- Author: admin
- Filed under: General
- Date: Oct 23,2011
At AsiaD this week, Google’s Andy Rubin noted that there were at least six million Android tablets in use. That number included only those running Google services. One could question whether the briskly selling Nook Color — which is not open to Android apps at large — is relevant to that tally, at least from a developer perspective. It will certainly be the case, though, that the Kindle Fire — also expected to be a hot seller — will be an important addition to the number moving forward.
Still, Rubin conceded, it was a tally far behind that of the 30 million cumulative units of the iPad, which broke open the modern-day tablet category, extended its lead with the iPad 2, and will likely see another revision this coming spring. When Apple introduced its tablet device, it set a precedent for third-party developers by rewriting core applications to take advantage of the iPad’s larger display with “HD” versions. And while there are still far fewer native iPad apps than iPhone apps, Apple is far ahead in the race for native tablet software. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: General
- Date: Feb 15,2011
No big surprise here, but Eric Schmidt just told the crowd at Mobile World Congress that Google “certainly tried” to convince Nokia to pick Android as its future platform over Windows Phone 7.
Schmidt said Google “would’ve loved” having Nokia on board, and that although they’d been rebuffed this time around, the offer to adopt Android later “is still open.”
Look like Vic Gundotra might have to get down with a turkey after all.
- Author: admin
- Filed under: HDTV
- Date: Feb 6,2011
Remember Google TV? It’s still kickin’, but El Goog still has quite a few content distribution quibbles to solve before it can be taken seriously — at least in our estimation.
Logitech was one of the first outfits to buy into Google’s scheme to take over the television, with the Revue first out of the gate to provide Google TV access to existing sets.
We had our fair share of gripes with the box, and while it definitely enabled quite the unusual videocall in a prior episode of The Engadget Show, we were never convinced said fun was worth the price. Enough about us, though — how’s your Revue treating you? Has it revolutionized the way you consume television content?
Anything you’d change about it? Tweak the user interface? Broaden compatibility? Change up the keyboard? Let us know in comments below — something tells us Google’s still listening up for input.
- Author: admin
- Filed under: Software
- Date: Feb 4,2011
So far, Chrome is the only browser of the big four — Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer being the other three — to escape the Pwn2Own hacking competition unscathed the past two years. (Sorry Opera aficionados, looks like there’s not enough of you to merit a place in the contest… yet.)
Evidently, its past success has Google confident enough to pony up a cool $20,000 and a CR-48 laptop to anyone able to find a bug in its code and execute a clean sandbox escape on day one of Pwn2Own 2011.
Should that prove too daunting a task, contest organizer TippingPoint will match El Goog’s $10,000 prize (still $20,000 total) for anyone who can exploit Chrome and exit the sandbox through non-Google code on days two and three of the event.
For those interested in competing, Pwn2Own takes place March 9th through 11th in Vancouver at the CanSecWest conference. The gauntlet has been thrown — your move, hackers.
- Author: admin
- Filed under: General
- Date: Jan 20,2011
Google’s Q4 financial results press release contains a bombshell: as of April 4, co-founder Larry Page (on the far right, above) will replace Eric Schmidt as CEO and assume responsibility for day-to-day operations and product development and strategy.
That doesn’t mean Schmidt is leaving — he’ll carry on as Executive Chairman and serve as an advisor to Page and co-founder Sergey Brin, focused on external things like “deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership.”
As for Sergey, he’ll now “devote his energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products,” with the simple title of Co-Founder.
Schmidt’s clarified and explained the change in a blog post, saying that the idea is to make leading Google as efficient as possible, and that “Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead.” Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: General
- Date: Jun 14,2010
I live in a somewhat futuristic home. I have robots to help me with chores, computers to control my environment and entertainment, and a large and growing number of glowing screens that serve me an infinite variety of content.
Most of the gadgets that make for truly transformative modern living are surprisingly affordable, and they’re changing our homes month by month and year by year into something that resembles our fantastic visions of “the future.”
Here are five gadgets you can buy now (or a couple months from now) that will change the way you live, work and play.
And be sure to let us know your favorite futuristic, time-saving gadgets in the comments. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: General
- Date: May 21,2010
T-shirts are an interesting communication vehicle. They allow you to express yourself and to connect with like minded people.
Over the years I came across some cool t-shirts for Internet geeks and web workers, and today I decided to compile a collection of them. All the images are linked to where you can buy the t-shirt (no affiliate links, don’t worry). Enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »
Making the rounds, are we Google? Just over 24 hours after we saw an AT&T-friendly Nexus One go on sale, along come Sprint yelling “me too!” at the top of its lungs.
Today marks the day that Google’s first-ever smartphone now has at least a holding place on all four of the major US carriers, with T-Mobile nabbing it first and Verizon users still waiting for that vague “spring release.”
Unfortunately, Sprint’s making us wait when it comes to finding out an exact price and release date, but at least we’re assured that both are coming “soon.”
- Author: admin
- Filed under: General
- Date: Mar 17,2010
We knew vaguely that Google was looking toward the living room, but the NYTimes has the details on Google TV, an ambitious platform to deliver web content to Android-based set-top boxes and TVs through partnerships with Sony, Intel, and Logitech.
Google hopes that the new platform will succeed where dozens of lesser efforts have failed—to truly and seamlessly integrate web content onto TVs, bringing services like Twitter and sites like YouTube, in addition to games, webapps, and, of course, Google’s search, to the big screen. The Google TV software reportedly includes a version of Google’s Chrome browser for doing some light surfing, as well.
The Times says Google TV will be delivered on set-top boxes that use Intel Atom chips and run an Android-based platform, though the technology will also reportedly be built directly into Blu-ray players and TVs from Sony. Additionally, Google is working with Logitech to built a keyboard-equipped remote control for the platform. Read the rest of this entry »
- Author: admin
- Filed under: Apple
- Date: Mar 14,2010
The New York Times has a long, juicy look at what’s been going on behind the scenes with the ever-escalating conflict between Google and Apple. The cause for all the enmity, according to insiders? Ego.
When Apple filed suit against HTC earlier this month, it was clear that Google and Apple’s romance had turned sour. But the Times’ article, which draws on “interviews with two dozen industry watchers, Silicon Valley investors and current and former employees at both companies,” offers a sense of just how personal this battle is and always has been. The writers begin by summarizing:
At the heart of their dispute is a sense of betrayal: Mr. Jobs believes that Google violated the alliance between the companies by producing cellphones that physically, technologically and spiritually resembled the iPhone. In short, he feels that his former friends at Google picked his pocket.
The article starts with the good old days, when the two companies were cooperative and when the individuals that ran them were close. Even before the mutually-beneficial industry chuminess between Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt, Jobs had a personal relationship with those heading Google. Read the rest of this entry »
