Mozilla’s been having a pretty rough time lately. Their browser, Firefox; started out in a pretty sweet spot- as an excellent alternative to Internet Explorer. Now, it seems as though their browser is the one people are seeking an alternative to- and that alternative just happens to be Google Chrome. It’s no secret that both Firefox and IE have been losing market share to Chrome lately- and if they keep going at the rate they’re going, Chrome could very well end up as the dominant browser in the market.

Recently, Google nixed Firefox’s Google Bar. While versions that already had the bar designed for them still kept the addon, any version beyond 5 no longer offered it. Naturally, there were a lot of fans of the browser who were rather unhappy with Google’s decision- and a great many people who felt that a move like this only underscored that Google no longer saw Mozilla as an ally; but an enemy instead. I won’t go into the details of the Google bar’s demise- because honestly, they’re irrelevant to us. What we are going to focus on is an announcement that Mozilla made shortly after Google officially cut support for the Firefox addon.

Apparently, Mozilla is working on a web-based operating system.

Boot To Gecko

Via tech2.in.com

The platform, currently known as “Boot To Gecko” is based on the same engine that Firefox utilizes. Originally announced in a blog post a few days ago, there are some striking similarities between B2G and Chrome- though that’s rather understandable. There are certain features which all cloud-based OS’s are going to end up having in common- particularly in today’s market. Plus, there’s the fact that this operating system is pretty clearly based-at least marginally- on Google’s Chrome OS.  Let’s have a look at Mozilla’s goals for the browser.

From the Mozilla Wiki:

“ Mozilla believes that the web can displace proprietary, single-vendor stacks for application development. To make open web technologies a better basis for future applications on mobile and desktop alike, we need to keep pushing the envelope of the web to include — and in places exceed — the capabilities of the competing stacks in question.

[...]

We want to take a bigger step now, and find the gaps that keep web developers from being able to build apps that are — in every way — the equals of native apps built for the iPhone, Android, and WP7.

To that end, we propose a project we’re calling Boot to Gecko (B2G) to pursue the goal of building a complete, standalone operating system for the open web. It’s going to require work in a number of areas.”

Seems like pretty standard stuff, right? From the sounds of it, Mozilla’s building a web-based operating system with a primary focus towards app development- something which they seem to feel is lacking on a lot of modern platforms. Plus- and this is actually taken from the threads on the original blog post- Mozilla’s looking to make this project entirely open source- not, they say, like the faux open source ecosystem we see in the likes of Android.

Now, a lot of you are probably wondering something at this point- what’s this about Android, iOS and WP7?

A Mobile Operating System?

Via Ubergizmo

What exactly B2G is going to become once it goes beyond conceptual stages is currently very nebulous. There’s a lot of  discussion- both on Mozilla’s own forums and on various tech blogs- with just as many conclusions. Some people have referred to this operating system as a “Chrome Killer.” Others have stated it’s going to be chiefly a mobile operating system. In all honesty, the latter might be more correct. That’s not to say we won’t eventually see B2G on a computer, it’s just that it isn’t likely to enter the market on one. “We might prototype some stuff on a PC,” said Mozilla’s Mike Shaver, “but the project is really about the device space. We had to pick somewhere, and this seems like where the energy is best spent.”

There’s another reason Shaver thinks Mozilla’s B2G would be best served in a mobile environment, as well:

“Desktop devices tend to be harder to get good open drivers for without pulling in things like X, which we don’t want to do.”  It sounds as though Mozilla believes that developing Boot 2 Gecko for the PC could end up conflicting with their goal to make the system completely open-source. That’s a secondary concern, though- their primary focus is definitely on the booming mobile market. And honestly, can you really blame them?

A Rival For Android?

Andreas Gal; the Mozilla researcher who made the original blog post; had his fair share of criticisms regarding Google’s methodology with Chrome and Android. “We will do this work in the open, we will release the source in real-time, we will take all successful additions to an appropriate standards group, and we will track changes that come out of that process. We aren’t trying to have these native-grade apps just run on Firefox, we’re trying to have them run on the web,” said Gal in his post. So is B2G a rival for Chrome, or a rival for Android?

Honestly? It has the potential to be both.

As I’ve said, though…Mozilla does seem to be focusing on mobile devices at the moment. Gal stated that there are four key areas that Mozilla’s trying to focus on with their new OS. Curiously,

Indeed, they appear to be targeting all the areas which critics of Android have been bashing it for. First off, they’re aiming it to be far more open source than Android. At the same time, they’re working very hard on a security feature for safe downloads. Again, this is something a lot of opponents of Android have pointed out as a flaw of the OS.  Third, they’re looking to include Android code in the kernel for B2G- allowing their OS to work on Android based devices.

