Despite the uproar over Google's online book scanning program, the University of Michigan on Thursday said it would expand its book digitization agreement with the search engine.
Under the deal, Google will put the university's 8 million works online and allow users to see free previews and buy access to the school's collection online and through subscriptions from other schools.
In return, Google will pay for public access terminals at libraries throughout the country and contribute millions to establish two new research centers at the university.
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) and the Author's Guild sued Google for copyright infringement in 2005 after the search engine giant announced plans for Google Print. The online book initiative partnered with major university libraries - including the University of Michigan - to scan the books in their collections and make them available on the Internet.
Google announced a settlement with authors and book publishers in October 2008, but that deal has been challenged by authors and regulators.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Google to Begin Selling E-Books
Google will begin offering electronic versions of mass-market books by the end of the year, according to a published report.The move would put Google into competition with Amazon as one of the leading vendors of electronic books, a trend Google has flirted with in the past, according to The New York Times.
eMusic Signs First Major Label Deal
eMusic, the online independent music store, has been around for over a decade, but they've never had a major label distribution deal--until now. Sony Music Entertainment has agreed to make its entire back catalog of material--anything older than two years old, and including artists like Michael Jackson and Bruce Springsteen--available to eMusic's 400,000 subscribers, according to the New York Times.The tracks will remain in eMusic's trademark DRM-free MP3 format, but eMusic will raise prices slightly and reduce the number of downloads per month for some of its plans as part of the deal. eMusic's usual monthly plans, such as $11.99 for 30 tracks, mean that buyers get new songs for just 40 cents each (or even less). But the plans themselves are restrictive, with no full album discounts, and the free trial period is a misnomer and could charge your credit card within minutes of signing up if you're not careful, as I found in my recent review.This latest move could serve to broaden eMusic's subscriber base somewhat, depending on the price increases. But eMusic stll needs to offer an a la carte plan to compete with iTunes, Napster, Lala, and other cutting edge services, now that all of them have also removed DRM and improved MP3 sound quality to match or exceed what eMusic has offered for years--and who also offer millions of major label tracks to boot.
40 Years Later, Woodstock Launches as a Social Networking Site
The spirit of Woodstock goes online today, as Woodstock Ventures and Sony Music join to launch Woodstock.com. More than just a nostalgia stop, the site combines social networking, concert information, and personal reminiscences.Music fans will find information on more than 130,000 events at launch, and can buy tickets, visit artist forums, and connect with other fans. They can even rate concerts and post photos afterward.Concert-goers who attended one of the three Woodstock shows (1969, 1994, or 1999) can share their experiences. The site has its own wiki, WikiStock, where readers can contribute to an ongoing encyclopedia of all things Woodstock.In keeping with '60s (and millennium) activism, Woodstock.com will also host discussions on social and environmental issues. Visitors can meet on a virtual village green to talk about the environment. While there's no 40th anniversary show, this site should keep Woodstock-lovers entertained until the next one rolls around.
Sherwin-Williams iPhone App: ColorSnap Paints by Numbers
The Apple iPhone seems to find a new niche market every day. With the new ColorSnap app from Sherwin-Williams, that mix now includes house painters. The app works with the iPhone's built-in camera to match the shades in any scene with one of 1,500 Sherwin-Williams paint colors. It can then save the color for later retrieval when picking out paints for a project.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Group Asks for Time Warner Bandwidth Cap Inquiry
Is consumption-based billing on the horizon for Time Warner Cable or not? Recent changes the company's terms of service (TOS) prompted a Washington-based interest group to call for a federal inquiry, but Time Warner denied any wrongdoing.
The cable company recently updated its TOS to say that it was at liberty to reduce the speed of its high-speed Internet service in cases of overuse, and that Time Warner had the right to monitor bandwidth usage.
Time Warner Cable has "the right to monitor my bandwidth usage patterns to facilitate the provision of the [high-speed digital] service and to ensure my compliance with the Terms of Use and to efficiently manage their networks and their provision of services," according to the revamped TOS.
Amidst backlash from customers, interest groups, and Congress, the cable company in April unexpectedly scrapped plans for broadband bandwidth caps. Time Warner said it would shut down ongoing tests in Texas, North Carolina, and New York while it conducted a consumer education campaign to more adequately inform customers about its plans.
The updated TOS prompted concern from interest group Public Knowledge and stopthecap.com, an anti-cap Web site that has been following the issue.
"Since the terms and conditions have now fundamentally changed, new customers must now agree to these new terms, allowing the company to force you into any metered billing scheme even if your current level of service doesn't provide for that," stopthecap.com wrote on its blog. "Formerly, price protection contracts would protect you from being forced into such plans until your contract expired."
Public Knowledge agreed. "The new TOS carves out for Time Warner the right to use any amount of bandwidth the company chooses for its services, but puts its customers at risk if they use the Internet for services that may compete with Time Warner, such as video or telephone-like services," Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said in a statement. "The new TOS also allows for 'the prioritization of TWC commercial subscriber traffic."
Sohn called on the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to "conduct inquiries to determine the extent to which [TWC's cable modem services] hamper the free flow of information online and to which they are anticompetitive."
