Google Squared Struggles To Make Search More Helpful

The first thing I learned from Google Squared is that I don't exist. The second, that Secobarbital is really a type of fish, not a sedative drug, as I've long understood it to be. Thirdly, I learned how hard it can be to communicate to users the best use for a new search technology. Especially when it's not ready for prime time.

What Google Squared, which the company has just placed into live beta, does best is present a list of facts, product names, tropical fish, and other grade school stuff.

Need a list of French Presidents? Google Squared will create a table--that's where the "squared" comes from--showing names, pictures, date of birth, preceded by, and succeeded by. Just don't ask it when each French President served: Google Squared doesn't know.

The Secobarbital reference was presented along with a picture and description of the Tiger Barb, a popular aquarium fish. The other columns presented included the Family and Class the fishes belong to. While Google Squared will show a confidence level for its finding--in this case "low"--the user must look for it.

As for "david coursey," Google Squared returned a list of ten people, a default number, none of whom were even named David.

Google Squared, isn't as perplexing as Wolfram Alpha, the new "computational knowledge engine" which has convinced at least one early user that it's smarter than he is. But, Google Squared is more a curiosity at this point than a useful search adjunct.

Clearly, we need new ways to present search results and Google Squared's table view is that. But, it is also a lesson in how far we have to go before search engines can do more of the thinking for us.

Google says Squared is an experiment at this point and (obviously) isn't perfect. While I won't be it for serious searches today, users recognize a need for better search results.

Sony takes wraps off PSP Go

Sony on Tuesday unveiled a sleek next-generation PSP Go handheld videogame, movie and music gadget in a direct challenge to Nintendo's freshly-launched DSi devices.

Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai showed off a new PSP Go at a press conference in the Shrine Auditorium as a major Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) got under way nearby in Los Angeles.

"We call it the worst kept secret of E3," Hirai quipped, referring to news of Go news leaks more akin to streams.

"There will be more content that is easier to get on your PSP. It's entertainment everywhere."

Go is half the size of the original PSP and built to download and store video, pictures and games, according to Hirai. Go devices have built-in wireless Internet and Bluetooth capabilities.

"It's built for people who live a more digital lifestyle," Hirai said. "It's designed to bring all kinds of content to the PSP."

All future PSP videogame titles will be available for digital download, skipping any need to buy software on disks, according to Sony.

A new Sense Me feature analyses music stored in Go devices and then creates playlists to suit users' moods. Go gadgets will also be built with a video delivery service Sony launched last year.

Hot videogame franchises including Gran Turismo, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil are creating new games tailored to Go devices, according to Sony.

"I think the PSP is getting really hotter," said Hideo Kojima, whose eponymous studio makes the Metal Gear Solid franchise whose protagonist is a fearsome soldier called Snake.

"And Snake is coming back on the PSP."

Go devices will be priced at $US249 ($303) respectively, in October when they are due to be released in US, Europe and Asian markets.

Nintendo reports that it has sold more than a million of its new-generation DSi handheld videogame gadgets in the US since they became available here in April.

AFP

WinCDEmu Mounts Disk Images Easily--And For Free

This CD/DVD emulator operates with complete transparency, costs nothing, and a must-download for anyone who regularly mounts images.


Sometimes I love my job. Most often it's when I, or my editor in this case, find a freeware gem like WinCDEmu. There are plenty of worthy optical disc emulators out there--Daemon Tools, AnyDVD, etc.-- and while they may offer features or emulation modes (such as mounting copy-protected discs) that WinCDEmu does not, they're not nearly as easy to use.


After installing WinCDEmu, you simply double-click any .iso, .cue, .raw, or img image file and it mounts (i.e., appears as a drive letter under Windows). At that point, the CD/DVD will autorun if Windows is set to do so--or you can browse it and extract files. Right-click on the resultant drive letter, select Eject and the disc and drive letter disappear. There's no system tray applet, nor even a Start Menu program to configure the app. That's because the program is meant to function as an integral part of Windows, and it does--quite well. There is an Add/Remove programs entry so in case it causes trouble (it didn't for me) you can ditch it.

As I said, WinCDEmu worked perfectly for me with all the image types listed above, including those for DVDs. It seemingly invoked the Windows new hardware wizard each time a new image type was mounted, but subsequent mounts of an image type did not. If I have any complaint at all about WinCDEmu, it's that I could find no way to make the mounted discs persistent through a reboot. You'll have to re-open the images each time you run Windows.

Persistence through reboots is rarely a useful feature, and I'm not losing any sleep over WinCDEmu's lack of it. As a matter of fact, WinCDEmu has received the highest form of praise I can dole out--it's made the leap from my VMs and test bed onto my main systems.

Android netbooks unveiled

Acer officially confirmed this week that it would be launching Android-powered netbooks in Q3 2009. That official launch window is still months away, but the top netbook maker on the planet was showing the machine off at Computex.


The Acer Aspire One D250 was spied at the show running Android as its operating system. Acer was fast to point out that the rig seen wasn’t the actual product but merely a test bed system. Another Android-powered machine has popped up as well.

The rig is the Compal Qualcomm-powered smartbook. Specs on the machine are unknown aside from it runs Android and you can peep a video of the machine blazing through web pages here. Asus is also has an Android netbook lurking somewhere.

