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Posts Tagged ‘Paces’

Will Google’s Cloud be a Cozy Nest for Aviary?

Aviary, the online creative platform is a visionary tool. When it launched a few years back, the irony of a Flash based Photoshop competitor was, well, ironic.

With the launch of Aviary in Google’s App Marketplace, we can say that the company is close to making lightening strike twice, this time around creating a home for the creative professional and their most important assets.

We want this to work – so we ran it through the paces. Here we got a front-line view on where cloud app meets cloud. We looked forward to counting the pixels that get wasted in the process.

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Aviary and Google will disrupt Microsoft (the default filesystem for the world), and along side it Apple and Abobe, with this simple joining of services that allows users to create, share, publish and present with a simple Web based client and “always available” files.

It feels like the tide has changed and soon it will be hard to imagine an app not defaulting to file storage in the cloud. In a world of cloud-hosted apps, writing to a PC filesystem just seems wrong and goes against the grain of a mobile workforce. The creative professional’s cloud is going to be in vivid color and available from the local coffee shop.

As a clear sign of preparation for these applications, Google Docs recently started accepting files of any type.

If you’re a user, you’ll likely see this headline at the top of your account, like we do.

Google Supports a Virtual File System for Business Documents

For images, this is useful for people who use Google’s presentation software. Today, all of your other files are online. Now you can have your images close at hand, so it’s easy to use all files whene you need them, as shown here in this piece by Aviary and Google.

In this Google Docs upload feature demonstration, we see that Google interprets certain filetypes and offers a way to convert into a native Google file format upon uploading. When this happens with an Office-based document, for example an .docx file, Google will process it as needed to be usable in the Google Docs document editor.

Aviary is part of Google Apps Marketplace and part of the Google Docs application.

Coming from the Aviary side of the world, we see this as a natural extension to the work the company has done in joining accounts with Flickr, Facebook, and others. Images need editing. And to be shared many times over. Aviary makes it easy to get started with Google using a third-party login capability to join accounts with Google.

When this sharing hits productivity apps like presentations., that’s where we start to see an interesting landscape emerging. Google is playing the role as a peer (e.g. share images with multiple editors) and also is moving towards the “cloud of choice” for consumer document management.

Below is a Google Apps-powered Google Docs listing after Aviary has been installed. Aviary is now available as an editor, a library has been created for Aviary documents, and when saving a document in a properly configured Aviary-Google account, a list of Aviary docs will show up in the main listing.

A page opens with a view of the image and the option open the image in Aviary.

Our ninja file is edited and saved…

Mime Type 2.0

In practice, all of this marketplace integration is harder than it might first look.

This is a a few of the features and or landscape issues that make this experience “not quite” the same as saving a file from Photoshop to Windows.

• Multiple entry points can be confusing to newcomers. We found that by going to Aviary.com and launching versus launching from Google docs that there were subtle features and connections that worked differently (in my account, it offered different views of the total image library). Also, which repository was setup as the default. In a way, both models need to be supported, but even subtle differences can make the overall solution more error-prone.
• What are the the default for saving new file>. We notice this especially when moving files from Google and expecting to see them in Aviary. Like setting up a specific application to open for certain files, in the case that there are dual masters (or apps), this becomes much more difficult to edit on. We would like (at least) Google to recognize more about the file post-Aviary and launch it when I bring in new images (or at least offer to). This begs the interesting question of whether a person’s files should have a default home.
• On the reverse side, “Save As” to your Google Docs from Aviary may need fine tuning. This is a software and workflow challenge that didn’t exist when there was an implied “master” of all the files. We see this challenge existing also with the desktop experiences and how the apps react to changes from these repositories. In a way, if Google Apps was master for all the docs, it would move the experience forward. But, Windows, Photoshop, and even Aviary, may feel different.
• Does the likelihood of failure increase due to interdependencies as well as other factors that make the services less predictable? After a brief error or two in getting Aviary to Save to Google rather than Save to Aviary, a few things of note. 1: Helping the user know what is happening is going to be important, especially if two (or more) ways are supported. 2: This needs to be as easy as finding “My Documents” on the PC, or adoption will suffer.