An interesting idea; assuming they can actually get hold of that code without Google bringing down the hammer on them.

Finally, B2G is going to include a number of Web APIs, giving the OS the capabilities to work in and with mobile devices of all kinds- these APIs include modules for telephony, SMS, photography, USB, and Bluetooth, among other things. That’s right, it contains modules- it’s not designed from the ground up for one specific type of device. From the looks of it, Mozilla isn’t just building an open sourced mobile operating system, nor are they building a system designed specifically for the PC.

Rather, they’re designing B2G with one thing in mind, and one thing only- the cloud. Everything else is pretty much secondary.

Final Thoughts

So, the question that I’m sure is on all of your minds- is B2G a threat to Chrome or Android? I’m going to venture to guess that it probably isn’t. Granted, it’s a rather unique idea- a completely cloud-based operating system, independent of even the hardware that runs it. At the same time, though…something like this is going to take a hell of a lot of time to implement. It took Google somewhere close to two years to release Chrome as an operating system- and I’d venture to say that Mozilla probably doesn’t have as many resources as the multimedia colossus.

Ultimately, I feel that B2G’s(hopefully Mozilla changes the name before finalizing the project) success hinges on Mozilla’s rivals, as well as the sort of environment it eventually ends up releasing in. Fact is, everyone seems to be looking to the cloud lately- and Mozilla is definitely not the only company working on a cloud-based operating system. If the market is saturated with similar platforms, I’m not certain Mozilla’s OS is going to change all that much- open source or no. At most, it’ll provide an alternative for whatever OS happens to have control of the market by that point.

My own opinions aside…it’s honestly too early to definitively say what’s in store for B2G. I know that I’ll be watching Mozilla very closely from this point onward, to see what they do with B2G. To see if they develop it into something viable. Something that would be worth using.

I also know I won’t be the only one.

Via Mozilla Dev Platform, Chrome OS Site, mocoNews.net,

Well, looks like Google’s doing well. Recently, Google CEO Larry Page announced Google’s second quarter earnings, as well as some usage statistics. Fans of Google will be happy to know that pretty much every one of the primary platforms is booming. Let’s take a belated look at what Larry shared with us, shall we?

Earnings:

Google’s earnings have gone up 32% from last year, netting Google around $9.03 billion dollars in gross revenue, with 6.23 of that being generated from Google-owned sites. Though Page asserted that search and advertising are still Google’s core businesses, products like Chrome, Youtube, and Google + are part of a long term goal and should generate “huge new business” for the company, which is quickly moving from a search-engine giant to a multimedia empire. Think that’s a hyperbolic statement? Take a look at some of the other stats Page has released.

Google +:

True to Paul Allen’s prediction, Larry announced on the earnings call that Google+ had broken the ten million user mark, with one billion items shared each day, and Google’s +1 button being clicked up to 2.3 billion times a day. And just think- if Mr. Allen was right about Google + having ten million users on Thursday, might he also be right in predicting that it’s ballooned to over twenty million by now?

Chances are good that he is.

Android:

Android now has 550,000 devices activated each day, with one hundred sixty million devices(and over four hundred unique models) worldwide. Something tells me Apple might be getting a bit nervous about this one.

Chrome:

And here’s the news you’ve all been waiting for. As of Thursday, Chrome has one hundred sixty million users- and they’re still going strong. Unless Microsoft or Mozilla manages to pull out some incredible feature that leaves Chrome in the dust, something tells me that it might just be the dominant browser on the market in a few years time.

And I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

via All Geek

Have you ever wanted to be able to send and receive texts on your computer? No, I’m not talking about instant messaging systems, or the limited functionality of some websites to send data to mobile phones. I’m talking about full blown SMS on your computer. It’s now possible- assuming you’ve got an Android phone, and Google Chrome. (Though if you didn’t have the latter, I’d question why you were here.)  The app that lets you do it, developed by a company of the same name, is known as Mighty Text.

Maneesh Arora, former Google employee and co-founder of the company, saw that there was a marked absence of software designed to allow users to access SMS services over their computer. He clearly felt it a rather odd thing for modern phones to be lacking, given how many mobile services there are which require connection to a computer in some way, shape or form. “During meetings[At Google] everyone was on laptops and used Gchat. But when my wife texted me, I had to reach into my pocket. So strange. With six trillion text messages sent per year, SMS is still broken. Why can’t I search a text from last month, from anywhere, at any time?”

Naturally, he set out to develop an app that rectified the problem; and in so doing, evidently filled a very large niche in the market- “So far,” says Arora, “we have routed over 18 million SMS messages since our beta launch just two months ago.”

So…what’s the point?

