Microsoft is going into the cloud

Posted on October 3, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Microsoft is playing catchup with Google and entering the Cloud Computing space. Here is what CEO Steve Balmer had to say about it:

 “We need a new operating system designed for the cloud and we will introduce one in about four weeks, we’ll even have a name to give you by then. But let’s just call it, for the purposes of today, Windows Cloud.”

…

“Just like Windows Server looked a lot like Windows but with new properties, new characteristics and new features, so will Windows Cloud look a lot like Windows Server.”

…

“We’re not driving an agenda towards being service providers, but we’ve gotta build a service that is Windows in the cloud.”

Microsoft probably feeds the need to respond to Google’s new browser, Chrome.  What I’m hearing about Chrome is that isn’t so much as a entry into the browser market, but a platform for more robust “cloud” based apps such as Google Documents.

One of the exisiting theories is that Chrome is the first componet of a Google OS.  Chrome is supposed to be the interface to the applications.  If you look under the hood of Chrome, it is built more like an OS than a browser.  

All it will need is a thin layer to access the hardware (boot, and then interface with video/storage/audio/periferal I/O(USB for a start)/network interfaces)  and it’s pretty much good to go.

This would a thin client model with most of the applications out in the cloud, and as much of the data as well.

It seems that Microsoft is taking this serious enough to announce their own cloud base computing plan.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Filed under: Internet, tech rumors | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Business card sized web server

Posted on September 26, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Ok, it’s a little thicker, but still way cool.  Tiny web server aren’t that new.  I remember seeing webservers that fit in a matchbox years ago.

The fact that you can etch this board yourself and that it uses a SD card instead of eeprom is slick.

Filed under: Gadget, Internet | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

The hot tech gadget…

Posted on September 9, 2008 by Mark Urbin

…is the old Rev 1 Apple iPhone.   Tech consumers are spend up to $600 for a 16 Gig Rev 1 iPhone according to WirelessImports.com, a seller of used iPhones. That is $100 more than they sold for new! Even the 8 Gig iPhones are selling for the same $100 markup.

One of the main reasons given for the demand for the rev1 phones is that they are easier to unlock than the rev 2 3G iPhones.  An unlocked (i.e. hacked) iPhone can be used on other networks than AT&T.

Filed under: Apple, Internet, Smart Phone | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Google maps goes into orbit

Posted on September 8, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Google has purchased  the exclusive rights among online mapping sites to the new GeoEye-1 satellite. 

The GeoEye-1 will allow Google to obtain images with 50cm of resolution.   So be careful of what you have in your backyard folks, because everyone will be able to see where you left your lawnmower.

Filed under: Internet, Space | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Google’s Navy

Posted on September 7, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Via slashdot comes this story about Google’s just-published application for a patent on the Water-Based Data Center.  The story says that water based data centers can use wave based energy and use the water for cooling.

Interesting and certainly will play well in many circles. There are also a couple of other interesting data points about the proposal.  One, having your data centers off shore, espcially if Internet commerce is involved, provides a possible tax haven.

There is also the issue of avoiding having governments demand access to your data by having it in International waters.  That is until a couple of warships show up and demand access in the interest of “national security.”

Update: The Times Online caught up with this story finally.  They provide some more detail, including that Google is looking at barges, not ships, to be anchored about 7 miles (11 Km) offshore.  The Times is also quick to pick up on the same tax angle as I did.  Being offshore means no property taxes. 

Filed under: Energy, Internet | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a comment »

Google jumps into the browser market

Posted on September 2, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Google has come out with an open source browser.  It’s called Chrome.

Of course, being the geek I am, I am writing this post using Chrome.

It’s a fairly straightforward, clean, Google like interface, based on tabs.  From what I’ve read, the special sauce is under the hood, specifically the tabs.

From what I’ve read, the tabs are supposed to be fairly seperate entities.   If a process goes south in one tab, it only takes out that tab, not the entire browser.

Currently only available on XP/Vista.  No Mac or LINUX support.  

I’ll report more about it after I have banged on it some more.

Filed under: Internet | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »

Prices dropping on small notebook computers

Posted on August 24, 2008 by Mark Urbin

The NY Times calls them “netbooks”, which is what probably what one of their reporters heard someone call one at a Starbucks while he was trying to think of what to write to meet his deadline.

Small systems, typically running UNIX, and in some cases XP, and have been selling for around $400.  Now, the prices are dropping to the mid $300 range and will probably be flirting with $300 or or even $250 soon.

About the price of a SmartPhone, and in some cases, less.

I’ve been on the road for the past week, and yes, I did bring a laptop with me.  I really didn’t need to.  I just wanted something to back my pictures up on and do a limited amount of editing of both photos and text.

My gen one iPhone has been able to handle most of my short term Internet needs. I don’t need to find an Internet connection for it, which I would need for my laptop.

An Acer EEE PC would have fit the bill as well as the larger laptop I’m lugging.  Being lighter and smaller is a big plus.  Even with an 80 or 120 gig mini harddrive for backups, it still would have been smaller and lighter than the larger laptop running XP.

The NetShare app that Apple pulled from the iTunes store would have been a perfect fit with a small WiFi enabled laptop as well.

Filed under: Gadget, Internet, Smart Phone | Tagged: , , , | 10 Comments »

Posting without power

Posted on August 16, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Power is out, but I’m still online with my iPhone.

It’s good to be a geek.

Filed under: Internet, Smart Phone | 2 Comments »

More on search engines

Posted on August 11, 2008 by Mark Urbin

Giovanni recommend his site, viewsi as a search engine.

My first impression, “Ugh.”  It is visually unapealing.

I entered a search and got a bunch of blurry small screens along the bottom of my screen.  No indication of what they are or what they are for.  When I selected the first fuzzy screen, I had to wait for it it to tell me there were no results to my search.

Not a good first impression.

I dig a little more and find there is more information avaliable, but poorly organized, not indentified clearly, and a great deal of completely irrelavant to my search.

I don’t see meself going back there anytime soon.

Filed under: Internet | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

Hackers target Apple products

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Mark Urbin

One of the costs of success is being a target.

Apple users are used to making fun of the security holes in Windows products.  The Apple OS has its own security holes, but it was such a small section of the market, they were not worth hacking.

That is changing as Apple’s market share grows. This includes the iPhone, which has the security lite browser Safari loaded by default (I’m not holding my breath for Firefox on the iPhone).

The word from DefCon is that Apple devices are now being targeted more and more hackers.

Welcome to the real word Apple users.

Filed under: Apple, Internet | Tagged: | Leave a comment »

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