introduce new software that would allow the Zune "new 'channels' feature that the software giant describes as a hybrid between a playlist and a podcast. (Long 2008)" Several radio stations and magazines are already placing their bets on this measure.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20080918/bs_nf/61964;_ylt=Au5UngRnexgkYsB3uiUjhWIN7YV4

PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yggg/299105788/

Investment sites experience online traffic

Associated Press reported Friday that investment companies dealt with more activity than usual on their websites. This surge, of course, was caused by brewing crisis in the stock market. The article noted that Scottrade, Inc. experienced the most online traffic, although company spokeswoman Kelly Doria said that Scottrade's website did not encounter any difficulties. Other investment sites who received more-than-usual online activity held up relatively well during the increased traffic. There were times during the day when the websites were not operating in 100% capacity, but the shortcomings were not too overwhelming. Associated Press reported that E-trade's website handled the increased online activity better than anyone. The article also reported that the web traffic did not spill onto banking websites, which is fortunate news because it meant that not a lot of folks were pulling their savings off of banks.

The increase in web traffic is probably going to calm down pretty soon, given the bailout plan that Congress is currently working on. Meanwhile, it is fortunate that internet technology was able to effectively hold up amidst a crisis. The bailout plan probably deserves a brunt of the credit for giving investors a psychological assurance (as shown by significant gains in the Dow Jones and other stocks) to continue to have faith in the market , but I would not count out the contribution given by the accessibility of the web to that boost in investor confidence.


ORIGINAL ARTICLE: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080919/ap_on_hi_te/tec_meltdown_online_activity;_ylt=Ao58kztbHMjkoSfpPRzrYPQjtBAF

PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.flickr.com/photos/goodresolution/252377405/