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Netbooks get a Chrome Finish
When you Google “Netbook” you get thousands if not millions of hits. The most optimistic ones predict the demise of the category. Others make fun of the rapid growth and crash landing of it. The remaining ones credit the iPad for talking over that space. Google, in a traditional Googlesque move jumps in to redefine the category. hmmm.
Let’s recap. Originally netbooks were small, light and only browser based. They were the productization of Intel’s shinny new Atom processor, touted as a low power x86 that would allow powerful enough computers in these form factors with unmatched battery life. They ran some kind of Linux (Ubuntu mostly), had a 7″ screen little memory, no hard drive to speak of, and a WiFi connection. They would set you back $300 – $400. Few bought them. Microsoft, in a desperate territorial move, launched “Windows Starter Edition” at a significantly reduced licensing cost for OEMs. The Windows netbooks were born. Few bought them. Then, OEMs in a smart move added up to 250GB of hard drive larger screens, more memory and a better keyboard. Now they were selling them. Unfortunately people bought them instead of laptops. Wait … they were laptops … only cheaper. Congratulations! Microsoft and Intel had found a way to make less money with essentially the same product from essentially the same customers. Not good.
Then the iPad was born. Most techies entertaining to buy a low octane netbook either to substitute their aging laptop or as a lighter traveling device opted for Job’s money printing overgrown iPod Touch instead. Why not? a lot sexier, lighter, cooler, and just a little more money (there, among other things, relies the brilliance of Mr. Jobs). So netbooks went into life support. All OEMs are now jumping into the confused Tablet marketplace. Apple, at the top, just laughs it out.
Where has Google been? Well, Chrome is not new. You may recognizer it from the fastest growing browser in the PC world. Even as an OS it has been talked about for years. But the world decided to focus more on Android since it is selling millions of smartphones and is sexier than a boring light OS.
But now Google would launch the ChromeBook, a netbook with a twist.
Starting at a mere $379 with a $20 – $28 monthly fee on a 3 year contract for a WiFi cloud service. hmmm again. In this blogger’s humble opinion, my loyal reader (singular), what the … ? Unless those cloud services are a real cloud or send you to the clouds using legal ways, I predict a disaster only rivaled by the NEXT computer. I’m not ready to dump my iPad, at least for one of these. And I don’t have a bag big enough for a fourth device.
The question is? Is it a business model problem or a product problem? Will you get one if you could get it for free and only pay the monthly fee? Or better yet, what if Google can subsidize it 100% even the monthly fees to make money on advertisement alone?
And there, my fellow reader, among other things, rely the geniuses of Page and Brin.
Enjoy.
Putting the Entire Map on the Map
This week Google backed satellite operator O3b, which stands for the Other 3 billion, secured $1.2b in funding to launch a satellite based fiber quality broadband service for the un-wired world (not to be confused with the wireless world). O3b estimates that 70% of the world’s population does not have access to the internet, and their satellite service will fill that gap.
Now, that is not new. Motorola tried to offer phone service around the world with the now defunct Iridium venture. What’s different, one might ask? For starters, Google is backing it, which means they are not afraid of risk. Not that Motorola was, but Google has also a business model that can allow them to reach other heights if the forgotten 70% of the world starts searching online.
Second, and the fun part, the satellite constellation will be launched at 8000 km above the Earths surface, or 4 times closer than geostationary satellites (like Iridium was). This means that users will get 4 times less latency (aka delay) one of the limitations that made Iridium usage so annoying. At this distance a signal will take roughly 50 mS to go up to the satellite and back to Earth. Seems acceptable, right?
Third, it is not necessarily meant for mobile applications. This means that you can have a huge battery since you will not be carrying the device with you all the time. Again, like Iridium that needed a 20lb backpack to make a phone call. Although they will probably do offer telephone services it is not its main purpose. Internet access is.
O3b plans to start commercial service by the first half of 2013 after their first 8 satellites. The question, my fellow reader (singular) is: will they survive? Who knows. Like I said, Google backing means a lot, especially since they are so used to non-money making ventures but with a strategy to make them money in the future (Android anyone?). But it is definitely an interesting approach that confirms the “universally available” part of Google’s mission. Will it support it’s “Don’t Do Evil” motto? Let’s wait for the business model.
Enjoy.
Android 2.2 Brings Mobility to the Mobile World
Today Google launched Android 2.2 which, in this humble blogger’s opinion is a leap frog from anything else out there. Besides the obvious smarter smartphone capabilities like the photo gallery, customizable home screen, better exchange support, etc. , it turns your phone into a real mobility powerhouse. Hotspot and enhanced bluetooth make your phone a gateway to mobility for all other stuff you may want to carry. I know what you’re thinking, PalmPre had that already. But Android is mainstream, supported by multiple vendors, and the 2nd best selling mobile OS (after RIM’s blackberry, not iPhone).
The hotspot feature that essentially turns your phone into a Starbucks without the coffee – WiFi hotspot using 3G as back-haul. 3G may not have enough capacity, but remember 4G is coming to a city near you. The point is, my phone becomes my only truly connected device via the wireless wide area network, with a single data plan that allows any other device that I might carry to connect to the Internet through it, without extra payments. As lame as the unconnected iPad is, it is the cheapest out there (before the gPad comes out). My Android2.2 smartphone will make it connected and I do not have to pay extra data. With my laptop I can browse the web, download a book, send email, you name it, even if I don’t have a broadband adapter. My phone is the broadband adapter.
