iPhone home with new Interface

Google on Wednesday announced the release of a new interface to enable iPhone users to navigate Google's various services through a unified interface.

When iPhone users visit the Google site using the Safari browser on their iPhone, they'll find a navigation bar that lets them switch between Google Search, Gmail, Calendar, Reader and other services.

Google says they're using browser technologies like Asynchronous Javascript and XML (AJAX) to accomplish the feat. iPhone users are redirected to a different URL -- http://www.google.com/m -- when they first visit the site. Users can opt for the new interface or for the "classic" view using a hyperlink on the home page

Google's iPhone home screen makes services such as Gmail, Calendar, and Reader more accessible through the use of Ajax menu tabs.
In another of many recent mobile-oriented announcements, Google (NSDQ: GOOG) on Wednesday rolled out a new interface that provides iPhone users with a more intuitive way to access Google's online services.
In a blog post, Steve Kanefsky, a software engineer for Google's mobile team, explains that he began to redesign Google's home page for iPhone users after the iPhone launched to make better use of its touch screen, Wi-Fi, and Safari browser.

"I started thinking about how to use Ajax technology to improve Google on the iPhone," Kanefsky said. "I set out to create an application that would preload my favorite Google products and allow me to switch between them instantly. I wanted Web results as well as image, local, and news results without having to repeat my search. I wanted to check Gmail and my news feeds in Google Reader without having to load a new page every time. I also wanted Google Suggest to save me time typing queries on the virtual keyboard."

Following internal testing at Google, the new interface now appears to iPhone users who visit google.com.

Beyond a design better suited to the iPhone's screen, the new interface makes Google services like Gmail, Calendar, and Reader more accessible and responsive through the use of Ajax menu tabs.

There's also a More tab that leads to other Google services such as Docs, GOOG-411, SMS, News, Photos, Blogger, and Notebook.

Judging by the supportive nature of the comments posted on the Official Google Mobile Blog about the new changes, the net result of the redesign appears likely to be happier users and greater use of Google services through mobile phones.

OLPC initiative for developing contries

Microsoft Corp. said that it will field test an inexpensive laptop PC for developing nations being championed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nicholas Negroponte.it plans to conduct field trials in January of Windows XP running on the One Laptop Per Child XO laptop.

The XO laptop ships with a Linux operating system and is meant to be a low-cost machine available to people who live in countries with developing economies. Earlier this year, Microsoft launched its Unlimited Potential program, which allows governments to buy a US$3 software bundle designed for students, a move that some observers said would compete with the OLPC initiative.

Looking beyond the OLPC to other small PCs that use flash storage, Microsoft said it plans to publish design guidelines early in 2008 to assist flash-based device makers in building machines that will support Windows.


Microsoft's plans mark a step closer by the software company to a project initially billed as an alternative to computers based on Microsoft's technology. Mr. Negroponte had originally envisioned his One Laptop Per Child project to populate the world with $100 computers that ran Linux software, a rival to Microsoft's Windows.

But Mr. Negroponte's project has fallen far below his initial expectations, in part because of higher costs of the laptop and cheap machines from Intel Corp and Microsoft.

Microsoft in a statement said it is trying to rework Windows XP to run on Mr. Negroponte's computer, called the XO laptop. The company for the first time outlined challenges it says it faces in making the software work on the machine. Included in those challenges is that XO for uses a small amount of semiconductor-based memory for storage instead of a hard drive. Windows is designed for computers with hard drives.

James Utzschneider, general manager of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Group said the company will test the Windows-based XO laptops starting January 2008 in the U.S., India and possibly Romania. Depending on the outcome of the trials, Windows XP for the computers could be available as early as the second half of 2008, he said.

"We want Windows to run on the XO and we are investing significant energy and talent," Mr. Utzschneider said. Still, he said the Windows XO machine will have to pass muster before Microsoft supports it for volume use. "We really want to make sure we have a quality experience before we make commitment to governments."

Such programs are tricky ground for Microsoft, which depends on sales of Windows for the bulk of its revenue and profits. Growth of cheap PCs that run lower-priced software or cut-rate versions of Windows could one day hamper sales of the latest, and pricier, version of Windows. Microsoft Wednesday said it had no plans to offer a version of Windows for the XO for retail purchase in North America.

Microsoft in recent years has created its own programs for bring inexpensive Windows PCs to developing countries, offering stripped-down versions of the machines that can be sold cheaply. Intel meanwhile, is promoting its own low-cost PC called the Classmate.