The Coolest Phone OS Ever. (Assuming You've Never Seen An iPhone)

Below behold the wonder of Google's Android operating system in action. It's as if the google engineers have been working on this in a cave for three years, and then are amazed with what they've created: Move your finger to switch screens! There's an accelerometer! Google Maps! You can check your mail! Sorry guys and gals, we've seen all this before.

Google Chrome First Impressions

If you have a PC you're probably using FireFox because Internet Explorer is garbage.  Google asks if there is room for another browser . . . enter Chrome.  The name is questionable, but the product is great.  Chrome is based on both the Webkit platform (same as Safari) and the Gecko platform (same as FireFox).  I'm not entirely sure what they've taken from each of those browsers, but the speed is astonishing.  It loads pages noticeably faster than the aforementioned browsers.

I think that's really the best way to benchmark a browser . . . does it load pages noticeably faster.  I don't really care if a browser loads a page faster if it's not noticeable, and Chrome is noticeable when loading almost all pages and for this reason it wins the default browser award on my day job PC (I know, I'm not proud of it, but they didn't really give me a choice).

Google Chrome is a tab based browser with a one search and URL box for all things web approach.  The browser supports multiple tabs and a crash proof architecture.  A tab might crash, but Chrome isolates that problem closes the tab, but your browsing session isn't totally destroyed.

For those of you who look at source code, I think you'll find the view source option quite well done.

When will Chrome come to the Mac, I don't know but I did sign up to be notified of it's release. If it's as fast as the PC version I can't wait for it's introduction.

TDL Live This week: (9/1-9/8)

No, we weren't going to let a holiday stop us from bringing you the latest Apple news and rumors. If you missed the live show last night, here's your chance to get caught up:

Latest Google-killer a dud

I don't know which is more fruitless: trying to create an iPod/iPhone "killer", or a Google "killer." Today marked the public launch of cuil.com (pronounced cool. Quick tip: if you have to tell people you're cool, you're not.) Cuil is a search engine created by former Google employees. Don't get too excited about this being the next big thing though.

Putting cuil through its paces, reveals an engine far less than ready for prime time. We tested using search terms near and dear to our heart. First, "the digital lifestyle". Our site does not appear in the first "page" of results. I use quotes on page because rather than present the results in a traditional site name/description list, cuil shows a small paragraph of info from the site. The end result being that you have to click through several pages to see as many default results as Google. This wouldn't be a problem if the top results were actually what you're looking for.

Next we tried a search for "Apple news rumors". While we love our friends at macrumors.com. I'm not sure that having 8 of the top ten results point to different subsections of one site helps anyone. Long ago, Google perfected the "more results from this site" option. Cuil should do the same. They intend to make it easier to find information, rather than websites, but in our quick tests, cuil did neither.

Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of room for improvement in the world of search. As you know, our site thrives on Apple news and rumors, but other than this post, is rare that we actually use those words in posts. Once someone creates an algorithm that can look at a posting on a MacBook Touch, and know that's an Apple rumor, we'll be getting somewhere. Chances are, Google will figure this out long before someone else. Trying to beat them at this point is like setting out to create a "Kleenex killer." Google = search. Period.

July Apple Fantasy Merger: Google

(Each month we weigh the pros and cons of a particular potential merger for Apple. Please note the "fantasy" part of this speculation: Many times the mergers mentioned couldn't or wouldn't be realistically possible. But put all that aside and enjoy this month's edition of Fantasy Merger.)

Last month, we talked about the wonders that would come from an Apple/Nintendo merger. This month, we dare you to dream of iTunes libraries searchable by lyrics, AdWord supported iWeb documents, and web-based OS X. Yes friends, imagine if you will, an Apple/Google merger. Clearly this month's merger leans more toward the fantasy side than others.

Rather than the advantages for each company, the real question is, what would happen to the rest of the tech industry? Would the Dept. of Justice allow such a merger between an internet powerhouse, and a hardware manufacturer? Could the two companies combined maintain Apple's legendary secrecy while also maintaining Google's "do no evil" philosophy? And what would happen to Microsoft? Beyond spending billions of dollars to oppose the merger, what would become of them in a world in which the "most advanced" operating system would be available to all?

Of course both companies are doing fine on their own thanks, and would have little interest in the other beyond their working partnership now. Still, once a month, we stop to wonder, what if...