Google Instant Speeds Mobile Search — If You’ve Got the Bandwidth
Google Instant on a PC browser has always been a clever idea in search of a use case. With the new mobile beta for Android and iOS, the search giant has found its first.
“Wouldn’t it be great to have Google Instant on mobile devices, where each keystroke and page load is much slower and you frequently have just a moment to find the information you need?” writes Google engineer Steve Kanefsky.
Indeed. With fast hands and a full QWERTY keyboard, the time between typing “Google Instant” and “Google Ins” is minimal. On a non-PC keyboard like a phone, e-reader or remote control, it’s considerable.
To activate the beta, you need to be running Android 2.2 (Froyo) or iOS. Then go to google.com in your mobile browser and tap the Google Instant “Turn on” link beneath the search box.
The only trouble with Google Instant on mobile devices is the net connection. Google Instant works by making server calls with each stroke. To even make it work in a mobile browser, google had to create a new AJAX and HTML5 implementation to dynamically update the page with new results.
On a good Wi-Fi network, that’s no big deal. On 3G, it’s not a major problem. On (gasp) EDGE, it can actually make search much, much slower.
“With Google Instant on mobile, we’re pushing the limits of mobile browsers and wireless networks,” Kanefsky writes. “Since the quality of any wireless connection can fluctuate, we’ve made it easy to enable or disable Google Instant without ever leaving the page. Just tap the ‘Turn on’ or ‘Turn off’ link.”
See Also:
Climbers Can Now Make 3G Calls From Mount Everest
You know the ultimate test of mans survival is becoming a tourist trap when you can make a 3G video call from its lofty summit. Nepalese firm Ncell has installed 3G towers on the top of Mount Everest, allowing those so inclined to whip out the old iPhone and make a few calls from the top. The coverage, which ends at the summit but is situated at 17,000 meters (ten miles) in the air, allows for regular phone and video connectivity with the outside world.
Before the 3G install, hikers could only make voice calls. Sadly, the iPhone 4 still won’t support Facetime over 3G, even from near the cusp of space.
With all eyes on WWDC, AT&T makes some changes to their plans and lineup. Again.
It’s official, AT&T has sold out of the 8GB iPhone 3G. But that’s not as exciting as the clue provided to us by AT&T about its replacement and the iPad’s soon-to-be-dead unlimited plan.
Major Cable Providers To Share Wi-Fi Networks
Internet customers in the tri-state region will be delighted to hear that three of the biggest providers – Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner – just announced a deal to share Wi-Fi networks between each other.
If you are, for example, a Time Warner user in New York, you will now be able to connect to any of the thousands of Wi-Fi access points all over the city. Simply use your existing login info, free of any additional costs, regardless of which cable provider operates it.
“Cable providers interconnecting Wi-Fi services so customers can roam freely across networks is an extremely meaningful development,” John Bickham, president of cable operations at Cablevision, said in a statement.
For now, this is limited to customers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. But there’s hope it may be extended to other areas.
“This agreement is the first of its kind, and, we believe, the first of many,” said Bickham.
The real significance of the deal is the possibility that such agreements could cover an entire area, thus allowing us to walk around and use Wi-Fi instead of 3G on our smartphones and tablets.
It’s not the first time the Wi-Fi market in that region has undergone a certain amount of liberalization. Less than a month ago, Time Warner Cable announced that New York cable customers would be able to join any of its Wi-Fi hotspots for free, using their Road Runner login information.
But the new Time Warner, Cablevision and Comcast deal dwarfs that and turns New York City into one giant hotspot. Unless you’re using AT&T and Verizon, that is. Hopefully, the trend will continue beyond these three states and providers.
(Photo: nicolasnova / Flickr )
Posted: April 16th, 2010
at 8:15pm by Miran Pavic
Topics: 3G, Cablevision, Time Warner, Wireless, Wireless Tech, comcast, connectivity, sharing, wi fi
The Wi-Fi iPad’s Dealbreaker: No GPS
After several hours with an iPad today, the app I was most mesmerized with was Maps. One word: Wow.
When showing off the iPad to others, the Maps app consistently made people’s jaws drop (even more so than the Marvel Comics app, which I also find pretty magical), and rightly so. Never have I seen such a fast, intuitive piece of technology for geographical navigation. That’s exactly how mapping software should be: immediately responsive and easy to use to keep up with you on the road.
For that reason alone, to me the lack of GPS in the Wi-Fi iPad is a dealbreaker.
When writing Wired.com’s iPad buyer’s guide, I highlighted the 32-GB iPad 3G as our top pick, listing the inclusion of GPS as one of the key points. But now that I’ve spent a good deal of time with an iPad, I’m confident to say that that distinction alone should be enough to get you sold on the 3-G iPad, especially if you’re the type who travels or commutes, even if only occasionally.
You might think, “Just how would an iPad fit in as a navigator? It’s way bigger than most GPS devices.” That’s why it’d work. You’ll no longer have to pan all over the place and squint at a map to get a clear visualization of your route: It’s all nicely laid out in the map on the 9.7-inch display.
The fact it’s so easy to use is another big factor. Imagine going on a road trip and handing the iPad to a person in the passenger seat and asking him or her to look up directions. I’m willing to bet that even without ever using an iPad, any passenger will be able to launch the Maps app and look up directions within a few seconds.
The Street View mode is even more impressive. Tap the marker of a location and it immediately zooms in and shows a panoramic view (as pictured above), which you can rotate 360 degrees, giving you a visual of your destination.
Speed, ease of use and comprehensiveness: These elements add up to the convenience we’ve always wanted from a GPS device that no one has delivered until now. Today I bought the Wi-Fi iPad for the Wired office — but for me personally, I can wait for the 3-G iPad, which comes out late April.
See Also:
- The iPad Arrives: The Wait is Over (And Wasn’t Bad)
- Roundup: The First Reviews of Apple’s iPad
- Wired.com Buyer’s Guide: Choose the Right iPad
Photo: Brian X. Chen/Wired
Posted: April 3rd, 2010
at 11:02pm by Brian X. Chen
Topics: 3G, Apple, Media Players, Navigation, gps, ipad, maps, wi fi
