Google-y Goodness!

Yesterday, the head of Android and Chrome unveiled some new toys. Most of which had already been leaked out in the days & weeks leading up to the event, so very little surprises took place. Except for one. But allow me to bore you first with a few things we already knew.

Well, I was wrong.

Yes, I can admit when I'm wrong. Although sometimes it's harder to coax it out of me, depending on what I was wrong about... but I don't mind admitting my error on a guess.

If you read the previous post, I guessed that the breakfast with Sundar Pichai would be the announcement of Android 4.3, the new Nexus 7, as well as Motorola's Moto X. Well, you can scratch off the Moto X, since Motorola has sent out invitations for an event on August 1st.

Yeah, I know I said I wouldn't talk much about it since Google will spend $500 million on advertising, so I'll keep it short. Rumors around the device are stating it will have a 4.5 inch 720p HD display with a Snapdragon S4 processor, and 2GB or RAM. It's also hinted at 16 GB of internal storage, but it's likely to have a 8GB or 32GB variant, or at least an external SD slot. If the Moto X doesn't ship with Android 4.3 on board, I would bet that it will be pushed out before the end of the year. It's also rumored to have a 10 megapixel camera on the back, with a 2 megapixel forward facing lens. Of course, it will have everything else usually found in good smartphones; Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, etc. No rumor on price yet, but with these specs, odds are it will fall into the all-too-familiar super-phone slot of $299 with a new contract. Of course, if Motorola and Google can get the price down to $199, then this phone will be more popular that you'd think.

This is the phone that will hopefully make Motorola a serious contender again. What do you think?

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

Google doesn't invite the media to breakfast because it just learned how to make the perfect crepe. And they certainly don't invite the media to a meal with Sundar Pichai, the head of Android and Chrome, without having some new goodies to show off.

All signs point to the breakfast with Sundar Pichai as being the official unveiling of the long-rumored Moto X, the refresh of the hugely successful Nexus 7, and an update to Android 4.3 to begin its rollout.

A Different Kind of Email Attachment

Sometimes the best things to come out of Google I/O are the things that are barely mentioned. Sure, most people are talking about the new cross-platform messaging app called Hangouts, or they are too busy complaining that there was no reveal of Android 5.0, also known as Key Lime Pie. Don't get me wrong, I think Hangouts is a fantastic first step, but they still have some work to do if their aim is to make it the go-to messaging service.

Now there were plenty of exciting services and products that were announced at Google I/O last week, but the feature that made me do a double take... was the ability to email money.

Your Digital Afterlife

With everyone utilizing social networking more and more... have you ever wondered what happens to your data after you die? Wow, a bit of a morbid topic, I know, but it's one we must all face. Most people will have a Last Will & Testament drawn up before they pass, but will that include your passwords or emails? Unlikely.

Earlier this week, Google rolled out Inactive Account Manager, and what it does is send a notification to you after a set period of time if you don't check into Google. And by "check in" I just mean to log into your Gmail, or YouTube, or Google+, or any other Google site you use. After that time period expires, whether it's 3 months, 6 months, or a year, it will first send a notice to a mobile number you provide just to say 'Hey, that time delay you set has expired. You OK?' And after that message is sent, if you still haven't checked in after a month, your data is sent to a trusted friend that you specifically said to send it to. Or not, the choice is yours. If you do decide to send your data to a friend, you can choose to send all your Google data, or just pick certain Google properties, like Gmail, Drive, Contacts, Blogger, etc.

Unfortunately, this service only applies to Google products (as itself is a Google product), and as far as I am aware, no other site offers it. Well, there are some third party applications that could allow you to do this, but I would trust the host site more with this type of thing. Of course, you can get around that limitation simply by creating a document in Google Drive with a list of the sites you visit and their passwords.

