March 2010 Archives

Google has a better chance of winning consumer interest from Apple rather than Microsoft. Google's systematic rollout of the technology stack is sensible: first Android OS for SmartPhones, then the Chrome Browser and finally, the Chrome Operating System. With Chrome OS, Google has overcome the limitations with Android such as non-Flash support for Firefox, the inability to open attachments or to access USB drives and printers. Google is working with printer manufacturers to come up with a way to avoid making drivers for every printer on the market (good luck with that). The Chrome Browser has won over Apple fans since its introduction. Google's in-house Javascript rendering engine is coupled with Safari's WebKit making the UI fantastic and fast. Couple Chrome browser with a multi-tasking OS on an iPad form factor and you see why I think it's a viable competitor. But if the Nexus One introduction was any indication, I would take a wait and see attitude. The Google Chrome netbooks are due to come out by year-end. If you don't think these devices are still experimental, consider that many of them will have a switch beneath the battery that will allow you to disable security and put the machine in developer mode. From this mode, you'll have access to the open source code. I would love to do that with my MacBook Pro. But, I would probably never get it back together again!