Earlier this week, Andy Rubin, the original developer of Android and the man in charge of the Android division at Google since Google purchased Android from him, announced he is stepping down from his position. Replacing him is Sundar Pichai, the head of Chrome development. Rubin is still expected to remain at Google to work on other projects. Many take this as a sign that Google plans to eventually merge Chrome OS and Android OS.
While Google have stated that they are comfortable with having two competing products on similar platforms, ultimately, most industry experts view it as a necessary move to have one product to avoid fragmentation, like that which occurred with Android 2 for phones and Android 3 for tablets. Having Chrome OS on low power notebooks and Android on powerful phones and tablets would be performing the same fragmentation that plagued Android in its early incarnations.
A potential merger could signal Google's refocusing on web search, and a plan to center all their products more heavily around web search and advertising. As of now, Android likely makes Google very little money in comparison to their web search revenue, but Android is popular due to a large development community and manufacturer backing. Chrome OS, on the other hand, is much more conducive to web search than Android, but lacks the necessary third-party development to allow it to become popular with consumers. Merging the two could bring the best of both worlds together—a web search conducive OS that have a large following and development community—or it could result in a product with the worst of both worlds—a primitive, clunky OS with little development and third-party support.
As for next week's topic, I know a little bit about cloud computing, like the basic idea behind it, EC2, and Hadoop, but not sure how it fits into an enterprise environment.
Links:
Tech Radar - Andy Rubin Steps Down
Techland - The Coming Merger
Monday, March 18, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Acronyms Galore - GOWEX NYC WIFI
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the potential "Super WiFi" network that could be built upon the FCC freeing up bandwidth. With enough free bandwidth, a private company could potentially set up a network across the nation and monetize it. Consumers would be given another choice for wireless and mobile data. This week, news came out that GOWEX, a wireless communications company, has activated a free, city-wide WiFi network in New York City, stretching across all 5 boroughs. The network is monetized through advertising, and users are given up to 1 MB of bandwidth per session, enough to checks emails, browse mobile sites, and read text news. The network is supported by 1,953 hotspots, spread out throughout the city. GOWEX plans to implement similar networks in at least two more locations in the U.S. before the end of the year.
With this plan, GOWEX might be creating the blueprint for Super WiFi networks. Their current implementation is more than likely using the ubiquitous 2.4 GHz band, but 5 GHz could be implemented just as easily (though at a higher cost, due to 5 GHz being short range), and if the FCC releases the unused bands as planned, we could potentially see similar city-wide networks running on the longer-range 300-400 MHz bands, using nearly the exact same layout as GOWEX is currently using. A larger telecom company could easily come in and invest in city-wide networks in major metropolitan areas, then eventually connect all those city networks with long range towers to create a robust national network.
Although it's in its infant stages right now, and severely limited in bandwidth with very large security concerns, this network could change the way people communicate, especially in a large metropolitan area like NYC. No longer would you have to seek out a WiFi hotspot in a coffee bar, or restaurant, just to check a website or an email. People can be, and probably will be, expected to be connected at all times. Whether that's a good thing or not, remains to be seen.
Links:
Engadget - GOWEX Free Wifi In NYC
With this plan, GOWEX might be creating the blueprint for Super WiFi networks. Their current implementation is more than likely using the ubiquitous 2.4 GHz band, but 5 GHz could be implemented just as easily (though at a higher cost, due to 5 GHz being short range), and if the FCC releases the unused bands as planned, we could potentially see similar city-wide networks running on the longer-range 300-400 MHz bands, using nearly the exact same layout as GOWEX is currently using. A larger telecom company could easily come in and invest in city-wide networks in major metropolitan areas, then eventually connect all those city networks with long range towers to create a robust national network.
Although it's in its infant stages right now, and severely limited in bandwidth with very large security concerns, this network could change the way people communicate, especially in a large metropolitan area like NYC. No longer would you have to seek out a WiFi hotspot in a coffee bar, or restaurant, just to check a website or an email. People can be, and probably will be, expected to be connected at all times. Whether that's a good thing or not, remains to be seen.
