Chromebox: No, Google Hasn’t Abandoned Chrome OS

And now, we have received proof that Google is not done tackling the Chrome OS idea. Information about pricing and specs regarding the upcoming Chromebox, a device that will be released in a partnership with Samsung, have leaked online. A prototype of the device was showcased during the CES but since then, no new information surfaced about it.

If the information is to be believed, the new ChromeBox miniPC (now for sale at TigerDirect) will come packed with a 1.9 GHz Intel Celeron B840 dual core processor plus 4GB of DDR3 memory, a 16GB solid state disk and 6 USB ports. It also supports a DVI port, Ethernet, two Display Link ports, headphone jack and a power jack. It will probably become available with a wireless keyboard and mouse. The price has also become available and has been set to a decent $329.99.

The new machine running Chrome OS will support better integration with the massive portfolio of online Google apps. The curious thing about such a machine is that all the data plus settings will be integrated into the cloud. This might translate into a smart way to avoid data loss due to hardware crash or whatever mischief life brings about. Will this prove an advantage for Chrome OS? I still believe Google needs 2 different Chrome OS versions if they want to become a serious threat for Microsoft and Apple.

Chrome OS Needs Time for Mass Adoption

But not everybody is convinced Chrome OS will be a success, there’s just too much competition around and with the upcoming Windows 8 getting ready for the official launch, there’s just no so much room for Google to spread its wings of dominion. And how about Android? Does this mean the two operating systems will converge to become one thing?

And if so, will Chrome run Android apps or the other way around? I wouldn’t mind a Chrome OS-Android experience, to be honest. Maybe the recent success of Chrome’s browser is proof that the world might be ready for a cloud OS.

Not that the Chrome Web Store is very developed at the moment and certainly lacks the spice of other app shops. We also know of the well sedimented problem of Android apps which don’t work universally but are fragmented and function on certain devices only.

Also, Android developed a few Chrome-like features starting with version 3. Regardless of these opinions, the ChromeBox will be getting released apparently, so we will have to wait and see if it ends up being a success on the market. Don’t forget, Chrome OS is still a rookie in this field.

Some might say that this is a lame product and that Google needs something much more powerful than that to win the audience’s heart. I think that we should be patient and watch closely. Google isn’t hurrying anywhere, they’ve got plenty of cash and time to plan all their moves. I still believe Chrome OS has a future, it just needs to be presented in the right form to the user.

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We were telling you about Android fragmentation problems and how annoying they can get and, apparently the tech behemoth has somewhat revised the complaints. New information has surfaced, according to which, Google plans to launch the next version of Android OS to five different Nexus-branded smartphones.

Android 5 Nexus Devices: Google’s Reconciliation Tactic

The devices will be made available to the public via the Google Play online store in a shaky attempt to uniform the offer. Fragmentation of Android software has led to huge disadvantages in the app sector because most of the devices present in circulation actually do not run the latest android version making it impossible for apps to work properly.

“Google will work with as many as five manufacturers at a time to create a portfolio of Nexus lead devices that include smartphones and tablets.”

At the moment, 54% of Android devices are running version 2.3 (Gingerbread) while the latest version Android 4 or better known as Ice Cream Sandwich is found on a meager 5% of all existing devices, despite being launched with the flashy Samsung Galaxy Nexus back in November.

But, is fragmentation the only reason behind Google’s strategy? Maybe the fact that the Nexus series is expected to come packed with “pure and clean” Android OS without added tweaks added to the salad, might appeal to some die-hard Android fans. But, maybe I don’t want Nexus smartphones! Isn’t this a shady strategy to increase sales for Google’s own devices?

Buy Nexus if You Want the Latest Android Version

So what does Google have to win with this implementation? As you might be aware, Google has acquired Motorla Mobility for the price of $12.5 billion and it has been given the green light in the US as well as in the European Union and China. But won’t Google be accused now of favoritism? Not if it goes ahead with the above mentioned plan.

