The week in cloud: Google and Microsoft spar while IBM and SAP play hot hands
photo: Shutterstock / Alexey Repka
Google and Microsoft slapfest continues; IBM pushes Watson for third-party apps; SAP bets big on HANA for ERP. Read more »
ICYMI Podcasts: Real Chrome apps, a history of IoT and Google I/O 2013
In case you missed the GigaOm weekly podcasts, here’s a second chance. Two of our shows had special guests to explain new technologies and our wrap-up show is fully dedicated to understanding all of the news out of Google I/O. Read more »
Why Yahoo acquiring Tumblr for $1 billion makes a certain horrible kind of sense
Fans of the social-blogging network might not like the idea much, but a $1-billion acquisition of Tumblr would arguably solve a number of problems for Yahoo — and do the same for Tumblr CEO David Karp. Read more »
Android this week: Google I/O recapped; Better Bluetooth; Galaxy S 4 Google Edition
No new hardware appeared at Google I/O, but a recently released phone debuts as a Nexus-like device. Meanwhile, Google updated Android, without adding further fragmentation issues, through dozens of new services, apps and APIs. Read more »
WebRTC is growing fast: soon to surpass one billion devices
Plugin-free video chat in the browser is becoming a reality quickly: Developers can soon reach more than one billion browsers and devices with the protocol, according to Google’s Justin Uberti. Read more »
The future, according to Google
photo: Jordan Novet
In response to a question at a Google I/O talk on Thursday, luminaries from Google Research took a stab at predicting life 10 years from now. Here’s what they had to say. Read more »
Why Google thinks the GPU is the engine for the web of the future
photo: Jordan Novet
To make sure the response time for their increasingly interactive sites stays low, Chrome developers might want to look at ways to make use of the graphic processors embedded in consumer devices. Read more »
What do good shoes, Google+ and Facebook have in common?
My post about the Google+ redesign and the shift in direction from Facebook design has met with some well reasoned argument. Here I present my own arguments, and reason why I think the two design philosophies are moving in different direction. Read more »
The spigot of money starting to open up for installing solar panels
As a boom of solar panels continues to be installed on buildings throughout the U.S., companies, groups and even every day people can make money off of funding this clean energy transition. Read more »
How Google Music wants to take on Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody
Google launched its own music subscription service Wednesday. Currently, it’s not very different from all the other services out there. So how does it want to compete? Read more at paidContent »
Google, NASA quantum computing project could bring stronger machine learning to the masses
Google said Thursday it is establishing a Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab to trigger the next phase of machine learning with the power of quantum computers. The efforts could trickle down to ordinary people. Read more »
The web giants are rising above humans and their petty rules, and that worries me
The titans of the web are rebels, playing by their own rules. That is to be applauded at times, but we should also be thinking about the wider, long-term implications for society and fair competition. Read more »
Looking for an alternative to Google Maps for Android? Try Skobbler’s new app
The GPS Navigation & Maps app combines OpenStreetMap-based maps with turn-by-turn navigation, with everything working offline as well as online. It’s a cheaper rival to TomTom and CoPilot, and one for privacy-minded Google users to consider. Read more »
Google gains appeal for cloud services, but there’s this company called Amazon
photo: Jordan Novet
Even as Google makes moves to compel developers to try out the Google Cloud Platform, developers see Amazon Web Services as the clear cloud to beat, at least for now. Read more »
Google’s growing cloud just got a NoSQL database
photo: Shutterstock / z0w
Google is expanding its cloud platform with a “NoSQL-like” database called Cloud Datastore. It’s a fully managed database that’s replicated across data centers and built to scale. Read more »
Apple’s app store hits 50 billion downloads
Apple announced a big milestone in app downloads on Wednesday, the same day that Google’s I/O developer conference kicked off in San Francisco. The app store has now seen 50 million downloads so far. Read more »
And, bam! Here’s Google Compute Engine
11 months after it was announced, Google Compute Engine is now available to the masses, Google Senior VP Urs Hölzle said Wednesday afternoon. Read more »
How Google is setting the new search standard with voice and knowledge graph
photo: Janko Roettgers
New notification features for Google Now and richer voice recognition in searches on mobile devices and desktops keeps Google the search to beat. Read more »
Eight years later, Google reinvents its Maps for a data rich web
Eight years after Google launched Maps as a beta product, the search giant is reinventing the map for a new data rich web that lives on fast broadband, and runs on computers with oomph to spare. Read more »
What Google was thinking when redesigning the new Google+
Google’s reworking of its social network, Google+ shows that the company has started to marry data with design and craft new experiences. Will that be enough to turn you and I into active participants? Who, knows, I am just happy it doesn’t look like Facebook. Read more »
