The Google Tablet - what does Google need to do now?

Its time now for Google stand up and be counted tablet wise

Hats off to Apple having proved demand for device that at 3 Million sales and counting is effectively a new generation of device. Its a game changer. No more struggling with awful heavy lap tops.No more key boards. No more artificial separation of work rest and and play (I mean how quaint is that ?) No more very dull discussions about the OS- who cares about the OS? Anyone? Thought not....Its significant that the Apple play ( the intersection of liberal arts and technology ) is just such an important characteristic of these devices. Most people most of the time just want to Get. Stuff. Done. We want to do that easily and in a nice shiny package too. I want to do email,web browsing, watch movies, TV ,store and stream and listen music

I want one obviously but there a number of issues that stop me leaping Apple wise just now upon which Google can capitalise.

Impressive though it is the iPad is still too heavy, too restrictive on browser access content wise ( try using Google Docs just now ),to difficult to work on without shelling out for Mobile Me and content is filtered through iTunes only. No doubt the second generation iPad due in 2011 sometime will move the game on really well (imagine a much lighter glass enclosure a la iPhone 4,a front and rear camera, a face time account, a 10 inch retina display, and Google Chrome ( oops that wont happen will it ;-) All this is coming no doubt but content and access will still be locked down for all the curated reasons Apple espouse.

Why Google though? Frankly who else can do it?

What are Dell doing? The Streak? Too big for a phone and too small for a tablet and no content. HTC? Trying very hard indeed and innovating quickly but no expertise in liberal arts at all. Samsung,LG,Sony, Motorola. Palm? No where thus far.

Google appear to be only people in place to be able move the game on in open and accessible way . Here is what we need-

Android or Chrome OS Lets get the confusing bit over with first. Android is for the phone and smart devices. Chrome OS is for netbook type devices. Which to use? Android is out and pumping well for Google and the App store is growing rapidly although it do could with a light touch of curation though as some apps are still too flaky for normal use.Maybe the Android thing and the Chrome OS could merge at a some point. Right now with Chrome OS not even in release 1 the first generation of Google Tablet should be Android 3 ,AKA Gingerbread. It would be fantastic if the UX and UI could be breathed on though. The metaphor for Android and indeed still for Apple devices is the the old application/computing model- we need a nice Social access model eg swipe access to social media, Music, Video and data. Imagine a nice mash up of HTC wildfire interface combined with the Sony Xperia fluidity combined with Palms Web OS.

Thereafter we need-

Thin and light. Apple have shown the way and there is no reason why we cannot now have a thin and light enclosure

Display can we have a 10 inch bench mark super AMOLED display please ?

Battery life - 10 hours is the benchmark

Camera Facetime is open source- hint ;-) so front and rear please

Wifi obviously but also 3G option too.

Web Apps-

HTML 5 offline and online access
Movies- streamed through You Tube will be fine thanks, plus click to buy and store in cloud
Google cloud print
Google Books Store and reader
Google Picassa
Google Music access store with a partner; try Amazon perhaps?
Google Apps
Google Chrome
Full access to Android store

Google can do this and in such a way that moves the game on fully into the cloud- a cloud where music and TV and movies live and can be streamed and consumed more easily than ever before and purchased if I want too. Where my pictures and home movies can be securely looked after and my social life is accessed easily too. A device where I can work using all the modern productivity web apps now available.

Its Time for a direct store purchase too. The Nexus One store may have been a struggle and is now effectively closed but direct access and purchase here now is a good model for this type of tech.

Any chance guys?

The iPad and Google Apps

I love the look of the iPad, Apple's latest creation but perhaps not for the obvious reasons. It certainly looks smart, appears to have a nice screen, is light and fast with a 10 hour battery life...so far so good. But I recall when the first iPhone came out too..I wanted one that very first day of course who wouldn't , a game changer in every way you can think of.. however I did not get the first generation iPhone because, frankly at 2G, I just know it was not going to work for me..far too slow, no applications I could use as such on the fly...

That all changed with the 3G of course which meant not just the thing moved a lot quicker but by then the App Store was in full flow and it meant we could really make use of the power and the interface and the sheer usability of it all..simply managed though iTunes...Result..

