February 28th, 2008

Google offers free voicemail, phone number to ALL SF homeless

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 11:19 am

Categories: Google

Tags: Google Inc., Phone, Voicemail, Telecom & Utilities, Telecommunications, Russell Shaw

Google said today it is giving a free lifetime phone number and voice mail to every single homeless person in San Francisco who wants one.

The effort, which part of Project Homeless Connect, will enable a homeless person to check his or her messages from any phone.

Examples of this could be calling in for messages from prospective employers, or even checking in with their families.

One homeless man interviewed by San Francisco’s KNTV-TV said:”

“Having your family, friends and loved ones being able to say ‘here I’m thinking about you, I love you, I want you to know you’re mine, and I miss you,’ can have a monumental change in one’s behavior.”

Well, I for one think this is an amazingly compassionate move on Google’s part.

Yes, I know Market Street and other main SF avenues are crowded with the homeless. But although many are there because of poor choices, others will say that they would work, but they don’t have a way for potential employers to get ahold of them.

Maybe this will help those who have yet to help themselves?

Do you think so?

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February 26th, 2008

Google Talk's new chatback badge: is there a privacy issue here?

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 4:39 am

Categories: Google

Tags: Google Inc., Google Talk, Privacy, Blogging, Web Site Development, Internet, Russell Shaw

Now here’s something I am trying to figure out.

First, I go to the (non-Google) Google Operating System blog, and their new entry about how to chat with your site’s visitors using Google Talk.

Well, I guess I need to provide some explanation:Now you can do that using the new chatback badges.   You only need to add some code to your site and anyone could click on the generated badge to chat with you.

“A Google Talk chatback badge allows others to chat with you even if they haven’t signed up for Google Talk or a Google Account. You can put the badge in your blog or website, and people who visit those pages can chat with you. The badge will display your online status (whether you’re available to chat or not) and, optionally, your status message.”

If someone clicks on the badge, a special version of the Google Talk gadget will open and he will be able to chat with you.

Now, I will finally get around to my point.

I click on the phrase “the new chatback badges,” and hey guess what.

This page appears:

Maybe I am a little bit slow on the uptake this morning, but how did that link spawn a page that recognized my name?

February 14th, 2008

Google on Markey net neutrality bill:let's stop the "gatekeepers"

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 3:03 pm

Categories: Comcast, Google, Net Neutrality, Regulatory

Tags: Google Inc., Broadband, Net Neutrality, Broadband Policy, Internet, Broadband Internet, Network Technology, Telecommunications, Networking, Russell Shaw

Without mentioning Comcast’s broadband Internet throttling by name, Google’s Public Policy analyst and blogger Derek Slater has just made a post resoundingly in favor of the net neutrality legislation introduced this week by Congressmen Ed Markey and Chip Pickering:

Today, Rep. Ed Markey and Chip Pickering introduced bipartisan legislation to help preserve Internet freedom and explicitly make “net neutrality” a guiding principle of U.S. broadband policy. The bill would affirm that the Internet should remain an open platform for innovation, competition, and social discourse, free from unreasonable discriminatory practices by network operators. It would also require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to solicit input on the nation’s broadband policy from ordinary Americans by conducting eight “broadband summits” around the country and seeking comments online.

As we’ve discussed before on this blog, innovation has thrived online because the Internet’s architecture enables any and all users to generate new ideas and technologies, which are allowed to succeed based on their own merits and benefits. Some major broadband service providers have threatened to act as gatekeepers, playing favorites with particular applications or content providers, demonstrating that this threat is all too real. It’s no stretch to say that such discriminatory practices could have prevented Google from getting off the ground — and they could prevent the next Google from ever coming to be.

While regulations on certain types of discrimination is one way to help preserve the Internet’s openness, other remedies including expanding broadband competition and market-based initiatives may be important complements. Rep. Markey’s legislation sets a sound course towards properly putting all the options on the table, by adopting the proper general principles and asking the FCC to address the right kinds of questions.

As important, Internet users themselves will get a chance to answer those questions. From the start, the heart and soul of the movement for net neutrality has been the grassroots — the thousands and thousands of ordinary Americans who have already spoken up for Internet freedom on sites like Save The Internet and beyond.

Net neutrality is too often painted as just about particular companies’ competing interests, but that’s missing the point. Rather, net neutrality and broadband policy are — and should be — about what’s ultimately best for people, in terms of economic growth as well as the social benefit of empowering individuals to speak, create, and engage one another online using the wide panoply of innovations available to them. In other words, broadband policy should come from the bottom up.

Before some of you go off saying this guy is just a cog in the wheel, I inform you that Slater is often called upon by senior Google execs to advise on- rather than just mouth- company policy.

