racoma.com.phJ. Angelo Racoma on technology, economics, writing, problogging, and getting things done

Cloud-based computing made news when Google released its Chromebooks through Samsung and Acer. While it’s certainly novel to run all your applications from the cloud, you won’t be able to do much work when you’re offline. But Google’s latest features will make Gmail, Google Docs and Calendar users happy, with offline Gmail, Docs and Calendar functionality.

With these, Chrome OS and Chrome browser users can access emails, schedules and documents even without a working connection. The free Chrome plugin works via HTML5 to enable both online and offline functionality. The app actually delivers a similar user experience as with  the tablet/iPad version of Gmail and Docs, so tablet users will find this familiar.

In other news today …

Search Becomes More Social With +1 Integration

Google has earlier included +1 support in Search. But the big change of late is that the search giant will actually start using +1 data in its ranking algorithm. This gives more value to Google+ shares and website +1 buttons.

Amazon is Getting Ready to Release Tablets

Amazon reportedly has Android-powered tablets in the works. The retail giant will start shipping 7-inch tablets this October, primarily meant as higher-end ebook readers. Meanwhile, OEMs in China will start production of the 10.1-inch Amazon Android tablet starting first quarter of 2012.

Microsoft Windows Will Get Ribbons

MS Office users may have balked at the Ribbon interface introduced in Office 2007 onwards. But Microsoft is implementing the Ribbon in Windows Explorer when Windows 8 is released. This is in the aim of providing a better interface for both mouse- and touch-based computing.

Create PDFs From Your iPhone

Adobe has released a 10 dollar app that lets users create PDF files straight from mobile phones. No need for stellar processing power, since all the conversion is done in the cloud.

Google Warns of Security Breach

Are you paranoid about your online identity and security? Watch out for man-in-the-middle attacks, Google warns. A Dutch SSL certificate issuer has recently been breached, and attackers might pretend to be Gmail or any other Google app.

Are Patents Good or Bad?

This is a pressing question in today’s tech business environment rife with lawsuits. Independent BlackBerry developers are getting lawsuits for inclusion of in-app payment systems in their software. Google and Apple are helping out their respective third-party developers. Will RIM stand up for its developers, too? And the bigger question is this — are patents good or bad? Do they encourage or stifle innovation?

Check out more of my recent articles at CMS Wire and TFTS.

June is nearing and it’s the season for Hollywood blockbuster movies. With family-friendly films slated for theatrical release this coming June — Cars 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, X-Men First Class, Captain America, Green Lantern and Hangover II, who wouldn’t want to spend the tail-end of summer relaxing and watching a movie?

(OK, forget the Hangover as “family friendly,” but if your family is mature enough then go ahead.)

That’s why this blog, in cooperation with Globe My Super Circle and Sumo Sam, is running a photo contest that will showcase family connectedness using today’s high-tech (or even low-tech) tools.

The mechanics are simple:

• Take a wacky, funny, interesting or artsy photo of how you and your family members stay in touch.
• You can submit your entry through any of the following: (1) Post your photo on your blog or photo-sharing account, and link to this post, (2) Tweet a link to your Photo and mention @jangelo; or (3) Share your photo on Facebook, include a link to this post, and tag my account – J Angelo Racoma
• Photos may not be edited/Photoshopped except to improve the contrast/levels and to resize.
• To ensure I don’t miss your entries, send me an email at jangelo (at) gmail (dot) com with a link. If the photo is accessible from a photo-sharing site, do write a comment on this post with a link.
• Submission of entries will run from today, May 31, until 11:59 PM of Friday, June 10, 2010. I’ll be updating this post to include official entries.

I will then choose a list of 10 finalists, from which I will raffle off the entries using a randomizing application. Winner will be announced this Independence Day, June 12.

Note: I’ve extended the contest up to June 17, and I’ll announce winners by June 19, due to reader requests.

So get your camera out and take shots of your siblings, spouse, friends, relatives, pets, yourself, and whoever you hold dear. Prizes at stake are tickets for 8 people at Shangri-La Cineplex and a PhP 5,000 dinner at Sumo Sam.

This contest assumes the winner can claim and use the prize (i.e., located or living in the Philippines), but if your entry wins and you can’t physically claim/use it, then you can assign it to someone who can.

Sony Ericsson is known for its quality design and built. Last year’s Xperia X10 and X8 were formidable Android smartphones, and this year, Sony Ericsson is introducing the Xperia arc at CES 2011.

I’m an avid user of Globe Telecom’s Immortal TXT service, which essentially extends your PhP 10 prepaid load into 50 + 10 SMS messages (50 within Globe networks and 10 to other networks). Globe has recently come up with a new “immortal” scheme, which now includes voice calls. Dubbed Immortal Call, the service will give you 50 SMS within Globe networks (including Touch mobile and Tattoo mobile) and 5 minutes worth of Globe network calls. Cost is PhP 15, and you can activate this by sending IMMORTAL15 to 8888.

In effect, you will be extending your PhP 15 to PhP 50 + PhP 6.50 x 5 (since each voice minute costs PhP 6.50), for a total of PhP 82.50.

I’m not using Immortal Call, though, since I’ve activated Super DUO last month (now since lapsed, but will activate it again soon, before my local number expires). But I do think that Globe’s per-second charging (using the “232″ prefix instead of “0″) may actually be cheaper at PhP 0.10 per second, given my telephone calling habits, which rarely go a few seconds each call. Therefore I prefer the Immortal TXT service. But if you’re a heavier caller, then Immortal Call + would be cheap, at PhP 1 per minute.

To continue my saga on trying out prepaid wireless landlines, I had recently activated Super Duo on my main Globe prepaid subscription. I was very pleased that I could easily call Bayantel lines (which we have at home), in stark contrast to my PLDT Wireless landline, which can rarely connect with my home residence.

But the big issue here is interconnectivity with several networks. For one, I can rarely connect to PLDT landline numbers. This can be very debilitating, since calling PLDT landlines was okay before activation of Super Duo (since this is billed as a regular call from one’s Globe number). But after activation, you effectively lose calling capability to PLDT landlines. Rare exceptions include midnight to the wee hours of the morning. Calling during daytime? Forget it.

Another small issue is calling from Bayantel phones. You get a busy tone, and you get connected after two to three tries. No big issue if you only expect personal calls, but to business users, this can be a deal breaker.

Now I’m not sure if this is only isolated to prepaid subscriptions. I hear that postpaid users are not as badly affected. Maybe that’s the premium one gets with a postpaid subscription. But with Globe heavily marketing their prepaid services such as Tattoo, SuperDuo and the like, they better be sure they have the capacity to service demand.

The bigger issue here is interconnection among the networks. I’m aware that telcos charge each other for each SMS or voice minute. But the charging framework has changed dramatically with the introduction of “unlimited” calling schemes, like the so-called “wireless landline” capability of mobile phones. If we’re going back to the dark ages of walled-garden communications, then we’re screwed. Remember the olden days when Smart subscribers could only text to Smart, and Globe within Globe?

Maybe this is just a honeymoon phase, and things will turn out better. I’m hoping that in the long run, interconnection among telcos would normalize. Things are getting cheaper and cheaper, anyway, and maybe they need to look for alternative business models (rather than charge interconnection fees), in line with the changing trends.