Producing Nexus flagship phones for each company in part and sprinkling on top the latest and juiciest version of Android would of course please all manufactures and persuade them to coexist in a state of perpetual heaven.

Users will probably benefit too from having the “pure” Android smartphones delivered at their doorstep. The diversity would probably be appealing and we should not forget the fact that since its launch the Nexus phones have been offered the appreciation of the connoisseurs… Nevertheless the sales don’t actually reflect that, for some reason.

“The market proved Google wrong at that point. Consumers in the U.S. are used to subsidies on phones. They’re not used to paying $600 for an iPhone, or $500 for a Galaxy S III. They want to walk into a store and pay $100 or $200 for a new phone, and they want it to be a high-end phone. But there are a limited number of consumers who are willing to spend the extra money for an unlocked phone.”

said Charles Golvin of the Forrester.

Android Update Cycle – Similar to iOS?

I personally think that these mobile operating systems are being released far too quick on the market and releasing Android 5.0 will create further confusion. Obviously, this move is meant to shift attention towards Google branded devices and you can’t help wondering – couldn’t the same thing happen with Motorola-Google devices? On the other hand, releasing 5 different Nexus devices with all major manufacturers would make peace with all of them.

“With Google buying Motorola, working with all of the leading hardware partners to develop a Nexus line of what’s on the leading edge makes more sense. If they get everyone involved in developing, nobody will be able to point and say Motorola is getting something they’re not.”

the same Golvin further commented. After all, I don’t think it is possible to close Android to everybody else besides Google’s Motorola. Instead, maintaing the same strategy of pushing with every major Android update a fresh new Nexus line could become profitable for Google. Somehow, it’s similar to Apple’s strategy, albeit on a much smaller scale.

Competition leads to innovation.

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Google Chrome Becomes Most Used Browser

And now, all the hard work Google has been putting into Chrome seems to have finally paid off, when browser control firm Statcounter released information according to which Chrome has now dethroned Microsoft Internet Explorer as the most popular browser in the world. Chrome smelled the scent of victory briefly for one weekend back in March when it climbed to the number one spot but then fell down again. The StatCounter firm compiles data from more than 15 billion page views which cover more than three million websites.

Microsoft claimed back then that the numbers were not correct, but the reality is that average users have a tendency to prefer Chrome. The race between Google and Microsoft has been very tight, both companies snatching about 33% of global users, but since last week Chrome has been taking the lead vigorously. This might be related to the fact that average users have been starting to get more and more educated about technology in general.

Online Surfers Are Becoming More Tech Savvy

They don’t just use what comes by default anymore; they search, compare and take alternatives, if necessary (just like they do with search engines). On the other hand, Chrome offers some pretty tough to beat functionalities. The first one and most important is speed. And speed is what your usual Internet surfing maniac is looking for.

Try loading a tumblr page in Internet Explorer and try the same in Chrome. You will feel the difference up to your most deep cortical levels. To achieve this, the V8 JavaScript engine was developed, which brought along new optimization techniques. The speed is not only related to loading sites but to browser start-up time as well. Secondly, Chromes enables separate processes for each site users access, so if one site crashes or is stalling the other tabs won’t feel the effect of it.

Speed and Versatility – Success Ingredients

An interesting path Google has decided to embark upon is the releasing of a large part of the Chrome source code which they called Chromium. This has enabled developers to access and modify at will the insides of Chrome, thus making it available for Mac or Linux users, spreading the browser’s dominance in the World Wide Web. Making the Chrome browser more popular could ease the way towards a smoother Chrome OS adoption, even if Google might need 2 different versions to fight againts Apple and Microsoft.

Last but not least, Chrome offers a neat and clean interface that’s not overcrowded by tool bars and useless additions. And this is great news because it means technology is making its way into our lives and people are becoming more tech-savvy.

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Knowledge Graph: More Rich Information to Our Search Results

Meet the Knowledge Graph, a brand new information seeking technology that will enrich and forever change the act of “searching”. Google has designed the Knowledge Graph in such a way, that it almost reminds us of artificial intelligence. The Graph will be able to “understand” the relationship between the words submitted into the search query and will not simply view them as a random line of characters.

