- Warner Crocker

When I first saw this yesterday I thought it might be an early April Fools Day joke, but it turns out it is the real deal. Rafe Needleman on WebWare broke the news that we all knew was coming some day. Google is preparing to roll out offline access to their cloud app, Google Docs. Using Google Gears, users will start seeing this soon (it is a phased roll out) and it will at first only work with the word processor, with the spreadsheet and presentation apps to follow.

A couple of caveats. You won’t be able to create documents off line in the first roll out and of course collaboration can’t occur when you are offline. That should make things interesting if two parties are working offline on the same doc and eventually try to sync up the changes.

Like I said, we’ve all known this was coming. Now we’ll see how this begins to work.

- Warner Crocker

Everyone is always looking for the perfect email solution and there are many out there, but I don’t think anyone has discovered a perfect one yet, especially for those of us who rely on mutliple devices. Sure a hosted exchange solution can work, or you can use GMail’s iMap solution. But there has to be some better way to tie all of that together between the desktop and the cloud.

Well, Cemaphore Systems may not solve all of the woes, but it is aiming to tie GMail and Outlook together, according to an article in The New York Times. Supposedly a new service, MailShadow for Google Apps, will allow users to automatically sync email, calendar, and address books between Microsoft’s Outlook and GMail. This is done through a secure backup (Cemaphore Systems specializes in e-mail backup services). MailShadow launched today in Beta. (Naturally.)

The interesting bit of news here, is that apparently this could allow users to ditch Exchange and still use Outlook as their email interface. Of course this is yet another move, albeit by a third party, in the continuing battle between Microsoft and Google for the Enterprise sector and the hearts and minds of email users everywhere with dreams of the cloud.

 

- Warner Crocker

This so far has been a blessing for me. Earlier this month Google released a small tool, Google Calendar Sync, that allows users to utilize two-way sync between Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook. You can opt for a one way solution as well. So far, it only works with your primary Google calendar and in Outlook the calendar you choose as your default.

What I like about this is that it is almost transparent. Enter data in the Outlook Calendar and on the next sync it appears in the Google Calendar. Because of this I’m now using Google Calendar a bit more on both the Mogul and the iPod Touch and feel comfortable entering data in either of those two devices in addition to my Tablet PC or desktop.

The only thing I’ve noticed so far that is not as slick as it could be is that when I wake up my Tablet PC from sleep or a reboot, the sync usually tries to kick in before a wireless connection is made. This seems to delay the connection to the WiFi network a bit. But hey, its Google, and I’m sure this will be classified as being in beta for at least the next three years.

Meanwhile, Kevin Tofel linked to some info at Googlified that it looks like we might be getting close to using Google Gears for offline Google Calendar access and have it sync up on the next connection.

- Rob Bushway

There have been a lot of third party options out there for syncing Outlook with Google's Calendar ( some good, some buggy), but unless I've been living under a rock ( which is highly likely given the last four weeks of my life ), this is the first mention I've seen of an official Google Calendar / Outlook sync.

Check it out and give it a whirl!

- Warner Crocker

It was just a question of time. Google Gears, the software that allows you to sync your Google apps online with your desktop or laptop and access that data offline has now gone mobile. Available now for the Windows Mobile platform (versions 5 and 6). Here’s a quote from the Google Mobile Blog:

Take Zoho and Buxfer, for example: Zoho is a powerful suite of web-based productivity applications, while Buxfer is an innovative personal finance web application that helps you track your money. With Google Gears for mobile integrated into mobile Zoho and Buxfer, you can now access these web applications even when your phone is disconnected from the mobile web. Stuck on a plane? No problem — you can still read your docs on your mobile with Zoho Writer Mobile offline. Want to buy that new plasma TV, but can't remember how much is in your account? Check your balance with Buxfer's mobile web application, even if there is no cell phone signal. Try them out on your Windows Mobile 6 device by going to m.buxfer.com or mobile.zoho.com.

Here’s a video that talks about how it works.

 

- Warner Crocker

Google Docs has gotten a nip and a tuck and has redone the look of their Cloud applications. While it isn’t a major overhaul, the look and feel now feels a bit more like Microsoft Office prior to the 2007 GUI. 

