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Google on Tuesday announced its long rumored cloud storage service, Google Drive, to augment the ever growing cloud computing adoption.  Cloud computing as means of increasing capacity without investing in new infrastructure has become the 'Holy Grail' of modern enterprises, but given the substantial fear of data security and up-time services had posed stumbling blocks on the overall adoption.

Google Drive comes as a direct integration to Google Docs, allowing easy file sharing amongst users. Now, you can work with others in real time on spreadsheet, documents, and presentation. Google's long absence in the 'office collaboration tool' space championed by Microsoft has finally been covered by the new service. The sharing functionality has been brought over direct from Docs, and also integrated to its social network, Google+ with an option of public sharing.

The public file sharing feature also available on SkyDrive (Microsoft's Cloud Storage service), but lacking in Dropbox, seems most appealing. These alternative cloud services, however, invariably falls-short on the security offered on Google Drive.

Google Drive also recognizes text in scanned documents using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology, search by keyword and filter by file type. The image recognition allows you to drag and drop photos into Drive, and later search for the photo. Regardless to platform, blind users can access Drive with a screen reader.

Google Drive as an open platform affords developers the opportunity to contribute to the overall service.

The service comes with free 5GB space for users, whilst users have the option to upgrade to 25GB at $2.49/month, 100GB at $4.99/month, or 1TB at $49.99/month. Google promises an eventual integration of the service to Gmail, allowing users to attach items of media direct from their email to Drive.  

Can Google Drive Turn The Game?

Google debuted Fusion Tables in mid 2009 as a research tool to explore and visualize large data set. Data Visualization in concept, implies displaying important data in a graphical format for actionable group research  purposes or individual usage.

The art of data visualization is becoming somewhat popular nowadays, with the term Infographics (Information Graphics) as a case-in-point. But, how average internet users can utilize this latest trend in information storage and retrieval systems remains the overriding interest.

Infographics present complex information in a clear and concise format, such as maps, signs and graphs. And these information presentation mode is increasingly becoming the standard for modern Media, as it's commonly used to show weather reports, general maps, and graphs for statistical data. 

Google is also pushing to popularize the information system, as is evidence in its just concluded Technology and Journalism Conference, where it announced more enhancements to the Data Visualization search tool.

The new features include a checklist from which users can select subsets of the different data and see how their combination in a map or chart will be. Also included are tabs that can be used to compare the different results to see which is best. Fusion Tables also presents new format for displaying data, with a network graph for displaying relationships in a social network.

The Fusion Tables API affords developers the chance to test-run the search tool, with the capability that can return data in JSON (an acronym for JavaScript Object Notation), making it easier to manipulate with JavaScript, allowing tables, maps, and graphs to be modified using RESTful programing.

Fusion Tables: Data Visualization

MySQL is the database technology employed by Twitter in rendering its users data, which comprises: timeline, users tweets and interest graph. Twitter Engineering blog announced on Monday that the micro-blogging platform has now open-sourced its MySQL works on GitHub under the BSD license.

Albeit, MySQL is an open-source software, clients have the ability to tweak and change it. Twitter's numerous tweaks to the database technology is now open for the MySQL community to contribute to improve the overall service.

Jeremy Cole and Davi Arnaut, Twitters Developers, in the blog post stressed the points that the company 'believes in sharing knowledge and that open source facilitate innovations'.

And furthermore, mentioned sharing its work with upstream and downstream MySQL vendors, with a goal to improving the community.

Twitter plans to disclose more information on the MySQL project at the Percona Live MySQL Conference and Expo on April 12th, in Santa Clara, California.

Twitter MySQL Goes Open-Source

Mac OS X users have got something to worry about. Earlier in the week, a Russian Internet Security Company, Dr. Web announced some findings about a new Trojan BackDoor.Flashback, which is fast spreading on PCs running Mac OS X, contrary to claims by some experts that the OS is currently not under any security threats.

Flashback botnets, have already gulped about 300,000 machines in the U.S and Canada alone. And the spread statistics is alarming considering the mode of transmission via traffic distribution systems.

