Contact Me By Email

Friday, October 30, 2015

The Pixel C Tablet Is Google's Answer to the iPad Pro | WIRED




Like its namesake, the Chromebook Pixel, the Pixel C (which stand for Convertible) is a high-end device with productivity in mind. It also looks like the previous Pixel, or at least, like the Pixel would if you sawed off its bottom half and made a tablet out of it. It also includes an important accessory: A keyboard attachment that charges automatically when closed over the device. There’s no kickstand here, though it can still be adjusted between 100 to 135 degrees, and the keyboard and tablet communicate via Bluetooth rather than connectors. Interestingly, the tablet also features the same pitch as a traditional laptop, despite a smaller screen size. Also interesting, or at least uncommon? The Pixel C’s aspect ration of the square root of two (roughly 1.42 to 1), the same as that of a sheet of A4 paper, compared to the 4:3 iPad Pro. It’s closer to square than you might be used to in a tablet, and it also happens to be ideal for viewing the web, which is where Google hopes you’ll be spending the bulk of your time.
Functionally, that puts the Pixel C in the same world as Microsoft’s Surface Pro and Apple’s iPad Pro, hybrid tablet devices that bridge the gap between work and home. The similarities don’t go much further, though. While a powerful Intel Core processor, the same kind you would find in a thin and light laptop, powers the Surface Pro, the iPad Pro and Pixel C both rely on less robust mobile processors. Where the iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface are both 12-inch devices, the Pixel C inhabits a more diminutive (and, arguably, more practical) 10.1-inch display. And the Pixel C will run Android 6.0, versus the Surface Pro’s full Windows prowess.
But don’t mistake the Pixel C for a wimp. It has an Nvidia X1 quad-core processor, a “desktop-caliber” Maxwell GPU, and 3GB of RAM, which should be plenty to power most everyday tasks. Its display packs in 308 pixels per inch, well beyond the iPad Pro’s 264. It has stereo speakers on either side, as well, though that doesn’t mean much without hearing them. You can also have voice interactions from across the room, thanks to far-field microphones embedded. Its USB-C charger gives some future-proof assurances, and will let you charge and transfer data through the same port. It starts at $499 for the 32GB tablet, $599 for the 64GB tablet, and $149 for the keyboard attachment.



The Pixel C Tablet Is Google's Answer to the iPad Pro | WIRED

Google denies that it will fold Chrome OS into Android | Technology | The Guardian

chrome os

The company has made moves to make the two operating systems more integrated, providing more desktop Chrome features for the Android version of Google’s Chrome browser, while adding features such as Google Now and support for a select number of Android apps on Chrome OS.
Google’s Chromecast streaming media adapters also run a version of Android, further blurring the lines between Chrome and Android.
Both systems are based on Linux. It would make sense as the basal level to allow both systems to share one underlying codebase. It is likely that Google could create a Chrome OS experience on top of an Android base.
Many have speculated for years that Chrome OS and Android would merge. Google’s launch of an Android tablet, the Pixel C, which has a heavy focus on productivity with a keyboard accessory that turns it into a laptop analogue also saw speculation that Google would phase out Chrome OS.
The Chrome OS operating system has found success in schools running on low-cost but capable laptops for which its apparent immunity to malware and simple setup and management are suited.
For now, Google says that it is committed to Chrome OS and it is likely Android and Chrome OS will co-exist with tighter integration between the two for the foreseeable future.


Google denies that it will fold Chrome OS into Android | Technology | The Guardian

Apple TV review (2015)

Google’s Lack Of Product Isolation Would Support A Chrome OS And Android Merge | TechCrunch

What we do know is that neither operating system is being “killed off.”
Here’s the deal. Mobile rules the world, and Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai (he previously oversaw Chrome, Chrome OS, Apps and added Android to his purview in 2013) stated as such during Alphabet’s recent earnings call. It’s no secret. There are elements of Android that make it a far superior operating system than Chrome OS. But you know what? Chrome OS does a hell of a job relying on Google’s browser, which is by the far the top browser among internetters.
Sundar_Pichai_(cropped)What Chrome OS lacks is native apps, and that’s what gets developers excited and consumer’s minds swirling about possibilities. In fact, Chrome OS is quite boring. So boring that schools love them. Big companies are taking a look at them. Because of Google Apps. Chrome OS always felt like it could be a “mode” that you should be able to turn on within Android. For when you had a shitty Internet connection or just wanted the bare bones to get work done. Regardless, the ecosystem is alive and well.
If Pichai’s cry for mobile, mobile, mobile weren’t enough to tip the hand that this may happen, theannouncement of the Pixel C sure was. A kinda-laptop-tablet-running-full-on-Android.
Then there’s the Fast Company article that featured Hiroshi Lockheimer (SVP Android, Chrome OS and Chromecast at Google), where this topic kinda/sorta/definitely came up:
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Lockheimer how much time he spent thinking about Android’s and Chrome OS’s future past the next release or two, and what they might look like a few years from now. I thought I was giving him an opportunity to wax eloquent on pie-in-the-sky stuff. Instead, he stayed practical, and said that developing operating systems can’t be done in isolation from the components they use and the devices they’ll run on. Running engineering for these two operating systems requires him to think about everything from chips to merchandising.
In the same piece, he pointed to the fact that you can unlock a Chrome OS laptop with an Android phone. You get the idea.
Basically, knowledge sharing happens and learnings are known.




