There has been quite a furor in the blogging world. (Source: Steve Rubel)

Apparently, Google, rather, their new updated toolbar, is the latest in the news after its controversial Autofill feature for supposed world domination.

After this dies down, Google might give in, it might not. But what do the masses (read: technologically challenged) care? Millions will download and install the toolbar and most probably think it’s ‘really neat’ the way Google renders maps and all that. (See my earlier post). Most won’t even know that they have been manipulated.

And supposing if they do change the feature, this won’t stop others from creating similar features in their own toolbars.

Frankly, even I don’t care. I don’t like toolbars and I don’t like any clutter on my already sparse desktop real estate. Installing any of Google Tools, or for that matter, any of the utility tools that run incessantly in the background is a strain on the CPU and memory. Already, the antivirus software eats up most of the processor and I won’t want any additional drain.

So until they come up with a tool that is truly useful, I won’t install it. I would rather spend some extra time doing the things I want in the traditional way.

Genuinely, what is it that you can’t do without these gimmicks?

An update:

Was checking out Microsoft.com/potential, since I was intrigued by their much publicised ad.

There, they have this amazing flash demo that imagines some scenarios in the future where their products would be used. (The tablet PC looks really cool…)

I was surprised to see the Creative’s Portable Media Player that I mentioned in my prev. post in one of those videos. In fact, I even found a video (good one, this too) that features this player quite extensively.

I guess MS guys have some kind of a tie up with the Creative folks.

That also might explain how Gates happens to use their portable music player. (Source: Article on Brij’s link blog).

 

It certainly is a small world.

Privacy advocates rejoice!
Here's a new way to stop scanners from reading your tags. Jamming tags from RSA Security!

You’ve heard of iPod. You’ve also heard about iPod Shuffle.

How about iRadio? Motorola’s soon to be launched service seems to be the next step towards listening to music. Apple’s iPod Shuffle seems to be a good stopgap. I surely would want one to bridge the time between now and till I get an iPod Photo. (I am desperately missing a player to listen to songs while I commute anywhere. I am hoping that either I get sent somewhere or that the device gets sent to me …somehow.)

Though, if you want to buy the iPod Shuffle, you’ll have to wait for quite some time…it’s out of stock almost everywhere.

Meanwhile, in the audiovisuals market, we are seeing a lot of activity happening. Television sets were predicted to be doomed. Not in the near future. With Mediabolic’s new Net Media Player, you can bring anything digital to your TV set (source: Wired).

Combine that with these really cool portable video players, and you have an experience of a lifetime…at least for the first few days. I really liked the design of the Creative’s Portable Media Center and I guess devices like that will start to proliferate as time passes. Already, competing products like RCA’s Lyra Jukebox and iRiver’s PMP-120 are available with some differences like file formats and displays etc.

Add TiVo’s to the mix (Haven’t heard of it? See the demo…it’s too good), and you’re off… It has upcoming competitors, but it will only make it better.

 

Exciting times ahead, won’t you say? How much exciting, only time will tell…no, wait. Brendan Walker will do it for you!

You must have heard of Google Maps, if not actually seen it. (Well, if you haven’t, you definitely should….how about NOW?)

These guys are surely something! They have taken Mies van der Rohe’s “God is in the details” rather seriously.

(I would be careful if I were them… anti trust cases are too much to handle these days, you know!)

After you have viewed the source, and agreed that it’s much simpler than that of GMail (which no one can make a head or tail out of – save, the guys who made it, and that too after unobfuscating!) you might be still wondering how could something be as fundamentally simple yet so complicated at the same time.

I did too… but not for long. I found that Joel Webber was already waaaaay ahead.

He explains in intricate details how the system works on his blog. It also has a link to explaining bookmarklets to another page which in turn is a treasure trove of links to Google resources. So does zmarties, who incidentally has a lot of other info on Google.

 

And finally, if you want to be up to date on what Google guys are up to, bookmark their common blog.