Google Gears to take Web offline

Google will offer free technology under the name “Google Gears” to allow developers to start building web apps that will can work even if they are not connected the Internet. Google will offer it as a free, fully open source technology in order to help not just Google applications but all Web applications.

Eric Schmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Google, said, “With ‘Google Gears’ we are tackling a key limitation of the browser in order to make it a stronger platform for deploying all types of applications, and enabling a better user experience. We believe strongly in the power of the community to stretch this new technology to the limits of what’s possible, and ultimately emerge with an open standard that benefits everyone.” 

The Google Reader feed reader (http://reader.google.com) is immediately available with Gears-enabled offline capabilities.

Ultimately, the company will move to make other programs work offline and online – such as Google’s e-mail, calendar, word processing, and spreadsheets.

“It’s been a long time since the Web has gained new fundamental capabilities. I think it’s been about 10 years,” said Upson. One of the key capabilities of Ajax development–XMLHttpRequest–came out in 1998 and took years to catch on, in part because of applications like Google Maps.

Google engineers took on the task of bringing offline access to Web browsers because customers of its hosted Web applications complained about not being able to work when disconnected, Upson said.

“One of the reasons we’re doing Gears is that developers here at Google have really pushed the envelope on what can be done in the browser so engineers are hitting barriers harder and faster,” he said.

Google kicks offline Web apps into gear | CNET News.com.

This is exciting. With Adobe’s new moves in this area, and now Google’s move in this space. This is exciting and significant in the world of software applications. This is game changing in my opinion.

 

Microsoft Surface Video

Using “new” multi-touch concepts, Microsoft has created a touch-screen coffee table.  Here is a video featuring the new table. This is pretty cool. Very good use of touch technology and data transfer. This is an early glimpse of some concepts I think will be around a while in future computers.

 

The software giant announced today at the D5 conference that it’s built a new touchscreen computer—a coffee table that will change the world. Go inside its top-secret development with PopularMechanics.com, then forget the keyboard and mouse: The next generation of computer interfaces will be hands-on.

Microsoft Surface Video – Touchscreen, Multi Touch Coffee Table – Behind the Scenes – Popular Mechanics.

Innovation with EBOs

At large companies, operational areas concentrate on short-term results, so in order to leap-frog in business, EBOs may need to be established– that are led by executives. An EBO (Emerging Business Opportunity) unit would focus on profitable businesses within 5 to 7 years. This gives them the freedom to do what they need to do to get the job done.

Innovation Weblog summarizes some thoughts from the book  The Innovation Leader: How to Inspire Your Team and Drive Creativity by Paul Sloane:

Paul cites the example of IBM, whose culture used to be overwhelmingly focused on generating short-term results, which tended to short-circuit promising new products and services. To reverse this trend, CEO Lou Gerstner and senior VP in charge of strategy J. Bruce Herrold reassigned their most experienced and talented executives to emerging business opportunity (EBO) units. The mission of these executives was to find new areas for IBM that could yield profitable billion-dollar businesses in five to seven years. This initiative was overwhelmingly successful, resulting in additional annual revenues of over US$15 billion and growth of over 40% per year.

Innovation Weblog – Who should manage innovation projects?.

I know that “innovation is everyone’s job” but the reality is that business units will naturally do what they need to do to be successful based on what their objectives are. This means that operational units will innovate, but it will be more incremental and process innovation – around what they they are trying to accomplish within the organization.

For multi-year, multi-million dollar innovation, there needs to be a group (or groups) that are led by executives and can focus. I think the key is to have groups of people that can really behave like small companies – within the larger company.

Some new things coming up…

My friend Rob over at Outside the Valley asks the question “what’s the next big thing?”.

Some of my top basic guesses over the past few years are summarized below: 

I think the next big thing technologically will be apps that are currently web-only (they need an Internet connection) will start to become Internet-optional. I think that Google will lead the way and create a way to allow apps that are both online and offline – this is the biggest hurdle for Google’s suite of cool online apps – and I think that it will start being overcome. This will set off the creation of a lot of web apps that will be able to run on or off the Internet – and easily meld the two without a lot of problems for the user.

