Is Google GDrive any better than Microsoft SkyDrive?

Google 的貼牌冰箱（Google refrigerator） (Photo credit: Aray Chen)

So what really makes Google GDrive better than Microsoft SkyDrive? Probably not a whole lot; in terms of drive space. However what Google is achieving is synergy between all of its offerings. With the introduction of Google GDrive you can, in a sense, really live online. Of course there is the issue of privacy and trust, but it seems that people really don’t care. GDrive is available on all devices, with the nagging exception of the Blackberry; which I am blogging from at the moment. With GDrive live will ChromeOS take hold? What does this mean for Apple? Will Dropbox or Box.net get bought out? How about Facebook? The next few months will be interesting indeed!

Related articles

• Thanks Google, It Only Took You Six Years (techcrunch.com)
• The GDrive Plot Thickens: Google Docs Users Now Have 5GB Of Space (techcrunch.com)
• SkyDrive storage space land grab for grandfathers (sciencetext.com)
• Google ‘to launch GDrive cloud storage next week’ (digitalspy.co.uk)
• Thinking about GDrive for online backup? Consider YouSendIt instead (yousendit.com)

Google Drive to offer free storage in the cloud

Outline of a cloud containing text 'The Cloud' (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Google Drive to offer free storage in the cloud

Google is expected to shortly launch a major new consumer service offering cloud-based storage for photos and other online content.

The effort – dubbed Google Drive – is likely to offer 5GB (gigabytes) of free storage with more available for a monthly fee. It would challenge services including Dropbox and Microsoft’s SkyDrive. Experts suggest it could also force rival Facebook to enter the cloud market.

Read more

Related articles

• SkyDrive storage space land grab for grandfathers (sciencetext.com)
• 100GB Google Drive due today tip insiders (slashgear.com)
• Google Docs Free Storage Limit Gets Bumped From 1GB To 5GB Ahead Of Imminent Google Drive Announcement (androidpolice.com)
• [Rumor] Google May Be Launching Google Drive As Soon As Tuesday, Offering Up To 100GB For A Price (androidpolice.com)
• Google Drive is about to show up! (zisimopoulos.wordpress.com)
• It’s Personal-Cloud Week! SkyDrive Reduces Free Storage and Adds Desktop Apps; Dropbox Does Links. (allthingsd.com)

Where does Google Chrome the OS fit in?

So far Google Chrome has not seen much traction. With a new version of Windows coming out soon, Google will need to somehow pull itself from obscurity. I have always thought that the problem is the price point and applications. With so much focus on Android, how does Chrome fit in? Chrome, the browser, is already doing well. But will Chrome, the OS, ever get any headway? http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/255604/scitech/technology/is-google-chrome-looking-more-and-more-like-windows

Finally a gaming device that won’t gather dust

Xbox 360 (Photo credit: emelgeek)

It’s amazing to see how we consume media. No longer to we care about cable and satellites dishes. Alright, I am exaggerating a bit, but there is a definite shift in the landscape. Gaming devices, like the Xbox 360 and PS3 have now turned into media devices. Microsoft claims that Xbox users are now consuming more music and video content. How long will it last? I suspect that this is a permanent change. We want to consume content on our own schedule. We don’t mind watching old content on Netflix, with the odd sprinkle of updated series.  We want Hulu and streaming radio. We want to watch sports on-demand. We are seeing people spend hours online searching YouTube and watching homemade content. I imagine that we may start to see a run on people simply buying these devices for media. With Roku, AppleTV, and other devices doing so well the only winners maybe broadband providers. The times are definitely changing and advertisers better figure out quickly where they fit in the new media device world.

Related articles

• Dreaming of cutting the subscription TV cord (news.cnet.com)
• Which streaming media device is right for you? (news.cnet.com)
• Today’s Netflix Update for Xbox 360 (netflix.com)

Microsoft we have a problem!

The Microsoft Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Seems that Microsoft has a major problem. A recent and dangerous remote desktop protocol vulnerability that was identified has now been found in the Chinese proof-of-concept.

“The details of the proof-of-concept code appear to match the vulnerability information shared with Microsoft Active Protections Program (MAPP) partners. Microsoft is actively investigating the disclosure of these details and will take the necessary actions to protect customers and ensure that confidential information we share is protected pursuant to our contracts and program requirements.”

Workarounds detailed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS12-020 can be applied for now.

Read more

Related articles

• Leak outs Microsoft RDP vulnerability exploit (kevww.wordpress.com)
• Does one bad apple spoil Microsoft’s vulnerability sharing program? (zdnet.com)

Sony to remove Linux option from PS3 is either a PR April fools joke ever or the worst move ever?