So just what is this app good for, anyway?  There’s actually a few uses for it. First up, you can text without having to look away from your computer screen. Seems a very small boon when you write it down on paper, but in practice that’s actually pretty awesome. Plus, if I’m given the choice between the often cramped keyboard on a smartphone and the full keyboard on a PC, well…that choice is something of a no-brainer, wouldn’t you say? What’s more, the app will show you the name and phone number of whoever happens to call you while you’re using it, alerting you if you miss the call. Plus, you can send texts from your own phone number, instead of having to use a proxy.

There’s more coming in the future, too. Arora plans to add a function that allows users to access and search through old texts. Not only that; if Arora has his way, it won’t just be computers that can use this service. He’s hoping to extend it to tablets and tablet-like devices, as well. “We want to send texts wherever the eyeballs are” Arora explained.  Question is, will this app still use Chrome on the devices in question? I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see.

Final Thoughts

Truth be told, this is a pretty interesting idea. If I had an Android device, I’d give it a try myself. Those of you who do have phones that run Android, you’ll need to install the app to both your phone and your Chrome browser. One short setup process later, and you’re ready to start texting.

You can sign up to join the beta on Mightytext’s website. Currently the app’s free, and there’s been no talk of what sort of price it’ll run at when it’s completed.

via CNET

I’ve tried to emphasize in the past the importance of internet connectivity in making sure that the web generation of computer products such as Chrome OS devices are a success. Because of this I’ve done a bit of coverage on wireless companies and how they play an important role.

Despite some of the conventional thinking out there that wireless operators are just “dumb pipes”, the reality is that they play an important role in the future of the mobile internet. No other companies out there have the infrastructure for us to connect to the web no matter where it is that we are.

We’re already seeing this phenomenon with smartphones, and those devices are always on their respective wireless network. The next evolutionary step is computers that are similarly connected through the wireless carriers.

Some have been concerned that Chrome OS will be problematic when there is no connectivity. I’d say we’ve already gotten over that technological roadblock with the vast rollout of next generation wireless technology that confronts this problem head-on.

I recently wrote that it may be Microsoft that is causing the delay for the Chrome Web Store and thus Chrome OS devices. It may also be the fact that manufacturers and wireless carriers are conflicted about whether they should use Android versus Chrome OS. To me, it seems that Chrome devices are going to need to be equipped with a wireless carriers’ transmitter in order to achieve an always-on capability.

If the speeds are up to par, then this would be an optimal choice compared to traditional broadband. Besides, who wants to deal with the extra networking components involved such as a modem and a router, as well as a limited range? I just want it to work all the time.

Webapps are going to need that ability and I’m sure that Google is very much aware of this. Wireless carriers should see this as an opportunity to increase their revenue through new services since the market is already saturated with cell phones.

It should be a win-win situation for all, don’t you think?

More Google TV weirdness.

Another Google TV promotion from Logitech. The launch is next month.

I don’t know how many installments Logitech is providing to advertise their Google TV Revue set top box, but here’s another one that was released recently. It seems as if there’s got to be some sort of story arc here somewhere. Check out part one here, and then part two if you’re interested.

This is the second installment of Logitech’s Google TV series of ads. Despite the consternation of some in the entertainment industry, Google TV will launch this fall with a set top box that runs Android with the Chrome browser.

New Omnibox and Infobar experimental APIs have been announced for the beta channel of Chrome, as well as a context menu API.

ConceivableyTech’s Wolfgang Gruener tries to hunt down hardware acceleration in Chrome 7.

Google’s idea of integrating Flash into Chrome is indeed resulting in users having the most current (and safest) version.

Interesting feature: the Google Mobile App for iPhone can now push notifications to the device.

Should the fragmentation of Android across device manufacturers and wireless carriers cause some concern?

Forbes.com blogger Elizabeth Woyke is reporting that Best Buy’s president of wireless Shawn Score plans on bringing the heat, tablet -style this Christmas season.

“Going into the holidays, we will make tablets a focus,“ Score said.”Like e-readers over the last couple years, we think customers will think of Best Buy for tablets and expect us to have the right ones.”

Yeah. Like e-readers. I don’t know if I agree that monochrome book replacements really have the same cachet as a multimedia tablet, but whatever. The fact of the matter is that there is going to be a wide selection of tablets showing up in the next few months, and we’ll see which one can stand up to the incumbent iPad.

Score declined to say what operating systems these tablets will have, perhaps maybe because he doesn’t even know, or maybe because they’re still trying to keep secret that there’s a Chrome OS tablet on the horizon. It’s hard to say at this point.

Android, Windows 7, webOS, Chrome OS and whatever a Blackberry tablet would run on are all possibilities. Best Buy is also expected to have a tablet at some point under their own brand, Rocketfish.