Introducing the Chromebook

According to Google’s website: “Chromebooks are built and optimized for the web, where you already spend most of your computing time. So you get a faster, simpler and more secure experience without all the headaches of ordinary computers.”

This laptop runs on Google Chrome OS; this is a Linux-based operating system designed by Google to work exclusively with web applications.

What are the benefits or the innovation in this concept of Google, well is breaking paradigm.

We can suppose a couple of things:

• In these days we can access internet almost in anywhere
• The online free software of google can do almost everything as that common software do; e-mail (gmail), surf the net (Chrome), chat (gtalk), pictures (picasa), word processor and presentations, (Google Docs) etc.

In conclusion, a laptop don’t need a hard drive or an incorporated software, don’t need windows, files or a desktop, the only thing we need is a browser and connection to internet and we can access to all those things.

This means an attractive idea. No hard drive? That represents movil parts and life battery up to 8.5 hours and even less weight (3.3 pounds). No Windows or Mac? That represents no antivirus, not spyware, no need of backups, no payments for updates every two years. No need of launching process just power on and begin.

Let´s give this change of paradigm an opportunity. How well this concept of Google will be accepted in the real world? Let’s go back to our initial suppositions.

The first one says; “In these days we can access internet almost in anywhere”. This is critic, because if we don’t have connection to internet, we can’t do much with the Chromebook. We can´t check our email, read documents or listen to music. With little exception our Chromebook is a big book with blank pages of 3.3 pounds. Maybe in the valley of internet where Google engineers lived, always is a connection but in the real world you have to find WI-FI area and paid a very expensive price or have a connection with a telephone company but a high price too.

What about the second supposition? Google software works with basic functions, but what if I want to use Photoshop, or Skype, or sync your IPHONE or IPAD. The Google market offers thousands of free programs and apps, but still not the usual’s, at least for us.

Another thing is the cost, maybe if the Chromebook were $180 instead of $500, people may think about it, but why I should paid that much, if I can buy for that price a fine laptop with an OS than fulfill all my common needs.

But at the end is a matter of preferences, at least we have to give Google the benefit of the doubt for his noble experiment. This is the begin of a concept and only time have the answer.


How this works? what can you do? Leave your opinion...

What is Cloud Computing?

The very definition of cloud computing remains controversial (see video down below). Here is a concise definition:

“The dynamic provisioning of IT capabilities (hardware, software, or services) from third parties over a network”


Cloud computing is computing model, not a technology. In this model of computing, all the servers, networks, applications and other elements related to data centers are made available to IT and end users via the Internet, in a way that allows IT to buy only the type and amount of computing services that they need.

There are three basic types of cloud computing:

• Infrastructure as a Service — provides grids or clusters or virtualized servers, networks, storage and systems software designed to augment or replace the functions of an entire data center. example is Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud [EC2] and Simple Storage Service.
• Platform as a Service — Provides virtualized servers on which users can run existing applications or develop new ones without having to worry about maintaining the operating systems, server hardware, load balancing or computing capacity. Highest-profile examples include icrosoft's Azure and Salesforce's Force.com.
• Software as a Service — The most widely known and widely used form of cloud computing, SaaS provides all the functions of a sophisticated traditional application, but through a Web browser, not a locally-installed application. Highest-profile examples are Salesforce.com, Google's Gmail and Apps, instant messaging from AOL, Yahoo and Google, and VoIP from Vonage and Skype.

Here are some Advantage and Disadvantage of cloud computing:

• Pros:
1. Information access in any place at any time.
2. Free services depending on the needs of the user.
3. Easy scalability.
4. Storage and processing capabilities without any local computer infrastructure
• Cons:
1. Security, share company information with third parties.
2. Dependence on online services.

As I see it, cloud computing will grow, so companies has to take this model very seriously in the short future. I believe computing, storage, and networking must all focus on horizontal scalability of resources; applications software needs to both scale down rapidly as well as scale up.


For more see:

• www.cio.com
• cacm.acm.org
• www.maestrosdelweb.com

Simple view of cloud computing by goggle:

What the experts think?

Best web browser

We have five major web browsers in the market and very often we ask ourselves which the best is.



Statistics are very clear, which browser people prefer? Well here are some numbers for you to know.


Until the launch of Firefox by Mozilla corporation in the year 2003, Internet Explorer remained the most popular web browser and enjoyed almost 95% of the market share.
So why IE is no longer the king? Here are some facts that you have to know and decide what the best browser is for you.


Internet Explorer: This is the default browser for windows; and still has and important amount of users in the market, but it has many security holes, it’s far older and slower to catch up to updates than any of the other browsers, and this one does not bring many customization and is very slow compare to the other options.

The only big advantage of using IE is site compatibility factor. Almost every developer/company builds website(s), keeping Internet Explorer (most popular browser) in mind. So, if you’re using latest version of Internet Explorer, you’re most unlikely to come across browser incompatibility issues with any website.

It might not be as ‘innovative’ or ‘cool’ as many of its competitors are but as long as Microsoft Windows stays dominant in OS industry (which is highly probable), Internet Explorer won’t be easy to erase of the map.






