Isn’t this kinda like getting to the end of the Internet?

I’m currently sitting at around 13% and have been in that range for several months now.  As much email as I get, I still can’t imagine catching up with the Gmail storage cap.  Of course, I recall getting my Gateway Desktop in 1998 with a Pentium II 266MHz processor and 8GB hard drive.  I’m pretty sure I uttered the words “I’ll never use up that much storage.”  And then there was Napster…

[via Flickr]

This two minute video from Google explains the soon coming Google TV.  Google along with the likes of Intel, Sony, and Logitech, Best Buy, DISH Network and Adobe will bring the power of the internet to your high-def TV in your livingroom with ease.

Press Release

Industry Leaders Announce Open Platform to Bring Web to TV

Google, Intel, Logitech and Sony Join Together to Deliver Google TV Platform

DISH Network, Best Buy, Adobe to Support Bringing Devices to Market

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today at the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco, leading industry players announced the development of Google TV — an open platform that adds the power of the web to the television viewing experience, ushering in a new category of devices for the living room. Intel, Sony, and Logitech, together with Best Buy, DISH Network and Adobe, joined Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) on stage to announce their support for Google TV.

“We are very proud to be working with this distinguished set of partners, all of whom have decades of experience in hardware, design and retail.”

Over the past decade, the Internet has created unprecedented opportunity for innovation and development across the world, but so far the web has largely been absent from living rooms. With Google TV, consumers will now be able to search and watch an expanded universe of content available from a variety of sources including TV providers, the web, their personal content libraries, and mobile applications.

Search across TV, Web, and Apps

Google TV is based on the Android platform and runs the Google Chrome web browser. Users can access all of their usual TV channels as well as a world of Internet and cloud-based information and applications, including rich Adobe® Flash based content – all from the comfort of their own living room and with the same simplicity as browsing the web. When coupled with the Intel® Atom™ processor CE4100, Intel’s latest system-on-a-chip designed specifically for consumer electronics, the new platform will offer home theatre quality A/V performance. Sony and Logitech said they would be delivering products based on the new Intel Atom processor and running Google TV later this year. While Google TV is designed to work with any TV operator, at launch the user experience will be fully optimized when paired with DISH Network.

Google TV expands video choice from the hundreds of channels available today through a pay TV provider to the vast storehouse of video content available through the web and streaming videos. The Google TV experience is complemented by the ability to watch streaming video from leading content platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, and YouTube. Google TV will also have the capability to run apps from the Android Market.

To navigate the array of content that will now be available through a single device and on a single screen, Google TV introduces an integrated search experience to help viewers easily find relevant content across over-the-air and pay-TV channel listings, DVR, and the Internet, as well as a picture-in-picture layout to access multiple windows simultaneously. Google TV also features an innovative home screen to help viewers quickly organize their favorite content and personalize their TV viewing experience. Some of these features are only available with advanced integration from DISH Network.

Broad Alliance of Industry Leaders

Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman and CEO said, “We are very proud to be working with this distinguished set of partners, all of whom have decades of experience in hardware, design and retail.”

Sony announced plans to introduce “Sony Internet TV,” the World’s first TV lineup incorporating the Google TV platform. The first models are planned to be introduced in the U.S. market in the Fall of 2010 with the lineup featuring both a standalone TV model and set top box-type unit incorporating a Blu-ray Disc drive.

Howard Stringer, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Corporation said, “I am delighted to announce the unique alignment of Google’s rapidly growing, open source Android platform with Sony’s unparalleled expertise in the field of TV design and technology. The addition of ‘Sony Internet TV’ will further bolster Sony’s comprehensive TV lineup and will fuse new levels of enjoyment and interactivity into the TV experience.”

Logitech will introduce a companion box that brings Google TV to existing HDTV home entertainment systems, easily integrating with any brand of HDTV and set-top box. The companion box will incorporate Logitech’s Harmony® remote control technology, and will include a controller that combines keyboard and remote control capabilities. The company also has plans to introduce an HDTV camera and video chat for Google TV, along with additional choices for navigation and control, including apps to turn a smart phone into an advanced controller for Google TV and home-entertainment systems.