February 11th, 2008

The one big POTENTIAL flaw that could REALLY mess up Google Android

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 1:59 pm

Categories: Google

Tags: Google Inc., Flaw, Corporate Communications, Spyware, Adware & Malware, Cyberthreats, Viruses And Worms, Security, Marketing, Russell Shaw

Given that I am not in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress (nev kinda like the music I am not in a physical space where I can view all the Google Android.

But I am in a space where I can monitor what’s going on, and offer opinions.

(My girlfriend calls them “assumptions,” but I call them opinions, heh.).

So back to Google Android.

Something I’ve been thinking about that could really trip this up is sucky code.

Pulvermedia vp of community and content Carl Ford offers these thoughts in his Carl’s Corner email newsletter:

…here is what I think I know about Android. Google has a RIM like development tool. It is not mind blowing and in the end the navigation is not clearly intuitive. App developers will be regulated to submenus, and it is not clear whehther the malware protection is sufficient for badly coded apps, and the extent of the a subscriber’s ability to remove things once they have been put on the phone. Additionally, it looks like there will be flavors of phones that will require careful consideration in the look, feel and navigation of the devices.

“Badly coded apps,” yes.

But as for me, a less impolitic create than Carl, I say “sucky code.”

Some of you readers are even less impolitic than I am. What do you think about Google Android and the submenu coding hazards Carl points to as quality risks?

February 11th, 2008

Here's TI-powered Google Android UI: but notice something missing?

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 8:02 am

Categories: Google, Images, News

Tags: Google Inc., Texas Instruments Inc., Team Management, Cellular Phones, Semiconductors, Management, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Hardware, Russell Shaw

From the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Engadget posts a gallery of an anonymous handset running Google Android via Texas Instrument chip under the hood.

Prototype is running OMAP 3430 at 500 MHz.

Now take a look at the glare-infused icon display, and imagine them running on an actual phone.

But, uh, one question.

Shouldn’t this UI have some sort of Google icon? YOu know, you tap it and then a menu of Google services comes up?

Oh, yes. Just a prototype.

Still, what suggestions would you have for the Google Android dev teams?

February 11th, 2008

Two photos here of a VERY early Google Android prototype

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 7:15 am

Categories: Google, Images, Mobile

Tags: Google Inc., ARM, Photograph, Advertising & Promotion, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Russell Shaw

Straight from the early hours of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Gizmodo has posted a video with a brief demo of a Google Android phone prototype powered by mobile chip-maker ARM’s, ARM9 processor.

Appears to be very basic. Just a prototype without any substantial feature set at all.

But as shown at the top of this post, there’s the main Google search box shown within this prototype device cobbled together by ARM.

And below, you find a set of navigation buttons that don’t tell us much:

Kind of the same as going to a construction site, eyeing the first efforts at laying a foundation, and then imagining a skyscraper.

Seems like lots of work to be done, but not necessarily by Google.

December 18th, 2007

Google Android apps surface: cool but I need to see more

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 3:34 am

Categories: Google, Mobile

Tags: Google Inc., SDK, Reader, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Russell Shaw

There’s no reason not to believe Gizmodo’s close-up of what a reader/long-time programmer presents as a shot of Google Android powering what appears to be a phone of HTC-form factor.

The reader says the images render fast. Well, that’s the kind of stuff you can get done if you learn to play a mobile SDK like a song, and have the requisite, powerful-enough handset to get meet this standard.

Still waiting on the stealth, non-official YouTube videos of session showing a developer working with the Google Android SDK, and building an app from start to finish on it.

Like this official Google Android YouTube video here:

Not exactly eye candy but that’s a depiction of how eye candy gets made.

December 13th, 2007

Google Earth inner workings described in newly published Google Patent App

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 12:46 pm

Categories: Google, patents

Tags: Geography, Google Inc., Database, Server, Google Earth, Information, Model, Object, Patent App, Keyhole Mark-up Language

I’ve just come across a very recently published U.S. Patent application by Google that appears to explain the inner workings of Google Earth.

More specifically, the technology described in this Patent app deals with how mapping-related information within a database makes its way into a Google Earth display you request.

The Patent app is 20070282792, Identifying Geo-Located Objects.

Technology here is a bit complicated, but will be more easily understandable if you follow along with me. I’ll be showing you two Figures from the Application, and supporting those with accompanying text from the relevant sections of this App.

Read the rest of this entry »

December 6th, 2007

Another reason to have broadband: watch man set fire to his ...

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 1:13 pm

Categories: Google

Tags: Industry, Broadband, Video, Clip, Corporate Communications, Broadband Internet, Network Technology, Telecommunications, Marketing, Networking

I am a big fan of Google Video. Not only can we watch coverage of tragic events, but we can see clips of people that do things they shouldn’t be trying at home.

