Prepare for Google Glass
May 7, 2013
Even though the average person sitting behind their laptop or smartphone screen may have seen the advertisements for Google Glass, they will not likely be wearing Google’s new product any time soon – and not just for price reasons. Computer World dishes the scoop in: “Schmidt Says Google Glass Still A Year Away.”
According to Google’s Eric Schmidt, they are already in the hands of the first developers and thousands will be in use over the next months; changes will be made based on feedback through these trial runs.
The referenced article quotes Schmidt’s interview with BBC:
“In general, these kinds of body-wear devices will bring about a whole bunch of such concerns,’ he said during the taped interview. ‘The fact of the matter is we’ll have to develop a whole new social etiquette. It’s obviously not appropriate to wear these glasses in situations where recording is not correct. We already have these situations with phones.’”
Google Glass may not be ready for prime time. However, Schmidt’s comments allude to the idea that the average prime time audience may not be ready for Glass yet either. The ongoing conversation about digital manners and social norms in the Information Age continues.
Megan Feil, May 07, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Larry Page Not Worried About Mobile: Google Has Faced Change Before
May 2, 2013
There is an article titled Larry Page Says Mobile Apps Won’t Hurt Search: ‘The Information Wants To Be Found’ on TechCrunch. It discusses Google CEO Larry Page’s attitude that while mobile may cause some changes to the use of search and the profits surrounding advertising, it isn’t anything to fret over, or anything truly new. He says in the article,
“We’ve been dealing with that issue for a long time… Fundamentally search is an amazing thing for publishers and software developers and other apps. I think, in general, the information wants to be found”…As for the effect of mobile on the company’s bottom line, Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora argued that focusing on details like Google’s current mobile CPC rates is “the wrong way” to look at these questions” “The right way” is to understand “the new reality where we have all these multiscreens.”
Arora also commented that on any given day, Google will have to provide correct answers across multiple devices to all users. He compared mobile now to search in 1999 in another article titled Google’s Nikesh Arora on Mobile Ads. Meanwhile, Page’s belief that information is out there for whoever is looking is interesting considering that some do want to charge for access.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 02, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Google Glass Runs on Android Announced by Larry Page
May 1, 2013
An article that appeared on engadget on April 18, 2013 was titled Google CEO Larry Page confirms: Yes, Google Glass Runs on Android. The widely anticipated Google Glass will have a display equal to a 25-inch HD screen as seen from eight feet away, 12GB of storage available to the user, Bluetooth capabilities, and a battery life of one full day’s use, according to the devices support page. Up until Page’s recent confirmation, Google Glass running on Android was only a rumor.
“The tidbit was dropped on today’s earnings call, with CEO Larry Page uttering: “Obviously, Glass runs on Android, so [Android] has been pretty transportable across devices, and I think that will continue.” The response was given to a question regarding engagement increment, but Page stopped short of divulging details about version type. We’re guessing it does a fine job of integrating snippets of Google Now, however, so make of that what you will.”
The headsets (in Cotton, Sky, Shale, Tangerine and Charcoal!), will be released to certain “Glass Explorers” in a testing phase. Certainly meant to eventually replace the cell phone, we have to wonder whether in the future, we will all wear our next mobile phones.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 01, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
RIP Mobile Computing?
April 11, 2013
I have been shocked by the number of experts and poobahs who have pronounced, “The PC is dead.” I am not sure, despite the numbers, graphs, charts, and pompous lingo “proving” that a decades old business sector is a goner. Oscar Wilde, as I recall, observed:
A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.
I haven’t seen anyone die from a shift in the desktop computer sector.
I tackle the death of the PC in my April Information Today column, which will run in May 2013. But I want to highlight what seems to be a subordinate assertion tagged on to the “death of the PC” mini-trend.
Mobile computing is also dead. Ah, you did not know that? I admit that I did not know it and I just don’t believe it. Navigate to “Mobile” Computing No Longer Exists.” Now this is probably not dead as meant when someone says “My career is dead” or “My parakeet is dead.” But the notion of “not existing” is an attention grabber in my physical book, which has not yet been killed by bits and bytes.