"In addition, even though Time Warner has said it would not pursue bandwidth caps on consumers, the TOS clearly leaves open that possibility, opening questions whether the company is adhering to deceptive trade practices," Sohn said. "We hope the FTC will make inquiries along this line as well."
Time Warner said the update was simply a means of keeping its customers in the loop.
"Time Warner Cable believes that our terms of service should be a document that allows a customer to decide whether or not they'd like to purchase our service based on full disclosure of the techniques we are or may use to manage our network and improve service," the company said in a statement. "In a dynamic and constantly changing business like high speed internet access, we believe that, while we are not legally obligated to provide such detailed terms before we implement a new technique or product structure, it is the best way to ensure that customers have all of the facts before they purchase the product."
Do those facts include consumption-based billing in the future? "We have announced no change to our plans surrounding consumption based billing at this time," the company said.
The cable company recently updated its TOS to say that it was at liberty to reduce the speed of its high-speed Internet service in cases of overuse, and that Time Warner had the right to monitor bandwidth usage.
Time Warner Cable has "the right to monitor my bandwidth usage patterns to facilitate the provision of the [high-speed digital] service and to ensure my compliance with the Terms of Use and to efficiently manage their networks and their provision of services," according to the revamped TOS.
Amidst backlash from customers, interest groups, and Congress, the cable company in April unexpectedly scrapped plans for broadband bandwidth caps. Time Warner said it would shut down ongoing tests in Texas, North Carolina, and New York while it conducted a consumer education campaign to more adequately inform customers about its plans.
The updated TOS prompted concern from interest group Public Knowledge and stopthecap.com, an anti-cap Web site that has been following the issue.
"Since the terms and conditions have now fundamentally changed, new customers must now agree to these new terms, allowing the company to force you into any metered billing scheme even if your current level of service doesn't provide for that," stopthecap.com wrote on its blog. "Formerly, price protection contracts would protect you from being forced into such plans until your contract expired."
Public Knowledge agreed. "The new TOS carves out for Time Warner the right to use any amount of bandwidth the company chooses for its services, but puts its customers at risk if they use the Internet for services that may compete with Time Warner, such as video or telephone-like services," Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, said in a statement. "The new TOS also allows for 'the prioritization of TWC commercial subscriber traffic."
Sohn called on the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission to "conduct inquiries to determine the extent to which [TWC's cable modem services] hamper the free flow of information online and to which they are anticompetitive."
"In addition, even though Time Warner has said it would not pursue bandwidth caps on consumers, the TOS clearly leaves open that possibility, opening questions whether the company is adhering to deceptive trade practices," Sohn said. "We hope the FTC will make inquiries along this line as well."
Time Warner said the update was simply a means of keeping its customers in the loop.
"Time Warner Cable believes that our terms of service should be a document that allows a customer to decide whether or not they'd like to purchase our service based on full disclosure of the techniques we are or may use to manage our network and improve service," the company said in a statement. "In a dynamic and constantly changing business like high speed internet access, we believe that, while we are not legally obligated to provide such detailed terms before we implement a new technique or product structure, it is the best way to ensure that customers have all of the facts before they purchase the product."
Do those facts include consumption-based billing in the future? "We have announced no change to our plans surrounding consumption based billing at this time," the company said.
E3: In EA's Brutal Legend; Jack Black Meets Ozzy Osbourne
In an industry fueled by sequels, it's nice to see the occasional inventive new title. Take Brutal Legend, the new title from EA and Double Fine Productions. The game stars Jack Black and a number of metal legends, including Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Halford, Lita Ford, and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister. From the demo, the game looks to be like something of a cross between Adult Swim's Metalocalypse and those goofy old Lucas Arts games from the mid-90s like Day of the Tentacle--which is to say that the thing looks really, really awesome.
Due out this fall for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Brutal Legend is a combat-based action fantasy game with a metal soundtrack. The plot is decidedly convoluted--here's a bit of it from the EA press release,
Led by Lars Halford alongside his sister Lita and the mysterious Ophelia, the human resistance is far from helpless. However, what they lack is someone to bring them all together; someone who can organize them and lead them into battle, what they need is a roadie. Under Eddie's command, this barbaric force of hot-rods, Marshall stacks, leather, and chrome will bring this ancient world into the age of Metal.
This one has cult hit written all over it. Check out video of Black talking up the game, after the jump.
Due out this fall for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Brutal Legend is a combat-based action fantasy game with a metal soundtrack. The plot is decidedly convoluted--here's a bit of it from the EA press release,
Led by Lars Halford alongside his sister Lita and the mysterious Ophelia, the human resistance is far from helpless. However, what they lack is someone to bring them all together; someone who can organize them and lead them into battle, what they need is a roadie. Under Eddie's command, this barbaric force of hot-rods, Marshall stacks, leather, and chrome will bring this ancient world into the age of Metal.
This one has cult hit written all over it. Check out video of Black talking up the game, after the jump.
E3: EA Intros Littlest Pet Shop Online, Three New DS and Wii Titles
During its press pre-E3 press conference, Electronic Arts today announced the release of the Little Pet Shop Online, a virtual world based around the line of popular Hasbro toys. Entering the code that comes with the stuffed animal will create a virtual version of the character in the safe online world, where players can engage their real world friends.
