The Updated OSI Model

Scarily true...

Alexa Cannibalism

Interesting chart about what things are now being done with Alexa and her friends... I know we stream a lot of music (vs. doing it from our smart phones), so that fits. We stream WUOT (the local NPR station) on our phones. If WUOT added a skill for streaming, that would also move off our phones to the Echo Dot/Anker Eufy Genie. I'm not seeing that Alexa replaces much time with tablets, the TV, or our computers - other than doing some basic voice commands for lights, thermostat, etc.

See the article at Business Insider.

Gadgets

Gadgets are dead. Long live the (cheap) gadgets.:

"Amazon doesn't need to make money on the Echo itself, as long as it drives more commerce to its retail business. Same with Google: as long as the Chromecast gets more people to watch YouTube videos and download more stuff from Google Play, they don't have to make money from the gadget itself." 

"This trend isn't going to kill off the smartphone, or the PC, or the tablet. But it means lower-cost gadgetry that lasts a lot longer. We're only seeing the early stages of this shift now, but it has a lot of potential to shake up how we think about and how we buy our devices."

Google Home

Privacy issues aside (especially since Google knows everything about me anyway)... I'm happy to see Google Home applying pricing pressure to Amazon and it's Echo product.

The Other Chirp

Google's alternative to the Amazon Echo is code-named Chirp. I'm pretty excited for competition in this space. Tools like these should drive some innovation in the integration of all my IoT devices. And, yes, I'm sure everything will be designed with security at a priority.

Amazon Cloud Drive

Unlimited storage for 1 year for $10 using Amazon's Cloud Drive. I've not used the Amazon cloud. Does anyone have any experience with it? OneDrive/Office365 and Dropbox are $70 and $80 respectively for 1 year and 1 TB. (With Office 365, you do get to use Office during that same time frame, so not exactly apples to apples.)

Lightsaber Battle in Chrome

Very cool!

Wield your lightsaber to escape the First Order in this #ChromeExperiment: https://t.co/D7vpCk6qzG #lightsaberescape pic.twitter.com/QDSpM3QSi2

— Google Chrome (@googlechrome) December 15, 2015

Google OnHub Wireless Router

Interesting...

Google is releasing their own wireless router: OnHub Wireless Router from Google and TP-LINK.

Specs here. Of note, it is 802.15.4 compliant and has Bluetooth. The wireless specs standout as well.

2.4 GHz wireless	802.11b/g/n 3x3 with smart antenna
5 GHz wireless	802.11a/n/ac 3x3 with smart antenna
AUX wireless	802.11a/b/g/n/ac 1x1

AUX wireless?

Google definitely wants to be in your home.

Cyanogen: Windows Android Phone

Meet Cyanogen, The Startup That Wants To Steal Android From Google #forbesmagazine http://t.co/IP4HO0zgIZ via @forbes
— Michael Arrington (@arrington) March 23, 2015

"But, these people say, Microsoft and Cyanogen are close to finalizing a wide-ranging partnership to incorporate several of Microsoft’s mobile services, including Bing, the voice-powered Cortana digital assistant, the OneDrive cloud-storage system, Skype and Outlook, into Cyanogen’s devices."

Google Memorial

A memorial to abandoned Google projects.

A few that I impacted me...

Google Reader - I'm still surprised they killed Reader. I'm happy with Feedly.

Goog-411 - I used to encourage my users to try Goog-411 instead of paying about $2 for directory service!

Sparrow - a mail client app that they acquired. I still run it on my iPhone.

Microsoft Water

Google: Earth Apple: Air Amazon: Fire Microsoft: Really needs to make something called water…
— Dr. Sheldon Cooper (@SheldonSaid) March 6, 2015

Chromecast

An appropriately titled lifehacker post: Four Things You Didn't Know You Can Do With Your Chromecast:

"Forget your TV remote—if you have a Chromecast hooked up and always powered on through the usb adapter, you can turn your TV on and even switch to the Chromecast's input with your mobile device."

Sure enough, it worked like magic. I had always been turning on the TV and switching the input.

Space News

First, all your base is belong to us:



Via Dustbury

Second, Europe borrows the plot from a movie I love to hate and lands a probe on a comet.

Lastly, Google buys an old NASA space hanger. These seems like a necessary step in the plan for Skynet.

MatchStick

Mozilla announced Matchstick, a $25 Firefox OS HDMI dongle, to compete with Chromecast.

Via Slashdot.org

Shrinking

Sorry about the lack of posts... I've been busy:

Figure out how to shrink the conventional power inverter and we’ll give you $1 million → https://t.co/TgZ3CcU6d7 pic.twitter.com/65f89ik5R9
— A Googler (@google) July 22, 2014

Storage

I know there are pros and cons to various storage options, but the Microsoft Office 365 subscription is really attractive. You can get 1 TB of OneDrive space plus Office for $6.99/month. I may have to buy a laptop to support my consulting work and would like to get the new version of Office. Instead of shelling out for the full version all at once, I can pay $7/month or $70 for the year. (If you want to install Office on up to five devices, you can $9.99/month or $99.99/year.)

On-line storage comparison at the Technologizer

I can't wait to see how Google, Dropbox, etc. respond!

IoT with Google Nest

It is amazing the connections that will be possible with the IoT and devices like Google Nest.

Some of the “Works With Nest” automations which Nest is talking about: 

• Mercedes-Benz cars can alert a Nest thermostat to when you’ll arrive home so that it can begin adjusting the temperature while you’re on your way.

• Logitech Harmony universal remotes can be programmed to control a Nest thermostat.

• A Nest thermostat can tell a Whirlpool washer and dryer that you’re not at home, allowing them to switch to slower, more energy-efficient cycles.

• When your Jawbone Up24 wristband knows you’ve woken up, it can tell a Nest thermostat so that it can tweak the temperature.

• LIFX light bulbs can flash if your Nest Protect smoke detector goes off, and fool prowlers by turning on and off randomly when your Nest thermostat tells them that you’re not around.

• The excellent IFTTT service for DIY automation works with the Nest thermostat and Nest Protect smoke detector, letting you write your own recipes, such as one which alerts the neighbors by text message if smoke is detected at your home.

• Starting this fall, the Google Now smartphone app will let the Nest thermostat know when you’re on the way home, and will allow you to set it through an “OK Google” spoken command.

Chromecast: MLS and WatchESPN

I mentioned the Chromecast yesterday and then saw this:

"This means that next week, U.S. soccer fans will have the ability to watch all 64 World Cup games with the tap of the cast button (vuvuzelas not included). Of course, in addition to soccer, you can also cast all of ESPN's other sports content, from the NBA Finals and X Games to college football."

Chromecast

I like my Chromecast and got it when you got some free Netflix, so it was a great deal for me. Amazon has the Chromecast for $29.99 with free ship (saving $5.01).

Computer Update

So, I never did get my desktop working, but the good news is that my wife is getting a new PC at work. They are letting the employees take the old computers home (after wiping the software/data, of course).

Funny how things work out.

On a somewhat related note, I stumbled across a post about Chromebooks for use in portable ham operations. Which lead me to the video below. I don't take computer advice from Rick, but I thought it was pretty funny.