Google's Upcoming Chrome OS and What it Could Mean for You

Google recently announced on their official blog that they will be developing a computer operating system, called Chrome OS.
So what does this mean to the casual computer users out there? The ones that turn on their PC or laptop to simply surf the internet, type a document in Word, or watch a video on Youtube? It could mean a big change in your computer using experience. Have you ever had to wait a painfully long time for your computer to turn on and get to your desktop? Ever had a fatal error close the Word document you had just worked 3 hours on? Have you ever had to pay a computer technician to rid your computer of a virus or malware. The coming of Chrome OS just might mean that the computer hassels such as these will go away.
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Creative's Zii Egg Will Give Apple's IPod Touch Some Much Needed Competition

 

You can now order http://www.zii.com/Developer/BuySDK.aspx the Zii EGG from Creative's website and they say you should get it by the end of the month. Creative calls the Zii EGG device the "World's 1st Handheld StemCell Computer". What's that even mean, you ask? Well Creative says the EGG is a "feature-rich, open standard [device that] offers developers exciting possibilities to develop compelling customized applications."

They're using them fancy words like "StemCell" and "Computer" but we think we can see where Creative is going with this... But why call it the Zii EGG? Either "Zii" or "EGG" would have been good by themselves as the name... We're a bit smitten by "Zii", if we may say so ourselves...

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Sony Announces New Ebook Reader

Sony hosted an event at the New York Public Library today to announce their new ebook reader. It is called
the Reader Daily Edition and in addition to being an ebook reader, will feature a 3G radio and the ability
to "rent" ebooks from local libraries.

Sony's Reader Daily Edition has a 7-inch touchscreens and can display 16 levels of gray. It also has the ability to
access to Sony's eBook Store through the 3G connectivity and AT&T's 3G network. There will be no charge for the 3G service, but the wireless connection
is used only for the eBook Store and for the option to "rent" books from libraries. The library book renting seems to be a new feature in the ebook reader market.

Does this mean libraries will become digital? What about librarians? Are they going to get rid of them? They won't kill the librarians, will they? Please don't replace them with IT admins!!

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How AT&T Will Lose My Business

As of late, I have become quite disgruntled with my wireless provider, AT&T. My disappointment has now reached that fever pitch at which I would like to share it with the rest of the world. Here I will tell you the two major reasons why I'm unhappy with AT&T and the other major telecoms-- and why you should be, too. Here are the ways they are ripping us off:

1. Text Messaging: $1,300 per megabyte of data

It all started with the rise of text messaging. It seems as though texting did not become widespread in my circle of friends until around 2005. This may be sooner or later than your experience, but either way, the outcome was the same: once a friend had text messaging service, everyone else wanted it, as well. So each friend signing up with their provider had a choice. Should they go for a text allotment or the "unlimited" texting package? They could either get 200, 300, maybe 500 text messages per month or sign up for a plan with no limit on the number of messages they could send.

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PS3 Slim: Making Your Xbox Feel Fat

It looks like Sony has just released a newly redesigned version of their flagship game console. The system is called the PS3 Slim and offers new features such as a lower price tag ($299 vs. he original PS3's $399 price tag) and a slimmer redesigned outer casing.

We always thought the original PS3 was a goliath when compared to its predecessor, the PS2, or a Nintendo Wii, so a downsize is a great idea for those on a space budget (i.e. your small apartment that already has 5 game  consoles, two desktop PCs, and a 42 inch plasma television).

And, we hear as well, that the PS3 Slim's hard drive is user-removable. So if you were just dying to take the innards out of your new buddy, then you can and it won't even void your warranty (per Sony)! Where's the screw driver, friend?

So what are the downsides to this new player? Well, it's not backwards compatible with the PS2, for one. Yes, we know that neither is the original PS3, but that still is no excuse, Sony! Or did we read somewhere that there were rare originals out there with the compatability? All we know is that it should be standard... Also the Slim does not support the installation of Linux. So we guess you'll have to hang up your psubuntu.com membership if you shell out the change for this hot new contender...

