Google+ Sign-In To Challenge Facebook Connect

Today Google+ introduced Sign-In, their version of the widely adopted Facebook Connect in an effort to expand and widen its reach on the web. Google has already partnered with several companies including: Fancy, Fitbit, OpenTable, and Flixster. The concept is pretty much the same as Facebook Connect with you signing in to your Gmail, Youtube, or other Google Service account and having that information save as your login. An interesting feature that Sign-In has is that if the company has an Android app (like Fancy), you can remotely install it when you sign in on their website. Another feature that Sign-In has is the ability to share links with specific Circles on your Google+ account in addition to allowing them to view the post in a special “interactive” layout. Google has been on a roll as of late, introducing Glass to the public, a new Chromebook, and now an easier way to sign in to your favorite websites and apps. For more details and full list of companies participating in Sign-In, please visit their announcement page.

Update on 2013-02-27 06:53 by Jed Wu

Update: Fancy posted this photo on their Twitter account of the cake Google sent them for the launch of Google+ Sign-In.

Google Tries Again With The New Samsung Chromebook

Perhaps we can look back to when Google announced their innovative Chromebook that caused maybe a rustle, if you'd call it that? Yeah, fine, it was a flop. The specs were weak, and the price point was too high. The idea of having a completely Cloud-powered laptop was appealing when the Internet was all abuzz with excitement, but once they arrived at your doorstep and you set it all up, it was simply underwhelming. 

Now, Google and Samsung recollected themselves and decided to try their hand again with their brand new ARM-based processor Chromebook. You guys said the price just didn't justify the purchase? How about now? They're coming in at a much easier-to-swallow $249. 

Don't let this ARM processor turn you off though. Not only does it significantly drop the price tag, but it is supposedly a much better ARM chip than we've seen before. They call it the Exynos 5 Dual processor that will utilize ARM's brand new Cortex-A15 architecture. Lowered the price and stuffed in more power, Google just might have something going for them. 

Features an 11.6-inch screen, 16GB of on-board storage and 2GB of RAM, there really isn't any significant upgrades here. However, Google is throwing in 100GB of Google Drive storage for two years with the purchase of any Chromebook. 

With all the latest tech announcements and releases, I don't even know what to buy anymore. If you just want everything to be the latest and greatest, you can head on over to official Chromebook preorder page here or just wait until Monday for them to get to your local retailer.