In the “old days” finding enjoyable TV programmes relied on three sources – in programme advertising for another show, flicking through the channels or your friends saying, “Did you watch xxxx last night? It’s brilliant!” At CES, Andy and Courtney discover Peel, a fourth way of discovering great new TV shows.

Peel is an iPhone and Android app which offers show recommendations based on your viewing habits and the shows that your friends and family are watching.

The app offers “Top picks” based on what you watch and you can rate shows as favourites or as “guilty pleasures” – I think we all know what that means! The app also gives “Friends’ favourites”, the shows that everyone else is watching, so you can catchup with what’s hot.

It’s not clear whether Peel is US-centric or not, but it’s a free app, so there’s nothing to lose.

Interview by Andy McCaskey and Courtney Wallin of SDR News and RV News Net.

At last year’s CES, iDevices showed off the iGrill, a Bluetooth-enabled cooking thermometer. This year, they’re back with iShower, a waterproof speaker. Andy and Don tune in with Jonathan Conelias from iDevices.

As with the iGrill, the iShower is Bluetooth-enabled, playing audio from iOS, Android and Blackberry phones. In fact, any device that can stream music via Bluetooth will work with the iShower and up to five devices can be paired. Naturally the iShower is waterproof, making it suitable for the shower, swimming pool and beach. Buttons on the iShower can control the music, skipping backwards and forwards through the playlist.

The iShower’s rich sound speaker cuts through the noise of the shower and in good taste, there’s no microphone. If you were thinking of taking a phone call in the shower, think again. A mounting bracket is supplied and complementary accessories such as a mirror make this a complete shower solution.

The iShower will be available from March both online and in good retail stores with an MSRP of $99.99.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net, and Don Baine, the Gadget Professor.

As on-line marketers transfer their cold-calling attention away from land-lines to cell and mobile phones, their calls are becoming increasingly an annoyance when you are out-and-about. PrivacyStar offers a multilayered solution for Android and Blackberry to cut unwanted calls. Andy finds out more.

PrivacyStar is a smartphone app to block unwanted calls and SMS texts. At its simplest, user-specified phone numbers can be blocked to prevent calls or texts coming through and bothering you. The app also features SmartBlocking which blocks the top 25 numbers blocked by other users in the past week, so if there’s a major calling campaign on, those numbers pretty quickly get blocked.

Other features include CallerID lookup, where if the phone doesn’t know who is calling, the app consults with an on-line directory and displays the caller. For really persistent callers, complaints can be filed directly with the FTC.

The app is currently only available for Android and Blackberry, an iPhone version will be released before the summer. The app is free for a week and then $2.99 per month after that.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net.

As well as being a really bad pun, iOnRoad is an augmented reality app that helps car drivers become safer drivers. Courtney gets into the fast lane to find out more about this app which was awarded a CES Innovation Honoree prize.

Available for Android smartphones now and the iPhone soon, the app uses the smartphone’s camera, GPS and accelerometer to provide warnings and guidance to car drivers as they drive. By looking at the white lines, the car in front and correlating data from the GPS and accelerometer, the app can warn about lane departures, tailgating and speeding. The iOnRoad includes a couple of other features, including reading text messages and a car locator.

Obviously the phone has to be mounted on the dash with a view to the front of the car, but you can test the app using the video here. The app is currently free with a charge of $9.99 to be introduced in the future.

Interview by Courtney Wallin of SDR News.

Allure Energy introduced their latest energy management product, EverSense, at CES 2012. Andy learns how to save money on your electricity bill from Kevin, Allure Energy.

Allure Energy’s EverSense, a thermostat replacement technology, is based around a tablet device that can make intelligent energy decisions on your behalf. The proximity control feature raises or lowers the temperature in your based on how far away you are from your home. By using a GPS app on your iPhone (or Android smartphone) that sends back your location, EverSense knows where you and if you are coming home, it adjusts the temperature to your preferences. Cool.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News and RV News Net.

j5 create‘s background in USB display adaptors means they know a thing or two about using both hardware and software to create unique solutions. j5 Create’s Wormhole cable is one such solution as it joins two computers into one…and they don’t even have to be running the same OS. Fred shows Jeffrey and Steve some of the benefits of this innovative technology, which won a CES Innovation Honoree award.

At its most basic the Wormhole switch is simply a USB 2 cable that connects between two computers, but clever software allows the computers to work together, with one keyboard and mouse being shared between the two. The OS of the two devices doesn’t have to be the same and an Android tablet being controlled by a Windows PC is perfectly possible. Files can be seamlessly transferred between the two machines as well. Pretty smart.

Moving on to a second product, j5 create has a very desirable line of small docking stations for laptops that are little more than foot-long shiny tubes with a plethora of ports. Branded “ultrastations” and connecting via USB 3, these take full advantage of the faster data rate to provide a myriad of connections, including HDMI, through a single USB 3 cable. Nice.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of The Geekazine Podcast and Steve Lee of Netcast Studio.