All in all, we give the PS3 two blistered thumbs up. There's never much wrong with lower prices and a weight loss. We hear it will be ready to order on August 26th, so throw out those obese consoles now (Wii, you can stay).

Top 4 Reasons to Purchase a PS3 Slim

1. You're tired of your fat PS3 scaring off all the ladies
2. That weight-loss camp for the old console was costing too much
3. You like new things
4. You enjoy not being able to use Linux in all of its magnificent splendor (you must also me insane for this to apply)
   

reStart: The Cure for Your Internet Addiction

We hear from Slashdot today that the first Internet addiction facility in the United States is up and running.
This center claims that it is "designed specifically to help internet and video game addicts overcome
their dependence on gaming, gambling, chatting, texting and other aspects of Internet Addiction."
Hmmm...not sure what we would do all day without gambling and chatting on the interwebs.

The reStart: Internet Addiction Recovery Program is based in Fall City, Washington, just far enough from Silicon
Valley so that clients can't smell the U.S. interweb center, but close enough for a cheap flight at a moment's
notice. The kind Internet no-no overlords tell us that "Both China and South Korea have designated Internet Addiction
as their #1 public health danger and have responded by developing multiple treatment programs" in their press
release. This comes hot on the heals of centers for the addiction being opened up in China. Sad news is a teenager
at on of the sites killed himself... We told you not to take our internets away!

So here is the low down on the U.S. program:

• you stay in the program for 45 days
• $200 application fee
• $800 for a 2-day screening interview
• $200 airport pickup-fee, if necessary
• $14,500 45-day retreat center stay
• $1,575 participant fund account
• $1,000 parent workshop (now we are officially not having kids!)
• $325/day if you need more than 45 days

    Wow. I think we would prefer to stay in the little center we call denial. It's hard to see paying $29,075 for
the take-away-our-internet combo. It would be slightly cheaper to burn every computer in a 5 mile radius around
our location. But, if you feel your life is being ruined by this magical world of interconnected people and machines,
we guess shelling out 30 G's is always an option!

Top 4 Reasons To Go To reStart

1. You forget to eat when you're on your computer (I'm really hungry. How long has it been since I ate? 2 days?)
2. You once had a pet snake you only had to feed once a week... it starved to death
3. Somehow these all revolve around food... you also sold your fridge for WoW Gold
4. You forgot where your shoes were, but then realized they didn't fit anymore when you found them

September: Month of the Apple Tablet?

    Has your head has been filled with all the rumors of an Apple Tablet over the past few weeks? Ours have and we want to post a run
down of all the magical unicorns floating around the interwebs, spreading hope of this mythical device. From the time we set our hands
 on the iPod touch, there's been that little guy in the back of our head whispering "Wouldn't this thing be cool if it were about
3 times larger?"

    There have been quiet talks of a tablet device (small, touchscreen handheld computer) for a while now, each one leading
 up to Apple's annual September event. But, alas, the tablet has never materialized, Steve Jobs dashing our hopes year after
year. One thing is different this year, though: the shifty-eyed dudes in the back of the tavern that whisper about Apple's
Tablet have become less creepy and more numerous. The rumors are buzzing this year like never before...

The word on the street is a plenty, with an analyst from Barron's ("America's premier financial magazine") even saying
he handled Apple's Tablet (hint: if true, this means the tablet is actually in existence). He also said they plan to sell the
device at $699-$799...

The Apple event is predicted to be on September 8 this year and we can't think of anything more beautiful than the
 above pictured tablet gracing that stage. There have even been numerous patent applications pointing to such a form
 factor coming from Apple, a figure from one pictured below.

Look at that diagram! The only thing imaginary about it are the thumbs. They could never be real, at all. But that Apple
 Tablet is so real we can taste it! So the major question is how much is Apple wanting to charge us for their tablet?
Will the Barron's analyst report ring true? We hope so, but that would be quite cheap for an Apple "computer".
 We can't really see paying $1000, but that would be more in Apple's ballpark, judging from their current line up.
 They might want to keep it below that grand mark, or we could see ourselves waiting for Techcrunch's Crunchpad...