I heard today that Sony plans on removing the “other OS” option from their systems. What was more shocking was their supposed reason for removing this feature. Now I have a PS3 and I personally think it is one of the best systems available today. However, this move makes absolutely no sense. Some of my colleagues use PS3 with Fedora and Ubuntu. However, why are they removing this feature? The timing is bad and moreover, this is not going over well in the community. Yes, not everyone uses this feature, but I can tell you that many of my friends planned to use it over the summer, with a larger hard drive installation. I tried to tell myself that maybe this is a PR April fools joke? But if it is, they certainly need to get rid of the entire department who thought of it.

Sony, if you have any sense at all, please DO NOT DO THIS! You are removing a “FEATURE”! Does anyone there understand this? I mean, imagine buying a car, with a little feature that you love and the manufacturer tells you that we need to remove it (after you paid for it and maybe even got it because it had that feature). Still thinking? Yes, the “Other OS” feature is a bit geeky, but hey, why fix something that isn’t broken. It was almost like I had additional value in the older model. Or maybe that was the problem?

In some sense, if this is true (and my sources tell me it is – Sony), it is in no way democratic. But who says business  has to be? In some sense, what irritates me, is the almost “threatening language from Sony”. If you decide, you will NOT be able to and so on. What is worse is the fact that Sony officials already promised to not remove this option to older users of the PS3. I wonder what Sony is really afraid of? Or is it all about control? Afraid of hacks to their, almost perfect system? I guess, in Sony’s mind, if you want a computer than go buy one? Or maybe they are afraid of the coming Microsoft war against Linux? I do not know? Are they being paid off? Who knows? Maybe a Microsoft Sony merger is on the horizon? With the new Google OS coming soon, sporting a challenge to Microsoft’s dominance, has fear war against Linux begun? Is this a tactical move?

But lets be truthful here. It is a simple numbers game and for those who are not in the Product Development field, let me put it to you this way. We are ALL numbers. I imagine that someone, in their product development department decided that they no longer wanted to support this option, since it is not in the PS3 slim. Maybe it cost too much? They stated that they do not want to encourage “piracy” or have a security hole? What security hole? Just tell the truth Sony, you want control. In essence, there is the slight chance that this is fake, but it probably is not (still praying). If Sony does this, it will be a BIG and very DUMB move by Sony, from a PR perspective in my opinion. However, there is a chance that this could be a social experiment to see if anyone cares? Now that would be interesting. Maybe the firmware will change the system into a Google OS, and shortly after the Sony Google merger will occur? OK, I am stretching it now! I am just trying to understand this decision.

Sony plans on making the move on April 1, 2010 with a firmware update. Sony has already made a lot of enemies across the globe by even suggesting (joke or no joke). No, there will be no compensation for early adopters of the PS3. As indicated, Sony plans to release this update to do only one thing. Put a nail in the coffin to Linux, or any other OS on the Sony Playstation 3. Or as Emperor Palpatine would say to any Linux user, “now you will experience the full power of the dark side…”

By Andy MJ (a.k.a The GTA Patriot) – Who also loves Linux, BSD and Windows 7. Yes, Windows 7 is a pretty good Operating System!

P.S. By the way Sony, I cannot imagine that Yellow Dog is too happy about this? Also, while you are at it why not remove the browser also (since you are so concern about security). In fact, why not remove all options and make you do exactly what YOU want? Maybe Sony has learned from Apple, how to control? It is probably one of the most POWERFUL SYSTEMS EVER CREATED and you want to lock it up? Yes, I am ranting! If you have additional links, please share them.

Free Software Will Kill Redmond

Keith Curtis, author and former Microsoft programmer, makes no bones about his view that open source puts the software giant’s wares to shame. In this interview, he discusses what’s wrong with Microsoft programming, what’s behind all those bugs, and what’s shaping his former employer’s grim future.

Linux changes how people think about their computer. Microsoft has no response for this.

In addition, proprietary software hurts Microsoft. Google writes mostly proprietary software, but quietly leverages a lot of free software that is a key to its success.

What can Microsoft do to curb the threat of free software, and what do you think it will be willing to do?

Other than adopting Linux, there is little Microsoft can do. Even if they did embrace it, not only would it hurt their profit margins, they’d be forced to explain to customers why they should continue to pay for Office if the company believes the free OpenOffice is good enough.

Microsoft has created Web sites where developers can use free code and collaborate, and the latest is called CodePlex. While it shows that Microsoft understands the benefits of free software, this site mostly contains tiny add-ons to proprietary Microsoft products.

Microsoft has also released some software it wrote under various open licenses. While it is good PR for Microsoft, this software is being absorbed by the outside community. This doesn’t actually curb the threat; it increases it.

So I don’t really know what Microsoft can do. While the company says it doesn’t like piracy, it does allow itself to compete on price with free software. As Bill Gates wrote: “It’s easier for our software to compete with Linux when there’s piracy than when there’s not.”

Read more…

Microsoft: It’s time to consummate the marriage with Citrix

Is it time for a shotgun wedding between Microsoft and Citrix? The relationship between Microsoft and Citrix is much like that of a man who has been serially dating the same woman for 15 years, but never seems to be able to consummate the deal. He’s afraid of commitment, or perhaps like that old expression goes, why would he buy the cow when he can have the milk for free?

read more | digg story

Google Chrome Browser Or Cloud Operating System?

