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How to Do Everything on a Google Android Phone

OVERVIEW: You will learn how to do several basic and advanced tasks with a mobile phone running Google’s Android Operating System.

I Got My New Android Phone, Now What?

If you’re one of the millions of people who have a mobile phone with Google’s Android operating system, congratulations. There are so many things that you can do with your new phone that you might be a little intimidated. Don’t worry, I have a bunch of resources that will help you get up and running with your cool new gadget. Not to mention a few that will teach you some advanced tricks.

Here are some of the things that you will learn:

• Surfing the Web with Andriod’s Browser
• Finding Applications to Download from the Android Market Place
• How to Change the Wallpaper an Android Phone
• Create Custom Ring Tones for Your Android Phone
• Use Your Android Phone on an Airplane Without Getting into Trouble
• Plus more cool and useful tricks

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Software, Tutorials Add new tag, andrdoid tutorial, Android, android phone tutorial, Google, google android, mobile phone, video tutorial

One Number to Rule them All

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you must have heard about Google Voice. Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral) is a cool new phone service that gives you the power of a sophisticated corporate phone service for free. Here are some of the great things that you can do with a Google Voice account:

• Google voicemail: voicemail like email
• Voicemail transcription: read what your voicemail says
• Custom greetings: vary voicemail greetings by caller
• International calling: low cost calls to the world
• Notifications: read voicemail messages via email or SMS
• Share voicemails: forward, embed, or download voicemails

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Miscellaneous Ramblings, Product Reviews contest, giveaway, Google, google voice, google voice invite, GoogleVoice, phone service, sms, Software, Telephone number, Voicemail

Super, I’ll take that new computer with little-to-no functionality

Today, Google finally announced on their blog that it will be going to war with Microsoft, Apple, and Linux by releasing their own Operating System. There have been rumors and speculation about Google building their own Operating System for years now, so this in not really any big news.

What actually is news (to me any way) is that they are basing this new Windows/Mac killer on their Chrome browser. This had to make the folks in Redmond and Palo Alto breath a sigh of relief.

What exactly is the selling point of this new OS?

• We have nearly no features
• New computers, now with half of the usefullness
• Computer – Functionality = Elegance

Thanks, but no thanks. Have you seen the Chrome browser? What does it do that’s any good? It doesn’t any of the cool features that Firefox fanboys brag about. None of the cool ideas that Opera features right out of the box. It doesn’t have the polish or flair of Safari on a Mac. Before you say, “At least it’s better than Internet Explorer”, that’s almost a moot point. First of all, I’m not convinced of that (I.E. 8 any way). Second, anyone who is either too lazy, in the dark, or boring to still use Internet Explorer will NEVER switch to some bleeding edge operating system.

What is the hallmark “feature” of a the Chrome browser? Simplicity, cleanliness, speed? What does all of that crap even mean? It doesn’t have extensions. I know, I know it sort of has some jive-ass extenstions that are a headache to hack together. I mean real extensions that just install in a few clicks and provide “real” gamechanging enhancements.

Is this what their operating system is going to be like. None of the ubiquity of Windows and none of the polish of MacIntosh. Buying and renaming a rabble of applications (Picasa and Google Earth), and services (Blogger, YouTube, and Voice) is not the same as building an integrated, useful operating system. Microsoft, Apple, and Linux have been at this thing for decades and there are a million annoying things about each of their offerings. How exactly is Google’s product going to be a usable computing experience?

Devil’s Advocate

First of all, I use and love a ton of Google’s products, so I do think that they can build, buy, and/or steal some great stuff. Second, I can see a way in which they can possibly make a thin client that floats on top of a linux kernal. They could bundle some of their existing and future desktop applications with the build. Then, they could embed heavy hooks into their own (and other people’s) web applications and services. If anyone can tie this all together into a usable, if not minimalist package it just might be Google. But I would bet against it.

One More Thing

The previous scenario that I just mentioned already exists. It’s called an iPhone. If Apple get’s a hint of any possible success for this type of thing, they’ll slap a keyboard and bigger screen on an iPod touch in about 10 seconds.

Prognosis Negative

In summation, starting from scratch with a small toolbox and trying to take down three goliaths who have decades of experience, millions of hours of code, and about a TRILLION dollars of a warchest does not seem like a recipe for success.

Miscellaneous Ramblings, Web Surfing apple, chrome operating system, Google, google chrome operating system, google operating system, google os, Microsoft

Can Open Office or Online Office Suites Dethrone Microsoft Office?

I keep reading all of these articles about the imminent demise of Microsoft’s biggest cash cow; Office. “Will Google Apps Dethrone Office”, “Is Open Office About to Unseat Microsoft”, “Will the Open Document Format Spell the End for Office”.

In a word, NO!

Q: Is there room for other players to get in the game? A: Of course.

Q: Can a few of them make a profit, or even grab a sliver of market share? A: Definitely

Q: Is Microsoft In trouble? A: Not even a little bit.

A Solution to a Problem That is Barely There

Of course Microsoft Office is prohibitively expensive (about $400 USD for the Standard version with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). But seriously, the place where most people use Office is either at work or school. At work, it’s a given. Even if you own the business, can you think of a better use for a few hundred dollars?

When they relinquish their crown as the king of the software industry, drive your flying car over to my place and I’ll buy you a beer. If they’re still legal by then.

Where is your business without Documents, Spreadsheets, Presentations, and Email? Plus, you can get it much cheaper if you buy it with your PCs. At school, you can get it with a significant student discount (recently dropped to below $75, that’s like two bags of weed and a case of Milwaukee Beast). Besides, we know that college kids don’t pay for software any way, that’s what open wi-fi and Bit Torrent are for.

Sure, people who buy a computer for their house need Office too. So they’ll have to pay up. But most of them have either a kid, teacher, evil hacker, or rich guy in the house. The ones who don’t have or know any of those types will just have to pony up the money or go for the freebies.

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Miscellaneous Ramblings, Software corel, Google, koffice, Microsoft, Office, Open Office, Zoho