Links:
Engadget - GOWEX Free Wifi In NYC
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Urbee - The 3D Printed Car
3D printing has been discussed in class before, albeit briefly. We talked about it printing (ideally) cheap, replaceable parts, like device prototypes and lowers for rifles, to large-scale construction projects like houses. As the technology becomes easier and cheaper to use, I think we will see an improvement in quality of products produced by 3D printing, as well as widespread adoption of the process.
Case in point, the Urbee is a new, 3D printed, vehicle that runs on ethanol and electric power. Because of its 3D printing manufacturing process, the Urbee is largely able to ignore economies of scale, and can be produced in small quantities for a low price. Everything on the Urbee is printed ABS plastic, except the engines and the base chassis. It is currently still being prototyped. The current design weighs 1400 pounds, and reaches speed up to 68 mph (110 kmh). The body is designed to reduce drag, allowing for extremely high fuel-efficiency. Speeds up to 40 mph are attained through a 10 hp electric motor, and a 7 hp ethanol engine kicks in after 40 mph. The 3D printed design allows for (relatively) rapid-prototyping when changes are made. The printing time is roughly 100 days.
Over the next few years, I think we will see more and more ways of using 3D printing — some ways will be expected, and some more novel. With the increase in 3D printing, we might also see many more entrepreneurial efforts coming from small engineers and inventors. As the cost of prototyping goes down, more and more people can create products for a lower design cost.
I found this article interesting because, as an electronic hobbyist and general DIYer, the idea of having a personal 3D printer is one that has intrigued me for many years. I'd love to be able to make custom cases to house circuits, or guitar pedals, or build replacement parts for minor repairs, but unfortunately, the relatively high cost of current home models is too prohibitive for someone like myself to just go out and purchase. However, with an influx of new users and businesses in the 3D printing market, we may get to see new innovations in the field, increased supply, as well as economies of scale coming into play, resulting in a lower cost of entry into 3D printing.
As for media entertainment and sharing, since I commented on it last week during the holiday break, I'll just repost what I said then. I can't help but wonder what the future holds for DRM and piracy, as well as the evolution of the iTunes platform, and its competitors, like Amazon. I'm also interested in the viability of services like Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu to be TV replacements as their popularity grows and consumers leave cable behind.
Links:
Business Insider - The Game Changing Urbee
Case in point, the Urbee is a new, 3D printed, vehicle that runs on ethanol and electric power. Because of its 3D printing manufacturing process, the Urbee is largely able to ignore economies of scale, and can be produced in small quantities for a low price. Everything on the Urbee is printed ABS plastic, except the engines and the base chassis. It is currently still being prototyped. The current design weighs 1400 pounds, and reaches speed up to 68 mph (110 kmh). The body is designed to reduce drag, allowing for extremely high fuel-efficiency. Speeds up to 40 mph are attained through a 10 hp electric motor, and a 7 hp ethanol engine kicks in after 40 mph. The 3D printed design allows for (relatively) rapid-prototyping when changes are made. The printing time is roughly 100 days.
Over the next few years, I think we will see more and more ways of using 3D printing — some ways will be expected, and some more novel. With the increase in 3D printing, we might also see many more entrepreneurial efforts coming from small engineers and inventors. As the cost of prototyping goes down, more and more people can create products for a lower design cost.
I found this article interesting because, as an electronic hobbyist and general DIYer, the idea of having a personal 3D printer is one that has intrigued me for many years. I'd love to be able to make custom cases to house circuits, or guitar pedals, or build replacement parts for minor repairs, but unfortunately, the relatively high cost of current home models is too prohibitive for someone like myself to just go out and purchase. However, with an influx of new users and businesses in the 3D printing market, we may get to see new innovations in the field, increased supply, as well as economies of scale coming into play, resulting in a lower cost of entry into 3D printing.
As for media entertainment and sharing, since I commented on it last week during the holiday break, I'll just repost what I said then. I can't help but wonder what the future holds for DRM and piracy, as well as the evolution of the iTunes platform, and its competitors, like Amazon. I'm also interested in the viability of services like Netflix, Amazon Video, and Hulu to be TV replacements as their popularity grows and consumers leave cable behind.
Links:
Business Insider - The Game Changing Urbee
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