Google has just released their first public beta for Google Chrome, a brand new web browser based on the Webkit codebase. Currently, only Microsoft Windows is supported with an available download, though there are links to register for updates for Linux and OS X.

For a detailed, though entertaining, explanation on why the company is working on their own web browser, visit the Behind the Open Source Browser Project comic.

Exactly how much of an impact the release of yet another web browser will have is still undetermined, but if any company can make it big, it would probably be Google.

If you have an iPod or iPhone, Apple is making most of those speeches freely available for download through iTunes. Selected speeches from the 2008 DNC convention are already up, and the RNC should soon follow.

If you’re a member of the audio book club Audible.com, the Election 2008 links on the main page will take you to the same content.

August marks a very special anniversary for Apple in that ten years ago it introduced the first iMac to the PC market.

Walking through the PC aisle today with all the different and colorful design choices available might make it easy to underestimate the impact the “Bondi Blue” iMac made. However, 1998 was time where most computers were designed as boring beige boxes more at home under a company desk than in your home.

The idea of a simple to setup all-in-one home PC had been attempted before, but the iMac really cemented the idea that a personal computer could be an experience versus a simple device.

Beyond the outward design, the iMac turned heads with a number of technology decisions that were controversial at the time, but are now standards. Some, for example, balked at the lack of floppy drive, but now many see the iMac as one of the death knells of those drives. The iMac also dropped several common Macintosh ports in lieu of utilizing USB connections, which at the time were very uncommon.

The release of the iMac also signaled a revitalized Apple. Steve Jobs had just returned to the company, which had been dealing with years of poor sales and struggling stock prices. However, the release of the iMac, designed by a team led by Johnathan Ive, sold nearly 800,000 units in the last half of 1998 and brought Apple back to profitability.

In the decade that followed, Johnathan Ive and his team continued to innovate with the Apple line, including iPods and iPhones, but the iMac in particular went through some of the most striking changes.

Those changes also swept through the rest of the PC industry and consumers responded positively by basing buying decisions on design as much as performance and functionality. It’s precisely because of those striking designs that consumers can walk through the PC aisle and find a computer that not only fits their lifestyle needs, but their fashion tastes as well.

I came across the fire-damaged Texas Cattle Company building today. Apparently, after having a number of restaurants come and go in the building, the decision was made to use the location for fire training exercises for the local fire department.

The punchline, however, comes from the restaurant sign catch phrase:

The September 2008 issue of Reader’s Digest hit newstands this week with an article entitled “13 things your computer guy won’t tell you …”

I supplied several tips and received a name check for it, though I would point out that everything I contributed are absolutely things I tell my clients about.

Steve was interested in advice I could give to the three types of owners he identified as the highly-mobile “road warriors”, the flexibility-seeking “home office owners” or the multi-user supporting “small office owners”.

I also had an opportunity to remind all business owners about the importance of both security software, such as antivirus and antispyware protection, as well as data backup solutions, both on-site and online.

The podcast can be listened to via Steve’s website at StartupBizCast.com.

April and August are both “Recycle Your Computer Month” in Cuyahoga County, so residents with unwanted computers, monitors or printers may want to visit the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District website in order to find out where to bring their equipment for safe handling and disposal.

The website answers many frequently asked questions about the program, including what happens to any private data on the hard drive with any computer you bring in.

I had a chance today to speak with Fox 8’s Morning Show team again today as part of their “Tech Know” segment. This time I explained how to cut down on power use by your computer and its accessories.

Just a sample of their titles:

• Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
• Get-It-Done-Guy Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More
• Legal Lad Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Lawful Life
• Modern Manners Guy Quick and Dirty Tips for a More Polite Life
• Small Biz Tech Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Growing Your Business with Digital Tools

The episodes are usually under ten minutes in length, but extremely helpful. Check them out!

It’s no secret that many computer users around the world refuse to even consider an upgrade from Microsoft Windows XP to Windows Vista, but one has to wonder how many of those decisions have been made after careful research, or just snap judgments based on word of mouth.

According to Cnet News, Microsoft recently tried an experiment in which they brought together a number of loyal Windows XP users who refused to make the switch and asked them to take a look at a brand new upcoming operating system they called “Mojave”.

The reviews of the “upcoming” operating system were surprising, at least to everyone other than Microsoft, with 90% of the users leaving positive feedback. However, Microsoft had another surprise, when they informed those users that “Mojave” was actually Windows Vista.

The rest of the article talks about how Microsoft, now a year and a half after the original release of Vista, is finally starting to take serious action in marketing and advertising to correct the somewhat out of control “anti-hype” that surrounds Windows Vista.

It’s July 11th, which means thousands of AT&T and Apple stores around the US are working their way through the first day of sales for the new 3G iPhone.

I showed up at the local AT&T store at 7:15am and faced a line that wrapped around 3 sides of the relatively small building. I’d guess there were about 60 people ahead of me, most of which came after 5am according to the guys at the front.

16GB black phones ran out pretty quickly about 1/3rd of the line through, then the white ones went by the time they got to about 8 people in front of me.

The processing slowed to a crawl about halfway through, as the iTunes activation fell over and exploded about half-way through the line. When I finally got in, they were moving faster by doing all the AT&T paperwork in-store, then sending people home to do the iTunes activation, which is probably where most of the real hold-up is.

Because the 16GBs were gone, I settled with the 8GB, which I’ll use to see if that’s enough for day to day use. If not, I checked with the store that I can exchange it within 30 days for the 10% restocking fee plus $100 difference once the 16GBs come back in.

I got out of the store around 11:15.

When I got home, iTunes was down, which in light of having survived numerous other technology launch days, doesn’t really surprise me.

It’s kind of surreal to think about just how much has changed from the road trips of my youth, where our time spent in the family station wagon consisted of coloring books and games of calling out the states of license plates. I recall fondly trying to re-fold state highway maps before you miss your exit.

Now, however, I’m able to amuse myself by watching streamed television courtesy of Hulu, while the GPS automatically calls out directions to attactions, hotels and fuel stations.

I don’t even have to wait until I get home to have the film from my camera developed, as now I can take snapshots of interesting things I see along the way, then upload them to a photo hosting site like flickr or even just email them to friends and family directly.

Times have certainly changed, and I for one am enjoying it one digitally mobile mile at a time.