Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Saturday, June 11, 2011 9:44 AM
Is tweeting cheating? - Living - MiamiHerald.com
Image via CrunchBaseNew York Congressman Anthony Weiner says the now-infamous crotch photo he sent via Twitter was a joke. If so, count Hollywood resident Denise Richardson among those who aren’t laughing.
“It kind of struck home with me. … I thought jokes were meant to be funny,” said Richardson, who recalls her ex-husband using the same “only a joke” excuse for inappropriate conversations he had in online chat rooms. The couple ultimately divorced, with Richardson convinced her ex’s online chats in fact led to in-person affairs.
In Weiner’s case, she said, the online transgressions alone are enough to warrant the “cheating” label.
“It’s not only shady, but it demonstrates poor judgment,” Richardson said. “It’s cheating all the way around.”
Technology like Twitter is only a few years old, so there is scarce research on public attitudes toward X-rated tweets and whether they fit the traditional definition of cheating.
The widespread condemnation of Weiner suggests many believe his conduct does constitute infidelity. In a similar vein, a 2004 ABC News pollfound that 64 percent of adults felt that “if a person who’s married or in a committed relationship has sex talk in an Internet chat room,” it would amount to being unfaithful.
“For most people who are in a committed relationship, the partner does see it as cheating,” says Shelley Green, a Nova Southeastern University professor who teaches in the school’s family therapy program and treats couples in private practice.
But ultimately, the question of is-it-or-is-it-not can only be decided by couples themselves, Green adds. Each relationship has its own set of boundaries.
“There’s certainly partners who feel like Internet porn is absolutely unacceptable,” she says. At the same time, other couples “are watching porn together and having that enhance their sexuality.”
Across the country, the Weiner photo controversy has sparked conversations about what’s acceptable and what is not.
Amy Austin of Minneapolis had a blunt assessment for her husband, Jon, as they watched Weiner’s stunning confession on television this week.
“You’d be dead,” she told him.
Still, there are others who insist that physical intimacy is necessary for cheating to occur. Charles Trattler of Palm Beach County says that if he caught his partner sending racy photos via Twitter or text, it would certainly be something to talk about, but it wouldn’t be an act of infidelity.
Trattler, who responded to an online query from The Herald, said his priority would be to “make sure there are no root issues in the relationship that are actually causing this behavior.”
“If it does not go any farther than exchanging photos and messages, it is flirting as far as I am concerned,” he said.
The practice of texting sexually explicit photos, or “sexting,” is often associated with middle- and high-schoolers. And while tech-savvy teens may be more likely to send racy texts, some grown-ups do it too. A May 2010 survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 15 percent of adults said they had received “a sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photo or video” on their cellphone, and 6 percent admitted to sending such a text.
“It kind of struck home with me. … I thought jokes were meant to be funny,” said Richardson, who recalls her ex-husband using the same “only a joke” excuse for inappropriate conversations he had in online chat rooms. The couple ultimately divorced, with Richardson convinced her ex’s online chats in fact led to in-person affairs.
In Weiner’s case, she said, the online transgressions alone are enough to warrant the “cheating” label.
“It’s not only shady, but it demonstrates poor judgment,” Richardson said. “It’s cheating all the way around.”
Technology like Twitter is only a few years old, so there is scarce research on public attitudes toward X-rated tweets and whether they fit the traditional definition of cheating.
The widespread condemnation of Weiner suggests many believe his conduct does constitute infidelity. In a similar vein, a 2004 ABC News pollfound that 64 percent of adults felt that “if a person who’s married or in a committed relationship has sex talk in an Internet chat room,” it would amount to being unfaithful.
“For most people who are in a committed relationship, the partner does see it as cheating,” says Shelley Green, a Nova Southeastern University professor who teaches in the school’s family therapy program and treats couples in private practice.
But ultimately, the question of is-it-or-is-it-not can only be decided by couples themselves, Green adds. Each relationship has its own set of boundaries.
“There’s certainly partners who feel like Internet porn is absolutely unacceptable,” she says. At the same time, other couples “are watching porn together and having that enhance their sexuality.”
Across the country, the Weiner photo controversy has sparked conversations about what’s acceptable and what is not.
Amy Austin of Minneapolis had a blunt assessment for her husband, Jon, as they watched Weiner’s stunning confession on television this week.
“You’d be dead,” she told him.
Still, there are others who insist that physical intimacy is necessary for cheating to occur. Charles Trattler of Palm Beach County says that if he caught his partner sending racy photos via Twitter or text, it would certainly be something to talk about, but it wouldn’t be an act of infidelity.
Trattler, who responded to an online query from The Herald, said his priority would be to “make sure there are no root issues in the relationship that are actually causing this behavior.”
“If it does not go any farther than exchanging photos and messages, it is flirting as far as I am concerned,” he said.
The practice of texting sexually explicit photos, or “sexting,” is often associated with middle- and high-schoolers. And while tech-savvy teens may be more likely to send racy texts, some grown-ups do it too. A May 2010 survey from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 15 percent of adults said they had received “a sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude photo or video” on their cellphone, and 6 percent admitted to sending such a text.
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/10/2260271/is-tweeting-cheating.html#ixzz1OpfSZgnQ
Is tweeting cheating? - Living - MiamiHerald.com
Sunday, June 5, 2011 2:18 AM
A New Golden Age of Gaming | bit-gamer.net
It’s not news that the app store has been revolutionary for mobile gaming, with titles such as Angry Birds and Words With Friends paving the way, just as Farmville has for social gaming. Increasingly, though, with developers and publishers seeing both of these previously ridiculed areas of the industry suddenly surging in popularity, it seems like a new Golden Age of Gaming may be on the horizon.