Internet devices that utilize less expensive hardware and software will start coming out. These would be more specialized devices that talk to the Internet wirelessly and to each other wirelessly. I can see current home PCs being replaced with less expensive laptop-like wireless devices that do what you need them to do if you are an average home user. They may be built around specific user-groups like students or home-users. When I say “internet devices” I mean things that have memory and computing power built in – but do not fit into the category of what you think of when you think of a “computer”.

Online groups and communication will always be popular, as people always will want new ways to connect and collect together.

What do you think? Check out The Next Big Thing at Outside the Valley.

Searching for new ways to search

This company claims to have created a search engine better than Google.

Basically, they search the web live as opposed to searching through a cache of Internet data ‚Äì  like all current search engines.

Truly searching the web ‚Äúlive‚Äù in a second is not possible right now. So, what they appear to be doing is using current search results (cached) and then using those results as starting points for live spiders to go out and search. They don‚Äôt have a beta out yet, to check out personally. 

Something tells me if they are that good, a current search engine will snap them up and they will not be an independent company for long.

MyLiveSearch is fundamentally different. It works through a small browser plug-in. The search terms are put through Google, or other indexed search databases, but those results are treated as "starting points" alongside the user’s bookmarks and other popular web hubs.

From there, the live search takes over, crawling through hundreds of web pages connected to those starting points in search of more information relevant to the search.

Mr Gabriel says the results come back in seconds, and are almost always richer, more detailed and more useful than a standard, index-based search. His product can also search the so-called "invisible web" of dynamically-generated web pages that search engines have trouble indexing.

Better than Google? Creator thinks so – Technology – brisbanetimes.com.au.

Advertising & TiVo Part 2

A year ago I created a post on a trend – the impact of DVR usage on TV ads…

“TiVo has changed advertising. Since people can fast-forward through ads on television these days with TiVo (or another DVR of choice), ads get the short-shrift.”

I made a few notes on what the ad world could to do to compensate- two of the areas were step up the creativity and utilize in-show product placement.

Make really interesting TV ads: Some people will rewind to see an eye-catching ad if they feel like it looks interesting or if it looks particularly relevant to them. Make them interesting, when people are fast-forwarding, they can still see the ad (albeit in fast motion), but they will stop for a compelling reason. Give them a reason.

Product Placement: Product placement ads – where advertisers pay a show to include their product during the actual show – may become more common. A viewer can’t miss these placements, and they may even be more effective.

Tomorrow’s Trends: Advertising & TiVo.

Following along this trend – today, there was an interesting article on the impact of DVRs on advertising called: DVRs cause advertising creativity.

Some interesting excerpts:

Some of the most creative thinking in television these days has nothing to do with comedy or drama. It’s about the commercials.

Fueled by a growing sense of desperation, networks are inserting games, quizzes and mini-dramas into commercial breaks. They’re incorporating more product pitches into programming.
…
This is all being done to stop viewers with DVRs from fast-forwarding through advertisements, or to circumvent those that do.
…
An estimated 17 percent of American homes now have digital video recorders. Nielsen estimates that in prime-time, nearly half of 18-to-49-year-old viewers with DVRs are watching recorded programs instead of live ones. Of these, six in 10 skip through the ads.

PostStar.com.

The whole article is interesting. I like this quote from the article:

“A commercial has to be like a DVD extra,” he said. “It has to be an added value, not an inconvenience.”

I agree… think about the super bowl. Many people actually try to watch those ads. DVRs will spur additional creativity in TV ads and the necessity to be a pleasant or even compelling experience for consumers.

 

$10 Flights

The airline industry is “rebooting” – and it needs to. Older business models and older airlines are being replaced with a variety of new business models and new airlines.

