Years ago, it was Microsoft - who had the better home computer OS?
More recently, it was Adobe - was Flash worthy of the iPhone's greatness?
Now, it's Google, and the stakes are higher than ever.
Reason one: Android OS.
Google's relatively new operating system, Android, is a smash hit. The mobile platform is used on a variety of smartphones spanning several different brands. This choice in hardware brand is an option that Apple can't offer with its iPhone (or RIM with its Blackberry line, for that matter). The operating system is smooth, efficient, and capable, on par with all its competitors but evolving faster. Apple's OSX must not take the 'Droid lightly.
Reason two: Google Chrome.
Many Apple users remained with Safari even when Mozilla launched FireFox. But Google Chrome, like Android, became a smash hit for both personal and office computer use, on both PCs and Macs, as Chrome incorporated the sleek simplicity of Safari with generally superior performance and capabilities. Safari hasn't yet dropped to Internet Explorer-lows, but it's often the last major browser to catch up on the latest tech trends (such as third-party extensions).
Reason three: Openness versus secrecy.
Steve Jobs is about as tight-lipped as CEOs come. With the volume of secrets he keeps tucked in the sleeves of his trademark black turtle neck, you'd think he ran a nuclear war company in the Middle East. Google, contrastingly, engages its users with open betas, public announcements, and a general philosophy that they don't have much to hide. This style of business management is winning more and more hearts in a social media-dominated world where consumers demand corporate transparency. If Apple keeps its blinds shut and doors locked, Google's forthcoming rival services may out-brand Apple's established counterparts.
Reason four: Acquisition pace.
Apple likes to grow and evolve organically, which has worked well for them, but it can make forays into new services difficult (and Apple certainly doesn't celebrate failures like Google does). But the purchase-happy Google averages one full acquisition per month, generating a constant in-stream of new talent, fresh perspectives, and innovative outside technologies. This can lead to huge and rapid leaps, where Google can go from knowing and doing nothing in a certain field to suddenly becoming a legitimate contender - which leads to the next few points.
Reason five: Forthcoming music store.
Google plans to launch a service similar to iTunes around Christmas time that is apt to give Apple a run for its money.
Reason six: Forthcoming TV service.
Google also plans to launch a service similar to Apple TV by the end of this year (U.S.) and throughout next year (globally) that is, again, apt to give Apple a run for its money.
Reason seven: The "everyday essential" factor.
Most people can live without Apple. Few can live without Google.
This is the "everyday essential" factor. Many people search the internet on a daily basis, but most don't just "search," they "google." And aside from some antiquated Mapquest users, most people without portable GPS systems plug in address in Google Maps regularly. Want some images? You probably use the newly revamped Google Images. Like to stay on top of certain news topics? You probably use Google Alerts.
Google has constructed an empire not with massive product lines or revolutionary services, but with everyday, household and office staples. Apple offers some sleek hardware that neatly packages smooth-running software, but people don't rely on its existence like they do Google.
So when Google launches Google Music and Google TV - and who knows what else - Apple better not underestimate the threat. Because Adobe's Flash controversy will be the least of Apple's worries in 2010 when Google is through with them.
Google's only downfall is perhaps its core revenue stream. Advertising brings in more than 95 percent of the company's revenue. And while it's currently extremely lucrative, having only one effective way to profit may be crippling in the long term for Google, with Apple generating cash flow from a diverse range of hardware and software.
Adobe helps people and businesses communicate better through its world-leading digital imaging, design, and document technology platforms for... [more]
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. As a first step to fulfilling that mission,... [more]
Set your ideas on fire. That is the slogan of Burnkit, a design studio nestled in the heart of Railtown, just blocks away from Main and Hastings in Vancouver. They are an ideas studio. Technical wizards and skilled graphic designers showcase their talents under the leadership of Josh Dunford, founder and director. 2010 marks their tenth anniversary of business and if you aren’t familiar with their work, you should be. Visit their website and take a gander at their clients: PlayStation, Kodak and Bensen to name a few. Take a tour of their studio or just have fun messing around with the website’s engaging interface. Their unique vision and uncompromising quality is clearly evident, from their portfolio to their dynamic homepage.
I recently sat down with Josh Dunford and Owen Ingraham, Director of Technology at Burnkit, to discuss the company’s vision firsthand and how they’ve seen the company grow. Relaxed and humorous, Dunford began our discussion at the very beginning. “Originally, I was in school for biology. However, I realized my passions were in photography and graphic design through the process of working on a yearbook. After graduating in science, I freelanced for a summer and that’s when I worked on a couple of key side projects that were crucial to getting me where I am today."
