Google Apps support #fail: billing problems
A personal experience of mine makes me wonder about Google Apps and Google's ability to support it properly. I try to minimize complaining about my own vendors, but this incident was handled badly.
I had to pull rank to get an answer.
Google cleans up YouTube, and it looks really good!
"Modern" is not a word I would have ever used to describe how YouTube looks. The user interface remains dated, even after several refinements. But that may change, and quite dramatically. Google is in process of changing YouTube's look and feel in startling and refreshing ways. How this new experience comes to market depends in part on how users respond to it.
Today, as part of the ongoing TestTube project, Google opened "Cosmic Panda", which is described as "a new experimental experience for videos, playlists and channels". Hot damn, this thing is smokin'! My initial reaction is simply "Wow!"
Mark Zuckerberg unveils Facebook Video Calling
Early this afternoon, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg debuted three new personal connection service updates -- group chat, chat redesign and video calling.
Last week, Zuckerberg hinted at something "awesome" coming today. Early rumors tipped to in-browser video chat powered by Skype.
Microsoft pays University of Nebraska $250,000 to use Office 365
If you really are in need of some high profile clients, you can always pay them. That's exactly what Microsoft has done with the University of Nebraska. The university will receive $250,000 in incentives from Microsoft to migrate its email and calendaring system to the recently announced Office365 platform.
The school had been using IBM's Lotus Notes for these services, however that system had begun to age -- having been in use since 1997. IBM had pitched its cloud-based version of Notes to the school, but could not come close to Microsoft's offer. Google was also said to be in the running but probably lost out for much of the same reason.
Google+ is a marketing sensation
Finally techdom is talking about something other than Apple, and probably it's more important.
When dinosaurs ruled the earth, what creature then could have imagined that someday mammals, which were smaller and eventually smarter, would replace them? Fast-forward to the present. For all the talk about the handsome or the beautiful, it's the geeks, not the athletes, that people listen to. Right now techdom is incessantly chattering about Google+. There's simply no way to turn down the volume.
I tried to free myself from Google and failed
On this day, 235 years ago, the Second Continental Congress voted for a Declaration of Independence. From that perspective, July 2nd is America's independence day, but the document wasn't ready for another two days. So it's perhaps appropriate timing to discuss the declaration I made on April 4th to free myself from Google. At the time I asked: "Can you give up Google?" Maybe you can, but I couldn't.
Google's antitrust troubles motivated me. In December, the European Commission opened an "antitrust investigation into allegations that Google Inc. has abused a dominant position in online search". An investigation loomed in the United States and, as of late last month, is underway. The Federal Trade Commission is reviewing Google's business practices.
Celebrate the Fourth of July with Google's data declaration of independence [video]
Well, hell, maybe Google is serious about all this open stuff, after all. As part of the massive Google sites makeover now underway -- of which the + social service and gmail clutter cleanup are part -- there is a new utility for sucking all your precious data out of the search and information giant's services. Hey, it's your data. Shouldn't you be able to take it anywhere?
The Data Liberation Front video above introduces this new thing -- Google Takeout. It's more than a utility. Google Takeout is a movement. I mean that. This whole data portability thing clearly stems from Google's so-called "Open Principles". There is a Data Liberation Front website, blog and Twitter feed.
Google cleans up Gmail, and it looks really good!
My whole Google experience is changing around me. Today I started using Google+, which brings a fresh -- and I'd say quite attractive -- look to the default search page. It's as functional as pleasing. Looks like the makeover just starts there. Google is freshening up other services, too, including Gmail. For the first time ever, I want to use this service in a browser.
"We're embarking on a series of interface updates to help strip out unnecessary clutter and make Gmail as beautiful as it is powerful", Jason Cornwell, Google user experience designer, writes in a blog posted late this evening Eastern Time. Changes will occur gradually over a few months.
Wow, Twitter reaches 200 million tweets per day, and the service isn't all that popular
Today, Twitter revealed the 200 millon figure via its official blog. It's an amazing feat, up from 2 million in January 2009 and 65 million a year ago. But what if more people tweeted?
I've had my Twitter account since sometime in mid 2006. Most techies I know tweet. But we're a minority, at least in the United States. According to Pew Internet, fifty-nine percent of US Internet users, or 47 percent of all adults, have used a social networking service, like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Among that number only 13 percent use Twitter compared to 92 percent for Facebook.
The Frugal Admin: Office 365 tempts me to give up Google Apps, and it will tempt you
There's no question that I like what I see in the demos of Office 365. A little research makes me want it even more. But I'm cheap, and so are a lot of the small businesses it supposedly targets. I think it can be competitive for small business and also end up selling a bunch of Windows phones. But can it compete with free?
Office 365 really does look better, richer, and cooler that Google Apps for Business, but it can be much more expensive. Many businesses will be willing to pay for the nice stuff, at least for a while, but most small businesses don't spend a lot more money than they need to on these things. I like to think of myself (and my domain which is both for my business and personal use) as one of those cheap small businesses.
IT demand for cloud services will generate $9.4B in new server sales
Spending on public and private clouds will generate $3.6 billion and $5.8 billion, respectively, in server spending by 2015, IDC forecasts. While there has been much written about public clouds, many IT organizations are setting up their own infrastructure to provide employees with access to their data anytime, anywhere and on anything.
No matter which cloud, many businesses today face huge security and privacy risks because of the volume of data taken outside on laptops, smartphones and other mobile devices. What's the point spending thousands, even millions of dollars, on network security, only to let crown jewels of information roam freely on mobile devices?
Is Google+ social done right?
It's the question I'm asking after watching the six videos embedded in this analysis and reading the blog post by Vic Gundotra, Google senior vice president of Engineering.
To be clear, I've read no other posts about Google+, not even the news story by colleague Tim Conneally (well, I did write the headline -- but that was all). That's typical of my writing. I prefer to have a fresh perspective, uninfluenced by others' opinions as much as possible. All observations I make here are solely my own.
Google responds to Office 365: Help us compile 365 reasons Apps is better
Yesterday in the cleverly titled "365 reasons to consider Google Apps" blog post, Shan Sinha, Google Apps product manager, gave just four why his company's cloud suite is better than Microsoft. Motivation: Today's global launch of Office 365.
I observed that four is a long way from 365. Apparently someone at Google was listening. Last night the GoogleAtWork Twitter account tweeted: "Help us to 365! Many asked for all 365 reasons to consider GoogleApps. Add yours here http://t.co/DTjLZZu or tweet #apps365". About three hours ago, Google issued the "Final call! Many asked for 365 reasons to consider GoogleApps".
Want to pay three times more than Google Apps? Office 365 is for you
When Microsoft's Office group formed in the early 1980s, something was missing from the DNA. Simplicity. Today's Office 365 plans -- seven of them -- are anything but simple. While Microsoft offers a stunning range of hosted apps capabilities, Office 365 pricing, or its feature set, is nowhere as straightforward as Google Apps. Nor as cheap.
Little more than two months after opening the public beta, Microsoft's hosted productivity apps service debuted today in 40 countries. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced Office 365 during a live New York event late this morning.
Uh-oh, Google Apps, Office 365 launches in 40 countries
Today, Microsoft made official its most important push into the cloud, ever, with release of Office 365. The software giant took off the beta moniker and released final pricing ahead of a New York launch event with CEO Steve Ballmer.
Office 365 combines Microsoft Office, SharePoint Online, Exchange Online, and Lync Online into a single cloud-based package that is scalable from small businesses to large enterprises, with a per-user license cost depending upon the volume of users. The new service is available immediately in 40 countries.
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