THE WORLD IS NOT READY

Google "Nexus One" Phone Caught in the Wild.

Posted on December 12, 2009 by Jay Farmington

There are more and more details leaking all over the web about the eagerly anticipated official Google phone. The phone is called the Nexus One (might just be a codename) and it is beautiful. Google is said to be working with HTC for the design but in actuality is calling all the shots. Little is confirmed about the phone but the general consensus is that it will be sold unlocked, meaning you choose your cell phone service provider! Very daring of Google but I believe this will pay off.

Based on the Twitter buzz and those who have the phone in hand it is said to be a thin and sleek sporting a beautiful touch screen. iPhone users have tweeted that the Google phone is an iPhone on steroids. I guess we have to imagine that if anyone can honestly be a threat to the number one smart phone in the world it would be Google. Very excited on the simple picture and I hope I get a chance to put my hands on the phone very soon!

Google Chrome OS - First & Final Impression

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Jay Farmington

So I finally got Google Chrome installed on my netbook. It was a fairly painless operation that took no more than 20 minutes with the download and boot configuration. It took a minute to get a root password to login. The entire OS works off of an Internet connection so I ran into a snag when I was trying to login with my Google information. Without the net there was no way to verify it so once I finally hunted down the root info I was ready to roll.

All in all the OS is quick and peppy, however there isn't much to it. Think of it as a web browser that has some icons that link to specific websites. That is really all it is! Chrome OS is the Chrome browser with a few added features. Everything is a web app. There are no executable files or anything of that nature. All Chrome OS does is take web app (websites) like Twitter and Facebook and link them on a panel that has a nice little icon.

I guess the beauty of the OS is the fact it will be free. Netbook providers can now offer cheaper products because they don't need to pay Microsoft a fortune to OEM Windows. For what it does it works well. It provides you with a portal to the Internet while making all of Google's toys easy to access and always available. I am sure as time goes on there will be a ton of extensions however as it stands right now there isn't really anything I need this for.

All in all if you have a netbook and use it strictly for Internet use then you can't go wrong with this. However if you use your netbook to chat on AIM or listen to some mp3's via Winamp, sync your iPod or sort through some Digicam photos, this isn't the right OS for you. This isn't really an OS, it's a web OS.

Google Chrome OS, Pre-Install

Posted on November 24, 2009 by Jay Farmington

Everyone knows that Google is creating its own custom operating system to compete with the giants over at Microsoft and Apple. What most don't know is that Chrome OS is a build of the open source project Chromium. It is this bit of information that allows someone tech savvy enough to preview a build of Chromium before Google drops their own version.

Over the next few days I will be converting my netbook which is an Acer Aspire One into a living, breathing, Chromium box. Stay tuned for pictures and opinions on the most anticipated OS since Windows 95.

Edit: I don't think I am going to even bother. I threw Ubuntu on my netbook and couldn't be happier! It's high time I learned a little more about the Linux environment.

Edit 2: Ok formatted the Ubuntu and am now installing Chromium.

My Experience with Google Wave Before it Launches

Posted on September 30, 2009 by Jay Farmington

Google Wave is the next big advancement in communication presented by the folks at Google. It has been creating quite a buzz around the Internet. I was lucky enough to get a developer account as I am still working on integration with Wordpress. Due to the fact I got an early account I can share my thoughts about the product and where I see it going in a day to day situation.

First off Google Wave is extremely innovative. It is more or less a live chat. You see what the person is typing while they type and can interact as they are interacting. There is no waiting for a message or blip to come through. You can share images, maps, videos, and gadgets (pictured above) with the person or people you are Waving with. Think of it as an email mixed with a chatroom mixed with an instant message. My hat goes off to the developers as the technology is fantastic. Everything is very fluid and not difficult to learn. You can "playback" the wave if you were added to it at a later point. When you play it back it's the equivalent of watching a time line of events. People posting and replying until you reach the end. You can change your fonts and colors and there is a nice photo gallery system built in so you can share your pictures from vacation with friends and they can comment. Wave really "opens up" emailing. So how does this apply to the real world?

In my opinion Google Wave is going to be a difficult pill to swallow for the email dedicated. While there are no immediate problems with privacy one would venture to guess that if you have a wave going with several people and you think you are talking in "private" to one specific user of the wave, you may accidentally blunder and spill important info to the wrong party. With conventional email, if their name is not cc or bcc then they are locked out of the conversation. Another issue is the fact that people who don't use Google as a service cannot be "Waved" with. Naturally they would need to sign up. However trying to convince someone to leave their safe, comfy inbox for the Wave is easier said than done. With Email you just send a message to anyone you want with no worry or concern as to what lies beyond the @ symbol of their email address.

What about everyday use? Can someone move from a service like Gmail to Wave without feeling like they might be losing features? I say they can't, atleast not yet. Not to say that wave is an email replacement but as Google said "it is email if email were discovered and built for the first time today". I like Wave, I really do, I think it offers so much and it's only the beginning however the chatroom feel really might turn people off. I think I would like to see a lot of these features hit Gmail. Things like the image sharing and gallery along with the ability to comment on posted "waves" would be a smash for emails.

Google will be sending out 100,000 invites today (9/30/09) to the early adopters. If you get one, let me know! I am curious to see how everyone feels about it. Is this the next innovation in online communication? Too early to tell. Could it be? Absolutely. The issue lies in making everyday users comfortable in this new setting. Enjoy the picture of my brother and I playing with Wave. Guest appearance by Carlton Banks of course!