Archive for the ‘web 2.0’Category
LifeHacker Beats Me to the Punch … Again!
How to do Everything in Google Buzz (Including Turn It Off) by Gina Trappani of LifeHacker fame tells you … well, everything you need to know about Google Buzz.
Dammit Trappani, leave some news for the rest of us to report.
Seriously though, nice job. J
10
02 2010
Google Buzz – Google Does Social
You may have heard about Gmail going social in a way that muscles in on the territory pioneered by Twitter and later co-opted by everyone from Facebook to LinkedIn to Friendfeed, and everyone else – namely status updates.
Google’s horse in this race is Buzz. Watch the video below to learn more or click on the image above from the Google Blog.
Then let me know how you like your Buzz.
09
02 2010
Network Part 2: Not Going to Take It Anymore
In Part 1 of this series I discussed the current legal research market (lame) and how Wexis was without challengers until a little company called Google smacked them upside the head last year. But the question remains: what are you going to do about it?
Change. At Last?
Even if Google Scholar does begin the long climb into the consciousness of lawyers, goes the thinking, Wexis could certainly deal with a direct attack as it dealt with Loislaw and Fastcase before. After all the real power of the network is that it resists by tightening its grip and digging in its heels until removing it would kill the host. But direct action is not Google’s style. On the contrary, Google is king of feature creep. It excels at constant development of bells and whistles joined to a simple, irresistible feature like … search. So it’s a good bet that Google Scholar will not directly threaten Westlaw or Lexis any more than Adwords threatened Findlaw or Lawyers.com. Of course Google has relentlessly siphoned off legal marketing dollars from Wexis for the past decade regardless of its indirect approach. And like Adwords, Google Scholar is part of an even bigger network than either Westlaw or Lexis. So maybe change is possible.
At the end of the day, I believe that Google Scholar will do for legal research what Avvo did for lawyer selection: bring transparency where there was none before. If that happens then consumers of legal information including lawyers, scholars, students, and lay people, will be able to bypass the thicket of jargon and questionable practices that kept them in thrall to Wexis for a century. The result would be a body of legal research enhanced by user input (think Wikipedia) instead of a narrowly controlled, opaque system like the ones that lawyers use now. Change, at last.
Running Scared
This month the ABA Journal features a comprehensive look at the new crop of threats facing Westlaw and Lexis, including Google Scholar and Bloomberg Law. According to the article Westlaw intends to roll out it’s next-gen research platform, WestlawNext, in time for the ABA Technology Show in March; while LexisNexis will announce the new Lexis, dubbed creatively ‘New Lexis,’ later this year. But while the article makes it sound as if both companies are about to make a real technological leap, I’d advise you not to hold your breath. Westlaw and Lexis have never responded to threats with anything but cosmetic changes, falling back instead on enticement or intimidation to keep users loyal. And it has always worked, so why fix what ain’t broken? Besides, how likely is it that after generations of taking their market for granted either company will invest the time, money, or business discipline needed to break with the past? Then again, if Wexis loses its iron grip on legal the spigot of legal information then it is nothing but a search engine, and not a good one at that. Reason enough to be afraid.
I’m Mad As Hell And Not
Going to Take It Anymore
So are Westlaw and Lexis simply keeping up appearances as they did when the Internet threatened their proprietary networks in the 90’s? Or do they really think they can change everything from their business model to their corporate culture to cope with the likes of Google and Bloomberg? My guess is that, as usual, Westlaw and Lexis will talk a good game but continue to rely on contracts and intimidation over innovation. Hey, it worked for AIG, GM, and Lehman Brothers, right? And look where they are today.
07
02 2010
TinyChat Upgrade: Etherpad, Whiteboard, YouTube
We’re big fans of TinyChat a web-based chat startup that has been growing like gangbusters and recently won a Crunchie for best bootstrapped startup. TinyChat started out as a simple IRC-style chatroom app to complement conversations on platforms like Twitter, has been steadily building out its innovative platform to include video chat and screensharing options, live video streaming, and Facebook Connect.
Now the platform is making chats more social with the addition YouTube video integration, document collaboration with Etherpad, and whiteboard features powered by the company’s own Flockdraw. The social YouTube feature allows a moderators to pay any public YouTube video for everyone participating in the chat. The administrator can also control were the video starts, pauses etc. <<Read the Full Story Here>>
05
02 2010
list.it – easy notes anywhere
I’m a real fan of apps, applets, add-ons, and other bite-sized web-enabled tools that make life easier. List.it is a perfect example. It’s super-simple and enables you to do one thing easily: take notes in any browser, organize them fast, take them anywhere via mobile device, or just check them out on any computer. Notes are securely stored remotely, and accessible through any browser. Sure, there are already a lot of free bookmarking services, note-taking services, and list services such as
But list.it goes the extra mile to be simpler, easier to use, and a cinch to manage. So what’s not to like?
04
02 2010
Tablet Computing’s History of Failure
Tablet Computing: A History Of Failure
Jay Yarow | Jan. 25, 2010 in Silicon Alley Insider
Tablet computing has a long history, and none of it is particularly great. From the Newton to the CrunchPad, tech companies have tried to sell a simple slab that can access the web, deliver email and maybe some gaming. On paper it sounds great, but the execution to date has been disappointing.
Check out 16 tablets through the years →
When Apple takes the wraps off its entry into the market this week, it’s expected Steve Jobs will produce a product that undoes over a decade’s worth of tablet flops.
How can Apple get it right, when others have gotten it wrong? Read the full article and see.
- Focus on building great software. The iPhone’s revolution was its brilliant software which made using the phone a pleasure. (The iPhone’s software serves as the base for the tablet, according to a report from Boy Genius Report.)
- Get the user interface right. So far, tablet computer has either been a bad extension of an operating system built for a desktop computer, or has required an awkward input device, such as a stylus. Apple’s multi-touch “gesture” based user interface may be a breakthrough.
- Redefine the tablet computing ecosystem. The Wall Street Journal reported a bunch of details about the tablet last week. The essence of the report: The tablet is supposed to be a new way to consume media, not just a touchscreen edition of your laptop. Apple can complement its hardware with digital movies, TV shows, magazines, books, music, games, third-party apps, and other media — which prior tablets haven’t done.
Right now, we picture it sitting on the coffee table — good for web surfing, reading and gaming. Or on the plane. It sounds nice, but it’s hard to envision that being worth $700-$1,000 to mainstream buyers.
So that’s the last detail we are all waiting for with the tablet — the price. We have an idea about what it looks like, how we might type on it, what media will be available for it, but we’re still not sure about how it’s going to be marketed or how much it’s going to cost.
Who is this thing for? Apple tells us on Wednesday. If it gets it right, then it has a success. If it gets it wrong, it joins the list of failed tablet devices
