Google's Civil War

I've been having a conversation (some would say "spirited debate" or "argument") over Google with a friend online. He's a big fan of Google's suite of hardware - Android, ChromeOS laptops, etc. - and sees great things in their future. I appreciate Google for its work in Search, it's free GMail, it's excellent Google Voice transcription service (yes, it also redirects calls, but all I use it for is voice mail transcription), and the fact that Android is keeping Apple honest on iOS. But more and more, it is becoming clear that Google is in trouble. There's a simple fact that almost everyone is ignoring.

Google is at war with itself.

Google began as a creature of the Web. Search was it's be-all, end-all, and contextual ads paid the bills. (The last part is still true today.) The vision of Google was that ultimately the Network would make Mac vs PC distinctions obsolete. Ultimately, their leadership preached, everything will be done online. (Today we'd say "In the Cloud.") Their new ChromeOS is the ultimate expression of that vision - a computer which exists ONLY to be a gateway to applications that are online. Take a ChromeOS device off the web... and it is little more than a large paperweight. Samsung and others are trying to build a whole platform for Netbooks around this OS, which of course primarily runs Google Apps.

But at the same time, Google introduced Android as a way to ensure that the Mobile future included Google, and left no room for an upstart competitor (like Apple's iOS) to lock them out. They followed the Windows model of "license to everyone and anyone" as a way toward massive growth, and Android now runs on more SmartPhones than Apple or any flavor of Windows Mobile. But this has required repeated compromises to keep phone makers happy and to keep wooing iPhone addicts, and now Android is increasingly becoming App-centric with data living locally on the device. The Google of Android is not a company "of the Network" but a company of the cellular carrier, the hardware vendor, and the software maker.

These two parallel courses are fundamentally incompatible. Ultimately, the computer will have to either move "to the network" or remain in our hands. By pursuing two incompatible courses here, Google is not hedging their bets, but rather showing a split within the company and its philosophy. This split now has Google Android devices competing directly with Google ChromeOS devices for the same customers. And that is unlikely to end well for either of them, especially in light of the Apple juggernaut which has a simple message and a clear alternative.

Here's hoping Google figures this out soon, and drops one path. Or at worst, decided to merge ChromeOS and Android, so there is one code base for customers to worry about. Otherwise, the Google of the future will be the Microsoft of today - out of ideas, out of gas, and praying to hold on for just a little bit longer so the execs can cash out.

Google collecting kid's SSNs

The short version: under the guise of a drawing contest, Google is asking parents to give up their children's social security numbers, place, and date of birth. If you missed it your bank and insurance company are no longer allowed to gather this kind of info, because of fears of identity theft and/or misuse of personal information. But somehow Google thinks they're different.

What could be wrong with filling out a few entry forms?

A national, commercial database of names and addresses of American children, especially one that includes their dates of birth and SSNs, would be worth many millions to marketing firms and retailers.

Of course, data collection is not the reason Google gives for doing this competition. Their FAQ says it's because "We love to encourage and celebrate the creativity of young people..." etc. If that's so, then why on earth would the contest's original Parent Consent Form ask for the child's city of birth, date of birth and last four digits of the child's SSN? Along with complete contact info of the parents.

You see what Google knows and many parents don't know is that a person's city of birth and year of birth can be used to make a statistical guess about the first five digits of his/her social security number. Then, if you can somehow obtain those last four SSN digits explicitly -- voila, you've unlocked countless troves of personal information from someone who didn't even understand that such a disclosure was happening.

This kind of data can be linked with other databases to target advertising. It's worth many times more than what Google will spend on prizes (each State Finalist gets a T-shirt!).

If the Government had built Google

ChomeOS may finally be a reality

It can be hard, sometimes, to figure out Google's software strategy. On the one hand, they are running Android, a classic Operating System with Apps. On the other hand, they have been crowing over ChromeOS, a new operating system built to be lean and mean, with no built-in applications but only easy access to Web-based applications like GMail and Picassa. They seem to have hitched their wagon to two teams pulling in opposite directions! But until now, ChromeOS has remained primarily theoretical - there's no shipping hardware for it, and it exists only where people have hacked their own systems to install the Beta.