The point of the write up is, in my view, is that Google is synonymous with the future of online work, play, joy, sorrow, and various “existential” aspects of modern life. I am okay with this type of assertion. What causes amusement is:
The reason our phones, tablets and PCs are increasingly interchangeable is that the services we depend on aren’t running on them at all. They’re running on the cloud. More and more, our devices don’t store our data, handle our security or share—directly at least—with our friends and colleagues. As time goes on, the highest aspiration of most of our devices—be they phone, notebook, smart watch or face-based computer—will be as fast and responsive local caches—copies, that is—of our cloud-based existence. In this cloud-based world, the question becomes, what is “mobile” computing? If it’s just a name we give to screens that are small enough to carry around, it’s not a terribly useful distinction.
The author seems to be leap frogging the grim reality of life in the real world. For example, it will be a few years before the magic of cloud computing will work as forecast in Patagonia, on the bridge at Victoria Falls, or in my work room. I have to go upstairs and sit in the south east corner of my home to get a T Mobile connection.
The real world of government contract requirements, work on certain legal matters, almost any activity related to pharmaceutical research and mergers and acquisitions require desktop computers, often deployed in small, tightly controlled workgroups or locked in a room with no Internet connection, and access passwords provided to specific individuals. There are many other examples of desktop computing remaining relevant. In some of these real world situations, mobile computing is not supported. For example, at one meeting at a Los Angeles law enforcement agency, weapons and anything which connected to the outside world were locked in an anteroom.
I know that for many folks the world of Googley connectivity is just super wonderful. However, even at companies like Google, the real world of traditional computing is very much evident.
Net net: Mobile computing is not dead. Pervasive connectivity is not yet the norm in certain work situations. Desktop computing, as I suggest in my for fee column, is very much alive. Traditional computing does not discard the methods of the past for some very good reasons. Prognostications are fascinating. Some are offered without much in the way of check ins with the real world of today and the world which will arrive tomorrow. Mainframes are still in operation and I was told those were dead decades ago.
Stephen E Arnold, April 11, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
Short Honk: Google Has a New Management Expert: Its CFO
March 1, 2013
Navigate to “Google’s CFO Says Motorola’s Upcoming Products Aren’t ‘Wow’ by Google Standards.” I am okay with poobahs, failed webmasters, hot air entrepreneurs, and wizards pontificating about search and information retrieval. After all, as I have said numerous times, “Everyone perceives himself / herself as an expert in search.”
Here’s the statement, if true, I find reasonably useful in evaluating the management approach of today’s Google:
If you were hoping to see a revelatory smartphone from Motorola in the near future, you might want to tone down those expectations. Google’s Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President Patrick Pichette today said that products in Motorola’s pipeline are “not really to the standards that what Google would say is wow — innovative, transformative.” The surprisingly honest admission came during Pichette’s session at the Morgan Stanley Technology Conference. When questioned on where things stand with Motorola at the moment, Pichette didn’t mince words. “We’ve inherited 18 months of pipeline that we actually have to drain right now, while we’re actually building the next wave of innovation and product lines,” he said.
I know I would be motivated if I were working at Motorola, a former client from my ABI/INFORM. Motorola was an expensive item. Is it like the HP Autonomy deal? I don’t know from nothing. But I do know that managing does not pivot on public criticism. Samsung probably finds the method quite reassuring. Is anyone in South Korea considering this question, “Why don’t we just scroogle the Google?” Amusing to ponder how making hardware can create Barnes & Noble-type excitement.
Stephen E Arnold, March 1, 2013
Google and Samsung: The Light Bulb Clicks On
February 26, 2013
I live in rural Kentucky. I am semi retired, and I don’t fiddle with gadgets like Google Glass which seems like a sure fire way to get hit by a mule drawn cart here in Harrod’s Creek. I noted in January 2013 that the poobahs monitoring Google and its various antics seemed to be happy with Samsung’s surge in mobile gizmos. You can find “Android Analysis Misses a Consideration” in my archive.
