Entries Tagged 'General' ↓

It may not be as feature rich as the Compete.com interface, but Google Trends now offers side by side (graphical overlay) statistics for daily unique visitors for two or more sites.

http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2008/06/google-trends-shows-traffic-stats.html

Read on to get first impressions of both the latest browser releases and some of their neatest features.

Firefox 3 Beta 4 has been available to the general public for some time and is likely the last beta before they put out a release candidate.  My first impression of this browser is: NICE!  I really don’t have much bad to say about it.  As promised it is extremely efficient and noticably faster.  After playing with it for less than a day I already had a bunch of my friends and associates ditching their stable 2.x build and jumping ship for a beta.  I think that says a lot in and of itself.  The type of people I convinced to upgrade include one gentlemen that uninstalled IE7 after a forced upgrade on our network last week (because he claimed it slowed down his machine) and another guy who doesn’t mind trying the latest stuff,  but has probably never loaded a beta on his work machine ever.  Not only did they agree about the performance benefits they didn’t even complain after using it for a few days!  So bottom line is the new Firefox beta is wonderful and worth a test drive

IE8 on the other hand is a bit rough around the edges.  I think Microsoft is on the right track with their pursuite of ACID perfection and by the time they reach beta 4 will also have a much snappier browser that people will prefer over IE7.  For now, expect the crashes and page rendering issues that are expected at this early stage of development.  Don’t even expect to be able to use your Windows Live Hotmail service - it won’t render (GMail works :).  Activities will be a useful built-in addition to the browser once more activities are available.  They offer a nice stepping stone towards the Firefox add-on model and make it easy for noobs to get much needed interactivity in their Microsoft browser without any brain trauma of dealing with browser add-ons.  WebSlices haven’t shown their worth to me as of yet.  It seems like the HDDVD vs Blueray battle when it comes to WebSlices and RSS.  With RSS fully entrenched and reaching critical mass, WebSlices will likely be too little too late for the Microsoft camp.

So what is going to be great about IE8?  I think AJAX navigation will save countless users the frustration of trying to use the browser back button at inopportune times so general ease of use is one reason.  I would definitely say web developers will see it as a blessing and a curse.  In basic testing it definitely renders content differently so they will have to deal with yet another browser variation (not to mention the IE7 emulation mode and “quirks mode“) but it does offer built-in developer tools that will help them fix those layout issues on the fly from within the browser.  Firefox users have been using the Web Developer Add-on for years and it really is a necessary plugin given the complexities of modern day web development.  It will definitely be interesting to see how this browser evolves and if it is enough to stem the flood of Firefox defections.

Firefox 3 I am saddened to say, jumped on the IE7 look-and-feel wagon.  According to their web site they claim to have done extensive usability research to support this redesign but I am more inclined to think a graphics designer honed in on the “key shape” idea and everyone in marketing just went along for the ride.  Besides the ugly factor, everything else about the new Firefox seems spot on.  The enhanced auto-complete is almost good enough that I might even consider starting to use it.  The single click favorite management is also a really cool addition, once you know it exists.  Search shortcuts are also at the top of my list.  I like being able to switch between search providers in the search drop down but adding a single letter to my search terms seems a more power user friendly way of handling things (if only I could do this from within the search box that I am used to typing in).  Hey, what do you know, the download dialog box isn’t displayed by default!  The download dialog box is the only feature more annoying than the “Do you want Firefox to remember this password” dialog.  Did I mention this dialog is gone too!  You are now prompted to remember passwords in Firefox from a new toolbar button similar to the one employed for pop-up handling.

If you are planning on trying either of these browsers be prepared to endure the beta-ness of both.  They are still in beta and crash rather frequently on both XP and Vista.

Everyone has probably by now heard the news about the poor adoption rate of online productivity suites like Google Docs. Some rumor mongers in the Microsoft camp are staking claim in the official demise of online office suites even after the recent launch of Office Live. I have to admit I was in the red pie slice of users that had heard of online office productivity products but had yet to try them out until just recently. Maybe I would be more apt to get excited about every little Google product announcement if they didn’t slap a beta tag on everything out of the chutes. Many of my fellow geeks operating under the “latest and greatest = best” mindset were clamoring about Google Docs the day it was released and then again and again each time new features were added. I finally took the plunge and switched to GMail after I realized it was fruitless to resist Google’s attempt to index the world’s information.

After using GMail and Google Docs for some time now I praise them as the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well, sometimes anyway, other times I curse their existence and wonder if they will ever “just work”. Even basic needs are not satisfied - organizing emails into folders to keep your inbox tidy or the ability to copy the contents of a cell in your spreadsheet and paste it into another application or browser window. Of course, the beauty of web enabled document editing and email lies in the centralized storage and universal accessibility. Try sharing an excel spreadsheet that contains contact and address information for your entire graduating class with all 452 classmates. With Google Docs it is simple. With Microsoft it would require everyone have Microsoft Office and Groove software installed and configured. My guess is if they aren’t a Microsoft employee they probably don’t have Groove installed (btw Groove is Windows only - sorry Mac and Linux users).

