Just how popular is Google+?

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

We keep getting told that Google+ is Facebook’s biggest threat, that it’s on the rise faster than a 1990s house price and the only way is up. We’re told it already has 10 million profiles – or is it 20 million?

But is Google+ really catching on? I mean really, as in outside this little tech industry bubble we love to confine ourselves to? (more…)

Google+: big companies can cause big problems

Monday, July 25th, 2011

In its first three weeks of availability, Google+ reportedly attracted 20 million users. That’s a pretty impressive launch – especially since it’s been accompanied by what can only be described as a negative marketing campaign. Even as millions of users have poured onto the service, Google has insisted on calling it a “limited field trial”. At this rate, by the time they officially make it available to the public, everyone will already be on it.

Everyone, that is, except for Mr Matthew Brock of Swiss Cottage. I have it on good authority that the gentleman in question, an old friend of mine, is giving Google+ a miss. (more…)

Google Chromebook and Office 2010? Thanks a bundle, Currys

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Have you seen those new Google Chromebooks? You know, the ones with the cloud-based Chrome OS operating system, where all your apps are run over the internet? It seems some people just can’t get their head around the concept. Including high-street retailer and Chromebook seller, Currys.

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How developers game search results in the Android Market

Friday, July 15th, 2011

Android’s Market is one of the most open and accessible software stores around. While that sounds great on paper, this unregulated approach inevitably comes with its own pros and cons.

In some instances, con is the right word. Take Spider Wars, an unremarkable game that’s getting a leg up the Market’s search results by piggy-backing on a host of other popular titles and companies.

The scam – if it can even be called that – is simple keyword stuffing. Head to the game’s page and, after a description of its mechanics, there’s a list of words. A lot of them are familiar: the first block lists top games and franchises such as Star Wars (itself, evidently, a great inspiration for the game), Worms, Minesweeper and Dune.

The second block is potentially more useful to developer No Sushi Prod, and starts with a who’s who of top Android and iOS titles: Gameloft, Angry Birds, Doodle Jump, Cut the Rope, Tiny Wings, Polarbit and Kairosoft, with the latter the search term that brought Spider Wars to my attention.

There’s also a list of popular social networks and services, including Twitter, Facebook and Gmail. (more…)

The non-warranty on Google Chromebooks

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

Google is pitching its new Chromebooks squarely at schools and businesses – but what happens if and when the devices are lost or broken? That, it would seem, is anyone’s guess.

Google has a page on its website devoted to outlining the benefits of Chromebooks for businesses and education – but it makes no mention of what kind of warranty is offered with the devices.

Google has a different business model for schools and businesses than it does for consumers: instead of buying the devices outright, organisations effectively rent the Chromebooks from £15 per unit per month. Google replaces the laptop after three years, but what happens if one of your employees loses their laptop, or they get broken in the rough and tumble of the classroom in the meantime? Google’s website makes no mention.

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Archos G9 8in and 10in tablets review: first look

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Several companies have spent millions since the launch of the iPad trying to leap onto the bandwagon that Apple built, but Archos released its first Android device way back in 2009 – and it’s now unveiling its latest 8in and 10.1in models, dubbed the G9 series.

The most important and, potentially, the most confusing aspect of the two new machines? Price. The base figures are impressive, with the 8in 80 G9 starting at £199 inc VAT and the 10in 101 G9 costing £249 inc VAT, but CEO Henri Crohas confirmed that a multitude of  models – all running Honeycomb – will be available from the Autumn.

Crohas explained that SKUs will vary on storage: both the 8in and 10.1in models will be sold with “at least 8GB of Flash” on-board, with more expensive models offering 16GB and 32GB. (more…)

Is HTC losing its magic touch?

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

Android had an inauspicious start in life but, when Google’s open source OS began to gather steam, HTC was first onto the bandwagon with a series of superb phones.

Handsets like the Magic and the Hero – which was my first smartphone – were followed up by phones like the Desire and the Legend, with the former providing the slickest Android experience we’d yet seen and the latter boasting some of HTC’s most experimental design.

However, HTC’s firm grip on the Android scene has been shaken by an influx of eager competitors as Android itself has risen to prominence. Samsung has led the charge with its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II handsets, but other manufacturers have also made waves: we’re fans of Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Arc and Play, and the LG Optimus 2X. Motorola’s Atrix is also garnering plenty of attention.

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Street View rival takes Microsoft down blind alley

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

You’d assume that the high-fliers at the top IT companies are a smart bunch, given the importance of their roles to the industry, but every so often you have to sit back and wonder what they’re thinking of.

Take Microsoft’s decision to mimic Google’s Street View photographic mapping of the world, the service that landed Google in hot water with authorities around the world for breaching privacy codes.

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iPhone App of the Week: Google Translate

Friday, March 11th, 2011

The neck-saving qualities of Google Translate first became apparent to me on a recent holiday to Portugal. It was late at night, and my baby daughter had suddenly woken up with the kind of temperature that has parents reaching instinctively for the bottle of Calpol – the bottle that was carelessly left in our bathroom cabinet in Sussex. It soon became apparent that I was in for a tricky late-night conversation with a 24-hour Portuguese chemist.

My pidgin Portuguese extended little further than “please”, “thank you” and “go on then, one more pint”. Placing an order for a “suitable dosage of liquid paracetamol for a three-month-old baby” was, frankly, beyond me.

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Cloud security: is Android the weakest link?

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Much has been written about the security of data in the cloud, and even more about the insecurity of the same. Until now, things have been somewhat quieter when it comes to how we access cloud-based data on the move. That, I suspect, is about to change.

Plenty of effort has been poured into securing online data stores, and plenty is made by the providers of those cloud services in making sure potential customers know about it. Which is why the bad guys are understandably looking for the soft targets, and at the moment that would appear to be Android apps.

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: the smaller your business, the bigger the benefits of cloud computing. That rings especially true at the ‘free’ end of the cloud scale where the attraction of services such as those provided by Google can offer real bottom-line savings for hard pressed small business concerns. Security within the free or low-cost cloud isn’t somehow automatically weaker than that found at the expensive end of the cloud provision market either.

You can be sure that Google has invested heavily in securing the data at rest within those cloud bases, incorporating all the multi-layered protocols and synchronous replication processes you might expect. But perhaps it needs to invest more at the other end, the smartphone to be precise. What you need to ask yourself is whether Android could be the weak link in the cloud security chain?

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