Google’s Lack Of Product Isolation Would Support A Chrome OS And Android Merge | TechCrunch

Guy in Charge of Chrome Says Google Isn't Killing Chrome OS After All

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Google would be folding its Chrome OS into Android, creating one mobile operating system. But the dude in charge of the Android and Chrome OS went on Twitter to dispel the rumor:
There’s a ton of momentum for Chromebooks and we are very committed to Chrome OS. I just bought two for my kids for schoolwork!



Guy in Charge of Chrome Says Google Isn't Killing Chrome OS After All

Samsung Galaxy View Release Date, Price and Specs - CNET

Alphabet’s Google to Fold Chrome Operating System Into Android - WSJ



Google CEO Sundar Pichai assumed responsibility for Android, as well as Chrome, in 2013.ENLARGE
Google CEO Sundar Pichai assumed responsibility for Android, as well as Chrome, in 2013. PHOTO: DAVID PAUL MORRIS/BLOOMBERG
Alphabet Inc.’s Google plans to fold its Chrome operating system for personal computers into its Android mobile operating system, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign of the growing dominance of mobile computing.
Google engineers have been working for roughly two years to combine the operating systems and have made progress recently, two of the people said. The company plans to unveil its new, single operating system in 2017, but expects to show off an early version next year, one of the people said.




Alphabet’s Google to Fold Chrome Operating System Into Android - WSJ

Google killing Chrome OS? Reports point to all-Android future



Google killing Chrome OS? Reports point to all-Android future

Netflix's biggest and best new titles for November




Netflix's biggest and best new titles for November

Google's mobile quest may lead to Android, Chrome merger - CNET



Google's mobile quest may lead to Android, Chrome merger - CNET

Google's mobile quest may lead to Android, Chrome merger - CNET

The Mountain View, California, company is looking to bring its Android mobile software to laptop computers, according to a report Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. As part of that push, Google may annex some parts of its Chrome OS software, which mainly powers its Chromebook laptops, with Android, its operating system for smartphones and tablets, according to the report.
The search giant plans to release this newly unified software in 2017, the report says, with Google showing it off for the first time next year. Chrome OS will continue to be available to other companies, but Google will focus on extending Android to laptops, according to the report.
A Google spokeswoman declined to comment.


Google's mobile quest may lead to Android, Chrome merger - CNET

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Microsoft Surface Book Review

Microsoft Surface Pro 4 Review

Nexus 6P: Google phone that deserves a wider audience - FT.com

Nexus 6P: Google phone that deserves a wider audience - FT.com

"High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fa17bfb8-7825-11e5-933d-efcdc3c11c89.html#ixzz3pzXiFWJt

If you want a smartphone with all the fit and finish of an iPhone, including well-designed software and a slim casing, but you prefer to live entirely in Google’s world, the Nexus 6P is worth a look. Android need no longer come with trade-offs."


Only time will tell what specifics will unfold and when, but what we can say with confidence is that the Pixel line has always been about supporting what's ahead -- supporting Google's vision for the future of a platform. In the case of the new Pixel C, much like we saw with the original Pixel device, it may just take a little while for the present to catch up and the full scope of the vision to come into focus.Only time will tell what specifics will unfold and when, but what we can say with confidence is that the Pixel line has always been about supporting what's ahead -- supporting Google's vision for the future of a platform. In the case of the new Pixel C, much like we saw with the original Pixel device, it may just take a little while for the present to catch up and the full scope of the vision to come into focus.

The  time will tell what specifics will unfold and when, but what we can say with confidence is that the Pixel line has always been about supporting what's ahead -- supporting Google's vision for the future of a platform. In the case of the new Pixel C, much like we saw with the original Pixel device, it may just take a little while for the present to catch up and the full scope of the vision to come into focus.I the    he crucial factor everyone's forgetting about Google's Pixel C | Computerworld
"Only time will tell what specifics will unfold and when, but what we can say with confidence is that the Pixel line has always been about supporting what's ahead -- supporting Google's vision for the future of a platform. In the case of the new Pixel C, much like we saw with the original Pixel device, it may just take a little while for the present to catch up and the full scope of the vision to come into focus."

Monday, October 26, 2015

Microsoft Surface Book Vs Surface Pro 4 Comparison/Review

Spec showdown: Surface Book vs. MacBook Pro, from cheapest to priciest | Macworld

surface book front back



Spec showdown: Surface Book vs. MacBook Pro, from cheapest to priciest | Macworld

The Dark Web isn't as revolutionary as you'd think

"When the United States Naval Research Laboratory began development of The Onion Router (TOR) in the mid-1990’s they meant well.

How could they have known it would eventually become a popular habitat for hackerschild pornographers and criminals?
The goal was to create a portal where dissidents of oppressive regimescan communicate their strife to the US government anonymously, which is all very well and good, until the portal became a hotbed of criminal activity known as The Dark Web. The Dark Web is a network of underground websites which are not readily accessible to your average internet visitor."


The Dark Web isn't as revolutionary as you'd think