Today Google launched the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL with a couple of pretty enticing freebies onboard. One was a half-year of YouTube Music Premium for free, the other was unlimited photo storage with Google Photos (including original size photos and video, etc). Let's talk about the limits to these enticing bits before you jump in headfirst!
Today we're taking a brief, momentary, tiny peek at a couple of lists that show how Google and Amazon own our daily lives. When I say "daily lives" I don't mean Google and Amazon own our bodies and control our actions and have all of our personal information stored safely on their many hard drives - but two out of three ain't bad. I'm referring instead to the servers Google and Amazon run, the servers on which many or most of the services we use every day rely on and run.
This morning Google One was introduced to the world by newly minted Google One VP, Pavni Diwanji. This is a new name for a new subscription system with Google - and it begins with storage. This system takes over what was consumer-faced data storage, and ramps up from there. As Diwanji suggests, Google One is "a simple plan for expanded storage that includes extra benefits to help you get more out of Google."
Computing devices are getting more powerful, more varied, and more ubiquitous, but the data storage in these devices hasn't changed that much. We are still beholden to the HDDs, SSDs, and eMMCs or UFS of yesteryears. In fact, the storage story has become even more complicated because each device has its own storage that you have to manage or keep in sync with other devices.
Enter cloud computing and cloud storage, with its promise of being able to access your data anytime, anywhere. Well, as long as you have an Internet connection, that is. It is an inescapable fact of modern day computing life and it pays to know the choices you have. Here are ten of the top cloud storage options this half of the year.
Apple isn't going to make car innovation faster when it's already slowed mobile device market disruption to a crawl. The newest round of rumors on Apple's dealings with the auto industry got me thinking. Apple hasn't become one of the world's most successful companies over the past 10 years by entering saturated markets. Barring any sort of device we've seen before, I'm crossing my fingers that Apple has the next big market disruptor in the pipeline and coming soon.
Comcast has revealed that it will soon begin implementing data caps in 18 new regions, which means that most Comcast customers will be subject to a 1TB cap by the end of the year. Comcast, of course, has its own shaky reasons for this, claiming that those who use more internet should pay more than those who don't. Just in case there was any confusion, I'd like to remind you that this has nothing to do with fairness, but has everything to do with greed. Comcast's cable arm is currently dying a slow and (warranted) death thanks to companies like Netflix, and instead of actually competing with them, Comcast has just decided to be a baby about the whole thing and charge you more for the internet you currently have.
Today Google announces the Fiber Phone, a service that uses your home internet connection to act as a landline (and your mobile device, too). Just like you had when you were a kid, but VoIP. A phone that stays at home. Or it can go with you - whatever you want. The Fiber Phone "lives in the cloud" says Google, and it'll ring at home when you're at home, or in your pocket when you're out of the house.
Adobe has expanded Creative Cloud with a new service called "Portfolio." Using Adobe Portfolio, anyone can create a simple website, though the purpose is to showcase and otherwise present creative and professional work, such as photographs or paintings. Adobe points toward the Internet's increased use as a resume platform and the need for personal websites sans the skills needed to start from scratch.
Among some circles, particularly productivity and venture capitalist groups, there has been some talk about Evernote becoming a dead unicorn. Considering how the product has become ingrained in today's digital lifestyle, it's not surprising to see how polarizing the topic has become. It doesn't help that the company is indeed showing some signs of struggling, particularly with its workforce and management, though it is definitely not out of the running yet. This David turned Goliath, who has managed not only to displace but also shut down some of its rivals (Sprinpad) might be finding itself losing some steam, and here might be some of the reasons why.
It seems that freemium business models have won, with majority of services now offering a free but limited selection of features just to hook in new users and, when they get fed up with all the walls, hopefully sign up for a monthly fee. LastPass is also adopting that new setup but with a twist. New users signing up to the password management service will be able to use it for free on all smartphones but only on smartphones, or on all desktops but only on desktops.
Remember talk about Google's plans to take on mobile carriers? While the initial furor of speculation seems to have died down a bit, it seems that things are still proceeding as planned for Google, with an expected public announcement at the upcoming I/O 2015. A new leak has revealed some possible details about the service that would give consumers reasons to be hyped and carriers cause to worry. Aside from free calls and texts inside the US, Project Fi will only charge users based on data they actually consumed and even credit unused ones at the end of the month.
Kik, the messaging app turned platform, may soon become the property of someone other than Kik Interactive Inc. A new report suggests Kik is entertaining a sale, which would see the service become the wholly owned property of another company. The powers that be at Kik have even gone so far as to hire Qatalyst Partners to examine the business and see what their best option might be, including remaining independent. Kik’s founder and CEO, Ted Livingston, has confirmed his company is exploring their options.