In the past year, BlackBerry (formerly RIM) used its own employees to write, perform and record music tracks about how great their company and products are, to mixed reviews.
In light of BlackBerry's odd attempt to win back our hearts, I thought it would be a good chance to take a look back tech companies shameful attempts to get us singing along to their beat.
"Rockin' Our Sales" by Microsoft
As many of you will know, Microsoft had a tough time with the launch of Windows Vista back in 2007. Countless problems and performance issues left a bad taste in users mouths. Microsoft sort to fix these issues with the release of Service Pack 1. To celebrate the release, Microsoft developers produced a music video about how great Vista now is.
"Girls' Generation Visual Dreams" by Intel
Thankfully, Intel chose not to use their employees from their music track. Instead opted for a South Korean girl band called "Girls' Generation", the results are not much better.
"Welcome to Google" by Google New York
This Rap music track was not signed off by Google executives, instead a Google employee called Fink from the New York office rapped about how much he loved Google. Even the creative freedom at Google can not help this Rap music track.
"Keep on Loving You" by BlackBerry
Prior to the launch of BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry employees decided to express its love to its app developers that they still love you though music. While RIM employees produced a fairly high quality music track and video compared to previous attempts, it won few hearts.
"At Last" by BlackBerry
BlackBerry couldn't resist producing another music track. Shortly after the launch of BlackBerry 10, the developers produced another track to say thanks to all its fans and how great BlackBerry 10.
Late last year I was visiting London for a bit of sight-seeing, which included a trip to the British Museum and checking out the Bond exhibit at the Barbican. Third on my sight-seeing list for that day was a visit to the Chrome Store on Tottenham Court Road.
I was keen to see how successfully had Google done with its first physical retail venture. The Chrome pop-up store was situated in a Currys store (UK's equivalent to Best Buy). The Chrome store is a reasonable size with two tables of Chromebooks. When I visited there was only three Chromebooks available; Samsung Series 5, Samsung Series 550 and the Acer AC700. Plus, one Chrome representative.
When I arrived, the "Chrome guy" was showing a couple what a Chromebook could do. His general job was to stand in the store and ask customers as they walked past if they would like to try a Chromebook. After he was finished with the couple (who didn't purchase a Chromebook), I spoke to him to find out how things were going.
He told me that generally sales have been slow, but people seemed quite positive by the idea. People seemed to like how simple it was to use a Chromebook and were very impressed with how quickly it booted. Though, when it came to the tough question of "Could it run Office", the sales chap struggled to convince people that Google Docs was just as good.
I was keen to find out if he worked for Google. He didn't. He works for a marketing agency, he was contracted to work for Google and given training about how to use a Chromebook. I explained to him that I was already a Chromebook user and that I was keen to see what a Chrome Store was like. I thanked him for his time, and he gave me a Chrome pin-badge. (Pictured left)
I was general impressed with the Chrome Store. It had all the Chromebooks on offer, which gave you a chance to check out the full range and get a feel for the device. I had not seen a Series 550 at the time, so it was a good opportunity to compare it with my Series 5. The "Chrome guy" was generally well informed and is useful to have available to help customers understand what a Chromebook is and how it works. I hope to see more of these store appear around the UK and USA, since Chromebooks are starting to take off.
Since September I have been running Windows 8 on my desktop, being a University Computing student I received a free upgrade to Windows 8. I decided to take it.
While I enjoy the speed bump with the latest version of Windows and a much improved File Manager, I was disappointed with the Metro interface. Its a tablet interface, but I will come to that in a future post. On Windows I use a very small set of applications, all which reside in the classic desktop view. I did not want to keep switching between Metro and Desktop, I wanted the Start menu back.
A neat little app does just that. Start8 puts the Windows 7 Start menu back on to the desktop, disables Metro, and will boot directly into the Desktop. Start8 is very customisable too, which will please many power users.
Start8 has a 30-day trial version, but to upgrade to full version it costs $4.99, which is incredibly good value.
My article published in Issue 69 of the Full Circle Magazine (January 2013)
Earlier this month, Canonical held its first press event to unveil its phone operating system, Ubuntu for Phone. This is a product many have speculated would happen after the launch of Unity, providing a touch interface, as well as Canonical bringing Ubuntu to Android devices. While Ubuntu for Android allows the Ubuntu desktop to run on a smartphone device via a computer dock, Ubuntu for Phone is a complete smartphone OS to challenge iOS and Android. I believe Ubuntu for Phone is dead on arrival; it will fail.