The new online world is arriving this Fall at LPSO.com. Also arriving soon from EA are three new Littlest Pet Shop games for the Nintendo Wii and DS, including Littlest Pet Shop Country, Littlest Pet Shop City, and Littlest Pet Shop Beach.
Check out video of Littlest Pet Shop Online, after the jump.
The new online world is arriving this Fall at LPSO.com. Also arriving soon from EA are three new Littlest Pet Shop games for the Nintendo Wii and DS, including Littlest Pet Shop Country, Littlest Pet Shop City, and Littlest Pet Shop Beach.
Check out video of Littlest Pet Shop Online, after the jump.
E3: Star Wars: Old Republic "World's First Fully Voiced MMORPG"
The big hit of Electronic Art's pre-E3 Press Conference, perhaps unsurprisingly, was the showcase of the latest Star Wars title, Old Republic. In honor of the new game, Bioware and Lucas Arts employees were joined on-stage by an army of light saber-wielding, robed Jedis.
According to the companies, the game is set to become the "first ever fully voiced MMORPG," and is "one of the largest voice-over projects, ever." All of the characters, no matter how major or minor, will be given a voice, a first for multi-player online gaming.
Check out the game's cinematic trailer, after the jump.
According to the companies, the game is set to become the "first ever fully voiced MMORPG," and is "one of the largest voice-over projects, ever." All of the characters, no matter how major or minor, will be given a voice, a first for multi-player online gaming.
Check out the game's cinematic trailer, after the jump.
E3: EA Announces Partnership With Mixed Martial Arts
Electronic Arts today, during its pre-E3 press conference, announced the latest addition to its ever-expanding line of sports franchise games: The company has struck a deal to bring the popular sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
The first game to come out of the deal is being developed by Tiburon. It's set for release some time next year. Beyond that, the details of the game are rather scarce.
The first game to come out of the deal is being developed by Tiburon. It's set for release some time next year. Beyond that, the details of the game are rather scarce.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
E3: EA Reinvents Wii Tennis With Grand Slam
Electronic Arts today announced that it was taking a shot at the world of Wii tennis, with the release of Grand Slam Tennis: "the deepest and richest tennis experience ever developed for the Wii," according to the company.
Grand Slam Tennis is compatible with the Nintendo console's new MotionPlus controller, features online social gaming integration, and offers 23 playable pros, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, and Maria Sharapova.
Electronic Arts brought tennis legend Sampras on stage to help introduce (and demo) the new game. Check out a video of Sampras, after the jump.
Grand Slam Tennis is compatible with the Nintendo console's new MotionPlus controller, features online social gaming integration, and offers 23 playable pros, including Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Pete Sampras, and Maria Sharapova.
Electronic Arts brought tennis legend Sampras on stage to help introduce (and demo) the new game. Check out a video of Sampras, after the jump.
E3: Ubisoft Unveils Project Natal-Like Camera-Based Wii Fitness Game
Not to be outdone by Microsoft's newly announced Project Natal, Ubisoft today introduced Your Shape, an exercise game that utilizes a new camera peripheral for the Nintendo Wii. The camera tracks players' movements without the aid of a Wiimote or other handheld controller.
Hands On: PeopleBrowsr, a Flexible, Web-Based Twitter Dashboard
Whether you manage a brand or you're looking for an easy way to check your Twitter status without installing software on your computer, PeopleBrowsr can help. It's a Web-based Twitter client with a ton of features and multiple display modes designed to fit the type of user you are. If you're a casual user just looking for an easy way to check your Twitter feed, you can use the Lite mode, but if you're a power user or someone managing a brand that has a huge presence across multiple social networks, the Business mode is for you. Each mode allows you to manage multiple accounts across multiple networks, such as Facebook and Seesmic, as well as Twitter.
hExistentialism Offers Mind-Straining iPhone Fun
Sure, today is the Sims 3 launch day, but I'm enjoying the just-released hExistentialism, available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, instead. If you're tired of pattern games that let you clear tiles as quickly as you can tap, give this much more engaging and slower-paced game a try.hExistentialism offers a playing field of hexagonal-shaped tiles, each bearing a symbol that looks something like the Guggenheim from different angles. Your job is to find three that complete a pattern and tap them to clear them. It's not easy, though, because there are several different patterns going on: you'll have to worry about tile color, symbol color, symbol placement, and more. An included tutorial will get you started, but the game is quite challenging from the start. Still, there's a feeling of reward when you begin to master it that simpler games won't give you. Created by Ayumusoft, a collection of music and tech geeks in San Francisco, hExistentailism is the rare casual game that really engages your brain. It's available for $2.99 from the iTunes Store.
E3: Nintendo Intros Alternative Titles for the DS
At its E3 press conference today, Nintendo expanded its commitment to non-traditional gaming categories by introducing two new games for the Nintendo DS. Mystery writer James Patterson will make his gaming debut on the device with James Patterson Women's Murder Club Games of Passion, a virtual book club for the Nintendo DS. The title is due out on October 13th.Teens girls also get a new title in the form of Style Savvy, a fashion-based shopping game that will be appearing in North America later this year.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Men Attract More Twitter Followers, But Is Anyone Tweeting?