Gerald Quindlen, President and CEO, Logitech said, “We committed to Google TV early on because it aligns with our strategy to support open platforms that enable new immersive experiences in the digital living room. While Google TV enables seamless discovery of all your content, Logitech enables seamless control over how you experience that content. We look forward to continued collaboration with Google and the developer community to create new Google TV experiences that have yet to be imagined.”

The Intel Atom CE4100 processor will power both the Logitech and Sony devices. Paul Otellini, Intel President and CEO praised the collaborative effort and said TV as we know it was being “reinvented.” “Today marks the next step in the evolution of TV to Smart TV. TV’s are becoming smarter as a result of the microprocessor and the Internet. Traditional TV programming will be merged seamlessly with the infinite amount of content on the Internet to enable every viewer to determine what they want to watch, when they want it. This is Moore’s Law transforming television, powered by the performance of Intel microprocessors.”

DISH Network has been a key partner with Google on advanced integration development for Google TV. The two partners began a joint trial over a year ago with more than 400 DISH Network and Google beta users. Based on the continuous feedback from the trial, Google and DISH Network have built the optimized Google TV experience that seamlessly integrates traditional TV, DVR and web content.

Charlie Ergen, Chairman, President and CEO of DISH Network, said, “Google TV marks the next evolution in television, and we are excited to be the first to partner with Google to bring this experience to our customers. Only DISH Network Google TV customers will be able to enjoy a unified search across TV, DVR and web; easily find related content; and manage their entire TV viewing experience. Additionally, the advanced integration will allow developers to create new and exciting applications to enrich the TV viewing experience.”

Best Buy will bring their retail experience and consumer expertise to the project, with Google TV devices being sold at Best Buy locations nationwide later this year. “Every day, our 180,000 Blue Shirt store employees and Geek Squad Agents work with our customers to get them the best home theater experience possible,” said Brian Dunn, CEO Best Buy. “We are thrilled about the new and exciting experiences smart TVs, like Google TV, provide to our customers – and we are looking forward to showcasing those experiences in our store and ensuring customers get connected to all the products and services that bring those experiences to life.”

Finally, Adobe Flash Player 10.1 will be integrated directly into the Google Chrome browser on Google TV, enabling viewers to experience tens of millions of web pages with rich Flash content including games, animations, applications, videos, audio and more. Shantanu Narayen, President and CEO, Adobe said, “An open web ecosystem offers endless opportunities for creativity and innovation. Flash Player 10.1 extends the advantages of full web browsing and consistent, rich experiences to smartphones, tablets, netbooks and Internet-connected TVs. We’re thrilled to be part of the Google TV initiative with other industry leaders who share a common vision of enabling access to the best web experiences possible.”

Opportunity for Developers

The demonstration at I/O highlighted the unique opportunity developers have to help shape the future of Google TV. Today Google announced that they would soon release a set of TV specific APIs for web applications, encouraging web developers to begin building unique web applications for use on television sets. Later this year Google will also release an updated Android SDK, which will support applications built for Google TV.

Google also plans to open source the Google TV platform to help spur innovation in the industry and so that other developers can benefit from the project. The long term goal is to collaborate with the entire developer community to help drive entertainment in the living room forward and to introduce the next generation of TV-watching experience.

For more information about the project visit google.com/tv.

About Google

Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia.

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

About Logitech

Logitech is a world leader in products that connect people to the digital experiences they care about. Spanning multiple computing, communication and entertainment platforms, Logitech’s combined hardware and software enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video entertainment, gaming, social networking, audio and video communication over the Internet, video security and home-entertainment control. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI).

About Sony

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $78 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

A recent market study from Janco revealed that the adoption rate of Windows 7 has been much higher than Vista over the first few months of each OS release.  Windows 7 outpaced Vista’s growth by a significant margin over the first 9 months of its release.  By month nine, Windows 7 captured more than 14% of the OS market share.  Whereas, Vista had only claimed slightly more than 6% of the market share during the same period after its launch.  Windows 7 eclipsed the Vista OS user base after only 7 months on the market.  Perhaps those “I’m a PC” commercials had something to do with it?