Sony Ericsson Unveils PS3-compatible Cell Phone

It's not the PSP phone, but it's close. Sony Ericsson yesterday unveiled three new mobile phones including Aino, a cell phone that can sync with both your PlayStation 3 and PC. Aino also features an 8.1-megapixel camera with geotagging capability; 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity; a physical keypad; and a three-inch touchscreen.
sony ainoPull From PS3

Using the Remote Play feature designed for the PSP, Aino can pull almost any content off your PS3, including music, videos, and photos. What about games, you ask? Sorry, HD video and games are not syncable, but like I said, this is not the fabled PSP phone that first hit the rumor mill in 2007; Aino is just a phone that happens to talk to your PS3.

The upside is you can use the Remote Play feature to pull files from your PS3 wherever you are in the world. Sony Ericsson didn't specify whether Remote Play will work over a 3G connection. Aino will also sync with the media files on your PC via Sony Ericsson's proprietary Media Go multimedia manager. Just drop your Aino into its charging stand and Media Go takes care of the rest via Wi-Fi. Aino users in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and the U.K. will also be able to take advantage of the PS3's TV place-shifting and DVR feature PlayTV. Sony first unveiled PlayTV in 2007, but the feature has not yet come to North American PS3 models. PlayTV lets you use your PSP or Aino to remotely watch recorded and live television over the Internet via your PS3.

Out of the box, Aino comes with a charging stand, wireless stereo headphones, and an 8GB SD card -- Aino is not compatible with Sony Memory Sticks. Aino will come in black and white, and be available in select markets this fall. Sony Ericsson did not specify when or if Aino will be coming to North America, but I'd say its arrival here is a pretty safe bet.



Other New Phones

Alongside Aino, Sony Ericsson also announced two other phones: Satio and Yari. Satio is the ultimate camera phone, including a 12.1-megapixel camera, a 3.5-inch widescreen touch display; and running the Symbian OS. Satio previously debuted as Idou at this year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Sony Ericsson's Yari packs a respectable 5-megapixel camera, but is designed for the gamer with a built-in accelerometer for iPhone-style gesture and motion gaming. Satio and Yari will be available this fall; U.S. release dates were not announced.sony yari

In addition to announcing three new phones, Sony Ericsson said it will release details about its own application store during next week's JavaOne conference in San Francisco.

Sony Ericsson brings mobile Java to entry-level 3G phones

One of the things that sets many basic handsets apart from their more expensive brethren is the feature set. Typically, the features that low-end handsets lack are the gaming and multimedia aspects that high-end phones are known for.

Sony Ericsson announced that it would be bringing mobile Java to its entry-level 3G phones. The addition of the mobile Java technology means that the entry-level handsets offered by the firm will be able to run games, applications and other content created by Sony Ericsson.

Sony says the move to add Java to its low-end line is in preparation for the upturn in the entry 3G segment, which it believes is a future growth area of the mobile market. It’s good to see Sony Ericsson trying to do something to turn its products around. The company recently announced it would be moving away from the M2 memory format for its mobile phones to the cheaper and more widely available SD format.

Sony Ericsson announces C901, Naite GreenHeart phones

Sony Ericsson did more than just announce its new "GreenHeart" strategy Thursday, the company also unveiled two new Earth-friendly cell phones. According to Sony Ericsson, the Naite and the C901 Cyber-shot will help it reach its goal of a 20 percent carbon footprint reduction by 2015. The handsets offer such features as recycled plastic, low-power chargers and waterborne paints. Also, by including electronic, rather than paper user manuals, Sony Ericsson said it can reduce packaging size. The company promises that the overall carbon footprint of each phone will be reduced by 15 percent.

Both the Naite and the C901 have standard candy bar designs with trim profiles. The 262,144-color displays looked sharp during brief my hands-on, and I didn't notice any immediate problems with their navigation controls and keypad buttons. That's a good sign considering Sony Ericsson doesn't have the best track record when designing user controls. On the downside, while the recent Sony Ericsson W995a has a 3.5mm headset jack, the Naite and C901 have proprietary jacks.


The C901 and Naite are quadband GSM world phones, but the C901 only supports 3G networks outside of North America. The Naite, which comes in red and silver designs, should be out by the third quarter of 2009. The C901, which will be available only in white, should go on sale during the second quarter of this year.

Features on both phones are mid-range, but are more plentiful than Motorola's Renew W233 recycled phone. As a Cyer-shot phone, the C901 centers on its camera. The 5-megapixel shooter captures still photos and video and it includes such options as auto-focus, photo geo-tagging and a Xenon flash with red eye reduction. The camera lens on the phone's rear side has a sliding cover.


The C901 also promises a music player, stereo Bluetooth, a speakerphone, messaging and POP3 e-mail, instant messaging, USB mass storage, motion gaming, PC syncing, an FM radio, a wireless Web browser and a personal organizer. And back on the green front, you can use the C901's navigation toggle to adjust the display's brightness level and save battery life. Having those controls on the toggle saves you from digging through a menu.

The Naite has a 2-megapixel camera and camcorder, a music player, a wireless Web browser, a speakerphone, messaging and POP3 e-mail, instant messaging, an FM radio, stereo Bluetooth, Google Maps, USB Mass storage, PC syncing and a personal organizer. Like the C901 the Naite also has a special Walkmate pedometer, which also tells you how much carbon emissions your steps are saving