Category: Microsoft

What the “Gphone” Means for Consumers: Good News & Bad News

November 5, 2007August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 4 Comments

Google Cellphone So Google today announced its plans to be the latest force in the cellphone industry. The gist of the press release is that Google has partnered with 34 companies to develop and release an “open source” operating system, user interface, and applications. What this means in terms of the highly anticipated Gphone is best explained in the words of the Google engineer in charge of the project, Andy Rubin: “We are not building a GPhone; we are enabling 1,000 people to build a GPhone.”

This is really only news if you’re a developer. As for what this means for technology consumers specifically, see below for a compilation of the most relevant and interesting quotes surrounding the latest news of the pseudo-Gphone:

Gadgets, Google, Internet, Microsoft, Tech News

Transferring More Than Data from Computer to Computer, Why So Hard?

November 2, 2007 Bob Caswell 15 Comments

Google, Apple A friend of mine asked me how to transfer his data from his old laptop to his new laptop. In particular, he was interested in the big three types of files on most personal computers these days: documents, music, and photos. “I know where I keep all my files, so I just copy them over to where I want them on the new computer, right?”

Well, he’s right for one of three categories of files: documents. But when I asked him if he was interested in preserving his iTunes playlists, song ratings, and album art or his Picasa photo albums (basically, any of his “metadata”), he gave me the “of course” look. Little did he know the headache that awaited him, none of that information moves when you simply copy or backup files.

Apple, Do-It-Yourself Tech, Internet, Microsoft

United States Responsible for 5x More Spam Than Any Other Country

October 31, 2007 Bob Caswell No Comments

Sophos, an internet-security company, released numbers on the amount of spam sent per country between this past July and September. And the United States is responsible for about 30% of it (see chart below). Despite legislation such as the CAN-SPAM Act, the U.S. hasn’t been able to do much to stop spam. And spam is getting more complicated: fake e-cards, virus-infected PDF attachments, and worthless MP3 files or ringtons are the latest methods. In fact, according to anti-spam company MXSweep, nearly one in ten spam e-mails attach MP3 files or ringtones.

I guess I wouldn’t know much about this. I use Google’s gmail and rarely see any spam.

Cyberlaw, Microsoft, Privacy, Tech News

Even More Gphone News: Google in Advanced Talks with Verizon & Sprint

October 30, 2007August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 4 Comments

Gphone The latest info from our good friends those “people familiar with the matter” is that Google is in advanced talks with two U.S. cellphone operators: Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel. The talks, of course, are revolving around the two companies offering new Google-powered mobile phones. Google has to get some major wireless operators to sign on to this project if it’s to reach its rumor-generated goal of getting Gphones in front of consumers by the middle of next year.

Gadgets, Internet, Microsoft, Tech News, Web 2.0

Google Unveiling Gphone Plans In Two Weeks & Wants to Change the Cellphone Industry

October 29, 2007August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 37 Comments

Google Cellphone The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) is quoting “people familiar with the matter” in stating that within two weeks Google will announce plans to bring Google-powered phones to market by the middle of next year. Apparently, Google’s goal is “[T]o make applications and services as accessible on cellphones as they are on the Internet.”

Gadgets, Microsoft, Tech News, Web 2.0

Halo 3 Conquers Critics, Casual Gamers, & Wall Street

September 26, 2007August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 3 Comments

Halo 3 The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has been running quite a few stories on the release of Halo 3, all of which seem to be extremely positive with titles like “Microsoft’s ‘Halo 3’ Game Meets Approval of Critics” and “Casual Gamer Takes a Turn At Halo 3 to Judge the Hype.” One of the articles cites Halo 3’s high score on Metacritic (an aggregator of reviews) and then speculates that the critics’ acclaim caused the boost to Microsoft’s shares yesterday (which rose 43 cents or 1.5%) and explained the nearly doubled volume of stock trading.

Gaming, Microsoft

Geoweb & Geotags vs. Geospam & Geohacking: The Latest in So-called Web 3.0

September 7, 2007August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 3 Comments

Geoweb The Economist (subscription required) dives into what it thinks is the next generation of the Internet: the Geoweb. Interestingly enough, it formalizes the thoughts of TechConsumer author Marion Jensen who received attention when he wrote on this subject two months ago. While Marion stopped short of calling the location-based Internet Web 3.0, it’s good to know he is not alone in his concept of the “next big thing.”

Apparently, the geoweb already has an emerging architecture: traffic jams, seismic tremors, crime rates, and melanoma stats are just a few areas where data is being collected and tied to location. A new discipline of “geographic information systems” (GIS) is on the rise, which includes fancy software used mostly by governments and companies to analyze spatial data. And the data “tend to be of impeccable quality.”

Microsoft, Privacy, Tech News, Web 2.0

Sony’s Latest Secret Revealed: Focus on TV, Movie Downloads… Good Luck

September 3, 2007August 20, 2008 Bob Caswell 3 Comments

Sony TV The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) has an article out quoting the usual mix of analysts, speculators, and “people privy to Sony’s plans.” I must say that the article’s title of “Sony to Challenge Apple In TV, Movie Downloads” makes the news sound more exciting than it really is.

Perhaps I should give Sony a chance rather than point out the obvious that the company has a very long way to go. Meaning, it’s a bit of a late comer in an already crowded space (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Netflix all compete here just to name the big boys). I suppose it’s true that first movers don’t always win, and there isn’t a clear leader yet. But good luck to Sony on this one…

Amazon, Apple, Gaming, Media, Microsoft, Music, Netflix, Sony, Tech News