Courtney looks at a cure for the shopping hangover with Samantha from Savvy at CES‘ Digital Experience.

I think we’ve all been there where we buy something and then a few weeks later, see the same item in a sale or otherwise discounted. If you can be bothered to return to the store with your receipt, most stores will refund the difference, but the reality is that only 1% of consumers can be bothered.

Savvy makes it really easy to make sure that you get the best possible value from your purchases. You simply snap a photo of your shopping receipt and if the price falls from what you paid, you get a notification of the price drop. A handy Savvy app for both iPhone and Android helps with the uploading of the receipt and you can use the website too. It’s all free for consumers and over 200 retailers have signed up to the program including Best Buy, Fry’s, Abercrombie & Fitch and the Disney Store.

Sounds like a great way to save money with minimum effort. Let’s just hope it Savvy doesn’t tell you how much you spent in a year!

Interview by Courtney Wallin of SDR News.

Andy talks to Jim from DeLorme about the new inReach two-way satellite communicator, perfect for those really out of the way places.

The DeLorme inReach is a tracking and communication device that uses a satellite radio link to transmit text and GPS location data, rather than the mobile phone network. Owners can communicate via text message from anywhere on the planet, not just those areas with mobile phone coverage, and it’s ideal for hikers and extreme sports enthusiasts who might have an emergency far from a phone signal (or simply want to reassure family that they’re ok.)

The inReach has two modes of operation, one where you use the control unit directly, the other where an Android smartphone app talks to the control unit via Bluetooth. The app is needed for two-way text messaging, mainly as the control unit doesn’t have a keyboard, but there is a dedicated SOS button on the control unit for emergencies. Other smartphones may be supported later.

The inReach costs $250 and a monthly subscription is required for service priced at $9.95 per month. The units are available now.

The inReach is impact-resistant, waterproof, floats and weighs 8oz. Battery life is 60 hours on a pair of lithium AAs. Overall, it’s an ideal emergency backup device but please note, gadgets like this are not a substitute for proper planning, preparation and equipment. Always tell someone your plan and expected return time.

Interview by Andy McCaskey of SDR News.

Biscotti‘s TV phone is a small camera unit that sits on top of your big screen TV, connecting to the TV via HDMI and to the network via WiFi. Once connected up, owners can make high-definition video calls to other Biscotti owners and Google Video Chat users.  And you will not believe how small the camera unit is. Todd chats to Matthew Shoemake to learn more.

The TV Phone uses an HDMI pass-through technology, meaning that there’s no need to change channels when receiving a call as the Biscotti notifies users via a pop-up message on screen. By using Google Video Chat, the Biscotti TV Phone can connect to any device that has a Chat client, whether it’s Android, iPhone or a PC. Connectivity with other video clients will be forthcoming, but no details just yet.

The Biscotti TV Phone is available for $199 and no monthly fees. Watch the video to get free shipping (disclaimer – not sure how long this promotion will run after CES finishes.)

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

For several years, there has been a small but dedicated group of people experimenting in the world of what has been dubbed home automation. Until now, this field has been fragmented with clunky, often expensive products that don’t integrate well and often make the consumer jump through multiple hoops to even get them to work.

In a recent article I talked about installing a Nest remote-controlled thermostat in my house. The Nest thermostat has so far proven to MORE than live up to the promises made by its manufacturer. The Nest thermostat was remarkably easy to install and makes it amazingly easy to remotely monitor and control my home heating/air conditioning system via iOS or my Android smartphone. Once installed, the Nest simply works. The Nest is worth every penny of its $249 dollar price tag.

Now that I’ve lived with the Nest a while, I’m more excited than ever about the possibilities of remote monitoring, remote control, and home automation.

What I want next is a remote camera system that works with the absolute ease of the Nest thermostat and Nest app combination. The ideal remote camera system would offer at least 4 network-connected weatherproof cameras along with a controller/app system that could be set up with the no-muss, no-fuss ease that the Nest thermostat offers. I want to be able to open an app on an iOS or Android device/smartphone and have my remote camera views simply show up, perhaps with the ability to pan, zoom and tilt individual cameras if I wished right from within the app. Furthermore I don’t want to have to worry about firewalls or port-forwarding to try to get past my home router or ISP firewall

I would also like to be able to use my iOS device or Android smartphone to be able to remotely monitor my refrigerator.

Now that most of us are equipped with smartphones, I see a huge opportunity for a company or companies to step into the home automation/remote monitoring arena and fill the void. The standard to meet revolves around ease-of-use.

LiftMaster is known for its range of garage door openers and this year, they’re introducing their new MyQ technology that will let home owners monitor and control their garage door from a smartphone or tablet anywhere in the world, including iPhones, iPads, Blackberries and Android devices.

