When Google’s not algorithmically exploiting the web’s intelligence via search, they’re busy digitally cataloging the least trekked places on earth. In the latest update to Google Maps’ most prized feature, Mountain View has pointed their vast resources toward higher latitudes, making available in glorious zoomed detail the heights of Everest, Kilimanjaro and other formidable mountain peaks around the globe. The new Street View panoramas are navigable over the web, as well as on Android and iOS.

As detailed over at the Lat Long blog yesterday, the latest frontier to receive the Google treatment was part of a multi-year effort. The expedition broke ground in 2011 when Sara Pelosi, a People Programs Manager for Google, planned some time off with fellow Googlers to tackle Everest Base Camp, a ridge understandably absent from the Street View corpus. With a bit of prodding, the team seized the opportunity to preserve glimpses of the experience while at the same time expanding the reaches of Google Maps. Capturing the necessary imagery would require little additional gear besides a digital camera and folding tripod.

The team encountered the usual travails as they ascended to an elevation of 18,192 feet (“higher than anywhere in the contiguous U.S.”), including an earthquake, mudslide, snow storm and the inevitable altitude sickness.

You can click around the Everest Base Camp South in full 360 degree detail below.

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For Google, Everest was just the beginning. A full collection of the mountain zeniths made Street View-compatible, which includes the Aconcagua of South America and Kilimanjaro of Africa, can be found here.

This latest assortment adds to an already remarkable service. Earlier this year, Google released its panoramic coverage of the Grand Canyon. For this expedition Google employed its proprietary Trekker camera technology, which runs entirely on Android. The system consists of a backpack-mounted unit fitted with 15 separate lenses, enabling crew teams to snap hands-free images while they trudge through shallow rivers and scale the steep terrain. The whole unit adds about 40 pounds to your climbing weight and snaps photos at 2.5 second intervals.

With this innovative technology, the teams were able to procure more than 9,500 panoramic views, including coverage of the Meteor Crater to the north. This majestic Arizonian landscape can be navigated in all its glory below.

View Larger Map

And just last year, Google sent oceanfarers to plumb the stygian depths of six of the world’s most spectacular underwater spots, from the coral reefs in Australia to the Philippines and Hawaii, all to satisfy our collective curiosity. The Heron Island Resort abutting the Great Barrier Reef in Australia is particularly magnificent (embedded below).

View Larger Map

With each passing year the phenoms at Mountain View chart more and more of our planet in exquisite detail, expanding our horizons while simultaneously aggravating the travel itch for millions of people. If you happen to be planning a getaway, Street View would be a good place to start. And be sure to check out Google’s full database of Street View collections.

Source: Explore Everest, Kilimanjaro and more with Google Maps

Notes from the top of the world: A behind-the-scenes look at our latest Google Maps special collection

Feature image: “View from Breitenstein” by EMK

 
 
It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since the first generation of e-reading hardware arrived courtesy of Sony and Amazon. In that time, we’ve seen breakneck, triple-digit growth and even some publishers forgoing print media altogether as the transition from paper to pixel cements itself in the marketplace. Definitively, ebooks are now the most important segment in book publishing today.

Up until this point, ebooks have existed simply as the digital equivalents of paper books, a 21st century reinvention of traditional print analogues. But what if they could be not an equivalent of print but a contemporary augmentation of it?

I saw a glimpse of this ebook evolution in the recently released iOS exclusive Journey to the Exoplanets, a collaborative effort between Scientific American and other boffins of the astronomer variety. Upon playing around with it on my family’s iPad, I found it just as much an interactive app as it is something to be read. Let’s call it space porn for astronomy fans. Multimedia elements are interspersed throughout its pages, supplementing the text with audiovisual bits.

Beyond the 3D illustrations and animations, the app makes innovative use of the iOS hardware, transporting you to panoramic birds-eye views of planets and galaxies by appropriating the iPad’s accelerometer and gyroscope controls. You can carry out basic experiments with explanations of the results. And perhaps its capstone feature is the Planet Builder, which allows you to create a planet from the ground up, assigning basic parameters such as the size, age and number of orbiting moons of your planet. While there is a fair amount of reading to be done in between, it’s clear the text takes a secondary role to the audiovisual and interactive elements. It’s basically a website designed specifically to harness the power of your iPad, and it’s highly effective.
 

 
It’s clear the boundaries are now blurred between interactive website, ebook and app.  Apple lists Journey to the Exoplanets under its Books category, though it is not carried by any of the ebook vendors. It must be purchased through the iTunes marketplace, and it’s launched via its own icon on the homescreen, similar to other apps. JttE even has a version number association, and updates are pushed directly to it.

We’ve seen this before with Jay-Z’s Decoded, where paperback, ebook, enhanced ebook and exclusive iOS app editions were released. In the enhanced ebook and dedicated app versions, the book’s text, music videos and interviews can all be consumed via a single interface.

The ill-defined classification is really unimportant. Regardless of what rubrics you use to delineate this type of digital creation, I’d like to see more of them. “Enhanced” ebooks such as Journey to the Exoplanets represent not just a leap forward for ebooks but redefine books in general. They can add to the engagement and augment your understanding of the information in ways that straight text works cannot. An ebook with app-like capabilities can guide you through a narrative or process or allow you to ask questions and set up what-if scenarios within the interface itself. Diagrams and images can be zoomed and dissected. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then multimedia is worth a million.

This non-linear, media-centric style of reading is perhaps better suited to nonfiction works like science and history textbooks, although fiction works could use non-linear progression in interesting ways. I’m sure I’m not the only one who remembers reading the Choose Your Own Adventure novels as a kid, where the reader is given choices at each plot crossroads to determine how the story plays out. Think Mass Effect in novel form, where depending on the combination of choices you make, there exists the possibility of some 20 different endings. Navigation through such a book would obviously be easier with an iPad or other electronic device rather than a printed book. I’m sure minds far more creative than mine can conjure up even more innovative concepts.

Admittedly, there are a few technology-specific asterisks preventing more works like Journey to the Exoplanets from appearing on the market. One of the major costs unique to digital publishing involves making sure each page and element render correctly on each of the e-reader platforms, including mobile and desktop. For this reason, it’s likely more economically sensible for a publisher to develop a release for a single platform, which is the case with the iOS-exclusive JttE. Unfortunately, platform-specific apps leave other platform owners out in the dark and tie its users to a single device or platform. There’s no reason to expect JttE will be released on Android, for example.

