Google Generates $1 Billion On Five Enterprise Products: Can You Name Them? (GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-generates-1-billion-on-five-enterprise-products-can-you-name-them-2012-6

Google books more than 96% of its revenue from ads.

The remaining ~ 4% comes pretty much from its enterprise products. Even though it's a piddly percentage of revenue, in actual dollars, enterprise amounts to a $1.37 billion business for the search giant. 

And it's growing fast, at rate of about 30% a year.

Some 1,200 Google employees work on these various enterprise products, too. That's about 3.6% of Google's total headcount.

Google also has a network of 2,500 certified partners, including big traditional IT consultants like Accenture and Cognizant, as well as smaller partners to serve small and mid-size businesses.

In those terms, Google's enterprise business is actually the size of a fairly large company.

While Google doesn't break out the revenues of each of these business lines individually, we've come up with a few interesting tidbits on each one.

Can you name Google's five enterprise businesses?

No. 1: Google Apps (including Gmail and Google Drive)

Google Apps is Google's online productivity apps. They compete against Microsoft Office and Exchange, IBM Lotus, and various startups like Zoho (productivity) and YouSendIt (collaboration and storage).

Google claims to have over 4 million customers for Apps.

No. 2: Google Search Appliance

Google Search Appliance was launched in 2002. It competes against high-priced enterprise search and information retrieval technology from Autonomy (HP) and others.

Likewise Google also offers search to enterprises as a cloud service, known as Google Enterprise Search. This is a Google search engine box that companies place on their web sites that will search just the company's own site, not the whole Web.

No 3: Google Cloud Services

Google Cloud Services is Google's version of Amazon Web Services. It competes with Microsoft Azure,  Rackspace and a growing list of others.

Companies can upload their applications to Google App Engine provided those apps were written in a language that Google Apps supports. Google then sends a monthly bill based on how much that app was used.

Google also offers Google Cloud Storage, that competes with Amazon S3 and Google Prediction API. Last month it added a new big-data analysis service based called BigQuery, which competes against various Hadoop startups, recent hot IPO Splunk, and big players like IBM and HP.

No. 4: Geospatial and mapping products

Geospatial and mapping products are based on Google Maps technology and known as Google Earth and Google Maps. The paid-for business versions compete with specialty GIS providers like Esri.

By the way, this set of services no longer includes Google Sketchup. Google sold the super popular 3D modeling app to Trimble in April.

No. 5: Chromebooks for businesses

Chromebooks, and the Chrome OS compete against the Microsoft Windows ecosystem, including big PC vendors like Dell and HP, and Apple.

Google isn't discussing sales figures yet. But it doesn't take a genius to figure out that Chromebook hasn't exactly killed the PC yet.

Still, Google continues to invest in Chrome OS and these kind of thin client devices. In fact it just released a new Chrome product called Chromebox. This is Google's first ever kinda-sorta desktop PC. Chromebox is a thin client, meaning you plug in your own monitor and keyboard and use it to access applications stored elsewhere, like Google Apps.

Don't miss: 7 Tech Bigwigs Tell Us What's Next For Cloud Computing

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iOS 6 vs. Ice Cream Sandwich: The Ultimate Comparison [IOS 6]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5917390/ios-6-vs-ice-cream-sandwich

iOS 6 is coming soon(ish) to an iPhone and iPad near you. But how does Apple's latest and greatest compare to the latest and greatest out of the Android camp, a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich. Gladiators, step forth!

For the record, this is not a review. There will be no review until we have spent some quality time with the final version of iOS 6. This is a look at how these two stack up on paper in 10 key categories.

Apps

Apple:
650,000 apps. 225,000 for iPad. That's one ginormous ecosystem.

Android:
Android is currently at 450,000 apps for Android. While most of those will work on tablets, the number of apps that have been specifically optimized for Android tablets pales in comparison to iOS.

