Saturday, September 23, 2017
Google's PixelBook: Aimed At A Bigger Target Than You Think
"All of this brings us full-circle and might answer the question about the large amount of storage on the PixelBook. A developer’s device needs drive space. A hosting computer has to have room for stuff. The more, the better.
Clearly, Google is positioning itself in multiple aspects to make its move on the enterprise market. Now, I think all of the pieces are in place and much as they did with the education sector, they are poised to have a major impact on the antiquated business arena.
The PixelBook has the potential to be the perfect device for this kind of move. Yes, as a consumer device it’s pricey. But, as an high-end, developer’s laptop it should have all the computing power a large infrastructure needs while still being cheaper than many of its Windows, Mac or Linux competitors.
The rabbit-hole continues to go deeper and deeper as we dig up details on Google’s new device and their future plans for Chrome OS. Check back tomorrow as we go more in-depth sharing our perspective on what the end-game may be.
What do you think? Could Google be looking to conquer the corporate world or is the PixelBook really just another ‘because we can’ kind of device?"
(Via.). Google's PixelBook: Aimed At A Bigger Target Than You Think:
Facebook’s Belated Awakening - The New York Times
"Companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google have become a huge force in the political system and in society broadly. While their executives have eagerly embraced their status as disrupters and innovators, they have been reluctant to acknowledge that their creations have been used to do harm. Technology executives have been loath to accept much or any responsibility for the power they and their businesses wield. In fact, many of them have gone out of their way to avoid or evade rules that apply to the traditional businesses that they are trying to displace. For example, Facebook argued in a 2011 letter to the Federal Election Commission that it and other internet companies should not be subject to regulations on political ads that radio and TV stations have to abide by.
Mr. Zuckerberg’s concern about democracy is commendable, and some of the changes he announced could have a positive impact. But they apply only to his company and can be easily evaded. Disclosing the name of Facebook business accounts placing political ads, for instance, will be of little value if purchasers can disguise their real identity — calling themselves, say, Americans for Motherhood and Apple Pie. Further, even if Facebook succeeds in driving away foreign propaganda, the same material could pop up on Twitter or other social media sites."
Friday, September 22, 2017
Moto G5S Plus comes to the US this month for $230 - The Verge
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"After launching around the world last month, Motorola’s Moto G5S Plus will come to the US on September 29th, with preorders for the phone beginning today.
The phone is an enhanced version of the Moto G5 Plus, which came out earlier this year for $230. The G5S Plus will sell for the same price, which is nice since it’s full of minor upgrades, too: it has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen instead of a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, an 8 megapixel front camera instead of a 5 megapixel front camera, and dual 13MP rear cameras instead of a single 12 megapixel camera.
Otherwise, the rest of its specs haven’t changed. The G5S Plus has a Snapdragon 625 processor, a 3,000mAh battery, and can be configured with either 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage — though the higher-specced version sells for a much more expensive $300. Neither version is water resistant, though Motorola says the phone has a “water repellant” coating. It’ll be running Android Nougat..."
Moto G5S Plus comes to the US this month for $230 - The Verge
Thursday, September 21, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
We are the ones making the iPhone and Pixel more expensive - The Verge
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"The unifying threads between the three companies pushing past the $1,000 marker are the desire to have an unmatched display (however briefly) and the depth of brand goodwill to convince consumers to come along for the ride. The loyalty of iPhone users is legendary, rivaled only by the degree of dependence that most of the world has on Google apps and services. And with Samsung having sold a few hundred million smartphones of its own, many people have grown attached to that brand too. To push people to spend more than they’ve previously been comfortable with, a strong brand is essential.
As to the other two competitors I’ve mentioned here, Huawei and OnePlus, their price hikes were small outrages at the time when they happened, but they fit much more logically into the grand scheme of things today. The overriding fact of the smartphone market is that most people want a device that looks like an iPhone plus Instagram photos that look like they were shot on an iPhone. Huawei and OnePlus know their role is to deliver that sort of pseudo-iPhone experience at a certain fraction of the full iPhone price, and they’re just keeping pace. Both the Huawei P10 and OnePlus 5 have an unmistakeable iPhone feel to their designs, both have dual cameras like the premium iPhone, and the OnePlus system is basically a like-for-like ripoff. If you want to think of this as the Apple and Samsung devices dragging everyone else up higher into the pricing stratosphere — including Essential, HTC, and even BlackBerry — that wouldn’t be inaccurate."