Intended to be professionally installed, the cost is $350-$400 for a new door opener that incorporates MyQ technology and it’s available now.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

G Data’s Mobile Security provides anti-virus and security monitoring for Android smartphones and tablets. Is this really necessary, you might ask, but I think after some of the recent malware removals by Google, there’s sufficient evidence that Android will increasingly be a target for malware and virus writers. Such is life.

Mobile Security provides three main functions, on-demand scans, blacklist control and authorisation checks for installed apps, all controlled from a main home screen.

Tapping on any of the four areas will show the next screen for that function. Here’s the on-demand virus scanning – no surprises there – but Mobile Security also scans apps as they are installed from the Android Market (or elsewhere presumably) which gives additional protection against malicious software.

The Permissions area shows a set of controlled features such as calls and internet access, and by selecting a particular feature Mobile Security shows the apps that have permissions for that feature. I thought that you might be able to then select an application and revoke its permissions to, say, access the internet, but the only option is to uninstall the app.

A settings screen is accessible from the menu key which provides greater control over the behaviour of Mobile Security’s activities. Usual stuff about scan intervals and automatic scans but all good stuff.

The Logs area shows what Mobile Security has been doing and Update simply checks that the virus signatures are current and up-to-date. Nothing unexpected here.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any malware to hand so I wasn’t able to test out Mobile Security’s detection and disinfecting abilities but I would imagine that G Data’s got that covered.

It’s a free download from the Android Market to try it out, but it’s £9.99 per year to get updates for new malware and viruses. Alternatively, purchases of other G Data security products such as  G Data AntiVirus include a Mobile Security licence as part of the package.

The licence for this review was provided free of charge by G Data. Thanks.

In order to get round all those pesky app store rules, the musos at Grooveshark have produced a basic little HTML5 player that’s available via Grooveshark’s website. If you’re not familiar with Grooveshark, it’s “the world’s largest on-demand and music discovery service. With over 15 million songs, Grooveshark is an ecosystem that brings together music fans, bands, music labels, and brands.”

A posting on their blog yesterday said:

In an effort to span over this confounded series of tubes and reach as many mobile music listeners as we can, we’ve done the unthinkable.

iOS? We got there.
Android 2.3+?   We got there.
Playbook? We got there.
TouchPad? Yep.  There too.

Should you choose to accept your mission:
http://html5.grooveshark.com/#soopersecretbeta
!!!  For covert opts points, try it on an html5 device not listed above and report your findings to Dr. Lovedoctor at lovedoctor@grooveshark.com for your bonus surprise.

I’ve tried out on an HP TouchPad, a Pre 3 and a Google Nexus S and can confirm that it works most of the time. On occasion, it wouldn’t start playing a track and once that had happened, I had to restart the browser to fix the problem. The app is pretty simple, no fancy cover-flow effects here. This is it on the TouchPad.

Tap on a track and it starts playing. There are also genre “radio” stations for a continuous stream of tracks. Overall, it’s not bad but the tracks failed to start playing too many times for my liking.

The Google Chrome operating system has been available for almost a year with lots of updates to the OS, but very little traction in the market.  Google made it prominent by giving away thousands of CR-48 laptops, but when the final version was released there were only two hardware makers on board – Samsung and Acer.  Sadly that hasn’t changed since the release, and it didn’t change at CES , but there was some Chrome OS news there.

Samsung announced two new additions to the Chrome world – one is a new notebook, but the other is the first Chrome desktop computer, or “Chromebox”.  The Series 5 notebook has been updated to include 2 GB of RAM (which it already had – not sure if the RAM type changed), a 16 GB SSD (it previously had a 16 GB Serial ATA), and a slightly faster CPU.  Meanwhile, the Chromebox is considered a Series 3 product, and it comes with six USB ports, a DVI port, 2 Display Link ports, an ethernet jack, and is currently running Chrome 17.0.963.15.  It’s also rumored to have a dual-core processor under the hood, along with 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB SSD.  The video below gives a good idea of what both new products look like.

Video Source: BetaNews

The sci-fi vision of the videophone being as commonplace as the telephone hasn’t materialised but Skype and Google+ Hangouts have made videocalls with webcams popular, especially with families who are a spread across the world. Having said that, it’s still not as convenient as picking up your phone and dialling a number.

Biscotti hopes to change that will their TV Phone, which has just been announced as a 2012 CES Innovations Honoree. It’s a small camera unit that sits on top of your TV, connecting to the TV via HDMI and to the network via WiFi, allowing owners to make high-definition video calls to other Biscotti owners and Google video chat users. After an initial setup which only takes minutes, the Biscotti TV Phone is ready to make or take calls.

The TV Phone uses a pass-through technology, meaning that there’s no need to change channels to receive a call. The TV Phone notifies users of incoming calls while they are watching TV via a pop-up message on screen. By using Google video chat, the Biscotti TV Phone can connect to any device that has a Google chat client, whether it’s Android, iPhone or a PC.

