The phones in our pockets have become supercomputers that are changing the way we live. It’s now possible to do things we used to think were magic, or only possible on Star Trek—like get directions right from where we are standing; watch a video on YouTube; or take a picture and share the moment instantly with friends.
It’s why I’m excited to announce today that our Motorola Mobility deal has closed. Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the first cell phone. We all remember Motorola’s StarTAC, which at the time seemed tiny and showed the real potential of these devices. And as a company who made a big, early bet on Android, Motorola has become an incredibly valuable partner to Google.
Sanjay Jha, who was responsible for building the company and placing that big bet on Android, has stepped down as CEO. I would like to thank him for his efforts and am tremendously pleased that he will be working to ensure a smooth transition as long-time Googler Dennis Woodside takes over as CEO of Motorola Mobility.
I’ve known Dennis for nearly a decade, and he’s been phenomenal at building teams and delivering on some of Google’s biggest bets. One of his first jobs at Google was to put on his backpack and build our businesses across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia. More recently he helped increase our revenue in the U.S. from $10.8 billion to $17.5 billion in under three years as President of the Americas region. Dennis has always been a committed partner to our customers and I know he will be an outstanding leader of Motorola. As an Ironman triathlete, he’s got plenty of energy for the journey ahead—and he’s already off to great start with some very strong new hires for the Motorola team.
It’s a well known fact that people tend to overestimate the impact technology will have in the short term, but underestimate its significance in the longer term. Many users coming online today may never use a desktop machine, and the impact of that transition will be profound—as will the ability to just tap and pay with your phone. That’s why it’s a great time to be in the mobile business, and why I’m confident Dennis and the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come.
2. Chrome dethrones IE as king of browsers
Sanjay Jha, who was responsible for building the company and placing that big bet on Android, has stepped down as CEO. I would like to thank him for his efforts and am tremendously pleased that he will be working to ensure a smooth transition as long-time Googler Dennis Woodside takes over as CEO of Motorola Mobility.
I’ve known Dennis for nearly a decade, and he’s been phenomenal at building teams and delivering on some of Google’s biggest bets. One of his first jobs at Google was to put on his backpack and build our businesses across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia. More recently he helped increase our revenue in the U.S. from $10.8 billion to $17.5 billion in under three years as President of the Americas region. Dennis has always been a committed partner to our customers and I know he will be an outstanding leader of Motorola. As an Ironman triathlete, he’s got plenty of energy for the journey ahead—and he’s already off to great start with some very strong new hires for the Motorola team.
It’s a well known fact that people tend to overestimate the impact technology will have in the short term, but underestimate its significance in the longer term. Many users coming online today may never use a desktop machine, and the impact of that transition will be profound—as will the ability to just tap and pay with your phone. That’s why it’s a great time to be in the mobile business, and why I’m confident Dennis and the team at Motorola will be creating the next generation of mobile devices that will improve lives for years to come.
2. Chrome dethrones IE as king of browsers
This post was originally published on Mashable.
Google's Chrome web browser just passed Microsoft's Internet Explorer to become the most-used browser in the world, says the latest data from a digital analytics service.
Although Chrome has edged out IE before for short periods, the last week marks the first time Chrome was the No. 1 browser for a sustained period of one week. Exactly 31.88 per cent of the world's web traffic was done on Chrome, according toStatCounter, while IE is a close second at 31.47 per cent.
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Although the difference is slight, Chrome has been trending upfor some time, while IE has been trending down. IE is still the top browser in many regions, including North America, but Chrome is extremely popular in both India and South America — the latter being a region where Google's Orkut social network also has significant market share.
IE is still king in most other regions, though, for obvious reasons: It's the default web browser for Windows machines, which still constitute about 90 per cent of the world's computers. Tech-savvy internet users tend to prefer Chrome, however, due to its minimal user interface and loading speed.
The browser trends are expected to continue at least until the general release of Internet Explorer 10 later this year. IE10 is tied to the launch of Windows 8, and it may introduce a wild card into the browser game.