Dunford developed on an online magazine, worked on interactive projects with a Lower Mainland firm and created videos that were picked up by Windows Media, garnering over two millions views. And this is all pre-YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. “If you’re graduating and you don’t yet have a portfolio,” explains Josh, “you likely have a lot of time and energy on your hands. It’s a perfect opportunity to work on side projects that may not make you a lot of money but will give you crucial project experience.”
In the late winter of 2000, Burnkit was born. “I started the company with a friend who was a landscape architect. He had limited experience in graphic design, [but he picked it up quickly].” Today, the company boasts eleven full-time staff and each year they host hungry interns who want to cut their teeth with the design world’s best. Burnkit has done it all: websites, short films, logos, interactive installations, environmental graphics, printed matter and things that have never been seen before, as stated on their website.
A defining project for Josh was the full redesign of the PlayStation website. “That was a highlight project because it was the largest we’d done up to that point. It was the culmination of starting with a very small project and earning their trust, building it over the years and having it culminate in the full redesign of Playstation.com in 2007.”
To celebrate their tenth year of business, Dunford is throwing a party. A massive party. “We’ve always thrown an annual party. After the summer, it’s the perfect time to have it. People are coming off summer vacation and going back to work. They need something to do. The timing is perfect.”
Happy birthday, Burnkit. May your next ten years burn even brighter.
Photo: insidevancouver.ca
Imagine a small group of thinkers, dreaming up fresh new ideas for carefully chosen clients. Working as a team, listening and debating...... [more]
Being a part of the technology industry often has us caught up in the latest and greatest – be it gadgets, innovations, or research. And I’m sure we all take the simple things in life for granted, especially when our biggest concern is, “What’s Apple going to come out with next?”
The devastating floods in Pakistan were a reality check for many of us. Leaving over 21 million people without homes, the flood’s destruction exceeded that left by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake – combined.
A ResponseTek employee initiated the internal challenge to raise money for flood victims. About ten years ago, they had the opportunity to travel to Northern Pakistan; the area most severely hit by the floods, and they remembered being amazed by the beauty of the landscape and the kindness of the people, despite their humble surroundings.
Taking this challenge seriously, we, here at ResponseTek, were able to raise $2,180 as more than 75% of our employees participated. Management at ResponseTek matched our number to create $4,360, and the Government of Canada matched our final company number. All in all, we sent over $8,720 in actual aid to help the flood victims in Pakistan. And with our help, World Vision will be able to provide aid and support to over 140 families and their children in the affected areas.
And now it’s your turn. This is a challenge to all businesses in the technology industry in Vancouver, and we know there are some big ones here – how are you going to get your company to support the flood victims?
ResponseTek is a leading global provider of on-demand customer experience management (CEM) software. Our Feedback Management, Market Research and... [more]
By now, everyone should be familiar with Google’s predictive search queries; you know, you start typing what you’re searching for, and Google predicts what your query actually is, hoping to speed up your Internet searches.
Well, Google has announced that they’re taking that idea one step further. They’ve developed an “instant” search function that actually makes searches as you type. Google hopes this new technology can shave two to five seconds off of every search made.
Although Google Instant, as it’s being called, isn’t fully available yet, you can test out its functionality here.
And for a quick laugh about how absurdly wrong Google’s search prediction can be, check out Autocomplete Me.
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. As a first step to fulfilling that mission,... [more]
The RCMP will be following of the lead of their American counterparts by pressuring Craigslist to shut down its erotic services classifieds.
Several state attorney generals in the U.S. successfully removed the section of the website last month over concerns that it was an easy advertising medium for prostitution.
According to the RCMP, this initiative ties in nicely with the government’s new efforts to curb human trafficking:
“The RCMP Human Trafficking National Co-ordination Centre has partnered with Craigslist and has met [with Craigslist officials] on several occasions trying to implement some measures in Canada,” Sgt. Marie-Claude Arsenault said at a news conference in Winnipeg.
“There's already some measures in place ... not all the ones that are in the U.S. at the time, but we are speaking with them and trying to bring these measures in Canada.”When asked directly if the RCMP wanted Craigslist to shut down adult sections on its Canadian website, Arsenault said: “These are the kinds of measures we are looking at in Canada.”
