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Chrome in Third Over Safari in U.S. and Worldwide
Like I said in my article on Browsers, we have one Google Chrome advocate here in the office that will defend his browser of choice no matter what. Well today has been a good day for the guy. Chrome is now in third place for browser choice in the United States.
Chrome has been growing nonstop since it was released back in September of 2008. So much so that somewhere between June 21st and the 27th Chrome passed up Safari browser for third place in the United States. Chrome has managed to gain 9.31% of the United States market share in browsers putting it ahead of Safari’s 9.16%. Internet Explorer still sits comfortably in first with nearly 51% market share in the U.S. and Firefox in second with 29%. Worldwide, NetMarketshare reports that Chrome is in third over Safari by a solid three percentage points (7% to 4%).
Dell may want to jump on Chrome’s bandwagon after this news. Google’s browser strives to be fast, secure, and simple. And like any other Google project, Chrome has tons of add-ons and extensions to make your browser personalized to only you. Some of the most popular include Google Translate, RSS feed in the toolbar, and a URL shortener. An update to Chrome 5.0 became available for Macs, Linux, and Windows just a few days ago, June 24th, 2010. The update may give some reason to why the browser surpassed the third place contender so suddenly. Chrome shows no signs of slowing in growth.
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U.S. Slacking in Internet Speed
I have always thought the U.S. was one of leading countries (if not the number 1 country) when it comes to the Internet. Maybe it’s because I was raised with this sense of national pride and so my country should be the best in everything we do. Back in 2000, the U.S. was ranked third in the world in Internet speed according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Now, a decade later, we have fallen into the number 15 slot because of our slow moving Internet connections and lack of wireless enthusiasm.
A few countries who currently sit above us include Germany, Iceland, South Korea, Denmark, and Hungary. The Federal Communications Commission is proposing to spend $16 billion over the next ten years to hopefully help our ranking. The FCC also said they would give out $100 million worth of high speed internet to U.S. homes. And not just any high speed internet, the same as is being used in Japan and Portugal right now.
It’s amazing that we have dropped so far behind our peers, especially since we used to be up there with the big hitters. Another test run by a Seattle based service called Speedtest.net found that the U.S. ranked 29th out of 178 countries, this time behind others like Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria.
BusinessWeek reports that 91% of Americans say they are satisfied with the speed of their Internet, and yet four out of five Americans do not know the speed of their Internet. So, I guess you really don’t know what you’re missing out on until you’ve seen other possibilities.
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Internet Comes to Cars
With satellite radio and DVD players already in cars, the next best thing to come to the roadways is the Internet. As if drivers need one more distraction behind the wheel, Ford has announced plans of bringing Wi-Fi to its cars.
Japan has successfully used Wi-Fi in cars since 1997 and has seen a drastic improvement in traffic and gas mileage. So bringing this concept to the United States could provide some major advantages on roads. Ford won’t be the first to provide the cyber world in motor vehicles; they will actually be joining BMW, Chrysler, and Mercedes-Benz. However, Ford is approaching the idea in a different way. They are proposing to let customers plug their own modems into cars. But to make some money, Ford will also have the option of a dealer-installed system. The dealer system will costs about $200 after a $200 mail-in-rebate, and then $29 a month for the Internet service and will create a 300 feet-in-diameter circle of Wi-Fi around the car.
Having Internet in cars will provide many luxuries like music streaming from your personalized radio station on Pandora, access to up-to-date gas prices, 3D imagery when getting directions, not to mention e-mail access, Web surfing, and so on. The long-term goal of having Internet in cars is to allow car-to-car communication. A car-to-car connection could allow real time traffic reports or even a braking warning when approaching a stop.
The cars of the future (like in Back to the Future or Minority Report) are becoming more attainable. Cars more intelligent than some humans. Can’t wait.
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Present Day Hunters and Gatherers
The Internet is a huge reference source full of information on any topic. A tool that helps sort through all the confusion of the different news information is called an RSS feed. RSS feed stands for “Really Simple Syndication,” or “Rich Site Summary.” The RSS feed is a tool that delivers constantly updated information, like in a blog or news source, to a reader. Any new blog article or news story is sent to your feed in an RSS feed reader like NetVibes or Google Reader. When you choose to use an RSS feed, you’re really deciding between hunting out your own news and gathering up the news that is sent your way.
Receiving RSS feed verses going out and collecting news has be a long debated topic here at Keystone. Jamie Holland, Keystone’s leading Graphic/Website Designer, compares the opposing ideas of an RSS feed to the difference between having multiple P.O. Box’s and a regular mailbox. Holland is one of the few here at Keystone who prefers to not use RSS feed, instead he checks his favorite Websites daily for updates that he might find interesting.
Why do some people choose to seek out their own news when they can have it delivered to themselves? Or why do people sort through all the news sent to them in an RSS feed when they can check their favorite site, knowing they will find something that interests them?
It almost sounds like a question of laziness. Those who go out looking for news are taking more initiative than the other guy who reads over his RSS feed? But the reality is both people are sitting at a desk, moving nothing but their hands and wrists. So it’s a big fat no to the question of laziness.
Convenience is the answer! The convenience of having something delivered is what an RSS feed satisfies. I mean, most Americans get food conveniently delivered to their car window at least once a week. Yet, others could argue that when you find a reliable Website, it may be more convenient to go directly to the source as opposed to sifting through articles of other sites only to be disappointed.
We could go on all day. Basically, it is a natural instinct to identify as either a “hunter” or a “gatherer,” in every aspect of life. To be a “go getter” or a laid back “roll with the punches” sort of person. Amazing how your personality might affect your everyday decisions.
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Google Continues to Expand: Google Chrome OS is in...
Google has announced their newest, coolest, and biggest project yet. To keep up with the tough competition (Microsoft), Google is now entering the operating system field. Google Chrome Operating System is the newest idea in the works.
Like Windows or Linux or MacOS, Google Chrome OS will be a host of applications, coordinating activities between programs and users. Google says that the operating system will focus on speed, simplicity, and security. One goal in the security of the OS is to achieve an underlying security system hidden from users, allowing users to avoid viruses, malware, and security updates.
Believed to hit stores in the fall of 2010, Google Chrome OS will be for PCs only. The new OS will be built around the relatively young Google Chrome browser that was released in December of 2008. The baby browser has already attracted more than 30 million users, claims Google. By centering the OS around the Google Chrome Browser, Google is aiming to redefine the operating system. They are trying to keep the real focus in mind, Internet use with as few obstacles as possible. Google says in their announcement, “the operating systems that browsers run on were designed in an era where there was no web… It’s our attempt to re-think what operating systems should be.”
Google has already been thought of as a huge force in the Search Engine world, maybe we’ll be talking about them in the OS and computer making business in a few years. The possibilities are endless!
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