Google Glass & Microsoft's Glasses

Google is working on computerized glasses. They're called Google Glass.

It turns out Microsoft is working on something similar.

There's a big difference between what Microsoft is working on and Google Glass.

The most recent word out of Google is that Google Glass isn't going to use "augmented reality" – where data and illustrations overlay the actual world around you.

Google Glass is actually just a tiny screen you have to look up and to the left to see. 

Microsoft's glasses seem to utilize augmented reality. In a patent illustration we've embedded below, you can see that the glasses put data on top of a live action concert and a ballgame. Microsoft is working on could end up replacing the smartphone as the dominant way people access the Internet and connect to each other.

Both gadget concepts are very interesting. 

Computers have been getting smaller and closer to our faces since their very beginning.

First they were in big rooms, then they sat on desktops, then they sat on our laps, and now they're in our palms. Next they'll be on our faces.

(Eventually they'll be in our brains.)

If Microsoft and Google are working on computerized glasses, so would be Apple. 

Here's the patent illustration from Microsoft:

And here's what Google Glass looks like:

Comparing Web-Based Word Processors

The next major jump in computing is Cloud Computing. In cloud computing users access web-based applications via their web browsers. Today's most popular web-based application is Google Docs, but there are many more available. Below given are other web-based applications which the users can compare. Google Docs is a web-based office suite composed of three key components: the Google Docs word processing program, Google Spreadsheets spreadsheet program, and Google Presentations presentation program. Any one can access Google Docs using a web browser on any computer with an Internet connection, and it's totally free.

Google Docs is the most popular web-based word processor available. It works well and easily. Basic formatting is very simple, storage space for documents is generous, and sharing/collaboration version control is a snap. But, Google Docs doesn't include all the functionality you find in Microsoft Word. Google Docs lacks sophisticated page formatting (no two-column documents, for example), mail merge, macros, and the like—some of which can be found in competing web-based word processing programs. If you're a Microsoft Word power user, Google Docs may disappoint.

Zoho Writer  easily moves ahead of Google Docs in the web-based word processor race. You get all the standard editing and formatting features, as well as page numbering, headers and footers, footnotes and endnotes, table of contents, and other advanced features not found in all other web-based word processors. Zoho Writer also offers robust sharing and collaboration features, just as you find with Google Docs.

ThinkFree Write  is a Java-based online word processor that is similar to Microsoft Word 2003 interface. Each new document opens in its own window, with a Word-style pull-down menu and toolbar. The editing and formatting functions are also quite Word-like, complete with styles, editing marks, fields, an autocorrect function, and so forth.

Peepel WebWriter is part of a multi-application web-based office suite. The Peepel interface is a lile unusual: The document you're editing appears in its own window, on top of the larger home window that holds the toolbar and tabs that you use to edit and format the document. Peepel offers some interesting features, like the ability to edit documents offline if you don't have an Internet connection.

iNetWord  is a web-based word processor applicaion. iNetWord features a tabbed interface, with each open document appearing on its own tab. here is a support for page backgrounds, borders, page numbering, tables, images, and so on. It even consiss of predesigned templates for documents.

Glide Write  is part of the Glide Business suite of web-based applications. Glide Write is an elegant word processor that integrates seamlessly with other Glide applications, including email and chat. In addition, Glide documents can be viewed on a number of smart phones, including the iPhone, T-Mobile Sidekick, and a handful of Treo and BlackBerry models.

Docly is an interesting application, designed especially for professional writers. Docly offers a minimalist interface approach to editing and formatting. Its focus is on copyright management, including the ability to assign a document a Creative Commons license or a traditional "all rights reserved" license. This means that not only can you share and publish your Docly documents, you can also offer them for sale.

Buzzword is Adobe's entry into the web-based word processor marketplace. Unlike Google Docs, Buzzword runs in Flash, which might be problematic for users with older PCs or those with slow Internet connections. Flash implementation gives Buzzword a snazzy interface and some advanced editing and formatting features.

Buzzword interface is head-and-shoulders above the interface of Google Docs. Buzzword provides full text and paragraph formatting, headers and footers, page numbering, endnotes, and keyboard shortcuts, none of which are currently available with Google Docs. You also get a running word count, inline spell-checking as you type, the ability to insert comments, and a history of revisions made to a file.