Being in New Zealand I remember the google balloon project, what happened to that?
My understanding is that it could be made to work, but Starlink came along and clearly solved the problem of delivering high speed internet to remote areas better.
Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
81–90 of 151 posts
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#82Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a super fun thing to be the first person to comment about #1 on literally everything Google does, but it's silly and wrong to think that's a valid criticism. For every product Google kills, it's launched dozens of wildly successful products you've been taking for granted for over a decade in some cases: Gmail, search, Drive, Photos, Chromecast, Chrome, Books, Flights, Scholar, AdSense, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Ke…
> For every product Google kills, it's launched dozens of wildly successful products you've been taking for granted for over a decade in some cases: Gmail, search, Drive, Photos, Chromecast, Chrome, Books, Flights, Scholar, AdSense, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Keep, Translate, Maps... More like for every 10 products they kill they maybe let one live... Have you not seen killed by google ? > Google can and does support do…
Let's have a look the release dates of your list of surviving products, shall we?
Gmail: 2004; Search: 1998; Drive: 2012; Photos: 2015; Chromecast: 2013; Chrome: 2008; Books: 2004; Flights: 2011; Scholar: 2004; AdSense: 2003; Calendar: 2006; Docs: 2006; Sheets: 2006; Keep: 2013; Translate: 2006; Maps: 2005
What do those all have in common? The most recent one is 7 years ago, and the others are older still. What else happened 7 years ago? Sundar became CEO. Google has not released a single successful product since he started -- telling, isn't it?
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#83I've personally tried a prototype and it's actually pretty impressive. You get a fully-3D life-size person sitting across from you. The rendering is not 100% perfect, but it's close enough that you're not in any sort of uncanny valley. The main problem is that it's really a 1:1 thing.
Did you use it at home or in an office? The emphasis of hybrid work makes it seem like this is primarily for offices.
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#84Every time a Google product release makes its way to this site, it seems as though many commenters don't read the article and instead attempt to "dunk on" Google for their history of cancelling projects, vying to express how they distrust Google because of their privacy invasiveness or their inability to commit or some anecdotal evidence dealing with support. Same with Meta products.
It's an exhausting exercise to attempt to find good-faith discussion of the products being released.
While I'm unsure of the market for Starline, I think it presents an interesting alternative to XR-based collaboration: why bother with trying to reinvent the entirety of reality or augment it, when we can insteas capitalize on existing technologies and eke every bit of computw out of them?
Who's to say which methodology is 'correct"? The technology alone is impressive. Hopefully this can see wider adoption to find out where it fits in the technological landscape.
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#85Every time a Google product release makes its way to this site, it seems as though many commenters don't read the article and instead attempt to "dunk on" Google for their history of cancelling projects, vying to express how they distrust Google because of their privacy invasiveness or their inability to commit or some anecdotal evidence dealing with support. Same with Meta products. It's an exhausting exercise to at…
It sounds like Google needs to work on their track record, methinks. Why should we talk about and venerate this tech if it's never going to have a chance due to probable cancellation? Can anyone inside or outside Google guarantee that the owner of this product isn't going to dump it as soon as it's ready for commercialization to start a new project for their career enhancement? I have not seen a single Google exec take on the hard question of "Why does Google cancel stuff so much? How can we trust you?" and answer it, or even try to answer it. All we have is their track record of shuttering products!!
It's exhausting trying to have a good-faith discussion with someone you know is an unfaithful actor. We get all excited about some new stuff Google develops, then months or years later it evaporates with zero support and no warning.
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#86This makes all of the interactions look like interrogations. What am I missing?
It's not unlike documentary filmmaker Errol Morris's "Interrotron":
> An Interrotron is a clever film making device used to create up-close, face-to-face interviews. The Interrotron makes it simple to create in-your-face, gritty interviews. It’s this eye-catching style that never fails to engage an audience.
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#87If they've managed to embed the video collector at eye height or close, so the effect of looking at the screen is to be seen as looking at the other person, this is in itself useful. If it's still a non-eyeline camera and they do some adaptive smarts to make it "look" like eyeline I'd be interested how good that is. If they have leveraged peppers ghost and like techniques to make a volume appear to be "occupied" then…
FaceTime does auto gaze correction.
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#88Every time a Google product release makes its way to this site, it seems as though many commenters don't read the article and instead attempt to "dunk on" Google for their history of cancelling projects, vying to express how they distrust Google because of their privacy invasiveness or their inability to commit or some anecdotal evidence dealing with support. Same with Meta products. It's an exhausting exercise to at…
It sounds like Google needs to work on their track record, methinks. Why should we talk about and venerate this tech if it's never going to have a chance due to probable cancellation? Can anyone inside or outside Google guarantee that the owner of this product isn't going to dump it as soon as it's ready for commercialization to start a new project for their career enhancement? I have not seen a single Google exec ta…
By no means am I arguing the notion that their track record of supporting products (especially hardware) is good, especially when compared to other participants in the space. It is poor, I think most of us have heard that at least once by now.
At the same time, nobody has to venerate anything in these threads either. Positive and negative discussion should be encouraged. But merely stating that "it's gonna be cancelled, place your bets" (as many of the comments at the bottom of this thread do) does not constitute meaningful or intellectually-stimulating conversation, and we as a community should strive to do better than that.
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
It sounds like Google needs to work on their track record, methinks. Why should we talk about and venerate this tech if it's never going to have a chance due to probable cancellation? Can anyone inside or outside Google guarantee that the owner of this product isn't going to dump it as soon as it's ready for commercialization to start a new project for their career enhancement? I have not seen a single Google exec ta…
By no means am I arguing the notion that their track record of supporting products (especially hardware) is good, especially when compared to other participants in the space. It is poor, I think most of us have heard that at least once by now. At the same time, nobody has to venerate anything in these threads either. Positive and negative discussion should be encouraged. But merely stating that "it's gonna be cancell…
[deleted]
Re: Project Starline expands testing through an early access program
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
> For every product Google kills, it's launched dozens of wildly successful products you've been taking for granted for over a decade in some cases: Gmail, search, Drive, Photos, Chromecast, Chrome, Books, Flights, Scholar, AdSense, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Keep, Translate, Maps... More like for every 10 products they kill they maybe let one live... Have you not seen killed by google ? > Google can and does support do…
> Have you not seen killed by google ? Yes, we've all seen it. Honestly can we just discuss the tech for once instead of making the same comment 30 times on every Google thread? This sort of video streaming is reminiscent of the "tele-human" teleconferencing in Silicon Valley [1]. Hopefully it works better. It would be timed well as so many companies are looking at working from home right now. Though as with anything…
I’m not sure tech for tech’s sake is a good value proposition. If they were to kill this off in the year what impact did it have on the world?