Google Chrome OS: Why should people switch?
By Andrew Heining | 11.20.09
Will you be using Chrome OS a year from now?
At the Web-based operating system’s coming-out party at Google headquarters on Thursday, Google presented its vision of Chrome, and a huge amount of information on what the browser and operating system are based on, how they run, and the safeguards in place to ensure they run well. But missing in all of that, at least to this observer, was a clear exposition of how Google plans to get users onboard – in essence, the hook.
Now, to be fair, we’re a year off – Google vice president of product management Sundar Pichai stressed as much before launching into the thinking behind Chrome. But after all was said about Chrome (and boy, there was a lot said in the hour and 20 minute-long presentation) we’re left with one big question: Why?
The answer to the first why – “Why is Google pushing this and investing so much?” – is pretty simple: Advertising. A super-fast, Web-geared operating system is the smoothest road online to Google ads.
But the other why – “Why should I use it?” – is a bit harder to pin down. If there were some killer something, we could see it. A really sleek device like the mythic Apple tablet – or better yet, a free one – would do the trick. But Google’s revelation, that Chrome will run on just a select list of netbooks to start, and that it would be aimed primarily at the secondary PC market, has us scratching our heads. People upgrade from, say, a Ford Escort to a Mustang for the horsepower, from a Corolla to a Prius for the gas mileage. What’s going to make folks ditch Windows or Mac OS X for Chrome? It can’t just be Chrome’s touted speed, can it?
Many people don’t like changing browsers, let alone operating systems, yet Google expects them to jump to one that does away with such basics as local storage, offline access to data, and the familiar interface they’re used to? Yikes.
Google is first to admit that many things need to fall into place for Chrome OS to appeal more than just a niche audience – and many are already in motion. Netbooks need to continue their rise in popularity, phones need to continue their trend toward mini computers. HTML5 and its peripheral-tapping power needs to be more thoroughly hashed out and developed. Desktop apps need to be turned into Web apps.
And most important of all, the cloud, the backbone of Chrome and any apps that would run on it, needs to become more trustworthy. (Imagine what your computer would resemble if an outage like the ones that recently struck Flickr, GMail, and Twitter hit the Google cloud – a svelte paperweight comes to mind.)
Many in the tech world are skeptical over whether Chrome OS can meet its lofty goals, but one thing’s for sure: if Google can pull them off, it will have engineered a revolution in the way people think of computers.
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What’s your take? Are you excited about the prospect of using Google Chrome OS? Put off by its limited specs or supported devices? Leave a comment or join the conversation on Twitter – we’re @CSMHorizonsBlog.
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Scoot Coupe zips back into spotlight with the holiday season approaching
By Chris Gaylord | 11.20.09
The peppy, three-wheel Scoot Coupe darted back into consumers’ consciousness today, just in time for holiday shopping. “The Price is Right” included the green-chic micromobile – part scooter, part golf cart, yet still street legal – in today’s Showcase Showdown.
Scoot Coupe is an odd pairing. Its toy-like frame houses an engine capable of hitting 45 m.p.h. But the two-seater is light enough to run at 70 miles per gallon. Panther Motors designed it to be a viable car for commuting and tourism. Just don’t try to take it on the highway. This street-legal status has enchanted shoppers, but frustrated lawmakers. More on that last part in a bit.
On today’s “The Price is Right,” contestant Nicole passed on the chance to win the Scoot Coupe, opting to see what was behind door number two. But viewers seemed smitten. Online searches for the Scoot Coupe skyrocketed just after the show, and the car’s official website has been crippled by a “bandwidth limit” error.
But if you’re tempted, beware: Some towns are outlawing the Scoot Coupe.
As we reported in August, Ocean City, Md., wishes that they’d just go away.
In a move to promote street safety, the city council banned Scoot Coops from public roads. The 4-3 vote in late July came down to an argument over whether “adding these vehicles to the town’s already crowded roadways, namely in the area of Baltimore Ave. between 15th and 33rd streets, was entirely too risky,” reports The Dispatch, Ocean City’s local paper. “Peter Gakurias claims that he and his brother Kozmas had done everything necessary prior to buying six scoot coupes for upwards of $40,000 in order to make sure that they were legal.”
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Interested in the Scoot Coupe? Think it’s a compact joke? Share your thoughts in the comments, or join the conversation with us on Twitter. We’re @csmhorizonsblog.
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Windows 7 sees ‘fantastic’ sales numbers
By Chris Gaylord | 11.19.09
Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, has sold very well in its opening weeks. How well?
In its first month, Windows 7 has outsold any previous Microsoft OS launch by at least two fold, CEO Steve Ballmer said during the company’s annual shareholder meeting. He declined to offer concrete numbers.
This sales statistic includes both boxed copies on store shelves and licenses sold to PC makers for them to install on new computers.
For more specific numbers, let’s turn to the retail analysts at NPD.
