In the last week there have been an abundance of invites that have been sent out, many of which have been to friends of mine. Thankfully this helps to have active “Waves” with people I know. I admit that I have not been able to spend a lot of time with it, but I am having a hard time seeing where Google Wave fits into my life. Some of its features are intriguing and possibly revolutionary, but why would I make a point to use it beyond curiosity?

For those that are unfamiliar with what exactly Google Wave is here is a video that introduces it:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itc4253kjhw

The concept is to basically have a threaded conversation with other people. The most interesting part is that you can see what other people are typing, as they type it. While this sounds interesting, it is most helpful to see just how many spelling errors other people make, which you then get to watch them correct, before they finish their message.  I can also see where this could get people into trouble who would normally have time to delete their comment before sending something that would get them in trouble.

Another thing that I dislike is that when you hit enter on your keyboard, it does not send the message.  There is however a handy little shortcut to accomplish this… Shift+Enter.  But that still makes me ask the question “Why do I need a shortcut to do this?”.

There are a few other little quirks with it that really make me wonder what is the point to it but the biggest thing that makes me not want to use it is the lack of a standalone application. I understand that Google wants the world to use their new “Operating System” aka Chrome, but I don’t want to have to keep a browser open all the time to know when I received a message in Wave.

I would love to hear other peoples feedback on Wave. Do you think this is something that has a future? Or is it just a cool piece of technology that will never have the Google Beta tag removed and will eventually fade away?

If anyone is wanting to give it a try you can go to http://wave.google.com/wave and apply to be a part of the beta. I also have a couple of invites left so if you are interested in one of them let me know in the comments section and if I have any left I will send you an invite.

Now that the Windows 7 beta has officially been available for a few weeks it is starting to be put through the benchmarking process.  At this point the drivers for the hardware are still beta as well and results are only going to be ballpark figures.

Firing Squad has taken into account the beta aspect of both the OS and the drivers and gives a very detailed review of Windows 7 in comparison to Windows Vista and Windows XP.  This is the most detailed (and probably accurate) review I have found that benchmarks Windows 7.  Even if you don’t take the time to read the whole thing (15 Pages!) make sure you check out some of the graphs with the results.

An interesting side note on this is that the Windows 7 beta EULA states that the user is not allowed to benchmark the operating system.  They do this to try and prevent people from damaging the reputation of the operating system without understanding that it will be slower than the final product.   This is why many sites have avoided giving true benchmarking results such as this.

Check It Out> Firing Squad via Gizmodo

Good OS released their newest iteration of gOS earlier this month, version 3.1 Gadgets.  gOS is based on Ubuntu and as such can be a very powerful release.  Designed for beginner users many features are trimmed down and simplified so that new Linux users are not overwhelmed.

Introducing gOS

Features in gOS 3.1

• Google Desktop Gadgets
• Wine (allows some Windows applications to run in Linux)
• Mozilla Prism (brings web applications out of their browser and installs them directly to gOS)
• Google Mail, Google Calendar, Google Documents by using Mozilla Prism
• Open Office
• Mozilla Firefox
• Skype

The really big thing with gOS 3.1 is the addition of Mozilla Prism.  This has allowed them to bring the interface a little closer to that of a Windows machine as well as integrate Google further into the OS.  The Google applications such as Mail, Calendar and Documents function very well and enhances the overall experience of using gOS.

gOS’s original release was in 2007 where they made a lot of publicity due to it being sold in Walmart on Everex computers for only $199.  The computers are still for sale at Walmart but now for an even cheaper price of $130 (on clearance).

Using gOS 3.1 Gadgets

I started my gOS 3.1 Gadgets experience as any typical user would.  I downloaded the ISO and burned it without any problems.  Booting off of the CD was very painless and booted right in without any problems at all.  But that was about where the fun stopped.