While the desktop version of Windows 8 will support third-party browsers just like Windows has in the past, there's some question whether certain Windows tablets will limit their functionality, in effect forcing users toward using IE10 if they want the abilities of a full web browser.
While StatCounter's numbers, which are based on page-view data on 3 million websites, are often seen as a reliable barometer on browser popularity, other services that look at unique visitors to determine market share tell a different story. The most recent numbers from Net Applications, for example, show IE with a commanding lead of 54 per cent to Chrome's 19 per cent. Mozilla Firefox is slightly more popular, at 20 per cent.
Mashable is the largest independent news source covering digital culture, social media and technology.
3. Seven Useful Resources for Linux Beginners
If you're new or relatively new to Linux, you may be looking around for good Linux resources and perhaps some tutorials. Whether you're new to Linux or looking to become a more advanced user, there are a lot of free online books and tutorials that can give you guidance. In this post, you'll find our updated collection of many good Linux reference guides online--all available at no cost. Total Linux beginners can easily dive into The Linux Starter Pack. It's a guide that caters to newbies and provides numerous useful resources. We've covered Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference before here, and you can download it for free here. The online book is mostly identical to the fee-based print version, and the author, Keir Thomas, has written a number of books on Linux. There are seven chapters in the reference guide, with many screenshots, and information on how to move...
Linus has released the 3.4 kernel. Significant features in this release include the Yama security module, support for the x32 ABI, asymmetric multiprocessing support, the dm-verity device mapper target, and more. For details, see the always-excellent KernelNewbies 3.4 page.
5. Grow An Indoor Garden On Your Wall With A Sleek, Magnetic Planter System
From its humble beginnings as an — ahem — Kickstarter project, Urbio has parlayed a successful fundraising drive into actual indoor gardening products that actual people can buy.
While the bring-your-own-device phenomenon in IT presents a fair amount of risk to enterprise security, most companies are warming up to the idea anyway. A Cisco-sponsored survey of 600 IT and business leaders found that 95 percent of their companies allow employee-owned devices on the corporate network.
Of all companies surveyed, 36 percent support all BYOD devices, while 48 percent support a select list of devices. An additional 11 percent tolerate employee-owned devices on enterprise networks, but will offer no IT support.
The overwhelming number of corporations giving some type of support to BYOD is due to a large majority of IT executives themselves seeing the initiative as positive to their companies. Cisco says 76 percent of respondents called BYOD either somewhat or extremely positive, citing higher employee job satisfaction and increased productivity as reasons for their support. The benefits outweigh the risks, the data suggests, and it's better to keep your employees happy.
While employees may appreciate device choice, there's a much more personal reason behind the push for BYOD. Employees cite personal freedom as a major reason for wanting their own devices in the workplace. Corporate-owned hardware typically comes with usage policies that prevents personal use. That means checking Facebook or instant messaging is a no-no. Cisco says it found that 69 percent of BYOD users were using unapproved applications on these devices.
Simply put? It's much more difficult to track what your employees are doing when they're using their own devices. BYOD gives the employee the freedom to do as they wish.
This personal component seems to really be driving the BYOD phenomenon, but the need for mobile connectivity is also a factor. Cisco found that four in five white-collar employees use a mobile device in the course of their workday, with 65 percent of all white-collar workers requiring mobile connectivity in order to perform their jobs.
"As the number of devices being brought into work increases, organizations need a comprehensive mobility strategy", Cisco chief technology officer Padmasree Warrior says. Undoubtedly, this strategy needs to include some type of security component, as respondents listed security concerns as a top challenge in dealing with BYOD.
Of all companies surveyed, 36 percent support all BYOD devices, while 48 percent support a select list of devices. An additional 11 percent tolerate employee-owned devices on enterprise networks, but will offer no IT support.
The overwhelming number of corporations giving some type of support to BYOD is due to a large majority of IT executives themselves seeing the initiative as positive to their companies. Cisco says 76 percent of respondents called BYOD either somewhat or extremely positive, citing higher employee job satisfaction and increased productivity as reasons for their support. The benefits outweigh the risks, the data suggests, and it's better to keep your employees happy.
