Google I/O My Take on the Big Picture

I didn’t plan on watching Google I/O yesterday, but I’d hit a lull in my code when it was about to start and I’m really glad I did.

I think the best way to look at Google I/O is to contrast it with an Apple Keynote, Google announced or built upon a lot of services that Apple provide to iOS users:

  • Chat Platform
  • Music Platform
  • Games Platform
  • App Services

Among others, but the crucial thing is that at no point did Google say that any of their new services were exclusive to Android or Chrome.

Google and Apple are both service and hardware vendors, they both sell you an ecosystem, an experience. But the difference is where Apple’s ecosystem is focused on providing services that lock you into their hardware, Google by contrast sells hardware that allows you to take advantage of their ecosystem.

Google don’t care if you use GMail or Google Maps from an Android phone or an iPhone, so long as you use GMail or Google Maps.

By contrast Apple need you to buy an iPhone, they don’t care if you use Apple Maps, Google Maps, Bing Maps, Nokia Maps, or even the Open Street Map Project. They want you to use those services on their shiny shiny devices, because they get a cut of any revenue made from apps on those devices.

One thing that I think gives Google the upper hand is that the cost of entry into their ecosystem is much much lower, and it doesn’t tie you to a particular device manufacturer. I can try GMail out on my iPhone and use it as my primary email, move to the web, or get an Android phone, it doesn’t matter and it’s free for me to do so.

If, however I want to try out Apple’s ecosystem, I HAVE to get and iPhone, iPod Touch, or an iPad all of which are expensive purchases. Apple only makes money if I fork out money for the device, given that once a user does get an iDevice they get locked into the ecosystem and most will find it very hard to migrate to another device, but that initial barrier to entry is fairly high.

I’m not sure whether the services to sell hardware or the hardware to sell services will prevail. It’s entirely possible that they will co-exist for a very long time, but the hardware to sell services does feel a little outdated to me.

Personally I think that it’s more likely that Google’s model will prevail in the end. The thing is that’s not going to stop me from say buying an iPhone, because even if I did I know I can take my Google services with me.

I know that this totally ignores Windows 8 and BlackBerry but there is a whole other blog post in that.

What do you think? I am completely wrong?

Nexus 7 Not an iPad Killer But It’s not Meant to Be

Right now people are probably composing millions of blog posts singing the praises of or deriding the Google Nexus 7 that was announced yesterday. Here is a summary of what you are likely to read:

Blah blah blah blah iPad, Blah Blah Blah Nexus 7 Blah Blah Blah Blah competition heating up Blah Blah Blah,  Blah Blah Blah Google Blah Blah Apple Blah Blah Mountain View, Blah Blah Cupertino Blah Blah Blah 7 Inches, Blah Blah Blah Steve Jobs said it’s too small. Blah Blah Blah Could this be an iPad Killer? Blah Blah Blah I’m a pundit I know what I’m talking about, Blah Blah Blah probably not an iPad Killer.

The thing is if you looks at the specs for the Nexus 7 there is no way it’s aimed at the iPad, sure it might eat into it’s market a little, but compare there is no way that a $199 device is going to compete with a $399 device, for one thing the iPad 3 is resolutionary, whatever that means (I really wish Apple would hire someone who spoke English).

People are making the wrong comparison though, the Nexus 7 is priced exactly like the Kindle Fire, it even comes with a gift certificate for Google Play store that is pretty much exactly what Amazon introduced to raise flagging Kindle Fire Sales  earlier this month. Just look:

It’s practically an upgrade to the Kindle Fire at the same price point! I’m not saying that it’s not going to eat into iPad sales, but that’s not what the intention is, Google want a device that people will use to consume it’s content, they sell books, movies, games and other crap, the Nexus 7 allows you to give Google money to view the content they sell, plus if you have big pockets it might just fit in there which the iPad doesn’t.

Is Liking Something On the Internet a Meaningless Gesture?

