Ascii’d

Google make things that make our lives better, we get used to the new way of searching, communicating or sharing documents, and then those nice guys at Google go and make this things a little better.  Following the lead set by Offline Google Documents a couple of months back, Gmail is taking the step and going offline too.

Gmail had been my default for email for years now, and web based email has rarely held be back, but on that rare occassion that I can not get online, I would find myself craving an offline client for my emails, but now that drawback is being removed.

My offline gmail is yet to be active, but good things are being reported, and people seem to be happy.  I am particually curious to try “flakey connection mode” that allows you access to your email when you’re stealing you neighbors internet connection, or finding wireless hard to get.

Tech & Mobile app, email, gmail, offline

At 12.00 noon today, Barack Obama will sworn in as America’s 44th president, and the nations eyes will be upon him.  Millions of people have flocked to Washington DC to be part of history, and millions more will be glued to their TV’s - or their computer screens.

Today’s ceremony can be watched online too, the Presidential Inauguration Committee are streaming the event, and so are many other video and news sites.

Joost is my first choice for the ceremony, they also have a pre-party playlist to get you in the mood.

Fox News are offering chat alongside the live stream.  This is live throughout the day.

For iphone users, Ustream.tv are offering live streaming direct your handset.

For US based viewers, Hulu have an embed player that you can use on your own site.

Facebook and CNN will be joining hands to bring you the event, but they are not the only newscaster-social site that are joining hands today.  Current.tv and Twitter will be bringing you the show with live tweets from around the world.

CBS have it all too, including a schedule inauguration day events.

From 11.30am to 1.30pm, ABC will have an embed showing Obama’s swearing in.

Lists, Tech & Mobile 2009, 44th, inauguration, news, obama, politics, president, streaming

One hundred and thirty five years ago, Alexander Graham Bell changed the way we live. The telephone was invented, and every generation that has lived from that day, has taken the antiquate “Speaking Telegraph” and bettered it for their offspring. The manual telephone exchanged was replaced by direct dial, and the 80’s gave us voicemail and huge uncomfortable cordless handsets with a very short range.

With the late 1990’s, the internet came into play, and things started to change. The miraculous fax machine is now outdated, and cellular phones became commonplace, in fact, many of my own friends and family no longer have a traditional landline, relying on VOIP should they need a local number.

The ball set in motion by Bell has lead to one thing after another. We live in a day and age of mobile email, SMS and instant communication, even voice mail is considered to be technology of yesteryear.  Business cards of 2009 have email addresses, twitter usernames and Facebook is considered a business tool.

When our friends, family and co-workers expect us to be reachable 24/7, I am suprised it took until December 2008 for anyone to live tweet a plane crash (@2drinksbehind) or other national emergency. The internet is being bought to handsets faster than ever before, and the cellphone is no longer just a cellphone, it’s a camera, calendar, handheld computer and more.

Germany is pioneering the supermarket of the future, allowing customers to use their camera-phone to scan bar codes on their groceries, and the mobile network is starting to be seen as fair game by hardware and software companies too. 2008 was the year of the mobile, with the iphone become popular with users no matter their age or professional needs, the blackberry going touchscreen, and Google phones battling for their share of the market too.

Every couple of years I think to myself how far technology has come, and every time I do, I am setting myself up for surprise once again.  Evolution of this kind is fueled by the basic human need of companionship - and as I write this post, someone out there is writing code that will make the world a little bit smaller before the year is out.

Tech & Mobile android, blackberry, communication, google, iphone, twitter