I saw something today on the Google Spreadsheets site that was so cool my mouth opened and the word “wow” came out of it. Sure….sure….it can be argued that I don’t get out much but lets stick to the topic at hand.
Google Spreadsheets now allows anyone to collaborate on a file WITHOUT LOGGING IN (emphasis Google). No kidding. Setup a spreadsheet. Post the link. And watch the collaborators trickle in.
The fine folks at Google Operating System have already setup an example for us. Check it out while there is still significant activity. And think of the possibilities for your specific business…
A hat tip to the Google Operating System site for their overview of Kai-Fu Lee’s cloud computing keynote. As more data is shifted to the cloud the points mentioned in this article will become exceedingly important.
Kai-Fu Lee on Cloud Computing [Google Operating System]
This is also a good time to mention Microsoft’s Live Mesh announcement from Ray Ozzie. Similar concepts…different approach.
The Microsoft Office team has done a fantastic job in recent years. Their launch of Office 2007 is biggest benchmark for their success. Install rates are high and so is customer satisfaction (wish the Microsoft Vista team could say the same).
With the success of Microsoft Office comes that awkward stage in technology when some of us are using Docx files and others are using the tried and true Doc file. What’s the difference? Docx files are generated by Office 2007 and Doc files are generated by older versions. This isn’t an issue unless you are still running an older version in which case you cannot open Docx files with a handy double-click of the mouse.
Here are your options:
1. Install the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for 2007 File Formats. Here are the instructions from Microsoft. Good luck with that.
2. Using an online converter. There are plenty of them out there. Here is an example Google search. One that pops to my mind is Zamzar. Clean interface. Quick conversions. Move on with your life.
So, while we sit in technology limbo with half of us using Office 2007 and half of us using an older version of Microsoft Office we will have to deal with file compatibility issues. Make your life easier and use one of the options detailed above if you find yourself in a jam.
We made a few changes on CTRL + SHIFT + K today. Most notably, there is now a Flickr photostream on the right hand side. But that’s not the cool part!
Using a jailbroken iPhone (Don’t tell Steve, ok?) I have added the Snapture, Capture and iFlickr applications. Snapture enhances the camera on the phone and provides a few extra features geared towards increasing photo quality. Capture allows me to take screenshots of anything being displayed on the phone. Both are easy to use and incredibly handy. iFlickr allows me to send photos directly to Flickr (and subsequently to the new photostream on the right hand side).
Very nice! Now….if I could only figure out how to stream live video from my iPhone using Qik. That would be perfect.
