Continue reading »]]> The Wall Street Journal reports the unveiling of the much talked about Apple tablet later this month. The Business Insider says that will all take place at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on January 27th.

Plans to ship the tablet are not planned until March this year though, according to WSJ. A January announcement and a March product release… could Apple be throwing out some headlines to compete with Google in the press? I mean, this announcement reeks the doings of a controlled leak and Google is working with HTC to produce a Chrome OS Tablet, after all. Then there was the recent Google Nexus One announcement and additional product releases for March…

Here are a few gathered bullet points for the Apple tablet:

• 10 to 11 inch screen
• 3G connection with support by Verizon
• although Apple is one of several groups playing with 3D multitouch, the tablet most likely won’t feature it
• possibly named iSlate
• a secret, exciting new feature is imminent

Do you have a favorite? What are you looking more forward to? Apple tablet? Google/HTC tablet?

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Continue reading »]]> How are you saying good-bye to 2009 tonight? Sleeping like any other day? Dinner with friends? Clubbing with strangers? Counting down with Dick Clark (or is it Ryan Seacrest now)? Here at SoftwareNewsDaily, we wanted to say farewell by reminiscing our top 10 technology news stories of 2009. When I say “our” top 10 stories, I suppose it’s really more “my” top 10 stories. That’s okay, I don’t mind dominating the office opinion; they’ll agree with me. Counting down to the number one story, here are “our” picks.

10. Obama stimulates IT
An avid techie, Obama creates stimulus packages to adopt various IT practices. Embrace change.

9. Bing
Cashback shopping, flashy and colorful interface for search – Powerhouses Microsoft and Yahoo team together to bring a new search. Bing ups the ante and brings a better competition to Google search.

8.Tablet computers and netbooks
My mom has one. Apple seems to be in the works towards creating one. They are the must-have accessory for the modern, swanky professional on the go, I’d say. They are just going to get more popular.

7. Windows 7 blows Windows Vista out of the water
Windows XP users finally have a reason to upgrade their systems.

6. iPhones are given a bit more competition with the Droid
I once heard a rumor that Verizon was originally approached to offer the iPhone. Were they waiting for the Droid all along? They’ve certainly put on a fierce campaign with the new Motorola phone. For weeks, I had thought it was an upcoming blockbuster film. Here’s one of the many commercials.

5. Bill Gates retires
Okay, so technically he stepped away from the reigns in 2008, but I honestly had no idea until just a couple of weeks ago. So it’s news to me in 2009! Ha, I know. I know.

4. Social media explosion
Although Twitter started back in 2006, more celebrities and other users jumped on board causing social media to explode and almost become a necessity in the workplace. Was this blog a result? Hm…

3. Google announces it’s own operating system: Chromium OS
I’m telling you! Google is going to dominate the world. It’s just a matter of time.

2. Switch to digital television
It was pushed back a bit, but it eventually happened this summer. I can’t decide if I like it or hate it. As someone without cable TV, it’s been easier to pick up better signals with the transition. But, as someone without cable TV and DVR, I can’t really utilize my VCR to record missed shows anymore. I suppose that’s why there’s Hulu…

1. The Birth of SoftwareNewsDaily.com
This article would not exist otherwise. This has to be the most important tech news of the year! Muwahahaha.

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Google has been in the news a lot lately… new technologies, new innovations, new products… It’s all about Google. And that is why I think they are eventually going to take over the world. Well, the technological world, at least… Here are a few recent “waves” (no pun intended) Google has been making:

Google Introduces Real-Time Search Results: If we aren’t overwhelmed enough, Google now has a way to search real-time results. Real-time search brings instant results from stuff that is happens on the web – blogs being posted, live tweets, news articles and web pages being published all streaming to the search engine. Read more from ZDNet or watch the video demonstration.

Google’s Local Business Directory: Sending out QR code window stickers to popular businesses, Google is hoping to build their local business directory. See the SND blog about Building Better Local Businesses with Google Bar Codes.

Google Goggles: Search the web using a picture. Google Goggles, an app for Andriod, searches the web based on a photo you’ve taken with your phone. The application scans data from the photo and translates the material into a web search. Perfect for those “words cannot describe” moments. Read more from TechCrunch about the product.

Google Chrome: This up and coming browser is now available for Mac! Coming third amongst popular browsers, Google’s product is rising quickly. See the SND blog about the Google Chrome Switch: On or Off.

Google Chromium OS: This highly anticipated operating system is open-source and meant to be fast and easy to operate. It’s not yet available officially (looking at a slated 2010 arrival), but you can already play with it. See the SND blog about Google Chrome OS: Light Recap of the Update from Mountain View. Also see the SND blog of Google Chrome OS Out Now (Sort of).

Google Wave: An online communication tool that combines email, instant messaging and all your social networks was an exclusive club that has just opened up to more users. Google describes a “wave” as “both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.” See the really long video demonstration.

Google Public DNS: Google now has a free, global domain name service. Read about what it means to you in this TechCrunch article.

Have I proved my case, at least slightly?

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Continue reading »]]> Google recently released the open source for Chromium OS. Out about a year earlier than the scheduled release of Chrome OS, Google mentions their eagerness “to engage with partners, the open source community and developers.” The project is available here: Chromium OS.

If you are eager to engage with Chromium OS, PCWorld has a few write-ups: Get Chrome OS Now | How to Install Chrome OS from a USB Drive. TechCrunch also has one: Want to Try Out Google Chrome OS for Yourself? Heed PCWorld’s warning though: “changing the boot order means messing with your system’s command prompt and BIOS.” Does patience remain a virtue for you? For those that aren’t quite up to snuff in tech-abilities, hold out ’til next year when official Chrome OS machines are released.