Future compatibility would always remain a concern. Something so ripe with multimedia elements demands a certain level of hardware requirements, meaning older devices may not support newer, richer titles. Finally, while standard ebooks are encoded in popular formats which will be around for the foreseeable future,  app-style ebooks instead rely on stand-alone software.

I don’t know whether these issues are resolvable, or if “enhanced” ebooks are dead on arrival, but I see great potential here, particularly for learning and nonfiction style works. If authors and artists can gain the support of publishers, we may anticipate greater innovation in the years to come as the lines between apps and ebooks are redrawn.

Your thoughts? Do you want to see more interactive ebooks? Do you think they would be more effective than straight text books in education systems? What are some “enhanced” ebooks or book-like apps that you’ve discovered? Share in the comments.

External Link: Journey to the Exoplanets

 
 
Microsoft’s Research (MSR) division is pushing to establish a new WiFi architecture, dubbed WiFi-NC, that marshals existing WiFi spectrum with the unused spectrum between television broadcasts (called “white space”). Tapping into these lower frequency bands provides a more potent wireless signal, resulting in fewer dropouts and more consistent connection speeds. WiFi-NC is 100% backward compatible with existing WiFi architecture, making it a more attractive option than other initiatives in recent years. Developing this idea given the current infrastructure was not too difficult; the dicier issue is convincing Congress to play ball.

Interference over WiFi connections is annoyingly common and manifests itself in the form of reduced network speeds or a complete drop of the WiFi link. Depending on where your wireless router or other wireless access point is located in your house/apartment/dorm in relation to your wireless devices, dropouts may be a frequent occurrence. It can be especially frustrating when you’re streaming from Netflix or some other media service. High-population areas, such as high-rise apartment buildings and college dormitories, tend to suffer disruptions the most. WiFi interference is caused chiefly by channel congestion:

• Wireless access points in close proximity set to identical or overlapping traffic channels or
• Too many wireless access points in a concentrated area

Current WiFi architecture also limits signal propagation to the tens of meters and has difficulty passing through certain materials such as thick concrete walls. Conversely, television transmissions can travel tens of miles to be picked up by your over-the-air (OTA) antenna and penetrate numerous building structures along the way.

Microsoft’s WiFi-NC aims to compensate for these limitations by appropriating the currently off-limits white space spectrum. When terrestrial television transitioned from analog to digital transmission, unused slices of the spectrum were left behind. These segments are highly desirable because television broadcasts occupy the “radio waves” portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, while WiFi occupies the “microwaves” portion of the spectrum. Lower frequency radiation (radio waves) better penetrates the concrete walls of buildings and travel greater distances and speeds than higher frequency radiation (microwaves).

To deliver a superior experience than current WiFi architecture provides, Microsoft’s technology would use the best combination of the available spectrum to optimize the connection quality of all users. A WiFi-NC access point could switch on-the-fly to the narrow white space frequencies when interference or other drop in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is detected.

It should be noted that WiFi-NC won’t automatically increase data rates above what’s currently specified in the current set of wireless b/g/n standards. Rather, the technology will enable a more consistent connection at the speeds for which your network is capable, even for the fastest of WiFi networks which can achieve 1 gigabit per second data transfers. Thus its core competency lies in its more efficient use of spectrum to deliver a full-purpose signal and more consistent wireless connections.

The bad news is prior to implementation, Microsoft must be given the green light from Congress, who has resisted apportioning white space spectrum due to concerns over interference. Microsoft and other groups have petitioned the FCC to release this space before, claiming the current rules are too conservative, but the FCC has repeatedly denied these requests in an attempt to protect television transmissions from interference.

In response, a Microsoft research team proved that an HD movie stream could be transmitted over white space spectrum to deliver broadband wireless signals on the same channel as a wireless microphone (which occupies frequencies very close to TV broadcasts) without any noticeable degradation in sound quality. Regardless, current legislation upholds that “white space devices must avoid any channel in use by a wireless microphone as well as the channels on either side of a TV broadcast.”

Microsoft sees no reason for spectrum to go unused and wants to create (and likely patent) a new wireless standard, superseding 802.11n. Adoption of the new standard would require a new router or other wireless access point, but beyond that, the design is fully compatible with legacy standards and could run alongside existing networks. If the rules were to change in the future and Congress passes the appropriate legislation, WiFi-NC could be implemented immediately. Its more robust architecture would result in better, more stable connections for WiFi users.

External Link: Microsoft Reinvents Wi-Fi for White Spaces

 
 
Having one consistent set of bookmarks for your desktop, phone and tablet is an appealing alternative to managing different sets or manually adding them one by one. Similarly, ending a browsing session on your PC or Mac and resuming it on your handheld device is a more efficient way to use the web. As an Android user, you have quite a few options for doing this, but I’ll walk through the most seamless methods that I’ve found.

If you’re primarily a Firefox or Opera user, you can simply use their built-in synchronization features. If you use Chrome on the desktop, I’ll show you how to sync your bookmarks between Chrome and Android. If you’re a multi-browser user, you can use the cross-browser solution Xmarks to maintain a single set of bookmarks and one seamless browsing session, regardless of which device or browser you happen to be using. At their core, these tools help remove the discontinuity and unify browsing between your desktop and mobile device. Let’s dive right in.

Firefox Sync

If you’re a Firefox user, Mozilla’s Sync feature automatically syncs your bookmarks, open tabs, history and passwords. Simply create an account to establish one persistent session across all your machines where Firefox is installed. Compared with other popular mobile browsers, however, Firefox is certainly far from the snappiest. Page loading is noticeably slower compared with the default browser or Opera, Miren and Skyfire. It can take a good 30 seconds after launching for the start page to appear. I’ve found  this delay to be exacerbated with Sync enabled, as it checks for open tabs from your last session as well as any new bookmarks that have been added. Firefox has a deep add-on library for both desktop and mobile though and, like the other options here, Sync can be great for quickly bookmarking a link so you can reopen it on your phone if you’re heading out the door.