Top 4 Features We Want In an Apple Tablet

1. September 2009 release date
2. iPhone-like sex appeal
3. less than 10 mm thick
4. less than $1000 price tag
   

Chevy Volt to get 230 MPG…eventually

So you know those creepy ads on hulu this past week? The ones with the number “23″, an a odd, smiling electrical outlet and the date “8/11″? Well, it turns out the old boys at Chevy made those and it was supposed to be the number “230″, which is the estimated city gas mileage of the upcoming Chevrolet Volt. For the lazy among us, words are usually good in commercials, preferably spoken ones that tell us what the hell is going on.
But we’re going to let this one slip for those toilers at Chevy because this is a good day for cars! Sort of!
Of course, the reason for this good day is that big 230 MPG! This is a first for an intended production vehicle like the Volt. Apparently no one has hit 3 digits with a fuel mileage rating (except for our neighbor’s Hummer, he says it gets at least 12.0 MPG. There’s yo 3 digits!)
So, expectedly, that ad is quite comfy in its boasting, as it should be. However, here’s the downside: Chevy no longer points to November of this year for the date when their last hope will be sold to public. A recent United States Treasury filing (yes, Uncle Sam owns the GM) shows that the company is not talking like a winner as they do in their commercials. GM says “Our competitors and others are pursuing similar technologies and other competing technologies, in some cases with more money available; there can be no assurance that they will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do.”
So we take this as GM saying “we’re gonna slow this one down a bit so we don’t look stupid when Toyota’s 500 MPG Prius pops out”.
Well that doesn’t sound very much like a world-class car company to us here at Magna Techa. But, we guess it’s good that GM is putting it to the gov’ment straight. We don’t really need any lofty unicorn speeches about “The New General Motors Company“. We just need you profitable, GM, so we can sell you to some other schmuck.
Top 4 Reasons to grab the Chevy Volt
1. 230 MPG!! We haven’t got that kind of mileage since we stopped riding our bicycles!
2. It actually looks pretty cool
3. $43,000 will be chump change when it finally comes out (ETA: November 12, 2190)
4. “I’d ride a Volt” sounds either really cool or like you’re high and you just saw a Volt energy drink ad

Snail Mail Soon to Be Mole Mail?

Word comes to us today from wired.com (through our beasties at engadget.com) that a designer by the name of Phillip Hermes has created an interesting mail delivery concept. Hermes’ idea consists of utilizing underground pipes to deliver mail through a city.
Yes, his underground pipes are already in place, currently going by the name sewers. But wait, don’t go anywhere! Mr. Hermes promises there will be steps taken to make sure there is no poo on your package from Aunt Sally. We all know you don’t want yesterday’s cookies on the cookies coming in from your aunty.
Obviously there are many benefits of an underground mail system as proposed by the designer, such as time savings. Hermes estimates a parcel could be delivered across town (hopefully he isn’t talking about tiny concept towns) in about 10 minutes. This also gives us a chance to fire all the incompetent mailpersons that love to “misplace” your very important application letter to where ever. Sorry Mr. USPS employee, but 192 West St. is not exactly the same as, or even close to physically, 14872 Saint Barry Cove.
And, besides who wouldn’t love to go down to the “Mole Station” to grab the daily dose of Wal-Mart flyers, Target coupons, and other assorted goodies you’re likely to receive? We salute Mr. Phillip Hermes, for taking a step forward and suggesting an alternative to the flailing USPS. Although we do have to hand it to them, they recently switched to GNU/Linux OS’s for their computerizing needs. That should save a bit of U.S. tax-payer money.
Top 4 Benefits of Mole Mail
1. Speed (they shave the moles…wait they don’t really use moles…)
2. Efficiency
3. Coolness (nothing better than getting your mail through the sewer, and it would be even better if you
got a piece of candy like when you use the pneumatic tube at the bank)
4. The name (they better keep calling it “Mole Mail”)

Google Chrome OS: Revolution or Repetition?

