FUNNY! Click to Enlarge
Google unveiled its latest lab today, Google Play (http://www.google.com/reader/play/), a magazine-style RSS reader. It shows thumbnails along the bottom edge and the viewing window enlarges images and makes them more prominent. A slideshow mode also makes Play dissimilar from Google Reader. Play includes the ability to “like” an item, share an item and star an item for later viewing.
The recipe for Play seems to be two parts Google Reader, one part Google Fast Flip and one part StumbleUpon.
A touchscreen device would be the ideal platform for Play; readers could simply flick ahead to the next snippet. Perhaps this product was developed primarily for the upcoming touchscreen tablets.
I found the funny image [points up and to the right] using Play. One of the people I follow on Google Buzz shared it.
This post was inspired by Stan Schroeder’s post on Mashable entitled, “Bing takes on ‘Goliath’ Google with Huge UK Advertising Campaign.” Apparently, Microsoft will spend up to $2.0B on an advertising campaign in the U.K. To put this “huge” campaign into perspective, Microsoft current has a market cap of approximately $253B.
65 Google buzzers replied with comments. I commented: “Microsoft is pushing Bing prematurely. Wired ran a very good article about Google which, among other things, compared the accuracy of results between Google and Bing. Bing was pathetic.” The Wired article is entitled, “Exclusive: How Google’s Algorithm Rules the Web.” In that article, Google’s accuracy is compared with Microsoft Bing’s.
I have no doubt that Google will dominate internet search, perhaps in perpetuity, but this has less to do with the algorithm Google uses than the Wired title suggests. Google is womping the competitors because it has something they don’t… better data and a steady flow of it. When I say better data, I don’t mean that Google knows about web pages that other search engines don’t (although it’s quite possible). Google search is the smartest around because it has a phenomenal algorithm, no doubt, but also because it has been collecting data generated by humans (clicks) for a very long time. Between the data and the algorithm, Google can predict what content you want to view. In a sense, Google search is the high watermark for artificial intelligence. It can predict human behavior based on a person typing a word or two.
According to the Inside Google special on CNBC, Google saves everything typed into Google indefinitely. Your own search results are identified with your Google account and IP address for a period of 18 months and then anonymized. This information makes Google smarter. Now, a full 20% of Google searches are actually tailored to you and differ from Joe Schmoe’s search results.
Enter Bing. Bing is an outgrowth of MSN Search. MSN Search was never a dominant player in the search business. AltaVista, Yahoo and others were Google’s chief competitors. In the early days, search was dominated by who had the biggest map of the internet which was a function of the “spidering” software. Another factor was the algorithm used to produce results. Google won the search war but it did it by being innovative and leveraging data. It learned if you clicked the what you were looking for and didn’t return to Google for another X seconds.
Microsoft is trying to play catch up. It needs to brand Bing but it also needs Bing to accurately predict what you want to click. How can it accomplish this when Google has virtually monopolized the search market? Maybe spending $2.0B in the UK will bring in $2.0B+ worth of data (clicks). Then again, maybe it won’t. It will be difficult to leverage this localized data because Google will generate more and arguably better data in the same period of time globally. It’s data where Google excels; even if Bing had precisely the same algorithm and the same map of the web, it would lose the search war on data alone.
Bing’s strategy seems somewhat outside of the box. Colorful graphics and promotions seem to be in Bing’s playbook. These seem like mere window dressing to me. When it comes to getting accurate results, Google wins. It knows what I want to click. Will Bing ever be smart enough to be a viable alternative? I’m not sure but spending $2.0B in advertising off in the U.K. won’t propel it ahead of Google.
Gmail users can now enable “Refresh POP Accounts” in the Labs section. Once enabled, the refresh link (pictured) will check all POP accounts for new mail.
Friday I was complaining about the previous method for checking POP accounts to a friend who hasn’t yet become a Gmail convert. The 1 hour POP times were driving me nuts and the manual POP checks were cumbersome. This new Lab is a dandy. Anyone who uses Gmail to POP mail from other accounts should activate this.
Will Dewry, Google software security engineer, recently revealed that Chrome OS will be released in two flavors, one intended for home use and the other for business use. The business version will not be released until next year.