Opera Link

Opera is still my browser of choice on Android as it seems to offer the best combination of speed and ease of use. With Opera Link, you can synchronize bookmarks, passwords, history and searches in addition to features unique to Opera, such as notes, the personal bar and speed dial. Unlike Firefox Sync, though, open tabs from a previous session are not part of this chronic integration.

Another useful feature is that Opera automatically appends any bookmarks found in the default Android browser in a separate folder within Opera’s bookmarks, eliminating the task of migrating these over yourself. When you add or delete bookmarks from the default browser, Opera will reflect those changes in the Android Bookmarks folder within Opera. This will be especially handy if you wish to use both Opera and Xmarks in tandem, described in further detail below.

Note that Opera Link is not available for the Opera Mini mobile browser (which is intended for slow data connections or limited data plans), only for the full-featured Opera Mobile. Make sure you download the right one. To establish Opera Link initially on your mobile device, navigate to the app’s Settings menu –> Opera Link and enter your account information.

How to Sync Google Chrome Bookmarks with Your Android Phone

Chrome enthusiasts do not yet have an equivalent on mobile platforms. Indeed, the Chrome browser has remained notoriously absent from the Android ecosystem even though Chrome and Android’s native browser both use the WebKit rendering engine. Fortunately, ChromeMarks is a way to soften the wall between desktop-only Chrome and your Android device.

To set up ChromeMarks, your Chrome account must be configured to sync bookmarks. First, make sure you are signed into Chrome by clicking the wrench icon . Once you’re signed in, click where it says Signed in as… and under Personal Stuff –> Advanced, make sure the Bookmarks option is checked. That’s all you need to do. When you open up ChromeMarks on your phone, your Google account should already be selected and you only need to hit Sync. See the video below if you need further help.

Note that this app does not sync these bookmarks to the Android default browser; you have to launch the ChromeMarks app (or hold down the search key) to access them. You can then open the link using any mobile browser you want. Also, the free version of this app only works in one direction – pushing Chrome bookmarks to Android. To create new bookmarks on your phone and push them to Chrome, you need the premium version.

Xmarks

Previously mentioned Xmarks is quite possibly the best solution out there for synchronizing your bookmarks and browsing sessions across different browsers, computers and mobile devices. Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, you simply install the Xmarks add-on for each of the browsers you use, and Xmarks will consolidate each set of bookmarks into one unified list. Links added or removed within other browsers will stay consistent across all your browsers in their respective favorites or bookmarks listings.

On Android, there are three ways to access your Xmarks repository. You can download the official Xmarks Android app, which (after its acquisition by LastPass) is now a 14-day free trial, after which you must agree to a $12 annual fee to continue using the app. From the app itself, you can manage your bookmarks and open them using any of your installed browsers. You can also sync your Xmarks list to the default Android browser by hitting Menu –> Settings –> Sync folder with browser.

A second method is for users of the Dolphin HD mobile browser. Xmarks has released an official Xmarks for Dolphin HD app, which is subject to the same two-week trial and annual fee, but automatically sets up an Xmarks bookmark folder separately from any preexisting Dolphin bookmarks. This folder will stay in sync with your Xmarks archive.

The last method is to sidestep the trial and annual fee. You can simply navigate to the mobile site my.xmarks.com, using any mobile browser, and bypass the app altogether.

The only major web browser that does not yet have an Xmarks add-on is Opera. However, as mentioned above, there is a way you can you use both on Android phones and tablets. Since 1) the Xmarks app can sync bookmarks with the default browser on Android and 2) Opera Mobile contains a separate Android Bookmarks folder, that folder will always reflect your Xmarks archive. This of course requires you to pay the annual fee. Or again, you could simply jump to the my.xmarks.com mobile site.

To clarify, Xmarks is FREE for desktop use. Only the mobile apps are subject to the trial and annual fee.

Which of these options do you find most convenient? Have you found other ways of keeping your browsing more synchronized? Let me know in the comments.

 
 
Managing your bookmarks can be a pain, especially if you use multiple browsers and computers. If you’re looking for a bookmarking service with cross-browser reach, look no further than Xmarks. There isn’t a simpler solution out there for consolidating your favorite links across browsers, computers and even your mobile devices. If you use Safari on a Mac at home and Internet Explorer on a PC at work, for example, Xmarks will unify your bookmarks into a single list.

Compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Safari, you simply install the Xmarks add-on for each of the browsers you use. Bookmarks added or removed within other browsers or installations will stay consistent across all browsers in their respective favorites or bookmarks listings.

Xmarks can also sync to the cloud multiple browsing sessions, with a unique set of tabs for each. Whenever you set up a computer or browser to sync with Xmarks, you can label that instance. Thus, no matter which installation you’re working from, you can select a session and resume from where you left off.

To start, install the add-on to one of your browsers and create a user account to attach to your links. You can then tell Xmarks to store your current browser’s list of bookmarks as the starting point. When you sign in with a different browser, you can tell it to merge the current browser’s links with the previously stored list. You can then add, delete and rearrange your archive as you please through the Xmarks website. You can set it to sync automatically after closing your browser, or you can sync ad-hoc by navigating to the extension’s options menu.

Xmarks for Mobile

For Android, iOS and Blackberry devices, you can download the official apps, which (after Xmarks’ acquisition by LastPass) is now a 14-day free trial, after which you must agree to a $12 annual fee to continue using the app. From the app itself, you can manage your bookmarks and open them using any of your installed browsers.

You can also sync your Xmarks list to the default Android, iOS or Blackberry browser by hitting Menu –> Settings –> Sync folder with browser. All of your Xmarks links will then automatically sync with your native browser’s bookmarks.

Note that the app is not mandatory since you can access Xmarks through the web. On your PC/Mac or your mobile device, you can alternatively navigate to my.xmarks.com using any browser and access your cloud-stored bookmark archive that way. This is useful if you’d like to keep the bookmark lists of certain browsers separate but still want access to your Xmarks repository. It would also be useful, as mentioned above, if you would like to continue using your mobile browser of choice and would like to sidestep the app and annual fee.

One final note is that you if you are currently using Firefox Sync or Chrome Sync, make sure to disable it on all your computers prior to using Xmarks, as using both can result in duplicate bookmarks.