Maps

Apple:
Apple finally has its own Maps, which is a move that surprised no one, since Apple has been buying up mapping companies for years, and because Apple and Google aren't exactly getting along smashingly. From what we can tell, it's an elegant solution, with plenty of overlayed information, traffic updates, and yes, finally, turn-by-turn directions (narrated by Siri). It also has a 3D flyover mode (with vector-based graphics) which looks great, but it raises a question: Since none of the iPhones have 4G LTE radios, would 3D maps even be practical when you aren't firmly tethered to Wi-Fi? This, however, may be a non-issue, as 4G iPhones will likely be out in time for iOS 6 to drop. Big notable omissions: transit directions, bike directions, walking directions, and Street View.

Android:
Google Maps is the gold standard (sorry, Bing, you ain't there yet). You can chose maps or satellite, crazy 3D buildings are coming, along with offline access, and Yelp-like locations/reviews are basically baked in. The banner feature has been turn-by-turn directions, which it's had since Android 2.0. For regular directions, you can choose driving, biking, walking, or public transportation. They've also mapped the insides of museums, malls, and expo centers. And, of course, there's Street View, which lets you actually see the place you're going—like, what it really looks like. 3D flyovers are cool and all, but the eye-level view may ultimately be much more useful.

Browser Sync

Apple:
New in iOS 6, your browser tabs can be synced between all of your devices. In other words, the tab you open in Safari on your desktop will be easier to open on your iPhone or iPad. It's a pretty handy feature. Bookmarks are synced as well (which isn't new). The problem? Nobody uses Safari.

Android:
With Chrome (beta) for Ice Cream Sandwich you get that same thing (tabs, bookmarks, search terms, etc.) synced between Chrome and your desktop. The only difference: people actually use Chrome. Like, the most people. So, yeah.

Facebook Integration

Apple:
Twitter got nicely integrated into iOS 5, but what about Zuck's little project? iOS 6 will have Facebook more deeply tied into the framework. You'll be able to upload photos directly from the phone's photo gallery. "Like" apps right from the App Store, and see which your friends "Like." Apple will be opening up the Facebook API so 3rd party apps can take advantage of this, too.

Android:
Sharing has been one of Android's tentpoles pretty much from the beginning. Facebook is deeply integrated into Ice Cream Sandwich. You can share pretty much anything to Facebook from pretty much anywhere in the OS, through Android's little share icon (which you can use to share through a zillion other apps, and doesn't require additional work from app developers). You can choose to sync Facebook info either from people whose contacts you already have on your phone, or you can pull all of your Facebook friends into your phone contacts (but seriously, why would you do such a thing?). Sharing is still easier on Android, hands-down.

Voice Commands

Apple:
Some people might go as far to say that Siri in iOS 5 was Apple's broken promise. It worked okay, most of the time, but not as well as everyone expected. Siri has been greatly improved, with new capabilities on movies, sports scores, and restaurant info. Also, Siri will now be available for iPad owners, opening the door for even more people to talk at slabs of glass. Another big improvement is support for Siri from a number of auto makers.

Android:
The amount of hype around Android's Voice Actions pales in comparison to that around Siri, but that seems to be a PR problem more than anything else. Not only has it been around longer than Siri, it outgunned Siri in the majority of our tests. It's also been available on tablets with Ice Cream Sandwich, and there are rumors that it will be even more capable come the next version of Android.

Mobile Payments

Apple:
The new iOS 6 feature Passbook looks really, really cool. It aggregates all of your tickets, passes, and some of your payment cards into one mobile wallet type of solution. It has GPS deeply integrated so info pops up right when you need it (theoretically). It also live-updates, so if your flight is delayed or your gate is changed, it'll let you know. We have the feeling that this is just the beginning, and that we're likely to see NFC payments integrated at a later point, making it a true digital wallet.

Android:
Android has Google Wallet, which some of its phones can use to pay at some places. Large, chain stores and taxis are the most common places right now. It's cool, but some carriers are really slowing down its growth by keeping it off their networks (looking at you, Verizon). Also, there just aren't that many places NFC is accepted yet. It can store a few loyalty cards (but not many). For more, you have to go to third party apps. Apple's Passbook just looks way better than what Google is offering right now.

Video Chat

Apple:
Has Facetime, which is cool for chatting with other people with Apple devices. It was limited to doing that over Wi-Fi, but with iOS 6, you'll finally be able to do it over cellular data networks.