While employees may appreciate device choice, there's a much more personal reason behind the push for BYOD. Employees cite personal freedom as a major reason for wanting their own devices in the workplace. Corporate-owned hardware typically comes with usage policies that prevents personal use. That means checking Facebook or instant messaging is a no-no. Cisco says it found that 69 percent of BYOD users were using unapproved applications on these devices.
Simply put? It's much more difficult to track what your employees are doing when they're using their own devices. BYOD gives the employee the freedom to do as they wish.
This personal component seems to really be driving the BYOD phenomenon, but the need for mobile connectivity is also a factor. Cisco found that four in five white-collar employees use a mobile device in the course of their workday, with 65 percent of all white-collar workers requiring mobile connectivity in order to perform their jobs.
"As the number of devices being brought into work increases, organizations need a comprehensive mobility strategy", Cisco chief technology officer Padmasree Warrior says. Undoubtedly, this strategy needs to include some type of security component, as respondents listed security concerns as a top challenge in dealing with BYOD.
7. 5 things you should know about Samsung Galaxy S III
Earlier today, Samsung unveiled the newest member of its Galaxy S family of Android-based smartphones, the Galaxy S III, at London's Earl's Court Exhibition Center at a press event dubbed "Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012". Was it the disappointment that some people predicted? Hell, no! Not to me, at least. And I am going to tell you why.
Right up to today's launch event, there were many rumors/predictions saying that we would see a device with a 4.6 - 4.8 inch Super AMOLED screen, Samsung's new quad-core processor (Exynos 4420) running at 1.4 GHz, 1GB of RAM, and 4G connectivity (at least in markets that currently support it). All of these predictions came true. But there's more -- five things that set Galaxy S III apart from other Samsung smartphones and those from competitors.
But, First the Hardware
In terms of S3 hardware features, here's what Samsung announced today:
How do these specs compare to the Galaxy Nexus, this phone's closest sibling? Well, most notably, the Galaxy S III is faster (1.4 GHz quad-core processor vs. dual-core 1.2 GHz processor in addition to a faster GPU). Furthermore, it is slimmer (8.6mm vs. 9mm), and lighter (133g vs. 135g) despite having a larger display (4.8 inch vs. 4.65 inch). On a more subjective level, I would say that it has a better, more ergonomic design (supposedly inspired by the shapes of pebbles and leaves) and higher build quality.
Now on to those 5 Things
But the real focus of today's presentation was on Samsung's software innovations.
1. Samsung introduced a new interface called "TouchWiz Nature UX" on top of Android 4.0, which tries to be more Zen-like than its predecessor (TouchWiz 4.0), using sounds and visuals inspired by nature, such as a pond-like live wallpaper used for the lock screen.
2. The new phone tries to predict the user's intentions by using the camera, microphone, accelerometer and proximity sensor to perform clever tricks such as:
3. New features make sharing with friends and colleagues easier. For example:
5. Samsung is serious about supporting the enterprise by offering better device management and on-device encryption.
Additionally, Samsung introduced a nice set of hardware accessories, such as a wireless charging station (similar to the Touchstone Charging Dock Palm introduced three years ago), flip cover, and car dock.
Samsung packed a lot into today's one-hour presentation. If you hate Android, what Samsung showed today won't win you over and persuade you to go out and buy a Galaxy S III. But Samsung fans and, in general, Android fans who are always hungry for the latest and greatest phones are likely to forgive the Galaxy S III's PenTile display and appreciate its impressive set of hardware and software features.
As for the majority of users out there who just want a really nice smartphone but don't care whether it is using iOS or Android, they are highly likely to be seduced by the very sexy Galaxy S III.
Earlier today, Samsung unveiled the newest member of its Galaxy S family of Android-based smartphones, the Galaxy S III, at London's Earl's Court Exhibition Center at a press event dubbed "Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2012". Was it the disappointment that some people predicted? Hell, no! Not to me, at least. And I am going to tell you why.