Imagine my surprise when I saw “Samsung Sparks Anxiety at Google.” My hunch is that there will be even more lip flapping on this topic when one basic fact is processed: Samsung is not Google’s pal. Samsung, with its blue chip consultants and Silicon Valley pretentions, wants to get as much money as possible from mobile devices.
Google has created its own problems with Samsung. First, it tossed out a good enough open source mobile operating system called Android. Every Chinese clone phone I have examined runs some version of Android. More importantly, Amazon showed the world that it is possible to just take Android and do one’s own thing. Samsung has not be indifferent to these Chinese and Bezos tutorials. Who needs Google’s official Android? Good question.
Second, Google in a crazy weekend bought the Motorola thing. Now there have been many Wall Street wizards who interpreted Google’s action as one more example of Google’s business acumen. My view is that Google stuck a needle in the eye of hardware outfits. How can a company making a “free” operating system and selling ads ensure a level playing field for other mobile manufacturers. Microsoft is trying this hardware thing with Surface. How has that play worked out at Hewlett Packard? How will Google’s Motorola play work out for the Google Glass crowd?
Here’s the passage I found interesting:
Google executives worry that Samsung has become so big—the South Korean company sells about 40% of the gadgets that use Google’s Android software—that it could flex its muscle to renegotiate their arrangement and eat into Google’s lucrative mobile-ad business, people familiar with the matter said.
“So big.” That’s an understatement.
Now what’s Google going to do about this situation? More controlled chaos? I am not sure that will work against the Samsung method. Even Apple is finding Samsung sort of an annoyance. What happens if Samsung goes its own way, showing a digital backside to the savvy Americans?
My hunch is that Samsung will keep on selling gizmos, making chips, and moving aggressively to exploit those who figure that Samsung operates like our Harrod’s Creek farmers’ market. I think Samsung is much, much more. Getting hit by a mule is less risky than tangling with a chaebol which rhymes with mule.
Stephen E Arnold, February 26, 2013
Liferay Upgrades Mobile Capability
February 18, 2013
Liferay is an open source enterprise portal supported by the established JavaScript framework, Alloy. Liferay frequently makes headlines and is quick to try new techniques and develop new add-ons. Their latest update is a venture into mobile technology. CMS Wire has the full story in their article, “Liferay Upgrades Mobile Collaboration App – Sync & Javascript Framework – Alloy.”
The article begins:
“Open source enterprise solutions provider Liferay is updating its Liferay Sync document sharing/synchronization tool for mobile usage, while also introducing version 2.0 of its Alloy Java script framework. In response to growing popularity of the Sync data management/collaboration solution among Android and iOS users, Liferay is providing new mobile Sync capabilities.”
We anticipate that mobile will continue to be a hot topic within enterprise content management and search. Even established solutions like LucidWorks will need to find a way to function on mobile platforms. Many are already quite functional on the Cloud, but the next step will definitely be mobile device integration. Mobile devices are not quite ready for intense data input and are still primarily for information retrieval. However, that distinction will not last long and open source enterprise solutions will be ready with responsive solutions.
Emily Rae Aldridge, February 18, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Google Plus Nips at Facebooks Heels
February 14, 2013
It looks like victory is approaching for Google. The International Business Times reports, “Google Plus Becomes No. 2 Social Network After Facebook, Knocking Off Twitter.” I guess that’s what mandatory registration will do for a social network.
The article cites a recent report from Global Web Index, which found that the number of Google+‘s active users grew by 27 percent in the last quarter of 2012. On top of that, Google’s property YouTube came in at number three. This was the first time that site was included in this social-network tracking study. Facebook maintains its healthy lead, though, with nearly 693 million active users to Google+’s 343 million and YouTube’s 300 million.