Go Get Started

Xmarks solves one of the biggest problems with using multiple browsers and PCs and is a perfect example of how you can make technology work for you.

All of the relevant links are below. And check back in tomorrow for a comprehensive article on syncing browsing activity between your Android device and your desktop or laptop.

Xmarks official website
Xmarks for Android
Xmarks for iOS
Xmarks for Blackberry

 
 
A new year signals new developments in the burgeoning technology sector. In an industry where innovation occurs at a blistering pace and new products, apps and services are announced almost weekly, accurate forecasting seems nearly impossible. 2011 was largely characterized by the rise of the tablet computer, an emphasis on cloud-centric services, the “daily deals” craze from Groupon, Living Social and others, the discontinued development of Flash for mobile platforms, and the introduction of LTE, dual-core mobile processors and Apple’s automated voice assistant, Siri. What exciting new trends and market shifts will shape 2012 technology? Here are my best predictions of what we’ll see in the coming year.

1. LTE Everywhere

Verizon, AT&T and Sprint each launched LTE networks in 2011, effectively granting mobile devices the power of broadband speeds. Unfortunately, the total number of smartphones utilizing this spectrum is small relative to 3G offerings. While Sprint’s next-gen network just launched last week, Verizon’s is far and away the most mature, with coverage now in 190 cities compared with AT&T’s 15. T-Mobile remains the only major U.S. carrier without official LTE plans, but as its contentious merger deal with AT&T is finally coming to an end, I imagine an announcement is not far away. Competition for 4G market share is just getting warmed up. Expect network coverage and the number of compatible phones on each carrier to proliferate rapidly in 2012.

More intriguing, however, is the possibility of true 4G infrastructures. While many consumers mistakenly believe they are living in a 4G world right now, today’s LTE deviates considerably from the official IMT-Advanced (4G) standard. LTE Advanced, the much-improved successor to LTE, has emerged as the candidate best suited to meet the requirements of 4G, promising speeds of around 100 Mbit/s (in motion) and 1 Gbit/s (fixed position). While Verizon, Sprint and AT&T have all committed to this standard, work won’t likely begin until 2013 at the earliest.

2. App Exhaustion

Collectively we reached the one million apps threshold for iOS and Android in 2011, with over 600,000 iOS applications and 400,000 Android applications. App growth for the two market-leading platforms shows no signs of abatement, as apps continue to replicate features previously performed by separate hardware. Calculators, digital cameras, MP3 players and televisions can now all be consolidated to a single mobile device. It turns out, the more software can do for us, the more the idea of specialized hardware becomes an anachronism. The seemingly illimitable selection of apps can for many people be overwhelming and has given rise to an entirely new app category: app discovery. Projects such as Quixey, Xyologic, Appolocious, AppsFire and Kinetik are all geared toward solving this very first-world problem.

Expect the Windows Phone app store to become much more comprehensive in 2012 in order to compete effectively with the Big Two, as well as the growth of browser app stores such as those of Chrome, Firefox and Opera. The release of Windows 8 will see the introduction of the official Windows App Store as well. It’s an exciting time to be a smartphone and tablet owner, and heated competition can only raise the quality of apps we have to choose from.

3. Social Network Saturation

2011 was a momentous year for social media. Now servicing 62 million users, Google+ has quickly secured its place in the triumvirate of social networks with its improved sharing system and the ability to segment connections. While Facebook and Twitter still dwarf its user base, more and more people are discovering the unique benefits Google+ provides. Much more than a stand-alone product, Google+ is central to a much larger and successful ecosystem, one which is already embedded in our online and offline lives. Facebook’s introduction of Timeline, like every new change that comes along, has proved divisive and some users may be more open to an alternative.

2011 also saw the impressive growth of Diaspora, which launched in 2010, and the launch of newcomer Unthink. These more concentrated social networking sites champion their service as the “anti-Facebook”, catering to users who demand greater control over their privacy.

In the coming year, I don’t expect Google+’s growth to slow down as Google marshals its SEO prowess and other content we like into a cohesive whole. Google+ will further differentiate itself from Facebook and Twitter with deeper integration with the rest of the Google ecosystem. It’s difficult to speculate on where we’ll be a year from now, or on Diaspora’s and Unthink’s continued popularity, but Facebook has proved time and again that people will trade privacy and data ownership for the social value it provides. In an age where Facebook is beyond ubiquitous, it might border on impossible for lesser-known entities to gain a foothold, regardless of the unique value on offer.

4. Desktop and Mobile OS Converge

This year might be most remembered for the sizeable progress made toward OS homogeneity. Both Microsoft and Apple are in the early stages of transitioning to a single operating system, one that will unify the look, feel and underlying framework of their respective desktop and mobile products. The similarities between Lion and iOS 5 are obvious, and Apple plans to begin merging iOS and OS X this year. By leveraging its cloud-based service iCloud with the migration from Intel to ARM-based processors, you can expect the resemblances to escalate over the next few years.

Coming off the huge success of Windows 7, Microsoft is heading in an entirely new direction with its latest 0S iteration, codenamed Windows 8. Believed by many to be the most ambitious and risky venture to date, Windows 8 represents the most radical Windows redesign since Windows 95. Its Metro-based UI is specifically optimized for tablets and other touch-screen devices while offering legacy support for traditional mouse and keyboard use, aspiring to bridge the interface gap between Windows and Windows Phone OS. The beta is rumored to drop as early as Q1 2012, followed by Windows 8 tablets by the end of the year.

Expect the gulf between mobile and PC performance to shrink even further in 2012. The arrival of quad-core mobile processors, like those of the Tegra and Snapdragon variety, offer PC-like strength and will greatly aid convergence. Snapdragon’s most recently debuted chip is expected to hit Windows 8 tablets this year, and there’s a good chance the A6 quad-core chip will make its way into the next iPad and iPhone releases.

What’s most intriguing are the implications of these efforts. Sure, the impetus behind OS conformity is to create services and applications that scale seamlessly, irrespective of screen size, resolution and processing power, engendering a more consistent and familiar experience across all like-branded products. This, both companies claim, will result in synergistic and economies of scale advantages, but will these efforts ultimately cannibalize internal sales? If you can get 90% of the features and functionality of a MacBook Air on an iPad and for much cheaper, won’t most choose the tablet? As Apple and Microsoft move toward a single OS architecture, it remains to be seen whether the anticipated cost savings will be outpaced by a loss in sales from their other product lines. Self-competition is a highly capricious technological trend that will be interesting to watch unfold.