When the desktop was fully loaded I started to play with the gadgets that are scattered across the desktop.  After clicking on the flowers and thinking “How pointless” I saw the pretty little water drops fall down.  There is a nice icon in the taskbar that even toggles on and off the gadgets.  I play with it a couple times  and decide to leave the gadgets enabled so I can absorb “The Experience”.  Then I got a nice little message on one of the gadgets stating that it needs to be connected to the Internet in order to function.

After clicking on the network connection icon in the taskbar to enter in my network details, a little pop-up opens.  I start typing in my information only to realize that the dialog box is not in focus.  Ok no big deal small oversight on the developers part.  Once the details are entered I select OK and then wait for it to connect.  The connection goes smoothly (as it should seeing as it is based on Ubuntu) but I notice the gadget stating it needs an Internet connection is not updating.  I click on it and get no response. Then I click on another gadget and get no response. Apparently all of the gadgets are dead.  The button in the taskbar to turn them on and off is no longer working either.

Ok now I am a little bothered by this point.  It’s supposed to be called gOS 3.1 GADGETS and the gadget part doesn’t work?  Kind of a big oversight on both the developers side and the testers side of things.   But maybe there are updates available for it?  I decided to do a full gOS install to make sure it’s not just a Live disk problem.

I proceed through the installation which was relatively quick (again Ubuntu’s side of things).  Once the process is completed and I have entered in my details I am again brought to the desktop.  The gadgets are of course there and “functional” with one stating it needs an Internet connection.  I follow the same process of connecting to my wireless network (the pop-up issue was still occurring) and then go to click on a gadget.  The gadget was dead.  All of them are non-functional and basically just glued to the wallpaper.

I disconnect from the wireless and then reboot machine and verified it again.  Any time a user connects to a wireless network the gadgets hard-lock.  Maybe there is an update available that will fix the problem?  Nope.  After a fully updated OS I am still presented with the same problem.

Maybe the problem was just due to hardware issues?  Perhaps there is a component that it doesn’t like?  Well after the 4th machine with the same exact problem easily replicated on each of them I found myself more frustrated than anything else.

Other applications

One thing that gOS did right was it’s Mozilla Prism implementation (aside from the gadget part) which allow for apps such as Google Docs to be installed directly to the machine independent of the Internet.  The applications for the most part worked as expected and were relatively fast.  Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar are really nice additions to the OS and make it feel more full.

Criticisms/Complaints

My personal feelings are that gOS 3.1 Gadgets was poorly tested and even more poorly named.  A better name that might have bought you some forgiveness regarding parts not working would have been “gOS 3.1 Prism”.  Having the most prominent component of your OS be Gadgets that don’t work is a horrible way to gain customer loyalty.  Next time please keep the gadgets in your testing labs a little longer and stick to things that will gain you respect such as gOS Cloud.

At the bottom of the main desktop the applications are launched from a very OSX type dock.  This dock appears to be transparent however it is merely skinned to be the same as the default gOS wallpaper.  When a user changes the wallpaper they still have a menu bar that is green.

Final Verdict

I am admittedly biased in this review due to my experience but if your looking for my advice, RUN FROM gOS! If  your looking for a nice easy to use Linux distro then please do both of us a favor and download either Ubuntu 8.10 or OpenSolaris 2008.11 which are excellent operating systems with few if any problems.

Maybe others will have a better experience than I did.  Feel free to give it a try and let me know what you discover.  Perhaps things will be better for you than they were for me.

To get additional details about gOS you can check them out at ThinkgOS.com

HyperSpace

I always thought HyperSpace was exclusive to science fiction movies and TV shows but today I have had the pleasure of using a new type of HyperSpace. Most geeks have heard of Phoenix Technologies which makes BIOS’s for the computers we love so dearly. Well now you get to be introduced to a new side of Phoenix, the creators of a simple operating system.