Apple’s efforts with the iPhone and the iPad in particular have opened up the market to people who otherwise wouldn't have shown any interest in playing games. Joe Wee of Chillingo, one of the leading publishers of iOS games, singled this out as the greatest strength of these platform, saying: ‘It brings out the hidden gamer in everybody. That’s the magic that iOS has brought to an entirely new gaming market.’
Relentless Software, responsible for the Buzz! games on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, agrees that iOS is currently at the forefront of this effort to open new markets. ‘I had a lot of people that would say they weren’t gamers, but then when you quiz them on what they do, they do play games,’ said David Amor, Relentless Software CEO. ‘People almost accidentally have a game device in their pocket.’
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| New iOS games boast a fidelity and depth that was previously unheard of in mobile gaming |
The situation has been helped by the great deal of innovation in iOS game development too. Much like the indie market at large, the overheads are minimal compared to the more standard models of software development seen in the industry. Amor illustrated as much when comparing the process of bringing his upcoming iOS title Quiz Climber to market with the stress of getting Buzz! to launch on the PSP and PlayStation 3.
‘Traditional video game development requires a massive commitment' he says. 'In the case of making a PlayStation game, your master disc is going to Austria and there’s a machine there that stamps out a million discs and that’s a big thing to take on. This is much more straightforward.’
It’s not just the PC market that suffers from this. The mobile gaming market outside of Apple is also affected by the diversity of the hardware currently in use. Chillingo started out developing for Pocket PC (now known as Windows Mobile). ‘We know the pains of delivering content and provisioning,’ said Chris Byatte. ‘It’s tricky, and in the old days providing support was very time consuming and really, that has gone now.’
Before Apple, developers wanting to sell in the mobile market would have to port titles to many different platforms and then rely on shaky distribution centres, only to earn 50 per cent of the revenue (compared to Apple’s 70 per cent). Joe Wee described the release of the iPhone as a ‘Eureka moment’ in mobile gaming, as it offered a standardised platform with a built-in digital distribution centre that was attractive to many developers.
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| Yet it's often the simplest games which stand out the most |
The accessibility and ubiquity of iOS appears to offer the benefits of the PC market, but also the benefits of working with the homogenised hardware configuration of a console. Small teams of developers aren’t just prospering in the market; they're thriving, despite the fierce competition. These teams are setting up virtual studios, and Byatte tells us how Chillingo is working with teams that have never even met each other face to face, or are operating on different sides of the globe.
The platform is also very easy for a developer to work with and the development software for the iDevices is highly accessible. ‘Anyone who is creative can download that and just hammer out a game,’ says Chillingo’s Chris Byatte. ‘It’s opened the doors to everyone to reach the market.’ Although some have criticised Apple’s approval process, Byatte believes it's highly beneficial to the consumer. ‘In the more traditional mobile market, there’s a 50 per cent chance that it won’t even work,’ added Wee.
Developing for iOS also bypasses a significant drawback of PC development, which is that developers only have to worry about one standardised system (albeit now with a few SKUs). One positive aspect of Apple’s strict control over the uses for its device and how it can be modified is that development for it is much simpler. ‘So much energy as a developer is soaked up figuring out different configurations,’ says Amor. ‘You’re spending half your energy worrying about that, and it would be much more fun spending that energy on making a new game or coming up with new ideas.’
A New Golden Age of Gaming | bit-gamer.net
Friday, June 3, 2011 9:33 AM
Dancing Dolls and Pink N8s Won't Save You, Nokia
Kat Hannaford — We're hardly the target audience for a pink phone and Lady Gaga-esque visuals, but Nokia's latest commercial does make me laugh. Or weep, when I remember that Nokia's share prices are at a 13year-low. [Reuters and Curious Brain via Adverblog]
Nokia N8 Pink - Freedom from David Wilson Creative on Vimeo.
Dancing Dolls and Pink N8s Won't Save You, Nokia
We're hardly the target audience for Thursday, June 2, 2011 7:22 AM
Google says Chinese hackers broke into Gmail - California State Wire - fresnobee.com
The breach announced Wednesday marks the second time in 17 months that Google has publicly identified China as the home base for a scheme aimed at hijacking information stored on Google's vast network of computers.
This round of attacks isn't believed to be tied to a more sophisticated assault originating from China in late 2009 and early last year. That intrusion went after some of Google's trade secrets and triggered a high-profile battle with China's Communist government over online censorship that has made it more difficult for the company to do business in the world's most populous country.
The latest duplicity appeared to rely on so-called "phishing" scams and other underhanded behavior that hackers frequently use to obtain passwords from people and websites that aren't vigilant about protecting the information.
Google credited its own security measures for detecting and disrupting the intrusions. All the victims have been notified and their Gmail accounts secured, according to the company. Mila Parkour, a security researcher who helped alert Google to the Gmail breach, said the attacks had been occurring for at least a year before they were finally uncovered.
"It was persistent and bold," Mila Parkour said of the hacking scheme in a Wednesday email exchange with The Associated Press. Parkour first shared her suspicions about the breach in a Feb. 17 post on her Contagio blog.
Google wouldn't say what parts of the U.S. government were targeted or whether any confidential information may have been contained in the trespassed Gmail accounts. Besides senior government officials, other people whose Gmail accounts were infiltrated included Chinese political activists, military personnel, journalists and officials in other countries, mainly in South Korea.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn't shed any light in its statement on the attacks. "We are working with Google and our federal partners to review the matter, offer analysis of any malicious activity, and develop solutions to mitigate further risk," agency spokesman Chris Ortman said.