The BackDoor.Flashback Trojan has been confirmed by Kaspersky Lab, with the latest variant termed, Trojan-Dowloader.OSX.Flashfake.ab.

The confirmation report indicates that, "Flashfake is distributed through infected websites as Java Applet that disguises as an update for Adobe Flash Player, with the main component being a Trojan-Downloader that continuously connects to its command-and-control servers, while its awaits new components for execution".

Although, Apple's Mac had been the target of major malwares as a result of its growing popularity, this current attack is perhaps the largest so far.

Apple, however, has declined to comment on the latest findings, but hinted that a patch will follow in the upcoming version of the OS due this summer.

Also, the company revealed a future plan to tackle such security threats by a feature it called Gatekeeper, billed to be introduced in the next version. The tool will among other things ensure that developers register with Apple, and users have the option to keep their computers from installing software that has not been duly registered.

Flashback Botnet: Mac OS X Targeted

Microsoft Windows 7 marked a revolutionary point in the company's incursion into the mobile web cum Smartphones and Tablet markets. The iconic touch-screen technology introduced in the ace OS is what is still driving the wider adoption of the Windows mobile platform.

Now, Windows 7 success has even shifted to embracing the company's browser, Internet Explorer. According to a March Analytics report on browser performances by NetMarketShare, IE9 recorded a marginal increase in market share against Firefox and Chrome Browsers contrary to its declining trend.

Microsoft's IE9 market share for the month went from 52.84% up to 53.83%, which translated to a gain of 0.99% share.

The analytics report in terms of desktop usage, posted Google Chrome on 18.57% from 18.90% share, while Mozilla Firefox went from 20.92% down to 20.55% share.

The worldwide metrics gain for Microsoft, albeit, considering its heavily-pushed promotions, points to the Windows 7 successes. And perhaps, given the already spread hype on the next version of the OS, Windows 8, may carry-on in the coming months.

However, the intensity of upgrades and innovations across Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome browsers may present a more credible challenge. Microsoft indeed, has got a whole lot to prove in other to win back users trust, mostly on security considerations.

Browser Wars: IE9 Gains On Windows 7

Google's video sharing platform, YouTube, has been a center of incessant lawsuits from aggrieved individuals as most people are featured in videos by users without their consent or express approval. The terrific media platform has thereby suffered continuous criticism from various Privacy Advocacy Groups.

YouTube's director of communications and policy, Victoria Grand, has hinted on the inclusion of a new technology that will enable users to blur the faces of people in videos, as the case may be, allowing users to edit the videos so that a complainants face is blurred.

The face blurring tool will serve as additional privacy control option on the video sharing platform, as critics had argued for the possibility of concealing the faces of individuals in questionable instances.

Google had earlier demonstrated the image blurring technology capability in dealing with aggrieved parties in its Street View Images Controversy. 

The enhancement to video editing tool to blur faces may be coming to YouTube in the next few months, so users are hereby enjoined to avail themselves of the new privacy tool when uploading videos that may generate controversy.

YouTube Privacy: Blur Faces In Video

The extent of tracking users on the mobile platform has been a great privacy challenge, with the latest location-based technologies, there seems to be no feasible sign of containing the exploit. And coupled with the growing need of monetizing the social networking platforms on mobile application, the exploit may even take a more intrusive nature.

Mozilla is reportedly working on an open-source operating system for tablet devices and smartphones that will support its revolutionary "Do Not Track" feature on mobile.

The OS is code-named 'Boot to Gecko (B2G), and based on the Linux kernel. Also referred to as 'Open Web Devices Platform' - the Linux-based mobile OS, still in early developmental stage, is billed to introduce comparative privacy standard to the Mobile Web.

B2G will be overtly web-centric, bringing the full flavor of the web to the mobile platforms. All B2G apps will be live online (web apps), accessible directly instead of downloading to the device.

Privacy and security will be built from the foundation up, unlike the conventional mobile-app system whereby a single vendor controls all available apps, Boot to Gecko, will support multi-platforms and vendors applications.