Craigslist has been firing back against allegations of social irresponsibility. Take a look at this August 18 blog post from CEO Jim Buckmaster:
craigslist is committed to being socially responsible, and when it comes to adult services ads, that includes aggressively combating violent crime and human rights violations, including human trafficking and the exploitation of minors. We are working intensively as I write this with experts and thought leaders at leading non-profits and among law enforcement on further substantive measures we can take. We are profoundly grateful to those offering us their expert assistance in this regard.
...
craigslist implemented manual screening of adult services ads in May of 2009. Since that time, before being posted each individual ad is reviewed by an attorney licensed to practice law in the US, trained to enforce craigslist’s posting guidelines, which are stricter than those typically used by yellow pages, newspapers, or any other company that we are aware of. More than 700,000 ads were rejected by those attorneys in the year following implementation of manual screening, for falling short of our guidelines.
Buckmaster further claimed that since Craigslist began manually screening ads, unmonitored classified websites like The Village Voice Media’s backpage.com have seen “erotic service”-style ads increase by a factor of five to ten times.
The GROW 2010 technology conference took place in August at the Vancouver Convention Center, and Techvibes was on location with an on-site studio conducting video interviews with a selection of speakers, sponsors and attendees.
Here, Techvibes' Michelle Sklar interviews British Columbia Technology Industry Association President and CEO Pascal Spothelfer and learns more about the Association's community building efforts. Spothelfer hints at a new BCTIA initiative that has not been announced yet that will specifically provide services to entrepreneurs and sounds a lot like an business incubator.
Thank you to KPMG LLP who was the exclusive online video sponsor for Techvibes' GROW coverage. Stay tuned for continued GROW 2010 coverage.
As the largest and most influential association representing BC's technology industry, BC TIA is dedicated to fostering growth and development in... [more]
Mayor Gregor Robertson may be taking heat in the local media for his $120,000 trip to China to promote green businesses in Vancouver, but local tech companies aren’t going to miss out on the opportunity to promote their business internationally just because of some bad publicity.
22 Vancouver companies make up the Vancouver Green Capital Business Mission, which will be promoting Vancouver as a viable destination for high-tech and green business investment dollars.
The Vancouver Sun’s Marke Andrews has interviewed some Vancouver digital media companies that highlight Vancouver’s representation:
“We're looking to send service [to China], but also to partner with Chinese companies doing animation there,” said Trevor Bentley, president and partner of Vancouver animation studio Atomic Cartoons, who has lined up meetings with five Chinese companies.
“We're seeing some fantastic properties and animation coming out of China,” Bentley said. “It's a matter of doing our due diligence and making some connections. If we're going to send projects there or ask someone to invest in our projects or partner with us on something, we have to meet face-to-face.”
Warren Franklin, CEO of Rainmaker Entertainment, hopes to build on momentum his company created by making a short animation for the Canadian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, as well as a film shown at the B.C.-Canada Pavilion during the 2010 Winter Olympics here.
“We're hoping to leverage that [pavilion] work for some new projects and business. The opportunities in China are enormous, and there's a lot of potential for co-productions between Canadian and Chinese companies in the animation and digital media area,” stated Franklin.
The Vancouver Green Capital Business Mission began exhibiting Wednesday, and will continue to showcase what the city has to offer until Sunday.
Vancouver based Rainmaker Entertainment is an industry leader in CG animation. Established in 1993, the company has generated more than $300... [more]
On October 12th BCIC is hosting the CONNECT Conference at the Vancouver Convention Centre and the lineup of speakers is strong.
Over the next couple weeks Techvibes will be highlighting a handful of the CONNECT speakers. So far we've profiled Steve Wandler of Metabridge, Ben Sparrow of Saltworks Technologies, and Jeanette Jackson of Light-Based Technologies. Today we learn a little more about Darrelll MacMullin, the General Manager of PayPal Canada.
Darrell will be participating in the Startup Business Strategies case study at CONNECT along with ConnectionPoint's Daryl Hatton and they will share how Hatton managed to “dance with a giant” and land its partnership with PayPal.
Techvibes conducted an email interview with Darrell and here are his responses.
1) Who are you and what does your company do?
I’m Darrell MacMullin and I’m the general manager for PayPal in Canada. PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online. The service allows members to send money without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts and credit cards. Here in Canada we have more than 4 million Canadians buying and selling with PayPal and on average they are completing a transaction every second. Globally, PayPal has more than 84 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies around the world. The company's open payment platform, PayPal X, allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices.
2) Why are you participating as a speaker in CONNECT?
PayPal is participating in CONNECT to support one of our Canadian developers, ConnectionPoint Systems. ConnectionPoint leveraged PayPal’s open payment platform, PayPal X to help build their FundRazr app for Facebook. Daryl Hatton, ConnectionPoint’s CEO thought it would be great to share our experiences of a large, international company collaborating successfully with a smaller, Canadian start-up.