It occurred to me just now that one thing that FaceBook and Google+ do that Twitter doesn’t is have a mechanism to show passive approval of something. On FaceBook you can “Like” a post and on Google+ you can “+1” it, Twitter has no equivalent. On Twitter you can either comment on a post by replying to it, or you can share it by retweeting.

I think the like is an empty gesture, it holds no meaning, and it serves only to boost the ego of the poster, also it’s prone to ambiguity, if someone posts a status update saying something like “My dog died today, he was a lovely hound” and someone likes that what does that mean? does it mean that you like the fact that the dog died or that you are being sympathetic to the person for their loss?

If you are being sympathetic and all you can be arsed doing is clicking a button then you are a pretty lazy, a person who was actually sympathetic would say something passing on their condolences, if you like the fact that their dog died because the dog ate your hat well maybe you shouldn’t be sharing that fact.

What do people think is liking a status update an empty gesture?

Note: I’m not talking about liking things on services like Pinterest, StumbleUpon or Last.FM where your likes are actually stored, that’s more curating things you like rather than silently expressing that you agree with/approve of a statement.

Apple Punditry

English: The logo for Apple Computer, now Appl...
I miss this logo

I’m going to weigh in on the off chance I’m right but here are my expectations for the apple announcement today:

  1. New Apple TV (I hope with a little bit of storage but I doubt it)
  2. iTV Apple TV with integrated TV, probably available in 32″ and 24″ varieties.
  3. Apps for Apple TV (I don’t own an apple TV but I assume that it doesn’t do apps) People will liken this to the Pippin
  4. Update to the iPod range, with the iPod Touch being upgraded to match the iPhone 4 without the 3G radio of course.
  5. Update to Laptop range, this has been a long time coming and a lot of people are speculating that the MacBook Pro will move to a MacBook Air like form factor.
  6. Possible bump in processors to Apples Desktops, to be honest I’ve not paid attention to the Apple Desktops in 5 years and they don’t seem to have changed aesthetically since the G5 was announced, so it’s possible that they might refresh the desktop case but I doubt it.
  7. Oh yeah iPad 3, which is annoying as I’ve only just got an iPad 2. Higher resolution screen and beefier processor seem a given, I think Apple will continue to sell the iPad 2 this time as the low end alternative moving to a two tiered model like the 3 tier model they have with the iPhone 3GS/4/4S at the moment.
  8. Something new about the App store to mark the 25 billionth app being downloaded, what? I don’t know.

I don’t think any of this is rocket science, I think it’s business as usual. I’d like to see the Apple TV turn into a console/entertainment centre but with Valve thinking about releasing one and the way that Google TV is going I think that the market is too saturated.

I know this is cliché, I don’t actually care very much as I doubt I’ll be buying anything that Apple announce today, but I thought I’d weigh in.

This is the first big Apple event since the death of Jobs, I predict lot of people are going to be comparing Tim Cook to Steve and most of them are going to say that he doesn’t have the same charisma. It’ll be interesting to see how well whatever Tim Cook announces sell without Steve’s “Reality Distortion Field”.

If Apple announce a Pippin 2 I might want one though… I really wanted a Pippin when the first one was announced.

Bandai Pippin (Atmark Player)
Image via Wikipedia

The iPad: I Take It Back It’s Actually Pretty Cool

I’ve been a stark opponent of the iPad, I think as part of my Android advocacy I was blinded to this device and tarred it with the same brush I tar the iPhone. Initially I think the heinous price was my main issue; although I still think that the device is ridiculously expensive. I’ve still got some issues with missing features, notably the lack of an SD card slot.

However I’ve had a chance to play with Avarinne’s new iPad and I have to say I’m impressed, it’s not an oversized iPhone/iPod Touch, it’s a netbook without a physical keyboard running a sleek UI. The device its self is wonderfully thin, the screen is bright and crisp, and the battery lasts for ages.

