Echo Binary

I love landscapes so I like the new Google map view, terrain, which highlights physical features of landforms like mountains, valleys and even the vegetation.

Using this view, you can appreciate the elevation of the mountains and highlands even more. Looking at the Central Luzon area gives you more idea how flat it is. I think that the darker the green patches are, the more vegetation or forestation there is. At Central Luzon, looking at those darker green patches gives you a bird’s eye view of a large agricultural farm around San Luis, Pampanga. In mountains — the darker the green area, the denser the forest.

Just looking at how jagged the road and mountains surrounding Baguio City gives you more trill especially when you haven’t been there.

After seeing a number of mountain terrains in Google maps, I suddenly had an urge to go hiking!

There’s a lot of buzz going in the internet about the so-called “Gphone” since late December 2006. Google is yet to reveal a true Google phone. For now, we get the Android platformwhich is part of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) that was announced yesterday.

What is Android? From what I know so far, it is an OS, middleware and key mobile applications. In other words, it’s a software stack. It’s open source. It’s based from Linux kernel. It should be able to optimize and maximize the potential of the mobile phone’s hardware resources. There’s an SDK to be released so users (more or less developers) can customize the phone in different ways they can imagine. It will enable the phone to access the web. It can combine information from the web with the individual’s mobile phone to create relevant user experience. Android can also provide access to many libraries and tools that can be used to develop rich applications such as a P2P social application on your phone.

Now that you have a platform, partner that with a stunning touch-sensitive mobile phone and you’ve got a true iPhone competitor. Way to go Google. I’m not a fan of Apple iPhone so Android is definitely welcome. It’s just disappointing that after all the hype, news and raves about Google finally releasing the “Gphone,” that we only get to see the tip of the iceberg. If Android becomes a success, and if the Open Handset Alliance lives up to its expectation, I’ll buy it.

I think what’s more exciting is how many enthusiasts will create application for OHA, and will OHA create a new revolution in cellphone industry much like how Linux competed with Microsoft in desktops and servers? Only time will tell.

Source:
Open Handset Alliance
Google Blog: Where’s my Gphone?

Where is the Google love? I still haven’t seen the new UI for Gmail in my inbox. Apparently, my account has not received the upgrade yet. Maybe it’s randomly assigned. I’m using my Gmail account everyday — an avid user — why I haven’t seen the new version yet? I’ve been waiting for it ever since the first rumor came out.

While everyone is discussing the new features and showing off screenshots, I’m still here, waiting anxiously. I really hope that the new UI will be activated in my account soon.

Update:
I’m surprised to see that the “loading…” message in my account in Gmail had changed from red to yellow so I knew right away that my account is already using the new version. From what I have ‘felt’ so far, what I’ve read is true. There is a slight slow down when scrolling page. However, I noticed that there opening email from inbox listing is now faster. I think that the javascript is pre-fetching the content of the listed email so it now loads faster.