Looking for Internet stardom? If you're a man, Twitter could be your best bet.
A recent study from the Harvard Business Review found that men have 15 percent more followers than women on the micro-blogging site. Men, meanwhile, are two times more likely to follow another man than a woman and women are 25 percent more likely to follow a man than a woman.
"These results cannot be explained by different tweeting activity - both men and women tweet at the same rate," wrote report authors Bill Heil and Mikolaj Piskorski.
"This 'follower split' suggests that women are driven less by followers than men, or have more stringent thresholds for reciprocating relationships," they wrote. "This is intriguing, especially given that females hold a slight majority on Twitter" - 55 percent versus 45 percent.
Heil and Piskorski collected their data by examining the activity of 300,542 random users in May 2009. To determine gender, they referenced users' given names against a database of 40,000 strongly gendered names.
The authors were surprised by the findings because on the typical social network, a majority of the activity is focused around women.
Men will follow women they know and do not know, while women will usually only follow women they know.
"Men and women find the content produced by other men on Twitter more compelling than on a typical social network, and men find the content produced by women less compelling because of a lack of photo sharing, detailed biographies, etc.," the report said.
But while men attract more followers, is anyone really listening? Heil and Piskorski found that Twitter contributions are quite different than those found on traditional social networks like Facebook and MySpace. The average Twitter user "contributes very rarely" - with the median number of lifetime Tweets standing at one.
"Specifically, the top 10 percent of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets," the report found. "This implies that Twitter's resembles more of a one-way, one-to-many publishing service more than a two-way, peer-to-peer communication network."
In April, Nielsen Online reported that approximately 60 percent of current Twitter users fail to return the next month.
A recent study from the Harvard Business Review found that men have 15 percent more followers than women on the micro-blogging site. Men, meanwhile, are two times more likely to follow another man than a woman and women are 25 percent more likely to follow a man than a woman.
"These results cannot be explained by different tweeting activity - both men and women tweet at the same rate," wrote report authors Bill Heil and Mikolaj Piskorski.
"This 'follower split' suggests that women are driven less by followers than men, or have more stringent thresholds for reciprocating relationships," they wrote. "This is intriguing, especially given that females hold a slight majority on Twitter" - 55 percent versus 45 percent.
Heil and Piskorski collected their data by examining the activity of 300,542 random users in May 2009. To determine gender, they referenced users' given names against a database of 40,000 strongly gendered names.
The authors were surprised by the findings because on the typical social network, a majority of the activity is focused around women.
Men will follow women they know and do not know, while women will usually only follow women they know.
"Men and women find the content produced by other men on Twitter more compelling than on a typical social network, and men find the content produced by women less compelling because of a lack of photo sharing, detailed biographies, etc.," the report said.
But while men attract more followers, is anyone really listening? Heil and Piskorski found that Twitter contributions are quite different than those found on traditional social networks like Facebook and MySpace. The average Twitter user "contributes very rarely" - with the median number of lifetime Tweets standing at one.
"Specifically, the top 10 percent of prolific Twitter users accounted for over 90% of tweets," the report found. "This implies that Twitter's resembles more of a one-way, one-to-many publishing service more than a two-way, peer-to-peer communication network."
In April, Nielsen Online reported that approximately 60 percent of current Twitter users fail to return the next month.
Lenovo Brings Back ThinkVantage System Update
Users seem to always be looking for a one-stop shop for updating the BIOS and drivers, which is why customers appreciated the Lenovo ThinkVantage System Update. Or they did, when Lenovo offered it.Because of the load that the ThinkVantage service was placing on Lenvovo's servers and on its IT budget, the company reluctantly killed it for individual users on April 1. Enterprise customers never lost access to the service.Customers, however, complained. Fortunately, Lenovo has decided to reinstate the service, the company said in a blog post. Lenovo's ThinkVantage System Update 3.14 software is here."Following our announcement, however, we heard from many customers on
our blogs and forums," Matt Kohut, a global strategist for the company, wrote. "We've heard clearly that our individual and
business customers alike value TVSU highly. Therefore, we are adjusting
course based on your feedback, and have released a new version of TVSU
on May 31st.
our blogs and forums," Matt Kohut, a global strategist for the company, wrote. "We've heard clearly that our individual and
business customers alike value TVSU highly. Therefore, we are adjusting
course based on your feedback, and have released a new version of TVSU
on May 31st.
RealPlayer Labeled "Badware"
When do the "helpful" add-ons supplied with a handy utility go too far? When does it enter the realm of badware? StopBadware.org, a watchdog group whose advisory board includes such luminaries as Vint Cerf and Esther Dyson, will tell you when, in precise detail. A set of guidelines on the site lists specific failures of disclosure and unwarranted actions that qualify a program as badware. And their latest target is RealPlayer.
It's hard to argue with their detailed report. They point out that RealPlayer 11 installs the Rhapsody Player Engine without notifying the user and fails to remove it upon being uninstalled--that's a no-no.
