browser vs. desktop...

technology is growing and evolving as it always does...for the average user like you and i that means companies such as google and others are working to get our traffic by developing "their" version of a standard product, in this case, ms office vs. google docs or ms powerpoint vs. google presentation.

(by the way, i love competition, anything to reduce those ms prices.)

this is part of the trend to assist "us" (the average user) in moving online, many of the world's Internet super users have been completely mobile with their laptop or even mobile device for years now...i'm not there yet. frankly, i just got a blackberry 8800 earlier this year, in some ways i'm ahead of the trend and in others not so much, further proof is provided when you see my 1968 matchless G15 hybrid (british motorcycle)...and i will from time to time hook up to a free wireless network here and there over coffee but that hardly makes me a war-driver or super free spirit in Internet terms.

interesting side note, in edmonton, the largest city near where i live they've just only now begun to experiment with laptops in the classroom. so it's only a matter of time before the school system wakes up even further and adopts the online workspace as a trend...maybe that's stretch. i'm not talking about distance learning for university students here mind you...i'm talking about grade 6. there will most certainly have to be more online resource development before that can truly take place though...

also, before more of the average business users and students go completely mobile and do all work online there still needs to be more product development and enhancement. there are three concerns i see that exist before a tipping-point can take place and mass adoption of this new style of work can begin...

1. trust. having all your work and life sitting on someone else's server is still a concern for me.
2. behavioral change. we're used to doing things a certain way, especially working offline and always needing a connection can be an issue...
3. functionality. these online versions have some advantages and yet are still lacking in a lot of ways.

anyway, food for thought and that's my two cents for today...