5. Ultrabooks Will Transform the PC Market

Low-cost netbooks arrived on the tech scene in 2008 and, after an initial sales boom, failed to capture a significant portion of the PC market. Primarily optimized for web browsing and email exchange, their poor microprocessing power compared with traditional PCs caused them to quickly lose popularity. Making matters worse, the iPad and other tablets debuted two years later and turned out to be just as capable and more attractive alternatives. Today, the growing preference of mainstream computer users is clearly toward smaller and more capable devices like tablets and the MacBook Air. Sensing this shift in preference, many PC manufacturers are looking to capitalize with Ultrabooks. These mini-laptops combine the portability and slim profile appeal of tablets with the functionality and performance of a notebook PC. They will be priced competitively with the notebook segment, at least initially, and will be distinguished by their quick boot times, low weight and strong battery life.

Just as netbooks initially lifted market share away from notebooks, will a similar trend develop here? As in the case of desktop and mobile OS convergence discussed above, will Ultrabooks cannibalize sales of PC manufacturers’ more profitable product lines? Will they transform the laptop category altogether? I submit they will.

6. TV as Apps

The Internet has already changed the way we watch TV, but what consumers want most is one intuitive interface that consolidates all their favorite content (perhaps with the ability to change camera angles on-the-fly). This approach best recreates the traditional TV experience of cable and satellite, minus the many downsides. The lack of progress on this front is due mostly to resistance from content producers, but we are starting to see tensions ease. Microsoft has inked deals with over 40 content owners and pay-TV distributors worldwide to bring HBO, BBC, Bravo, SyFy, ESPN and much more to the Xbox 360 console. What’s not ideal about this arrangement is that access to much of this content still requires a cable subscription. A better solution is a dedicated app for each television network that is ad-supported or paid for via your Xbox Live Gold subscription.

Independence from cable and satellite operators has always been the aim of Google TV, and Google looks primed to make greater inroads with the product in 2012. Google continues to gather hardware partners in Samsung, Vizio and LG, all of which are expected to debut dedicated Google TV devices or interface support in their HDTV lines. But again, it’s content owner support that has proved most difficult to acquire, and this is where Apple may have the greatest fortuity. Indeed, rumors abound over Apple’s re-imagining of the television experience. It’s not clear whether this product will take the form of an Apple-branded display, a major revision to the Apple TV set-top box or an interactive, Siri-controlled overlay packaged with “smart TVs”, but whatever it is, it seems the late Steve Jobs was passionate about it. All signs point to a 2012 debut.

7. 3D Here to Stay – For Now

3D is perhaps the most polarizing of all tech topics, with sentiments for the format typically isolated toward the extremes. Love it or loathe it, statistics indicate 3D isn’t going away in 2012. For starters, 7 of the 10 highest grossing films in 2011 were offered in 3D. While there’s no public data that distinguishes 2D and 3D in terms of number of tickets sold, 3D showings continue to constitute a substantial percentage of total revenue (though that percentage has declined from 2010). What’s more, there are currently 38 3D films scheduled for release in 2012, including the first Star Wars Episode I 3D re-release and James Cameron’s Titanic 3D re-issue. The 3D format is also starting to garner first-time attention from the Hollywood elite with Martin Scorsese’s 3D debut, Hugo, and Peter Jackson’s upcoming film, The Hobbit. The 3D trend is expected to proliferate overseas especially, where the 3D format is still very much a novelty.

On the home theater front, consumer opinion of 3D is of little consequence as 3D is now a default feature on the majority of HDTVs as well as Blu-ray players and can be toggled on or off. 3D glasses are usually optional purchases, allowing 3D sets to occupy the same price point as its 2D predecessors. Most premium-priced products, those with higher quality features and specs, also support 3D by default, meaning most consumers will end up buying 3D-capable equipment anyway.

The video game market tends to garner the highest appeal for the 3D format, thanks in part to Sony’s continued commitment to stereoscopic gaming. At present there are 18 confirmed 3D PS3 games slated for 2012 release. Both Microsoft and Nintendo seem content just waiting to see how this trend plays out before investing in 3D functionality for their home consoles. The view from here doesn’t indicate 3D will be flatlining any time soon.

8. Consumer-Grade OLED Televisions: Probably Not

HDTV enthusiasts have craved large-screen OLED panels for years now, primarily for their highly desirable contrast and motion performance as well as power efficiency. They effectively combine the best attributes of LCD and plasma display technology, except cost that is. While high manufacturing costs have inhibited OLEDs from materializing in the consumer market, that hasn’t stopped LG and Samsung, who will both debut OLED panels at CES this month. Unfortunately, while the picture quality produced by these sets continues to improve, production costs do not, and even the most optimistic of estimates place product releases toward the close of 2012 or 2013 and later.

9. Green Vehicle Sales Will Further Stagnate

Despite the recessionary economic environment in the U.S. and abroad, sales of hybrid and electric cars and SUVs have not taken off like one would expect. Year-on-year sales volume of hybrids in the U.S. has monotonically declined since 2007 and, as of August 2011, the hybrid market was down nearly 12% compared to a year ago, while the overall auto market was up 7.5% from last August.

For this to change, the manufacturing costs and efficiency of current battery technologies, which directly influence the retail price of EVs, must improve considerably, or better technologies must be introduced. The disparity between the number of hybrids and electric-only vehicles on the market reflects the present state of battery tech: NiMH and Lithium-ion technologies have not been able to yield satisfactory cost-to-range ratios and have not improved at the rate manufacturers had hoped. A number of fresh technologies are on the horizon, such as solid-state, magnesium-ion and lithium-sulfur, but it could be more than a decade before we see them on the road, if at all.

The various purchase incentives that accompany today’s EVs, including tax breaks, toll and parking fee reductions, greater fuel efficiency, along with increasing concern related to climate change and dependence on foreign oil, may not be enough to sway most car buyers. On the other hand, stricter emissions standards and greater attention to fuel efficiency for gasoline-powered cars have resulted in slow but steady growth in the non-green sector the past few years. With gas prices still declining and recessionary pressures still looming, I don’t expect the green car market to change in any major way this year.