The charge against RealPlayer 10.5, the version distributed by third-party channels, is more serious. They say it installs an adware feature and falsely identifies it as a "message center... designed to provide useful software updates." The StopBadware reports offer recommendations to RealPlayer that would get them off the "badware list". We'll see what shakes out.
It's hard to argue with their detailed report. They point out that RealPlayer 11 installs the Rhapsody Player Engine without notifying the user and fails to remove it upon being uninstalled--that's a no-no.
The charge against RealPlayer 10.5, the version distributed by third-party channels, is more serious. They say it installs an adware feature and falsely identifies it as a "message center... designed to provide useful software updates." The StopBadware reports offer recommendations to RealPlayer that would get them off the "badware list". We'll see what shakes out.
RealNetworks bringing RealPlayer to Linux-powered netbooks
Just like the rest of us, RealNetworks is finding it tough to ignore all the netbook hype--and they plan to do something about it. The company announced today that they've signed agreements with Canonical, Xandros, Phoenix, and DeviceVM to license RealPlayer for Mobile Devices for Linux-powered netbooks, including both Linux OS and upcoming Linux Instant-On OS varieties.That means the next Dell Inspiron netbook running Ubuntu could come with RealPlayer.
E3: Nintendo Rolls out Four New RPGs for the DS
During its day-one press conference at E3, Nintendo announced a handful of new role playing games for its portable gaming system, the DS. Among the new titles for the platform are two
Monday, July 27, 2009
Happn.in Makes Twitter Local
One of the great things about Twitter is that you can interact with people around the world instantly. Twitter can also be a useful tool to find out what's going on in your neighborhood and stay in touch with friends who live in your area. If you're curious what's going on in your city, check out Happn.in, a Web service that breaks down hot Twitter topics by major city to show you what people in your area are tweeting about.
E3:Nintendo Intros Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii
Nintendo introduced yet another Mario title today during its E3 press conference, the first time that a 3D Mario game has gotten a sequel on the same console. A trailer for Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii was debuted today.From the trailer, the gameplay looks fairly similar to its predecessor with a few new features, such as the ability to utilize old favorite, Yoshi.
E3: Nintendo Announces New Zelda Game for DS
Mario wasn't the only Nintendo hero that had a brand new game unveiled today at the company's E3 press conference. Old favorite Link will be returning to the Nintendo DS with the new title, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.Nintendo didn't offer much in the way of information on the new title--not even a demo was available during the conference, though the game will be available later this week at the Nintendo booth on the E3 showroom floor. We'll be sure to give you a sneak peak of the title later today.
E3: Nintendo DS Gets More Customizable With New Titles, Facebook Partnership
Nintendo today unveiled a handful of new games
that further expand the Nintendo DSi's customizable focus. Previewed
earlier this year, the animation Moving Memo game has been renamed
Flipnote Studio. The game lets users create their own animated movies.
The third entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong feature will let users
design and share their own levels. The game will be available
exclusively as a Nintendo DSi download on June 8th, Wario Ware DIY
takes things a step further, letting users create their own games from the ground up.
Nintendo also becomes the latest gaming company to partner with
Facebook, allowing users to upload photos take on the Nintendo DSi,
directly to the social network.
that further expand the Nintendo DSi's customizable focus. Previewed
earlier this year, the animation Moving Memo game has been renamed
Flipnote Studio. The game lets users create their own animated movies.
The third entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong feature will let users
design and share their own levels. The game will be available
exclusively as a Nintendo DSi download on June 8th, Wario Ware DIY
takes things a step further, letting users create their own games from the ground up.
Nintendo also becomes the latest gaming company to partner with
Facebook, allowing users to upload photos take on the Nintendo DSi,
directly to the social network.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Report: China Blocking Twitter, Bing, Hotmail, Live, Flickr
In preparation for the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, China is reportedly blocking access to certain Web services like Twitter, Flickr, and Microsoft's new Bing search engine.
Blocking is being done via a URL keyword filter, according to Danwei, a Web site that follows media, advertising and urban life in China.
"Googling for 'twitter.com' resets the connection, as does including the string 'twitter.com' in any other URL," Danwei wrote in a Tuesday blog post. "Access to the service is fine through proxy or VPN."
Blocking soon extended to the Yahoo-owned Flickr photo-sharing site, Bing, Live.com, and Hotmail. MSN Messenger, Blogspot, and YouTube appeared to remain unblocked.
Danwei speculated that Bing was blocked "for autoplaying YouTube videos when you put your mouse over them."
A Microsoft spokeswoman said she was not immediately aware of any blocking problems in China. Yahoo and Twitter did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Blocking is being done via a URL keyword filter, according to Danwei, a Web site that follows media, advertising and urban life in China.
"Googling for 'twitter.com' resets the connection, as does including the string 'twitter.com' in any other URL," Danwei wrote in a Tuesday blog post. "Access to the service is fine through proxy or VPN."
Blocking soon extended to the Yahoo-owned Flickr photo-sharing site, Bing, Live.com, and Hotmail. MSN Messenger, Blogspot, and YouTube appeared to remain unblocked.
Danwei speculated that Bing was blocked "for autoplaying YouTube videos when you put your mouse over them."