I’m not a big user of Google Docs primarily because the spreadsheet application is so lacking and most of the spreadsheets I work with are more complex than I can work with in Google Docs. While the word processor is sufficient enough to do some of my word processing, it has been mostly an experiment for me to use it, not a difference in work flow.

So, I’m curious. How many GBM readers use Google Docs and what are your experiences? Chime in.

Via Google Blogoscoped

 

- Rob Bushway

Any Tablet PC students out there want to draw a doodle for the Google homepage? This just might be your opportunity.

Google is running a contest for students in grades K-12 to design a doodle for the Google homepage. The winner will also receive a $10,000 college scholarship, plus a technology grant for their school.

Checkout Doodle4Google for more details. The design guidelines are below, which indicate you can use your Tablet PC and favorite drawing software ( ArtRage anyone? )

* The doodle should be presented on a white, landscape sheet of 8.5 x 11 inch paper.
* You can download the Google logo template from our Lesson Resources page.
* The winning doodle will be displayed on our U.S. homepage, so the Google logo should be clearly visible and recognizable.
* The doodle can be in pencil, crayons, felt tip or paint, or can be done using computer drawing or design software.
* Unfortunately, we can't accept entries which use additional materials to create 3D effects.

Watch Dennis Hwang, the original Google Doodler at work using a Wacom digitizer

 

- Warner Crocker

Here’s my take, hunches, best guesses, and coin flips for 2008.

• Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) will dominate the conversation for the first half of the year. What happens in the 2^nd half is anybody’s guess.
• Call it Ultra-Mobile PC, call it UMPC, call it Origami. Call it what you will, but by the end of 2008 call it in its dying throes. The ultra mobile vision will remain, but in other devices. 
• Unlike Rob, I don’t see Dell re-evaluating their price point on the XT Tablet PC so soon. The high price point is consistent with the markets they have been targeting from the beginning. If the prices drop it will be a year from now at the earliest.
• Apple will not market a Tablet PC in 2008.  Instead it will be a communication device that takes advantage of the iPhone’s features as well as the Back to My Mac features for users to grab their data on the road. Because it will have a touch interface and be able to take advantage of InkWell, Tablet PC aficionados will call it a failure.
• Touch will again be a dominate feature and news story. The real question is will anyone develop an application that makes it more than a fancy way to play media, turn pages, or manipulate photos. Or is that enough?
• Multi-touch is still a ways off. Someone, somewhere, needs to develop a real use for it on the Tablet PC and mobile devices.
• With the exception of the MID and whatever Apple will do in 2008, next year’s headlines will be about technologies that change or provide new content delivery methods, similar to the Amazon Kindle.
• Microsoft’s marketing will continue to be mediocre at best and miss the mark more than it will hit.
• DRM will continue to cripple operating systems and content delivery methods. Most consumers won’t notice. Those that do will root for Amazon, Walmart, and Independent music producers to keep putting the pressure on.
• New releases of new products across the board will slow down in 2008. Some consumers will remember Apple’s iPhone price drop form 2007, companies will try to get a better handle on delivery inadequacies. Consumers are starting to notice that their voices can be heard, and companies will start to slow things down a bit, to hopefully improve on what they eventually release.
• The word “open” will get bandied around a lot. As in Google’s efforts to make mobile devices more open with its Google Android mobile OS. The word open will lose all meaning in the marketing miasma.
• OneNote 2007 will continue to remain a secret.
• The Asus Eee PC story is just getting started. It will have much more impact in 2008.
• The companies to watch in the mobile space who will have the greatest impact will be Apple, Nokia, HTC, Asus, and Google.
• HP, Toshiba, and Lenovo will continue to dominate the consumer Tablet PC space, although we probably won’t see anything really new until 2009. Fujitsu nees to make some noise here.
• Inking on Tablet PCs will continue to remain the ultimate niche in a niche product.
• There will be a major Internet outage or Bot Attack in 2008, prompting all sorts of chaos and howling. This will lead to a renewed interest in client apps vs. the cloud.

- Daniel Gentleman

Internetting
Verb
1. The act of migrating tasks and applications from local PCs to rich internet applications.
2. A word invented (and defined) to write this here article.

