| Google barge to sport sails reminiscent of fish fins Nov 8th 2013, 05:33, by Juan Carlos Torres The mystery surrounding two barges off the opposite coasts of the US maybe be somewhat over, but the final appearance of these structures are pretty much still unknown. But if this artist’s rendering is truly what the barges are to become, then we can expect to see something eye-catching and majestic when Google is finally done. 
Google isn’t directly admitting what the barges really are for just yet, but it has come out to say that they are considering using it as an interactive space for educating people about technology, making it sound like some sort of traveling tech exhibit or museum. In fact, the barge has been associated with Google X, so it could just about cover anything technology-related under the sun. Of course, it could also just be a showroom and an exotic place for Google to hold press conferences. So while we now know that Google is, indeed, in charge, the exact purpose of these floating buildings are practically still open to speculation. By and Large, a mysterious company that is rumored to be associated with Google, has submitted documents to the Port of San Francisco that not only sheds a bit more light on the edifice but even includes a rendition of what the final product might look like. Right now the barges are topped with nothing but shipping containers, but, when all the work is done, it will be flanked by sails that give off an imposing aquatic personality to serve as a reminder to visitors of its seaworthiness. As if being surrounded by a mass of water with the smell of the sea riding on the wind and having that floating sensation won’t be enough. The document also mentions that the barge will serve as temporary technology exhibit spaces, in line with Google’s own statements, and will be able to host up to a thousand visitors as it stays moored at different locations on the bay for months at a time. As to why Google has to build it on a floating barge instead of something on solid ground is, for now, still anyone’s guess. SOURCE: SFGate
VIA: The Verge |  | Nexus smartphone generations run side by side in video comparison Nov 8th 2013, 04:01, by Juan Carlos Torres Now that the frenzy over the release of the Nexus 5 smartphone has somewhat died down a bit, we can take a breather and take a step back to look at how far Google‘s smartphones have come. This latest video does just that and puts all five Nexus smartphones to the test to see just how much even the oldest Nexus can cope with today’s demands on hardware. 
It’s been more than three years since Google launched the Nexus line as a way to showcase what it thinks Android smartphones, and eventually tablets, should be like. Partnering with different device manufacturers throughout the years, Google has put out smartphones that sported the best hardware of the times and, probably more importantly, a pure Android experience, without the cruft introduced by manufacturers and carriers. The Nexus One, the first ever Nexus smartphone, sported specs that, by now, sounds lower than even low-range Android smartphones, with a 1 GHz single-core processor and 512 MB of RAM. Surprisingly, it still performed relatively well on modern-day tasks, going as far as being able to run Temple Run 2, at least after the long hurdle of initial loading. It did struggle in loading a feature-rich desktop version of a web site but was still usable after that. It feels somewhat ironic that the Nexus One might not be getting Android 4.4, which, in a way, is almost a perfect fit for such a low-powered device. Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, it is no surprise that the Nexus 5 performed best and fastest. After all, it does have a 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU and a decent 2 GB of RAM, designed to meet today’s needs. It is indeed quite impressive to see how much Android and the Nexus devices have improved and, if the past is any indication, we can look forward to even more exciting things in the future. | |
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