This is Aviary in “Google mode” and trying to save the document to Google Docs account, but not completing the job. ( We’re not saying it doesn’t work, just that it doesn’t work sometimes.)

Creative professionals may not use Aviary as their default tool… yet. And Google Docs may not be as fast or be as reliable as a PC. But for those of us who do light image edits and are Google Doc users, this is a major leap forward.

We see this as an unlocking of the desktop (both machine and software) and love the promise of creating anywhere, storing anywhere, getting paid.

As this starts to work, it’s clear that Google, Aviary, and cloud applications will continue to encroach in the workflow of things to come.

Where’s your limit to what you do with Aviary and Google Apps in a Google Cloud?

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Go for a virtual run in Yosemite, hear your own footsteps

Have you ever thought how cool it would be if your treadmill could take you on a virtual jog through nature so you could watch something more scenic than the gym wall while you run? Well, your day is coming.

Virtual Active, which lets you access a library of running, hiking, and biking workouts filmed live in beautiful outdoor locations, is releasing a free half hour sample of its virtual exercise experience for download on iTunes on March 1.

Virtual Active is also working with cardio equipment manufacturer Johnson Health Tech, the #4 manufacturer of cardio equipment, and The Indoorcycling Group, a leading European indoor cycling company. Johnson’s 7xe line of Matrix Cardio equipment will automatically adjust the treadmill incline to mimic the terrain in the video, adjust the speed of video playback based on the user’s running speed, and provide on-location nature audio (in the case of cardio-enabled downloads, the video would not be able to provide such interactivity). In addition, these manufacturers plan to introduce SyncStep, which will allow users to hear the sounds of their steps over the terrain as they run or walk. For example, when running on a wooded trail, the user might hear crunching leaves underfoot each time their foot hits the tread.

The company has perfected filming while running at 12-14 mph paces for smooth video playback, all shot in HD. Virtual Active will also be introducing its commercial equipment to health clubs on March 10 at the International Racquet and Sports Club Association (IHRSA) fitness trade show in San Diego.

Videos of the location-based workouts, which include Yellowstone, Yosemite, Niagara Falls, Mount Rushmore, and the Grand Tetons, will be sold on DVD for $19.95, as downloads for $9.95, on Blu-ray disc or as part of specially-equipped cardio equipment packages.

The company will be launching their full online store May 1, where users can downloads instructional videos by fitness professionals as well as upbeat workout tunes from music provider Rumblefish, which can be played on any iPod-compatible fitness equipment or can be burned to DVD and watched at home.

The company’s business model is a mix of software sales and manufacturing partnerships on which it is paid per unit of cardio equipment sold as well as the majority of the revenue from additional content downloads. It also has a Passport Player, a standalone web-connected media player that health clubs can install to conduct classes and would be based on a monthly subscription. In addition, it is exploring brand associations and partnerships, in which a billboard along a running route or the instructor’s fitness gear would be provided by a sponsor. I was able to view some mockups, and these opportunities are not at all intrusive to the user’s fitness experience but offer brands prominent product placement throughout the video.

Johnson Health Tech and The Indoorcycling Group also have a partnership with Livestrong that will include Virtual Active’s content for Livestrong-branded equipment.

Virtual Active was founded by John Ford, who is a runner and has also played competitive soccer, after he left his job in corporate accounting at Clorox, in 2006. The company is based in San Francisco and has 10 full-time employees. The privately held company has received $2.5 million in funding from friends and family to date. Most competitors, such as Trixter and Expresso, focus on cycling, whereas Virtual Active is focusing on the full range of cardio equipment, including mountain biking, running and hiking for treadmills and ellipticals, and steep hiking on step machines, said Ford. “By Fitting entertainment to a person’s favorite exercise and not making them change modalities,” Ford believes the market for Virtual Active is quadrupled.

While all the locations filmed are in the US, The company will be filming locations in Germany and Italy in April and Australia and New Zealand later this year. It hopes to film locations all over the world, said Ford. Ford said his goals for the company include acquiring some powerful brand partnerships, expanding the content library to cover the globe, and increasing Virtual Active’s distribution to every place screens exist in the fitness world.

