I’ve thought for 5 minutes and can’t come up with a snappy title for this entry.

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I’ve just had a sudden thought that made me question everything I have been basing my life around for the past 5 or 6 months.  Up until now, I have been convinced the Google is going to rule the world in the near future.

The reason is that they do everything; or they have come up with programs that do everything.  I think I may have all of the information that has to do with my life logged somewhere in Google’s servers somewhere.  This doesn’t concern me very much.  I am not a very paranoid person.  But up until now I’ve always thought that eventually, Google would take the place of every company and just rule the world.

I read an article, however, that made me take pause. It discussed Google’s difficulties with it’s line of televisions software called Google TV.  Now, when it first came out, this software was supposed to be able to search your cable TV listings, DVR device, AND scour the internet for whatever you were in the mood for.  So, for instance, if I typed in “Kevin Bacon,” it would find Footloose playing on WGN at Saturday at 4pm, the “Inside the Actor’s Studio with Kevin Bacon” that I recorded a few days ago, and 500 “Kevin Bacon” impersonations on YouTube.  I could, then, choose which I wanted to watch.

It was ingenious.

The problem is, the network stations didn’t like that you would be able to access their webpages and view their streaming web TV shows from your television set.  I guess they still only want you to watch TV shows on the web from your computer.  They blocked their websites (along with HULU) from allowing Google TV to access them.  This made Google TV a glorified TV guide and YouTube search.

This wouldn’t be a big deal for the Google of the past; in the past, Google has released a product that didn’t necessarily work perfectly and slowly, over the course of a year or 2, improved it with the help of users and suggestions.  The problem is that Google couldn’t just put this product on the web and have people use it for free while they test it.  This was a device that had to be installed into televisions and sold to consumers who were expecting a finished product, not a test product.

This is where Google, if they are going to want to enter into people’s homes, is going to need to step up their game.  They’re not going to be able to release a product as soon as the idea is conceived and improve it over time.  They are going to have to create, flesh out and solidify their idea before going forth into the marketplace.  They are going to need to begin to rely on partnerships with other companies; they’re not going to be able to work within their own community, not talking to other manufacturers or developers. 

Technology is one arena where there seems to be more “flops” than “flys” in general, but if Google wants to have more “flys” in the consumer market, they’re going to have to start thinking of their customers as “consumers” and not “product testers.”

 

P.S.  This will be my last long-form post for the next week and a half.  I will be updating my technology twitter feed with short technology articles and links that I find interesting with my comments.  Follow me at @ianyoungopinion

Pop into Pop-Up Video

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Let’s go back in time.  A long time ago, around the year 2000, the internet was a very different place.  It was a land of bright, neon-colored, pieced-together websites.  It was a wild west.  It was disorganized. 

Well, compared to today, it was disorganized.  And it was messy.  At the tops of every webpage, it seemed, were advertisements, in a big block, about something having nothing to do with the website you were on.  And in addition to those, the pop-ups.  The dreaded pop-ups.  Sometimes, when entering a web space, there would suddenly be 8 advertisements competing for your attention like little children straining to be the first one to break the piñata at your next-door neighbors loud birthday party….phew.  Anyway.

It was miserable.  You NEVER clicked on the advertisements because you never WANTED anything they had to offer.

Recently, though, that has begun to change, thanks to cookies and internet sites’ abilities to cater the cookies to the needs of their website.  Let’s start with cookies.

Cookies are files that are stored on your computer.  When you visit, let’s say, Amazon, the website tells your computer to make a cookie file with certain information.  While you are at that site, they edit the file with information about your visit.  What products you looked at; what products you purchased; they even store an encrypted version of your password that only they have access to (if you ask them to).

This is done for almost all websites.  Recently, companies, such as Google, have started trying to look at the different cookies you have collected so that they can better cater their experience to what you may want or need.  If you’ve searched for kitchen appliances, you may want to go to Sears.  This is all done, in their words to try to make your experience more enjoyable and easy.

Recently, there has been talk at the FTC to introduce legislation requiring the installation of a “do not track” feature into your internet browser.  Many feel that these companies, since they do not ask your permission to place these cookies on your computer, are spying on you.  Many would say, they are basically acting like a person who follows you around the mall and sees what stores you go into, only to try to sell you something.