Google traced the origin of the attacks to Jinan, China. That's the home city of a military vocational school whose computers were linked to the assault more than a year ago on Google's computer systems, along with those of more than 20 other U.S. companies.
That break-in prompted Google to move its Chinese-language search engine from mainland China last year so it wouldn't have to censor content that the government didn't want the general public to see. The search engine is now based in Hong Kong, which isn't subject to Beijing's censorship rules.
Before the shift, the tensions escalated amid reports that the Chinese government had at least an indirect hand in the 2009 and 2010 hacking attacks, a possibility that Google didn't rule out.
This time around, the hackers appeared to rely on tactics commonly used to fool people into believing they are dealing with someone they know or a company that they trust. Once these "phishing" expeditions get the information needed to break into an email account, the access can be used to send messages that dupe other victims.
The culprits behind the Gmail breaches appeared to have specific targets in mind. That is known as "spear phishing" in high-tech circles.
Computer security specialist says spear phishing often provides the means for even broader attacks.
The Gmail attackers were intent on spying on inboxes, according to Google, but their ambitions beyond that were unclear.
Parkour said the hackers' scam proved highly effective "because they used information from the emails for future phishing emails, often using information that would be known only to (the) victim - thus gaining more trust." She said the ruse served as a reminder of the security weaknesses of Web-based email services such as Google's.
Gmail has 221 million users worldwide, ranking it third behind the Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail at 327 million and Yahoo Inc.'s webmail service at 277 million, according to the research firm comScore Inc.
Both Google and the Department of Homeland Security advised email users to take steps to protect their accounts. Google posted its safety tips on its blog, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ensuring-your-information-is-safe.html
Google says Chinese hackers broke into Gmail - California State Wire - fresnobee.com
Google wouldn't say what parts of the U.S. government were targeted or whether any confidential information may have been contained in the trespassed Gmail accounts. Besides senior government officials, other people whose Gmail accounts were infiltrated included Chinese political activists, military personnel, journalists and officials in other countries, mainly in South Korea.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security didn't shed any light in its statement on the attacks. "We are working with Google and our federal partners to review the matter, offer analysis of any malicious activity, and develop solutions to mitigate further risk," agency spokesman Chris Ortman said.
Google traced the origin of the attacks to Jinan, China. That's the home city of a military vocational school whose computers were linked to the assault more than a year ago on Google's computer systems, along with those of more than 20 other U.S. companies.
That break-in prompted Google to move its Chinese-language search engine from mainland China last year so it wouldn't have to censor content that the government didn't want the general public to see. The search engine is now based in Hong Kong, which isn't subject to Beijing's censorship rules.
Before the shift, the tensions escalated amid reports that the Chinese government had at least an indirect hand in the 2009 and 2010 hacking attacks, a possibility that Google didn't rule out.
This time around, the hackers appeared to rely on tactics commonly used to fool people into believing they are dealing with someone they know or a company that they trust. Once these "phishing" expeditions get the information needed to break into an email account, the access can be used to send messages that dupe other victims.
The culprits behind the Gmail breaches appeared to have specific targets in mind. That is known as "spear phishing" in high-tech circles.
Computer security specialist says spear phishing often provides the means for even broader attacks.
The Gmail attackers were intent on spying on inboxes, according to Google, but their ambitions beyond that were unclear.
Parkour said the hackers' scam proved highly effective "because they used information from the emails for future phishing emails, often using information that would be known only to (the) victim - thus gaining more trust." She said the ruse served as a reminder of the security weaknesses of Web-based email services such as Google's.
Gmail has 221 million users worldwide, ranking it third behind the Microsoft Corp.'s Hotmail at 327 million and Yahoo Inc.'s webmail service at 277 million, according to the research firm comScore Inc.
Both Google and the Department of Homeland Security advised email users to take steps to protect their accounts. Google posted its safety tips on its blog, http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/ensuring-your-information-is-safe.html
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 8:04 AM
Facebook Ad Sales Chief: There Are 50 Million Likes Per Day For Brands
Everson, who joined Facebook from Microsoft in February, says that advertising can be brought to life digitally through peer to peer recommendations and friend to friend experiences on Facebook. The social network is trying to work with top brands to help capitalize on this experiences. As she tells the audience, the “holy grail for branding are recommendations.”
Likes of course are a huge opportunity for Facebook when it comes to advertising. Everson says that there are currently 50 million likes per day for brands on Facebook, which is out of a billion or more likes per day across the web.
Everson says that founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg thinks advertising has to be as compelling as sharing a status update or sharing a photo. The social network recently launched sponsored stories, which turns status updates, Likes, checkins and application activity on Facebook into advertisement for a brand. Everson says that the more progressive brands are starting to adopt this ad format, but of course display ads still reign supreme on the network. “We’re one percent done on our ad products,” says Everson.
That’s an impressive outlook, considering that Facebook is minting money from advertising currently. It’s hard to imagine that a company making billions on advertising thinks that they have only touched a small percentage of a market. Clearly, there will be more to come from Facebook on the advertising front.
Facebook Ad Sales Chief: There Are 50 Million Likes Per Day For Brands
Groupon Clone That Got Sued By Groupon Raises Funding At $200 Million Valuation
The round was secured from New York-based Tiger Global and a group of Australian businessmen, including billionaire James Packer’s Consolidated Press Holdings, Andrew Bassat, co-founder and CEO of Seek and Glenn Poswell, founder of Gannet Capital.