For some, this might look like some minor change in the way we usually do things but the shift could end up transforming the whole Internet into a gigantic virtual Wikipedia-like library. The Knowledge Graph will combine link like results with statistical data, images and movies so the results end up being as relevant as humanly possible.

The change was predicted a while ago by the Wall Street Journal and will start showing up to users who use US English Google.com very soon. Don’t think that the Google interface will look very different from what you see now, the only thing that you’ll see extra are some information boxes popping up whenever you do a relevant search.

Google Brings Smarter Search

Like, for example, looking for info about Frederic Chopin. The new Knowledge Graph (by the way graph=a diagram representing a system of connections or interrelations among two or more things by a number of distinctive dots, lines, bar) is all about connections. Think of Wikipedia and what it is like to read an article on the site. Let’s say you start off reading a piece about the Lord of the Rings, one click will get you to J.R.R.Tolkien’s page.

From there on, you click on to The Hobbit and then further on the page about children’s literature. The same experience will be provided by Google, with the exception that users will jump now from information box to information box. Google announced that it has secured more than 3.5 billion fact sheets thus connecting more than 500 million objects. So if you search something from the following categories you might expect to see the new information boxes:

• Actors, Directors, Movies
• Art Works & Museums
• Cities & Countries
• Islands, Lakes, Lighthouses
• Music Albums & Music Groups
• Planets & Spacecraft
• Roller Coasters & Skyscrapers
• Sports Team

To prevent the search results turn out to be useless, Google will utilize the facts that have closest relationship with the object in question. Also, for the eventuality, you might be looking for information about something whose name is utilized in different environments. Let’s say like Babylon, Google will pop out “See results box” for you. Did you mean the TV show? Or did you mean the ancient myth? Or maybe the rock band from Florida?

Semantic Search – Symbiosis Between Search Engines and Language

The Knowledge Graph will also try and nurture you. It will take into consideration your location, your likes and your recent search history in order to bring you the needed results. This is not the first time that Google has announced a major search revamping initiative. Some users will remember that back in January, Google introduce Search Plus Your World – a search functionality embedded in the Google+ social network, thus compiling information and updates provided by friends.

But the Knowledge Graph things to a more advanced and deeper level. Maybe for the first time, I am not critical of these changes and I agree with them. The “semantic search” initiative that Google’s taking right now will bring information closer to us and will refine the results. For example, if you’re going to ask “how many lakes are there in Finland?”, the SERP (search engine results page) will deliver a straight answer, besides links to other websites.

Google – Always Versatile

It’s somehow similar to other operations that Google can do, besides acting only as a search engine. So, let’s say you want to convert 100 pounds into USD. You could search for a conversion website or you could simply write on Google: “100 pounds into usd”. The semantic search initiative plans to deliver the needed answer, without having to browse through dozens of other websites. There’s still much work to be done until the final version, but I am with Google on this.

The official page for Knowledge Graph informs us that the update will be soon made to all Google.com users! What I like even more about this tool is that it will allow you to discover even more content, similar to what you’re looking, inside a well-connected system. This is like a good online filter bubble, that I’ve been talking about with Robert Scoble in my interview with him at The Next Web Conference. This update from Google proves to be a huge help for those that are doing their research on Google.

And not only for them. Like I said, sometimes, you just have a question that you have inside your mind and you just can’t get over it, be it a silly curiosity or something your teacher asked you at school. You’ll go home (or search right away on smartphone/tablet) and will search for it. The work that is being done right now on semantic search by Google will enable it to create an algorithm that will be able to “understand” and even mimic language so that it could reply to your query and help you in your research/curiosity.