Other interesting findings from Janco include Internet Explorer’s continued decline as browser of choice – down 3.71% from April 2009 to April 2010.  IE now has 67.73% of the browser market share, while Firefox grew 0.79% over the same period and now possesses a 17.88% market share.  Google Chrome is up to 5.4% and sits in third place on the browser board after growing 1.49% over the past year.

[via Janco]

Based on recent FCC filings and other tidbits, it looks like the Google Nexus One may soon be available for use on AT&T and Sprint’s 3G networks.  As it stands now, the Nexus One is only compatible with T-Mobile 3G in the US, and is relegated to the Edge network for AT&T customers and is completely incompatible with Sprint’s service.

Sprint quasi-confirmed that the Nexus One is coming at some point via an inquiry to Sprint Customer Solutions.

Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding the nexus one.

Unfortunately, this handset model is not on offer as of now.

Once it is launched, you will see promotional campaigns related to the launch date, cost and the features of the handset on our Web site and other promotional media.

Thank you for showing interest in our products & services. Please let us know if you would like us to assist you with anything else.

While all of this is encouraging for those looking to move to the Nexus One on a network with better coverage than T-Mobile, it remains to be seen whether we’ll get any relief from the big price tag on the unlocked version for networks other than T-Mobile.

[Cnet via Gizmodo]

According to Business Week Apple is considering making Bing the default search engine for the iPhone.  The speculated change comes amidst an ever heating rivalry between Apple and Google.  Now that Google is in the mobile smart-phone race with the Nexus One, Apple is said to be knocking on Microsoft’s door.

Bing would greatly benefit from being the iPhone’s default search engine in market share, but would Google suffer?  Probably not too much.  Maybe this is a win-win for every one.

Bing may just be a band-aid as there are rumors of a search engine from Apple.  Techcrunch talked about it back in 2008.  With Google CEO Eric Schmidt off Apple’s board, there is little stopping them from the venture.

[via Business Week]

The Nexus One is one of the hottest items at CES 2010.  The Nexus One booth was packed in tight and required swift moves and jockeying for position just to get my hands on one for a few minutes.

After throwing a couple of elbows, I spent several minutes playing with Google’s new toy.  The first takeaway for me was how fast the phone was.  Moving from app to app was a speedy and smooth transition.  From what little you can learn about a phone in 10 minutes or so of use, I’m pretty impressed.

The video capture and still camera capability is pretty cool.  While it doesn’t really rival what you can do with a real camera, it does its job well and, based on my first impressions, I like the interface better than my iPhone 3G.

After the jump, you’ll find a quick video that I shot with one of the display samples, followed by a photo from the same.  I emailed these to myself from the show floor.  The email process was noticeably quicker than what I get out of my iPhone.

Nexus One Video Sample (right click and choose “Save as…” for larger sample video)

Nexus One Sample Image (right-click and choose “Save as…” for full res sample)

Another thing you immediately notice about the Nexus One is its size.  It’s much smaller than the iPhone and the Droid.  It will definitely be an easier fit for pockets, something I struggle with in my jeans and iPhone.

Check out some other shots of the Nexus One for a closer look at its form-factor below.

You can read more about the Nexus One from Google’s press release below.

Google Nexus One Press Release

MOUNTAIN VIEW (January 5, 2010) – Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today unveiled a new way for consumers to purchase an Android mobile phone, a web store hosted by Google. The company is also launching the first phone offered through this new model, called the Nexus One, which combines the latest in hardware from HTC Corporation with the newest Android software.

The goal of Google’s new consumer channel is to provide an efficient way to connect Google’s online users with selected Android phones. The online experience of the web store has been designed with a focus on simplicity.

Through the web store found at www.google.com/phone, consumers can buy the Nexus One without service (meaning any GSM network SIM card can be inserted into the device), or purchase the phone with service from one of Google’s operator partners. As new phones come to market through this channel, consumers will benefit from the ability to match a phone of their choice with the service plan that best meets their needs. Operator prices and plan details will be featured on the site.

