Category Archives: Google

Cloud Computing feature on The Gadget Show

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The Gadget Show (broadcast on Channel 5, in the UK) had a short piece about cloud computing in its show last night (Monday, 5th October 2010).

In it, two of the presenters, Pollyanna Woodward and Ortis Deley, were set three challenges by Jon Bentley to show the pros and cons of cloud computing over regular desktop based computing.

The first challenge was to find a document containing the key phrase ‘cloudfifty9′.  And in short, Windows 7, using indexed search was a clear winner over the online Google Docs system.

The second challenge was to load three video clips, edit them into one clip and save them for future viewing.  Again, the desktop system won, in terms of turnaround time, with the entire challenge completed before all three clips had even been uploaded to edit using an online software package called JayCut.

However, for the third challenge, both competitors were asked to remove their hard-drives, which were duly smashed up for televisual purposes in an over the top manner, before being told that the first person able to show Jon their finished video clip would be the winner of the round.

Of course, this meant that there could be only one winner, and via an iPhone, connected to YouTube (selected as an online cloud hosting service for video), Pollyanna was able to view the video clip she’d created using her online software.

Whilst this is a very simplistic method of explaining cloud computing – it does show that it’s now entering the consciousness of a broader spectrum of potential consumers, especially as people become more used to working in a portable fashion.

It’s likely that this is just a first foray into the world of the cloud by the Gadget Show, and that more features will be created for the program soon.

You can still catch this section of last night’s show online at:

http://fwd.five.tv/gadget-show/blog/episode-10-cloud-computing

So what do you think?  Did the Gadget Show miss a trick?  Could they have gotten consumers more excited by showcasing different features of cloud computing?

Have your say below.

Gladinet Introduces Google Docs Backup to an Array of Cloud Storage

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With the recent introduction of Gladinet Cloud Desktop version 1.2, Gladinet has introduced the ability to create an automatic backup of your Google Docs files to a redundant array of cloud storage. This feature allows you to specify a Google Docs source account, a cloud storage target, and a monitoring interval. You can also specify whether you want to use a designated folder or backup all files. If you choose to use a drop box, any files moved to it will automatically get backed up to Amazon S3, EMC Atmos, Box.net, or whichever service you select. Otherwise, all files in the specified Google Docs account will be backed up by the monitoring thread at the specified interval. In either case, the backups are incremental and will just copy the changes.

Version 1.2 also introduces support for the Windows 7 platform along with the following features and enhancements:

  • A New Virtual Directory Manager
  • A Simplified Systray Menu
  • An Improved Task Manager
  • The ability to pause or resume all tasks from the systray menu
  • Backup Monitoring Task Optimizations

These enhancements, particularly the Google Docs backup, are examples of Gladinet’s desire to leverage its ubiquitous cloud storage client for Windows which is based on an open-platform integration with Google Docs, EMC Atmos, Amazon S3 and many other providers. The platform has been providing users with the ability to create a redundant array of cloud storage to backup the data on their PC or provide external storage. The new Google Docs backup feature is a natural extension which takes the company one step closer to its goal of transforming the Internet into a virtual PC by integrating cloud services directly onto a PC desktop.

Furthermore, these changes give users the peace of mind that comes from increased redundancy and reduced dependence on the reliability or robustness of a single provider. It also provides the flexibility to switch providers without having to worry about moving a large amount of data all at once. The bottom line is that Gladinet’s software puts users back in control of their data. Check it out at http://www.gladinet.com/.