Nearly two weeks ago an announcement was made by Google on their official blog: they want to develop an operating system. As you know, the search company released their web browser, Google Chrome, on September 2 of last year. Now Google says they are going ahead with “a new project that’s a natural extension of Google Chrome — the Google Chrome Operating System”.
Well, if Google wanted to toss a bomb in the middle of the Internet and all its technology lovers, it sure did. It was non-stop talk about Chrome OS for nearly a week after the announcement. We thought they might have said the OS would come with an anti-infant assault rifle attached to it judging from the splash it made in the news… But, alas, no gunnery for this beast. However, that doesn’t seem to downplay the damage it will supposedly do to the ole Microsoft.
Google says they want Chrome OS to be an extremely quick booting (sub-10 second boot time), simple yet intuitive, Linux-based operating system that tosses the user right into the Chrome web browser. They say that everything will be done through the browser. This makes sense to us, as we know many people that boot their PC up, itching the whole time to double-click on that IE or Firefox icon on their desktop.
They also say that their rethinking the concept of the operating system from the ground up, hoping to do away with virus and malware worries that plague other OS’s (excuse us…that plague Windows OS’s). A superfast, super intuitive computer operating system from a search giant? Some say it spells doom for Microsoft and potentially harms Apple (some even say it will cannibalize and hurt even the likes of Ubuntu, a Linux operating system itself). Here at Magna Techa, we’re not really sure who it will hurt, but we do know who it will help: the end user. There’s never been much wrong with a little competition, and MS should see this as a way to get the government off their backs about those silly monopolies.
There’s been a few who have merely laughed at Chrome OS, saying it will fail just as they claim Google’s Android has failed. Most of these comments seem to be coming from Engadget… We wonder what Google did in their cheerios? You can check out their article with anti-Chrome OS undertones here and a podcast where they argue as to why it will fail here.
We’re not haters around here at Magna Techa, so we’ll let the little OS come out and play before we drag out our FAIL stamp. What do you guys think? Sound off in the comments.
Top 4 Reasons Why Google Wants Their Own OS
1. World domination
2. Tired of the other choices, like the rest of us
3. A tool of their own for the coming raptor attack.
4. They’re bored

Bing It!

Coming in hot! Get your fresh beta taste of Microsoft’s new take on search, Bing (bing.com). With Google getting all the ladies with their search engine, Microsoft decided that their “Live” search just wasn’t as lively as they would like so they decided to remake it (for the third time).
Secretly referred to as “Kumo” in the depths Steve Ballmer’s caves, now the search engine screams “Bing ™ and Decide” as it rips into the daylight known as the interwebs.
Yahoo’s CEO Bartz says “Bing isn’t all that (and neither is a Microsoft search deal)” of the new MS creation. Well, did we expect anything different from Microsoft’s elusive princess? Our initial opinion is less harsh. Bing seems to be an adequate search engine with a short “viral” name that could end up being successful. You never know, people could be telling you to “Bing it” in a few months instead of “Google it”.
Apparently Bing isn’t as big a fan of Magna Techa as we are of it. A search for “magnatecha” on Bing brings back 59 results while the same search on Google brings back 762 results. Not a very scientific or meaningful test, but it hurts us right in our cold, steely robot hearts here at Magna Techa…:’(
Anywho, head on over to Bing land and check it out for yourself. Do you think this reiteration of Live search can topple the Google Goliath? Sound off in the comments!
Top 4 Reasons to Bing (or get Binged)
1. You are anti-Google (an aversion to large, seemingly non-evil companies)
2. You like Microsoft
3. You just felt the need for more beta in your life
4. You’re only “from the United Kingdom”

Will you catch the Google Wave?