Apps wise I have to admit that the apps available for the iPad knock the pants off anything that’s available in the Android market, not for functionality but for sheer polish. Many, note: not all, Android apps look like someone cobbled them together with gaffa tape in an evening from code they found on a tutorial online, while the fact that anyone can release an app to the Android market is a good thing it does mean that a lot of dross gets through, people even post their hello world applications to the market, sometimes opting to charge for them…

As much as I disagree with Apple’s review process, it does separate the wheat from the chaff, and I think because of this the wheat is overall of better quality. Also the fact that the iOS has Apple’s backing means that there are an awful lot of “Official” versions of games available, like Settlers of Catan, Carcassonne and Scrabble. All of these should be on the Android market none of them are.

I don’t know why they aren’t I think Android has the hacker community hooked, but it’s yet to convince big business that it’s a viable platform. Maybe they don’t want to take the risk of developing for a platform where people are used to getting everything for free? Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a lot easier to pirate Android software because you can install software that hasn’t come from the market? Maybe it’s the fact that despite the fact that Android is supposedly gaining market share over the iPhone, people who buy iPhones buy them because of the apps and people who buy Android phones buy then because they are what the guy in the shop recommends they get as the latest whizbang gizmo, so they don’t even bother to explore the apps.

It’s not like Android users don’t download good software when it is released, when Angry Birds was released for Android, so many people downloaded it that it brought down the servers of GetJar. With any luck that will prove to people that Android users are willing to download software. The problem is that they were all free downloads, Angry Birds on Android is add supported, so no one bought it.

I think that’s one of the major issues, Android users have a sense of entitlement to free software, if they can’t get it for free they don’t bother, or they pirate it. I’ve only bought one game on my phone, Avarinne has bought 2 and a live wallpaper. Contrast this with the fact that within minutes of getting her iPad Avarinne had bought several apps and was merrily playing about with them?

Are apps easier to find on the iPad? Are they better? Are they easier to buy? I don’t know. But do know that I am impressed with the iPad. I wouldn’t pay £600 odd pounds to get one outright because I never have that kind of money lying about, but I would consider paying £199 and then a monthly subscription for data to cover the cost, it just so happens that both Three and Orange have just announced that exact deal. £25/a month for 15 Gig internet on Three and £27-£25/month on Orange (Depending on whether you have an existing Orange contract) for just 1 Gig. Both at however 24 month contracts and you end up paying £200 more than you would have for the iPad had you bought in in store, that £200 is £40 less than you would have paid for £10/month contract for data though so it is a case of swings and roundabouts.

One of the things that stopping me from going for it now (Aside from the fact that I’m broke) is that I keep hearing rumours of an iPad 2 coming out possibly as soon as February, no doubt it will be more expensive and will have a slew of features that the current one doesn’t, I’m banking on:

  1. An SD Slot, possibly also a USB.
  2. A front facing camera for FaceTime
  3. A slightly better screen, I’d love it to be a PixelQi but thats doubtful
  4. A Faster (Dual Core?) processor.
  5. Slightly better battery life (I’d reckon 12-14 rather than current 10)
  6. HDMI mini out, or mini display port (Apple like Display Port)
  7. Better Support for mobile networks in the US which no one outside of America cares about.

Lets see if I’m right…

Nicaragua Invades Costa Rica Because Google Maps Told It To

Sat Nav has been blamed for people driving their cars into rivers, for lorry drivers destroying ancient bridges, and driving Belgian lorry drivers through Cornish cottages. But I don’t think it’s started any international incidents. Well now an error in Google Maps has caused Nicaragua to invade Costa Rica…

From the Search Engine Land article:

A Nicaraguan military commander, relying on Google Maps, moved troops into an area near San Juan Lake along the border between his country and Costa Rica. The troops are accused of setting up camp there, taking down a Costa Rican flag and raising the Nicaraguan flag, doing work to clean up a nearby river, and dumping the sediment in Costa Rican territory.

