Google Apps Is No Longer Free

Don't be annoyed by the name. Google Apps is a suite for small business users who wants personalized email address and other collaborative web apps. Though for small businesses Google being very kind gave away free edition of their Google Apps for utmost 10 users. Now the time being right, they have pulled away the free edition of Google Apps, and offering just one unified premium Google Apps for all kind of businesses. 

The official Google Apps blog says 

"When we launched the premium business version we kept our free, basic version as well. Both businesses and individuals signed up for this version, but time has shown that in practice, the experience isn't quite right for either group. Businesses quickly outgrow the basic version and want things like 24/7 customer support and larger inboxes."

While the reason might not be cleared under the fog, some analysts points at the flooding of Google Apps (free version) with lots of small-not-so-businesses or with small-website-owners. Although the official statement says, business often outgrows the basic version, but this doesn't solve the mystery of "Why to stop offering one."

Also, Google says, it has no impact on existing customers. And Google Apps for education will be as always, free for schools and universities. 

For a comparison Microsoft also offers a similar web suite for businesses. But unlike Google Apps it was always paid. Microsoft cheapest Office 365 tier, the small business offering, costs $6 per user per month, or about $72 a year. Google Apps, cost $50 per individual per year. 

We'll keep you updated if Google Apps (The Free Version) again surfaces for sign-up, though I don't think it will do. 

 

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Chromebook Gets a New Stable Update

Google touts "Always On", "Always Connected" and "Always Up to Date" words with their Chromebook. Yes, yet another stable release of Chrome OS is here which proves one of their sayings. 

In the post of Chrome Releases Blog, they said, Chromebook will start receiving this update over the next several days. Here's the list of all that things which will be updated. 

• Updated default apps
• Window Manager Enhancements
• UI improvements for notifications through the new message area
• UI improvements to the out of box experience
• UI improvements to the sign-in screen
• Device reset from start screen and settings (click here for more details)
• Enable key apps offline by default
• Cloud-based wallpaper management

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Gmail Integrates With Drive, You Can Now Send Files Up to 10 GB

Google Drive, Dropbox killer -- Sort of -- was launched in April by Google, hadn't been integrated with another Google service so tightly. Starting today, Gmail Team has integrated Google Drive into your Gmail so that you can send attachments that are whopping big. 

Official Gmail Blog wrote 

"...with Drive, you can insert filesup to 10GB -- 400 times larger than what you can send as a traditional attachment. Also, because you’re sending a file stored in the cloud, all your recipients will have access to the same, most-up-to-date version. 
Like a smart assistant, Gmail will also double-check that your recipients all have access to any files you’re sending. This works like Gmail’s forgotten attachment detector: whenever you send a file from Drive that isn’t shared with everyone, you’ll be prompted with the option to change the file’s sharing settings without leaving your email. It’ll even work with Drive links pasted directly into emails."

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Google Shows Chromebook is for Everyone

Google wants you to ditch your PC and get a smarter, always connected, always ON laptop. Following the same campaign, "For Everyone" which they started last month with the arrival of Samsung Chromebook. This time they have taken over the Times square, and have showed "Why Chromebook is for You".

TNW: 

Google published a new site called Gallery for Everyone to which anyone can upload an image and tell what they use the Chromebook for. Submitted entries include “For Movies“, “For Getting Lost“, “For Wisdom“, “For Moms“, and many others. For those who want to see their photos in Times Square in New York City, then you can do it right from the site.

Related Stories: 

• Why chromebook just can't replace your computer
• Acer C7 Chromebook for Just $199 

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Why Chromebook Just can’t replace your computer

Google’s Chrome browser is fantastic, when you are casually browsing with it. It feels right because of its minimal design and few clutter. Not offending other browsers but they just bloat the browser screen that gives the worst user interface. Though keeping these things aside, what if I tell you to own a laptop or rather I should say use a laptop that has Chrome. No big deal, right? Adding to the last line, what if I said “Use a laptop that has chrome and nothing else.” Big deal.