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Windows Phone 8 to be Launched Before the End of 2012

However, because Microsoft will remain Microsoft for ever, their claims will never stop. That’s why their deal with Nokia over the Windows partnership might prove to be a good strategy, after all. We are not sure if Windows Phone can win their fight against Android and Apple but they surely can create a stir on the market. Slowly, but surely, the Nokia Lumia line seems to gather more and more devotees, those that remain devoted to the Microsoft universe.

Now, all eyes are on Windows 8 launch and many are wondering whether Microsoft would decide to update its Windows Phone OS,  as well. This wouldn’t be a bad idea, since Microsoft would launch a similar attack on the tablet market. The mobile OS could be baptized Windows 8 Phone Apollo and it would be scheduled to emerge by the end of 2012.

Distributors are Getting Ready for Windows Phone 8 Launch

A couple of months ago, in February, news of Samsung designing a Windows 8 Phone, just after the platform was announced, hit. Even back then Matt Brum who is head of product management at Samsung confirmed that the company is working hand in hand in Microsoft to bring Windows Phone 8 products by the end of the year.

“We’re very much still focusing on Windows, and still have products in that area. We’re committed to delivering their products going forward.”

But now, the Israeli publication Techit.co.il shifts the focus upon Nokia. The editors behind the site claim that an European distributor has leaked the information according to which, Windows 8 Phones will be coming by the end of the year but courtesy of Nokia and not Samsung, albeit that will be only a matter of time. And, if you ask me, it’s natural for Microsoft to launch Windows Phone 8 on a Nokia hands. The devices chosen to sport the Windows 8 OS are the Nokia Lumias, the most popular handsets the company has released in the last few years.

Nokia, the Obvious Partner for The Release

This shady distributor will begin shipping the Windows 8 packed Nokia devices in Israel but Eurocom Nokia will be in charge of public distribution once the smartphones are ready to ship. The new Lumias will also support the Hebrew interface option. There is no official confirmation from Nokia’s headquarters yet as the company seems to be keeping quiet on the matter but this is not the first time we are seeing clues pointing to this outcome.

For example, last month, Nokia Saudi Arabia tweeted that the upcoming Windows 8 OS will find shelter in the Nokia Lumia 900 handset. Microsoft is still keeping a lot of secrets regarding what the next mobile OS version is going to bring to the table of smartphones but compiling rumors and expectations we sure hope to see the operating system mounted up on devices blessed with multi-core processors and high-resolution touchscreens.

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The self appointed watchdog of the internet, Anonymous, has taken down the Indian websites like the Supreme court and aicc.org.in, which is the official portal of the leading party of Government of India.

The attack comes as a response to the near-countrywide blocking of popular torrent sites like The Pirate Bay and video sharing websites like Vimeo. Since yesterday, major ISPs like Airtel, Reliance, MTNL and You Broadband have blocked several websites following a John Doe order by the Madras high court.

This didn’t go well with much of the internet user base in the country and social media sites like twitter & facebook have been abuzz with people crying foul over the murder of internet freedom in the country. It looks like the anonymous was particularly irked by the blocking of TPB and they launched an all out attack under the name @opindia_revenge and have successfully managed to take down the websites of the Supreme court of India and AICC.

#Government must understand. #INTERNET belongs to us!#TANGODOWN –> supremecourtofindia.nic.in & aicc.org.in

— opindia (@opindia_revenge) May 17, 2012

At present, they are trying to gun down the Department of Telecom website which incidentally is working fine at the time of writing this article. Anonymous says that their next target is Reliance entertainment and Copyrightlabs which had appealed in the Indian courts to get those John Doe orders.

@Anon_Central Another #TANGODOWN –>> dot.gov.in Department of telecom, You should’ve expected us! ~ #opindia

— opindia (@opindia_revenge) May 17, 2012

There has been a huge uproar in India in recent times with ever increasing interference from the government agencies with functioning and freedom of the internet. The latest attack on the government websites does show the power of cyber activists, but I’m skeptical if it brings in the desired changes. Techmeme editor, Mahendra Palsule contemplates,

These attacks by Anonymous on Indian Govt websites are likely to provide more fodder for politicians to ‘police the unruly Internet’.