But for me the killer app as it were, was the access via Google APP for the iPhone to all my favourite Google Apps which I use every day to work on Gmail, Docs, Calendar Reader, Talk, Search,Maps, and the partner apps that I use for pleasure too, News, Photo's, Translate, You Tube. In practice this meant I had no need for a lap top at all..on the move it was all in my hand ( vagaries of the O2 network notwithstanding ) and with all day battery life too. .. Result number 2.

When the 3GS came out with even more speed, video, better camera, I was tempted it must be said.. and then crushed by O2's upgrade costs ..( Hint to O2- make it easy for me and I will stick with you.. )

And then the iPad fell to earth after months of rumour and for many of the fan boys driven almost to distraction by the wait for Steve Jobs latest, a massive blog fuelled hangover. No camera, no video, no multi-tasking ,no flash. I admit I was a bit disappointed too at the time ( the No flash thing I can take or leave as it looks like it is on a downward spiral with HTML 5 growing up ) looking as I was and am, for a business case I can present to SWMBO ( sorry that means- She Who Must Be Obeyed ) But my biggest disappointment was No Google App for the iPad, a symptom perhaps of the two great innovators of our time now at war rather than in bed together. Which is a shame as a iPad version of Google APP could be great app and real Must Have ( along with Google Voice Pluuzeeee for the iPhone ) . Perhaps Google will announce something nearer the actual launch date , in which case my Business case may begin to look promising.

But I still may be an early adopter and there are there are three things I have been struck with which may make the iPad a consumer ( if not Pro) success. Firstly, multi tasking on single consumer device is overrated. Having my movie or song interrupted by twitter is not cool ( although I am sure Apple can make this easy at some point..lack of multi tasking is a large back office OS problem for Apple, I suspect they have not solved that yet ). The big promise however is the usability and the metaphor behind the device. Think , no more desk top watching of movies or using a boring old work device ( lap top ) in a strange position in bed, or on the sofa, or on a plane or bus. Secondly , the sight of Steve Jobs relaxing in a chair for the iPad demo was a game changer in itself, perhaps the most appealing to consumers- the whole Internet ( plus my movies, music, books, and the magazines and newspapers to come ) may just tip the device and the format into a whole new world . Finally, it might be an easy entry price in the UK in which case it may find an early fit twixt iPhone and Mac. Here's hoping.

The kids are all right

I had the great opportunity just a few days ago to speak with a room full of 11-15 old kids as part of career service offered by my local secondary school. The idea here is that the school invites speakers from a range of backgrounds and professions to help give the kids some insight into the opportunities that lie ahead. I was guinea pig for a fuller programme in 2010. I like being a guniea pig . I was invited to speak about digital careers and futures. So with 23 kids in room where do you start?

So I thought I would ask them some questions . How many had mobile phones? 22 out of 23 and the 23 had just lost hers. How many were smart phones ? ( I held up a iphone as an example ) 7 out of 22 were some kind of smart device. Brand names? No iphones at all, mostly Samsung and LG , one Nokia.How many had heard of social sites? .We wrote a list Bebo, My space. Facebook, You Tube, Flickr , even Spotify were all mentioned and all had accounts on more than one. Also very popular was MSN ( for chat ) and Hotmail . No one mentioned or had an account with Twitter or GMail .What followed was fascinating QA session. Some samples...Do I need maths? My answer ? No but if you want to programme or do Comp Sci it will do no harm.Will you look my Business Case ( an 11 year old with a plan for a web hosting service . Yes. Which is the best games service? No idea.Coolest phone? Try iPhone or android device What was fascinating in all of this was the insight that the kids were no more or less technically proficient than any other age group. But they were keen on experimenting and had no technofear. Hand them a new device or game and they just go for it..Without instructions or a manual or indeed a corporate training programme . All in a sense got the idea that emergence, imagination , experimentation was a routine methodology. How different I thought to many adults and groups and companies overly obsessed by ROI and Business cases for anything new. All quite happy to waste tonnes of money and risk on the old ways and old tech though. Something not quite right there . What happens after 18 then!