So, that was the good news. In some not so good news, Microsoft pulled in another major Android OEM, Samsung, to pay a licensing fee for the usage of Android. Samsung became the 6th victim to MS, the new patent troll in the Mobile market. MS had previously, on pretext of its patent portfolio forced 5 others (Velocity Micro, General Dynamics Itronix, Wistron, Acer, ViewSonic) to enter into a licensing agreement for the usage of Android, which supposedly violets some of the patents that Microsoft holds.

This was a sad event for technology in general and Android ecosystem in particular. Samsung is the second largest manufacturer of the Android smartphones. And if MS could convince Samsung into entering in a  cross-patenting deal, other smaller OEMs are bound to feel threatened. In fact the only major Android OEM that hasn’t signed up with MS yet, is Motorola Mobility and the reasons are pretty obvious why Moto Mobility would decide to take the legal course. A report states MS would make 5X the money from Android licensing fee than what it makes from its offbeat WP7 Mobile platform. So, as far as MS goes, its pure evil business for them.

But what does this deal mean from the point of view of Samsung, Google and/or Android ? The general perception surrounding this deal would be that Samsung buckled under MS pressure/threat. Samsung wasnt very sure that Google could protect the Android ecosystem and the Google Motorola deal wouldn’t have helped their confidence either. But somehow I get the feeling, there is more to this than meets the eye. Samsung is fighting multiple legal lawsuits against Apple all over the world. And the litigation by Apple against them are no less serious than MS had against them(Android). Why is it then, that, Samsung decided to go head on with Apple and buckle down so meekly before MS ? Samsung, to me, seems one of those ambitious companies who believe they can create an ecosystem of their own in the Mobile landscape. They are pursuing with their own Bada Platform. There are reports of a Samsung-Intel partnership for a supposedly new platform -- Tizen. And now post the deal with MS, they will be rolling out WP7 phones too. So clearly Samsung donot want to be limited to the Android option alone in the short term, and want to be able to develop an ecosystem of their own in the long term.

Nothing wrong with Samsung’s goals. People will say Samsung did what they did because Google wasnt reassuring enough in its stance to protect Android. That maynot be true. Samsung’s actions are more likely driven by their own plans. As for Google, Android is as top a priority for them as conventional search itself is and there should be no reason to doubt that commitment. Moto Mobility deal was 50% about patents, if not more. How the future unfolds for Android will depend to a great deal on how well are Motorola able to defend the MS threat. For Google/Moto, signing up a deal with MS is beyond comprehension. Google needs to win the legal suit against Moto Mobility. Google, in retrospect must have mourned those moments when they decided to take a few decisions/shortcuts that has led to this day. But meanwhile, as someone who owns an Android smartphone, I sincerely wish Google are considering the rough alternative of modifying Android to avoid the patent clashes once and for all. This might not look the best of idea in the short run, but would perhaps serve the long course better, not to mention the original promise and pride of distributing Android as a free Mobile Platform once again.

User opinions are solicited in the comments. I can be reached at vikashbitmesra@gmail.com. My twiter feed -- _Vikash.

How to Install

Starting with the king of tech blogs -- Techcrunch:

Headlines:

• Microsoft’s Bold Move: If They Can’t Win The Tablet Race, They Won’t Acknowledge It Exists  (vibes - negative to sarcastic)
• Previewing The Future: Hands On With Windows 8 (vibes -- Analytical and positive)

Some Pictures From Techcrunch:

Gizmodo:

Headlines:

• Windows 8 Slate Hands On: It’s Fantastic. (But Don’t Sell Your iPad.) (Positive)
• Everything You Need to Know About Today’s Windows 8 News
• Watch the Future of Windows, Live, Right Now

Pictures:

Windows 8Gizmodo - Image 3

Engadget:

Headlines:

• Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video)
• Microsoft launches Windows 8 developer preview, downloads are live!

Pictures:

Engadget - Windows 8 - Image1

Engadget- Windows 8 - Image 2

Some more images and Videos taken from all over the internet:

Images:

Windows 8 - Image - Deviant Art

Slashgear - Windows 8

 Wired -- Windows 8

Some Videos:

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

We haven’t yet gone handson with Windows 8. Once we play with it we will have the review up too.