You may remember the name Scoopon from the fact that Groupon recently sued the CatchOfTheDay subsidiary for squatting on the Groupon.com.au domain name, registering the company under the name Groupon Pty Limited and even attempting to register the Groupon trademark in Australia. (Groupon operates Stardeals down under for the time being.)
Groupon lodged an intellectual property action in the Federal Court in Victoria – he case has since progressed through the courts and is due for a 5-day hearing beginning on August 1. Groupon is also taking Scoopon’s founders to court in Illinois, claiming federal trademark infringement, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices.
CatchOfTheDay says the financing round marks the largest growth capital investment in the Australian e-commerce sector to date. The company’s founders, brothers Gabby and Hezi Leibovich, will retain a controlling stake in the group businesses, with Lee Fixel from Tiger Global and Jason Lenga from Seek joining the board.
The group, which is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, says it currently rakes in roughly $4 million a week, and employs some 100 people.
The proceeds of the funding round will be used to expand geographically, introduce ‘specialized offerings’ and develop and launch mobile applications. And perhaps also the Groupon lawsuit.
Worth noting: Tiger Global recently invested in another Groupon clone, Brazil’s Peixe Urbano
Groupon Clone That Got Sued By Groupon Raises Funding At $200 Million Valuation
Wednesday, May 18, 2011 12:16 AM
What Happens When It’s Google/Android Vs. Amazon/Android?
Whereas right now, it’s all Google/Android vs. Apple/iOS, what happens when it becomes Google/Android vs. Amazon/Android? It’s going to happen. It’s just a matter of “when”.
First, a bit of backstory. Last August, The New York Times reported that Amazon was looking into creating hardware beyond its Kindle e-reader. A month later, we received a tip which proved to be a confirmation that Amazon was gearing up to launch their own Android app store. Alongside that tip, we received one from the same tipster stating that Amazon was also working on an Android-based tablet. This past March, we saw the Amazon Appstore launch, but Android hardware from Amazon was not yet anywhere to be seen. Still, as we wrote at the time, it seemed inevitable.
Fast forward to last week. In an interview with Consumer Reports, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said two words when asked about a new Amazon tablet that set the Internet on fire: “stay tuned.” The following day, the site Android and Me published another tip coming from “an industry insider with direct knowledge” who says that Amazon is not only gearing up to launch one Android device, but an “entire family” of them. And those devices would come in time for this holiday season.
And that brings us to today. BGR is now running the rumor that Amazon is prepping a dual-core “Coyote” and a quad-core ” Hollywood” tablet for release this year. Android isn’t mentioned, but well, yeah. If there’s truth to these claims, that’s how they’ll work.
And that brings us to our war.
Imagine a 2011 holiday shopping season where Android-crazed consumers hungry for the latest tablets have to pick a side. Do they go with the Google-backed variety (perhaps a Nexus model tablet)? Or do they go with the Amazon-backed variety?
Even if it doesn’t happen this year, extend the same question into next year. Again, this seems inevitable at this point. There’s a reason why Amazon not only built their own Android-based app store, but is working on deals left and right to get exclusives on apps and pricing. Just today, it was revealed that PopCap would give the Amazon Appstore the exclusive rights for Chuzzle and the all-important Plants vs. Zombies for a set timeframe. This means they’ll have the games and Google’s own Android Market will not (at first). That’s huge. And you can expect more of those types of deals.
Still think Amazon won’t be making Android devices?
They have to. The experience of installing their Appstore on current Android devices, quite frankly, sucks. They need to get devices in consumers’ hands that have their store pre-installed. They may be able to work out deals with some carriers to do that. But remember that Google also has deals with the same carriers. You don’t think Google would figure out some way to block (or heavily discourage) such maneuvers? Amazon needs to make their own devices with a customized version of Android that is centered around their software/experience. And they will.
And what does Google do if it’s significantly better than the experience they offer with Android? Do they stick to the “open” nonsense? Or do they start locking stuff down (even more) when they realize that Amazon is commandeering their own platform? What if Amazon strikes a deal with Microsoft to put Bing on their Amazon tablets? What if the ads are handled by someone else whose name doesn’t end in “oogle”? It could be bad news for the search giant.
Google has succeeded in building a massive platform that doesn’t fully rely on them. That’s awesome on paper. But it can work both ways. If others start to realize that they don’t need Google, what does Google do? Just sit there and take it?
The answer, of course, is “no”. They’ll fight back. Maybe they’ll use carrots. Or maybe they’ll resort to sticks.
All I know is that I’ll be watching. With popcorn.
What Happens When It’s Google/Android Vs. Amazon/Android?
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 10:35 PM
Google doodle dances for Martha Graham's 117th birthday - Tech News - IBNLive
In a career that spanned over half a century Graham created more than 180 works and she herself performed in most.
Graham born on May 11, 1894 was one of the three daughters of a doctor. She began her professional career in 1916 and her choreography was influenced by oriental art. For most of her career Graham was the leading figure in American modern dance. She died on April 1, 1991.
The animated doodle marking Graham's birthday was preceded by a series of doodles that Google put together to celebrate the 76th birth anniversary of English author and illustrator Charles Roger Hargreaves.
Google has now become more frequent with animated and interactive doodles. Of the last 10 Google doodles, five included animations or were interactive.
The Google doodle had first gone interactive in May 2010 to celebrate the 30th birthday of the popular Pac-Man game.
