Throw your hard drive away, Google’s Gdrive is arriving!!

Search engine giant Google will soon launch a service that would enable users to access their personal computer from any internet connection making the desktop computer virtually redundant, predict technology experts.

The GDrive system will merge Google’s all existing web-based services to make them easier to use together. It could kill off the desktop computer, which relies on a powerful hard drive. Instead a user’s personal files and operating system could be stored on Google’s own servers and accessed via the internet.

“Throw your hard drive away, Google’s Gdrive is arriving in 2009,” the Telegraph quoted TG Daily, an American technology news website, as predicting.

The GDrive would make it possible to access and update information like emails, photographs, music, documents and spreadsheets from any device with an internet connection.

The novel system is being described as “cloud computing”, wherein the web rather than the hard drive is used as the place where information is stored. Google experts are said to have begun convincing the world of its benefits.

It is believed that the GDrive could “cause a major paradigm shift in how we use computers and bring Google one step closer to dethroning Windows on your desktop”.

However, there are some who think that trusting Google with so much personal or commercial data is dangerous, for information may not be as safe in the cloud as it is in a computer.

Peter Brown, of the Free Software Foundation charity, said: “Does it matter to you that someone can see everything on your computer? Does it matter that Google can be subpoenaed at any time to hand over all your data to the American government?”

A Google spokesman refused to confirm whether the GDrive launch was imminent.

Sony Ericsson W508 Walkman with "Shake and Gesture"

This clamshell, which is a bit of a departure for Walkman devices, features quad-band GSM and single-band HSDPA, and a W508a variant that has quad-band GSM and triple-band HSDPA for our shores. Other notables include a 3.2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, video calling, and Exchange Activesync for some enterprise mail access. 

In addition to Sony Ericsson's Walkman features SensMe and TrackID, the W508 also includes "Shake and Gesture" control that allows users to skip tracks with a flick of the hand or move the hand above to mute an incoming call or put the alarm clock on snooze without touching it. The W508 offers changeable Style-Up covers, so that users can change the mobile phone with their moods. It also has a 3.2 megapixel camera, HSDPA and 1GB M2 card.

The handset itself is a pretty standard flip, the keys are definitely not our favorite, but the screen is pure glory, job well done SE. The W508 is shipping in both Metal Grey and Poetic White with 4 sets of Style-up covers per color choice some time in Q2 2009.

Here comes iPod Touch Killer

Most Apple aficionados would be hard-pressed to say that any player out there can really challenge the elegantly simplistic iPod Touch in the style department, but if there’s one that’s up to the challenge, it might be Cowon’s upcoming Curve S9. From the glinting chrome trim on its sides and the gentle arc of its rear panel, to the expansive 3.3-inch OLED screen on its face that melds seamlessly into the rest of its body, it’s clear that Cowon spent some serious time tweaking this thing for style, and we think it may be ready to topple the Cupertino giant.

The choice of materials on the S9 may bear some passing resemblance to its Apple competitor, but Cowon has also set it apart in a few distinct ways. Most significantly, the curved back plays with dimensions in a way few manufacturers have thought to try so far. The arc draws the eye away from the player’s plain rectangular top profile and more to the side, where the player looks like a sliver shaved off an enormous wheel of chrome. It’s simple, smooth, and – we expect – should reduce the pocket-poke-through factor of a traditional brick-like design.

 

Image Courtesy of Cowon

 

The S9’s display also stands out as a high point in its engineering. Though MP3 players (and car stereos, along with plenty of other gizmos) have harnessed monochrome OLED displays before, Cowon will be one of the first manufacturers to use the technology the same way TV manufacturers are beginning to – as a huge, full color display for video. Though it’s a hair smaller than Apple’s 3.5 incher, the S9’s OLED display should boast superior color reproduction, viewing angle and response speed, the same way OLED televisions like Sony’s XEL-1 do when stacked up against LCD and plasma competitors.

Inside, the S9 gets more computational fortitude than yesterday’s laptops from a dual-core 500MHz CPU, and the feature-set to match, including a full Flash-based user interface, music, movie, picture and document capabilities, and even TV output. There’s also an accelerometer for games and other possibilities like gesture-based controls, plus Cowon’s feature-laden JetEffect equalizer, dynamic dictionary, Bluetooth, FM tuner, voice recorder, and T-DMB digital TV capability for regions that support it.

The OLED display also saves energy, extending battery life to a whopping 40 hours. And the touch-screen isn’t the cheap resistive type you find on most players, it’s capacitive, like the one on the iPod Touch, which allows for better clarity and more accurate input.

Ocarina - Turn your iphone into a flute!!

Ocarina is the first true musical instrument created for the iPhone. Both experts and beginners will be amazed by this innovative player. Ocarina is sensitive to your breath, touch and movements, making it even more versatile than the original. Unlike other musical applications, there are no pre-compiled riffs so musicians will find unlimited opportunities for self-expression. Advanced options allow you to choose between diatonic, minor and harmonic scales. Or channel your favorite video game adventurer with Smule's Zeldarian mode.

Like most Smule products, Ocarina is a social application. Tap on the globe icon and you will see and hear other Ocarina players throughout the world. The globe view will highlight the source of the music. Rate your favorite performances so that others may benefit from your judgment. Name your Ocarina if you want listeners around the world to identify your performances. With this robust application beautiful music is created, appreciated and shared.

For inspiration and material for your next gig (or just to bug the guy in the next cubicle), visit Smule's Sheet Music Forum to share in the community and view scores ranging from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TIme, to Amazing Grace. Check it out!

In the Ocarina Forums, share your music, videos and performance tips, or find answers to your questions by members of our amazing ocarina.smule.com community.

Play The Ocarina

• Blow into your microphone to play music


• Hold down combinations of holes to change pitch


• Tilt your phone to change vibrato rate and depth


• Advanced users can change keys and modes, including C-Major and the new Zeldarian mode

Hear Melodies from Around the World

• Tap the globe icon to hear Smule Ocarina players from around the world


• Show love for your favorite melodies and listen to most loved melodies

Record and Share Your Melodies

• Manually or automatically record your melodies while you're playing


• Share your melodies with friends and family over email right from your phone


• Archive and display your melodies on your own "My Ocarina" webpage