“Biscotti is designed for people who value real-life, personal interaction. It’s a single-purpose, dedicated TV Phone that’s always ready to connect, so you can make and receive calls without interrupting your lifestyle,” said Dr. Matthew B. Shoemake, Biscotti’s CEO and Founder. “HDTVs are selling faster than any other consumer electronics product on the market, fueling the demand for high definition video calling. By 2015, we’re predicting 25% of homes will be making high-definition video calls daily.”

If it’s as simple to use as they claim (and there are some videos here), it could be a little winner. The Biscotti TV Phone is now available for $199 and no monthly fees. There’s no word on a twin pack, which is what I’d be interested in to link granddaughter with grandparents.

If you want to catch up with the Biscotti TV Phone, they’re on display at CES in South Hall 1, Booth #21442.

I just had to block someone else from my Google+ stream.  I think I’ve blocked more than a dozen people in the short few months I’ve been using the service, and I don’t think I have much more than that in my circles all total.

If Google+ was Facebook, this particular person would not have ever ended up in any of my friend’s lists or been allowed to post on my wall or share his political and religious views with me.  If Google+ was Facebook, I’d have gotten a request to allow this person onto my Google+ stream, and I could have chosen to say no.  But Google+ doesn’t give me that option.  Anyone at all can follow me and put me in any circle they’ve created, without asking, without my permission.

This is probably my biggest complaint overall with Google+.  I feel I have a distinct lack of control over who gets to post on my stream, and the only recourse I have is to block them.  I can’t even just kick them out of my stream.  I have to go to the extreme of blocking them completely.  If I’d have just been asked first, I could have decided on a “yes” or “no” to their request to add me without having to have suffered through a dozen or more anti-semitic posts on my stream first.

One of the things I like about Facebook is the ability to keep my wall clean and neat, to only allow a certain type of person to have access to what I say and what I see about them (which in my case is strictly limited to people I’ve actually met in person or have some sort of more-than-passing-acquaintance with).  I am not as likely to see an offensive posting or link since these are people I know and have some connection with.

In the case of Google +, I feel I have no control at all.  I don’t even know how this guy found me, or why he thought I wanted to see what he had to say about people of the Jewish faith.  I have no idea who he is.  Why the heck would Google+ think it was okay for someone like this to have the ability to shove themselves into my online life without any kind of how-do-you-do?

In fact, there is no way (that I’ve found) to keep the random person from just adding you to one of their circles so that you see their posts, however rude and childish.  I have no choice in the matter at all.

Google+ will have its adherents, and it will be popular in its own way, but it will never replace Facebook for me, at least in its current form.  Give me some choice, give me some control about who puts me in their circles, and I might just change my mind.  But for now?  Google+ will remain a fringe product that I use sparingly and only often enough to block more weirdoes from my stream.

Over the break, there’s been a bit of discussion by some of the big names regarding the reasons why Windows Phone 7 handsets haven’t been flying off the shelves this holiday season. Charlie Kindel started the debate with “Windows Phone is Superior; Why Hasn’t It Taken Off?” and largely faults the relationship between the OEMs, Microsoft and the carriers.

MG Siegler responded with a fairly weak response largely citing the mantra of “too late and not enough apps” but as can be seen from today’s news of 50,000 apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace, the latter argument really isn’t that valid.

As usual, Robert Scoble hits the nail on the head. People buy Android or iOS because it’s a safe bet and they don’t want to look stupid or uncool by buying something else. Microsoft Windows Phone 7 and RIM’s Blackberries simply don’t have the gold-plated appeal of a sure-thing.

And he’s right. I was a big Palm fan and look how that turned out. I do feel stupid. After spending years waiting for Palm to move from PalmOS to WebOS and then HP promising to do big things. I bought in with a succession of Pre phones and pre-ordered a TouchPad. Maybe I shouldn’t be so shallow and have a less of an ego, because WebOS is a great operating system and even with the smaller app selection, it does 99% of what I need a phone to do. But when everyone else is, “Have you got this app and that app” on their Galaxy S IIs and iPhone 4Ss, you do feel a bit of a chump.

So thanks, HP. I feel stupid.

I have been looking at Google Currents since it came out on the 8th and it’s ok, but that’s all it is just ok. In many ways it is similar to FlipBoard or Zite, but it is missing the social connections that FlipBoard has and the personalization of Zite. First the good news it is well designed and fairly intuitive to use. It is offered on all iOs and Android devices. You have two areas first is your Library and the second is trending topics. The first time you open the app up you are given some default content in your library including Forbes Magazine, Fast Company, Saveur Magazine, PBS and Bleacher Report just to name a few. If you want to add more you simply tap on Library and add the sources you want. You can also add your google reader sourc if you want. There is also a list of curators including Robert Scoble , tech enthusiast and photographer Thomas Hawk. The trending topic shows what is happening now in your area of interest. To dig down into a source you tap on it and then tap on the article, you swipe right to left to read through an article and tap on the arrow at the bottom to get to the next article in the source. If you want to get back to the table of content click on the book at the bottom of the screen. To go back to the main home you hit the home icon. To save or share the article tap on the circle with two arrows pointing up. You can +1 to Google Plus, share to Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook. You can save to Pinboard or Instapaper. You can also email a link.