In ThoughtFix's second guest editorial for GottaBeMobile, Rich Internet Applications are explored as alternatives to desktop applications in MIDs and UMPCs

In the last couple years, we've learned that Ultra-Mobile PCs, MIDs, and Internet Tablets aren't meant to replace full computers. The primary purpose is to remain comfortable and portable while retaining as much functionality as possible. There is one thing that none of these can be without: Real Internet access. It is on the Internet where the full power of these devices lie. Instead of purchasing, waiting for, or hoping for applications to suit your purposes, a wide variety of on-the-road computer functions can be "Internetted."

For examples and a good list of ways to "internet" yourself, read under the jump.

- Warner Crocker

Google is making big moves on the big email front in the cloud. They began rolling out IMAP support last week (I just got it yesterday, others are still waiting for it to show up) and now comes word that they are starting to roll out a 2.0 version of the very popular GMail. Phillip Lenssen of Google Blogoscoped as quite a bit of coverage and quite a few pictures of what’s coming in GMail 2.0.

From what I’ve read the big advances in 2.0 are improved speed and better contact management.

So, how many GBM Users rely on GMail?

- Matt Faulkner

Gmail is really shaking things up now!  Seems that a select few are getting a nice surprise in their Gmail settings...  IMAP!!  If you don't know what IMAP support is, then check out the FAQ listed on Google's Page, but here is the most important part.

Unlike POP, IMAP offers two-way communication between your web Gmail and your email client(s). This means when you log in to Gmail using a web browser, actions you perform on email clients and mobile devices (ex: putting mail in a ’work’ folder) will instantly and automatically appear in Gmail (ex: it will already have a ’work’ label on that email).

In addition, IMAP provides a better method to access your mail from multiple devices. If you check your email at work, on your mobile phone, and again at home, IMAP ensures that new mail is accessible from any device at any given time.

No access to it yet in my account :( but hopefully soon it'll show up.  When I get it, this means that I can set up Outlook on my Tablet PC to read Gmail thru IMAP, set up my new 8925 Tilt to read IMAP and I never have to read the same message twice!  That will be nice.  Wonder if all this means that Rob might switch back to Gmail??  Maybe not since it's just mail syncing...

- Matt Faulkner

Yesterday, Microsoft released 3 screenshots of Office Live Workspace.  This is going to be an interesting release as a competitor for the already released Google Docs, OK not released, but things stay in the Beta stage at Google forever!  I have to admit that I haven't spent much time on Google Docs - other than clicking around to create a few test pages - but it's probably because of 'big corp company' I work for probably wouldn't be happy with me creating all my documents on the web.  This release from Microsoft will get directly compared to Google documents so it will be something to watch all the reviews when they start to come out.  Depending on how it's integrated into Office Desktop, it might be something I could use a little more, who knows maybe soon all documents will be created in the Cloud.

I wonder if you can edit/markup documents in Ink :) Either way, click on the thumbnails to view each of the three screenshots and you can sign up of the beta at this link.

VIA - WebProNews

 

- Warner Crocker

Loren Heiny has a pretty interesting post demoing how he thinks Google could add Inkability to search queries. Loren doesn't just see thisas an input method but possibly to allow more complex search quoins, in the areas of physics or chemistry for example.as a way His points more than make sense to me. this come on the heels of Loren's experimentation with his Ink Search Tool. If you haven't yet, you should check that out.

- Warner Crocker

We’ve known this has been coming for awhile and now it is here. Google took the wraps off of its PowerPoint-like presentation tool for the cloud, Presently. Presently fills out Google’s suite of office apps (along with Google Docs and Spreadsheets) and has re-christened the entire suite to simply Google Docs. So, if you’re interested in creating and sharing presentation documents on the web and in the cloud, you’ve now got this tool to work with. You can give it a try here.

- Rob Bushway

Microsoft has issued its "top questions that enterprises should ask when considering the switch to GAPE" ( Google Apps Premier Edition ). For folks who work in the mobile enterprise space, this is a must-read, as the costs and mobility questions raised certainly cast a wide shadow for us all. That said, I wonder how Microsoft would answer these same questions in terms of Live Office?

Here is one of the points:

3.      Google touts the low cost of their apps –not only price but the absence of need for hardware, storage or maintenance for Google Apps.  BUT if GAPE is indeed a complement to MSFT Office, the costs actually become greater for a company as they now have two IT systems to run and manage and maintain.  Doesn’t this result in increased complexity and increased costs?

Mary Jo Foley has the goods, so head over there for the complete story.