For a dozen years, Google has been occasionally swapping its everyday logo for a doodle. The Google doodles, an artistic take on the Google logo, have gained immense popularity over the past few years and the Google doodle team has put out commemorative doodles on numerous events of international or national importance, ranging from news events, civic milestones, birthdays, death anniversaries and important dates in history. Google estimates it has created more than 900 doodles since 1998, with 270 of them running in 2010. Some appear globally, and others are tailored for local markets.
Google doodle dances for Martha Graham's 117th birthday - Tech News - IBNLive
Monday, May 9, 2011 2:06 AM
New UK programme joins the accelerator vogue, offers evergreen funding
However, today the movement is joined by the Oxygen Accelerator a UK-based investment programme designed to intensively mentor super-early stage startups. The 13-week programme will take applications from around the world, so long as the startup sets up a UK limited company.
The programme is unusual in that it’s offering an “evergreen” loan of £20,000 to start with, in return for a 6% equity stake. In effect this covers the startup’s costs and ‘ramen noodle’ living expenses during the programme (they are working with local athorities to also provide subsidised or free accommodation for teams).
And teams won’t need to ‘pay back’ the loan until its raised more investment or the business can afford to repay it. After which that £20k is designed to re-circulate back into the programme. It’s also unusual in that the £200,000 fund covering 10 teams is coming from one individual businessman with no previous history in the tech industry.
That is not about to put off Mark Hales, however. He says that after building up a £65m turnover in the nursing homes business he wants to get involved in the fast-paced tech industry and is prepared to slap down the cash to do it. To do this he’s brought in Simon Jenner, head of incubation at Birmingham Science park to oversee the running of the programme and the assembling of mentors like former Plusnet entrepreneur Lee stafford, Eze Vidra of Google and VC Cafe and Katy Turner from Eden Ventures. Personally I think Hales is slightly crazy – but it’s the kind of crazy I like, so I am joining as a (pro-bono) mentor as well, at least for this first programme.
Admittedly it’s going to be difficult to produce a programme as highly developed as a Seedcamp or Ycombinator from a standing start – and in a place not known as a tech cluster – but Hales reckons he can do it.
“I love technology and young people, and after being successful myself I want to put something back,” he told me. “I wanted to do something outside London, support young entrepreneurs and create a sustainable project that will continue for a long time.”
Luckily he is not coming to this completely cold. Hales has already been a mentor and Founder investor in Springboard in the existing UK tech startup “Springboard” programme run out of Cambridge which has a similar £20,000 offering.
At the end of the 13 weeks the teams will be taken on a roadshow of investor pitches around the UK (not just London) to help them raise follow-on funding.
The programme will be based at Birmingham’s Science Park Aston (BSPA) from 1st September this year.
Applications are open now and close on June 30th 2011 via the site.
New UK programme joins the accelerator vogue, offers evergreen funding
Sunday, May 8, 2011 2:50 AM
Amazon Cloud Player Quietly Begins Working On iOS Devices!
If you visit Amazon’s Cloud Player through the Safari web browser on an iOS device, you’ll see that it does in fact now work. You’ll first hit a warning page telling you that your browser is not supported, but just ignore that. Click into the music in your drive and it will begin playing. It works flawlessly — even to the point where if you get a Push Notification or incoming call, the music will be paused.
Of course, this implementation is still not as good as it is on Android, where Cloud Player is part of a native app. But if Amazon just did a little web work and made the web-based player optimized for the iPhone and iPad, it would certainly be very useable on a regular basis. Uploading, however, still requires Flash. But I assume most people are doing that from their computers anyway.
While this is great news, Apple is expected to announce their own similar service sooner rather than later. And that will be fully baked into iOS (and is expected to have full music label backing, unlike Amazon’s service — which is both ballsy and awesome).
So you Amazon cloud lovers, take the skies and get your music working on iOS now.
Amazon Cloud Player Quietly Begins Working On iOS Devices!
OMG/JK: Can Google Correct Last Year’s Big I/O Flops This Year?
It’s just about that time again. Google I/O is happening next week and just as in year’s past, the company is expected to announce some big things on stage during their two keynotes on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. But what will those things be? Jason and I delve into some predictions for the event, which we’ll both be covering.
But first we take some time to look back at last year’s I/O which made a big splash at the time — and can now probably be best described as a big flop. Google TV, Google Music, Chrome OS. Etc, etc, etc… Will this year’s be more of the same? Or will Google’s mouth actually be able to write checks that their body can cash this time around? Stay tuned…
Here are some articles that are relevant to this week’s episode:
* So Unsocial: Don’t Expect Any Big Google Social Announcements At I/O Next Week
* Another Key Feature Of Google +1: Massive-Scale Social Video Conferencing
* Um, Did Google Just Quietly Launch A Web-Based iTunes Competitor? Yep.
* Google Buys Simplify Media To Power Music Syncing For New iTunes Competitor
* Social Is Too Important For Google To Screw Up With A Big Launch Circus
* The Future Version Of Android Isn’t Called Ice Cream. It’s Ice Cream SANDWICH.
* Live Blogging The Second Google I/O Keynote: The Day Of Android And Google TV
* Live From The Google I/O Keynote
* Google TV Unveiled. It’s All About The Ad Reach
* Logitech Revue With Google TV: The Official TechCrunch Review
* Wow, Sony’s Google TV Remote Looks Like A Ten Thousand Button Nightmare
* Google TV Already In Trouble? Sony Offering 25% Off Blu-ray Google TV Units
* Is Google In A Dream World? If So, Just How Close To Limbo Are They?