Even though we use our laptops basically to browse the web, we are just not going to give up using the full operating system. What does an average person do on the web--Facebook, Email and Twitter. These tasks don’t really require a proper laptop. Operating system→Browser, there is an extra step for reaching web rather in chrome you just boot to a browser, which happens in 8 seconds. This is what Google advertises and wants to sell Chromebook for.

Everything happens in the cloud. It has a basic concept of always connected and always on computer. Though it hasn't been quite anticipated in the market. Google wants you to ditch all the local stuff you do in primitive ecosystem and turn your workflow to apps that work on cloud. Simple.

But a big problem is in the cloud. Bad weathers aren’t invited. Ever. But it can affect your cloud based apps. Good chances are most services can have a downtime while hurricanes like Sandy strike cities like NYC.
Keep aside the downtime of a service, you got to make sure you are near or are connected to an Internet connection that don’t suck. No big deal for countries like the US, where you can find free Wi-Fi service anywhere--may it be public or private. But in the countries where you cannot, it’s like carrying extra lbs everywhere.

Though Google is making available some of the core applications like Google Docs, Gmail, Image Editor (Pixlr) offline. So even if you don’t have an Internet connection you can use your chromebook quite flawlessly. But the number of offline apps is still limited.

Also, there are way too many shortcomings like streaming 1080p video can hang chromebook a little bit.  Not all chromebooks though hang when streaming clips from YouTube or like services. Series 5 chromebook by Samsung for example is a capable machine but the price is a let-down.

Wifi only version comes cheap as compared to Wifi+3G version. There is near about a difference of $150 between both the devices. So adding $150 for a wireless network is outrageous. What’s the catch? When you’ll get the Wifi+3G version of chromebook, Verizon Wireless will offer you free 100MB of data for every month. Seriously 100 MB, and no typo made.

Okay, another catch is when you’ll buy any of these chromebooks, you’ll be given a free 100GB of cloud storage space on Google Drive for 2 years. Google has done a lot in marketing these chromebooks, but they have seemed to fail every time because this is not what people want right now.

Acer announced a chromebook--C7 Chromebook, which ships at $199. Samsung announced earlier that new chromebook will ship at $249. Cutting prices on a machine that does nothing won’t help.

Google’s own 7” flagship tablet Nexus 7 is priced at $199. Lets compare Acer’s offering to Google’s Nexus 7. Price is the same, Acer has got a keyboard and mouse but Nexus has got a touch screen, a stock android experience, and a very capable hardware. Plus you get a decent 9-10 Hour battery life. Acer’s chromebook has a poor 3.5 Hours battery life.

Nexus 7 just nails every bit of the $199 price. Acer and Google are just overdoing it. Nexus 7 has apps, and you can use it whether Online or Offline. Offline apps work just as well as any online app would work, but always better.

Over time using chromebook can frustrate you. Not being able to compile even a single letter offline is a letdown. You will always wish--if you could add offline support of different file formats.

So if Google wants to sell chromebooks, as they certainly want to do, they need to build a chromebook that not only connects to the Internet but also does support and work with all file formats offline. I would like to see standalone apps of all the services of Google, which they offer, and not the web version which each browser shows by going to the link of that service.

For now, if you are thinking of getting a chromebook, sure you can get one but you’d always wish after getting it that if you could do more. Rather than going for a chromebook I suggest you to go for a Tablet. The time isn't right for Chromebook right now, sure it has a future potential but right now, people want more than web, a feature packed operating system.

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Acer's New C7 Chromebook For Just $199

Google Blog wrote:

The new Acer C7 Chromebook delivers a hassle-free computing experience with speed, built-in security and the simplicity of automatic updates. It features a full-size keyboard, fully clickable trackpad, an extra bright 11.6-inch display and over 3.5 hours of battery life. Powered by an Intel Core processor, the Acer Chromebook is fast—boots up in 18 seconds, resumes instantly and high-definition videos play smoothly (yes, videos like Gangnam Style in 1080p, in case you’re one of the few left who hasn’t seen it). You can easily store your stuff on the Chromebook or in the cloud, with a 320GB hard drive and 100GB of free storage on Google Drive.* 

A laptop to surf the Internet on, please get a $199 Nexus 7 tablet instead. It is much more capable. 

