Talking About Google's Chrome

In case you haven't read them, here are three more articles about Google's Chrome OS.  Jim Hamm explains, "After reading and understanding a bit more about what this new OS is-and isn't--I have trouble understanding what significant role this might play in the computing world. I don't have much--if any--enthusiasm for it, at least at this time. Maybe as time goes on I'll see more of a place for it."  He goes on to give links to the articles . . .

Click to bring up these three articles from Computerworld.   One, two,  three.

Jim concludes, "Regardless of my thoughts, it's always interesting to read about new developments in the computing world. That's what keeps me--and many others-- spending money on the latest 'gadget' (did I hear 'Magic Mouse') or software upgrade."

Advance Look at Google Chrome

We've heard a little about Google Chrome, and we do want to keep up with the latest in Internet technology. Well, here's a little more from both De Prez Allen Laudenslager and Jim Hamm.  Jim starts us off with, "After reading this article on Google Chrome, any potential interest I might have had in this has cooled considerably. I had envisioned it to be a download one would install, like Firefox, but apparently not. Also, Google's first focus is on netbooks, about a year from now."  Allen recommends this article.  And Jim comes up with two other links that explain the situation.

Jim continues, "The way I understand the comments, Google Chrome will be for computers with 'specific reference hardware.' Does this mean a computer has to be built to accommodate Google Chrome? Why would any manufacturer want to do this? I can't, for example, envision Apple doing this. This concept seems like a very limiting factor in Google Chrome gaining any significant market share. Maybe I'm not understanding all this correctly."

Allen's comment from the Computerworld article, "This report is claiming that the final Chrome release may only run on devices without a hard disk drive and use solid state memory in its place."

Jim has more information, "Here's a further clarification--and understanding on my part--of the difference between Google Chrome OS and Google Chrome. The first one is a web-based operating system that will be available on computers configured to handle it--such as a solid state drive. Here is an article explaining more about this concept.

"There are instructions available now on how a person can go ahead and install Google Chrome OS and run it in a virtual machine using the free software, VirtualBox.

Jim concludes with, "Now, Google Chrome is a web browser contained within the Google Chrome OS that a person, eventually, can download and install on their computer.  It will be interesting to see how both concepts fare as time goes on. The latest issue of MacLife compared several browsers, including Google Chrome, which came out well in the tests. These tests were done on a Mac."

See Google, See Life

Just found a nifty Google feature.  Go here for the home page of the listings of all Life magazines from 1935 to 1972.  Under "about this magazine" they give free access to share, print and post images for personal use.  There's also a world map with red pins marking places mentioned in the magazine you designate.  When you click on Contents the list of articles in that magazine come up. You can view full screen, two pages up, or four pages up.

I discovered this from World magazine's article, "Googly eyes," which states you can do an image search by appending "source:life" and the search will be limited to Life archives.  Without that nice URL you can just go to Google's homepage, click on More, then click on Books.  Magazines are shown, as well as books.

Jim's & John's Impressions

Google is offering a new service called Google Voice. The basic idea is to give a person one phone number for all your phones. Jim Hamm writes, "I just received an invite, after submitting my name some time ago just to see what it was all about. With the same set of emails I received the following article by Paul Stamatiou on his first impressions of this service. Other links in his article contain more info. See http://paulstamatiou.com

"My first impression is that this is an intriguing idea, and a service that might be very useful to a business person who needs to stay in touch, or for someone who travels a lot. Also, it seems that a person can text message free using this service, whereas text messaging on a commercial carrier costs money.

"AT&T, Verizon, et. al., probably aren't too enthused by what Google is doing. I don't plan to jump on this service yet, if ever, because I'm not sure I really need it, and it seems a bit convoluted. But, having said that, when we're traveling in our motorhome it would be handy to have calls to our home phone number routed right to our cell phone.

"Google is apparently working on getting number portability, so one can just use their existing number and not have to get a new one from Google." Here's the Google site http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html

Now, John Carter enters, "My impression is this: anyone can take the time, if they will, to forward their phones to any other number when they go on vacation. For busy business people with multiple phones, it might be appropriate to have one 'master' phone ring if any of the others ring, but to have ALL of them ring at once for ANY incoming call to ANY phone is a bit ridiculous. Still, I'm sure some Type A person will think that's a blessing."