I do apologize for the morbidness of this post, but I felt it was a great tool that should be utilized. I've already set mine up, and the hardest part was writing the email to the trusted contact that will be sent after the time period expires. It's kind of hard writing a "If you're reading this, then something terrible has happened to me" kind of email. But, like a Last Will... it needs to be done.

Now if you'll excuse me... I have to go live my life. First stop, a local Comic-Con!

How Much Do You Love Facebook?

Earlier today, Mark Zuckerberg was happy to show off Facebook's "new home on Android". Many sites and blogs were in a rumor frenzy for the past few days about a Facebook phone which, in the end, fell flat. Today's Facebook announcement was to showcase Facebook Home which is simply a new homescreen launcher.

Is Keep A Keeper?

Just two short days after being leaked, Google's note taking service dubbed "Google Keep" became official. Keep is certainly a no-frills service, but that doesn't mean it isn't useless. Whether you enjoy typing or talking more, Keep can keep up. So far, in my tests, the voice transcription has been incredibly accurate, so I can see myself using that feature most often while driving, as it also keeps the voice recording just in case the transcription is a little off. The other options you have are check boxes, handy if you use Keep as a to-do list; and an option to save a photo.

If any of this sounds at all familiar, that's because it is. Keep is Google's answer to Evernote. Getting current users to switch from Evernote will be next to impossible due to the fact that Evernote has over 34 million users and a four and a half year head start. Of course, Google may have snagged a few extra users right off the bat if they announced Keep in the wake of the Evernote security breach a few weeks back.

Google Keep may be a great product, but I don't think it will pull in the users that the big G is hoping for. Yes, mainly for Evernote and it's companion apps (Skitch, Evernote Food, and Evernote Hello), but more recently because some users are unsure whether or not the service will stay around. With Evernote, that is their sole business. If the service dies, the business dies. With Google, the service dies whenever they want it to die. Many users are still reeling from the death of Google Reader, myself included. Gigaom founder, Om Malik, said it best in his article on Gigaom.com:

"I spent about seven years of my online life on that service. I sent feedback, used it to annotate information and they killed it like a butcher slaughters a chicken. No conversation — dead. The service that drives more traffic than Google+ was sacrificed because it didn’t meet some vague corporate goals; users — many of them life long — be damned."

As for myself, I'll use Keep. I'll use it about as often as I use Evernote which, considering I have 18 notes since joining in October of 2009, it won't be often. But who knows! Maybe Google Keep will be handy enough and simple enough that I'll start using it more!

On the other hand...... nah, probably not. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get some coffee.

Rest In Peace, My Beloved Google Reader

For a number of years now, I have been a daily user of Google Reader. Honestly, it is where I get close to 90% of my news from. It's how I stay up to date on what new gadgets are coming out and when, as well as hear about other current events.  Last night, I learned that Google would be discontinuing the service on July 1, 2013 as part of their "Spring Cleaning".

What A Week!

If you're reading this site, then you know that I like to play with the new gadgets and software. Unfortunately, my wallet forbids me from buying the new gear when it comes out, so I have to settle for checking out software.

It's is no secret that Verizon Wireless is possibly the slowest when it comes to updating their phones' software, so if you want to play with the latest dessert treat from Google... you need to install it yourself. So I did. Eventually. You see, initially, I only wanted to update the camera software so I could check out the Photoshere feature in the Android 4.2 update. Unfortunately, when I installed the camera update, it broke. I couldn't open the camera nor the photo gallery.

Have You Been Scroogled?

Every now and then Microsoft likes to remind people that "Google goes through every Gmail that's sent or received". They do this in hopes of converting users to Outlook.com. Just over a week ago, Microsoft fired up their smear campaign again, and this time there's a commercial...

I'm Probably Going To Pay For This...

... but this was just too good not to share.

We Have A New Contender!

Yesterday, in a very Apple-like virtual keynote, the founder of Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth, unveiled the plans to bring the popular operating system to the world of smartphones. It is certainly an uphill battle for them against the current crop of Apple and Android offerings... but it does look pretty good.