Or anywhere else for that matter.

I’ve taken a screengrab from one of broadcast industry trade paper TVWeek’s Daily Viral Videos. I get an email linking to these videos each business day.

So here we have an exquisite production called “Fire Fart.” This features some dude in the U.K. imitating “The Human Torch,” Johnny Storm. And, with broadband, you can watch this clip without all that PITA buffering you get on dialup.

So hey lookit. Porn begat the video industry, so who are we to say that very stupid human tricks shown on video can’t be a ontributing factor in terms of getting broadband holdouts to sign up?

But as to this specific clip:

Judging from the angle of the flames, it looks like our protagonist is either planning to fight his odiferous fart with fire, or he may not be planning to father any children anytime soon. And given that he would presumably pass these dumb traits to his kids, maybe the human race would be better off not having to deal with any offspring of this person.
But then, probably things wouldn’t go this far. I mean, what woman would have him?

Final takeaway: hey its Thursday. That’d be the day after Hump Day.

Now tell me I didn’t make you laugh, and you didn’t deserve to.

So let’s get on with our lives now, can we?

December 4th, 2007

"iPhone" is Google's "fastest rising U.S. search term" of 2007: here's why

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 6:14 am

Categories: Apple, Google, Predictions and Observations

Tags: Apple iPhone, Google Inc., Arrington, Web Browsers, Internet, Russell Shaw

Interviewed on NBC-TV’s Today Show this morning, Google VP of Search and User Experience Marissa Mayer revealed the list of 2007’s “fastest rising U.S. search terms.”

And hey guess what. iPhone ranked number one.

Arrington has the list here.

The top ranking is a bit puzzling. I mean, if you want to know about the iPhone, just type: www.iphone.com. Almost immediately, your browser will be redirected the actual iPhone landing page.

Hmm, must be something else going on here. I am guessing that much of the “iPhone” search traffic on Google- especially during the time of the gadget’s debut six months ago- was News searches.

But why bother when we cover the subject here?

November 12th, 2007

Here are six reasons why Google could buy Sprint-but the BIG reason they won't

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 12:28 pm

Categories: Google, Predictions and Observations, SprintNextel

Tags: Google Inc., SprintNextel, Portals, WiMAX, Mergers & Acquisitions, Blogging, Telecom & Utilities, Telecommunications, Internet, Wireless

Rich Tehrani, Om Malik and others have been blogging about the bizarre-sounding but not implausible possibility that Google may purchase beleaguered, lost-at-sea telecom giant SprintNextel.

Makes sense to me except for one big honkin’ “but” (that’s “but” with one “t”):

Makes sense because:

1. Google seems to believe that to really compete against the big, bad net-neutrality-hating broadband monopolists, they really need to have their own spectrum.
2. With Sprint, Google will have a fast track to providing its own content (largely via Android) to mobile devices.
3. With Sprint, Google would presumably inherit portal-enabling contracts now part of indexed, featured content on SprintNextel phones.
4. Google could easily buy SprintNextel whole.  As of the time I type this, Google’s market cap is $201.79 billion, SprintNextel’s is $45.9 billion.
5. A Google-owned Sprint might want to at least take a look at the furloughed WiMax project with Clearwire.
6. Google buying SprintNextel whole would inject some 53 million subscribers into Google’s revenue stream.

That last factor sounds the most exciting, but it also embodies issues that at least to me, makes such an acquisition unwise.

Such a purchase would require so much rejiggering on Google’s part to integrate what would be a huge new division- and 50+ million customers into Google’s existing processes and services that despite the upside it would be just too big a gulp.  For Google, buying and then integrating SprintNextel would be so transformative to Google’s core that I am convinced it ain’t gonna happen.

Now if we are talking about a small, alliance-facilitating stake, that might be another matter.

November 8th, 2007

Gee, this really looks like a useful Android mashup

Posted by Russell Shaw @ 10:20 am

Categories: Google

Tags: Mashup, Russell Shaw

You gotta hand it to snarky gossip site Valleywag. Sometimes they break news as well.

Like this morning, when they’ve posted what appears to be the first-ever screencaps from a Google Phone-like, Android-assisted mash-up.

Said mash-up in question combines location-specific restaurant and other attractions info from a company called What’s Open, with Google Maps.

I guess the goal would be to get this mash-up on cell phones, and then sculpt some sort of revenue stream that would generate pay-to-call restaurant reservations and other monetizations to participating What’s Open advertisers as well as carriers.

Finally, a pic of the actual mash. Sorry for the blurry but sometimes the nature of the leaks and how they are obtained are such that visually attuned, high-res jpgs just aren’t available.

OK, with that said:

Hmm. Could this be a Citysearch-killer? Maybe I need to write another post on that.