One of the first challenges Canonical needs to overcome is the hardware partners. Canonical management have claimed that they expect Ubuntu smartphones in 2014; however, until I see a device, I’m not holding my breath. The smartphone market is incredibly competitive. Many of the large manufacturers are struggling to keep up. For example, HTC has been reporting losses quarter on quarter. Hardware manufacturers will find it hard to bet on an unproven platform. Samsung, Sony, and Motorola are having great success with Android. HTC is already playing across two platforms, and Nokia has dedicated its future to Windows Phone. This leaves Canonical with the smaller manufacturers such as Huawei and LG. Providing they find a hardware partner, will the device itself be any good? Poor hardware and build quality will affect the success of Ubuntu on phones. We have seen Samsung produce poor Windows Phone devices – just to have a device on that platform. We could see Canonical’s hardware partners doing a similar thing.
The next hurdle Canonical has to get over is carrier support – providing it has a device to sell them. Carriers can make or break the success of a device. They are the ones who will buy the device from the hardware manufacturer and sell it to their customers. If they don’t believe it will sell, they will not be interested. The most famous example of this is Palm’s WebOS. Carriers killed WebOS. After HP ended development of WebOS, Jon Rubinstein (CEO of Palm) was interviewed by Josh Topolsky of The Verge. Palm’s WebOS devices were picked up by Sprint and Verizon in the US, since neither carrier had the iPhone at the time. Both were prepared to market and sell the device to their customers; however, Verizon heavily marketed the new Motorola Droid, and Sprint did not have a large enough customer base to sell the Palm Pre. Although many journalists in the industry praised both the hardware and software, carrier support was lacking, and subsequently Palm, and eventually HP, struggled to generate interest. This could happen to Canonical.
The software could be killer, the hardware could be excellent; but if carriers are not prepared to sell and market a device, Ubuntu for Phones is not going anywhere.
Canonical could do what Google is doing, by selling its Nexus devices unlocked, off-contract from its website. This will avoid the carriers. However, I do not believe that this will work. It still requires heavy marketing to attract attention, it needs to be priced competitively, and Canonical may not have the infrastructure in place to sell and ship a device. They need the carrier support – mainly to hit the mass market – and the ability to sell the device to the average Joe.
The final roadblock that Canonical will hit is app support – this is the Achilles heel for all computing platforms. You may have a brilliant platform, but, if you don’t have the apps people want, you are a dead platform. The reason iOS and Android are so successful is because they have the killer apps which customers want. They want to be able to access Facebook, listen to music on Spotify, watch films on Netflix, use navigation with Google Maps, play a quick game of Angry Birds. Both Blackberry and Microsoft have had this issue; they are struggling to get the developers on board to produce apps for their platforms, and they both have a reasonably sized user bases. Many developers have already said they are not interested in producing apps for Blackberry and Windows Phone. Recently, Google has said it will be supporting only Android and iOS. Canonical is bringing a 5th platform for developers to make apps for, and I can’t see them doing it, and this is discounting all the other minor smartphone OSs out there. There are too many platforms trying to build an app ecosphere. If they are not willing to support Microsoft and RIM, why would they support Canonical?
Providing Canonical finds a hardware partner, gains the carriers’ support, and has a wealth of popular applications; there is still the competition to deal with. As of December 2012, Android and iOS make up about 85% of the world’s smartphones. They will be the dominant platforms for the foreseeable future. However, there is also third place to battle for, but that is already locked down between Windows Phone and Blackberry. It will be an interesting 2013 for these two. Windows Phone 8 will be seen on more devices, and RIM will be releasing Blackberry 10. Fourth and fifth places are currently held by Symbian and Bada and it’s highly unlikely they will move from those spots. Plus, there are the minor smartphone platforms – which is where Ubuntu for Phones will likely sit. Here’s the list of the major minor platforms; there are a few more:
Firefox OS
openWebOS
Maemo
MeeGo
Tizen
Jolla
In a market where Palm has gone, Blackberry has fallen from greatness and is struggling to survive, and the might of Microsoft is unable to put a dent in Google and Apple, how does Canonical think it can survive? They have had minor successes in the desktop and server space, but I think this time Canonical has bitten off more than it can chew.