OMG/JK: Can Google Correct Last Year’s Big I/O Flops This Year?
Wednesday, May 4, 2011 10:43 PM
AppleInsider | Apple to release Mac OS X Lion through Mac App Store - sources
With the release of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion this summer, Apple will make the switch to a new kind of digital distribution for its operating system upgrades by releasing the software first through its new Mac App Store, AppleInsider has learned.
The Mac App Store, available to all users running the most recent version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, will become the de facto method for obtaining the Lion upgrade, people familiar with the matter have revealed. Users will be able to upgrade instantly without the need for physical media by purchasing Lion through the Mac App Store.
While the Mac App Store will be the preferred method for installing Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, set for release this summer, it's logical to presume that Apple will also offer an optical disc for people who may not have broadband. At least person with knowledge of the situation claims that this will indeed be the case "for those with slower connections, or [for those who for whatever reason do] not want to download it."
Apple will likely reveal its distribution plans for Lion at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Calif., set to take place June 6 through 10. Apple has promised that this year's conference will showcase the "future" of the Mac operating system, and will be an event developers will not want to miss.
Evidence that Lion will be available in the Mac App Store can already be found in the pre-release builds Apple has issued to developers. Betas are downloaded from the Mac App Store by entering a redemption code provided by Apple.
Utilizing the App Store will allow owners of the new disc-drive-less MacBook Air to easily install the latest version of Mac OS X without the need for a physical disc. Apple ships its redesigned MacBook Air with a Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard reinstaller on a USB thumb drive, rather than a DVD.
Making the App Store a central component of the Mac experience will also allow Apple to remove disc drives from future hardware as the company looks toward a future of computing without the need for physical media. Removal of SuperDrives from devices like the MacBook Pro is expected to take place over the next 12-18 months, paving the way for even thinner designs with more internal space for a larger battery.
Apple has even moved to limit shelf space for software in its retail stores, allowing greater room for more profitable hardware to be sold. In February, it was rumored that the company actually plans to cease the sale of all boxed software at its retail locations.
The App Store has even been highlighted by Apple as a defining feature of Lion, which is due to be released this summer. But rather than wait for the release of Lion, Apple opted to bring the Mac App Store to Snow Leopard users in January.
Hardware requirements for the Mac App Store are the same as those for Snow Leopard, including an Intel-based processor, 1GB of system RAM, and 5GB of available disk space. But those with Apple's earliest Intel-based machines will not be able to run Lion, as it has a minimum requirement of a Core 2 Duo processor.
AppleInsider | Apple to release Mac OS X Lion through Mac App Store - sources
DailyTech - NYC "Taxi of Tomorrow" Winner: Nissan NV200
During a City Hall press briefing in New York City today, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nissan Americas Chairman Carlos Tavares announced that the Nissan NV200 has been selected as the "Taxi of Tomorrow."
In 2007, Bloomberg set a goal to make 13,000 of NYC's taxi's hybrids by 2012 in a project called the "Taxi of Tomorrow." This decision was made after a Ford plant in Canada, which was known for making Crown Victoria's and Lincoln Town cars, had decided to shut down. At that time, only 375 taxis were hybrids while 11,700 Crown Victoria taxis were in operation. Today, over 4,300 NYC cabs are hybrids. Some of the fuel-efficient taxis that can be seen on the road are Altima, Escape, and Camry Hybrids.
In 2008, taxi owners filed a lawsuit against NYC in an effort to stop Bloomberg's plan to mandate all taxi drivers to purchase hybrids. This led to a legal battle between the city and the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade that went through a series of lower courts. Lower courts ruled, "The power to regulate emission standards belongs to the federal government." The Supreme Court refused to hear NYC's appeal in early 2011.
Bloomberg then said he would lobby Congress to adjust the law in which the ruling was based on, proposing a minimum fuel efficiency of 25 mpg in all city cabs and that all taxicab owners with hybrids could charge higher leases on their cabs -- both proposals were shot down by Judge Paul A. Crotty of Federal District Court in Manhattan. Other U.S. cities joined NYC's appeal with concern for the environment, and the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission even held a contest to find a replacement taxi vehicle by 2014.
Two years later, the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission has has made its selection, and it chose the Nissan NV200. "Nissan is proud to provide the next generation of taxis for the city of New York," said Tavares. "The NV200 taxi will give Nissan the opportunity to showcase our dedication to vehicle quality and urban mobility to more than 600,000 passengers every day."
The Nissan NV200 taxi will be produced at Nissan’s plant in Cuernavaca, Mexico. The retail price (MSRP) will be about $29,000, and the taxis will feature a 2.0L 4-cylinder powertrain, room for four passengers as well as luggage, a low-annoyance horn, lights that indicate when the vehicle is honking, overhead reading lights, sliding doors with an entry step and grab handles, and independently-controlled rear air conditioning. In addition, the vehicles will feature a grape phenol-coated air filter, six-way adjustable driving seats for comfort, a transparent roof panel, a driver's navigation and telematics system, and a mobile charging station complete with two USB plugs and a 12V electrical outlet.
For safety, the Nissan NV200 will feature front and rear-seat occupant curtain airbags, lights that indicate when taxi doors are opening, and standard traction control as well as Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).
The Nissan NV200 was selected over two other finalists, which were Ford Motor Co. and Karsan models. After using Ford's Crown Victoria's for years, one has to wonder why NYC didn't choose one of the Big Three automobile manufacturers to supply the new taxi cab fleet.