HyperSpace is a very lightweight operating system that installs along side of your Windows operating system. The versions of Windows currently supported are XP (all flavors) and Vista SP1 32-Bit. What makes this operating system so unique is its instant on capability. When you turn on your computer its instantly ready for you to use. There is no waiting for it to load files or perform random tasks. You start the computer and use it!  This is something that computer users have been waiting for a long time to have.

Asus announced Splashtop a few months ago which is a Linux based operating system that resides on the computers motherboard and is always available to be used very quickly. One of the biggest downsides to Splashtop is that it must come installed in the computer. It was also notoriously slow to connect to the Internet. With a light weight operating system used primarily for it’s Internet connection its important for all aspects of it to be fast.These downsides to Splashtop is where HyperSpace really shines.

Compared to similar operating systems HyperSpace works on a much larger range of computers, in particular Intel based machines. It works along side Windows and with the premium version even allows instant switching between HyperSpace and Windows. The Internet connection is substantially faster and attempts to connect to the first available connection which is great to quickly connect to hotspots.

4 Seconds. Thats how fast it takes for HyperSpace to start and another second for me to click Web Browser and start surfing the internet,  then about 1 second to turn off.  It’s so fast that I had to keep turning it on and off just because its fun to watch. If you simply hit the power button it’s an instant sleep mode. Hit it again and it’s ready to go and do what you need.

Installation

To install simply download the little installer which is a compatibility testing utility and downloader to download the actual install. Once its done testing your machine for compatibility you can start the install which takes about 15 minutes to download and install the operating system.

During the install HyperSpace automatically re-sizes the partition selected to allow for installation of HyperSpace. In my case I chose to re-size the primary partition which hosts Windows Vista Home Premium. The first time that I attempted the installation I received a “Unknown error please reboot and try again”. I believe I received the error due to Windows Updates that had been installed which required the machine to reboot before the installation could continue.

Setup and Options

Once installed I had to configure in the WPA key for my network which only took a few seconds to install then it was ready to go. There was no other configuration to be completed as the operating system is very minimal (intentionally). There are basic options to change some power settings, volume, network options, date & time, and of course to purchase it. The web browser is a customized version of Mozilla which suits well to the operating system. Also included is a My Documents directory.

If you need to transfer any files to or from HyperSpace you can easily use a pendrive or USB hard drive. To access the drive you simply need to go to the My Documents shortcut.

Now for the criticisms:

Computer graphics don’t look the best as it is a minimal operating system. It would be nice to have the option to set screen resolution so that things are not so big on my screen.

Shortcuts to various websites on the left menu that unfortunately can’t be removed. As someone that does a fair amount of traveling I like Orbitz but I don’t really see a place for their shortcut on any computers start menu. The other website links are The Weather Channel, Amazon, Flickr, Facebook, YouTube, Meebo and Gmail.

Web browser sizing. This was probably done to make it look cleaner and keep it consistent but it gives the impression to the typical user of wasted space on the screen. It’s about a 1/2 inch of black screen all the way around the browser on all sides. It would be nice to at least reduce that quite a bit. Thankfully Mozilla has the option to zoom in and out of websites or many would not fit on the screen. There is one bright spot here though, apparently they forgot about the F11 key that can be used to go full screen and get some of that real estate back.

The scroll pad doesn’t work on the touchpad. Some people might not be annoyed by this but to me it’s pretty difficult to get used to. Even Windows PE has the ability to use the scroll feature so why doesn’t something like this have that enabled?

White pixel in the middle of the black screen. Why? At first I thought it was a dead pixel on my test machine but nope, it’s only visible in HyperSpace. Maybe its like the portal to awesomeness or something.

Screen brightness is either all the way up or all the way down. This is a good way to drive some people crazy as brightness levels on some laptops can be pretty intense. My Asus G1sn can make you go blind it’s so bright and all the way down actually makes the screen invisible.