Let’s wait and watch.

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Retina Display on Cards for MacBook Pro and iMac

Joanna Stern of ABC News is the one who first attracted the attention on the subject at matter:

“The laptop will see the introduction of the “Mac Retina Display,” which is said to have a very high resolution. ABC News has similarly heard from its own sources that both the next MacBook Pro and the iMac would be getting very, very high resolution displays. Apple refreshed its new iPad with a Retina Display in March”

Various sources were already circulating around the idea that Apple might be willing to switch from AMD chips to the latest more advanced NVIDIA chips. Now, ABC News  and others claim that the Cupertino group is certainly going to be adopting the NVIDIA option and even discloses the fact that the NVIDIA “Kepler” will be the choice for the next generation Macs. On the other side of camp, the GeFore FT 650M is the most likely candidate to breathe life into the new MacBook Pro and iMac.

But if iMacs do get the retina display treatment, what would the resolution supposed to be? Somewhere 3200 x 2000 maybe? These numbers were calculated based on a very ingenuous idea that basically doubles screen resolutions. This is exactly what Apple did when introduced the retina in the iPhone 4 and doubled the iPhone 3GS’s one.

Huge Resolution for Apple’s Devices

The idea is that a Retina Display applied on a Mac might cause all the UI elements to shrink quite noticeably so developers might feel they were actually working in Lilliput land. The solution would be to apply the same strategy as Apple did with the iPhone 4. So, let’s make some calculations and predictions. Working with the scenario, we find that the 15-inch MacBook Pro might sport a screen resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels, almost the double of its 1440 x 900.

The 17-inch MacBook Pro would wind up having a 3490 x 2400, compared to the 1920 x 1200 it has now. The 27-inch iMac will jump to 5120 x 2880, leaving behind the 2560 x 1440 it has now. Adding such a high resolution to Macs will mean that Apple will most definitely have to adopt more powerful CPUs and GPUs. The new models of MacBookPro and iMac will come packing HiDPI displays which will probably translate into retina displays.

If you are curious about more details, unfortunately there aren’t so many. Rumors envision the release date of the next generation Macs somewhere in June but we can’t be certain at this point. Several authorized retail partners have reported that the MacBook Pro is out of stock, thus prompting rumors that the new MacBook Pro is on its way to the market. Maybe the Apple WorldWide Developer Conference next month will bring us more answers.

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Intel Tablets With Windows 8 to be Launched by The End of 2012

So far, tablets like HP TouchPad or BlackBerry PlayBook did not attract a large number of followers, so an opportunity and a niche has been created here for Microsoft. And apparently, the company is willing to take it. According to reliable information coming from trusty insiders, the Microsoft next generation touch-filled Windows 8 operating system plus the Intel hardware responsible for breathing light into the OS will be coming out in November.

Also, another bomb is dropped. Alongside these goodies, users will be able to grab the first wave on Intel-based Windows 8 tablets. Windows 8 will be the first operating system to use an ARM-based chipset. Quite a novelty in the OS department, we must reckon.

Apart from these tablet computers, some hybrids or convertibles will become available according to the information provided by CNET.

Watch Out, iPad and Android

The models will combine a keyboard with the capabilities of the tablet PC in order to provide better access and interaction. The new Windows 8 tablets will most likely be shipping with a Intel dual-core Atom-based CPU that is also known as Clover Trail. Like his partner in crime, Intel is too trying to make it into the mobile world. Back at Intel’s annual investor day, Forbes reported that Intel made it quite clear that it plans to sniff around the mobile device maker court yard to see what might fit.

“Our job is to ensure our silicon is so compelling, in terms off running the Mac better or being a better iPad device, that as they make those decisions they can’t ignore us,”

stated Intel CEO Paul Otellini.