When the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission was initially searching for a replacement taxi vehicle, Ford even noted that it would be happy to supply the Escape Hybrid or Transit Connect Van.
"The city's Taxi of Tomorrow is the Nissan NV200 - and it's going to be the safest, most comfortable and most convenient cab the city has ever had," said Bloomberg. "We started this process to leverage our taxi industry's purchasing power to get the highest quality taxi, one that can expand and redefine the legendary image of New York City taxicabs. The new taxis will be custom-designed to meet the specific demands of carrying 600,000 passengers a day in New York City traffic and the vehicle meets the top priorities identified by the public in our online survey."
Nissan also plans to work with NYC and taxi owners on a pilot program that studies how electric vehicles work as taxis.
In 2012, Nissan will equip six taxi owners with 100 percent electric Nissan Leaf EVs for testing. In addition, charging stations will be set-up to encourage electric vehicle adoption.
DailyTech - NYC "Taxi of Tomorrow" Winner: Nissan NV200
Monday, May 2, 2011 10:18 PM
Neowin.net - Google ranked highest in reputation survey
Image via CrunchBaseAccording to a recent polling of 30,000 Americans by Harrison Interactive, Google has the best reputation among 60 well-known companies. This poll occurs once per year, and consists of several dimensions which Harris Interactive compiles into a single score (1-100, with a higher score being more reputable). Over the course of the last year, Google (#3 last year) has not always enjoyed positive press, as it was investigated by the EU for antitrust violations, and had privacy complaint filed by the FTC on their Buzz social networking platform.
Other companies in this list were Apple (#5, up from #12), Amazon (#8, up from #9), Microsoft (#16, down from #7), and Intel (holding steady at #6). Facebook, new to the survey this year, ranked at #31. US Wireless Carriers Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint were ranked #39, #41 and #48 respectively. BP, unsurprisingly is #59 on the list, following the wake of last year's gulf oil spill from the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon. Last on the list is AIG, which has been in the legal doghouse for the last several years with allegations of fraud.
While reading these results, it's important to take note that the broader US population may have a different opinion than the (US and worldwide) tech-savvy population. The complete list of company ranking can be found here, courtesy of www.businessinsider.com.
Other companies in this list were Apple (#5, up from #12), Amazon (#8, up from #9), Microsoft (#16, down from #7), and Intel (holding steady at #6). Facebook, new to the survey this year, ranked at #31. US Wireless Carriers Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint were ranked #39, #41 and #48 respectively. BP, unsurprisingly is #59 on the list, following the wake of last year's gulf oil spill from the drilling rig Deepwater Horizon. Last on the list is AIG, which has been in the legal doghouse for the last several years with allegations of fraud.
While reading these results, it's important to take note that the broader US population may have a different opinion than the (US and worldwide) tech-savvy population. The complete list of company ranking can be found here, courtesy of www.businessinsider.com.
Neowin.net - Google ranked highest in reputation survey
Neowin.net - Resistance 3 demo to be included in Battle Los Angeles Blu-Ray June 14
The Blu-Ray release date for Battle Los Angeles is currently scheduled for June 14, a mere three months after the critically panned movie debuted in theaters. As far as the Resistance 3 demo contained in the Blu-Ray, G4TV.com's web site adds that players will be treated to about a half hour or so of gameplay from the upcoming game. The demo's setting is described as a "creepy boat ship." Oddly enough the movie Battle Los Angeles had a billboard on its set that showed the logo for Resistance 3.
For those of you not up to speed on the Resistance series, it takes place in the 1950s where World War II never happened. However the world has to deal with an even greater threat; the alien race known as the Chimera who swarm out of Russia, seeking the elimination of mankind. The first Resistance game took place in the UK while Resistance 2 saw the Chimera invasion hit the United States. Resistance 3 takes place in an occupied US in 1957 with the player character trying to lead a, what else, resistance movement against the aliens. The full game will be released as a Playstation 3 exclusive on September 6.
Neowin.net - Resistance 3 demo to be included in Battle Los Angeles Blu-Ray June 14
Katy Perry: `I`m four months Google-free` - Monsters and Critics
The 26-year-old singer admitted that she used to use the search engine to find stories about herself but said that she had to quit after getting a Google alert about Brand's proposal plans weeks before he got down on one knee.
She told The Sunday Times Magazine, 'I'm four months Google-free. I don't Google myself anymore. That was my New Year's resolution. I don't read papers. I don't even look at reviews. I have a good team around me so if anything pops up that's really good or bad I'll know about it. Generally I feel much better being able to live my life like a normal person and not read yesterday's news.'
Katy Perry: `I`m four months Google-free` - Monsters and Critics
DailyTech - Motorola Has Decent Quarter Despite Weak Xoom, Atrix Sales
A few years ago, the outlook for Motorola wasn't very rosy. The company was failing to follow-up on the success of it ubiquitous RAZR cell phone with innovative products, and it was losing ground to the likes of Apple and HTC. The state of affairs was so bad there were reports of Motorola completely leaving the handset market.
Things began to turn around when Google's Android came into the picture, and Motorola began focusing its resources on smartphones running the open-source OS. The success of the DROID line for Verizon arguably kept Motorola afloat and helped the company set the framework for an earnest turnaround.
Still, in the first quarter of 2010, Motorola lost $212 million. So today's news that the company lost just $81 million in the same quarter of this year can be viewed as a marked improvement. According to the company's press release announcing the results, it saw a net revenue of $3.0 billion -- up 22 percent from last year, with the Mobile Devices unit earning a bulk of that pie ($2.1 billion).
