Android on an iPhone

A member of the iPhone Dev Team, a group of hacker that develop software for jailbreaking iPhone, managed to install Android on a first-generation iPhone. David Wong replaced Apple's bootloader with the open-source OpeniBoot so that he could install a different operating system. He also used a version of the Linux kernel ported to the iPhone in 2008.

"It should be pretty simple to port forward to the iPhone 3G. The 3GS will take more work. Hopefully with all this groundwork laid out, we can make Android a real alternative or supplement for iPhone users. Maybe we can finally get Flash," says David.

This is one of the many benefits of an open-source software: people can modify it and use it in new, interesting ways. You can install Android on a Windows Mobile phone, on an iPhone, on a notebook and on many other devices.




Will docs.com be the Google Docs killer?

Docs.com is a portal where you can upload documents online. This portal has been promoted by Microsoft and I can see it as a real looming threat to Google Docs. Docs.com allows you to upload and share documents with friends over the internet pretty much in a similar way to Google Docs. At the moment you can register and sign up to be in the waiting list for using Docs.com.

Why Google Docs could be in trouble?

There are two simple reasons why Google Docs could be facing serious competition from Docs.com
  1. Google Docs is still not as widely used as Microsoft Office Documents. The prime selling point of Microsoft is Excel and Word documents which still are hugely popular compared to Google Docs alternatives.
  2. Google had one advantage of its huge user base being already there with Gmail which would automatically transfer over to Google Docs. This base was lacking for Microsoft as you know Hotmail and MSN users are dwindling over the years. Docs.com allows you to sign-in with your Facebook account and this could be crucial and I am sure Microsoft will develop a application for Facebook where you can soon exchange word, excel and other office files with your Facebook contacts.

Why cloud based Documents are important?

  • Cloud storage of documents are very important because it means you store something online and can access it from any computer with a internet connection. This is the obvious advantage but there are more advantages like sharing and collaborating with teams with the same document.
  • Cloud based storage of Documents is extremely crucial for Google as it develops its Chrome OS further. If Docs.com kills Google Documents, then Chrome OS project will die next. So Microsoft has got it right this time at least when it comes to identifying where they need to shore up. But will they be able to deliver.
I tried using Open Office a few times and I found it very tedious. I preferred to stick to Google Docs. But then I do not own Microsoft Office suite like most Windows users. I am sure most people having Excel and Word on their computers would want to store and share documentswithout changing the file formats.
So what do you think about Docs.com? Will it be the Google Docs killer? Do let me know through your comments.