Companies: Virtual Active

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Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet review

Oh sure, the world may be off creating underpowered, web-based tablets, but Lenovo’s not giving up on those who still need an old-fashioned, fully-powered tablet PC (all 10.1 of you). Truth be told, powerful is exactly how we would describe the new X201 Tablet with its new Intel low voltage Core i7 CPU and 4GB of RAM. But beyond being one of the speedier 12-inch laptops out there, its capacitive touchscreen now lets the touch-happy among us alternate between taking notes with its Wacom stylus and putting two fingers down to zoom or scroll. Sounds like a near perfect experience to us, but before tossing over $1,900 we figured you’d want to make sure it really is. We’ve been putting the X201T through the paces over the last few days, so hop on past the break for our full review.

Continue reading Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet review

Lenovo ThinkPad X201 Tablet review originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax’s Optio I-10 point-and-shoot gets the hands-on treatment

Pentax’s Optio I-10 point-and-shoot gets the hands-on treatment originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ASUS DR-950 touchscreen e-reader spotted in the ‘wilds’ of ASUS UK’s office

Sure, we’d love to be hanging out with this device in person, but we suppose this is second best. ASUS UK has some shots of the upcoming DR-950 e-reader, sporting 9-inches of grayscale SiPix e-paper. It admittedly looks pretty great under these idealized lighting conditions, and the homescreen interface looks simple and oh-so-touchable. Hopefully we get to put the device through its text-to-speech, 3G and ePub paces soon enough.

ASUS DR-950 touchscreen e-reader spotted in the ‘wilds’ of ASUS UK’s office originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nexus One and Android 2.1: Apple Better Watch Out

Less than a week ago, Google introduced its own Android phone, the Nexus One. Over the weekend, we got a chance to take the phone through its paces and while we aren’t quite ready to give up our iPhone yet, the Nexus One is a formidable challenger. Apple will clearly have to step up its game with the next iPhone if it wants to hold off Android’s momentum. In terms of features, the Nexus One is already on par with the iPhone platform and beats it in many areas. When it comes to the overall user experience, the iPhone is still a step ahead of the Android platform, but that could easily change in the near future.

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Hardware

For the sake of this review, we won’t look at the Nexus One hardware in great detail. Suffice to say, the 1GHz Snapdragon processor makes the phone extremely fast and the 3.7 inch AMOLED screen simply looks gorgeous. While it isn’t much bigger than the iPhone’s screen, the difference in resolution (800×400) is quite noticeable. We didn’t get a chance to formally test the phone’s battery life, but unless we made extensive use of the GPS, it easily got through a day’s use without needing a recharge.

The phone’s 5 megapixel camera works just as advertised – though the camera app isn’t the prettiest app on the phone. Picture quality was generally on par with pictures from the iPhone 3GS, though the built-in LED flash gives the phone an important additional feature that Apple doesn’t currently offer.

In the long run, the big difference between the two platforms isn’t the hardware but the operating system. After all, the iPhone 3GS is also quite fast and we haven’t heard a lot of complaints about the iPhone’s screen. Android 2.1 isn’t a major step up from version 2.0, but it does introduce some notable new features, including the ability to use voice in every application that brings up the built-in virtual keyboard.

Android 2.1

While the Nexus One isn’t an iPhone killer, it’s already on par with Apple’s phone in many regards. As Google and the developer community that has grown around Android continues to improve the OS, it is only a matter of time before Apple will have to react with an updated version of its iPhone OS.

Here are some of the features that make the Nexus One and Android 2.1 a winner in our opinion. We should note there are some unresolved customer service and hardware issues that have made headlines over the last few days. We didn’t experience any of these problems ourselves, but your mileage may vary.