Writer Dave Smith points out that Google+ and YouTube both benefit from their close user-base integration. He notes some other smart moves on Google’s part:
“Not too long ago, Google Plus was against the ropes, struggling to maintain traffic and momentum after its public debut. The site, at the time, looked very plain and lacked any real key differentiator from Facebook, besides its video chat offering, Hangouts.
“In about a year and a half, Google has done many things to beef up its social offering, giving it a new design, new technology and a really sleek mobile application. But the best thing Google did in the last 16 months — something its competitors should learn from — is learning how to seamlessly integrate its services.”
Smith believes that capturing the second and third spots stands as a declaration of Google’s Internet dominance. He also praises Google+ as a (now) well-designed app. See the article for more of his observations on the resurgent social network.
Cynthia Murrell, February 14, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Apple May Have Made a Tactical Error on Mobile Devices
February 7, 2013
Here’s more on the Google versus Apple rivalry. ReadWrite Mobile declares, “Apple Forced Google’s Hand on Android.” Journalist Matt Asay supplies some perspective on these giants’ battle for our business. His central argument is that Apple‘s insistence on rigid control of iPhone and iPad apps prodded Google to build Android, the biggest competitor to Apple’s mobile operating system.
Some suggest that Google’s habit of running its software on rival platforms is a “Trojan Horse of sorts.” Asay, however, posits that, had it not felt threatened by Apple, Google would have stayed out of the mobile hardware and mobile OS markets. The article asserts:
“If you’re Google, watching Apple systematically attempt to remove or replace services like YouTube, Maps, etc. and improve its own sync and other services, you’ve got to be worried that Apple could be one deal away from removing or deprecating Google search in mobile Safari and replacing it with its own technology, or even (gasp!) Microsoft’s Bing, which was rumored to be in the works back in 2010.”
Fast forward a few years, and Android and Android-enabled devices are alive and flourishing, providing consumers with many economical alternatives to the pricey iPhone. Krishnan Subramanian of Rishidot Research thinks that, absent this Google-provided option, smartphone adoption would have taken place at a much slower rate. Asay concludes:
“By seeking to holistically control the customer experience, Apple has simply ensured that the majority of the market will, in fact, get that experience … from Google. Because Google, despite being in the position to own the entire mobile experience, is also just as happy to run on platforms made by others. Consumers experience Google everywhere. With Apple, they can only experience it on Apple hardware.”
So, is Asay correct—did Apple unwittingly undermine its own lead in the crucial mobile space?
Cynthia Murrell, February 07, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
A New Enterprise Search For Social eCommerce
February 5, 2013
Enterprise search is one of the key forces behind any enterprise deployment plan. Why? The reason is, if you cannot find your content, how can you do your job? PR Newswire reports that “Hakia Enterprise Semantic Search (HESS) To Drive The Social eCommerce Provider, Flow.” Flow, Inc. is a Canadian corporation that recently licensed hakia Enterprise Semantic Search (HESS). The HESS is a modular, extensible, and adaptable toolset for enterprise, government, education and research applications that enables developers to use the meaning of language for various search applications in addition to simple text string matching.
Flow has already added the alpha version of Hess to its mobile commerce platform. The company hopes to gather data relating to user intent and contextual meaning of terms as they are searched on Flow’s dataspace.
The higher-ups of each company had this to say:
“William Cockburn , Executive Director of Flow said ‘We believe that semantic search will facilitate the next evolution in data delivery, namely, a powerful engine to deliver relevance, context, interpretive cultural lexicon and imagery targeted by a user’s request.” Cockburn further stated that “we believe this is a fundamental practical requirement for people to find answers in a global marketplace… the who, what, where, why and when from their search.’
Dr. Riza C. Berkan , CEO of hakia, said ‘We are excited that Flow has chosen to integrate HESS into its social commerce platform. We expect many other technology innovators to move in this direction.” Dr. Berkan added that,” HESS provides the technological and ontological resources that enable a new dimension to search and content analysis applications in the current marketplace’.”
The mobile market is where many companies are focusing their new business plans. It is still relatively untapped and ready for innovation.
Whitney Grace, February 05, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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