01 Nov 09 Google’s View of the Future of the Web

Google has changed the way we search or surf the net. It has also significantly influenced our e-mailing and chat behavior. Thanks to Google for keeping history of our chats in Gmail itself, it makes important conversation easily accessible to us, and also save us from saving the chat in text files.

This very company has now wore a predictor hat and predicting that the future of the web lies in the hands of Chinese language contents and social media. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt in his 45-minute long interview in front of thousands of CIOs and IT Directors at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Orlando 2009 made many interesting prediction about the future of the Internet.

You can view the complete interview by clicking on 45-minute long interview of Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt, but for those who do not wish to go through all 45 minutes, I am providing here the key points from the interview.

Highlights of Eric Schmidt’s Interview

In 5 years, Chinese language content will dominate the web.
Teenagers who jump from application to application seamlessly are the model of tomorrow’s web.
Broadband will reach 100mbps in 5-year time.
The distinction between TV, radio and web from distribution point of view will vanish in 5 years.
Google is making significant money from YouTube.
Eric Schmidt believes that future will have more video oriented content.
Google wants to include real time information in its search result.
Computing power will improve significantly in next 5 years.
User generated content will have more audience then any traditional source.
Google OS Netbook will be available from 2010.

Tags: Ceo Eric Schmidt, Chinese Language, Cios, Computing Power, Distribution Point, Eric Schmidt, Future Of The Internet, Gartner Symposium Itxpo, Google, Google Search, Language Content, Language Contents, Netbook, Oriented Content, Seamlessly, Search Result, Traditional Source, Tv Radio, User Generated Content, Video Link, youtube

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29 Dec 08 What are Netbooks?

Computers have come a long way. From the days when computers were hulking roomful of transistors and levers to now when computers can come in all sorts of colors, sizes and features. Lately, there is a new breed of computers that have become immensely popular. The netbook. Designed to be light, low-powered, basic and cheap internet computers, netbooks have become a staple for both techies and not-so-techies alike.

So what makes up these current little darlings of the computing world?

A typical netbook will have the following specifications:

Low-power processor like Intel Atom, Via C7-M, or AMD Geode
Screen size ranging from 7 inches to 10.2 inches
Hard drive from 2GB up to 160GB
Small form factor design
Keyboard with keys ranging from 83% to 95% of a full-sized keyboard
256MB up to 2GB of RAM (Random Access Memory)
WiFi and bluetooth access.
3-cell or 6-cell battery

Typically, netbooks are also cheap with price ranges below $400. With this price range and the portability of these devices, they have become very accessible and popular to a vast range of users. With everyone becoming more and more exposed to the internet, netbooks have become one of the most popular devices for people who want to get online while on the go. One no longer has to lug around a heavy laptop just to be able to surf the internet or do some work while sitting at your favorite coffee shop or bar with WiFi access. Parents who want to give their children a laptop they can use for school are also inclined to purchase netbooks instead. Some netbooks like the popular MSI Wind U100 also come in a range of colors that make them appealing to the younger generation. For rugged types who needs a laptop that can withstand wear and tear, netbooks like the Dell Mini or the ASUS Eee Pc with an SSD drive may be more appealing. An SSD (solid-state drive), compared to a typical hard drive, is less susceptible to damage due to shock or jitter because it has no moving parts. Surely, there is a netbook that can meet your basic needs for a portable computer.

Techies also love netbooks because these computers are highly customizable. Some netbooks with lower specifications typically have Linux installed on them. For most who have lost their love for Microsoft Windows, this is a major selling point. Computer enthusiasts and geeks usually fit this criteria. Some have even configured netbooks to run a hacked version of Mac OS X by Apple. Though the process of doing so borders on legality issues, it does prove that the netbook is indeed a very flexible machine.

One caveat to the netbook that many may find disappointing, is the lack of a built-in optical drive. Since netbooks are designed to be sleek and light, a CD or DVD drive will never be included in a netbook’s bag of tricks. Also, since the device is small, some users may find squinting at a small screen too much of a pain. Therefore, people with poor eyesight or people who need to view large presentations on their portable computers are advised to look somewhere else. Power users and gamers may also find the speed of netbooks to be less appealing. Compared to their bigger laptop counterparts, the processors usually included with netbooks are severely outclassed. Netbooks usually have processor speeds from 900MHz to 1.6GHz while the current breed of laptops now sport dual-core or quad-core processors typically running at 1.8GHz up to 3.0GHz. Playing high-end 3D games, producing Photoshop images, and creating CAD designs are out of the picture. But for playing games around 3 years old or for some basic gaming, the power of a netbook would suffice.

Despite these shortcomings, the netbook has taken the world by storm. All the major computer manufacturers have come up with their own netbook and we can expect that more are sure to arrive in the years to come. If you’re in the market for a portable computer, you may want to consider getting a netbook if your main use for it would be for surfing the web, desktop publishing or the occasional World of Warcraft fix. It would typically fill in the spot of your second computer or your main internet appliance and it definitely is a good choice for a computer you can give your children for school.

Some of the more popular netbooks you may want to check out are:

MSI Wind U100
ASUS Eee PC 901 or ASUS Eee PC 1000
Lenovo IdeaPad S10
HP MiniNote 2133
Acer Aspire One

Tags: Acer Aspire One, AMD Geode, Asus Eee Pc, best netbook, Bluetooth, Cell Battery, Cheap Internet, Coffee Shop, fastest netbook, Geode, HP Mininote 2133, Intel Atom, Internet Computers, laptops, Lenovo S10, Levers, Little Darlings, Moving Parts, MSI Wind U100, Netb, Netbook, Netbook review, Nettop PC, New Breed Of Computers, portable computer, Price Ranges, Random Access Memory, Rugged Types, Sized Keyboard, small form factor, Ssd, subnotebook computers, Techies, Via C7-M, Wear And Tear, what is a netbook, WiFi, Younger Generation

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01 Nov 09 Google’s View of the Future of the Web

Highlights of Eric Schmidt’s Interview

29 Dec 08 What are Netbooks?

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