Google Chrome Doesn't Trust Google Mail

So today I opened up Chrome (Google's web browser) and went to check my email at gmail.com. This is what came up:

Google's browser doesn't trust Google's email? That's odd.

Google Storage At Cutrate Prices? Very, very tempting...

via pcworld.com

I'm an avid user of Google service. Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Reader, Blogger--and even the now defunct Google Notebook. The only thing I'm not using? Picasaweb, which is Google's answer to online photo storage and sharing.

Don't get me wrong. I love the Picasa desktop application--especially now that it offers facial recognition and easy geotagging support. And the way it integrates with your photos on Picasaweb--it's just sublime.

Despite all that, I'm a full-on Flickr user. I put everything on there. Outtakes, short videos, scans, you name it. The site says I have 19,590 items posted at this moment. Flickr makes it quite easy to upload and share (or not share) your photos with whomever you please. And it's a snap to organize things however you like. Plus, it offers unlimited storage--and unlimited uploads--for a mere $25/year.

So why Flickr instead of Picasaweb? Up until now, the main issue has been cost. I have far more photos than can be contained in the free 1GB limit imposed by Google. And purchasing 10 more GB cost $20--again, far short of my storage needs. I estimate I would need at least 40 GB, which need will only grow over time, and I'm not prepared to drop $40/year or more on that.

This week, that all changed. Google drastically reduced its storage price to $5 per year of 20GB storage.

I would require the 80GB plan, which costs only $20/year--and that would last a good while before needing even more space.

I am truly tempted to migrate my photos from Flickr to Picasaweb--except that

1) Despite my love of Google products, I'm quite happy with Flickr;

2) it would be a HUGE pain to move all the photos over; and

3) my annual storage needs will undoubtedly continue to rise, eventually pushing me over the 80GB limit, at which time I would need to purchase 200GB at a cost of $50/year. Which, despite the cut-rate cost per GB, is still too much for me to consider.

Five years from now, I very well may have 100GB of photos stored on Flickr, and unless Flickr doubles its rates between now and then, I'll still be paying less than I would on Picasaweb.

All that aside, I may still pay Google $5/year for an extra 20GB of storage. After all, the limit applies to all Google services--including Google Docs, on which I'm amassing quite a few PDFs and Word documents. To say nothing of my ever-growing email archive.

Summary: Great job, Google, for providing an awesome storage option! I just won't be purchasing any today.

Ugh! Google Cuts Services

What a bummer. I frequently use both Google Notebook and Google Video, both of which are being discontinued in coming weeks and months.

I have a lot of clips stored on Google Notebook. Thankfully, they will still be available for the indefinite future; Google is simply ceasing further development of the app.

Google Video will also continue to operate, but video uploads will cease. This is a real bummer, since this is where I store all the silly little (and big) videos I've taken over the years.

The answer, of course, is to start uploading to YouTube, which is fine, except there's a 10-minute limit on each upload. So much for posting lengthy performances or travelogues. There HAS to be another solution.

Google Likes This Blog

Readership of this blog has skyrocketed to somewhere around four unique visits per day. That must be why Google has decided to put it at the top of the search results for 'Brucifer.' Go ahead: Google 'Brucifer' and see what I mean. Isn't that fabulous?

Google Trends & Mitt Romney

Just for kicks, I ran the three major contenders for the Republican nomination through Google Trends. Turns out that Mitt is solidly second behind Fred Thompson in overall searches over the past 30 days.

But let's put things in perspective, here. Britney Spears demolishes EVERYONE. It's simultaneously sad and hilarious.

Look At Me!

I'm sure everyone has heard by now of the nifty new feature offered on Google Maps. Basically, it gives you a 360º, street level view of certain areas of the map. Once they expand it to include more cities, it should be awesome.

Of course, this raises privacy concerns among people who don't want the world seeing where they are when the roving Google camera catches them in action.

So I thought I would create a daily feature, "Look At Me," dedicated to these hapless bystanders immortalized in the Google online database.

Today's entry features Toby, who is visiting Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. His backpack is full of chocolate confections he bought for his overbearing aunt, with whom he lives. Don't worry, buddy. She can't keep you under her iron fist forever! And go ahead...sneak one of those chocolates for yourself.

Google Spreadsheets - Now With Charts

Google Docs just got cooler with the simple addition of charts to its spreadsheet function. The online application still lacks most of the utility of Microsoft Excel, but for simple uses it's very easy and functional.

I'm not a numbers guy, but even I can use it. I recently started watching Lost. Three years too late. Either way, great show. I've summed it up with this handy pie chart using Google Spreadsheets.


Try it yourself!

Google's Picasa Set to Steal Momentum from Flickr

I'm a die-hard flickr fan. Far and away, flickr has long been the obvious choice for photo sharing, storage and organization.

I'm also a die-hard Picasa fan. As a desktop photo organization tool, it stands supreme, being far superior to Apple's iPhoto and even the new Windows Vista Photo Album (which is a very close second.)

Yet each application is lacking one critical element for a digital photo panacea: integration with each other. Of course, integration will never happen, as both tools are owned by competing interests (Yahoo and Google).

A while back, Google launched an online element to compete with flickr, called Picasa Web Albums. It integrates the desktop application with online storage/sharing. It was to be the perfect, all-in-one tool for digital photos. Unfortunately, Picasa Web Albums massively underperformed compared to flickr, which is light years ahead in nearly all aspects – community, capacity, ease of use and versatility. Flickr was seemingly impervious to all competition.

That may be about to change. First, as a result of being bought by Yahoo, flickr will soon require all users to sign in with a Yahoo ID. This means opening an account with Yahoo and dealing with the headaches of using the massive, unwieldy portal on a regular basis. It's not surprising that many flickr users are incredibly turned off by this.

But that's not all. Today, Picasa Web Albums recently increased its free storage capacity to 1GB. That's still far shy of what flickr offers, but it's a huge step in the right direction. It also incorporates many new handy tools, bringing it closer to parity with flickr in the versatility area.

Most importantly, the Picasa desktop application works seamlessly with Picasa Web Albums. Given that the online element is still many shades inferior to flickr, Picasa still isn't the panacea we're all looking for. But it's headed that way. Flickr had better look out and make some major advances soon. Otherwise, the way things are developing, they could be losing a lot of people to Picasa. Myself included.