A Microsoft spokeswoman said she was not immediately aware of any blocking problems in China. Yahoo and Twitter did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Sun Unveils Java Store, Verizon App Conference Set for July 27
Sun Microsystems on Tuesday unveiled its Java Store, which will allow PC users to purchase Java and JavaFX applications from the desktop. Verizon Wireless was also on hand to announce its first open development conference for apps on July 27.
The Java Store, located at http://store.java.com, is currently available as a private beta for U.S. residents that have Java. It's expected to open to all U.S. residents later this year. Interested parties can sign up to participate in the beta on the Web site.
Developers can begin submitting Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE) and JavaFX-based applications to the Java Warehouse for distribution in the Java Store via http://java.sun.com/warehouse.
"Whether you are a Fortune 500 company or a small software startup, your primary need is the ability to reach customers. The Java Platform reaches more customers than just about any other software platform in the industry," said Eric Klein, vice president of Java marketing at Sun, said at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco.
Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam also made an appearance at the conference to announce his company's upcoming development conference for apps.
The move comes about 1.5 years after Verizon introduced an open development initiative focused on hardware, the first release of which was a $69 voice-and-texting phone from a prepaid wireless company called AirVoice.
Expected improvements in network capability prompted Verizon to look at software side.
"We've been relatively closed as a wireless carrier, and I think that was because we were trying to be overprotective of our brand," McAdam said.
Before branching into apps, Verizon had to make sure its network had things like parental controls and double opt-in, he said. Now that those are in place, the focus is on speed, and LTE, which will deliver 10 Mbps through-put to the device.
"That opens up all the great stuff that [the Java] community had done on the desktop - those will all be viable apps on the wireless device," McAdam said.
Developers will have the chance to "create some really killer apps" for the 86 million customers using the Verizon Wireless network, he said.
The Java Store, located at http://store.java.com, is currently available as a private beta for U.S. residents that have Java. It's expected to open to all U.S. residents later this year. Interested parties can sign up to participate in the beta on the Web site.
Developers can begin submitting Java Platform Standard Edition (Java SE) and JavaFX-based applications to the Java Warehouse for distribution in the Java Store via http://java.sun.com/warehouse.
"Whether you are a Fortune 500 company or a small software startup, your primary need is the ability to reach customers. The Java Platform reaches more customers than just about any other software platform in the industry," said Eric Klein, vice president of Java marketing at Sun, said at the JavaOne conference in San Francisco.
Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam also made an appearance at the conference to announce his company's upcoming development conference for apps.
The move comes about 1.5 years after Verizon introduced an open development initiative focused on hardware, the first release of which was a $69 voice-and-texting phone from a prepaid wireless company called AirVoice.
Expected improvements in network capability prompted Verizon to look at software side.
"We've been relatively closed as a wireless carrier, and I think that was because we were trying to be overprotective of our brand," McAdam said.
Before branching into apps, Verizon had to make sure its network had things like parental controls and double opt-in, he said. Now that those are in place, the focus is on speed, and LTE, which will deliver 10 Mbps through-put to the device.
"That opens up all the great stuff that [the Java] community had done on the desktop - those will all be viable apps on the wireless device," McAdam said.
Developers will have the chance to "create some really killer apps" for the 86 million customers using the Verizon Wireless network, he said.
iPhone App Takes Kids from the Couch to the Great Outdoors
Bulpadok, an Australian game studio, has released a game for the iPhone called The Hidden Park. It's intended to help couch-potato kids and parents reach a truce:With Hidden Park,
Microsoft Confirms Oct. 22 Windows 7 Release Date
Windows 7 is scheduled for an October 22 release, Microsoft confirmed Tuesday.
Microsoft will also provide a "tech guarantee" upgrade option for those using older versions of the Windows operating system.
The release to manufacturers (RTM) is expected in late July, a spokesman said.
Steve Guggenheimer, vice president of Microsoft's OEM division, is expected to provide more details during a Wednesday morning keynote at Computex in Taipei. Microsoft will also post additional information on its Web site after the speech.
Earlier this month, Microsoft said it expected to release Windows 7 in time for the holidays.
"If the telemetry we receive from the Windows 7 RC meets our expectations in terms of quality, then we expect to hit [release to manufacturers] in 3 months or so," spokesman Brandon LeBlanc said at the time.
Microsoft unveiled the release candidate (RC) for Windows 7 on May 5, a week after it was released to the company's TechNet and MSDN programs.
A public beta was released at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Bi-hourly shutdowns of that beta will begin on July 1, Microsoft said last week.
Rumors of an October release date surfaced in late April, but were unconfirmed until now.
Microsoft will also provide a "tech guarantee" upgrade option for those using older versions of the Windows operating system.
The release to manufacturers (RTM) is expected in late July, a spokesman said.
Steve Guggenheimer, vice president of Microsoft's OEM division, is expected to provide more details during a Wednesday morning keynote at Computex in Taipei. Microsoft will also post additional information on its Web site after the speech.
Earlier this month, Microsoft said it expected to release Windows 7 in time for the holidays.
