• Google’s Eric Schmidt Urging PC Users to Dump Windows and ‘Get A Mac’

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Cloud, Featured, Gadgets, google, Microsoft, News, Rants & Raves No Responses

    Some interesting tidbits from yesterday’s D9 Conference interviewing Google‘s chairman Eric Schmidt. Probably the most interesting one is that Google has “just renewed their Map and Search agreements with Apple”.

    In terms of platform war, Shmidt said there is, primarily, a gang of four that includes Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. Microsoft is not included. He explains, Microsoft is not driving the consumer revolution, they are focused on corporate and are doing so successfully, something that will likely continue for decades to come.

    When asked how consumers could be more secure, he claimed that Chrome was a more secure browser, using two factor Gmail authentication is key and users simply “could use a Mac instead of a PC”.

    When Google launched its cloud music offering, many were disappointed, the service was just a locker for music. When asked why Google failed at signing with record labels, Schmidt simply says, “I’ve just not been successful in doing that”.

  • Apple’s New Data Center is Now Visible on Google Maps

    // Gradly // Apple, blog, Cloud, Featured, google, News, Rants & Raves No Responses

    As noted by Fortune, Apple’s new mysterious data center in Maiden, North Carolina, is now visible entirely from Google Maps’ view. While this piece of information isn’t that interesting but the timing is. According to Fortune, Apple started allowing Google to display the data center in their Maps service soon after the official WWDC announcement yesterday.

    One of the mysteries surrounding the 500,000-square foot server farm Apple has famously constructed in a small North Carolina town called Maiden, besides its ultimate purpose, is why it didn’t show up on Google Earth.

    But if you asked Google Earth or Google Maps to show you the intersection of U.S. Route 321 and Startown Road, where the data center is located, the current satellite imagery stopped a few yards short of the construction site. West of Startown Road, there was, as recently as two weeks ago, nothing but woods and farmland and a bit of driveway that ended abruptly in the middle of a field.

    After Apple’s announcement Tuesday that Steve Jobs was ready to reveal iCloud, the “upcoming cloud services offering” presumably based in Maiden, N.C., we thought we’d give Google Maps another try.

    Lo and behold, there it was: A huge, white, nondescript building with a road leading in, a road leading out, and almost no employee parking.

    How was Apple able to keep Google from displaying this particular swath of satellite imagery? That’s still a mystery.

  • Google Wallet Announced, Your Phone is Your Wallet

    // Gradly // blog, Featured, google, Mobile, News, Tech. No Responses

    At an event today, Google, Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint announced and demonstrated Google Wallet, an app that will make your phone your wallet so you can tap, pay and save money and time while you shop.

    Today, we’ve joined with leaders in the industry to build the next generation of mobile commerce,” said Stephanie Tilenius, vice president, commerce and payments, Google. “With Citi, MasterCard, First Data and Sprint we’re building an open commerce ecosystem that for the first time will make it possible for you to pay with an NFC wallet and redeem consumer promotions all in one tap, while shopping offline.

    At launch, Google Wallet will support payments with two payment solutions: a PayPass eligible Citi MasterCard and a virtual Google Prepaid card. Most people who already have a PayPass eligible Citi MasterCard can simply add it to Google Wallet over the air, using First Data’s trusted service manager service. Or, they can fund the Google Prepaid card with any payment card.

    Google Wallet uses near field communication (NFC) to make secure payments fast and convenient by simply tapping the phone on any PayPass-enabled terminal at checkout.

    MasterCard has pioneered mobile payments with our PayPass technology and we’re proud that it is at the heart of Google Wallet,” said Ed McLaughlin, chief emerging payments officer, MasterCard. “We’re excited to partner with these industry leaders today and committed to continuing to play a leadership role in the development of mobile payment technologies.

    Google Wallet is currently in a field test and will be available to consumers this summer. The first release of Google Wallet is expected to be released on the Nexus S 4G on the Sprint network. Additional devices with NFC capabilities will follow.

  • Play Angry Birds in Your Favorite Browser and Unlock All Levels

    // Gradly // blog, Games, google, How To No Responses

    Are you want to get the whole Angry Birds goodness with your favorite browser? Then we have just what you need and there is a quick hack to unlock all of the levels for extreme entertaining.

    For Chromium-based browsers. Access the links here:

    If you want to play Angry Birds in Firefox, Opera, or another browser? access the link directly:

    If you want to unlock/relock all the levels:

    Unlock the Levels:

    javascript: var i = 0; while (i<=69) { localStorage.setItem(‘level_star_’+i,’3′); i++; } window.location.reload();

    Lock the Levels:

    javascript: var i = 0; while (i<=69) { localStorage.setItem(‘level_star_’+i,’-1′); i++; } window.location.reload();