Right up to today's launch event, there were many rumors/predictions saying that we would see a device with a 4.6 - 4.8 inch Super AMOLED screen, Samsung's new quad-core processor (Exynos 4420) running at 1.4 GHz, 1GB of RAM, and 4G connectivity (at least in markets that currently support it). All of these predictions came true. But there's more -- five things that set Galaxy S III apart from other Samsung smartphones and those from competitors.
But, First the Hardware
In terms of S3 hardware features, here's what Samsung announced today:
- 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos processor supported by a new graphics processing unit (reportedly around 65-percent faster than the GPU on the Galaxy S II)
- 4.8 inch (720p) HD Super AMOLED screen with a scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 2 coating
- Very light (133g, or 4.7 ounces) and slim (8.6mm) design
- Fast, 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with back-side illumination for better low-light performance, as well as 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera
- Plenty of storage options in the form of versions with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of on-board storage as well as a microSD slot (which should allow as much as an additional 64GB of storage)
- Removable 2100mAh battery
- NFC (Near Field Communications) for mobile payments
- WiFi Direct (offering device to device file transfer speeds as high as 300 Mbps even in places where there is no cell signal or WiFi network)
- Bluetooth 4.0 (which uses less power than Bluetooth 3.0)
- Finally, HSPA+ connectivity for most of the world but 4G LTE connectivity for certain markets (initially in North American, Japan, and Korea)
How do these specs compare to the Galaxy Nexus, this phone's closest sibling? Well, most notably, the Galaxy S III is faster (1.4 GHz quad-core processor vs. dual-core 1.2 GHz processor in addition to a faster GPU). Furthermore, it is slimmer (8.6mm vs. 9mm), and lighter (133g vs. 135g) despite having a larger display (4.8 inch vs. 4.65 inch). On a more subjective level, I would say that it has a better, more ergonomic design (supposedly inspired by the shapes of pebbles and leaves) and higher build quality.
Now on to those 5 Things
But the real focus of today's presentation was on Samsung's software innovations.
1. Samsung introduced a new interface called "TouchWiz Nature UX" on top of Android 4.0, which tries to be more Zen-like than its predecessor (TouchWiz 4.0), using sounds and visuals inspired by nature, such as a pond-like live wallpaper used for the lock screen.
2. The new phone tries to predict the user's intentions by using the camera, microphone, accelerometer and proximity sensor to perform clever tricks such as:
- Keeping the screen awake while the user is looking at it (a feature known as "Smart Stay")
- Allowing Siri-like voice control (a feature called "S Voice") for doing things such as searching for information, getting weather information, or organizing schedules)
- Alerting the user to missed calls or text messages when the phone notices that there is a call coming from the person who has been trying to reach you
3. New features make sharing with friends and colleagues easier. For example:
- "Social Tag" recognizes the faces of your contacts in photos
- "Buddy Photo Share" recognizes faces in a photo and offers to send that photo via MMS or email to everyone in that photo
- "AllShare Cast" uses WiFi Direct to mirror the phone's display to a compatible TV (ideally from Samsung), and if you don't have one of those, you can use the "AllShare Cast dongle" to achieve similar results to what you would get with AirPlay if you have an Apple TV
- "Group Cast" allows for collaborative work with people on the same network
5. Samsung is serious about supporting the enterprise by offering better device management and on-device encryption.
Additionally, Samsung introduced a nice set of hardware accessories, such as a wireless charging station (similar to the Touchstone Charging Dock Palm introduced three years ago), flip cover, and car dock.
Samsung packed a lot into today's one-hour presentation. If you hate Android, what Samsung showed today won't win you over and persuade you to go out and buy a Galaxy S III. But Samsung fans and, in general, Android fans who are always hungry for the latest and greatest phones are likely to forgive the Galaxy S III's PenTile display and appreciate its impressive set of hardware and software features.
As for the majority of users out there who just want a really nice smartphone but don't care whether it is using iOS or Android, they are highly likely to be seduced by the very sexy Galaxy S III.
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