"If the telemetry we receive from the Windows 7 RC meets our expectations in terms of quality, then we expect to hit [release to manufacturers] in 3 months or so," spokesman Brandon LeBlanc said at the time.
Microsoft unveiled the release candidate (RC) for Windows 7 on May 5, a week after it was released to the company's TechNet and MSDN programs.
A public beta was released at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Bi-hourly shutdowns of that beta will begin on July 1, Microsoft said last week.
Rumors of an October release date surfaced in late April, but were unconfirmed until now.
E3: Sony Announces New Rock Star Property, Debuts Assassin's Creed II
During its E3 Press Conference, Sony today announced the exclusivity of the latest game from Rockstar, the developer behind the mega-popular Grand Theft auto franchise. The new espionage game takes place in the 70s and will exclusive to the Play Station 3.Sony also debuted Assassin's Creed II. The sequel to the popular game takes place during the Italian Renaissance and features people from the period such as Leonardo Da Vinci, who provides the hero was a flying device.
Friday, July 24, 2009
San Francisco Links 311 Call Center to Twitter
Listen up, San Francisco residents. Is there a leaky fire hydrant on the corner? A huge pothole on your street? Unsightly graffiti on your building? Starting today, you can contact city 311 officials via Twitter.
Mayor Gavin Newsom and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on Tuesday announced that the city's non-emergency 311 information service will accept inquiries and complaints via the ubiquitous micro-blogging service.
To "tweet" into the SF 311 call center, visit sftwitter.sfgov.org and click the "Follow Me" link. Users will then receive an email and/or direct message from the call center with the response, "How can I help you?"
Users who do not have a Twitter account will be asked to register, but they will only have to go through the sign-up process once. The city considered auto-follow, but found that "two way follow makes it easier to create requests.
Users can then write a direct message or Tweet to @SF311 from a browser or smartphone. You can also text complaints from regular cell phones. Address the text to "40404" and type "d sf311 [message]" in the body, remembering to include a space between the "d" and the "s".
Operators are manning 311 calls and inquiries 24 hours a day, though "the amount of time it takes for SF311 to receive the tweet will vary based on the response of the Twitter network," according to the city.
Get the rest of this story on pcmag.com
Mayor Gavin Newsom and Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on Tuesday announced that the city's non-emergency 311 information service will accept inquiries and complaints via the ubiquitous micro-blogging service.
To "tweet" into the SF 311 call center, visit sftwitter.sfgov.org and click the "Follow Me" link. Users will then receive an email and/or direct message from the call center with the response, "How can I help you?"
Users who do not have a Twitter account will be asked to register, but they will only have to go through the sign-up process once. The city considered auto-follow, but found that "two way follow makes it easier to create requests.
Users can then write a direct message or Tweet to @SF311 from a browser or smartphone. You can also text complaints from regular cell phones. Address the text to "40404" and type "d sf311 [message]" in the body, remembering to include a space between the "d" and the "s".
Operators are manning 311 calls and inquiries 24 hours a day, though "the amount of time it takes for SF311 to receive the tweet will vary based on the response of the Twitter network," according to the city.
Get the rest of this story on pcmag.com
E3: JumpStart Plans Games for Younger Audiences
Jumpstart, creator of the classic software learning game MathBlaster, announced at E3 today that it is releasing two new games exclusively for the Wii platform: JumpStart Pet Rescue and JumpStart Escape from Adventure Island. The games are targeted for the Wii's youngest audience--ages 3 to 6.
JumpStart Pet Rescue is the first learning game of its kind to focus on such a young demographic. The adventures in the video game help children learn 75 fundamental skills in over 50 lessons. No word on a release date or price for the game.
JumpStart Pet Rescue is the first learning game of its kind to focus on such a young demographic. The adventures in the video game help children learn 75 fundamental skills in over 50 lessons. No word on a release date or price for the game.
E3: Nintendo Shows Off New Metroid, Resident Evil
Nintendo capped off its E3 2009 press conference today by attempting to demonstrate that despite the company's focus on family-friendly projects, the Wii isn't just for kids. Nintendo announced a handful of partnership titles at the end of the conference, including Capcom's Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, Electronic Arts' Dead Space Extraction, and Sega's The Conduit.The big surprise, however, was the unveiling of the newest Metroid game, Metroid Other M, a partnership with Team Ninja that takes a decidedly grownup turn for the popular Nintendo Franchise. The company debuted an explosion-filled trailer for the game, which is due out in2010.
Time Spent on Facebook Jumps 700%, MySpace Tops in Video
How are you spending your time online? Many of you are apparently on Facebook, as the total number of minutes spent on the social networking site jumped 700 percent in the last year, according to Nielsen.
Visits increased from 1.7 billion in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009, making it the number one social networking site based on total minutes and unique visitors, for the fourth month in a row.
Not to be outdone, MySpace remained the number one social networking site when ranked by video streams and total minutes spent viewing those videos. In April, viewers watched 120.8 million video streams for 384 million minutes -- an average of 38.8 minutes per person.
Facebook visitors, meanwhile, spent 113.5 million minutes viewing video in April, with an average of 11.2 minutes per video viewer.
Who is spending all this time on these sites? Facebook is most popular among users aged 25 to 39, while MySpace is tops with people aged 12 to 24.