This comes as a surprise to many considering Chrome OS is already built like a tank but runs as fast as a Formula One race car. It is unclear what features will be added to the business version but Dewry stated that it would offer more “management muscle.” To me, that sounds like remote access by the IT staff and restricting peons from changing settings.
I would also expect better integration with Google Apps in the business version. Additionally, the home version requires users to login with a gmail account; perhaps the business version will support custom domains.
[via Engadget]
Click to visit www.glideos.com
Transmedia Corporation’s “Glide OS 4.0″ is an advertising-free, cloud-based operating system. You can access it through any web browser (including mobile browsers) and through a proprietary desktop app (Windows/Linux and OS X flavors). It has all the bells and whistles of Google’s free cloud services (calendar, email, documents, spreadsheets, etc.) and some other services not offered by Google:
- 30 GB of free online storage in the “GDrive” and a desktop app to automatically sync directories on your computer and in the cloud.
- The best web-based image editor I have seen. While it’s not exactly PhotoShop or GIMP quality, it will do the trick for basic use.
- An online version of PowerPoint called “Presenter.”
- It’s very customizable, e.g. you can set wallpaper and other custom options.
Frankly, I’m not doing justice to the scope of offerings available in Glide OS 4.0. It’s truly a complete operating system that is remotely hosted. Glide OS 4.0 has been favorably reviewed by InformationWeek, PC World, CNET, eWeek and PC Magazine. Walter Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal and David Pogue of the New York Times both wrote rave reviews about it.
A cloud-based solution like Glide might be particularly appealing to those running Chrome OS on their netbooks (including the Flow variety I wrote about). Currently, there is nothing comparable though Office 2010 is supposed to have a cloud based version. As noted in many of the reviews of Glide, Microsoft is playing catch up with Transmedia’s free offerings. Glide OS 4.0 is completely free for up to 30 GB of storage. This would be more than sufficient for most and I intend to use it for my online backups. A 250 GB account runs $50 per year.
Check it out at http://glideos.com/.
[Thanks Brian]
Last night Wired.Com posted up a good article that lays out a strategy Google could follow to dethrone iTunes as the leader in music distribution. Many of the suggestions involve leveraging the cloud and allowing users to stream their music purchases to their devices.
I’m blogging from within Google Chrome OS Flow by Hexxeh. As you may know from my previous posts (e.g., this one), Chrome OS is simply a bootup and login to the Google Chrome browser. The simplicity of the Chrome OS offers performance advantages on netbooks. I’m evaluating the very popular and recently released Flow build of the Google Chrome OS which is offered up by Hexxeh (link at end of post). Continue reading »
So, I’m still wielding a Blackberry Tour 9630. I know that’s very 2009 but that aside… I was encountering two significant problems after consolidating my email on the computer into Gmail (I have the enhanced Gmail plugin installed on my ‘berry) and after I started using Google Buzz:
- Duplicate emails. Each time I received an email at something@something.com it also ends up in my Gmail inbox. Works great on the computer. However, my consolidated Blackberry Inbox would show two copies of every message except for those sent directly to my Gmail. I considered removing all email addresses from my Blackberry except for the Gmail address but that would prevent me from composing or replying from any address other than Gmail.
- Buzz notifications. My Blackberry was going berserk every time a new buzz appeared in my stream. I would receive an email with every comment on that buzz. This happens even though I have a filter in Gmail to auto-archive those emails (instructions here). Not only was this annoying but it was also hogging the memory on my Blackberry.
The “workaround” isn’t too elegant but it does work. Install the standalone Gmail app from Google (http://m.google.com/ on the Blackberry browser). Use that to read your Gmail. You’ll probably want to move it to your home screen. Remove your Gmail address on your ‘berry through the Email Settings icon. Now, you will not receive any Buzz notifications on your ‘berry if you have a buzz filter to auto-archive those emails. Your Gmail inbox will receive every message your Gmail on the PC receives. Admittedly, this can be kind of slow because sometimes Gmail waits up to an hour before POPing email from other accounts. However, your normal consolidated Blackberry Inbox will receive push email from your non-Gmail addresses. And, you can compose and reply from all of your email addresses. Note that your Gmail will not appear in your consolidated Blackberry Inbox.