It seems to me that, in a country that seems to agree with a “smaller government” point of view (if only based on the last election), more enforcement by the FTC into the internet is the opposite of what we desire.  Many people enjoy that Amazon can recommend books you may like, based on what you’ve previously looked at.  I know I enjoy the advertisements I see that are actually relevant to me, instead of annoying pop-ups of the internet of yesteryear  And this isn’t even an issue that they NEED to enter into as you can delete the cookies or DISABLE cookies in Firefox, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera or Netscape Navigator.

Many people are want there to be a mandatory disabling of all tracking on the internet for all companies, but options available to individuals, we don’t need government intervention.  As this is a major way that companies can get advertisers to use their websites (and since all websites can’t just start charging more for usage), we’ll be back to advertisements that are random, annoying and do not help you find the things you really want on the internet. 

I understand people’s nervousness about tracking on the internet, but if you disable cookies and you’re still concerned, remember, websites can only track the information you give them.

A Cloud with Silver Lining

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A few years ago, I would hear talk of “the cloud.”  It would change the world.  The cloud was a concept where your personal files were stored on the internet, at another location in the world, in order to be accessed from any computer that had an internet connection.  For many people, the closest they’ve gotten to a “cloud computing” experience has been posting pictures on Facebook that you could view from a friend’s computer.  But this is changing.

The cloud concept isn’t just being able to SEE files online, but to EDIT files online.  This has been done most visibly with Google Docs.  Google Docs allows you to open, edit and save your files into your own personal account online.  You can also give permission for other people to view, or even edit, those files online WHILE you are accessing them.  That means that if you are conferencing with them on the phone and decide to change anything in the file, they will be able to see your edits AS YOU DO THEM. 

This has been hugely productive for organizations with employees spread across the country.  But for people who use their computer for playing games, writing files or surfing the net, they have been largely left out of this “cloud computing concept.

Not anymore.

Last week, Google announced plans to release their Chrome OS (operating system).  This will be an operating system, like Windows or Apple, that is based in the cloud.  That means that you will, with any computer running this OS, be able to log into your OWN personal account (likely your Google Account) and the desktop, applications and files will be those that you have previously selected or worked on.  If you bought a copy of Bejeweled 3, typed up your doctoral thesis and like that wallpaper of a kitten hanging from a tree, that is what will show up on that computer. 

This is very helpful if you have more than one computer like a laptop, a desktop, a work computer or even smartphone.  You won’t have to keep a flash drive with you at all times with the files you need to have.  They will be stored on your online account.  All those bookmarked websites on your browser: stored; your music: stored; your pictures: stored; all of this accessible from any computer.

Now, Google Chrome OS will not be available until next Summer, but I have been using a Cloud OS on my laptop that I think will be similar to what the Chrome OS will be like.  It’s called Jolicloud and, while I don’t recommend you install the OS and go crazy without first knowing what you are doing, I recommend you check out the look of it.  The main layout reminds me of the iPad, with program icons and organization tabs.  It runs really well on my laptop and, maybe after more time playing with it, I’ll let you know my full thoughts.

In closing, I believe that “cloud computing” is here to stay and that you will be hearing more and more about it as time goes on; this is especially true with the release of Chrome OS next summer.  I imagine that I could enjoy living in a world where I don’t need to carry cd's, dvds or flash drives in my bag.

Is that Debit or Credit…or both?

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New technology is coming out that will make it easier on your wallet if you’re one of those people with more than one credit card.

A startup company, Dynamics, has released a concept credit card that would allow more than one account to be accessed by one card.  This would allow a credit card, debit card, store card, gas cards or even gift card to occupy one magnetic strip on one card.  A user would select which account they would want to use and the card would “change” the information on the magnetic strip.

There would be security for these cards, since you don’t want one person to have access to 5 accounts by stealing ONE card.  The card would digitally hide part of the account number and only reveal it after inputting a code into the card, almost like a pin.  You can see the card concept with the part of the cared number that would change and hide depending on which account you access.

This type of technology would be very convenient if, given there are enough security features, people could use the card as a drivers’ license, ID card, credit card, SS card or other options.  The ease of only having one card to carry around is something often discussed or used in science fiction texts and movies, but never fully realized in the real world. 

There would, of course, be real security concerns that I’m not addressing that WOULD need addressing, but I feel, as long as techniques like pin numbers are used, these can be solved easily.

Below, you can see a video of a representative from the company giving an overview of the possibilities of the card.