When will software executives finally learn that speed of functionality will always trump bells and whistles. You’d think RedZee and SearchMe would already know this after the “we’ve got more glitz” Ask.com called it quits last week.
Build a better mouse trap, people — not a sexier one. Google is number one because it returns relevant results faster than others. It takes a lot more than good looks to be “cool.”
[via email. thanks, brooks!]
Ars Technica reports: “A new UK report on the habits of the ‘Google Generation’ finds that kids born since 1993 aren’t quite the Internet super-sleuths they’re sometimes made out to be. For instance, are teens better with technology than older adults? Perhaps, but they also ‘tend to use much simpler applications and fewer facilities than many imagine.’”
A Digg user responds: “Quite true — my youngest brother (14) is constantly asking me how to do this or that on his computer. Usually it’s quite simple, and the first thing I ask him is if he Googled it first. The answer is invariably ‘no.’ Kids are lazy, no matter when they were born.”
Google has released an updated version of Google Maps Mobile (2.0) that includes a “my location” feature in addition to the proven mapping goodness. The jerry rig GPS uses cell towers to approximate your positioning. I tried it on my Blackberry, and it was eight blocks off from my actual position — but still pretty good for my general vicinity. You’d be screwed in areas with zero cell phone service, but cool nonetheless. Here’s hoping accuracy increases once the application leaves beta.
Photo credit: GigaOm
Smooth Harold is a collection of thoughts by Blake Snow -- a video game critic and recovering web consultant living in beautiful Orem, Utah. The site covers a variety of topics including culture, entertainment, business, technology, journalism, sports, parenthood, and politics — kind of like a blogging General Store. Blake is married to a loving wife named Lindsey and is the father of two girls, Sadie and Madison. He can be reached by email.
A list of the top 10 articles on Smooth Harold (coming when I feel like updating the site).
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Smooth Harold is a collection of thoughts by Blake Snow -- a video game critic and recovering web consultant living in beautiful Orem, Utah. The site covers a variety of topics including culture, entertainment, business, technology, journalism, sports, parenthood, and politics -- kind of like a blogging General Store. Blake is married to a loving wife named Lindsey and is the father of two girls, Sadie and Madison.
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