My article published in Issue 52 of the Full Circle Magazine (August 2011)
In 2008, Google wanted to speed up the Web and build a browser to support today’s Web and the ‘Web Apps’ we all use each day. With the release of Chrome, we have seen Google build a super-fast browser which supports Web standards. With the help of Mozilla Firefox, we have seen the Web Apps become more feature-rich and faster, along with the decline of Internet Explorer usage, which has helped Microsoft finally realise that they need to build a better browser for today’s Web.
Now, in 2011, we see Google taking the Chrome product further by releasing an operating system based around the principles of Chrome and the Chrome browser. With Chrome OS, Google wants to redesign the operating system to be fast, very secure, and simple to use, while providing a platform to support today’s Web.
In this article, I will be reviewing both parts of the Chrome OS ecosphere - the operating system and the laptop powering the OS, aka a Chromebook.
Chromebook
Before I review the Chromebook, I think it’s best to explain what a Chromebook exactly is. At a very basic level, it is a laptop/notebook running Chrome OS. Some would argue that it is a netbook, but the Chromebooks currently on offer use displays larger than netbooks, full size keyboards, and the hardware has a premium look/feel. Chromebooks do have some specific differences and requirements. There are no Function Keys (F1, F2, etc.); instead these are replaced with Chrome OS specific keys like ‘Refresh’, ‘Back & Forward’, and ‘Full Screen’. There is no Caps Lock key, instead this is replaced with a Search button. The trackpad is very large, to support multi-touch gestures. All Chromebooks require an SSD to achieve their very long battery-life and fast boot.
At Google IO, back in May, the Chrome team finally announced the official release of Chrome OS as a commercial product, with a release date of June 15th. Chrome OS launched with two Chromebooks on offer, the Samsung Series 5 and Acer AC700. Both offer a WiFi only model and WiFi + 3G model. I decided to buy the more expensive, premium, WiFi-only Chromebook from Samsung.
Inside the Samsung Chromebook is an Intel Atom N570, a 1.66GHz Dual Core CPU, 2GB RAM, and a 16GB SSD. While the specs do look rather modest and netbook like, they don’t need to be that high, since all it's powering is the Chrome browser - while keeping battery life high. Samsung has a good track record of producing excellent LCD displays, and they have not disappointed us with the screen on the Chromebook. It is a 12.1-inch super-bright LCD screen, with a resolution of 1280x800. Two USB ports, headphone port, multimedia card slot, HD Webcam, Mini VGA, and WiFi N finish the package.
The hardware is very solid and has a premium feel. The screen is fantastic, and the resolution is a perfect mix of productivity and portability. The Island-style keyboard is a joy to type on - each keypress feels responsive. The large multi-touch trackpad is a great addition; I look forward to seeing multi-touch gestures included with Chrome OS.
After spending some time with the Samsung Series 5, I consider it to be very similar to the Apple MacBook Air. Similar size and weight, both trying to be lightweight ultra-portables. Both feature SSDs to improve performance and battery life. Both have similar size displays bundled with an HD webcam. Both feature an island-style keyboard and large multi-touch trackpad. The OS has been optimised and designed for the hardware. Both have an insanely high price tag. Both have sets of supporters who don’t care how much it costs - they must have it to go with their iPhone/Nexus S. I know it’s quite a comparison to make, but once you have seen both the Series 5 and Air, you will see the similarities. I have not seen the Acer Chromebook yet, though, from what I have heard, the specs are similar, but the hardware is not as high-quality as the Series 5. The battery life is only 6hrs, compared to Samsung’s incredible 11hrs.
Chrome OS
Chrome OS is a browser-only Linux operating system. It boots straight into the same Chrome browser we all love and know. That is it: nothing much more and nothing less - it is Chrome and the Web.
Chrome OS is powered by the Linux kernel, which is taken from Ubuntu, and will be upgraded twice a year, after each stable release of Ubuntu. The kernel has been optimised for the hardware Google knows the OS will run on, so that many drivers and boot checks can be removed to improve the performance and boot-time of the OS. Thanks to Google’s efforts, Chrome OS does boot in 8 seconds or less, resumes from sleep instantly, and shuts down in a few seconds. By working closely with its hardware partners, Google has been able to optimise the drivers and kernel for performance and power management.