Today, Google announced a new product/platform/API called Google Wave. The search engine behemoth revealed a developer preview of the new toy at a demonstration provided by the Wave team.
The team describes Wave as “equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more.” Sounds like it’s worth a shot to us.
The creators, Lars and Jens Rasmussen (the masterminds behind Google Maps), thought of the idea as they
pondered how the majority of our current internet communication is modeled after archaic traditions (i.e. email models the postal service and IM models a telephone call). They decided we should be able to use the full capability of our new-fangled computer machines and make communication more 21st (or 22nd) century.
The Rasmussen brothers & Co. claim the project is still “in it’s infancy” so it could be a few months before we get our grubby hands on it. All the better, though, as it would give us time to try on our speedos and gather up our dragon-shaped flotation devices. We don’t want any tragedies in Magna Techa’s wave.
Maybe this gives us the answer as to whether Google will buy Twitter or Facebook. No, they don’t need to acquire any social networking platforms. They will just invent their own and blow the old boys out of the water, no pun intended.
Google: “E3″
Facebook: “You sunk my battle ship!”
Google: “We shall not attempt to control the strength of our WAVE!!!”… or something along those lines.
You can read more about the Wave on Google’s blog.
Top 4 Questions To Ask Before Jumping In Google’s Wave
1. Do I have to know how to swim?
2. Will Davie Hasselhoff be there? (cue “I’m Always Here” performed by Jimi Jamison)
3. How big are the sharks?
4. What do I do if I get stung by a jelly fish?

Moblin OS v2.0 Released (updated with link to Moblin 2.1)

Edit 2: You can now get that oh-so-sexy Moblin 2.1 Final img here: Moblin v2.1 Final
Edit: You can get a copy of Moblin v2.0 Final release or Moblin v2.1 (developer release) here: Moblin v2.0 Final or you can get the the Ubuntu Moblin Remix here: Ubuntu Moblin Remix

The developers behind Moblin (name derived from “mobile” and “Linux”) announced on Tuesday the release of version 2.0 of the operating system. This version is labled as beta.
Moblin is a Linux based OS originally set forth for use on smartphones by Intel. Intel has since turned over the project to the Linux Foundation to, as they say, “stimulate third-party involvement” in a “vendor-neutral” setting. Currently, Moblin is aimed at netbooks, mobile internet devices (MIDs) and In Vehicle Infotainment systems (IVI). Sounds good, even though we’re not real sure about the “infotainment” part (we assume it has something to do with computerizing in your car, an even bigger thrill than texting while you drive!)
Moblin v1.0 was nothing to write home about upon looking at its cover. Just another Linux distro with an XFCE window manager. However, those ghastly innards were another story: the beast boots up like wild banshee on a land rocket (hint: fast, real fast). Intel, when they were in charge, were pushing the Moblin to be a “2 second boot time” speed demon and we’ve seen a video (which you can watch here) of the OS booting in 12 seconds. Not too shabby for beta…
Well, Moblin has shed its boring old XFCE for a new Clutter-based UI and it is looking good. The new interface presents the user with intuitive “zones” that hold similar apps. The UI also packs a custom-built Gecko-powered (Firefox’s engine) web browser that melts nicely into the experience.
We’ve been playing around with Moblin on a non-netbook (Gateway MT6729 Core 2 Duo notebook) and here’s what we’ve done so far:
1. Booted live image in a VirtualBox guest machine- the graphics were lethargic due to a generic driver, but we saw potential.
2. Booted live image from a 4 GB SD card- graphics were rocking at appropriate speeds and it left us wanting to install this beta on something.
3. Here’s where everything went downhill- installed to HDD from SD card (because we live on the edge). Moblin booted up great, but neither wired or wireless networking would work. Sadly, no internets is a deal breaker for us here at Magna Techa. And we were too lazy to whip out our Linux kung-fu to rig up a workaround, so we went merrily on our way distrohopping. We ended up with a brand new #! Crunchbang installation to replace our Xubuntu (which we had on our test mule before the Moblin adventure).
So, Final Verdict:
Moblin looks like a very promising beta, featuring a heart-warming GUI and we are looking forward to the things to come from the developers.
Top 4 Things To Do While You Wait For Moblin’s Final Release
1. Buy a netbook
2. Make sure you have an Atom processor (or modern Intel- our Core 2 Duo did the job)
3. Dream about m_zones
4. Fix your oddly un-writable SD card (oh, wait. That’s us…)

