Is Google loosing its edge?

Google has recently become a synonym of leading edge both in business and technology. And there has been a good reason to expect new development and ideas come from them. So I was really surprised when this new and exciting concept came from Alexa.

Alexa, an Amazon.Com company, on December 12, 2005 made its search infrastructure available to developers. This is very significant move that changes the perception of what can be done with Internet search. So far we have been able to search within the already prepared index. With Alexa crawlers, we can build custom indexes with custom attributes. As an example Alexa shows an image search application that lets users specify image-specific attributes like camera make and model and aperture settings and other. These attributes are not usually available in image search indexes (like Google Images). The applications for the web search platform are limited only by creativity of their creators. You could imagine programming the crawlers to gather things like insider and business activity for monitored stocks, isolating clusters of activity for various news topics and developing custom research projects.

On the other hand this experiment will yield significant data to Alexa itself. Put simply - they will know what people want to crawl the Internet for and what are the results. And this may develop a new wave of services for end users. Finally it proves the point there is no monopoly for innovation and even Google has to be alert and agile, as the others are not asleep.

2006: The year of ePaper

I bought my first digital camera relatively late. It was Minolta Dimage F100 in July 2002. At that time I did not believe electronic pictures could come close enough to analog film. But a few hours later, after I "developed" my first photos with HP Photosmart 100 printer, I understood the game was over and I would never use my film camera again. The quality of the 4 megapixel shot was stunning, with vivid colors and no visible grain. I even made a 30x40 print of the Seattle Motherboard (taken from the Bank Of America building) that still hangs on my wall. And more important - the flexibility of electonic photography, with instant preview, at home photo processing, ease of archiving killed the film.

I have not bought a newspaper for several years now. Instead, my house is covered by WiFi and I've been experimenting with a variety of "electronic readers" for a long time. Laptops are a natural choice for their universality, but they never come close to the ease of use of traditional paper. They are heavy. And batteries do not last long enough to just forget about them. And they are hardly readable in sunshine. There are tablets. Lighter, better, but still having battery and readability issues. And they have hard disks to spin and Windows to patch and backup... shouldn't we just have a browser? A reader? With clear display, batteries that last a week or two and a simple wireless content distribution system enabling you to personalize your preferences?

It looks like the Illiad platform from iRex Technologies is the answer. The ER0100 is thin. And light. And it runs for days without charging. And is clearly readable in any conditions. And is very very easy to use. iRex has just signed a contract with Belgian De TIJD for test distribution of the daily paper. As we are nearing the Epic 2010, 2006 may be a milestone... And of course I would love to have the Google Reader on the Illiad :)

Skype At Large

It has been two weeks since the Teleputer landed in Kraków. I must admit I have not had much time to explore all of its features and conduct many in depth tests. On the other hand I've been using the JasJar just as an ordinary user. Checking and writing my emails, browsing the Web and playing some games. Speaking of games - judging by the popularity of the device among my family members, the Bubble Breaker itself (the one that comes with Windows Mobile 5) may justify the decision to purchase the Teleputer :)

As I wrote before, the JasJar comes with Skype Internet telephony client preloaded. I tried to play with Skype as soon as I configured the device, but the application simply would not run. Two things changed, however, over the weekend. First, I noticed there is a new firmware version posted on the i-Mate site. After downloading and installing the update, I was able to start Skype, but I simply did not have time to test it. Today I have noticed, Skype presented a new version of the Pocket PC client. So I got rid of the old one replacing it by the latest (1.2.0.89). Installation went without a glitch, and as soon as it finished, I was able to log on to my Skype account... over the UMTS (3G/WCDMA) network.

Skype over UMTS is what I was looking for when I decided to buy the JasJar. Skype over GPRS/EDGE cannot be more than a lab test, these technologies introduce too much latency to be used for VoIP in practice. Skype over WiFi works fine, but there are three problems with that. Firstly, there is no universal WiFi coverage, so while you can use this at home or at work, you won't be able to use it just anywhere. The hotspots are just that - spots, so when you move out, you loose your connection. Secondly, WiFi drains your batteries. This is just build in the standard. WiFi is good for laptops, but the power levels and communications patterns will drain any phone battery fast. Thirdly, the WiFi interface cannot hold the session when the device goes into a suspend mode. So waking it up takes longer. UMTS on the other hand is working and keeps the data connection alive even if the Teleputer is suspended. So waking up Skype is almost instant, because 3G data connection is already there. And speaking of power consumption - it is very good. For tests I've been keeping the device on all the time with UMTS connection active for 8 hours now (with the screen on, only backlit off), doing some calls in the meantime, and it has drained roughly 40% of the battery. That means, you will be able to be on-line for the entire day.

The voice quality is very good. The JasJar has relatively fast processor (520MHz) and that gives just enough computing power for Skype VoIP encoders and echo cancellation algorithms to do their job. UMTS data throughput and - what is more important - relatively low packet latency allow you to use Skype to conduct ordinary calls. For tests I've been using headphones. Skype has yet to figure out different configurations of the JasJar, as the current version uses only the main speakers (or wired headphones). I was not able to redirect the output to the built-in earphone or Bluetooth headset. But this is something you can forgive, as this is a beta version at the moment and I hope they will provide ways to use different audio setups.

Overall I must say the JasJar with Skype is almost perfect solution (especially due to on-board UMTS link). It is a harbinger of things to come in the near future. Soon, when most of the phones are powered by the chips like the Scorpion, recently announced by Qualcomm, smart teleputers equipped with mobile VoIP in form of Skype (or may be Google Talk?) will rule the new world built on the ruins of today's telecoms, connecting over any [dumb] network.