I love my traditional PC. I love my laptop too. And I’m loving my Android smartphone as well. I use all three of them at different times to do different things. And I would pretty much put myself in the category of an average user. One who works with different applications, surfs, listens to music/videos and loves on-the-go connectivity that his smartphone offers. So, I clearly see all these devices playing a role in my life -- being almost mutually exclusive. Smartphones and (more so) Tablets are great for browsing, reading, pictures, videos and all those light stuff. But when it comes to real computing -- say run Matlab, one could only wish. I am all supportive of the new form factors and what they have to offer. Its just that I do not agree its a Post PC World yet. At best, the term is being prematurely and carelessly used. Someone said (I don’t remember who) -- tech bloggers love to live in a bubble. And I agree. Tech bloggers blow things out of proportion, assuming the world (and a regular user) at large is on board with any propaganda that the valley has to offer.

No argument is complete without statistics. PC/Portable market has only grown until 2011. US shows a negative trend in the no. of desktop units shipped, which is understandable. PCWorld says the PC sales are expected to rebound in 2012 -- in the emerging markets and worldwide. Mature markets will see more growth towards the new form factors. Again makes sense. Tech savvy population will embrace the new form factors but even they will be the first ones to admit (as things stand today), when they need to do their job which needs all kinds of programs and applications to be launched, they need their PCs/Laptops. These new form factors are sleek, mobile and yes cool. But for all their pros, there are certain things that donot come naturally to them (atleast not yet). I donot love to type much on my smartphone. Its less of a pain on a tablet but it still is. Multitasking looks more like a PR term. Memory intensive applications are a no-go. Basically they are your good friends while in vacation mode. When you’ve got to work, you know who to turn to. As far as the entertainment consumer segment (particularly those who are on desktops) goes, a tablet makes more sense for them than a laptop. But if your affairs encompass more than just entertainment, a tablet or even the best of smartphones wont suffice.

The distinction between a traditional PC OS and Mobile OS is fast getting blurred. It’s great to have some of the gesture based features on Laptops. And it would also be great to have some of the core PC strengths on these newer form factors -- tablets particularly. First steps in this direction is the MAC OS X Lion which imbibes some of the nifty touch features from iOS. And the next steps in this direction are from Microsoft -- when they come up with the next version of Windows (Windows 8). Windows 8 promises to bring the metro WP7 look on the PC; the app experience too. Its kind of a moment of truth for the Redmond giant. I shall cover this (amalgamation of desktop and Mobile OS) in the next post. But I will close this post with a simple question : Do you live in a post PC World ? I know, I do not.

User opinions solicited in the comments. I can be reached at vikashbitmesra@gmail.com. My twitter feed -- _Vikash.

NOKIA needed change. And change they did. Stephen Elop took charge in Sept. 2010. Elop is an ex-Microsoft and the first winds of change he brought to NOKIA -- shut their ailing Symbian Platform down (Meego too) and a partner with Microsoft to produce WP phones. That NOKIA’s sales have only declined since Elop took over is not quite a surprise. Let me start by saying that NOKIA-MS deal cannot possibly turn Espoo’s fortunes around. First off, WP7 donot have a substantial market share. Mobile OS is soon becoming a personal brand people have started associating with. Its difficult converting an iOS or Android user to a third platform. Plus, as is generally believed (and supported to an extent by Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility), people want to have an ‘under the same hut’ HW/SW integration now. Maybe MS has a long term plan of buying NOKIA out, but that is pure speculation at this point.

Having worked with their Telecom unit for a while now and at their offices for a few months, I understand the employee predicament to an extent. The development talent is second to none. There cannot possibly be a reason why Espoo cannot churn out a frontline Mobile OS. But Alas ! The last thing NOKIA needed was a guy from Microsoft to show the way. The general feeling towards Elop’s directions are far from being positive, not only in the offices but even amongst general population. NOKIA was in a management mess before Elop came in. The big company ‘process’ syndrome had taken roots. Top line developers had decided to put their time and energy to where it was worth. While this deal makes sense for Microsoft (in that they will have one of the top HW makers to ship their WP7 with), it hardly has much for NOKIA.