We are the ones making the iPhone and Pixel more expensive - The Verge
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
Google Pixelbook is Google's New Chromebook With Pixelbook Pen, Starting at $1,199 | Droid Life
"As we noted in our earlier Google Home Mini reveal, a report from a couple of weeks back had actually suggested that Google would soon release a smaller Home unit. In that same report, it was suggested that a new high performance Chromebook Pixel was on the way too. Today, we can confirm that report and you can all welcome in the Google Pixelbook.
Yep, Pixelbook is the official name, which kind of makes sense since the line used to be called Chromebook Pixel, yet Google appears to be ready to fully embrace the “Pixel” branding for hardware. Or does that make sense? I can’t decide, but am looking forward to the explanation on October 4.
The Pixelbook will come in Silver, along with 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options. The prices will look familiar to those who remember the original two Chromebook Pixel devices, in that they aren’t coming cheap like many of the other Chromebooks sold by Samsung, Acer, etc. The 128GB version will start at $1,199, followed by the 256GB model at $1,399 and the 512GB option at $1,749.
This Pixelbook is different from previous Chromebook Pixel units in that it folds into a tablet. It’ll also get additional interactivity, thanks to the official Pixelbook Pen, which will cost $99. The Pixebool Pen is pressure sensitive, with tilt support and supposedly no lag."
Google Pixelbook is Google's New Chromebook With Pixelbook Pen, Starting at $1,199 | Droid Life
Monday, September 18, 2017
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Ellen Pao: Has Anything Really Changed for Women in Tech? - The New York Times
"San Francisco — Just five years ago, I sued Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm in Silicon Valley where I had worked since 2005, for bias and gender discrimination. The lawsuit, which I lost, led to the venture capital world closing ranks against me. I had trouble finding work. People were afraid to support me publicly. I was called a fraud, and greedy, and was accused of being in a fake marriage.
Now, over the past year, at least a dozen women have publicly shared their stories of being discriminated against and harassed in tech by their managers, by investors or by board members. Privately, I have heard dozens more.
What I also hear, over and over again, is the question, “Has anything changed?”
The huge change is that people now acknowledge the problem. Women telling their stories are believed, for the most part, by the public and by the press. In February, with a clear and powerful blog post about her time at Uber, Susan Fowler blew open the doors on bad behavior in tech. She made deliberate choices that made her an unassailable commentator: no litigation, no P.R. firm and detailed descriptions of each incident left no room for a smear campaign or any question of impropriety. Her clear and precise retelling of the harassment and retaliation she said she suffered — and the failures of management to fix it — are now widely known.
Before her post, others who spoke up publicly and privately about their experiences of harassment were at best ignored. Some of those people — whose names are unfortunately not well known — include Adria Richards, Amélie Lamont, Gesche Haas, Julie Ann Horvath, Kathryn Minshew and Kelly Ellis. Most were disrespected and harassed online, and many found it hard, as I did, to find work after public shaming. We saw Gamergate attack female game developers and their supporters. But they all paved the way for Ms. Fowler to be heard and believed, and for subsequent stories about sexist tech culture to be accepted at face value.
What followed Ms. Fowler’s post was a first: a public overhaul of Uber; two investigations; a report from Eric Holder, the former attorney general, with recommendations for improvement; the forced departures of at least 20 employees linked to the findings, including some executives; and the board’s stating its intent to follow the report’s recommendations. Many details were leaked or dug up — board conversations, a full audio recording of a conversation the former chief executive Travis Kalanick had with Uber’s female engineers. More women stepped up to report harassment in tech by venture capital investors and board members."
Ellen Pao: Has Anything Really Changed for Women in Tech? - The New York Times