Read The Small Print

This past week has been particularly nice, because I've been on vacation. We decided to not to travel anywhere for the holidays this year, so we just stayed at home and enjoyed our sanctuary. The majority of our holiday shopping was finished before the vacation started which means we didn't even need to head out into the stores for any last-minute gifts. My company had our offices parties the week before last and all gifts were given then. So really... the only thing I had to do on my vacation was to simply enjoy it!

Why Google+ Is Better Than Facebook

If you called me a Google fanboy, I would most likely smile and nod. I make no argument against it, because it's true. But on the other hand, I try to be honest and unbiased when suggesting Google products to others, and that is what I will be doing now. Today, I will try to explain my opinion (hey, it's my blog, I can have an opinion) of why Google+ is better than the juggernaut, Facebook.

Everyone knows Facebook. Love it or hate it... you use it. There are over a billion monthly users of Facebook, and with a 5 year head start on Google it's unlikely that the mammoth social network worries too much about the competition from Google+. But perhaps they should, as Google+ really is a great network. Let me tell you why...

Just A Thought

Does anyone remember the Lapdock? It was a laptop-like device that did nothing. Well, until you plugged your smartphone into it, and it turned into, basically, a netbook. In theory, it was a neat idea. In reality, it sucked. It sucked so bad that the Lapdock never saw its 2nd birthday. There are a few reasons for it's demise:

Watch Out Instagram... Snapseed Is Here!

Earlier today, Google announced the arrival of Snapseed to Android. If you have ever wanted to do any sort of photo editing on your phone or tablet, then I will suggest you give this app a try. It has all the functionality of similar apps, such as Pixlr, and the well known Instagram, but it also incorporates more fine tuning features like you would find in expensive apps like Photoshop Touch.

Unlike Instagram, it does not require you to register with their site to use their app, which I, for one, am thankful for. I really dislike having to sign up for an account just to use an app.

And unlike Photoshop Touch, the cost of Snapseed is free for Android and iOS devices. And free, my friends, is a great price. Snapseed also has a desktop version for $19.99 so you can do more precise editing than you could on your phone or tablet. Yes, it's $20, but that is peanuts when you compare it to the price of Adobe's Photoshop at $699.00.

Microsoft's Surface Pro is certainly 'Pro' priced

If you were one of the 3 or 4 people considering buying a Surface tablet, but were hesitant because it didn't run legacy applications... then today might be a reason to celebrate. Microsoft has announced the Surface Pro will be available in January 2013 for a starting price of $899.

Get Ready To Hit Refresh!

Google has been sending out emails announcing the availability of the next batch of Nexus 4 phones to start at noon. So if you were one of the many that attempted to purchase one and were ultimately too late.... then head over to the Google Play store at 11:59 a.m. and get ready for the floodgates to open. And if you just skim the picture below, at least note that it says 12 noon PST. Which means those of us on the East Coast need to set our alarms for 3:00.

And because I'm a nice guy, I'll provide the links here:

• Nexus 4 (8GB) - $299
• Nexus 4 (16GB) - $349

Good luck!

A $200 laptop? No way!

First, let me ask you this, would you buy any electronic device today that had a 3.5 hour battery? Of course not! Laptops from 10 years ago had better battery life. Not by much, mind you, but it was better.

So why would Acer put such a shoddy battery into their brand new Acer C7 Chromebook?! Smartphones have better battery life than that. It just doesn't make any sense. I mean, the rest of the machine is actually pretty nice. Chrome OS, 2 GB RAM, 320 GB hard drive (decent for any current laptop), 3 USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, VGA port, 2-in-1 card reader, with an HD display and HD webcam. Not a bad deal at all for $199. So why skimp on the battery?

I may....

.... have spoke too soon.

This makes me happy. And I'm sure it makes Jenna happy as well because now she knows that I won't be asking for a Chromebook this year.