“Windows 7 software unit sales in the U.S. were 234 percent higher than Vista’s first few days of sales,” NPD reported earlier this month. “Revenue growth wasn’t as strong though. A combination of early discounts on pre-sales and a lack of promotional activity for the Ultimate version resulted in dollar sales that were 82 percent higher than Vista.”
This is great news for a company dealing with massive layoffs. But comparisons to Vista aren’t a great indicator of Window 7’s overall success. Vista sold 59 percent fewer copies than Windows XP, when comparing each OS’s first week, according to NPD.
So, it seems the big story here is that Windows 7 outsold XP by two times. Again, good sign. However eight years have passed since XP came out. In that time, global computer sales also doubled – from about 150 million shipments in 2001 to 287.3 million units in 200, according to iSuppli.
In this context, it seems Windows 7 is doing as well as XP in its opening month, not twice as well. Either away, Microsoft has no doubt washed away the stain left by Windows Vista.
Like Windows 7? Hate it? Share your thoughts in the comments section. Or follow us on Twitter for more sci-tech news. We’re @CSMHorizonsBlog.
Also check out:
Only in Japan: The Burger King Windows 7 Whopper
Windows 7 copied from Mac? Not so, says Microsoft.
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Forget the fangs. It’s spam that should really scare ‘Twilight’ fans.
By Matthew Shaer | 11.19.09
Fans of “Twilight” and “New Moon” already have plenty to be scared about – vampires, werewolves, a swirling debate over the feminist values of Stephenie Meyer’s hit series.
But what about malware? According to reports from the around the Internet this morning, the Twihard set was recently targeted by a group of online scammers, who sought to profit off the “New Moon” hype.
Here’s how it went down: If you searched for “Stephenie Meyer” on Google yesterday, one of the results that popped up was a listing for “Stephenie Meyer at 365Multimedia.com.” Sounds fairly innocuous. Clicking on the link launched a security scan, which told users that their computer was at risk of malware infestation.
Of course the whole thing was a scam, and those unlucky enough to click through the prompts were asked to purchase a cleanup program for $80.
80 bucks! That’s a lot of movie theater tickets. Or a lot of copies of Stephenie Meyer’s books. Either way – it’s a bad way to lose a hefty chunk of change.
So how can you avoid falling prey to this kind of stuff in the future? In an interview earlier this year, Dave Marcus, director of security research and communication at McAfee Avert Labs, told the Monitor that the best precaution is common sense. Don’t click on strange links, and don’t download anything from an unfamiliar website.
Marcus also suggested a list of precautions all users should follow: run regular antivirus scans; invest in prepackaged security suites marketed by companies such as Symantec, McAfee Avert, and Panda; pay attention to site advisories, and track reports of new viruses.
And stuff some garlic in your shirt sleeves.
On a unrelated note, Robert Pattinson, one of the stars of “New Moon,” recently told a reporter that the “Twilight” series was like a “virus.” Ha. Anyway, drop us a line on Twitter. We’re @CSMHorizonsBlog.
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Modern Warfare helps buoy Q3 profits at GameStop
By Matthew Shaer | 11.19.09
The success of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the new first-person shooter published by Activision, has reportedly helped boost profits for the most popular video game retailer in the US. According to the Associated Press, sales rose to $1.83 billion in the most recent quarter at GameStop.
That’s a sizable increase over the $1.7 billion figure from the same time last year. More important, it’s hope for the video game industry at large, which has struggled to fight its way out of a prolonged sales slump. In an interview with the AP, GameStop CEO Daniel DeMatteo said that Modern Warfare 2 could presage a turnaround in industry health.
“We are optimistic that the huge success of this game will serve as a bellwether for what we can expect for the remainder of our holiday game sales,” DeMatteo said.
It’s a lot to put on one game’s shoulders, but as we’ve reported recently, Modern Warfare 2 has shattered several sales records, including the one for most successful launch in entertainment history. Modern Warfare 2 sold 4.7 million copies in the first 24 hours in the US and the UK, raking in $310 million. By comparison, “The Dark Knight” made only $155 million in its opening weekend. More people saw that movie than played Modern Warfare 2, but dollars are dollars.
For its part, GameStop announced it had unloaded 2.5 million copies of Modern Warfare 2 within 72 hours of the game’s release, breaking the previous company record.
Meanwhile, Activision says Modern Warfare 2 grossed $550 million in worldwide sales since last week’s launch – another entertainment industry record. The Los Angeles Times, citing a source at Activision, reports that 8 million copies of the game have been sold; analysts expect that at least another 10 million games will be eventually be unloaded.
“The title’s success redefines entertainment as millions of consumers have chosen to play Modern Warfare 2 at unprecedented levels rather than engage in other forms of media,” Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement yesterday.
Have you had a chance to play Modern Warfare 2? Drop a line in the comments section, or find us on Twitter.