Enhanced bluetooth means that I can now have an ergonomically perfect set of devices to manage my mobile life. I can carry my phone in my pocket or briefcase and use my headset or car kit to dial, answer an make all phone calls. I can even play music through my car’s fancy audio without plugging it in. You can envision new devices that use these capabilities to get connected. A camera, for example can upload to Picassa or YouTube directly without having to connect directly. In-car GPS or portable can also connect and get faster first fixes, maps from your phone or PC, etc.
Again, this is hardly new, but the combination of all this features in Android 2.2 brings true mobility to the mainstream, and will definitely put a dent to iPhone’s reign, that is until Apple decides to add these features too. The question that remains open is how will wireless service providers embrace a single data plan? Today they all charge for “tethered mode” which is really what we all use in substitution of a broadband card; we don’t buy a card, but we still have to pay for the extra data plan. If carriers do away with this extra charge, they will create an explosion of data traffic that they are most likely not ready for. Sprint in the US has created a plan that allows all this for a fixed rate. Sprint also has the only 4G phone available today and with its partnership with Clearwire they have a shot to regain market share even if it’s only to geeks like us. Soon others will follow, though.
Soon 4G, better back-haul from your wireless service provider, and an Android 2.2 (or equivalent feature set) can make every device a connected device. The ubiquitously connected world is getting a push.
Enjoy.
iPad, gPad, or MaxiPad?
Well, it seems that the world is ponying up for what I call the third device unlike I had posted before. Verizon appears to be working closely with Google on a better Pad. At the same time Google has been posting videos of how Chrome OS will run on a tablet (I like tablet or slate better than pad for obvious reasons). The thing is “with Verizon” not “supporting Verizon”. My fellow reader (singular) this could really challenge the emperor’s Pad.
Let me tell you why I think that’s the case: As lame as the whole category is in this blogger’s humble opinion, an unconnected (i.e. no cellular support) tablet is the lame of the lame. It brings me back to the 90′s when you had to go home or to your office to get internet access. Sure, the 3G iPad is about to debut, but @ $600+ i really think the market will be limited. Now, if our friends in Verizon Wireless agree to pardon the Nexus One debacle and decide to subsidize the gPad, imagine what will that do to the price. Neither Verizon, nor Google have to make money with the hardware, which really does a job to Jobs (sorry, couldn’t help it). Estimates of the iPad cost put it at $250 – $300 US, add a 3G (or maybe a 4G – ooooh – radio), we could be seeing a street price in the $400′s. Still hefty for a useless device, but less than $600+ for the emperor’s Pad (ePad? now I’m pushing it).
But wait, there’s more! Chrome Os is the word on the street, not Android. What that may mean is a real processor capable of Flash (not Flash lite) and real browsing. Yes, my friend, I believe it will be x86 based which means that every website you can go to on Chrome today – which is virtually any website known to mankind and robotkind – is accessible to your gPad. Not even Palm’s (future HP’s MaxiPad) running WebOs can do that! Apps anybody? Yeah, sure, real apps with Java or the like, not fake widgets that look pixelated. Content? Did I mention it is Google?
So there it is. As much as I hate the category, a subsidized x86 based tablet may be the ticket to ride. BTW, Adsense must be having a ball with this post! I’m sure the ads are funny albeit unrelated. Do comment.
Enjoy.
Ma Bell teaches us a lesson
In the shadow of Apple’s kick-butt quarter, AT&T reported results that made the market yawn. “Yeah, yeah, you sold 2.7 million new iPhones in the quarter, added 1.9 million subscribers for a total of 87 million (1 in every 3.5 US residents uses AT&T), reduced churn, and increased ARPU (average revenue per unit) 3.9%, and a 30% increase in data revenue; so what?” is essentially what Wall Street said. I don’t know about you, but a company that still manages these numbers in a market that is essentially 100% penetrated is impressive – sure, a 6%+ dividend helps . But the really impressive, albeit insignificant number to this humble blogger is the “connected devices” increase of 1.1 million to a total of 5.8 million.
AT&T has close to 6 million non-phone devices on the network. Now why is that even relevant, my fellow reader (singular)? Simply because there are a lot more non-phone devices and a lot more things out there that need to be connected than there are phones or people. Yes, they may not be sexy, play music, browse the web, or even wash your car, but they essentially do everything else. Beyond the obvious (Kindles, iPads, etc.) these things are everywhere and in desperate need to be connected.
Take your car, for example. If you have Onstar it’s already connected (not with AT&T) so you know some possible apps. But imagine a world in which you go to Google Maps, plan a route and squirt it into your car’s GPS! Or simply download the movie you want your kids to watch from your home DVR. Your electric meter one day will be connected to so you can monitor your consumption real time (Ok, Ok, i don’t know why would I want to do that either, but you can). Every thing out there can be connected and can benefit from the internet. But where things really start changing is with Enterprise Applications.
Next time you receive a FedEx or UPS package go to the web immediately after you sign for it and voila it says received, in real time because the device where you signed is connected. The copier service personnel can consult schematics and order parts in real time when his/her machines are connected. Or the copier can ping someone when it’s running out of toner; the end of the empty copiers or useless service visits. Making every device a smart device has endless applications that are starting to look affordable. Ma Bell’s humble cellular non-phone numbers are starting to show growth. The ubiquitously connected world is getting started. Make sure you are ready for it.
Enjoy.
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