Like I said Google Currents is ok, but although you can share out, there is no connection to your social network coming in like there is with FlipBoard. With FlipBoard you can add your Twitter list, you can’t do that on Google Currents. Also there is no way to teach Google Currents what articles interest you and those that don’t. On Zite you can thumb an article up and down. You can request more from a certain author with Zite. You can’t do anything like that with Google Currents and that is where it fails. I also find it strange that although you can +1 something you can’t share directly to a specific circle within Google Plus. You would think that the first thing a Google product would do be to share with another Google product. This isn’t to say it will not get better, but for now I am sticking with FlipBoard and Zite.

An interesting infographic pertaining to Google was posted over at Business MBA titled Google Behind the Numbers.  It’s a look at the revenue that Google collects and sources from which it comes.  The numbers are mind-boggling.

In 2010 Google’s revenue was $29.3 billion, more than the 28 poorest countries COMBINED!  Did you know that 97% of Google’s revenue comes from ads?  We knew that was their main business, but with all of the services it seems stunning that such a high percentage still comes from advertising.  Then again, the vast majority of those services, like Gmail, Docs, Maps, Calendar, and Music, are free.  All are monetized by displaying Google AdWords.

The massive numbers continue – displaying the amount of visitors, the time spent on Google sites, the power used, and more.  Scroll down through the infographic below and you’ll be amazed by the scale of this company that is barely a decade old.

From: BusinessMBA.org

Google Maps before and after

Google Maps announced the other day they will be extending their mapping service indoors. No, the Google street view cars are not going to be driving into your house, but they will be bringing their services into Malls and Airports, so you can get door-to-true end mapping.

According to the Google Blog, the new leg of this mapping service will bring that familiar “Blue Dot” (to indicate where you are) indoors to public spots. That way if you are in terminal G5 at Chicago – O’Hare, and need to get to terminal A15, you can map your destination and make sure you are going in the right direction.

“We’re thrilled Google Maps continues to provide you with new and helpful perspectives—whether you’re rushing through the airport or finding your way around a mall. ” says Brian McClendon – VP of engineering for Google Maps.

Google has partnered with Malls: Mall of America, IKEA, The Home Depot, select Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, Daimaru, Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi locations. Mapped airports at this time include: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Narita International (NRT), among others. As time progresses, they will continue to map stores and other public locations.

Read the release here.

Google has updated their search app in the iTunes store for both the iPhone and iPad. I do recommend downloading it, but it is not without its problem. On the face of it the app is a way to search in the Chrome world on the iPad. When you search for something it pops up within the application, no going out to Safari. It uses instant search so it is very fast. If you click on a link in search, the link page shows up on the right side, but the search page still remains on the left tab, so you can easily go back and forth. If you are searching an image, you can open it to full size and then swipe to the next similar image like a carousel. You can do voice search which is great especially on the iPhone, where it can be hard to type.

The real strength though are the apps that are included within the Google Search Application. Now you can use Google Maps, Docs, Mail, Calendar in fact any app that is available through your google account is available through this application. Now you can up date your google docs or view your pictures in Picasa. However you can only view your pictures, you can’t add them from your iOS photo gallery. I tried to do a post on my personal blogger blog and I couldn’t figure an easy way to add links or photos. It is great for writing up the post, but you have to use the desktop version to add these. That is the problem with this app, there are a lot of things that you can’t do within this application that you can do with the web version of the application. The second problem is it does tend to crash a lot especially when it is working hard.

Despite these problems I do recommend downloading the app. Like a lot of Google products I expect it will improve overtime. Plus the fact that Apple has let an app into the market is actually surprising to some people, so how long it will stay there is a mystery. Have you tried the new Google Search app on your iOs device, what do you think of it.

Android users feeling a bit left out after the release of the iPhone 4s and its Siri personal voice assistance technology, listen up. There’s a new Android female voice assistant in town and her name is Iris. That’s right, Iris is Siri spelled backwards.

Like Siri, the Iris app for Android has a big blue button located at the bottom of the screen. A single tap brings up an on-screen microphone. Speaking near the phone it is possible to ask questions as well as to direct the Iris app to execute commands, such as to search for something, etc. The voice recognition is quite good, and Iris responds quickly. The heavy lifting for the voice to text recognition happens on the server end, as well as the artificial intelligence involved.

Iris for Android is currently free in the Android Marketplace and is named as Alpha software. Even though it is an Alpha version, I have found the app itself to be very stable. The Iris app is a small download.

Q: “What is a tire?”

A: “Tire (a rubber cover that protects the wheel of a vehicle and absorbs shock)

Q: “What is Android?”