What trends do you think will be most significant in 2012? Which one has you most excited? Let me know in the comments.

 
 
One of the greatest benefits a digital book provides over a print is the ability to search its contents instantly. Locating a forgotten quote or looking up a much-needed reference is easy with today’s book search tools. Amazon and Google offer searchable repositories, and there are quite a few lesser-known databases available as well.

A couple of caveats is that text is only searchable if the database has the e-version of the book available, as print titles are not indexed. Additionally, for copyrighted works, the number of searchable pages is typically limited and is contingent on publisher agreements. Keep this in mind when your queries return “no results.” This does not always mean that the text or phrase you searched for are not in the book. It might just mean they are not found in the indexed selection of the book available online. Public domain titles (i.e., those with expired copyrights), on the other hand, are often available in full and can be viewed and searched directly from your browser.

Amazon

With Amazon, you can search for text by simply mousing over the cover image of the book. The search will return the full excerpt and the page number where it’s found, along with the portion of the book that is viewable. Alternatively, if you recall a quote but are not sure what book it’s from, you can even search for text from the primary search bar. Many publishers only allow specific portions of the book to be viewed and searched, so if the text you’re looking for is not found in these sections, you’ll come up empty. And as noted above, if the publisher has restricted this functionality, then these features will not be present.

Google

While Google’s database is similar in scope to Amazon’s, Google also indexes magazine text from popular publications. What’s unique about Google is that you can initiate a search directly from any Google search bar by simply prefacing your search with book.

Example: A favorite book of mine is The Drunkard’s Walk by Leonard Mlodinow. If you execute the following search:

Google will return the full passage and page number from the book, and you can click the result to jump into Google’s Web reader view. You can also use Google’s advanced book search page to narrow your search to copyrighted books, public domain books, Google eBooks only or magazines only.

Beyond Amazon and Google

Amazon and Google are far from the only resources for finding the full text of books on the internet. Various e-book programs around the world make available vast numbers of works no longer covered by copyright and even out-of-print books, all of which can be viewed in full directly from your browser or downloaded to an e-reader. For copyright-protected books, you’re required to log in with your local library credentials to gain access. Some of the most exhaustive sites on the Web can be found below:

• ebrary
• Project Gutenberg
• The Online Books Page
• HathiTrust Digital Library
• Internet Archive
• NetLibrary (requires login)

As the oldest collection of free e-books on the web, Project Gutenberg has numerous affiliates, many of which offer full-text search of their libraries. Their full list of affiliates can be found here.

Have you found other ways of initiating full-text searches online? Let me know in the comments.

 
 
When the original Amazon Kindle launched in 2007, it set the standard for e-readers and quickly became synonymous with the product like iPod and MP3 player. Since then, we’ve seen the appearance of tablets and e-book integration into both smartphones and tablets. The Kindle line continues its reign as market share leader in the e-reader segment, but until recently, that market has been relatively small. The latest survey found that 25% of U.S. readers have transitioned to digital consumption of books. Now the fastest-growing segment of the book publishing industry, e-book purchases represent 10% of the global book market. E-books are now released simultaneously with print versions, and some content creators have even moved exclusively to digital revenue streams, forgoing print analogues altogether. Having outgrown its formerly niche status, is e-reading appealing enough to sway both casual and ardent readers alike?

There are certainly many who still enjoy holding a print book in their hands and can’t imagine doing all their reading on a magnetized string of ones and zeros. Yet, even for avid readers accustomed to the traditionally analog form of reading, there are some enticing benefits that reading electronically provides. For those on the fence this holiday season, let’s take a look at some of the core considerations.

Readability

The term “e-reader” can apply uniformly to dedicated e-readers, tablets and smartphones, and as screen characteristics vary among these devices, so does readability. Unlike smartphones and tablets which use backlit display technology, dedicated e-reading devices like the Kindle, Nook, Kobo and Sony Readers use e-ink technology. Alternatively titled electronic paper, its reflective rather than emissive characteristics are designed to reproduce the look of printed paper. Just as you can read a newspaper or magazine outside on a bright day without difficulty, the reflective screen of an e-ink display is not washed out by light. Obviously, the absence of a backlight means e-ink readers are unusable under low-light conditions, but there are no shortage of cases available with built-in lights for reading at night. You’ll find several for each of the dedicated e-readers, but some of them can be pricey.

For those accustomed to reading physical books, dedicated e-readers may provide the smoothest and least jarring transition. E-ink screens are easier on the eyes and are overall more comfortable than reading on conventional backlit devices. LCD-based tablets and smartphones do not fare as well in direct sunlight. What’s more, most e-readers offer the option to adjust font style and size. This can help compensate for poorer eyesight as well as the prohibitively small screen of most smartphones. Compared with both tablets and smartphones, I’ve found e-readers afford a decidedly more pleasant experience overall.

Keep in mind that e-ink devices are intended exclusively for reading and thus use monochrome (black and white) screens. While color e-ink displays have been in development for some time, they are exceptionally expensive to produce and have not seen adoption outside of trade shows and prototypes. Also, due to the relatively stable imagery rendered by these displays, they are driven at much lower refresh rates, making them unsuitable for rendering video, web browsing or any of the other multimedia applications supported by tablets and smartphones. If you desire functionality beyond reading e-books, it’s best to look for a tablet device.

Convenience

For those who like to rotate between multiple books, digital readers provide a more convenient – and lighter – way to read. Frequent travelers need only pack an e-reader with them rather than multiple hard-copies. Access to millions of books at the touch of a button is perhaps the most important benefit of e-reading. Classics, just released, out of print and out of copyright books are available from the major online stores. Many out of print titles which you would never find elsewhere have been converted to digital form for instant download.