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Google hosted a press event this morning at its Mountain View headquarters to give updates about the Google Chrome OS. If you weren’t able to catch the live stream of Google VP Sundar Pichai and Engineering Director Matthew Papakipos, here’s a light overview.

• Google Chrome OS is open-source.
• There is no target price set yet.
• As a “companion device,” Sundar says, “If you’re a lawyer and you spend your whole day editing docs back and forth, this is not the machine for you. Not yet. “
• Chrome OS will print; an innovative solution is in the works for this.

Google Chrome OS focuses on three things:

1. speed | Sundar says, “We want Chrome OS to be blazingly fast.”
2. simplicity | “Almost everyone knows how to use a browser. So, we want it to feel that way.” 
3. security| “Verified boot”:  every component is signed and checked on boot

Highlights from the demo:

• Seven-second boot time and three seconds to log-on.
• Looks like Chrome with extra “application” tabs. These tabs can be customized to open your favorite applications.
• An “app menu” that functions like a Windows Start Menu.
• Applications open as “panels” that can be minimized. Think similar to the windows on your task bar (in Windows).
• Sundar demonstrates a chess game viewable through Flash illustrating what he says earlier, “Every app on Chrome OS is a Web app. No installing.”

Or view the demo:

The entire concept seems pretty neat. It’s true, most of my computer work is done on the internet: browsing, researching, reading, watching, listening, blogging… blogging… did I say blogging? Anyway, I’m still not sure I want my computer operation to be completely internet-based. Sometimes it’s nice to hit the other items on my task bar to see a window that isn’t Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer. It’s almost like an escape, you know? Perhaps I’m just not prepared for the inevitable future (where Google has succeeded in Pinky and the Brain‘s plan to conquer the world). What are your thoughts? Hit that comment button and share them with us!

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Continue reading »]]> Windows 7 is being met with largely positive performance reviews — and after the PC profanity that was Windows Vista, it had better be. The bloated Windows Vista, laden with clunky features and poor compatibility, was universally decried, and many users retreated back into the much more solid edifice of Windows XP. With its rapidly approaching release, we will see if 7 will redeem Windows.

PC World’s report was mixed, saying that while 7 had improved performance over Vista in most areas, it lagged behind it in a few, and was not that much faster. Overall though it is a much more efficient and compatible OS, and the PC community is in universal agreement is that Windows 7 is the true successor to XP (Vista slipping forever into the collective computerworld unconscious). Microsoft has taken a minimalist approach to the new OS interface, and is offering very reasonably priced upgrades to 7, completely opposite of Vista.

But the real threat for Microsoft, is, once again, Google, with its plans to release its own operating system in 2010, Google Chrome OS. It will be fast. It will be web-focused. And most incredibly, it will completely free.  ”It’s our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be,” Google says. If Windows 7 doesn’t deliver, the burial rites of Vista may be only a prophetic sign of the times as to the ultimate end of the Age of Windows, and the coming Reign of Google. It should be interesting to watch.

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Continue reading »]]> Late last night, Google posted a new blog entry announcing their plans to develop a Google Chrome Operating System. A natural progression following their successful Chrome Browser, the Google Chrome OS will be their attempt to re-invent what an operating system should be. Their aim is to create a lightweight, open source OS that is designed around the web.

Just like the Chrome Browser, the Chrome OS will be focused on simplicity and speed. Google wants you to be able to start up your computer and be on the web in mere seconds. They want to re-structure the underlying architecture of the OS and go back to basics. Their goal is to keep the OS out of your way and to have it just work like it should. It will be safe from viruses and will perform updates automatically. They also want your data to live in the cloud, where it will be accessible from anywhere, no matter what happens to your computer.

Initially, Google’s focus will be on the netbook market. They have been quietly talking with manufacturers for the past few months to strike up OEM deals, and they already have netbook manufacturers on board. A completely different project from Android, which was designed for phones and mobile devices, the Chrome OS is being built for everything from netbooks to powerful desktops. Because it will be open source, this could dramatically lower the cost of buying a new computer.

Should Microsoft be worried about the Chrome OS gunning for Windows? Definitely. While it will take years for Chrome to gain any kind of major foothold in the OS arena, consumers definitely want more from their computers and are eager to try something new. Just look at all the hype surrounding the upcoming Windows 7 release. Vista was completely underwhelming, and it’s lukewarm reception left a huge hole in the OS market. Both Apple and Microsoft are releasing new operating systems this year, but neither one will deliver anything revolutionary. They are both just incremental improvements over prior versions. Google Chrome OS has a good chance of shaking things up and will generate plenty of buzz. Microsoft hasn’t ever really faced a serious threat to Windows. If anyone can change that, it’s Google.

Microsoft recently launched Bing, which was directly aimed at taking market share from Google search. It is only fitting that Google would immediately take a shot at the core of Microsoft’s business, Windows. I have a feeling these two companies will be battling on all fronts well into the next decade. As consumers, competition like this can only be beneficial, with new technology innovations and lower prices.

This announcement from Google was just a teaser of what is to come. They don’t expect to start shipping the Chrome OS on netbooks until the second half of 2010, but the open source code will be available well before then. This will give software developers lots of time to create new apps for the Chrome OS. Google’s goal is to have its applications based in the web, using the latest web technologies. This is the future of computing, and Google will be on the forefront.

For more details, check out the Official Google Blog. Stay tuned for more on the Google Chrome OS this fall.

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