Also, PayPal really believes in the power of small businesses. We help thousands of small Canadian businesses accept payments, without all the hassle and challenges of setting up traditional merchant accounts. Participating in a great conference like Connect is right up our alley.
3) What was the biggest challenge you faced as an entrepreneur?
PayPal isn’t an entrepreneur, but we work with entrepreneurs every day. What we hear all the time is how people start a business because they are passionate about something, but the business of running a business can sometimes get in the way. I think that’s the biggest challenge for most entrepreneurs. It is important to not become too distracted from what you actually love to do.
4) What’s the best piece of advice you can offer to a startup in today’s economic climate?
Cash is the lifeblood of your business, so try not to spend too much money on startup costs. Look for non-traditional ways to do things that will save you money. It’s a self-serving example, but I know that if you want to accept credit cards, setting up a merchant account the traditional way can not only be frustrating, but can also involve setting aside significant reserves. PayPal is a much more efficient and cost efficient way to accept credit card payments.
5) How do you feel about BC's startup ecosystem? What needs work/improvement?
PayPal is really excited about the vibrancy of the Vancouver startup ecosystem. There is a lot of creativity and excitement locally. I’m looking forward to learning more when I come to Vancouver, so I don’t feel like I’m in a position to criticize!
If you're interested in hearing more of Darrell's story, be sure to select the Startup Business Strategies session when registering for CONNECT online. Early-bird tickets are available until September 24th and a steal at $40.
Need another reason to buy your CONNECT ticket before the early-bird deadline? Buy your early-bird ticket before September 24th and you'll be entered to win an iPhone 4 courtesy of PayPal Canada.
The British Columbia Innovation Council (BCIC) is the lead organization charged with advancing innovation and commercialization in British... [more]
A York University undergraduate research project suggests that the biggest Facebook addicts are narcissists and those with low self-esteem.
Soraya Mehdizadeh’s study, published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, followed 100 Facebook users aged 18–25 and found that those who spent the most time on the website tended to be narcissists or those who did not hold a high opinion about themselves.
The study also noted differences between men and women: whereas women would self-promote with a profile picture mulled over carefully, men tended to create elaborate profiles in writing.
If only there was a Facebook app to find love in reflections.
Do web streams and other online education experiences harm or help today's students' learning?
As the Fall 2010 semester begins, students begin this season's education—but not in the usual way. Many are receiving more and more of their educational experience online.
A report commissioned by conferencing company Intercall was based on a student survey, which asked more than 500 college students about their experiences with viewing course content over video streamed online.
The results? According to the survey, more than three-quarters reported that their professors have used web streaming (either a live feed or videotaped lectures) with over 30% saying that their professors use web streaming "frequently." And a startling one in five students reported that more than half their course learning is done by viewing video content online.
Students admitted that they just show up to class for exams, instead borrowing notes from others in their class. One-third said they've asked a classmate to record a class for them to avoid attending in person.
What do students view as the benefits of online learning? "Being able to 'attend' classes even though they are really out of town" was the top answer at 63%, and "being able to attend class when they want, not when the university has it scheduled" was a close second with 58%. 47% of the surveyed students said that online content made it easier for them to work more hours at their jobs. And 43% also mentioned the benefit of not having to get dressed for class was a benefit as well. A rather puny 15% listed "being able to attend more parties" as the best benefit.
Clearly, the education system is changing. But is this advancement in technology good or bad for the minds of tomorrow's leaders?
The students believe so, at any rate. Being able to access course content online gave students flexibility to learn at their own pace. Almost two-thirds said that viewing classes via online video lets them fast forward through the parts they do not find useful, and just over half also noted that online video helps them to spend more time studying by themselves. Furthermore, many students reported that they felt more comfortable asking questions to professors online because they don't have to speak up in front of the class.
More so, 75% of survey respondents said that having their professors live stream their lectures or post a video of lectures online would help them be better prepared for exams. And one out of every two said that they believe they can learn more effectively watching live streams than sitting in a classroom. 54% say they've seen their grades improve as a result of access to video lectures.
Students may be loving it, but the parents? Not so much. One third of the students admitted their parents would be upset to hear about the their preference for finding alternative ways to access course material, and this is probably on low end of the real percent.
But it's likely inevitable that education will continue to shift more and more online, though I hope not entirely—as with all things in life, there are cases where face-to-face, human interaction is absolutely the best way to go.
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