Netizen

Sunday, October 07, 2012

Nexus 7 Blurs The Tablet, Smartphone Line

Seven inches. Google came up with the perfect length for a tablet. It is not nine, it is seven.

Rumor: Google Wants Nexus 7 in Smartphone Format

Google will allow manufacturers to release smartphones with the Nexus brand as long as they adhere to strict standards: use Google's stock Android, secure 64 MB of memory for media streaming, and pack plenty of hardware to support Android 5.0 which is slated to launch in Fall 2013. However the Nexus program will allow manufacturers to use custom UI skins so that the phones aren't entirely identical. ..... To calm their fears, Google supposedly planned to offer the latest build of Android to five major partners first before anyone else. Now it appears that it's extending its Nexus branding as well instead of relying on one flagship Android product.

Nexus 7: A Road Warrior's best friend

video conferencing, voice to text, a great screen ..... Everyone always talks about how amazing FaceTime and Skype are. I'm a huge user and fan of both, but the Nexus 7 is the one to beat now. I was using the Nexus 7 in a hotel room, tethered to my iPad, since the hotel Wi-Fi was too slow, and all of the sudden I heard the sound of chats coming in. I looked at the Nexus 7 and not only had it logged me into Google Talk, but it was also receiving chats. I then saw the camera icon and figured "it can't be this easy". Well, it was and a quick click of the camera icon had me doing a video conference with a co-worker ...... The quality of the conference call was spectacular, even over a hotspot. I was also offered the option to manipulate the images of my outgoing video stream, though there's no real business purpose there. ..... In the case of the Nexus 7, simply launching the Maps app immediately finds your location and then pops up a pop-over that features Local restaurants, cafes, bars, attractions, and more. The Maps app also takes a guess at where you are and offers you the option to "check-in, review or view details", all at the touch of a button. ....... Siri has been making headlines, but Google's dictation features are lightyears ahead. Not only does it grab every word almost perfectly every time, but it types out the words as you're speaking. ...... I'm going to try to leave the iPad behind a bit more and see how much of a power user of the Nexus 7 I can become. I'm also thinking of swapping out my iPhone for either a Galaxy Nexus or a Galaxy S3, since I really do appreciate the integration with Google's universe. ..... definitely the Android tablet to beat.

Nexus 7 Is A Big Deal

With Nexus 7 Google gave the iPad a run for the money. Nexus 7 is a big deal. And in case you don't know Android is now neck and neck with the iPad in terms of market share. What happened with smartphones has also happened with tablets.

I think this thing replaces the smartphone. To an extent it does. It is cheaper than Republic Wireless on that count.

7 reasons why the Google Nexus 7 is good for business

its front-facing camera, built-in microphone, and easy Google+ integration, the Nexus 7 is a good option for those who want to keep in contact via videoconferencing. This makes communicating on the go relatively easy, and provides an alternative to Apple’s popular Facetime application.

How Is Google Different?

For one, it has stayed supremely innovative. Anthropologists need to look into Google's culture. There is something in that culture.

Google is my favorite tech company. I am a Google fanboy like some people are Apple fanboys. Hardware is afterthought to me. For me a laptop is something that takes me to the Chrome browser.

Robert Bork on antitrust: Google is no Microsoft

a case of competitors' sour grapes ..... Bork's mention of competitors is a not-so-veiled swipe at a lobbying group called FairSearch.org that's funded by Google competitors including Microsoft, Oracle, and Kayak. FairSearch claims that governments "must act now" against Google "to protect competition, transparency, and innovation in online search." ..... FTC action against Google "for its search practices would necessitate regulation of search algorithms and product improvements, which would retard the current pace of innovation in Internet search that has created enormous gains in consumer welfare."

Has Zynga Faced A Paradigm Shift?

Microsoft was a PC company and the web came along. Bill Gates fantasized about turning off the Internet, completely. It was a paradigm shift that was not going in his favor. In some ways Microsoft never came around to embracing the web. It is a big company, but it is still a Windows company.

Zynga of course is no Microsoft, but for a while it was the fastest growing company in history. That is a crown of sorts. But for now it feels like Zynga has not been able to climb the next big mountain.

Zynga, just like Facebook, has not cracked mobile.

Being data driven is good, but being too data driven can make you miss trends that are just around the corner. Because your reflexes have become too mechanical. I think Pincus might have become too data driven somewhere along the way.

But I am an optimist. I give companies like Zynga - trailblazers - the benefit of doubt. I think they retain the capacity to perhaps turn things around. The proof is in the pudding though.

Other than missing mobile, Zuck and Pincus also have something else in common. Both have dictatorial powers. That does not look like a good arrangement when things look to be going downhill.

Pincus strikes me as someone quirky. He just might be able to pull it off. In about a year or two. And a billion dollar valuation is not a bad floor to have. Just stop the f___g bleeding.

As Zynga Stock And Outlook Craters, Is It Time For Mark Pincus To Step Down As CEO?

Draw Something, a game that earlier this year was the hottest thing on the planet for about a month...... at the moment, like Zynga was a shooting star, driven by several viral hits, rather than a stable, enduring company. ..... like many recent Internet companies that went public, Zynga structured the stock ownership to give Pincus majority control. Pincus has 50.15 percent control of the voting shares. That means, ultimately, he is the decider, and not the board. ..... the valley’s prevailing conventional wisdom, which says the biggest, most successful companies are driven by strong-willed founders. Pincus has been that. And for a long time, it seemed he had the right vision in terms of gaming and social media.