But now, Download Squad is reporting that a ChromeOS tablet will be on store shelves by Black Friday 2010. And it will be designed specifically to compete with the iPad during the busy Christmas shopping season.

One can only wonder how all of the hopeful Android partners who were planning to release their own Android-based tablets in the fourth quarter are feeling about this news.

Google confirms capture of Wifi Data in CT

The Google Wifi scandal - where Street View cars captured data from unsecured wireless networks as it mapped locations - is now officially not just a European issue. CT attorney general - and senatorial candidate - Richard Blumenthal has announced that they have admitted collecting the same kinds of data in Connecticut.

Google told Blumenthal’s office it “believes” it started collecting WiFi data in Connecticut in 2008.
“Google’s acknowledgement that it vacuumed up data from unencrypted wireless computer networks in Connecticut is disturbing and demands additional inquiry,” Blumenthal said. “Google grabbed information -- which could include emails, passwords and web-browsing -- that consumers rightly expect to be private. Google needs to better explain how this practice happened, exactly when, where and why.
“We will consider the legality of Google’s WiFi collection practices. Google’s actions raise troubling and profound questions about privacy and whether laws need to be clarified or changed,” Blumenthal said.

This is also a good reminder to secure your network as even a very simple password in WEP or WPA security would have foiled the attempt to snoop. If you're not sure how to set up security on your router, please contact the manufacturer.

Google is phasing out Windows in favor of MacOSX

The reason given is security. Apparently, after the Chinese Hack, the company is looking for any operating system with a better security record than Windows. Then again, maybe it is simply an attempt to make nice with Steve Jobs, after the anti-iPhone screeds at Google I/O. (Linux is also an approved alternative to Windows at Google.)

New hires are now given the option of using Apple’s Mac computers or PCs running the Linux operating system. “Linux is open source and we feel good about it,” said one employee. “Microsoft we don’t feel so good about.”

In early January, some new hires were still being allowed to install Windows on their laptops, but it was not an option for their desktop computers. Google would not comment on its current policy.

Windows is known for being more vulnerable to attacks by hackers and more susceptible to computer viruses than other operating systems. The greater number of attacks on Windows has much to do with its prevalence, which has made it a bigger target for attackers.

You can expect an exasperated quote from Steve Balmer shortly.

Is the Windows Era over?

I have made no secret of my animus against the Windows operating system. I use it only at work these days - and am stuck on Windows XP for the most part. But I still find it hard to use the operating system without being constantly needled by its poor design, poor efficiency, and lack of respect for the user.

But now many are arguing that the end of the Windows Era is here with the rise of Google "in the cloud", Apple in the smartphone/iPad space, and HP's high-profile purchase of Palm for webOS. They predict that we are past the peak of the Microsoft mountain, and will be watching a slow slide to irrelevance in the next 10 years.

Microsoft lumbers along, avoiding risks, clinging to Office and Windows revenues. Meanwhile, companies without Microsoft's existing monopoly-bound customers drive change, and they are willing to take risks. The mobile-to-cloud service platform is to the PC what the PC was to the mainframe: It extends computational and informational utility to more people and places -- and for lower cost. The Windows era is giving way to the anytime, anywhere, on-anything era. The most dynamic innovations are occurring outside the Windows monopoly...
HP already has announced a WebOS-based tablet. HP's next, logical step is to release a laptop running WebOS. Losing HP is bad, but there may be more trouble coming. Sony is yet another traitor in the making. Last week, Sony announced plans to support Google TV by offering a television running Android. As part of a recent reorganization, Sony execs responsible for VAIO PCs are in charge of TVs. OS migration from Sony smartphone (the Xperia X10) or Google TV-based television to tablet or PC is logical next step. What about Dell, which already has adopted Android for smartphones? Windows is bloated and moribund compared to these lither mobile OSes pushing up into the PC market.