Android:
With Android, you can video chat with anybody who has Gmail, basically. It works on Macs or PCs, in whatever browser, and on Android phones and tablets. Basically, you have access to many more people. Also, you've been able to video chat over cellular data pretty much from the get go.

Phone Features

Apple:
iOS gussied up its phone a bit for iOS 6, adding a quick-reply by text feature ("Can't talk now, what's up?" etc) and a do-not-disturb mode to keep your phone from lighting up or ringing. You can also set it so calls will only come through from certain people. Both nice additions.

Android:
Quick replies by text are built into Ice Cream Sandwich. You can pre-write a bunch of your most common responses and just hit one to send it. Android doesn't have an answer to Do Not Disturb mode, which would certainly be a welcome addition, though you can choose to have certain contacts go directly to voicemail when they call.

Messaging

Apple:
iMessages were a disaster in the early developer previews of Mountain Lion, but it's looking like they're getting the bugs worked out. You will have a unified ID, so in theory your text messages will sync through your iPhone, iPad, and Mac computer. The ability to reply to text messages via a full-sized keyboard is wonderfully convenient. It also integrates pretty seamlessly with iChat.

Android:
Being able to reply to text messages from my browser is one of the things I love most about using Google Voice. That said, most people just want to text from their own phone numbers, so iMessages wins out here. As far as IMs go, though, the cross-platform nature of Google Chat means you can simply keep up with way, way more people.

Smarter Icons

Apple:
One of the things we'd hoped for was that Apple would smarten up its app icons. Let them change to display information. Windows Phone does this with live tiles, and they're certainly more useful than static icons which simply launch an app. Unfortunately, Apple is still stuck in the past on this one.

Android:
Widgets have been a part of Android for years now. Not only can they display information in real time, but you can use them to adjust settings on the fly without leaving your home screen. Some of them are even scrollable, saving you more space and looking rather cool. Yes, they come in all shapes and sizes so they don't look as tidy as Apple's square grid or even Window Phone's Live Tiles. But they're infinitely more useful.

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Portable Towers Might One Day Let Air Traffic Controllers Work From Home [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5917524/camera+filled-towers-might-one-day-let-air-traffic-controllers-work-from-home

So maybe safely guiding in airplanes from the comfort of a living room couch isn't the greatest idea. But that's exactly what Saab's new remote air traffic control towers will allow. Some day ATC crews won't have to be anywhere near an airport to do their job.

At the moment, in airports all over the world, air traffic controllers sit perched in towers high above the tarmac, keeping an eye on planes on the ground and in the air. But building a tower is expensive—at least building one large enough to house people. So Saab has proposed a considerably simpler structure supporting an elevated platform filled with video cameras that constantly capture a full 360-degree image of the airport. That data, as well as feeds from a controllable zoom camera, can then be fed to a remote location where the video can be projected onto screens surrounding ATC crews.

The technology essentially creates a virtual version of a control tower, except that it's located on the ground, and not necessarily anywhere near the airport it's monitoring. Now, there is always the chance the network connecting the tower to the remote facility could fail, so the idea probably won't be implemented without a reliable backup. But in theory, the tower could be packed with additional technology providing controllers with crystal clear night vision, or even infra-red technologies so they could still monitor aircraft even in a heavy fog. Some terrific innovation, but maybe not the best idea after last year's epidemic of snoozing ATCs. [Smithsonian via BoingBoing]

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iOS 6 Hands On: All the Cool New Superpowers [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5917550/ios-6-hands-on-all-the-cool-new-superpowers

The new iOS 6 is the most exciting rendition in a loo-oong time. The ol' girl was starting to feel stale—no longer! We've got our sweaty hands on an iOS 6 iPhone for a quick tour. Join us.

Note: we've only given the iPhone version of iOS 6 a run through so far, which is missing some of the goodies of the iPad cousin.

Facetime over 3G

It took a couple years, but now FaceTime is as fantastic as it could have been all along: make video calls from anywhere you have a cell signal. It'll kick your capped data plan in the shins if you have one, but we can report the video was solid over AT&T—the difference between cell data and Wi-Fi was slight. This is killer. Now you can pause during a hike, call your uncle, and show him the majesty of nature while he sits in his basement.

