Google Chrome OS Netbook Cr-48

When I applied for Google’s Cr-48 netbook pilot program I did not expect I would ever be a beta tester.

Under the pilot program, Google sends each of its beta testers a Cr-48 netbook, which runs on the new Chrome OS (distinct from Windows and Mac, but runs on Linux).

I am excited to report that Google sent me one of its Chrome OS netbooks. (See the unboxing video below)

It’s an interesting device. The OS is unique. It functions like some sort of deeply immersed internet browser and is built exclusively for web applications. If you’ve used the Google Chrome browser before, imagine that but applied to a desktop variation.

For word processing I can use Google Docs, an open source program.

Chrome OS operates under a relatively new commercially applied concept of cloud storage and servers. Instead of storing your data and files locally, you store them on remote servers. If your local machine or device is destroyed, your files are not since they are stored remotely.

Cloud computing has already transformed the way I manage, store and use my files. From DropBox and now to Chrome OS.

At 3.8 pounds, here are the Cr-48 Specs:

Processor: Intel Atom Processor N455 1.66GHz 512K Cache

Chipset: Intel CG82NM10 PCH

Motherboard: Tripod Motherboard MARIO – 6050A240910 – MB – A03

Ram: Hynix 2GB DDR3 1Rx8 PC3 – 10600S Ram

Read Only Memory: ITE IT8500E Flash ROM

SSD Drive: SanDisk sdsa4dh-016G 16GB SATA SSD

Wireless Wan: Qualcomm Gobi2000 PCI Express Mini Card

3g Adapter: AzureWave 802.11 a/b/g/n PCI-E Half MiniCard

Bluetooth: Atheros AR5BBU12 Bluetooth V2.1 EDR

Google Changes Name to ‘Topeka’

On its blog, Google announced, “Today we are pleased to announce that as of 1AM (Central Daylight Time) April 1st, Google has officially changed our name to Topeka.”

April Fool’s!

All jokes aside, in the air of April Fool’s Day, Google announced that it would be changing its name to Topeka, after the capital city of Kansas.

Topeka it, I mean Google it.

I remember a previous Google April Fool’s Joke on the Gmail client. Users were informed they would send a finite number of emails and control the date the email was sent.

Ie: If today were January 30th – I could send an email today and have it dated as being sent on Jan 25th.

Meanwhile, the British news media continued its tradition of faux April Fool’s day reports.

The Sun reported that a page of its newsprint was flavored and offered readers a “hidden taste” if they licked the page.

And BBC Radio revealed that William Shakespeare’s mother was French!

Google TV?

Google, Intel and Sony have teamed up to tackle a new venture that would bring web content to television sets.

The hardware in development is called Google TV.

Google TV would combine the Web with television. Using internet applications on the TV would be as easy as changing a channel. It would run on Android and use the Google browser, Google Chrome.

Google and Intel have little influence in the realm of television, so Google TV will be an attempt to dip into this arena. It will be a symbol of Google’s market dominance and sucessful entrepeneurship.

Google won’t just be the default search engine or a common verb, (“google it!” – note lower-case g) but once it masters Google TV, it might extend into our living rooms and transform the way we consume media.

Google Privacy Concerns

Perhaps unknown to most Americans, Google harvests private information from its users.

It aggregates information and data ranging from internet habits and Gmails to Google chat conversations and home adressses.

In a satrical fake news piece, The Onion reported that Google issued an apology last week after alarmists cried out against the way it handles private data.

“Clearly there have been some privacy concerns as of late, and judging by some of the search terms we’ve seen, along with the tens of thousands of personal e-mail exchanges and Google Chat conversations we’ve carefully examined, it looks as though it might be a while before we regain your trust,” said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in the faux joke report.

But there still may be real concerns about internet privacy and Google’s analytic data mining.

For example, when the Federal government demands general data from Google about a person of interest and runs this data through secret algorithms they might find anomalies – like an excessive number of innocent searches for “Jihad.” This might prompt the Feds to request further information on the subject.

Who would want the Feds, or anyone for that matter, poring over his or her personal data or most recent Google searches?

In a similar vein, what if before taking a Civil Service Exam, the civil-servant wannabe is possessed (for whatever reason) to Google “Jihad” multiple times over a set number of days in a manner that would flag government data algorithms?

Well as part of a standard background check or vetting process the civil-servant wannabe might be flagged after Feds pour over his file sequestered from Google.

It seems nothing we do on our computers is secret in the Internet age…unless we do this:

Facebook, or Stalkerbook?

Facebook has transformed the way I communicate and network with friends.

Instead of calling my friend on her cell phone, I post on her Facebook wall. Instead of seeing what my friend is up to – I check his Facebook status. Sometimes I even cringe at the Facebook drama [and yes internet lingo]:

“At this point its [sic] sad to think some people use facebook as a weapon, and defriend and even threaten others on their wall [sic] you guys belong on myspace.” –Facebook friend’s note

Facebook will celebrate its sixth birthday next month. It is the second most widely used internet website, after Google. It boasts over 350 million active users. (Source: Facebook)

In its January 30^th issue, The Economist devotes a 9-page special report to social networking. It attributes Facebook’s popularity to the “network effect,” which essentially means: the audience of a social network will initially grow slowly  – then explode exponentially at a certain threshold.

Personally, I find Facebook to be an excellent networking tool. Through Facebook I keep in touch with hundreds of contacts, some of whom I met in Junior High School and, without Facebook, would never have connected. However, I’m not a fan of sharing personal information. My Facebook info is blank – I only share my school networks and AIM screen name.

I don’t think it is necessary to advertise my political and religious views.