The latest entrant is Skybus, which has just taken flight. They will be a no-frills, low-cost airliner and will offer airfare as low as $10.

A new ultra-low-cost airline has officially taken flight and will test just how much travelers will give up for the sake of saving money.

Skybus, the new Columbus-based airline that offers some tickets for $10, got off the ground Tuesday with its first flight, a 9:36 a.m. departure to Burbank, Calif.

Ultra-low-cost Skybus takes to the skies – Travel News – MSNBC.com.

 About a year ago, I posted about a free airline, and I think a the industry is in the process of coming up with some really interesting offerings. There are several new airlines that have launched over the past few years – and it should be interesting to see what this industry comes up with to serve customers better.

Super-thin screen developed

Sony has created a screen that is super-thin (it is as thin as film) and bendable. The applications for this type of thing are numerous. Electronic wallpaper, clothing, etc…

Also, portable devices would have a lot more flexibility in design. New portable electronics could get even smaller and more flexible.

In the race for ever-thinner displays for TVs, cell phones and other gadgets, Sony may have developed one to beat them all — a razor-thin display that bends like paper while showing full-color video.

Sony Corp released video of the new 2.5-inch display Friday. In it, a hand squeezes a display that is 0.3 millimeters, or 0.01 inch, thick. The display shows color images of a bicyclist stuntman and a picturesque lake.

Although flat-panel TVs are getting slimmer, a display that’s so thin it bends in a human hand marks a breakthrough.

Sony develops film-thin, bending display – Yahoo! News.

Facebook gets Widgetized

Facebook will be allowing widgets to be developed for integration into its user’s pages. Historically, Facebook has kept a clean interface – and this will now allow a new level of customize-ability.

This is an interesting development – as top competitor mySpace has cracked down on some 3rd party widget makers – and has no formal 3rd party development program. If Facebook allows widget makers thrive and profit, then this could become a significant strategic advantage for them.

I like 3rd party development programs, and with the proliferation of APIs, widgets, and mashups- opportunities abound for companies can utilize these tech tools properly. These programs are not easy to launch and run, but can be worth it if executed properly.

Now Facebook, based in Palo Alto, Calif., is inviting thousands of technology companies and programmers to contribute features to its service. They can even make money from the site’s users by doing so, and, at least for now, Facebook will not take a cut.

Some of the new features, demonstrated by software developers at a Facebook event here on Thursday, will allow members to recommend and listen to music, insert Amazon book reviews onto their pages, play games and join charity drives, all without leaving the site.

The result is expected to be a proliferation of new tools and activities for Facebook’s 24 million active users, who have largely been limited to making online connections, sharing photos and planning events.

Facebook Expands Into MySpaces Territory – New York Times.

 

Rogue employees and a copy-cat strategy

1. Your company’s future may be dependent on your rogue employees.

Companies are always reigning in their rogue employees. It is almost as if they did not realize that somewhere among the rogue thinkers are their future innovations.

As soon as your company becomes a battened-down 100% process machine that does exactly what it is supposed to do, it will stop innovating. And, in these times, that’s usually bad.

2. Copying is not an innovation strategy

If you have a 5 year plan to catch up to what you perceive your competitor is doing right now– and it is your primary strategy- then that is probably not good.

Don’t make imitation your primary strategy. Make your own way. What do you need to offer in 5 years? Instead of trying to be more like your competitor in 5 years, think about what you need to be in 5 years. You can’t build an innovative strategy using benchmarking against current competitor’s actions. Break out of the cycle of imitation.

Do I think that imitation is always bad? No, I don’t. But I think it is bad if it is a replacement for innovation. 

“…The leader is the leader precisely because he did something remarkable. And that -remarkable thing is now taken  –  so it’s no longer remarkable when you decide to do it.”
-Seth Godin

Here are some interesting thoughts on innovation from Tom Peters. He eloquently speaks on the 2 topics mentioned above.