To be clear, the end of Microsoft's dominance does not necessarily mean the beginning of an Apple Computer era. Google is well-poised for dominance, there are a number of alternative OSes out there like webOS and Android, and with Linux it is becoming increasing cheap for anyone to start from scratch in inventing their own Operating System for their own custom device.

Google TV - Your television with a keyboard

At their annual Google I/O conference, Google announced yesterday their new TV software called GoogleTV. The new product is designed to integrate your television with the Web in such a way that you can easily search for programs (using Google search, of course) and view them on the air, on your integrated DVR, or on the web (at Google-owned YouTube, of course). The new system will be available integrated into televisions or as stand-alone boxes.

The new devices will require a keyboard for input, raising the question, "If you're going to need a keyboard to interact with your television anyway, why not just hook up a cheap computer instead?" It will be interesting to see if it catches on, or is relegated to a "hobby" like Apple's AppleTV device.

Iran bans GMail

It appears that the Iranian regime has not learned the lesson of the election debacle - that the internet can not be easily controlled. In an attempt to suppress protests around the Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, they are banning GMail from the country in favor of a "national e-mail service". The ban is supposedly permanent.

Of course, this may simply drive users to other free (both as in no-cost, and as in freedom) e-mail services like Hotmail, Yahoo, AIM Mail, GMX Mail, Inbox.Com, Fastmail, Lavabit, MySpace, and more. This is clearly an attempt to stop an avalanche with a stop sign.

Google releases the/a Google Phone

Despite claims that "Google will not compete with our vendors", today Google released the NexusOne, an Android-based phone endorsed and sold by Google (although made by HTC). This new device is designed to be the most advanced Android phone to date with AndroidOS 2.1, a 1 GHz processor, and 512 MB of active RAM (only 1.5 GB of storage space, though). It will be sold on Google's own site either unlocked or with plans from T-Mobile or Verizon (or Vodaphone overseas). Early reviews are fairly enthusiastic, though not without negatives, and have some tech journalists talking about abandoning the iPhone (although the fact that Google gave them out free may have influenced that decision). It may be the first phone to truly challenge the iPhone - although we were saying that about Droid only a month ago.

My own thought is a real competitor to the iPhone can only be a good thing for the market. We had hoped the Palm Pre would mount a real challenge, but sales have not kept up with expectations. We had hoped past Android phones would spur on Apple to excellence, but none have captured the public. And the less said about Windows Mobile and Nokia, the better. Here's hoping Apple and Google can truly drive a revolution in wireless phones and portable computing.

Google concedes to Rupert Murdoch

You may recall a few weeks back that Rupert Murdoch had threatened to pull all of his new properties from the Google Search Engine in a bid to increase profitability and decrease the number of unpaid hits coming from the outside. He was widely mocked at the time for thinking FoxNews, WSJ, etc. could stay relevant if they were delisted from the search giant. Instead, Google has given NewsCorp a major concession with its new "First Click Free" feature in Google News. Under this new algorithm, the first 5 times that a user clicks on an article in Google News that lives behind a pay wall, they are allowed thru. Then the 6th time, they are redirected to the "register (and pay) to view" site for the newspaper.

Seems like a reasonable compromise. At the same time, it is unclear why the NewsCorp sites couldn't do this themselves, rather than pawning off the functionality to Google. Technically, it is not a big challenge to implement. Perhaps this is merely a way to prove NewsCorp has power in the online world.

That sound you're hearing is the screams from Garmin and TomTom

Google has announced their own FREE turn-by-turn with voice directions GPS app for all Google Android phones, starting to the Verizon/Motorola DROID. And yes, they have confirmed it is coming to the iPhone as well. This could be the beginning of the end for the old GPS manufacturers.

Google Books goes live with EPUB

I love my Kindle and the Kindle App on my iPhone even more. They allow me to have a whole library with me no matter where I am. If I know I'll have time to kill, the Kindle comes along. If it is a surprise, I can just pull out my iPhone. But while Amazon has a great selection of books, sometimes I don't want to shell out another $10.

Google has announced that Google Books - a service which provides millions of public domain books for free - is now offering the books in EPUB format. This open eBook format is supported by many readers out there. And with a little tinkering, your Kindle can access EPUB books directly without having to do any conversion on your PC or Mac. While I have not tried this myself (yet!) it will add incredible value to eBook readers and may be the final straw to move the masses away from paper.

