Goodbye Nexus One
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Monday, July 19, 2010 · 
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Google’s Nexus One has been one roller coaster of a ride. You’ll remember from the initial announcement, confirmed earlier this year, that Google had intended to sell the N1 directly to consumers, bypassing the pesky issue of dealing with carriers. Then in April, Google announced that the N1 won’t be coming to Verizon. Now we can say goodbye to the N1 saga, at least here in the U.S. Here’s what Google had to say:
Earlier this year, we announced that we will be closing the Nexus One web store. This week we received our last shipment of Nexus One phones. Once we sell these devices, the Nexus One will no longer be available online from Google. Customer support will still be available for current Nexus One customers. And Nexus One will continue to be sold by partners including Vodafone in Europe, KT in Korea, and possibly others based on local market conditions.
So there you have it. I suspect the next announcement will be the complete end to the N1, in all countries. Methinks that Google will focus on their core competencies and abandon hardware altogether. Given the success of the iPad, I’d be shocked if they didn’t devote more resources to their Chrome OS product.
Google Launches ‘Fiber for Communities’ Website
Posted by Jesse Ward on Friday, July 16, 2010 · ·
Back in February, Google announced plans to build experimental, ultra high-speed networks in communities across the U.S. chosen from public submissions. More than 1,100 communities and 194,000 individuals submitted requests, representing all but three U.S. states (Delaware, Florida and South Dakota). Google is still busy plowing through the applications, and it won’t be announcing the winners until year-end.
In the meantime, the Internet titan is capitalizing on the public and media interest in its project. Google has launched a Web site called Google Fiber for Communities to inform the public about fiber networks and Google’s project. The site also will serve as a communications and advocacy platform to encourage federal and local support for “changes designed to bring ultra-fast broadband to more communities.” Read more
Google Voice Desktop App Preview
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Friday, July 2, 2010 · ·
Remember way back in October of 2009 when Google said “Google Voice is a free web application, one intended to supplement and enhance existing phone lines, not replace them.” And the way GV worked at the time made that seem plausible. After all, you couldn’t make calls directly from GV– it required that you entered the number you wanted to dial, then a number where it could call you to complete the connection. In April we learned that GV was testing a new desktop client. And today, a new TechCrunch video demonstrates this “unreleased” software, and makes one wonder about the definition of “supplement.” Video after the break. Read more
Nation’s First ‘White Spaces’ Smart Grid Trial
Posted by Jesse Ward on Monday, June 28, 2010 · ·
Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative & Telecommunications (PSREC), Google, and Spectrum Bridge Inc. are partnering together for the nation’s first trial of a smart grid wireless network trial utilizing TV “white spaces” spectrum– the unused TV broadcast channels made available by the transition from analog to digital TV.
Through the project, PSREC aims to more efficiently manage its supply and demand of electricity, and provide broadband access to an underserved community. PSREC serves Plumas, Lassen, and Sierra counties in California, and portions of Washoe County in Nevada. Read more
Google Voice Open to All
Posted by Kevin McGuire on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 · (2) ·
About a year ago, Google launched Google Voice, a service with cool features such as transcribed voice mail and call control. At that point, it was a limited preview, and required an invitation to join. In May, Google announced it was targeting students, allowing anyone with a .edu email address to have immediate access. Today, Google Voice is now open to anyone — well, anyone living in the United States that is.
“Over the past year, we’ve introduced a mobile web app, an integrated voicemail player in Gmail, the ability to use Google Voice with your existing number and more. Over a million of you are now actively using Google Voice, and many of the features released over the past year (like SMS to email and our Chrome extension) came as a result of your suggestions, so thanks!”
So head on over to Google Voice and try it out. Maybe it will spark some ideas of things you might offer to your customers, but at a minimum, you should see what your competition is up to.
Update: According to Bloomberg (and others), Frontier is suing Google Voice over a patent dispute. Stay tuned to see how this turns out!
What is Google TV?
Posted by Jesse Ward on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 · ·
Google released a video yesterday which showcases its upcoming Google TV product in action (see the video after the jump). As you might remember, the Internet giant first announced the product at its annual I/O Conference back in May. Unfortunately the demo was rife with technical interference issues which inhibited attendees from seeing the product in action. (This seems to be a common problem for new product demos as attendees often blog live from the event, and utilize wireless connections which interfere with the product on display.) Have no fear because Google breaks it down for us in this two and half minute video. Read more
GoogleTV Unifies Pay-TV and Web Video
Posted by Jesse Ward on Thursday, May 20, 2010 · ·
Today, at Google’s annual I/O conference, the search giant announced that it is leading a group of companies, including Sony and Intel, in a new initiative called Google TV. (see the video after the jump)
“TV meets web. Web meets TV” is the slogan Google is going with for this new endeavor. GoogleTV promises to bring Internet video to your TV set, and it offers a new, slick interface to navigate and search traditional television programs and online content, including Hulu, Amazon and Netflix. Read more