GLM - Google Local for Mobile

Is this the killer application for 3G? Probably not, as for the foreseeable future the killer application for mobile phones will be voice... Anyway GLM, or Google Local for Mobile is something everybody should install on their handsets. Simply open your web browser on your phone. Then navigate to http://www.google.com/glm/. Select your carrier then select your phone make and model and download / install. GLM is your beloved Google Local service at your fingertips whenever you need it.

So first of all, it is a mapping service. Type in an address in almost any form, and it will bring you a map showing the location you look for. Then it is a routing service. Select two addresses (GLM remembers your last entries, so you don't have to enter repeating places manually) and GLM plots a route between them, highlighting any points you should be aware of. You can zoom in, zoom out, pan the map and even... tadam... tadam... tadam... swithch to a satellite view (the screenshot on the right actually shows the Market Square and St Mary's Church in Kraków (* click the [Satellite] button when you follow this link), my home town.

When Google introduced the Maps service, together with satellite views, we were stunned. But having the same functionality and performance on a mobile phone is a kind of a miracle. I have deliberately chosen very simple (albeit 3G - for faster service operation) handset - the Nokia 6630 to demonstrate the service (these phones go for less then a dollar with contract in Poland). GLM should work on any phone capable of running mobile Java applications - I have tested it on my iMate SP5m with great results (because of the high screen resolution - have a look at the screenshot). And by all means this is the best mobile Java application I have come across, defying all suspected weaknesses of Java, notably poor user interface and slow execution. GLM is fast, clear, easy and simple yet powerful.

With GLM Google is making very impressive entry into the mobile phones market, unleashing a new potential and empowering users with a highly valuable tool.

Highly recommended!

Google Analytics Update

Looks like the i-mate JasJar review has attracted new visitors. Hey, you are all welcome, toy spotters and gadget gurus.
Now we not only have the majority of traffic from USA and Poland, but people coming from all over the world. Canada (yes! finally Canada!), UK, Italy, Spain, Australia, Sweden, Israel, New Zealand, Dennmark, Holland, Russia, Iceland (what a wonderful place!), South Africa, Yemen...
And we can slice the United States to see individual states. With New Jersey leading, we have California occupying a second place and New York on third. No Washington in the first ten, looks like Redmond is busy developing Windows Mobile 6, or they blocked Google destinations on their firewalls...
Any webmasters here? Do you like these charts? Go and get them for free at http://www.google.com/analytics/. I guarantee you will spend long nights slicing and dicing your visitors.

The Teleputer Has Landed

December 2nd, 2005, The Teleputer Has Landed in Kraków. I've been waiting for this moment. Good it happened friday afternoon, after office hours, since my day at work would have been wasted. George Gilder's vision materialized by HTC in form of an i-mate JasJar. "...small handheld device, that resembles a cellphone, and as a matter of fact incorporates a cellphone, (...) that also has a touchpad on it and effectively all your mp3 songs and also is a camcorder.... So the cellphone really becomes your computer." Although the JasJar's screen is not a Microvision (yet) and it's camcorder is not a Foveon (yet), this device fits the definition of Teleputer as close as possible.
First, its small. Much smaller than I originally thought (see a comparison with an iPod on a picture below). Essentially it fits in a palm of your hand. Then it's powerful. 520MHz Intel/Arm PXA270 processor and 192MB of memory (64MB RAM and 128MB Flash). With an incredible clarity of a full VGA screen (640x480). And full connectivity - it has everything you can dream of. GSM, GPRS, 3G-WCDMA (UMTS), WiFi, Bluetooth and Infrared. So if there is a piece of radio signal, you will be in the Net in a matter of seconds. There is a preloaded Skype client, twin video cameras for video calls over 3G network. Word, Excel, latest Internet Explorer and hundreds of other wonderful things I would like to tell you about. HTC has even preloaded the eTrust Antivirus suite by Computer Associates. I promise this is the first, not the last post on JasJar, so for a start, I will describe a couple of things that have surprised me (in a positive sense).
Build quality is outstanding. JasJar feels very solid, especially the rotating hinge that transforms the device from a micro - notebook to a palmtop. Screen resolution and clarity (especially when ClearType smoothing algorithm is enabled) is simply outstanding. Keyboard is great for thumb typing. Windows Mobile 5 does very good job with keyboard shortcuts, as the device can be very easy operated without a stylus. HTC is famous from some simple and obvious, yet clever design details, like a mini-USB port that is used bot for charging and data syncrhinization (so you do not have to carry yet another power brick).
JasJar is the first UMTS (3G - WCDMA) Pocket PC. So when you are not in the range of a WiFi connection, your downloads are still fast. And it supports 3G video calls (3G-324M standard). On the side picture you can actually see a 3G video call in action. There are two motion pictures embedded on the screen - the small one is from the camera that is facing you during the call (although you can switch to the outside camera to enter "see what I see" mode, and the large one comes from the other party. Note the "U" indicator at the top, signalling presence of a 3G (UMTS) network. JasJar can be used directly as a phone, but with its size (or rather proportions) you look better when using it with a supplied headset or a Bluetooth earpiece.
You will also find the reworked Windows Media 10 player, with streamlined user interface and improved media compatibility. It is capable of playing all your MP3s, WMAs, AACs, and most of the standard video formats, including wmv, asf, mp4, 3gp, avi and 3g2. The Media Player allows you to open direct URL and I was able to stream the original video of George Gilder explaining the Teleputer idea from the Forbes site over the UMTS connection. The video is available at [http://www.forbes.com/video/fvn/guru/gurupick57.vas?player=wm&section=/video]
Absolutely great device with every connectivity option you can imagine. The story will continue...