Acer Aspire One

These are very cute laptops. they’re in the category of Netbooks..small, lightweight, cheap. The one I used was blue, they’re also available in white, black, red, brown and pink(!). Typical configuration is 1gb of ram and a 80-120gb hard drive. No optical disc built in but, ask yourself..do you need to carry one with you all the time? Remember, this is meant to be a second computer, so your primary machine would normally have a DVD/CD reader/burner. The Aspire One also has multiple USB ports, a multimedia slot for memory cards, Wifi (802.11G).

For approximately $349.00 you’ve got a great computer for the Web,  listening to music, watching videos and email.

Google’s New Browser “Chrome”

Just when you thought the browser wars were going to be a battle between Internet Explorer and Firefox, Google has entered the fray. Their new browser matches the lean design asthetic from google.com. The interface is so minimalist, there isn’t even a home button. But while Chrome has surprisingly few obvious options on the screen it has a lot of power below the surface. I won’t go into the technical details of how Google took a new approach with Chrome, there’s a very informative guide to that available in the form of a comic book. Here are a few initial observations of the browser:

• Feels Fast
• Has a fresh and modern interface design that maximizes usable screen real estate
• Brings Browser to 2008 instead of 1998.
• Incognito mode allows you to surf anonymously
• Font site can be adjusted, but it doesn’t support Opera’s screen magnification feature

It’s a free download, so try it out.

New Web Addresses On The Way

ICANN, the international authority that regulates the creation and use of domains on the Internet has opened up the system. According to the new rules, any company, organization or country will be able to apply for a new TLD (top level domain).

A Review:

• Top level domain: .com
• Second level domain: digitalblade.com
• Third level domain: www.digitalblade.com (or something else like “m” which is a popular third level domain for the mobile version of many websites)

Some of the earliest domains that could be reserved for use on the Internet included: .com, .net, .org, and .edu. New TLD’s such as .info and .mobi were introduced by ICANN after a lengthy review process. The new system would allow for an entity to buy a TLD and then sell the second level domains. An example would be the purchase of .perfume. Interested companies would then be able to purchase “perfume name here.perfume” similar to the process of buying “perfume name here.com.”

Personally, I question the value of the new system. The more extensions, the more confusing the system will become. Most users currently assume that an address will end in a .com, hence the value of that extension.

Let’s propose that a company buys a new TLD “.real” for real estate agents. And you, frustrated that “yourname.com” is already registered, register “yourname.real.” What do you think the chances are that a person driving by a listing will think your website is at “yourname.com” by the time they get back home and boot their computer? Better to be creative and register “creativephrase.com.”

A resource I find useful for registering domains is instantdomainsearch.com which does a real time search for domains as you type them in.

iPhone 2.0

Steve Jobs announced a new iPhone today. Sleeker, faster and cheaper than the prior version. One of the biggest changes has nothing to do with the phone. Apple has changed its financial relationship with the carriers. They will not have to share their monthly revenue with Apple, this will allow them to subsidize the new phone for end users as they currently do for most of their other phones. Apple’s plan is that the iPhone will become a mass market item that will propel sales of their computers.

Other changes:

• It supports 3G networks – though it will cost you more to use it (EDGE is a bit pokey, but it’s cheap).
• GPS support – new apps take advantage of interactive maps.
• Longer battery life – This is an accomplishment considering that 3G uses more power.

Verizon Buys Alltel

Verizon wireless buying Alltel which will create the largest wireless carrier in the U.S with 71 million subscribers. Total cost is $28.1 billion.