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Is Blackberry Dead On Arrival?

Blackberry – a renowned Smartphone maker, now crying to be on someone’s hand. This word – blackberry, seems now laughably stupid. You would have laughed at the last line, maybe, because they are losing market share right now. Everything is going in the opposite direction for Research In Motion. If I would have said the same line, on which you laughed right now, in 2007 or 2006, you would have laughed at me. Not because blackberry is changing itsmeaning right now, but because most had a blackberry powered device at that time. 

When Steve Jobs released the iPhone in 2007, Ballmer laughed, and said “It was the most expensive phone in the world”. Nobody gave a damn to the iPhone. And iPhone was the only reason why Blackberry sales dropped the first time and dropped year after year. Now the problem isn’t an iPhone, the real problem is "Android".

Android – a bigger a problem than iOS

Android has outgrown in the market since its inception. It not only has challenged iPhone head to head, it has almost made Windows phone, Symbian and WebOS out of space. The major reason why Android has been able to knock off the competition is its cross collaboration.

Every big Smartphone maker now exists because of Android. First Android powered device was revealed later than the iPhone, at that time the Android was in infancy. iOS was also in infancy but it was much better polished than any other OS at that time. From that time till now, Android has gained significant features and share, it is much superior polished than any other OS and now Apple is doing the "catch up" thing with Android in the iOS.

iOS dropped a significant market share, according to the Q3 earnings. The android's market share is 75% of the total Smartphone market. That’s huge and is enough for Blackberry to drop its jaw. A single competition market is always hard to get conquered. If the scenario was Android had a market share of 25%, iOS had 25%, Windows phone had 25%, it wouldn’t have been a big deal for Blackberry to get into the market and target Other which still has a market share of 25%. But this is not the scenario, my friend [Blackberry].

Web – keep scrutinizing them 

What really is worth noting that Blackberry has too many enemies. Of course indirectly, each website loves to poke fun at them. Let’s take an example of Gizmodo, “You Might literally be allergic to Blackberry Phones”. This was the headline of new article that was posted on 10 November.

According to a recent study, around one third of all BlackBerries contains nickel, a metal that causes allergic reactions in 17 percent of women and 3 percent of men. As if that wasn't bad enough, many of these phones also contain cobalt, yet another contact allergen.

This is not a story of a single website on the internet poking fun at Blackberry phones or services. Here’s another one by Joy Of Tech, they are famous for making cartoons of Technology:

Latecomer in the market

BB10 is coming in 2013. Not-so-early-for-a-Smartphone-OS. I certainly think, they could have done better with the same OS and same features, if they had been in the market just around in 2011. 2013 is damn late. Android activations topping every peak, just around 1 Million activations per day they are kicking asses of their competitors. And another reason, it might not do so well, is because Q4 is totally Apple’s. iPhone 5 released, Foxconn is making iPhones at full pace and Apple is out of Osborne effect, who won’t think Q4 is totally iPhones.

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16 GB Nexus 7 Coming to India

The Next Web's Nick reports that, 16 GB version of Nexus 7 will be sold in shops later today.

.. [A] spokesperson told TNW however that the Nexus 7 will in fact be going on sale later today. It is understood to be the original 16GB version, and retail at Rs 19,990.

I highly doubt it might not do well in India with such a high price. If we do a little math 19,990 is nearly $ 368 (USD). So, Asus is selling it at a price which is just double as of what is available in US right now. 

Also, for this price, you'll get a 16 GB, laggy, under powered, a year old, Tablet which can only access Apps, as other things are not available outside the US and Internet access has to be done via "Wifi". I think getting iPad Mini, which will be available in the same price range, makes a better buy. Sorry, Google (Asus) not this time. 

The Next Web

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