The 'Do Not Track' option helps maintain privacy only when the concerned developer updated its app to respect the security user-demand. And unfortunately, there is wanting the legislation to compel all developers to comply with the 'Do Not Track' command.

However, the fact that Mozilla had envisioned a project built on security and privacy as a basic architecture, maintaining open all aspects of the design and implementation is rather more user-centric than just plausible. So, the call goes to all mobile web users, practice 'Safe Browsing'.

Mobile Web: Next Privacy Call

Google has launched a new service to replace the Android Market Place. The service is called Google Play, and among other things, it promises to bring virtual fun to the mobile experience according to the company blog, as the hassles of endless syncing across mobile devices is now eliminated.

Google Play, is duped a digital entertainment center, a place where you share music, movies and apps on the web, as well as on your Android devices. It's entirely Cloud based, bringing the mobility advantage to users, either on your PC or on smartphones.

The new service incorporate, Google Music, Android Market and Google eBook Store as one service. The Android Market will be upgraded to Google Play in the countries where the service is available in the coming days according to Google.

Android has proven a great platform as it now accounts for the major mobile browser share ahead of Opera Mini according to a recent StatCounter Analytics.

The celebration tagged '7 Days To Play' promises making the service for users in the U.S. and Canada available for a special discount price with assorted music titles, movies and eBooks. Google's long time goal is to continue rolling out credible services across the platform.

Enter Google Play

The emerging web standard, HTML5 is generating an intense debate as to the inclusion of copy-protection as proposed by its leading advocates: Google, Netflix and Microsoft Corp. Hypertext Markup Language, HTML5, which has revolutionized web content creation, making it possible to include streaming video and audio to web pages lacks mechanism for Digital Rights Management (DRM).

The web contents DRM is an encryption mechanism which permits only authorized access to video and audio. It invariably prevents unauthorized usage and distribution of web contents.

Adobe Flash Player, is an example of platforms that support DRM and copy protection, whereby commercial web video industries employ it through browser plug-in to protect their contents. But, how the open standard can effectively implement such mechanism without infringing on the pros of the popular technology remains a daunting task.

The staunch editor of the HTML standard, Ian Hickson, has completely opposed the move and stated categorically that the proposal is "unethical and should not be pursued", according to a W3C mailing list.

The obvious reason for the push for the proposal by leading web technologies is the rate at which commercial TV and video companies throng to the World Wide Web Consortium. And developers on the contrary have stressed the difficulties in coding video and audio tag as HTML does not support content protection.

The MegaUpload web portal law suit for infringement on copy-righted materials is a case in point for arguments in favor of the proposal.

But, would the HTML5 video copy protection, not in effect bring-up the enthroning of browser plug-in all over again?

HTML5: Proposed Copy Protection

The buzz is all over the web, and perhaps, Pinterest has got the drive to take-on Facebook advances after all. This post, however, is not another social network wars stuff, but rather a research into the innovations that has made the new entrant unique. As stressed earlier, it's not the name behind the brand, but availability of user-engaging functionality that spells success in the social sphere.

The project started around December 2009, with the actual closed-beta service commencing March 2010. And, which till date is still an invitation only service.

Pinterest is unique from the fact that it has reinvented the 'image worth's more than a thousand words ideology', as pioneered by David Galbraith's Project Wist in 2005. Albeit, the social web phenomena has not taken-off, which may be the reason for the project's failure.

Pinterest is simply put as a 'visual bulletin board', bringing the beauty and power of images to live to convey specific message on the social platform. It is more related to Twitter in functions, and employs similar terminologies: Pin (is an image uploaded on Pinterest), Repin (is the equivalent of retweet), while Board (is a collection of pins).

There are varied interests and topic boards which are open for users to follow, and that reflects the updates on the home screen. Each image board contain items of media, known as pin, which may be a picture, video or related media stuff.

Pinterest, similar to other social networks, allows a user to follow the activities of other users, receiving updates on the Homepage through 'Pin Feed'. And the high point of the service, is perhaps, the ability to convey a vivid picture of events as in wedding, than words can relay, more reason the feminine folks are trooping en masse.

Pinterest: Reinventing The Social Wheel

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