A: “Android is a software platform for mobile devices powered by the Linux kernel, initially developed by Google and later the Open Handset Alliance”

Q: “Is Google good or evil?”

A: “Better not tell you now. Ask Lucy if it is.”

Q: “Ask Lucy if Google is good or evil.”

A: “They are not available right now, but I wiill ask them later.”

Q: “What is the capital of Romania?”

A: “Bucharest, the capital of Romania”

Q: “Is blogging real news?”

A: “Signs point to yes. Ask Dancing Alice if it is.”

Q: “Who is Dancing Alice?”

A: “They are sometimes a client on the Internet. I will search for it.”

Q: “Where do you live?”

A: “I live inside a computer. Where are you?”

Q: “What is your sex?”

A: “I am a female.”

Q: “Are you a female?”

A: “No”

So as you can see with this random set of admittedly somewhat off-the-wall questions, the answers can be varied.

Iris is not yet perfect, but this is an app that every Android phone owner should immediately download. It’s possible to waste hours on end interacting with Iris.

Neither Iris or Siri are quite up to the standards of their Star Trek counterparts, but the technology is getting there. The real world is never like it is in the movies or TV, but it’s clear that this type of voice recognition/artificial intelligence technology combo has a bright and useful future.

Since Google Plus opened up to the public back in the summer, businesses and organizations have been crying for the right to participate. Finally yesterday afternoon November 7th, Google opened the floodgate and businesses and organizations were allowed to create pages for Google plus. As soon as the door was open up a crack the tide poured in. Yesterday it was hard to keep up with both those who had crested pages and those who were upset because they couldn’t.  After an organization created a page, the first question was often now that we have one, what do we do with it. It is sort of like the dog that keeps chasing the car and when he finally catches it he has no clue what to do with it. However with the way Google is integrating Google Plus into everything brands feel they have to be there.

Pages are easy to create, which made some people question why it took so long to make them available. Just because they were easy to create doesn’t mean opening up Google plus up to organizations hasn’t been without problems. Like a lot of Google releases it was thrown open to the public unfinished and before the end of the day the complaints started to come in. The first is that pages can only be managed by a single individual. Not very practical when most companies today have teams to deal with social media. As has been pointed out even if you create a single Gmail account that all members of a team can use to log in, this limits the ability to post to that team. It has been reported that this is something that Google is working on and this should be fixed soon. Second is the problem of fake accounts, since there is no way to verify an account, fake accounts are being created pretending to be someone they are not. As an individual if you see a brand account that seems questionable, report it, so Google can take care of it. As a person who follows these accounts it is important to me that I am following who I think I am. Third if you have a personal account and administrate a company account also, it is easy to post to the wrong one by mistake. I am not sure what Google can do about this, this requires the individual to be vigilant and to watch what they are doing. Finally there has to be a way to have the URL read plus.google.com/brand name/post instead of plus.google.com/some long number/post.

As an end-user choosing what brands to follow is key. Brands (or pages) can’t add you to their circle until you’ve added or mentioned them first, so make your choices judiciously. Once you choose to follow a brand then you have to decide whether you want to add them to circles you’ve already created and mix brands and individuals or do you make separate circles for brands. My choice is to separate brands from individuals. As time goes on I believe that Google will correct most of the problems that have been brought up. On some of them it does makes you scratch your head wondering why they didn’t see and correct the problem before the release. However if you are a long time Google user you know this is typical of Google. If you maintain a brand, business or organization do you plan to create a Google Plus page, why or why not. If you are an individual on Google plus are you happy that brands are now on Google plus or do you wish they had stayed away.

ZDNet is reporting that Canonical is intending to make the next release of Ubuntu, 12.04, a LTS (Long Term Support) release with intention of then expanding Ubuntu beyond desktops and laptops into smartphones, tablets and smart TVs, with a target of 2014 for an all-platform release.

Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical, in an interview said, “This is a natural expansion of our idea as Ubuntu as Linux for human beings. As people have moved from desktop to new form factors for computing, it’s important for us to reach out to out community on these platforms. So, we’ll embrace the challenge of how to use Ubuntu on smartphones, tablets and smart-screens.” The full announcement is expected at the Ubuntu Developer Summit, which starts tomorrow and runs for a week in Orlando, Florida.

Having already been in discussions with partners for around 18 months, it seems that this is more than wishful thinking, but one can’t help feel that the whole Palm-HP-WebOS debacle bodes badly for any company wanting to get in on the smartphone and tablet space. If HP can’t make it happen with a solid OS and Zen of Palm, what hope has Canonical? When quizzed about this, Shuttleworth said that he saw “Android as its primary competitor…..We’ve also already heard from people who are already shipping tablets that they want Ubuntu on the tablet.” And of course, “Ubuntu already has a developer and customer base.”