NOKIA have just come out with the Belle update for Symbian. Not that its great or something -- at best a copy of Android’s swift Notification slider and yes an NFC incorporation. But if the way ahead is with WP7, why still keep bringing the Symbian updates ? To maintain a pool of faithful current Symbian users ? Get real ! Somehow Android was never an option in Elop’s mind. Wonder if that has something to do with his roots ! It just feels bad to see a giant going down the path of mediocrity. With the kind of R&D investment in their own platform, wonder what was so luring about a billion MS dollars ! How the first shipment of this partnership holds up, will be clear by start of 2012. And so will be the verdict on whether a snub on Intel was right in favor of a handshake with MS. But for now, as I see it, Management, poor planning and lack of a killer instinct were central to NOKIA’s woes before Elop came in. And guess what, they have just made it worse !

Readers can put in their views in the comments section. I can be reached at vikashbitmesra@gmail.com. My twitter feed -- _Vikash

Google SVP and Chief Legal Officer Drummond had, in an earlier posting, called names on those who were attacking Android through this fragile, misleading things that Software Patents are. And it was actually good to see CEO Page, reiterating those words. Page, in his quarter long, short second tenure, has given glimpses of being a maverick war-time CEO. Since the time Google lost out on the Nortel auction, Android was in deep waters -- with charges of patent infringement from sneaky MS/Apple and a rather legitimate one from Oracle. It was a sad day in tech history, when in the later 90s, Software Patents were made legal. This started what we have come to witness today in the forms of Patent trolls. And its almost pathetic to see MS and Apple joining that group today. Anyhow, it was clear that Google needed to strengthen their patent portfolio if they wanted to keep Android a free distribution and not succumb to the licensing fee MS was so cunningly targeting its OEM partners at.

And no doubt Moto Mobility’s vast chunk of patents (some of them as basic as on cell phone itself !) was the reason primary Google made this ‘at a premium’ deal. And ofcourse, this also means Google can roll out pure Android devices now, with no adulteration from OEMs/Carriers. While this deal means a lot of things -- Google now become the 2nd biggest Android OEM, they almost double their headcount, a complete in sync HW/SW integration can be carried out among others. But amongst all these Google needs to carefully tread this path, lest upset their other OEMs partners in HTC and Samsung, who have embraced the Android ecosystem. They need to be particularly careful while deciding on who showcases the next Nexus -- the flagship Android device.

While Moto Mobility deal brings a sigh of relief, the threat from the Evil Alliance is far from over. But Google I’m sure have their eyes set on their next ‘to do’ item -- clinch the InterDigital deal. Google also have a lawsuit from Oracle on infringement of some Java Patents. And it looks likely that Google might settle on Oracle’s lawsuit eventually. This was another mistake from Google -- they should have made a licensing arrangement with Sun while it was still possible.

Consumers need choice and affordability when it comes to owning a smartfone. Developers need an ecosystem that allows them to develop their application on a machine that doesnot necessarily have to be a MAC. And this world needs to break the shackles of an arrogant monopolistic company that Apple has come to be ! And for all these reasons, if for no other (read the death of WebOS), Android needs to be protected -- Mobile Ecosystem itself needs to be protected.

Users are welcome to give their opinions in the comments section. I can be reached at vikashbitmesra@gmail.com. My Twitter feed : _Vikash.

So, We will start with Google,I mean Search.

Search : Bing is not Google, and that is the verdict. Even Bing realizes the same. While presenting Visual Search at TechCrunch 50, they did go on to say when the market leader is as far ahead as Google, there is no point competing. Trying to explore niche areas like visual search made more sense. A statement pretty similar in attitude to Google’s releasing their Chrome OS only for netbooks.

I just get to the right result by Googling it. There was a lot of hype when Microsoft struck a deal with Yahoo for providing their search results. The process is still on, but the result hasn’t exactly been the way Microsoft or Yahoo may have hoped it to be. While Google’s market share didn’t take a hit, it has been Yahoo’s market share which has been eaten into by Bing. Both Google and Bing have struck deals with Twitter to crawl status updates. Bing has already launched its Twitter search at http://www.bing.com/twitter but I have not been able to understand why I should use this instead of real time Twitter search at search.twitter.com . Google’s social search is also far from what we all expected it to be showing only the stuff written by your different friends.

