Google Chrome OS vs Jolicloud

Since Google Chrome OS announcement has came down the pipeline from officials, most of reviewers on the web found themselves in tireless trial of opposing Chrome OS to Windows 7, Mac OS X Snow Leopard and Linux (Mint mostly). This all is very interesting and I recon debates will not stop even when Win 7 and Chrome OS will both be out of beta. Yet there could be a point missed in these discussions. Google underlines web orientation of the announced operating system, which in few words means it will do everything perfectly well until you decide to launch an app installed on your netbook, old PC, you name it, rather than using resources of web servers. Windows 7 on the other hand is meant to be everything for everyone. Therefore they are not quite in the same league. So, here is what we are going to do then – stack up Chrome OS with Jolicloud.

Jolicloud leaked in late '08. Tariq Krim, founder of Netvibes don't you know, and his team of two are basically the only people behind the whole project. He was the first to pronounce a lightweight web orientated OS for netbooks. Even though rumors about Google OS have appeared much earlier, right after Google browser has offered faster web experience despite being in beta I think, first official statement goes to Jolicloud. In fact there was no such thing as "web OS" back then (do not mess with Palm webOS). Anyway, what we have here is two operating systems which have in common, well, practically everything:

* Linux kernel

* Open source platform

* Web orientation and custom browsers

* Low system requirements

* Wide compatibility

* Plans for a powerful developer community


That's a rear thing to see so many matches today, isn't it? It might even appear that what we are having here is a great idea of one ripped off by another. I'd be careful here because this is not likely. Still, there are also important distinctions.

Google has the best search engine at the moment and many popular web services along that. This is their territory, this is where they earn money. Making an Internet operating system they are trying to enhance popularity of their prime source of income. Where Jolicloud has emerged from pure desire to give netbooks a needed eased up software environment.

How will these affect their market shares? Well, having larger developer power behind its shoulders, Chrome OS will plausibly have less glitches and bugs and be more flexible, because fixing serious problems is nothing like it is for Tariq Krim and mates. There is also a sense that Google will not lay off and go on and on promoting Chrome OS, and Jolicloud, who knows how they will react to different obstacles, whether they even will. I just can not have the same credence in both.

Jolicloud is now available in Alpha 2b version, that's a 600MB download. Be sure to check availability list before testing it. As a consumer advice though, with which in mind I started this showdown, do not get used to Jolicloud so far – there might something even better cooking. With the whole respect to Tariq Krim, he would be so much better of if he were half a year faster.

Google Chrome 3.0.195.21 stable

New stable version of Google Chrome web-browser now sees the light of the day. I have been playing with 3.0.195.21 for a couple of days now and was glad to find out that all what you got used to in Google Chrome is still right on its place. And there is more added to Google’s ability to not spoil things for more than a year now. New features and impressions after the jump.


Under the hood

Not so much as a feature, but anyway Chrome developers claim to give JavaScript performance 150% boost. It shows immediately if you are an experienced Chrome user but if you aren’t you will probably hardly be able to tell. I mean Chrome 3 is blazingly fast but then it was almost like this since the day one. But not so stable. I personally can point out better Flash performance, which by the way is dropped off if you happen to open a HTML5 page. Its goodies are supported in v3.0.195.21 stable as standard.

User interface

User interface has been added the biggest instantly noticeable amount of improvements. First, there are 28 new themes for the browser starting with minimalistic white skin and ending with funky graffiti. Also a minor but useful improvement can be found in the Omnibox. Now when you start typing a search query or an URL it lets you know where all the suggestions come from like search engine, visited links history, etc. Home screen has also changed. The bookmark list at the right is out, instead we have our thumbs in two rows with four thumbs in each. One thumbnail less than before, but now their order is fully customizable. You can arrange them in a plain and simple list also.

The good

Not a single crash even though it was enthusiastically given rich JavaScript pages and pages with Flash to cope with. Chrome 3.0.195.21 did both hands down. It also loads faster from the click on the desktop.

The (not so) bad

I still miss my ninth thumbnail and I couldn’t really find a better theme and as a result left it with the default one at the end of the day. I also miss my list of bookmarks but the bar above is still there to help.

Meet your new carrier: Google

Google goes mobile with style, putting forth a new app for Android and BlackBerry devices that lets you do things carriers hate: Transcribe voicemail in a karaoke style, make cheap international calls, and send and receive free SMS messages - all without even using your cellphone number. Is Google beating carriers at their own game?

Google’s young service dubbed Google Voice could significantly alter the mobile landscape down the road. Basically a clever telephony service that routes your calls while providing the universal voice mailbox, Google Voice gives you one phone number to rule them all, linking all your cellphones and fixed lines together. This way, your contacts call only your Google number while you decide where incoming calls route on a per contact basis or using a broader criteria based on a region, phone numbers, groups of people, and other custom rules set in the web interface.

The service links all your cellphones and landlines to one Google number.

Advanced features allow you to record calls, make free conference calls, and switch phones during a call. The universal voicemail mailbox feature turns each audio message into a piece of text. The service came to light in June as an invite-only limited beta, adding new features like the ability to change your Google Voice number. It’s still in beta (request an invite) and available only in the US, but Google promised to eventually roll it out internationally.

With a native mobile client for Android and BlackBerry devices unveiled Wednesday, Google Voice went mobile, and in a big way too. The app puts the service right where you need it - on your cellphone - allowing you to use your Google Voice number to place outgoing calls and text people. The app is intuitively integrated with a default address book and dialer programs built-in to your phone.

SMS messages sent and received through your Google Voice number are totally free and international calls are way cheaper than your carrier’s minutes. The app transcribes your voicemail in a “karaoke style,” highlighting the words being read. Here’s how Vincent Paquet and Marcus Foster of Google Voice and Mobile teams, respectively, described the app in a blog post:

Previously, to place a call using Google Voice, you had to dial your own Google Voice number from your cell phone or use the Quick Call button online. With this new mobile app, you can make calls and send SMS messages with your Google Voice number directly from your mobile phone. The app is fully integrated with each phone’s contacts, so you can call via Google Voice straight from your address book.

Google Voice on Android: Automatically transcribed voicemail messages.

You can also access a combined call history and read SMS messages sent to your Google Voice number, even if your phone doesn’t receive SMS messages. The app integrates with Android’s native dialer, unlike the BlackBerry version that comes with a separate dialer app.

Best of all, outgoing calls and SMS messages display your Google Voice number, rather than your underlying cellphone number. Previously, people retrieving your return calls would have seen your cell, home, or office number, depending on where you received incoming calls.

Google told the NYTimes that it’s “working with Apple” on an iPhone version. Wired noted that the iPhone maker and AT&T could seriously cripple the app so it doesn’t lure users away from the carrier’s pricey minutes and text messages (AT&T’s unlimited texting option costs $20 a month).

Apple’s App Store agreement with the AT&T already prohibits VoIP and video calls, giving the carrier the power to prevent apps like Skype and Slingbox from placing VoIP calls or transferring video over its cellular network, although AT&T does allow limited video streaming in some apps.

Until Google Voice app for the iPhone becomes a reality, iPhone users can either play with GV Mobile, an unofficial Google Voice app, or access the web-based Google Voice interface using the Safari browser. Android users can download the app by searching for “Google Voice” in the Android Market. BlackBerry owners are advised to visit m.google.com/voice. People who don’t own an Android or a BlackBerry device can still operate Google Voice from the mobile Google Voice site at http://www.google.com/voice.