Nexus One and Android 2.1 vs. the iPhone

• Google Navigation: When it was released for Android 2.0, we described Google’s own GPS application as the first ‘killer feature’ for Android. Google hasn’t really updated this app in 2.1, but it remains one of the signature features for Android. This is also one of the many apps that showcases Android’s ability to multitask. On the iPhone, for example, you have to exit the GPS app while you check your email. On an Android phone, the app simply continues to run in the background and continues to give you voice prompts.
• Voice recognition: We were quite skeptical about this feature at first. Every time Android 2.1 brings up the keyboard, you now have the option to dictate text into the phone. This works surprisingly well and makes writing a quick email or tweet very easy. Some apps, including Google Navigation, can also handle more complex voice commands. On the iPhone, the newly updated Dragon Natural Speaking app works similarly well, but suffers from the fact that it isn’t integrated into every application on the phone.
• Multitasking: Other smartphones like the Palm Pre also feature multitasking for third-party apps and handle switching between these apps better than Android. At the same time, though, one of the iPhone Achilles’ heels is its inability to run more than one non-Apple app at a time. No such problems with Android, though running a lot of apps in the background can put a lot of strain on the battery.
• Back Button: Besides the volume controls, the iPhone only features button. The Nexus features quite a few more (back, menu, home, and search, plus a trackball). The back button is likely the most useful of these and works just like your browser’s back button. On the iPhone, whenever an app takes you to browser, the app quits and opens up the browser, leaving you no easy way to get back to the app. On Android phones, you simply click the back button and you’re back to where you started.
• Google Voice: If you use Google Voice, you are surely aware of the controversy around getting the Google Voice app on the iPhone. On Android, it’s simply a built-in feature and works perfectly. You can even set up the phone to route international calls through Google Voice by default.
• Photo Gallery: Google worked with CoolIris to integrate the company’s signature 3D-view of your photos into the Android photo gallery app. This is easily the prettiest and most useful default gallery app we have seen on any phone to date.
• Google integration: If you are heavily invested in the Google universe, then setting up Android is as easy as it gets. When you first start up the Nexus One (or any other Android phone for that matter), the phone will ask you for your Google Account credentials. Once you enter these, the phone will set up all the Google apps on the phone for you. The phone sets up your email accounts and downloads contacts from Google Contacts. The gallery app connects to Picasa and the calendar connects to Google Calendar.

Areas for Improvement

But there are also some areas where the iPhone is still a clear winner:

• Music: For now, Android’s music app doesn’t come close to the iPhone’s native iPod app. While it’s not woefully bad, it also doesn’t come close to the design and functionality of the iPhone.
• User Interface: While Android 2.1 looks pretty nice and offers some cool new eyecandy like animated wallpapers, the Apple is still one step ahead of Google when it comes to the fit and finish of the built-in apps. Also, while we love the back button on the Nexus One, using the menu button isn’t very intuitive and quite a few people we showed the phone to struggled with understanding its functions.
• App Store: No doubt, Apple’s App Store features far more applications than the Android Market. Especially when it comes to games, Apple beats Google hands down.
• OS Updates for Everybody: You can reasonably assume that the iPhone you buy today will be supported with OS updates for the two years of your contract. With Android, you can’t be so sure about that. It’s still a moving target and quite a few early adopters are still stuck with Android 1.5 because their vendors never updated the phone or because their phones don’t feature the necessary hardware to run later versions of the OS.

As we pointed out last week, the Nexus One and Android 2.1 aren’t quite ready for the enterprise yet and Google has to work on the security features of the phone and software before it can become a major player in this market. Google, however, is aware of this and is already working on an enterprise version of the phone.

Verdict

Overall, we were very impressed with the phone’s hardware and software. Android 2.1 could still benefit from some design work, but in terms of features and functionality, Android can now easily compete with the iPhone.

Disclaimer: Google provided us with a loaner unit and a working SIM card free of charge.

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NorhTech Gecko netbook reviewed, small, slow (video)

Continue reading NorhTech Gecko netbook reviewed, small, slow (video)

NorhTech Gecko netbook reviewed, small, slow (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC testing out ‘touch tablets’ for Android and Chrome OS?
What good would the rumor mill be if it didn’t voice our innermost desires? Apparently not content with giving us the roomy 4.3-inch HD2, HTC is now said to be actively testing out fully fledged tablet devices. Slated (get it?) to be driven by Google’s Android and minimalist Chrome OS, multiple varieties are currently being run through their paces and there’s even word that “core HTC customers” will get to check them out at CES. Who these doyens are and whether they’ll be so kind as to leak us a few photos is unknown, but word is that Qualcomm and Adobe are engaged to provide their hardware and software knowhow — making for an impressive corporate combo if nothing else. This is still strictly uncorroborated, one-source rumormongering, but ain’t it fun?

HTC testing out ‘touch tablets’ for Android and Chrome OS? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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