Things to look out for in the near future:

• How Google and Bing include Twitter status updates in their search results?
• Bing is said to have stuck a deal with Facebook, and will hence be able to include Facebook status updates in it. There is a lot of information out there on Facebook.
• Once Yahoo search is powered by Bing, the market-share of Bing will take a big leap. Being on the Yahoo homepage will be a huge boost.
• Negative publicity like Rupert Mudroch not giving out news to Google (hilarious) and Microsoft (mentioned at most places as Bing trying to buy News) trying to trigger the same will not help Bing in any way.
• Realtime searches like OneRiot, SocialMention etc are doing a decent job as far as social media is concerned.

Overall, Google has a huge advantage in this sector,not only because of the results they churn out but also because of the goodwill they have earned. Also, innovation through the various Labs feature always keeps the users interested in Google.

EMail Service: It did not take long for Twitter to go overcapacity when Gmail services  went down for an hour this year. That is extent to which Gmail is being used by the casual email users.

All this and more, Gmail remains the fastest growing emailing service but in terms of market-share there is still some distance to cover.

Although, Gmail has some of the most amazing features thanks mainly to their lab features, but emails have been there for ages and Yahoo and AOL are difficult to replace. The fact that most computers run on Windows and Office dominates the document creation space helps Microsoft’s cause further. The fact that Gmail does go down every now and then has also made the corporates jittery about moving to Gmail. Giving out a package of standard google apps with 50 email IDs free is definitely helping Google’s cause.

Email is being challenged by a lot of technologies like Google very wave, the multiple social networks, threadsy and much more. But, I don’t think email is going to die that quickly. Google is trying to innovate its way into this space but the traditional giants still seem to hold strong.

IM Services: IM services have come a long way from IRC chats to the super hyped Google Wave. IM’s have evolves to VOIP’s where Skype leads the pack by a huge margin, owing to its brilliant quality. We couldn’t find any updated report on the market share of IM services, with most mailing services allowing chat within the browsers. There has been a lot of innovation in the IM services with Gmail even allowing a video chat within the browser. However, this traditional IM market seems to be still dominated by Microsoft, AOL etc.

Facebook has also introduced an IM service within the browser (a crappy one at that) and it is to be seen what impact it has on the IM marketshare’s.

Look out for:

• Google Wave takes collaborative chatting to the next level(real time) and hence can have a major impact on the market.
• Services like meebo and imo.im have been doing a brilliant job of combining all the services in one go.
• AOL’s integration of Twitter can have an impact on the IM marketshare too.

IM Services are moving on at a rapid pace from being personal messaging systems to being collaborative tools and innovations will be required to march ahead. As of now, Microsoft seems to hold a slight advantage with its loyal group of MSN users, but I must say Google is coming.

The next post in this series will cover areas like Browsers, Online Collaboration, The Social Space,Photo sharing and Video Sharing space and some other innovations taken up by these tech giants. Keep watching this space for the remaining part of the coverage.

For evangelism , please get in touch with  me or  Vikash Kumar on twitter.

You can also email us  here and here.

Follow me on Twitter.

We are on twitter too.  Follow us. Follow our Facebook page. Mail us here.

Google is trying to close in on Microsoft’s bread and butter. Google’s Chrome OS has been the talk of the town for quite some time now. Microsoft is not the one to be left behind, what with Bing making its mark in the search space at least in some niche areas. Both have shown huge interest in Real-time search and have struck deals with Twitter. Both, however seem to be stepping a feet in each others area with a clear indication that they don’t want to drive the other out (this for sure is a remarkable change in the attitude of both the Technology giants). So, whose year has this been ? Google or Microsoft. Twitter and Facebook have been runaway winners though. So, today, we at microreviews set out to do a small check on how Google and Microsoft have competed against each other in 2009 and what we can expect in 2010.

Operating System : Yes, after years of speculations, we have a Google operating system coming out. Google Chrome OS released its source code and has promised that they will have the version 1.0 of Chrome OS out for people, late in 2010. Microsoft’s Windows 7 has come out with rave reviews, definitely much better than Vista.

