Futurists and science fiction writers have predicted for decades that one day smart robots would roll around town doing errands for us.Today, that future seems still far off. But it's just around the
Let's take a look at what this automating Google+ thing is all about.If you're as lazy as I am, you'll be thrilled to learn that once created, these automations -- called "recipes" --
Published on: October 12th, 2011
Mike Elgan
@itbusinessca
Everyone wants what Microsoft's got, namely control of the most widely used computing platform. Or, more accurately, everyone wants the billions and billions of dollars that flow in from the dominance of desktop
Think you're on the Internet right now? Well, you're not. You're on your Internet. The exact version of the online world that you see is available only to you.Most of the major conduits
Eric Schmidt is out at Google. Larry Page is in. I miss Eric already.Page, who started as CEO on Monday, wasted no time changing the company's focus and direction. He implemented a major
Google announced this week a new social search feature called +1. The new offering competes in some ways with Facebook's "Like" button.By clicking on an optional new +1 button on your Google search
Search the Internet for a time machine and you may end up with an empty wallet and painful injuries, if the movie Napoleon Dynamite is accurate.I don't recommend buying a time machine on
Imagine sitting down at a public PC, surfing the Web, visiting Facebook, checking your online bank account and buying something on Amazon.com -- all without entering passwords or credit card information. It gets
Published on: February 1st, 2011
Mike Elgan
@itbusinessca
Conventional wisdom says people don't wear wristwatches anymore -- especially young people. The story goes that because we now have cell phones, we no longer need to lash anything to our wrists. But
Published on: September 14th, 2010
Mike Elgan
@itbusinessca
After years of experimentation, coffee shops are finally figuring out what to do about Wi-Fi. Some have decided that Wi-Fi is a profit killer, and they're shutting it down. Others, most notably coffee
Published on: August 17th, 2010
Mike Elgan
@itbusinessca
Google unveiled a redesigned and retooled Gmail and Contacts this week. While a vocal minority is objecting to the update on the social networks, most users seem to like the changes.I think the
Published on: August 16th, 2010
Mike Elgan
@itbusinessca
Facebook has a huge problem. No, it's not privacy, security, application spam or even horrible P.R. from the upcoming movie, "The Social Network." These are short-term annoyances for the company, but not existential
What, you're not using Microsoft Speed Launch? It's a free application that lets you instantly launch any application, Web site or document using any word or phrase you choose. The app places a
Since the Web first came online in 1991, it has grown and improved beyond anyone's predictions. Unlike the gray background, mono-spaced text and ugly graphics on the Web in those early years, today's
Have you ever seen a 4-year-old play with an iPhone? It's actually kind of shocking. Kids take to the iPhone's multitouch user interface like they do trucks or dolls. They instinctively know that