Better Siri

Siri: now with 400% less suck. Your iPhone GF now provides sports scores, movie times, restaurant ratings courtesy of Yelp—and will even help you book a table reservation. Now that's service worthy of Zooey's adoration. However, it still trips up on some words, (Siri often thinks I'm asking about Syria) and requires you to speak more clearly than you would to any adult human.

Sweet rejection

Screening your calls and generally avoiding mankind is streamlined in iOS 6. Want to ignore someone? You can reject their call with a reminder to hit them back later, or send a pre-programmed "hey sorry man I'm busy what's up" excuse text while simultaneously rejecting the call. All it takes is a quick swipe up while the call is incoming, choose your method of avoidance, and with a couple taps you've managed to dodge another call. If you want, you can customize your reply messages with all sorts of zany excuses. It's brilliant.

Facebook

Maybe the best and most overdue addition. (Almost) everyone uses Facebook, so the deeper it's stuffed into the soul of iOS, the better. Now, just like Twitter, you can directly link your Facebook account with your iOS, allowing your phone to talk directly to Mark Zuckerberg's big beautiful brain. You can directly post photos from your photo album to Facebook, update your status from the notification center, and sync your contact list with each person's corresponding Facebook account. It's terrific stuff, and takes a big step into the turf of Windows Phone—the current lord of social media integration. We want to see more of this.

New Maps

Apple kicked Google out of its mapping party, and made its own. How is it? Mixed. As we told you earlier,

Vector based vs bitmap graphics
The new maps are not bitmap-based anymore. Say goodbye to the horrible and slow tile loading. Now they are vector based, which means faster loading-it still loads sectors, but very fast based in our hands on experience-and smoother, much better graphics.

Turn-by-turn navigation
At last, Apple's Maps will provide with turn-by-turn navigation, just like any other car GPS app. It looks quite good. We have tried and it seems quite neat, with Siri driving directions and 3D view, with clear signs.

Business information card
Now every location in Maps includes a card that gives you all you need to know about it. If it's a restaurant, it will show you reviews and ratings, along with photographs.

Siri integration
Siri is completely integrated with Maps. You can ask for directions with your voice, it will guide you while driving and, if you ask her something like "Are we there yet?", she will answer you with the estimated time of arrival. And tell you to shut up.

This is great stuff! It's definitely faster than Google's go at it. But the pants-wetting 3D stuff? We couldn't get 3D buildings to show up anywhere in New York. Bummer. Street View is also very sorely missed, as is native public transit directions.

Redesigned Music App

The music app has also been given a design overhaul, making a departure from that old iPod (touch) look to something that more closely resembles the OS X aesthetic. That said, the only changes here seem to be cosmetic, as the performance is the exact same.

And the rest...

The email VIP list works as advertised, the Safari Reading List requires only a couple of taps to queue up offline reading, and turn-by-turn navigation was smooth and terrifically graphical.

iOS 6 feels smooth and sturdy all across—and this is just a beta. There were a few inexplicable crashes, but almost every feature works as we expected it to, and, we can say with confidence, instantly makes your phone more useful to live with. And isn't that what it's for? Yes, that is what it's for. We're excited to see what devs (and Apple) do with the rest of it.

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The New MBP Retina Display Blows the Doors off Its Competition [MacBook Pro]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5917551/the-new-mbp-retina-display-blows-the-doors-off-its-competition

Apple unveiled its newest batch of MacBook Pros today at WWDC, the ones sporting the new Retina displays. And yes, in terms of performance, next-generation MBPs beat the competition like a pack of rented mules.

It feels an odd comparison when even last season's MBP can't hold a flame to the current version. The 2011 MacBook Pro was nothing to sneeze at—1680x1050 resolution with 128 pixels per square inch (ppi) powered by an AMD Radeon HD 6490M. Pffff, the MacBook Pro unveiled today rocks a 2880 x 1800 display at 220 ppi, roughly double the going rate of current Apple hardware and even more obvious when compared to non-Apple gear.

As the table above illustrates, the new MBP screen displays at nearly double the pixel density as it's nearest competitors. Even the $1,700 Alienware M15—the MBP's closest rival in terms of graphics quality—pales in comparison to the new laptop's hyper-HD display.

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