Things to be noted in the Operating system sector:

• Google Chrome OS will require specially designed Net-books and will run only browser based applications.
• Google  has already made it clear that the Chrome OS Net-books are not meant to run on the  only computer you have. You need to have another computer with Microsoft Windows, Leopard or Linux on it. All this clearly suggests that Google is in no way trying to compete with Microsoft in the traditional OS space. Google instead is trying to create a niche group of users who need just the Internet. This is quite remarkable when you consider the rivalry that was hailed as the one aimed to wipe one of them out.
• Microsoft still makes more than 60 billion USD every year from the sales of Windows. However Vista was a huge disappointment.
• Microsoft Windows 7 has had brilliant reviews and is selling at the best ever rate.

Watch out for:

• Macbooks are getting cheaper and they have started to gain some market share in Windows strongholds.
• Ubuntu Linux has come of age and is starting to become very comfortable for users.

With Chrome OS set to release in 2010, there is a lot on stake for Google in the operating system space in the near future. With Chrome OS coming out for specifically designed Net-books, one must say, it is advantage Microsoft in this space (Even as I write this post on a Ubuntu Machine and claim that it is the best for all my purposes.!!). However, there is going to be some hussle and tussle in this sector in the next few years.

Documents Space : Microsoft has been a worthy leader in this space for more than two decades, with no real alternatives available in the industry for Microsoft Office. Microsoft office 2007 was a brilliant release and Office 2010 has had some superb reviews.

However, Office as the name suggests is meant for the document handling in ‘Offices’ and collaboration is an obvious need. Google Docs have been superb as far as collaboration is concerned and have become the market leaders as far as collaboration in the Online Document Sharing space goes. However, with Microsoft Office Live Beta coming out in 2009, Microsoft has set its feet in the document sharing space.

Things to be noted in the Documents sector:

• Microsoft Office Live may not be as collaborative as Google Docs, but has an advantage of being completely based out of Office.
• Google docs however has the advantage of coming out much earlier in this space and hence have a definite advantage of a head start as far as the collaborative part goes. Stuff like shared folders are adding to the appeal of the collaboration part of Office suite offered by Google.
• There is however, nothing which beats Microsoft Excel as far as the presentations space goes -  in the online as well as the offline space.
• With Google Wave expected to become huge as a collaborative tool (i.e. if it lives up to the expectations around it), its integration with Google Docs can become really  interesting.

Watch out for:

• Online presentation domain are getting a new look with applications like
  

  Zoho is a very good alternative for Google Docs

  Slideshare, Scribd, Flypaper doing very well too, there is more to look forward to.

• Zoho (now owned by yahoo) has for long been very good as far as Online Office documents collaboration space is concerned.

As of now, in this space too, it is advantage Microsoft but Google’s Online efforts are to commended.

This is the first in the series of posts about the ‘Google vs Microsoft’ war in various spaces of the Software applications and Web Applications industry. Google used to be underdog, if we go a couple of years back, but no more.

We at  Microreviews , think Google has been eying innovation even in a space which traditionally were Microsoft’s and return user dominated. Microsoft has come out with solid products in 2009 and there’s a long gap to bridge in both the spaces. Innovation by Google has to be the way.

The next couple of posts in this series will cover areas like Search,Mailing, IM, Browsers, Online Collaboration, The Social Space,Photo sharing and Video Sharing space (these spaces are definitely Google dominated to say the least ) and much more. Keep watching this space for the remaining part of the coverage. We will also cover some of the innovation that Google and Microsoft have come up with in 2009.

For evangelism , please get in touch with  me or  Vikash Kumar on twitter.

You can also email us  here and here.

Follow me on Twitter.

We are on twitter too.  Follow us. Follow our Facebook page. Mail us here.

Yesterday, I was not present at the Google ChromeOS source code release conference, but yes I followed it on the webcast, like everyone else, who thought it may just be the next big thing.

Here is a set of question and answers (myths which need to be cleared about the ChromeOS). This is all according to my understanding of the presentation made by Google. (Sundar Pichai, Google’s VP of Product Management and Matthew Papakipos, Google’s Engineering Director for Google ChromeOS were speaking at the event.). By the way Sergey Brin did join the conference during the question answer session.

Is Chrome OS a replacement for Ubuntu, Windows and Leopard?

The answer to this question is a clear cut no. ChromeOS is meant for applications which can run on browsers. Most applications these days do work on browsers, but not everything. ChromeOS is meant to work on Net-Books  ( late 2010,festive season). It is meant to be your second machine and not the first one. You can use the first machine with Ubuntu or Windows or an OS-X.

