Creators Gonna’ Create

Facebook’s former CTO Bret Taylor, and the former technical lead for the Google App Engine, Kevin Gibbs, have teamed up to launch a new word-processing app called Quip.

Unlike other word processors, Taylor has built what he calls a modern word processor that allows for collaborative document editing across almost any mobile or desktop device. So far, the company has raised fifteen million dollars in venture capital.

Quip works by combining documents and messages into a single thread that can be edited on any device. The program’s strength lies in its ability to auto-format content for mobile devices, eliminating the need to pinch-zoom to read a document.

The use of a shared folder feature allows real-time collaborative editing, and a notification system will even inform users when new content is added. The app is free for individuals who want to use it, and there’s a subscription model available for businesses.

Don’t Be Evil

In a dramatic about-face on a key internet issue, yesterday executives at Google told FCC officials that they’ve decided to change their Terms of Service on two key issues.

Now, instead of enforcing the network neutrality rules they once championed, Google wants to prohibit people from hosting servers from home. They also believe that Google’s Fiber network is within its rights to prohibit customers from attaching certain devices to its network that could technically be classified as a server.

The current language of the terms of service prohibits attaching servers to their network in Kansas City, and according to the company, this policy is a measure to protect business class services, which they currently don’t have, but plan to offer in the future.

To fight the provision, potential customer Douglas McClendon filed a complaint with the FCC which ordered Google to explain their reasoning. In response, Google defended the ban by citing the same company they opposed for years to require broadband providers to treat all packets equally. Critics of the policy find the new rules to be problematic, as any PC or Mac can act as a server.

Now that Google’s shown what it really thinks of net neutrality, the door is open for the FCC to show that it’s serious enough to take on its former corporate ally.

Google Views in Panorama

A new community site called “Google Views” has a new way to help people share their photos by contributing photo spheres into Google Maps.

These photo spheres are simple three-hundred-and-sixty degree images that can be created using any Android device. To upload your own images, all you have to do is sign into the Views site using your Google Plus account, and click the blue camera button on the top right of the page.

From there, you can also import existing photo spheres from your Google Plus photos. Since Views also incorporates the Street View Gallery, you can check out incredible panoramas of the most popular Street View collections, ranging from the Grand Canyon to the Swiss Alps.

Google’s aim is to share the experience of mapping the world with the masses, and it should be fun to see all the unique new views.

The Blast of a Hand Canon

Canon has introduced a new HD camcorder called the Legria aimed to please the ever increasing market of video bloggers.

Known for always turning the camera on themselves, they’ll appreciate the number of different and special ways the Legria lets you record video. An ultra-wide-angle lens gives the camera a massive one-hundred-and-sixty degree viewing range, and its two-point-seven inch touchscreen can be tilted by up to sixty degrees, so you can get the best shots, even when placed on a flat surface.

An integrated kickstand and tripod mount covers all the ways someone might want to shoot footage. The camcorder also comes with full WiFi support, which allows for several interesting functions, including the ability to hook the camera up to an iOS or Android device.

To add to the feature list, Canon also included a remote browser feature, which allows users to view content directly from their laptop browser, and with wireless support, videos can be directly uploaded to Youtube and Facebook without using a computer. The inclusion of DLNA support also means you can stream your pictures and recordings to a compatible TV.

Customers who want to get their hands on Canon’s new Legria Mini can do so for less than $450 when it’s released in September.

Can You Invite Me to Glass?

Remember back in the day when you had to get an invite from one of your friends in order to sign up for a Gmail account?

Google is at it again, but this time, an invitation from a friend will let you get your hands on Glass.

Current Google Glass owners are getting emails from Google saying they can invite one friend to get the wearable computer, provided they meet the basic requirements. The device will still cost fifteen-hundred dollars, and you’ll still have to travel to travel to San Francisco, L.A., or New York to pick it up.

Google Glass won’t be widely available to the public until sometime in 2014.

An Airplane Cheaper Than A Car

A new open-source airplane is being developed in Canada, and now, its designers are looking to double-down on the latest trends, by turning to crowdfunding to finish the project.

The Maker Plane is a small, two-seat airplane designed to be affordable, safe, and easy to fly, but unlike other home-built aircrafts, the Maker Plane will give its design away for free. That’s right, if they get the funding they need through their Indiegogo campaign, you’ll be able to download the schematics and build it yourself, with the help of a 3D printer.

The idea of a home-built airplane is nothing new, and the concept dates back to the earliest days of flight, after Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their own airplanes made out of bike parts. The FAA created the light sport aircraft category to encourage more people to fly without the need of a license, and Maker Plane says they expect their design will fall within their requirements.

Ultimately, the team behind Maker Plane hopes the price to build your own airplane will fall under fifteen thousand dollars.

Headgear for Geeks

Like something out of a comic book, a new brain-power boosting headset has finally received approval from the FCC and will begin shipping to customers in the next few days.

Dubbed the Foc.us, the headset is the world’s-first consumer product that will improve focus, reaction time, and the ability to learn by jolting the wearer’s head with electricity.

The device is being targeted toward gamers looking to take their skills to the next level, but the device has the potential to improve, or more accurately “overclock”, almost every aspect of your life. The tDCS, or transcranial direct current stimulation, sends small spikes of electricity across the wearer’s brain, exciting neurons along the way. When you remove the current, your neurons stay charged with additional neuroplasty, which basically means your brain is open to making new connections, allowing them to fire more quickly, and even learn new skills.

The Foc.us will cost about $250, and will be available in most markets.

And that’s all we have for today. If you want to keep up with these stories and all of what’s current in tech news, be sure to join us every weekday morning on NewsDesk with Kristin Feledy.

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