Renewing the Voice


Sunday, November 8, 2009

Floating on Cloud Google


I recently purchased the new iMac to use at my office in Fort Washington. I was then forced to make the decision that has plagued we who follow the technology industry. I needed to pick a word processor. The choices: Google's Google Docs, Microsoft's Microsoft Office or Apple's iWork.

As a consistent user of Google's email service, Gmail, the answer was obvious. I would use Google's Google Docs. One obvious reason for this decision was the price difference. Apple's iWork, at a whopping $80, isn't exactly worth the cash when you consider that Google Docs offers everything that both iWork and Microsoft Office ($149) have including a word, presentation (Power Point) and spread sheet documents.

The second reason to chose Google Docs over the others was that Google Docs runs on a cloud server. Meaning I can access my Google Documents from any Web browser. In comparison, iWork and Microsoft Office can only be accessed via the individual desktop.

All three companies have fully mobilized (not like cell phones) in response to what the Economist, among other publications, are calling the cloud wars. Microsoft's release of Windows 7 was supposed to be the technology giant's response to Google and Apple's cloud servers but so far, I haven't heard much in the way of Microsoft using the cloud to its advantage.

Apple has tried catching up to Google with the MobileMe service but I've found trouble with looking through large folders of photos on the Apple cloud. I can never preview photos without downloading them off of the Apple cloud and onto my desktop.

I would really like to hear what others are thinking in terms of the cloud wars. I invite readers to send me a message or comment which explains their experiences with either of the three technology companies (Google, Apple, Microsoft) and their thoughts on how these companies are using the clouds. Check back soon.

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posted by Andy Stettler at 4:59 PM 0 Comments

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Catching the Google Wave



When I first received my Google Wave invitation, I immediately searched the blogosphere for opinions, tutorials, etc. It only took a few minutes until I came across Bruce's Blog.

Under his post "Using Google Wave for Work flow tasks," Bruce outlines when Google Wave can be used most efficiently. He comments on a blog post by Daniel Tenner who says, primarily, Google Wave will be used when employees collaborate in the work place.

He said, on average, when two employees are collaborating with a document, every time that document is updated each collaborator receives an email that the document has been modified. However, in Google Wave, Bruce said, notifications are already sent via pings to both collaborators each time a document is modified.

Updated: 9:30 a.m.

Just used this URL (http://www.twittergadget.com/gadget_gmail.xml )to add Twitter to my Google Wave.


Updated 1:47 p.m.

Unfortunately, Gmail and other emails cant be synced yet because Wave is still in preview mode. I think this would be an obvious feature when the real version comes out.

Once you have the Twitter Gadget up and running, go to your settings button (top right) and then advanced settings.

This is where you can change the length of your Twitter gadget so that you can see more tweets.

In addition, you can change the colors and theme of your Twitter gadget. Be sure to pick colors that will not make the links and user names hard to see.


Updated 1:54 p.m.

A video tutorial to Google Wave-


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posted by Andy Stettler at 6:28 AM 0 Comments

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