Update (6:30 AM EST): Or if you'd rather convert it on your Mac/PC, Calibre is a free app that runs on Mac, Windows, or Linux to convert EPUB format to Kindle-readable formats.

Google CEO Steps Down from Apple Board of Directors

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has stepped down from the board of directors at Apple. The basic reason being given is that as Google begins to compete more and more with Apple, Schmidt will be forced to recuse himself from more and more meetings of the board at Apple. So it is now practical to have him on the board anymore. It never seemed to make sense to have him on the board, so this is probably a good choice for everyone.

Google Wave - E-mail's Replacement

We have seen a lot of companies try to invent "the new e-mail". The shortcomings of e-mail are already obvious to most: SPAM, inability for most to know if a message was received, SPAM, long lags between send and response, SPAM, etc. But all attempts to date have failed because e-mail simply matches best how we actually work - like an old paper letter. Now Google is taking its shot at the e-mail replacement trophy with Google Wave, a system that combines concepts from e-mail, instant messaging, group collaboration software, and social networking. I really didn't "get" Wave from all of the discussion online before, but now hands-on reviews are starting to appear and they make things a bit more clear. The latter link is worth a read, if you're not up for sitting through the 90 minute Google video.

Personally, I think Wave will NOT replace e-mail, but it may encourage enhancements to the old e-mail system to force it to compete. If so, it will still have been a worthwhile effort.

Have you heard of "Wolfram Alpha"?

After the carpet-bombing of tech blogs, I had assumed everyone had already heard of Wolfram Alpha, but in a few conversations with non-techie friends I am learning it is still news to many. This new search engine is an attempt to provide a true alternative to Google. Instead of providing links to web pages in its results, Wolfram Alpha takes a more semantic approach to information and tries to answer the underlying question directly. For example, if you search for "freezing point of water", you get: 0 degrees Celsius along with a series of common conversions to other temperature standards. The same query on Google brings up a list of articles from Wikipedia and the like on the phenomenon of freezing.

Which is better? Ultimately, it depends on what you are looking for. For 99% of what I need a search engine for, Google provides a better summary of the "collective wisdom and knowledge" of the web. But there is that 1% time when I need pure dry facts and Wolfram Alpha provides those quickly and without clutter. I suspect Wolfram Alpha will become a favorite of primary school math and science students looking for exam answers, for example. Still, Wolfram is in the "alpha" stage of development (i.e. the earliest stable form) and may grow into something bigger. It is worth watching and waiting to see.

Proof that in I/T "No" Always Means "Yes"

For years, there have been rumors of a GoogleOS and a Google Web Browser. For years, Google has exhaustively denied the rumors, claiming that they had NO desire to compete with Mozilla, Apple, and Microsoft in the browser space. But, just as Apple's denial of the existence an iPhone turned into confirmation of the iPhone, Google's denials have become confirmation of a new Google-originated browser called Google Chrome. Imaginatively, Google released the announcement as a webcomic.

Perhaps most interesting is Google's choice to use Webkit - the same underpinnings as Apple's Safari - as the basis of Chrome. Why is this interesting? Because Google spends millions of dollars a year supporting the Mozilla Foundation. This choice means that Mozilla has been unable to find a user for their Mozilla rendering engine, even among their own biggest fans.

The internet is kinda big...

At least that's the impression the Google folks gave when explaining the way they catalog the internet. The short version is

Even after removing...exact duplicates, we saw a trillion unique URLs, and the number of individual web pages out there is growing by several billion pages per day.

How many servers must they have to run to catalog all of that?

Products From Google You May Have Not Known About

Lifehacker has up the "Top 10 Google Products You Forgot All About". For me, I had heard of most of them, but some of them were new.

Google Maps At a Gas Station Near You

Wired has up an article about being able to get driving directions from Google Maps at gas stations. While I have Google Maps on my phone, this could be handy for those that don't have GPS or Google Maps on their phone.