This is only a partial solution to problem #1 because anything sent to something@something.com will appear in both the Gmail app and the consolidated Blackberry Inbox. Frankly, I tend to ignore my consolidated Blackberry Inbox because I don’t need to respond to my emails immediately. The workaround above is a complete solution to problem #2. Also, the Gmail App is handy to have for other reasons. For example, you can search your entire email archives for old emails.
I hope that the BIS update RIM is promising solves the duplicate email problem but it is unclear when the BIS update will be released. For the Buzz notifications, I wrote to Google to help make them aware of the problem. If the Buzz notifications are skipping the inbox in Gmail, they shouldn’t push to the Blackberry. The most elegant solution would be to allow users to simply turn off the notifications completely.
Everyone is buzzing about how to use Google Buzz and whether it will succeed. Some are still tweeting about privacy concerns. Everyone wants to know whether Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz can coexist. In this post, I take a different approach. I begin with the assumption that Google Buzz will succeed and consider what effects that will have on the world of blogging and on more mainstream digital media. I conclude that Google Buzz will have profound effects that significantly differ from effects of any other social networking site that currently exists.
If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon and played around on Google Buzz, you haven’t missed much. I’ll tell you what’s been going on the past few days. It seems like almost all of the buzz is about Buzz. This isn’t exactly a bad thing, however; Google employees have been working around the clock to respond to user feedback with improvements, according to the Official Gmail blog. Many of the improvements relate to online privacy and the auto-follow feature (which is now an auto-suggest feature).
I finally figured out hot to send a Google Buzz from the Blackberry by tinkering with URLs and using the BOLT! browser by Bitstream. Simple two step instructions:
1. Download the free BOLT! Browser (if you don’t have it already)
Instructions here:
http://tbottle.com/tb/2009/12/07/bitstreams-bolt-free-blackberry-browser-upgraded-to-v-1-6/
2. Point BOLT! to:
https://m.google.com/app/buzz?force=1#~buzz:view=me
You may be required to login to Google services before Buzz loads but this works…
Voila!
Incidentally, if you click on the link above from your desktop instead of your Blackberry, you can view Buzz with collapsible comments.
Please follow me on Google Buzz: http://bit.ly/9z4c2M (personal) & http://bit.ly/asucfb (blog)
UPDATE: For a complete rundown of mobile browsers and their compatibility with the Buzz link above, visit WAP Review by Dennis Bournique.
I believe that Google Buzz is primarily aimed at attracting Twitter content right now, not Facebook content. This is a follow up post to the video I recently posted.
Click to Visit MWC2010 Website
While certainly overshadowed by the Olympics, there is another international event taking place this week. It is the Mobile World Congress 2010 which takes place February 15-18. This is the premiere event for mobile device manufacturers. 47,000 attendees are expected and over 1,300 companies will exhibit products. Based on rumors and some bona fide news, we can expect the following:
In the YouTube video below Kevin Rose explains why he believes Google created Buzz. The video is enlightening and thought provoking.
[via YouTube]
So, I’m digging buzz but I offered some constructive criticism yesterday. Well, I’m dishing up more today.
I believe that many present day blogs can be replaced with Buzzes. Because there is no character limit for a Buzz, I could simply Buzz instead of futzing with WordPress (which entails updating plugins, dealing with spammer comments, security issues, backing up and upgrading WordPress from time to time). The biggest obstacles to Buzz replacing the present day blog are:
1. Plain Looking Content — Solution: Gmail Interface. Maybe add an advanced tab to the Buzz input that would allow buzzers (buzzards?) to change text and background colors. Something akin to the Gmail interface would work well. I envision this being entirely optional.
2. Inability to Monetize a Buzz — Solution: Adsense for Buzz. As I see it, there is no way for someone who writes a buzz to monetize it right now unless you draw users away from the Buzz ecosystem and into a blog or other site. Google should allow buzzers to opt-in for Google Adsense. If someone takes the time to write a thoughtful, lengthy buzz that attracts readers and advertising clicks, share the wealth in the same fashion you share it with bloggers. This would speed the adoption of Buzz by bloggers and make the site more sticky with fewer out-bound links. Accordingly, Adsense for Buzz could improve Google’s bottom line.