Once you purchase an e-book, it will be downloaded to your device to read right away. There are three ways for you to consume this content. For all the major online stores, books can be purchased and read via:

1. Desktop (either through your browser or PC/Mac program)
2. Dedicated e-reader device
3. Compatible mobile platform (e.g., smartphone, tablet)

Each e-book distributor either sells a dedicated e-reader or has apps compatible with iOS and Android platforms. (Reader app support is currently limited for Windows Phone OS and slightly less limited for Blackberry OS.) Your digital collection will be synced and accessible across all these devices. Even your reading progress is part of this constant integration, so if you left off on page 247 on your smartphone, for example, you could seamlessly continue from that point on your e-reader, tablet or desktop later.

Free Books

All of the major distributors, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony and Google, offer free books for e-delivery. First, due to copyright terms in the US, all books published prior to 1923 are considered out of copyright and part of public domain. The same is true for any post-1923 books whose copyrights have expired. In total this consists of over 2 million titles. The Kobo even ships preloaded with over 100 public domain titles.

Frequently, newly released and other copyright-protected books are available for free via limited time promotions. Contrast this with hardcover copyrighted works, which are rarely, if ever, free.

E-book retailers also have unique partnerships with various outfits, such as Internet Archive, manybooks.net, Project Gutenberg, and Open Library just to name a few, each with their own collection of free books available to you. Apart from the main online stores, there are various sites around the web which offer free downloads of books.

For Amazon Prime members who own a Kindle device, the Lending Library allows you to download one free book per month from a select list. Once you download a book, it can be re-downloaded at any point in the future, even if it’s no longer free at that time. As the feature is very new, the Lending Library catalog is currently limited but is expected to expand over time.

Public Libraries

Thousands of public libraries around the country have embraced the e-book initiative by making their collections available digitally. In 2011, two-thirds of U.S. public libraries offered e-books, up from 38 percent only two years before. Library e-books are encoded in the ePub format. EPub is essentially the MP3 of the e-book realm, as it’s a free, open source and mostly ubiquitous format. The only platform that does not natively support ePub is Amazon’s Kindle. Even though many libraries have Kindle-friendly e-books available, you are forced to make use of 3rd-party conversion tools or apps to read ePub-encoded titles, or download Amazon’s KindleGen desktop program. Because of this, library selection is much greater on non-Kindle platforms.

To put library e-books on your device, you will typically login to the library’s website and push the e-book to your device over Wi-Fi or USB connection. While each library website is different, there will usually be a dedicated e-book section for mobile devices.

e-Lending

Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo allow you to lend books you purchase to your friends. Each of the platforms works the same way. You send someone a loan notice via email and the recipient then has 14 days to read the book after accepting the loan. That book can be read from the desktop or e-reader device. To prevent continual loans, you can only loan a book once. In an attempt to mimic the physical experience, if you loan a book out, you will not be able to read that book during the loan period. This feature is contingent upon the publisher, not the distributor; consequently, Sony, Google and Apple do not presently offer this feature through their stores.

Note-Taking

A core push by e-reader manufacturers has been to make reading a more interactive experience. Note-taking functionality is one of the ways e-readers can amplify your experience and is a unique advantage over print books. You can easily highlight passages and append notes to them. Thanks to active sync mentioned previously, you can then view these notes on your desktop and copy/paste them to other documents and applications. With Nook, Kindle and Kobo, you can also share quotes or notes with your friends on Facebook or Twitter directly from the reader. In the image below, a Kindle user is viewing his notes and highlights on his MacBook using the Kindle for Mac program.

Search and Dictionary Support

E-readers can greatly enhance your reading experience with search and dictionary integration. Many times I’ve wanted to refer to a quote that I can’t quite remember. This is made easy with e-readers since you can quickly switch and search books. Most e-readers also have a built-in dictionary or Wikipedia app, and if you have a tablet, there are plenty of these apps available. Among dedicated e-readers, Sony’s line seems to have the slickest and most seamless dictionary support. You simply double-tap a word to look it up. It’s a feature you’ll quickly take for granted and deem essential. Make sure your device of choice has this functionality.

Text-to-Speech

Another key feature is Text-to-Speech. If you’re tired of reading and want your device to instead read to you, you can enable a ‘Read to Me’ option. You can choose either a male or female voice and the pages will cycle automatically. Unfortunately, the only dedicated e-reader that supports this feature is the Kindle line. The iPad supports Text-to-Speech on its front-end, but for e-reading you are better off installing a third-party app. This feature is best demonstrated with a video. To me, the voice on the Kindle sounds more robotic than human, but it gets the job done in certain situations and is certainly an edge over physical books.

Storage

E-books are really a non-issue when it comes to storage space since non-illustrated titles range from 200 KB – 2 MB, depending on length. Books with a high image and multimedia count can have a much larger memory footprint. As a reference point, Amazon states that 2 GB of internal memory can hold up to 1,500 text-only books. Once you consider that most mobile devices have 1-2 GB of internal memory and 10+ GB of removable storage, file size becomes irrelevant.

Battery Life

While heavy reading on tablets and smartphones can be a serious drain on power longevity, the same does not apply to e-ink readers. Thanks to its non-reliance on a physical backlight, battery life of e-ink displays is measured in days rather than hours. You should be able to last two weeks on a single charge and significantly longer if you disable wireless and/or 3G access. If you plan to use your device solely as a reader, you should only need an active wireless signal when navigating the online store or syncing with your other devices.

International Use

For use outside the U.S., a clear distinction should be made between Wi-Fi and 3G support. If your e-reader device supports Wi-Fi, you should be able to connect to any Wi-Fi network in the world. 3G support is more restricted, however; compatibility with a foreign cell network will vary among 3G readers. Of note, Amazon sells a 3G + Wi-Fi model which is far and away the most internationally friendly e-reader as it is purported to work in over 100 countries. The iPad’s 3G service via AT&T also has extensive support abroad.

The bigger problem is that if the store you buy from is not available outside the U.S., you will not be able to buy books from their online store, regardless of wireless access. For example, B&N only sells e-books in the US, so if you were to move overseas, you would only have access to your previously stored Nook books and would not be able to initiate new transactions with the service.

Note that in the U.S., we use traffic channels 1-11 for our Wi-Fi networks. Internationally, channels 12, 13 and sometimes 14 are also used. Thus, in order to tap into an overseas’ Wi-Fi hotspot, you may need to play around with the traffic rules on your device.