Battery life is touted as being a huge savings with HyperSpace however I am not entirely convinced. Due to the screen brightness issue there is a lot of power being wasted. One of the big savings comes from it’s aggressive sleep modes. If it’s idle it turns the screen off or goes in to like a super sleep. Yes that can save battery life but its not really that efficient. Seeing as HyperSpace is so minimal I think the CPU usage needs to be throttled down substantially more. For the machine I installed it on the battery life is at about 2.5 hours. Which might not sound too bad but considering when this laptop is in Windows Vista it gets almost 4 hours of battery life. I will be looking in to this and testing it more thoroughly but for now I think they need to make this better.

Pricing! The operating system is subscription based which Microsoft has been toying with for years. HyperSpace is fully subscription based at this time and while not entirely out of most peoples price range it does seem a little high to me.

HyperSpace Dual
Annual Subscription $39.95
3-Year Subscription $99.95

HyperSpace Hybrid
Annual Subscription $59.95
3-Year Subscription $149.95

Seeing as the operating system is Linux based and Open Source I have to admit I would have a hard time paying those prices. A little more realistic to me is in the $20 price range especially considering how much it would actually be used.

Conclusion

It’s very well designed and wow is it fast. If your someone that likes instant on access to the Internet then this is for you. I am really looking forward to future versions of HyperSpace as it is something that is not going away. There is a big demand for quick access to the Internet without having to wait for Windows and this is a huge step forward for all of us. Expect this to start showing up on OEM computers when you buy them, similar to the ASUS Splashtop.  Something so easy and user friendly will be forced in to more users hands just for that little “value-add” to help sell more computers.

If your someone looking to just try it out, you can do so with their free 21-day trial.

Check It Out>

Phoenix HyperSpace
Engadget on Splashtop
Laptop Mag Review of HyperSpace

You may not disclose the results of any benchmark tests of the software to any third party without Microsoft’s prior written approval.

Benchmarking is one of the core components of a full review. Without benchmarks the review really isn’t complete and may even be severely biased. If Microsoft really has done a good thing with Windows 7 they should allow anyone to benchmark it and publish the reviews. As it stands right now the only people that would be able to petition Microsoft for permission are going to be guys like Paul Thurrott.

Check It Out> ZDNet

Windows Vista in my opinion had a really good search engine. It searched within the files even if they were recently created. I never seemed to have any problems with it as it just worked. When things work really well you tend to get used to the same sort of functionality. Enter Windows 7 which is built off of the same code as Vista and the searching simply put.. SUCKS!

This morning I needed to find a very specific phrase from a document which I could not remember where it was located. After using about 10 different words and formats for searching I gave up and rebooted in to Windows Vista which found the document I was looking for instantly. Typically in a case like this I would assume that it was due to Windows 7 not having the folder indexed. Upon further investigating the problem I found that Windows Vista did not have it indexed either.

The biggest problem I see for most power users is that there is a distinct lack of a “Advanced Search” option that is present in Windows Vista. Typically this lets you specify the size of the file and whether to search in non-indexed areas. There is the ability to specify the size and date but only if you highlight the search word at exactly the correct moment. The box disappears and is a pain to get it to display again. Either way this is not sufficient for such a powerful utility. Maybe this is just a beta bug but right now I am inclined to believe that this will come back to bite Microsoft if its not resolved soon.

Check it Out> ZDNet

But in the long run, it sounds like Windows 7 is to Vista what Windows 98 was to Windows 95: Better, but not a game-changer. – Silicon Alley Insider

While there have been a lot of Windows 7 Fan-Boys out there it’s interesting to see that many of the critics out there don’t see Windows 7 as anything too special. Eric Krangel who wrote the article does not appear to have any first hand experience with Windows 7 but is basing his oppinion on the article that Adrian Kingsley-Hughes over at ZDnet did. I expect this type of skeptical response will continue from most of the major news outlets and corporate advisors due to their dislikes with Windows Vista.

Check It Out> Silicon Alley Insider and ZDNet