Security is another area which Google has focused on heavily. They believe they have created a security model which is very tough for hackers to breach and malware to attack. Plus, if such a rare attack happens, Chrome OS is able to detect this threat and remove it from its system. It achieves this very impressive security model by using the same technology it uses in the Chrome browser, by using a multi-process architecture. Every Web page, plugin, addon and OS, runs in its own process, and is protected from attack by Sandbox. Google’s own “Verified Boot” process is run during every boot up, which checks the system for malware, and, if a process is infected, a new version of Chrome OS is downloaded from the Internet.
After the ‘Chrome’ boot screen, you’re presented with the login screen, which allows you to login to your profile, which is linked to your Google account. At the login screen, you can also immediately login into a new account on your Chromebook. Or even log into “Guest Mode”, which loads into Chrome in incognito mode.
Once you’re logged in, you are presented with the Chrome browser. There is a brilliant experience when you login to your Chromebook for the first time and already have Chrome Sync enabled. All your Apps, Bookmarks, Settings, and Extensions, will immediately start appearing. For me, this was one of the main advantages to Chrome OS. Switch on your new Chromebook for the first time, and your system is up-to-date, all your settings and files are waiting for you within 1 minute of first boot.
The Chrome browser has a nice silver/gray look to it. I won’t talk about the browser itself, you can all try it on your computer right now. It’s the same experience - though there are some minor differences. In the top right-hand corner of the browser are systemspecific indicators, such as the clock, network, and battery. Notification and certain Web apps such as GTalk will all appear as individual windows which float above the browser. All these windows are movable and can be minimised. Chrome OS’s window management is incredible, a far better experience than what Windows and OSX currently offer. Chrome OS supports virtual desktops; new windows of Chrome will display on different desktops, and can all be switched to very easily. I initially thought that virtual desktops in Chrome were pointless, but they make sense when you think back to how you manage your desktops in Ubuntu. You can have a set of tabs for social, set of tabs for work, set of tabs for entertainment, and so on.
One of the minor additions to Chrome OS compared to the Chrome browser is a built-in File Manager. This is used to manage your locally stored files on your SD card and internal SSD. Any music, photos, and videos can be viewed on your Chromebook using the builtin Media Player, yet more proof that Chromebooks can be used offline. On the topic of offline support, currently only a few Web Apps work offline by using the HTML5 offline api. However, Gmail, Google Calender, and Google Docs will have full read/write offline capabilities this summer.
Chrome OS’s settings are very minimal, and can all be found in Chrome’s standard settings tab. Examples are trackpad sensitivity, setting location/language, managing network connections, and even changing the Search button into a CAPS-Lock button again.
For all you power users out there, Google has allowed you to change the update channel between‘Stable’, ‘Beta’, and ‘Dev’, allowing you to easily try out all the latest developments in Chrome OS. Google will be providing the same level of updates as it does to the Chrome browser; Chrome OS will be on the same 6-week update cycle. These updates will see the usual bug fixes, but also power/performance improvements and, of course, new features. As Google said back at Google IO, your Chromebook will update automatically and get better over time. I define the Samsung Chromebook as Google’s “Nexus” Chromebook - for one main reason: the developer mode switch. Google has put a switch on the device which allows you to have full access to the kernel to start making improvements to the OS, and an unlocked boot loader so you can install other OSes on your Chromebook.
Overall, I believe Google has created an excellent desktop operating system which has been designed around the Web. You’re on the Web in seconds, using the best and fastest browser currently out there. Chrome OS is very minimal, so you can fully utilise the website or Web app you’re currently using. Chrome OS makes managing your Chromebook so easy. No need to worry about setting your device up, since all your settings and details are backed up to the cloud. No need to worry about viruses, or making sure you update your OS. All you need to worry about is just getting on the Web in seconds - this is what computers should be like. Stop worrying about the setup and maintenance; worry about getting your work done and just enjoy using your computer. I look forward to my Chromebook getting better over time, as I see improvements coming down the line to improve the Chrome browser and the underlying OS.
Lets cut to the chase. This is a blog I have been posting to, on and off since 2007. Expect my opinions on technology and culture. I have taken the view not to try to recycle content I find on the Internet, and publish it on my blog; thats what Google+ and other social networks are for, sharing cool content. My blog should be a place for my content I produce.
I currently write for several different publications, I will be posting links to content from all over the Internet on this blog; a central place to find it.
Nothing much here at the moment, read my colophon in the mean time.