Motorola says it shipped 9.3 million mobile devices in 2011 Q1, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 tablets -- presumably all Xoom tablets. That number does not reflect units sold to end users (analysts estimate that magic number to be somewhere between an anemic 25,000 units and a not-much-better 125,000). And even the 250,000 can't hold a candle to Apple's 4.69 million iPads sold in the same period.
"In the first quarter, we reached a major milestone in our history by becoming a new independent, public company," CEO Sanjay Jha said in the press release, alluding to Motorola splitting into two separate units in January. "We enhanced our product portfolio by delivering compelling experiences with the launch of Motorola ATRIX™ and Motorola XOOM™, as well as offering unique end-to-end video solutions for the home."
The fact that Motorola had a decent quarter when its two biggest launches were a smartphone and expensive tablet that both failed to sell well is good news for the company, although it certainly would have improved the bottom line even more if the devices had fared better.
And while the outlook for the second quarter is looking promising (Motorola expects to be somewhere between break-even and $35 million in profit), Information Week is reporting that the company may be hampered by delays of a few key products. An LTE modem for the Xoom was supposed to become available by the end of Q2. But the upgrade, which requires Xoom owners to send the device to Verizon for a week, has been delayed. In addition, the next in the popular DROID line of smartphones, the DROID Bionic (announced at the same time as the Xoom), has also been delayed from a May launch to late-summer.
Jha said the delays were caused by the difficulty in working out the kinks with a new technology such as LTE. "It was really a software issue of getting the performance to a place that both ourselves and our partner, Verizon Wireless, were comfortable launching the device[s]," he told Information Week. "As you understand, there's a great deal of complexity in launching any new technology like this--that was probably the main matter at heart here."
Things began to turn around when Google's Android came into the picture, and Motorola began focusing its resources on smartphones running the open-source OS. The success of the DROID line for Verizon arguably kept Motorola afloat and helped the company set the framework for an earnest turnaround.
Still, in the first quarter of 2010, Motorola lost $212 million. So today's news that the company lost just $81 million in the same quarter of this year can be viewed as a marked improvement. According to the company's press release announcing the results, it saw a net revenue of $3.0 billion -- up 22 percent from last year, with the Mobile Devices unit earning a bulk of that pie ($2.1 billion).
Motorola says it shipped 9.3 million mobile devices in 2011 Q1, including 4.1 million smartphones and more than 250,000 tablets -- presumably all Xoom tablets. That number does not reflect units sold to end users (analysts estimate that magic number to be somewhere between an anemic 25,000 units and a not-much-better 125,000). And even the 250,000 can't hold a candle to Apple's 4.69 million iPads sold in the same period.
"In the first quarter, we reached a major milestone in our history by becoming a new independent, public company," CEO Sanjay Jha said in the press release, alluding to Motorola splitting into two separate units in January. "We enhanced our product portfolio by delivering compelling experiences with the launch of Motorola ATRIX™ and Motorola XOOM™, as well as offering unique end-to-end video solutions for the home."
The fact that Motorola had a decent quarter when its two biggest launches were a smartphone and expensive tablet that both failed to sell well is good news for the company, although it certainly would have improved the bottom line even more if the devices had fared better.
And while the outlook for the second quarter is looking promising (Motorola expects to be somewhere between break-even and $35 million in profit), Information Week is reporting that the company may be hampered by delays of a few key products. An LTE modem for the Xoom was supposed to become available by the end of Q2. But the upgrade, which requires Xoom owners to send the device to Verizon for a week, has been delayed. In addition, the next in the popular DROID line of smartphones, the DROID Bionic (announced at the same time as the Xoom), has also been delayed from a May launch to late-summer.
Jha said the delays were caused by the difficulty in working out the kinks with a new technology such as LTE. "It was really a software issue of getting the performance to a place that both ourselves and our partner, Verizon Wireless, were comfortable launching the device[s]," he told Information Week. "As you understand, there's a great deal of complexity in launching any new technology like this--that was probably the main matter at heart here."
DailyTech - Motorola Has Decent Quarter Despite Weak Xoom, Atrix Sales
Saturday, April 30, 2011 8:29 PM
Updates galore: HTC Thunderbolt, Motorola Atrix 4G and Inspire 4G updated
HTC Thunderbolt updated too (like AT&T’s Motorola Atrix 4G and HTC Inspire 4G).
The timing is really not a big surprise, but the rivalry of AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the United States mobile and wireless market also involves updating their own Android smartphones. AT&T recently updated its “4G” smartphones, the Motorola Atrix 4G and the HTC Inspire 4G.
According to the document released by the carrier, the Atrix 4G and the Inspire 4G’s update will include the phone updates for “increased potential data speed,” and the update described by AT&T as “improvements to limit interruptions to data connection.” Bot smartphones are branded with the 4G tag, so we’re expecting to see improved data uploads and downloads with the new system update.
On the other hand, Verizon Wireless updated its first 4G LTE smartphone after releasing another one recently (Samsung Droid Charge). According to Verizon’s HTC Thunderbolt software update, web browsing and data will be “enhanced” when accessing the Verizon’s 3G network. That’s very useful knowing that the carrier’s LTE is still not available in many cities in US.
Aside from the web browsing and data speed, the HTC Thunderbolt update also includes “fix” on SMS and MMS storage in the “messaging application,” as well as stability improvements of apps support that includes stability for Facebook, Yahoo and other apps.