Your Next Textbook: Kindle DX

Oh how the times are changing. We believe, here at Magna Techa, that Amazon has gone and changed the future of literature intake, education, and maybe the world as we know it. Well, mostly the first two.
Amazon announced the Kindle DX on May 6 and boy does this beast look promising. In case you are behind in your tech news, Amazon released a an e-book reader named Kindle on November 19, 2007 and has since released the Kindle 2.
The new reader ups its screen real estate from 6 inches to 9.7 inches of text reading fun and will include the option to set page margins manually. However, the big news to us is not exactly that Amazon is coming out with a new model of its e-book reader, but that it’s starting to look like a viable replacement for many archaic forms of literature in our lives.
Wouldn’t it be nice, you college students, to be able to trade in that 40 pound stack of textbooks for a sub-1-pound device with all of your books on it. And if that isn’t enough, how about the option to have Newton’s gravitational theory read to you by a robot (the Kindle has a text-to-speech feature) rather than read it yourself.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have your newspaper (for those of you who still read them) delivered right to your Kindle rather than your doorstep- where it often gets torn apart by the rabid children that roam the neighborhood.
There are numerous upsides to this new, larger Kindle. The only hard part is getting the old, entrenched industries that benefit from old-fashioned printed materials to either go along with the new age or trick them into thinking they can make money on the Kindle, too.
Top 4 Uses for the Kindle DX
1. Sticking it to the man (that makes you carry 20 lb. books around)
2. Having your homework assignment read to you while you do more worthwhile things (see “browsing the internetz”)
3. Bringin’ out that future!
4. Reading stuff…

New mobile Gmail with “Floaty Bar”

Yesterday Google unveiled the next step in the evolution of their mobile Gmail. Gmail is Google’s mail service, for those of you that live in caves (not that there’s anything wrong with that), and they have made a few updates to their mobile version.
The mobile Gmail is compatable with the iPhone family (iPhones and iPod touches) as well as any phone with Google’s Android OS running on it. We’re going to get right to the real fruit in this update: the “Floaty Bar.”

And yes, Google did name it “Floaty Bar”, quotation marks and all. It’s slightly humorous, but you wouldn’t want a more technical name like “Dynamically Transitional Action Toolbar,” would you? The bar, as you can see, holds commonly used actions in Gmail and stays floating at the top of the visible page while you look at your email. Now, instead of having to scroll back up to select delete, the “Floaty Bar” will be there for you, ripsnorting to follow your every command.
A few other enhancements accompany the Floaty Bar in the new mobile Gmail, such as offline functions and changes to the look of your inbox. Offline functions include the ability to compose an email and open recently read messages without an internet connection (similar to Gmail Labs’ recent addition to the desktop version of Gmail). This function uses Google Gears on Android and SQLite databases on the iPhone OS.
Google claims the new look of Gmail mobile will make “labels are easier to read” and make them “more in-line with the familiar Gmail labels you see on your desktop.”
So, what does this mean for those of you with that shiny new, non-iPhone/Android phone? Well it means what it has meant for the last 2 years or so: your “smart”phone’s manufacturer is behind the game. Google says “Hint to OEMs: you provide a world-class browser, we’ll make sure Gmail and Calendar for mobile works on your platform.” Yes, it’s true, the internet does suck on your RAZR and your phone is a dinosaur.
We tried out the new Gmail on the resident iPod touch 2.0, and we have to say, that Floaty Bar is a handy little animal when you’re on the go. We usually use the iPhone OS’s native email app, but when we happen to be using Google Reader and Gmail is just a tap away, that new look and feel will come as a welcome change.
You can read more about this Google spawn on their blog and mobile blog
Top 4 Future Enhancements We Want For Gmail Mobile
1. Voice controlled actions (archive message 2, please)
2. Skins
3. Split screen inbox with Google search results on the other half
4. More magical floating items?

About Magna Techa

Magna Techa is a technology news blog that delves into the world of emerging technology, consumer electronics and science. You can possibly find posts on other topics from time to time. But don't worry, they'll go away soon enough.

Magna Techa

Established 10-20-2008