La Nacion — the largest newspaper in Costa Rica — says the Nicaraguan commander, Eden Pastora, used Google Maps to “justify” the incursion even though the official maps used by both countries indicate the territory belongs to Costa Rica. Pastora blames Google Maps in the paper…

Via Search Engine Land

Googlemail to Gmail switch has repercussions for android users

At some point in 2007 Google ran into some legal issues which meant that they couldn’t use gmail.com in Europe. because of this when I registered a new Gmail account to use with my Android phone I was assigned an @googlemail.com address rather than an @gmail.com address. I still received messages send to @gmail.com but as far as Google were concerned it was googlemail address.

Last month Google sent out a message to anyone with a googlemail address saying that they could switch their accounts over to gmail.com, which I like many others did. That’s where the problems started. My email works fine, as it always has, however I noticed that for some reason my phone refused to sign into Google Talk, fair enough I never use Google Talk so I just ignored that error message. a while later I noticed that I couldn’t download anything from the Android marketplace. I assumed that there was a network issue as I could quite happily access the market, search it, and queue apps up for download. Only they would never get past the “Starting Download” phase.

It turns out that whatever authentication Google uses seems to have thrown a tizzy because I was no longer @googlemail.com but now @gmail.com. I did a quick hunt and found a support thread which told me what I already suspected. I’ve now switched back to googlemail rebooted my phone and its started downloading a ton of updates so it’s fixed.

Google now have a warning on the page that allows you to switch stating:

Android users: If you use an Android device and change your address, the following apps may not connect properly: Google Talk and Android Market. The current solution for this is to change back to @googlemail.com, or do a full reset of your Android device and use @gmail.com. We are working on resolving this issue as soon as possible.

This would have been useful to know when I switched, but I guess better late than never. If only there was a way to register for an update so I knew when it was safe to switch to Gmail again.

For anyone else who experiences this problem bitter wallet have compiled instructions for how to fix it (I’ve not tested them I haphazardly found the options myself and fixed it but they look about right):

In order to refer Gmail back to googlemail.com

  • On a computer, log into your gmail.
  • Click Settings (top right)
  • Click Accounts and Imports
  • At the bottom, next to ‘Change Account Settings’, click on ‘Google Account Settings’.
  • On the opened page it will tell you near the top whether you have a gmail or googlemail address.
  • Go back to the previous page, next to ’send mail as’ there is a small ’switch to gmail?’ link, click this.
  • Then, click the link that says ‘go back to googlemail’, then on the next page click the next button to confirm (I think it’s the big blue button).
  • Then click on the ‘Google Account Settings’ link from the earlier step, this should now confirm you are back on a googlemail account.

I hope this is useful to someone.

Story Idea: In Google we trust

I had an idea today about an alternate future where fanboyism has gone further and has superseded religion. Basically people have given up on putting their faith in insubstantial supernatural being and instead invest their faith in brands.

Anyone who has met an Apple fan boy/girl knows that the level of zeal and devotion they have towards their fruit computers. The same is true of the drinkers of Irn Bru and some Jack Daniels drinkers.

I envision this being a polytheistic society where people believe in different brands for different spheres of influence, but rival sects wouldn’t want to freely intermingle for example two people might be in the global cult of Pepsi both hating their arch nemesis Coca-Cola, but they may have religious differences when it came to which beer they supported.

Some brands have global appeal and some might be considered to be no more than Cults, For example Irn Bru is a cult which has a bit of a powers in Scotland but is fairly obscure elsewhere.

I think this is a little inspired by Max Barry’s Jennifer Government but not overly so.

Odd Behaviour, Login User “Farming”

I signed up for a Google profile today, for no reason other than to what it was all about… I’d also set up a mail alert to email me if my name is mentioned anywhere on the internet.

Apparently somone has written code to farm profile from Google profiles and create user profiles on their site.

I got an email alert telling me that apparently I’d signed up for an account TV Shack, the odd thing is that apparently I signed up for it yesterday…