Under the hood, Intel will have to go against ARM chipsets (ARM Cortex A15 will be 5 Times Faster) that already conquered the mobile world and are pretty dominant in this space. But the Clover Trail CPU has a few aces up its sleave. It is conceived based on the single-core Medfield CPU model, model that can only be found in the most recent Android devices coming out from Lenovo and Orange. The Clover Trail manufacturing process will be done at 32 nm in order to increase power efficiency as much as possible.

More than that, the Clover Trail already has a successor available and ready to take things even further. The processor is called Bay Trail and will be capable of moving to a smaller 22 nm process. And because Intel acquired Infineon the new Bay Trail will enjoy 3G/4G integration. Presumably after the Intel launch, we will witness a totally separate release party for the Windows RT ARM tablets. The devices are expected to drop on the market as soon as the Intel’s one make it to retail store. Competition will be fierce.

[via Cnet]

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Extend Your Smartphone’s Battery by 2 Weeks!

So what do you do if you are on a move? Pray to find an outlet and if not be stuck without the functionalities you signed up for. From now on, an alternative will be available. After more than 11 years of working on the project and spending $90 millions in the process, Lilliputian Systems is finally ready to release to the public its butane-driven portable battery charger. The portable battery charger is said to keep your smartphone charged for up to 2 weeks!

We know how frustrating are the issues with battery life, be it an iPhone or Android device. Some of us were hoping to see the battery issue addressed in Ice Cream Sandwich; sadly, that didn’t happen. For many of us, especially those on the go, extended batteries are the best and most suitable solution.

How Does it Work?

This week, the company has made the announcement that it will partner up with Bookstone Inc. who will be in charge of promoting the portable device charger. ”Today’s Smartphones use much more power, increasing the need for a more efficient way to recharge when on the go,” stated Steven Schwartz, Vice President of Merchandising and Product Development at Brookstone.

The charger itself should be the size of a thicker smartphone and the secret of its long life is that it uses butane cartridges as an energy source thus converting butane into precious electricity. The device will then be charged using this electricity thanks to a USB plug. It sounds incredibly easy. The butane cartridges are very small and could be compared to a cigarette lighter and will cost as much as a cup of coffee at Starbucks according to an executive from Lilliputian Systems.

Get Lost in The Wild With This Portable Battery

The charger is a standalone device that is very light and will be used to power all sorts of electronics, via a simple USB cable. Users will plug in to restore life in their smartphones, mobiles, MP3 music/video players or digital cameras. The good news doesn’t end here. The charger offers the possibility of being used for multiple systems thus minimizing the amount of cables and accessories one would have to carry along in an eventuality of a trip.

This week the product received the green light in order to pass through detectors at airports from the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and by the U.S. Department of Transportation, so everything is set into place for the market launch of the device. Lilliputian Systems has managed to develop the world’s first viable solution that applies to a vast array of consumer electronics.

The biggest surprise is that it has been proved environmentally friendly as well. Big shot companies like Intel noticed Lilliputian Systems’ ingeniosity and two years ago started financing the company in order to produce structured silicon chips with an added Lilliputian ingredient – solid fuel-cell membrane. Will you still be needing SpareOne’s 15 years of battery life anymore?

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I thought for a long while that news aggregators could be the solution of delivering curated information, to our mind’s doorstep, but somehow I got disappointed. I still believe news agreggators should transform content curation into art, but I realize that we will be left with search engines and it will take a lot of time until more liberal mechanisms will be invented.

Which Search Engine Delivers The Most Needed Information?

Online information is an especially tricky business. It comes in massive amounts. Just consider this. Every minute, 60 hours worth of video is uploaded on sites like YouTube, 200 million tweets flow into cyber space every day. Has the world substance been changed to information and if it did, are we made of the right kind?

The Internet is, without any doubts, the most powerful informational tool ever invented. That’s why Google is making loads of money, because they are synonym with Internet for many. The act of searching on Google equals with the act of being online. But how honest is that? Why should Google be the single, biggest player in this market? And most of all, how clean is the information that they provide?

Is Google Becoming Too Commercial?