While there’s no doubt that the mobile space is still maturing and there’s plenty of change still to come,  I have a hard time seeing Ubuntu on anything but a small niche of tablets and an even smaller niche of smartphones. iOS and Android have their foothold and Microsoft will be a solid third if Windows Phone 7 continues to deliver and Windows 8 delivers as expected. A fourth player is going to have difficulty making inroads, especially one as relatively unknown as Canonical and Ubuntu.

Smart TVs are a more plausible destination as the internal software is of less concern to the consumer. Most people buying a TV are looking at the exterior brand such as Sony, Samsung or LG, and not what’s inside, although this may change if a “Powered by Roku” or “Google TV inside” campaign runs. Plenty of change to come in this space too.

I wish Ubuntu every success.

I am a big fan of Google Plus and have been a member almost since the beginning. Anyone with a personal Google account could join Google Plus since the middle of September. However if you had a Google App account Google Plus was unavailable. I know of several people who refused to participate in Google Plus because of this. For example Cliff Ravenscraft of the Generally Speaking Production Network, who I follow on Twitter refused to sign up for Google Plus thru his personal account because of branding issues. He was waiting for Google Plus to become available for Google Apps accounts. Well the wait is now over for him and others like him, both organizations and individuals. Google Plus is now open for Google App users.

You can either turn on Google Plus manually through your Google App account now or if you have “automatically enabled new service” checked off it will happen automatically within the next couple of days. There are a couple of caveats, you must have Google Talk and Picasa enabled for this to happen automatically. If you do not have these two applications enabled, then you will need to turn on Google Plus manually. Once you have Google Plus turned on under your app account all members of your organization that have access to that account and who have a Google Profile will become a part of Google Plus. They can share both within the organization by the use of Circles or publicly. You can even share with people within your organization who are not in your Circles. You can have Video Hangouts with members of your organization and work on ideas and projects together using Google Docs, even if you are on the other side of the globe. If you are a business or organization, there are some things you need to think about before you start using Google Plus, I recommend taking a look at the support article by Google. If you do choose to join Google Plus, and participate in the community I am sure you will find it useful for your organization. Just make sure that you emphasize to members of your organization that it is important to share information to the correct Circles.

The murder trial of Jo Yeates is front page news throughout the UK – a neighbour Vincent Tabak is accused of killing her. At the moment, the prosecution is presenting its case and a couple of interesting things have emerged as evidence.

In particular, the prosecution has alleged that the defendant:

• looked at Wikipedia for the definitions of murder and manslaughter.
• searched for the maximum penalty for manslaughter, i.e. how many years in jail.
• looked up definitions for sexual assault and sexual conduct.
• searched maps showing the area where the body was later found.
• searched on CCTV cameras in street where both the defendent and victim lived.
• use Google StreetView to view the same area.
• researched criminal forensics, fingerprinting and DNA evidence.
• read news stories on the investigation into the disappearance  of the victim.

Of course, it will be up to the jury to decide whether these are good indicators of guilt, but regardless it’s clear that if someone is accused of a crime then there’s a pretty thorough examination of one’s computers and on-line behaviour. Obviously this case is about a very serious crime but it’s almost a gift to the prosecution when put together like this: can you think of any good reason to access this material at the time of the disappearance? However, this is circumstantial evidence and needs to be weighed as such.

On a related note, Google has announced that if you are signed-in to Google when you search, you will automatically use https://www.google.com/, the secure version of Google Search. While this will prevent casual snooping on your search, Google will be keeping hold of your search information so that it can better serve you adverts. And how long does Google keep the search information? Indefinitely or until you remove it. So while on the face of it encrypted search is a good thing, it comes at the price of Google knowing yet more about you.

I suspect that in the current murder trial, all the computer forensics team had to do was look back through the defendant’s browser history. Easy if there’s only one computer, but more difficult if the person has a home computer, work laptop, smartphone and so on. If you’re tied into Google everywhere, all they’ll have to do is subpoena information from Google and get your search data in one tidy little bundle. Nice.

Today Google announced that they are discontinuing several products including Google Buzz, Jaiku, Code Search, iGoogle Social and the University Research Program for Google Search. I have to admit I am not familiar with either Code Search or the University Program for Google Search. I did however use and participate in both Jaiku and Buzz. Jaiku was a competitor to Twitter that never caught on with the masses. Google brought it in 2007. Google Buzz was seen by many people as Google’s first attempt to go social and compete directly against Facebook and Twitter. It allowed you to share photos, links, and videos with your friends and contacts. It was integrated right in Gmail, which many people found intrusive and rebelled against. Many of its features have been integrated into Google Plus, so having both seemed redundant. Once it shuts down in a few weeks you will not be able to make any further post. You will still be able to see your post under your Google Profile. You can also download the information using Google Takeout. It is an easy process.