Google turns up location data usage on Android apps
photo: Janko Roettgers
Google said it will introduce location-oriented APIs so Android developers can build richer applications that make the most of the sensors on Android devices. Read more »
Google Apps set for a communication upgrade with deeper Google+ integration
Google will reveal new communications features for Google Apps for Business users built on Google+ technology, we’ve learned just before Google I/O is set to begin. Read more »
Live blog: Google I/O 2013 showcases Android, Chrome, YouTube and more
Starting at 9am PT we’ll bring you live coverage of Google I/O 2013 right here. Don’t miss Google’s most significant public event of the year. Read more »
GigaOM Chrome Show 5: Google I/O preview and Joe Marini from Google talks apps
photo: Image credit: Google Store
This week’s Chrome podcast brings our first guest to the show: Google Developer Advocate, Joe Marini! Joe explains Packaged Apps vs Native Client and hosted apps. Plus a Google I/O preview and an extension to make you more productive. Read more »
European RE.WORK summit aims to solve future problems through emerging tech
The first summit in London, which is produced in partnership with Google’s Solve For X initiative, will focus on emerging tech such as the internet of things, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and sensors. Read more »
Live blog: Google I/O 2013 showcases Android, Chrome, YouTube and more
Our live coverage from Google I/O 2013, Google’s most significant public event of the year, can be found right here. Read more »
GigaOM hits Google I/O 2013 (roundup)
Here you’ll find all our coverage of Google I/O 2013, Google’s annual showcase of its technology prowess. Read more »
What SolarCity’s earnings say about the challenges of building a solar retail business
SolarCity is one of the leaders when it comes to installing solar panels on home owner’s rooftops. But the company’s $31 million loss, in its latest quarter, shows the growing pains for the retail solar players. Read more »
Where to watch Google I/O 2013 live online
Didn’t get a ticket for Google I/O? No worries, most of the event will be streamed live online. Read more »
Google I/O sensors will detect motion and generate data for real-time visualization
Google will use Arduinos to pick up on motion and sound at this week’s Google I/O conference. While it could help Google better use its conference space in the future, it could also inspire developers. Read more »
What to expect for Chrome and Android at Google I/O 2013
Google’s annual I/O developer event will be heavy on Chrome and light on Android based on the event schedule. While Google execs suggest that this year I/O is less about devices, that could be a smokescreen for what’s to come. Read more »
Google I/O: Arming for the battle of the public cloud stars
Whether or not Google officially rolls out its GCE public cloud to all takers this week, GCE will take on AWS and Windows Azure for market- and mind-share going forward. Read more »
Sony’s water-resistant Xperia ZR shows why now is a great time for Android hardware
From phones that can take pictures underwater to handsets with larger screens in a small phone body, the quality of design in current Android flagships is at an all-time high. Read more »
The week in cloud: Google picks Debian; AWS console for Windows; Adobe faces wrath
photo: Shutterstock / Gena96
Google picked Debian as the default OS for the Google Compute Engine; AWS builds console to enable Windows IT admins to manage on-prem and AWS workloads, Adobe feels artists’ ire. Read more »
Android this week: New Nexus 7 specs; Android @Home thoughts; Google X Phone tests
In advance of Google I/O more Nexus 7 refresh thoughts hit the web this week. Will Google move to a 1080p or better display? Android @Home could be a surprise feature at I/O, while Google’s X Phone may have been FCC tested Read more »
Google Drive document lists go down, then come back up
Google Drive had another service disruption on Friday, and it probably doesn’t help Google’s efforts to woo enterprises onto Google Apps and other Google cloud products. Read more »
Take that, iPad mini: Retina display Nexus 7 at Google I/O says analyst
photo: Google
The expectations of a new Nexus 7 keep rising. This week an analyst notes that Google will use a 1920 x 1200 display and Snapdragon 600 chip for an updated small tablet. Read more »
This offline video game with Xbox controller support shows Chrome OS isn’t “just a browser”
Despite myths of Chrome OS as only running web apps, there is now software that can be installed and used offline on a Chromebook. This particular game supports an Xbox 360 controller too. Get ready for the second coming of Chrome OS. Read more »
Losing its way: Why Google would be stupid to let Facebook acquire Waze
photo: Flickr / Dunechaser
News reports out of Israel say Facebook is in talks to acquire traffic-information service Waze for as much as $1 billion, but Google will be making a big mistake if it doesn’t try to top that offer. Read more »
“Fair use” takes center stage at Google Books appeal
photo: Google
The long-running fight over Google’s decision to scan the world’s library books took a new twist on Wednesday as an appeals court pushed the parties over copyright law’s “fair use” doctrine. Read more at paidContent »