“The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call ‘superphones,’ with the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ chipset making it as powerful as your laptop computer of three to four years ago. It’s our way to raise the bar on what’s possible when it comes to creating the best mobile experience for consumers,” said Andy Rubin, VP of Engineering. “We look forward to working with handset manufacturers and operators to bring more phones to market through this channel worldwide.”

Nexus One Hardware Features

• Display: 3.7″ AMOLED 480×800 WVGA display
• Thinness: 11.5mm; Weight: 130g
• Processor/Speed: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 3G QSD8250 chipset, delivering speeds up to 1GHz
• Camera: 5 megapixel auto focus with flash and geo tagging
• Onboard memory: 512MB Flash, 512MB RAM
• Expandable memory: 4GB removable SD Card (expandable to 32GB)
• Noise Suppression: Dynamic noise suppression from Audience, Inc.
• Ports: 3.5mm stereo headphone jack with four contacts for inline voice and remote control
• Battery: Removable 1400 mAh
• Personalized laser engraving: Up to 50 characters on the back of the phone
• Trackball: Tri-color notification LED, alerts when new emails, chats, text messages arrive

“The Nexus One represents the unique combination of design and innovation two companies like Google and HTC can have when they collaborate,” said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. “The Nexus One continues HTC’s strategy of offering people a portfolio of phones that meet their diverse needs.”

Nexus One Software Innovation

The Nexus One runs on Android 2.1, a version of the platform’s Eclair software, which offers advanced applications and features including:

• Google Maps Navigation: offering turn-by-turn driving directions with voice output.
• Email: multiple Gmail accounts; universal inbox and Exchange support.
• Phone book: aggregate contacts from multiple sources, including Facebook®.
• Quick Contacts: easily switch between communication and social applications.
• Android Market: access to more than 18,000 applications.

In addition, the Nexus One introduces new functionality and software enhancements:

• Enter text without typing.
• Use a voice-enabled keyboard for all text fields: speak a text message, instant message, tweet, Facebook update, or complete an email.
• Tell your phone what you want it to do.
• Search Google, call contacts, or get driving directions by just speaking into your phone.
• Take personalization to the next level.
• Dynamic, interactive, live wallpapers react to the touch of a finger.
• More widgets and five home screen panels allow for further device customization.
• Capture camera-quality pictures and video with your device.
• 5 megapixel camera includes LED flash, auto focus, zoom, white balance and color effects.
• View pictures and Picasa Web Albums in the new 3D Gallery.
• Record Hi-Res MPEG4 video, and then upload to YouTube with one click.
• Read your voicemail messages.
• Get transcribed voicemail with Google Voice integration, without changing your number.

Pricing, Availability, and Future Plans

Nexus One is initially available from the Google web store in the US without service for $529 or starting at $179 with a two-year contract from T-Mobile USA. In the near future, Verizon Wireless in the US and Vodafone in Europe plan to offer services to customers in their respective geographies. Today, consumers can go to www.google.com/phone to learn about the Nexus One and place an order. We will initially take orders from consumers in the US and three other markets – the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

In the coming months Google plans on partnering with additional operators, offering consumers access to a broad set of service plans. In the future we expect to launch more phones with Android handset partners and to expand the web store to more countries.

What is Google Chrome OS? Google explains below.

More on Chrome OS

Install guide for Chrome OS – TechCrunch

With Chrome OS, Google Intends to Destroy the Desktop and Microsoft – Mashable

Everything You Need to Know About Chrome OS – Gizmodo

Why Google Should Cool It With Chrome OS – Wired

How-to: run Chrome OS as a virtual Machine – Engadget

Chalk this up in the “amazing” category.  This is one of those things on the Internet that sneaks in quietly, but the significance continues to grow and shape the web for years to come.

Google uses the same algorithm that it uses to translate voice mails in Google Voice. (What? You didn’t know about that? It’s wicked.)  While it’s not perfect every time. It’s miles ahead of what was previously available.

Think about it. By throwing a switch, Google just made YouTube so very relevant to the entire world’s deaf population. (It’s only on certain channels now, but it should be everywhere soon.)

Did I mention that the new feature is also capable of translating the captions in any of 51 languages?  Smell the significance now?

Get all the details on the Official Google Blog.