Cost

Due to their digital nature, one would expect an e-book to cost less than its analog counterpart. Not so; in fact, they can be more than paper books. How can this be? Along with the standard costs associated with publishing and distribution, costs unique to digital distribution include anti-piracy software (read: DRM), digital warehousing, extra legal support, QA to ensure major e-readers render each of the pages correctly, and programmer support to adapt each title for the separate mobile platforms. Physical manufacturing and distribution expenses cost less than you think, and it’s the digital expenses that most impact publishers’ bottom line. That being said, digital and non-digital prices often track very closely, and the difference is usually not more than $1-2.

Ecosystem

All rights reserved by the respective entities

 
You can’t talk about e-books without discussing platforms. The first decision you need to make is which ecosystem you will use to start your digital library. These online book stores are the equivalent of music download services. While some services use proprietary encoding formats, most of them have apps available for other platforms so your purchases can be read on whatever device you have in hand. The book selection of each of the stores is similarly vast, but other notable differences exist and will be emphasized below. There are six major ecosystems that have partnerships with the major publishing houses.

Amazon

• Store
• Products: Kindle (e-ink reader), Kindle Fire (tablet)
• Largest selection of free books
• Broadest platform support – on all major mobile OSes
• Prime members have access to Lending Library
• Text-to-Speech support on all Kindle devices
• e-Lending support
• No ePub support

Barnes & Noble

• Store
• Products: Nook (e-ink reader), Nook Color and Nook Tablet (color tablets)
• Support for major mobile platforms except Windows Phone
• e-Lending support
• ePub support
• No Text-to-Speech

Kobo

• Store
• Products: Kobo (e-ink reader), Kobo Vox (tablet)
• Support for major mobile platforms except Windows Phone
• e-Lending support
• ePub support
• No Text-to-Speech

Sony

• Store
• Products: Sony Reader Wi-Fi PRS-T1 (e-ink reader)
• Only available on desktop OSes and Android
• Best use of dictionary feature
• ePub support
• No e-Lending support
• No Text-to-Speech

Google

• Store
• No dedicated e-ink reader, but apps available for all Android and iOS tablets and smartphones
• Primarily cloud-based storage with offline caching available
• No bookmarking, highlighting or note-taking support
• No option to import books, regardless of format
• No e-Lending support

Apple

• Store
• Products: No dedicated e-ink reader, but integrated with iPad and all iOS smartphones
• No support outside of iOS platform
• ePub support; can import compatible file formats
• iOS devices support Text-to-Speech
• No e-Lending support

The advantages of e-reading become more and more compelling each year. With each generation of reader devices comes new ways for readers to interact with their books and enhance the reading process. Instant access to vast digital libraries, the ability to save and export notes, and digital borrowing improve the user experience in ways inaccessible to print media. Dedicated e-ink reader and tablet prices have been driven downward as they enter the next stage of their product life cycle and public awareness rises. Will this be the year you switch over to digital books? If not, what’s stopping you? And what are you looking forward to in the e-reader segment?

Helpful external links:

• Master e-reader and format support listing
• Public Library e-book FAQ

 
 
Following Google’s release of Android 4.0’s source code, developers have wasted no time in replicating some of the new features for non-ICS phones. One such feature is the keyboard, and it’s available for free on the Market.

Along with its unique aesthetic overhaul, the Ice Cream Sandwich keyboard supports improved text prediction, configurable auto-correction and a few time-saving shortcuts. Although speech-to-text was not supported upon the initial release of this app, an update today added this functionality. Since this is something I use a lot, I immediately tested the feature to ensure it worked as before. It does.

Overall, it’s a clean look, and seems to better predict what I’m going to type than the default Android keyboards. While many may still prefer Swype, SwiftKey X or Smart Keyboard Pro, this one seems to be the perfect fit for me. Swype and SwiftKey X are well-suited for specific types of users, but can be frustrating for others who are simply wired differently.

Give this one a shot at the link below.

Market Link: Ice Cream Sandwich Keyboard

 
 
If you were to build a smartphone with the most advanced hardware and specs available today, you’d probably end up with the HTC Rezound. A brief rundown of the specs:

• Network: Verizon LTE
• Processor: 1.5 GHz dual-core (Qualcomm’s latest mobile processor)
• Display: 1280x720p Super LCD display
• Camera: 1080p video recording with 8 MP camera
• Memory: 32 GB total (includes 16 GB internal RAM, 16 GB microSD)

This is HTC’s second LTE device, preceded by the Thunderbolt, and it has considerably upped the competition with respect to smartphone displays. At 4.3″ and native 720p, the Rezound delivers a ppi count of 342. By comparison, the iPhone 4/4S “retina” IPS displays are 326 ppi. As explained here, ppi is among the most important specs of a smartphone and the most important for reading and viewing graphics and video. The Rezound’s 342 ppi is far and away the new reference to beat and should provide the clearest, sharpest display yet on any mobile platform.

Additionally, its 720p resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio is optimal for viewing HD video and other widescreen content. The Rezound will preserve the HD resolution rather than scaling or cropping the signal.

The Rezound also features Samsung’s Super LCD screen which, along with the AMOLED screens found on Samsung’s recently released Galaxy S II and Infuse 4G, represent a departure from PenTile as they use Samsung’s ‘Real-Stripe’ design. Real-Stripe is a return to the traditional RGB subpixel matrix and can be applied to both LCD and OLED panels. As a result, there should be no visible pixel structure, regardless of viewing distance or the specific colors being displayed. The phone’s elevated ppi count would likely mask any pixelation issues innate to PenTile anyway, but eagle-eyed users won’t have to worry about it for this phone. Its LCD screen means it won’t enjoy the deeper blacks provided by OLED displays such as the Galaxy S II, but its unparalleled image sharpness should more than make up for that.

Specsmanship aside, the red-and-black theme is particularly eye-catching. When compared with the upcoming Galaxy Nexus, Android’s flagship phone, the Rezound is smaller overall, albeit heavier. What’s more, HTC has already confirmed that the Rezound will receive ICS (4.0).

Photo by Slashgear

If you’re someone who regularly reads online or views heavy doses of video on your phone, the Rezound is undoubtedly the clearest, sharpest smartphone on the market. Its other impressive features are just icing on the cake. If I were buying a smartphone today, it’d certainly be the Rezound.