Some Google I/O Highlights

Author: Riley Alexander, MD, MBA

Google I/O has been in full-swing for the past 2 days and a lot has been let loose. I already mentioned yesterday that one of the big announcements was that of Android's next iteration--Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 3.1). This update has been rolled out to 3G Xooms today and initial reports state that most won't notice much of a difference, but it does seem to increase performance. More importantly, Google plans for this release to be released to phones as well--a distinct difference from Honeycomb. Google made a point that this release would address some of the fragmentation that has plagued Android from the start. In addition, Google is mandating that all handset manufacturers shipping Android maintain software updatability for at least 18 months (which just so happens to be 6 months shorter than most people's cell phone contracts).

Google's other big announcement yesterday was their Google Music service. This is the second big cloud-based music service after Amazon's and promises tight integration with Android. Considering iOS won't have a proper app for either service, let's hope for us iPhone users out there that all the rumors are true about iCloud next month...otherwise, Apple stands to fall behind in the "march to the cloud."

Will Chrome OS beat Microsoft Windows?

When you're on your computer, are you online or offline? In 5 years, how often do you think you'll be sitting in front of a computer that does not have access to the Internet?

Some will say that the future of computing is all cloud-based computing. Who needs native applications on your mobile computer if you're connected to the Internet? If you can access all your applications on the "cloud," then it really won't matter whether you're running Windows XP, Windows 7, Mac OS-X, Linux, or Chrome OS. Slate tablets like the Apple iPad and the Samsung Galaxy Tab may also have the same computing capabilities as a laptop or desktop if we're relying primarily on cloud-based computing.

I hope that I'll have the opportunity to test a Google Cr-48 laptop so that I can see how Chrome OS looks and feels. If Google ends up taking a very aggressive approach with Chrome OS, will they beat Microsoft Windows? Where will Chrome OS rank as we compare Microsoft Windows, Mac OS-X, Linux, etc.? Chrome OS could quickly take the lead if Google were to give away laptops running Chrome OS. They could easily afford to do this if they ensured that every Chrome OS laptop runs with with embedded advertisements.

Google's Cr-48, the first Chrome OS laptop for cloud computing

The Cr-48 is the first laptop coming out with Google's Chrome OS. Google will distribute the laptop through its Chrome OS Pilot Program, so get ready for mobile cloud computing on your chrome OS laptop. It sounds like other laptop manufacturers will be distributing Chrome OS laptops later in 2011.

I like using Google Docs and these Chrome OS devices will allow you to edit and save Google Doc documents offline. Then, when you get connected to the "cloud," you can save and sync those changes when you're back online.

It also sounds like Google is teaming up with Verizon to offer free online connectivity for their Chrome OS laptops. Sounds like a great bargain!

Rumors about the Google Tablet

Now that Apple has officially released its iPad, the rumors surrounding the first generation Apple tablet will get replaced by new rumors regarding the Google tablet. It appears that HTC is working with Google to create a tablet that will likely run Chrome OS (or maybe it will dual-boot into Android as well). In any case, I suspect that we'll see a real winner since HTC has a long history of making excellent smartphones and other mobile devices. The current Google Nexus One Android smartphone is made by HTC and branded as a Google smartphone. How will the Google tablet compare to the iPad?

Google Chromium OS coming in 2010

I'm excited to test the Google Chromium OS in the New Year. I'm not a developer, so I'm not currently testing Google Chrome OS on any netbooks, but I think we'll see this OS appearing on more computers as a "quick boot" option. So, we'll see laptops and netbooks loaded with Microsoft Windows 7, but they'll also come with Google Chrome OS for users who wish to have an "instant on" option where they can quickly boot up, check their e-mail, browse the web, and turn it off.

Google Chrome OS: the Best and Worst Features

PC World has a nice post about the 5 best and 5 worst features of the upcoming Google Chrome OS. On that list, my favorite "best" is that we should see extremely fast boot times on devices running Chrome OS. 3 seconds! That's almost faster than resuming from standby.

The biggest "worst" feature in my opinion is that we don't know how well Chrome OS will work if you're offline. In the future, it may be difficult to imagine working offline since we'll always be connected. However, that future is still far away. We're still living in days where many people don't have constant access to the Internet when they're working.

So, how would I rate my level of enthusiasm for Google's Chrome OS? For health care professionals looking for a lean OS for their netbooks and ultra-mobile PCs, this OS should be a good alternative to Windows XP if you're primarily performing web-based tasks. Since many Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems offer an ASP (application service provider) option, you need to have Internet access if you want to use your EHR out of the office. If you don't use an ASP model, you'll need a VPN when you're out of the office. In either case, netbooks and other small PCs will gain popularity as clinicians recognize the need to have access to a computer when they're out of the office or hospital. They'll want something small, light, and efficient. Will Google's Chrome OS fill that gap?

To read the full story on PC World, click here.

Google Chrome OS launching soon

The Google Chrome Operating System (OS) is launching quite soon. I'm excited to see this new, lean operating system that should work quite well on ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs) and netbooks. I plan to try Chrome OS on my Samsung Q1 Ultra (mini tablet) to see how it compares with Ubuntu, XP, and Windows 7.

If Chrome OS improves speed, efficiency, and battery life on my UMPC, then it will be a winning OS for me. After all, the Q1 Ultra has a slow processor and this device isn't meant to be used for any type of heavy computing.

Google is creating an operating system for netbooks

Well, it's about time, isn't it? Google is developing a simple but functional operating system for netbooks. Google Chrome OS will be an open-source OS that will be sleek, light, and (hopefully) very fast. The Chrome web browser has been surprisingly useful and I'm hoping that Chrome OS will mirror that. Many people thought that Google was going to take Android and modify that for netbooks. Maybe Chrome OS will be very similar to Android. We know that we'll be living in the world of Cloud Computing.

So, how will such an OS get used? Will it replace Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, or 7? Or, will people use Chrome OS as a dual-boot option? That's how I use Ubuntu. To be honest, with the quick boot time of Windows 7, I'm not sure that I'll need Ubuntu in the future. I'll have to see how Chrome OS fits into the mix.