By most accounts, the Google Chrome development team has dramatically achieved its goal of building a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the Web faster, safer, and easier.
Walter Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal, who has been testing Google’s Chrome browser for a week next to the latest version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, concludes “With the emergence of Chrome, consumers have a new and innovative browser choice, and with IE8, the new browser war is sure to be a worthy contest.” Many cloud computing enthusiasts are overjoyed with Chrome and call it the first cloud browser or even the basis for a cloud operating system.

So says Nick Carr:

“To Google, the browser has become a weak link in the cloud system — the needle’s eye through which the outputs of the company’s massive data centers usually have to pass to reach the user — and as a result the browser has to be rethought, revamped, retooled, modernized. Google can’t wait for Microsoft or Apple or the Mozilla Foundation to make the changes (the first has mixed feelings about promoting cloud apps, the second is more interested in hardware than in clouds, and the third, despite regular infusions of Google bucks, lacks resources), so Google is jump-starting the process with Chrome.”

read more | digg story

Five reasons Chrome will take over the world!

After all the polished promises of a streamlined new way to tame the web, the blogosphere was ready to predict Chrome would inspire everything from the end of Firefox to the demise of Microsoft itself.

silicon.com spoke to industry experts and Google’s new rivals to find out why Chrome matters and whether the browser reality can deliver on the hype.

Bye bye Microsoft
Chrome carries shades of an OS in a browser’s clothing and Google’s latest encroachment on Redmond’s turf must have a few Microsoft execs sweating.

The way Chrome will allow users to run and manage applications without an OS’ intervention could mean the beginning of the end for the days of Vista’s bloatware.

David Mitchell, VP for IT research at analysts Ovum, said: “What you are seeing is the language of the browser coming very close to that of the operating system, with services provided at the browser level rather than the OS level.

“If some of the OS functionality is within the browser then there will be a demand for a more anorexic OS running underneath.

“It is a big step towards telling people like Microsoft that they are not so popular after all.”

read more | digg story

Did the big boys really kill OLPC?

The UK’s Timesonline is running a story today showing us that, despite internal strife, questionable morals and ideals, and now, the inclusion of Windows XP on a computer that was supposed to embody all that was good in open source, OLPC remains a media darling.

The article is heavy on drama:

Microsoft, makers of most of the computer software in the world, tried to kill it with words, and Intel, maker of most computer chips, tried to kill it with dirty tricks. Of course, they don’t admit to being attempted murderers. And when I introduce you to Intel’s lovely spokesperson, Agnes Kwan, you’ll realise how far their denials go. But the truth is the two mightiest high-tech companies in the world looked on Negroponte’s philanthropic scheme and decided it had to die.

Well, of course Microsoft and Intel wouldn’t take the project sitting down. Are they the real reasons behind it’s inflated price tag and lagging orders? Or was it unrealistic expectations from Negroponte, with his millions of expected sales in the first year? Or was it simply the wrong audience? Negroponte courted Microsoft for a long time and repeatedly talked about Windows support on the XO, only to have Microsoft spokespeople say, “Sorry, not yet.”

Intel targeted communities in which some degree of infrastructure and a reasonable educational facilities already existed; Negroponte wanted everyone to have an XO, regardless of whether their basic needs were being met. Intel partnered with local OEMs to create jobs and customize their Classmates for specific regions. OLPC tried to compete with the Dells and HPs of the world.

Did Negroponte create an exploding market and inspire powerful companies to address unmet needs? You bet. Did the big boys really do him in or did the XO simply fall prey to bad management and a flawed strategy?

read more | digg story

Microsoft makes it official – XP is coming to the XO OLPC

Microsoft’s participation in the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative has been fraught with mystery and disinformation from the get-go. But on May 15, Microsoft officials finally gave the OLPC project Redmond’s official blessing.

Up to this point, OLPC Chief Nicholas Negroponte preannounced Microsoft’s every move on the OLPC front (and sometimes not quite correctly). But on May 15, Microsoft and the OLPC announced in tandem that Microsoft is “joining” the OLPC project.

Yet again, exactly what this means is a bit murky. Microsoft has been testing for months now whether it could get XP to run on OLPC XO laptops. Seemingly, according to a new blog entry by James Utzschneider, Manager of Microsoft’s Developing Markets Unit, the tests were successful. But now it sounds like there are going to be more tests. From Utzschneider’s May 15 blog post:

“Today Microsoft and the OLPC are announcing support for Windows on the OLPC XO computer.The two organizations will work together on several pilot programs in emerging market countries starting next month, and the offering will RTM in August or September. Initially it will only be available in emerging market countries where governments or NGOs are subsidizing the purchase of a large number of PCs for students, but there is the possibility of making this available for other customers through a broader set of channels at a later point in time.”

read more | digg story