What is it about ChromeOS that should make us use it?

Speed, Security and Simplicity. You can get on to your browser much faster with ChromeOS. Chrome, the browser works faster with ChromeOS. “It takes about 7 seconds to to go the log-in screen. And another 3 seconds to log in to your application. And we’re working to make that faster.”

“One of the reasons computers boot so slowly today is that they’re still looking for things like floppy drives. Does anyone use those anymore? No. We cut out a lot of the startup processes. And we open the browser immediately.“

The ChromeOS has striking similarities with the browser Google Chrome. You will have application tabs and an App Menu.

What applications will run on the ChromeOS?

Web Applications and that is it. “In ChromeOS every application is a web application. There are no native applications.That gives us simplicity. It’s just a browser with a few modifications. And all data is ChromeOS is in the cloud.”  So If you lose your data, don’t worry your data had been synced with the Cloud, the next time you login using another device you are up and running back with recovered lost data. All Chrome OS devices will be based on solid-state storage.

You want to a textpad and it opens in a small window. The PDF files open, the way they do in Chrome, the browser. Microsoft Excel files open in the killer application made by Microsoft (for ChromeOS !!!). Yes, XLS files open in Office online. Google wants a television like experience for net-books. ( Just switch on the computer and start entertaining yourself).  Flash based Chess and Youtube videos will work beautifully. Google will try to support Silverlight too???

What does Google do about ChromeOS security?

Every time you boot your system ChromeOS will check if the version of ChromeOS you are using is the correct and clean one (Verified boot and System Recovery if the file system is corrupted).  In current operating systems, the applications have the same permissions as the user. It is different, however, in ChromeOS.

“Current OSes allow apps to have the same power as you. They can modify files, etc. This means a rogue app can do bad things. In Chrome OS all the apps are web apps, with a different security model. The OS doesn’t trust any app. Every app is a web app.“

“And we have security sandboxing – same thing we do in Chrome. Every tab run in Chrome OS is locked down and different from other tabs.”

How does the file system work?

It is an auto-updated file system with read-only root partition, locked down unlike current OSes.User data is always encrypted.

Can I install Chrome OS on my PC or on my MAC ?

No, you cannot . You will have to buy a new machine.”If you are a developer and have the right type of netbook (and a screwdriver) you can get Chrome OS running today.” Google is working with their “hardware partners” and giving out specifications about the hardware required to get ChromeOS going.” For example, we only support solid-state drives and certain types of WiFi cards.” The presentation was made on Eee PC (ASUS).

But, yes(The good news however is that the VMWARE for Google ChromeOS is available here.)

Is the code available for download now?

Yes, the code is available. However, as I write this post the chromium build folder has been removed by Google. It was there yesterday. The snapshot was provided by TechCrunch.

The complete video of the presentation is available on Google’s Youtube Channel. The layman’s view of the ChromeOS can be found here.

Can you run Android apps on Chrome OS? Is Chrome server solution a possibility?

No, you cannot run Android apps on ChromeOS as of now. Chrome server solution is obviously a possibility.

Any price targets for the net book which will run ChromeOS?  What processors will it run on?

No. But Google will try to make it competitive.It will run on  x86 and ARM.

What happens when the cloud is down?

Yes, the OS will be down. But Cloud is still more stable than HDD. (According to Google).

Google’s business plans for Chrome OS?

No business plans as yet. Google wants people to use the internet better. (That is where Google makes money from). Sergi Brin answered it saying “Call us dumb businessmen, but . . . we believe the Web platform is a much simpler way.” Sergi said, at Google they first think how to give the user a better experience.

ChromeOS is all about running everything as a web application on Chrome-the browser. So Can ChromeOS run on Mozilla?

Google says, code is now open. So, a browser like Firefox can create their own operating system which can run on Firefox.

These were some of the questions which I could make a note of while I was listening to the WebCast. The images have been taken from TechCrunch.

My take on the whole episode?

Google is not looking at a replacement for Windows or OS-X. It is a different kind of an operating system meant for internet addicts. Intenet will definitely be faster on ChromeOS.  Obviously, you cannot do everything on the ChromeOS. I am not sure, how coding can be done on it. Maybe the bespin project (Code in the cloud) from Mozilla gets a boost from this. Photoshop is coming on the browser. Till then, try using Picnik for photo editing. I love MATLAB and  and I am sure, we cannot run that on ChromeOS as of now. Google ChromeOS seems to be step in a different direction,whether it is right or wrong, only time will tell. And, yes I am giving ChromeOS a try through the VMWare.