• First go to Google Takeout and sign into your Google account, if you are not already signed in
• Create an archive
• Choose Buzz under choose a service
• You then have to sign into your google account again
• Hit Download and you will get a zip file
• Unzip the file
• The outer folder will be named your gmail name -backup
• Inner folder will be named buzz
• The individual post are HTML

They are organized by date and may or may not have titles depending on how they were original post. Every time you try to open up one of the files, it will give you the this is a web application are you sure you want to open it warning, which gets a little tiring after a while. I wish there was someway to ok an entire folder. It is fun to go through some of the things that I posted to Google Buzz, it is a snapshot of what I thought was important or at least eye-catching at that time. The one thing I forgot about was how connected Google Buzz was with other services such as Tumblr, Posterous and Flickr to name a few. That has yet to happen with Google Plus and I have to admit I miss it. It is clear that Buzz’s integration into Google mail, which they saw as its strength was the one thing that people disliked the most. Clearly that is something that the team at Google learned when they created Google Plus. I don’t know if Google Plus is going to be successful over the long run (I hope it will be) but I see it as a step in a long road that included Google Buzz, Orkut, and even Google Wave. I suspect Google will continue to create projects like Google Buzz and Jaiku. They will keep what works and get rid of what doesn’t, much to both the delight and frustration of their users

Tweaking Google Latitude With Latify

Google Latitude is a nifty, fun add-on utility for Google Maps that can be very useful for tracking friends and family. With Latitude, it’s possible to share real-time location information from devices such as supported Android and iOS phones and tablets. Location sharing is by permission only – any mutual Latitude friends must specifically grant permission for location information to be shared.

I’ve been making use of Latitude for a few years. I’ve got a number of friends and relatives that follow my location as I travel around the country as an over-the-road truck driver. Even after all this time, I’m still surprised that some people are curious enough about my location that some of them will check on me multiple times a day.

One of the things I’ve long wished for in Latitude is much greater control over the sharing. Most of the time I want my shared location information to be as accurate and real-time as possible. Thus, it becomes possible for Latitude friends and family to track me as I drive down the road in real-time.

Recently I purchased a $2.89 program available in the Android Marketplace called Latify. The Latify program works in conjunction with Latitude to provide a lot of extra control over Latitude and its sharing capabilities.

With Latify set to push out the most accurate, real-time location information possible it does use more battery power, as it is making more intensive use of the phone’s GPS chip. This isn’t a problem for me, since most of the time I keep the phone plugged in when I’m in my truck. In those instances when the phone is going to be running on battery power for hours on end, I turn off automatic data synching. There are also a number of power-saving options available within Latify itself.

If you want a way to share the most accurate, real-time GPS location of your phone with Latitude friends, at $2.89 Latify is worth the money.

Google has released the latest beta version of their popular web browser, Chrome.  Number 15 (for those keeping count) has some real changes – much more than some new versions, which have been simply bug fixes.  This comes within days of Chrome 14 hitting the stable channel.

Of course, the changes have become fewer because the browser has matured.  Over time, though, we have seen it take shape as more of an operating system in a window, as opposed to just a web browser.  That makes sense because of the development of Chrome OS and the introduction of the first “Chromebook” computers.  And, if Android is an indicator, then we better watch out for when the Chrome OS really gets going.

The biggest change in Chrome 15 is the New Tab page.  It’s been completely redesigned to better allow users to optimize their tabs and launch multiple pages.  According to the official Google announcement, “Your apps, bookmarks, and most visited sites now appear in three different sections on the page. You can flip between these different sections by clicking the section labels at the bottom of the page or the arrows at the side of the page. Chrome will remember the last section you flipped to and return to it when you open a new tab.”

The second big change will probably benefit users the most.  Previously, when a new version of an app was available for installation, it would direct the user back to the Chrome Web App Store to download and install it.  Now, “trusted partners” can allow users to install updates on-the-fly with no redirects.

These changes could be tempting for many users, and many potential Chromebook buyers.  They are certainly making my eye wonder from my trusty Firefox browser.  I have Chrome installed, but I can’t tear myself away from Firefox just yet…  However, that Asus Chromebook I have been eying is looking a little bit more tempting today…

You can get the Chrome 15 Beta here.

If you use Google groups, you might have noticed the switch to the new version. It is a little more colorful, using html5 and integrating into the other Google properties.

Google Groups Interface

Google Groups is Google’s answer to message boards. Just like with Yahoo! groups, you can create a new group and invite friends to it. They can then read the messages, or interact (depending on how you have the group set up). For example, Todd uses groups to message subscribers of Geek News Central podcast.

Switching is not that difficult. Just choose to use the new Google Groups interface, then (when comfortable) select the button on top called “Switch to the new Google Groups”.

It’s got an email feel to this new version. The left pane is the groups you are in. When you select a group, the list of messages show up on the right. At the top, you are asked to adjust your profile – either update your name or attach this group to your Google profile. Then you can message away!

Does it change the email version?

So you don’t go to this interface. You end up emailling to [whatever]@googlegroups.com. You get emails and respond that way.

So far, nothing has changed there. You can still email to google groups and get messages either when they come out, on a daily digest or never.