The biggest and most popular search option – any 8 year old would know – is, of course, the mighty Google, but even with the high and mighty status, the company keeps performing poorly when talking about delivering clean, conclusive search results. Why is that? Google has the nasty policy of showcasing results that come from its affiliated sites or Google plus pages. So what happened to relevance and getting quality information?

Google seems to be, sometimes, unaware of the concept and is thinking only of pushing its products up the consumer’s throat. On top of that good old Google offers lots of useless and annoying advertising, while delivering a lot of websites that prompt you to shop for things. Let’s say you are curious about Asus laptops, you want to read about specs and user comments. What do you get? The official website of course, and then lots and unnecessary shop hits. Isn’t that the point? You get informed first; you just don’t jump to buying right away.

Also, Google recognizes your country of origin. So, if you are from Sweden it will automatically display search results that are closer to home, even if you don’t want that. After all, you might be trying to write a paper about Asus processors, not to localize the nearest shop to you in Stockholm. The annoying part is that there is no way for users to disable that (I am talking about easy, user-friendly solutions).

Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yandex – The Solution?

Consider turning your attention to Bing. Yes, the product has received its fair share of critique in the past but consider this. Microsoft has just launched a new improved and redesigned search interface for Bing that is clean of all the impurities you might stumble upon in Google. For those familiar with Bing, the first difference you will notice when you will try the new version is that the left sidebar has been completely obliterated.

Some of the information you would have found on the left has been gracefully moved to the right side, but other chunks are completely missing. Users will be also greeted by a new brushed up header that features a new color scenario and layout that is a lot more attractive. The annoying feature of localized search results does not disappear in here either, but at least we are spared of the useless advertising. Other search engines are trying to make it as well.

DuckDuckGo, Fresh Approach

Take the young DuckDuckGo website that offers users one of the most sought after practicalities users are after these days: privacy! The engine became more and more popular once Google started modifying and adding its new dubious privacy politics that enabled them to track their users. For starters, DuckDuckGo won’t store your IP address or keep logs of your online activity.

And if that is not enough to satisfy your needs, DuckDuckGo is almost add-free, offers pretty straight relevant results alongside search suggestions. Bottom line, there’s no personalization. The DuckDuckGo team does not try to be personalized or shove up your throat information that you might not be needing. Here is the difference. Alexis Ohanian, in the interview that I conducted with him, told me that he also tries to use DuckDuckGo more frequently, so it seems this start-up is getting more traction! Robert Scoble didn’t seem too enthusiastic about it, though.

Yandex, Russian’s Search Engine

Google might be threatend by local search engines. Take, for example, Yandex. And even if I am little suspicious of things coming out of Russian, I can say this product works incredibly well. I was surprised to see that Yandex has sponsored this year’s The Next Web Conference. For Google, a good website needs to have unique and useful content.

For Yandex, a good website needs to have a lot of trustworthy links, and unique content is only one of the many factors Yandex uses in its rating. Now, this sounds like the place to be when you are working on a research paper. It’s pretty hard to have a search algorithm that could please all kind of consumers, so can we really blame Google for what it has become or are consumers the culprits?

Can Google Lose Market Dominance?

According to compete.com this theory is a real possibility and the process of Google’s degradation has already started. The research conducted showcased that Google search engines (Google and AOL) had 69% in July of 2011, but that percent succumbed to 68.3%. Bing on the other hand, had 31% in July and managed to climb a little to 31.7%. This might be considered fluctuation, but with new search engines gaining more and more territory this might turn into a steep slope for Google.

Consider another fact, Robert Scoble thinks that Facebook is on its way to building its own search engine. He also made a point in saying that Google is under heavy attack by Facebook. Will the social network take it to the next level? Can you imagine, asking your friends where to dine in Amsterdam, instead of just looking it up on Google? Maybe you should.

Add to an eventual search engine from Facebook the threat of local search engines and those like DuckDuckGo, Blekko, Yandex, Baidu and many others and you’ve got yourself a possible decline for Google. How will the world look like ten years from now? Can we quit Google?

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