Web based office applications are far from dead. They are definitely in their nascent state as we come to the end of 2007. More than just knowing they exist, there needs to be a cultural shift in mindset about information storage and a deeper level of trust in the SAAS providers before the average Joe will make the switch. Do you trust Google to store your documents forever? Are you concerned about the security implications of one company having access to all the world’s information? If the answers to these questions can be changed from no to yes Google Docs will have 25% of the office productivity market share in 3 years. Done’ t believe me? Ask Steve Ballmer how much of the browser market share Firefox managed to secure since version 1.0 was released in 2004.

I have to admit that I have been intrigued with eBook readers for quite some time now. They seem to have the right idea - provide a portable electronic mechanism to read books that isn’t microscopic and doesn’t hurt your eyes. Kindle uses the same E-Ink technology that competitive readers like the Sony Reader use and offers the bonus feature of wireless access via the Sprint network for eBook downloads and access to content that isn’t so old the copyright has expired (see Sony’s list of 100 free books bundled with the Reader).

So kindle is basically second generation eBook technology with a huge content library and everybody’s favorite wireless access so why is it going to bomb? Two reasons: first, there aren’t any. Amazon sold out of Kindle devices already and won’t be able to restock until after Christmas. Second, no advertising. When was the last time any product was successful that wasn’t either built on advertising or funded by advertising. I have been digging around and have yet to come across any details on how Amazon could place ads on the Kindle screen. I know nobody really wants ads, but they are a necessary evil.

Note to Bezos:
Add advertising to Kindle or remove the DRM and open the platform. Actually scratch that second part, just ad advertising to kindle. Even personal Acrobat filess are serving up paid advertising these days.

Maybe I am way off base here and Amazon is really planning on taking a pounding on Kindle with future plans for a software upgrade that will turn Kindle into the most advanced interface to the Amazon shopping experience known to man that will revolutionize the way people use the internet just like palm revolutionized the handheld market earlier this year.

If only DVR’s could schedule upcoming events more than two months in advance I would have scheduled the recording of the latest Tin Man mini series the day it came across my RSS reader for the first time. The marketing group over at SciFi did an excellent job promoting the series, so well you could say they have it down to a science *grin* At least they got me hyped up for a new series that I knew relatively little about.

Part one of the series reintroduces our well known Wizard of Oz characters in creative fashion. Alan Cumming plays an absolutely brilliant recreation of the scarecrow as Glitch, the inventor that knew so much that part of his brain was removed by the wicked witch - now known as Azkadellia the sorceress. The lion (Raw) though quiet has the ability to heal injuries and see the future and the former long arm of the law, Wyatt “Tin Man” Cain is itching for all out revenge after his family was tortured and killed right before his eyes, over and over again.

These great actors make you forget you are watching SciFi and not a blockbuster Hollywood hit, then DG (aka Dorothy) brings you crashing back to earth with her vacant stare and clueless bumbling. Please tell me she is not “the One”, even with the blank Keenu Reeves facial expression she doesn’t manage to pull off the Neo persona and she surely isn’t giddy enough to remind me of the original character. The director goes to great lengths in the early stages to freeze frame her with pigtails and checkered dress as she starts her day at work at the local diner, but after that momentary image burn the likeness fades quickly and the horrible acting drags down the rest of the cast.

Even with DG’s less than perfect stage presence I was not dissuaded, nor were the other 6.3 million viewers on Sunday night, from thoroughly enjoying the experience. Apparently Tin Man brought in record viewership with a show that wasn’t as geek specific as Galactica or Dune. The special effects were hit and miss, but overall the Tin Man had a really nice, polished feel to it. I am not sure it was as deep or quality as the aforementioned Dune or Galactica, but it was enjoyable all the same. Apparently Digg users didn’t necessarily share my affection. With over 1000 related Digg submissions I didn’t see any go hot. Alexa and Compete didn’t show much of a traffic spike for scifi.com over that last month so I guess there weren’t 6.3 million additional viewers tuning in to watch the full episodes online. Maybe Revision3 is ahead of its time, or maybe Adobe’s recent Flash upgrade with support for H.264 HD encryption will be the tipping point for online media.

The loyalists on the SciFi forum graded it an overwhelming “A” and agreed they would love to see the prefix “mini” removed from the title in favor of a full blown television series. Obviously television advertising and off-net viewing still reign at SciFi. If only my wife hadn’t “accidentally” deleted my scheduled DVR event AND recordings I could have watched it commercial free, in HD, on my big screen television. Alas I was subjected to somewhat grainy 8-12 minute segments with obnoxious introductory commercials that were far louder than the show. Still, kudos to SciFi for putting up the full content in record time each night and for not splattering commercials through 3 full length sections.