Apple Safari: This browser comes as a default application in Apple Mac machines and that’s probably the only reason why it has managed to secure a small but considerable market share. The browser itself is light & fast but stands weak, when compared with Firefox and other fellow competitors.



Opera: Opera is a fast and light-weight web browser that has its own reserved following. It is only used by a small fraction of users worldwide but that fraction keeps sticking to it, no matter what browser gets introduced to them. Opera’s history, although roots back to 1994 but the browser could never really capture the mainstream market share mainly because of relatively weak financial backing.



Firefox: is slowly becoming the ‘hot favorite’ browser for accessing internet, especially by the more aware internet population. Mozilla Firefox is probably the only browser that gives you every reason to choose it over any other browser. Firefox is certainly the most feature-rich browser these days. It currently commands a browser market share of around 42%.

For a few key reason Fire Fox have advantage on the other web browsers, and that key is customization, and all the different cool things you can do with it; the add-ons, the themes, the plugins, many interest apps for this web browser (Tab Mix Plus, Web search pro, grease monkey), fast browsing experience, security, this kind of stuff made FireFox so lovable in compare with the rest.


Chrome: This Google powered browser has recently fired up the browser market scenario and has quickly made its way to become the 2th most popular web browser (slightly over 30% of market share).

After the release of ChromeOS; a Chrome browser based Operating System, the probability of Chrome’s future explosive growth has multiplied by many folds. Google Chrome is currently the fastest web browser and if Google makes its Operating system a global success, its highly plausible that Firefox might have to settle down with much less market share than what it commands at the moment.

Is the faster, simpler browser that gets right to the point.


I my opinion at the end there is no winner or loser here, you should made your decision in your personal preference, what you want, what you don’t want and actually depends on what you think you are going to need to use the internet for.

Here is a fun video that maybe help you to decide:

Iphones and ipad

The iphones and the ipad are the new toys of the moment. Every body want one, and the ones who has one, as soon as a new version is releases they want to change to the new one.

It's a madness. And because of this most of the companies are investing time and money to developer apps for iphones. You can see that the demand of developer for phones apps is growing. Right now is a good moment to start learning about it.

The language that the apple developers are using is Objective C and the Developer Environment is called Xcode.

http://developer.apple.com/ipad/sdk/index.html in here you can find a lot of good stuff. Go Crazy!!

http://developer.apple.com/videos/iphone/profiles/#video-behindtheapps like this example explains we can develop all kind of application.

http://developer.apple.com/videos/

But the reality is hard, beside the apple sites, there are not many information on the web and it's hard for the developers created something new. The enviroment is not user friendly is like working in "ensamblador" very old school. But this can be an advantage for those that really are into it. They can make a lot of money!!
The good thing is that a new kind of developer has been born.

SmartPhones

Now on days everybody has a smarts phone, but do you know how the I phone applications are programmed?

If not that is ok, I will teach you how, at the least the basic stuff that you need to know to something about it.

Right now there are too many brands in the market like Apple with the iphones and Motorola, Samsung and Sony Erickson, but the different between first one and the rest is that the they are using Android as OS.

Take a look at the video this guy have an excellent concept.

Do you think that it's cool learn how build your own program on phone application? I do. That’s why I’m writing about this. In my next articules i will explain you what do you need to know and how you can start building your first app for your phone. If you want to know more about it just read on my art Android and iphone.

Android, What it's and how to create applications?

Android is a OS based on Linux at the beginning was develop to create app in phones but right now we can find it in Tables and Mp3 players and even notebooks.

Original was created by Android Inc but later on was bayed by Google and the fun began. Google research made improve it and functional for different devices.



You will need 2 tools to make applications for Android: Eclipse to write the code and the Java SDK.

You Can learn more about the SDK here http://developer.android.com/index.html
There is a lot of kind of app that you can create watch this video and use your imagination.



Now,I will show you how you can start with Eclipse, look at this video and make your first application on Java, yay!! go crazy!!



If you want to keep learning you can find a lot of videos on youtube just type "how to program in eclipse"
Bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(operating_system)

Xbox 360 - Kinect

The most important thing of Kinect is that you are the controller.

With this you can get funny games and entertainment to life in a extraordinary new way, without using a controller. you can control movies and music with the wave of a hand or the sound of your voice.

It is important to know that Kinect responds you in the way how you move. So if you have to kick, then kick. If you have to jump, then jump. You already know how to play. All you have to do is to do the movement.

Video:

The top 5 benefits

Exercise

Everyone who bought a Wi thinking they would constantly on their feet soon realized that playing Wi Tennis from the couch, drinking a soda, is just as easy.

Immersion

We are finally approaching the time where our movements become the movements in the games we play. This will bring about a whole new immersive environment where we can act out our greatest dreams.

Education

Games that educate will now incorporate the whole body, which research has shown, helps learning and memorization. Just wait until there are games that can teach you an entire language by walking through cities in other countries!

More Fun!

You can't tell me that using your entire body to kill a firebreathing dragon isn't going to be a blast. Running from zombies should be fun too.

Next Gen Technology

This new technology is only opening up the door to the new world that is the internet. Whole universes are going to become fully immersive soon.