For evangelism , please get in touch with me or Vikash Kumar on twitter.

You can also email us  here and here.

Follow me on Twitter.

We are on twitter too. Follow us. Follow our Facebook page. Mail us here.

IS YAHOO REALTIME SEARCH = YAHOO + ONERIOT PARTNERSHIP ?

According to a recent TechCrunch (TC) report, Yahoo is looking set to follow Bing and Google in launching real-time search across its seach engine platform. TC further has speculated Yahoo to partner OneRiot, a realtime search engine provider to fulfil its ambitions. If it does so it will clearly deviate from the model followed by Bing and Google of tying up with social media sites like facebook and twitter.

YAHOO’S COMMENT

However when approached by press for a comment on its speculated partnership with OneRiot Yahoo refused to respond. It said

“We can’t comment on rumor or speculation. Real-time search is important and we’re currently conducting several tests designed to discover if showing such content is useful to people using Yahoo Search. Yahoo is focused on creating the most innovative, easy-to-use and valuable search experience for people, and after these tests we will carefully evaluate whether we should integrate such results for everyone using Yahoo Search.”

WEB 2.0 RULES

Social media or web 2.0 as its popularly called is really the domain which will drive the internet space in the new age. Whichever player Bing (Microsoft), Google or Yahoo manages to get its hold on real time search will be able to leverage the growing social media sphere to become the next generation web leader. Any idea Bing, Google or Yahoo, who it is going to be ?

MS [and for that matter Google too] have made their respective failed attempts to buy out both Twitter and Facebook. While both Twitter and Facebook decided to thrive on their own then, they didn’t mind the cash inflow this time around by making available the vast real time updates they have at their disposal. Even as Twitter CEO Evans Williams humorously downplayed questions regarding this deal (a day earlier at the Web 2.0 summit), Microsoft’s online services group President Qi Lu went on to explain the deal, a deal that MS likes to call “Bing Wave 2″.  Lu said the deal with their other prospective partner, Facebook, will come in at a later point. Excerpts from his interview here and a conversation with ‘O Reilly here.

The official Bing-Twitter Integration is up and live at http://www.bing.com/twitter, for the US only (so change your country preference to US  to check it out). It has a tag cloud showing the hottest topics on twitter (similar to Twitter’s trending topics) and also sample tweets on each of them.When we actually make a particular query, we get the tweets in two categories ‘Most recent’ and ‘Best match’. The Tweets corresponding to the search tag are supposedly updated in real time (but when we checked it out, didn’t quite find it to be so!!). This is just a basic setup live and should get more compact/trendy and feature laden with time. A snapshot :

The deal in itself is huge (and we are not talking in just financial terms here, infact Qi Lu passed the question when asked about the Financial terms of the deal), taking ‘Search’ on to the real time corridors.The deal gives MS, the access to full (public) Twitter data feed. This, for sure, is a formidable blow to its arch-rival Google. Twitter too has been looking at options recently for some revenue generation. This deal (and the upcoming one with Google) should suffice for some time now. The other options (read ads) is a scary one in itself.!! If the deal with Twitter is big, that with Facebook is going to be bigger, what with the 45 million status updates per day from 30 million unique visitors.

While all this does sound great, the question to be asked is : “Isnt this at some point the invasion of  user privacy?“. The question holds less of a significance with respect to Twitter (considering that its user’s tweets are more in the public domain), but gets pretty significant in the context of Facebook (whose users want to share those updates only amongst their friends). News has it that Facebook is going to provide its users with options in this regard. Wonder how this entire deal looks  in the light of Twitter’s user friendly TOS (Terms of Service) that says -- users very much own their Tweets. So what if MS starts Archiving these tweet streams. Facebook have anyways a non-friendly TOS (as per which, Facebook can use/modify/publish  your status updates and that too even after you terminate your account!!). Probably the Bing-Facebook integration will further fuel the issue. So are the users ready to let these giants invade their privacy (read status updates) for the sake of a perfect real time search? Readers’ opinion solicited.