Despite the numbers, Nielsen warned that it could all be over tomorrow.
"Remember Friendster? Remember when MySpace was an unbeatable force? Neither Facebook nor Twitter are immune," Jon Gibs, vice president of media and agency insights at Nielsen Online, wrote in a blog post. "Consumers have shown that they are willing to pick up their networks and move them to another platform, seemingly at a moment's notice."
Visits increased from 1.7 billion in April 2008 to 13.9 billion in April 2009, making it the number one social networking site based on total minutes and unique visitors, for the fourth month in a row.
Not to be outdone, MySpace remained the number one social networking site when ranked by video streams and total minutes spent viewing those videos. In April, viewers watched 120.8 million video streams for 384 million minutes -- an average of 38.8 minutes per person.
Facebook visitors, meanwhile, spent 113.5 million minutes viewing video in April, with an average of 11.2 minutes per video viewer.
Who is spending all this time on these sites? Facebook is most popular among users aged 25 to 39, while MySpace is tops with people aged 12 to 24.
Despite the numbers, Nielsen warned that it could all be over tomorrow.
"Remember Friendster? Remember when MySpace was an unbeatable force? Neither Facebook nor Twitter are immune," Jon Gibs, vice president of media and agency insights at Nielsen Online, wrote in a blog post. "Consumers have shown that they are willing to pick up their networks and move them to another platform, seemingly at a moment's notice."
E3: Sony Shows off Final Fantasy XIII, Debuts Final Fantasy XIV
As expected, famed RPG designer Square Enix showcased the long-awaited new version of its popular role-playing game series, Final Fantasy XIII.The company also shocked the audience at the Shrine Auditorium by showing a quick clip from that game's followup, Final Fantasy XIV. It appears to be an MMORPG, due to a final slide that referred to the game as Final Fantasy XIV. Online. No further details were given.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Final Fantasy VII Now Available for Download on PlayStation Network
During the announcement of the PlayStation 3-exclusive Final Fantasy XIV at yesterday's Sony E3 Press Conference, another big bit of Final Fantasy news slipped in under the radar. On Tuesday, Final Fantasy VII--one of the best-selling and most influential RPGs, well, ever-- was made available for download on the PlayStation Network, which can be accessed by the PS3 and PSP.The game costs $9.99. Final Fantasy VII--for those of you who are really, really late to the bandwagon--was released in 1997 for the PlayStation. The story centers around a mercenary named Cloud Strife who joins with others to defeat a corporation that is killing the planet.Post by Sean Ludwig
Say Hello to BING-411, Bing's Voice Service
I have to confess: I somewhat disagree with PCMag.com's official review of Microsoft's Bing.com, which was largely positive. In part, that's because of one thing: the search results don't do a great job of differentiating between actual and sponsored search results, and I think that the layout of those results is still a step below Google's results, which have become the benchmark.With that said, one service I have taken advantage of a number of times is GOOG-411, Google's voice-driven service, which not only offers free 411 service, but also the capability to perform searches around a particular area and connect you to the business or location.I'm not sure often these services are used. But if you do, I'd urge you to try out BING-411 (see the connection?). It's at least comparable if not slightly superior to what Google has accomplished.
Both services ask for a city and state to begin with, as well as the
name of or the category of a local business (e.g, "dentist"). Both
services also allow searches around a particular intersection, or just
the city at large. My test city, "Benicia, California," was recognized
by BING-411, but not Google's service. Trying an alternate ("Los Gatos,
California") was picked up properly by both services. Other search
locations were also recognized correctly, but failing even just once
eliminates an entire city from Google's service, a big black mark.
I'm slightly disappointed that BING-411 allows advertisers to sponsor
the top two search results, which I naturally toss out as being
irrelevant. That only allows BING-411 one more result in its first
grouping, forcing users to ask for additional results. But BING-411 also addresses my complaint in spades: not only does it identify the results as sponsored, but a small chime also calls them out as well. That chime is missing from the "true" results.
BING-411 does offer one nice feature, however: driving directions. How
useful are spoken driving directions on a phone? Not as useful as on a
GPS or mobile device; however, in California, where mobile browsing is
probably technically legal (but texting and using a cell phone is not)
voice directions are still quite useful.
BING-411 offers one direction at a time, allowing a user to say "next"
to advance to the next instruction., and summarizes the trip in terms
of mileage and drive time. I haven't tried a long trip using BING-411,
but I would assume that you could remain on the phone with it the
entire trip, if you wanted. Note that the service doesn't actually know
where you are, however, so it can't recalculate directions
automatically if you stray off course..
Both GOOG-411 and BING-411 offer to send results via text message, but
BING needs to streamline this. Google's service offers this as a
default option, while BING-411 allows you to send the information "to a
friend". Hello, Bing! I can pull over, you know?
Both services ask for a city and state to begin with, as well as the
name of or the category of a local business (e.g, "dentist"). Both
services also allow searches around a particular intersection, or just
the city at large. My test city, "Benicia, California," was recognized
by BING-411, but not Google's service. Trying an alternate ("Los Gatos,
California") was picked up properly by both services. Other search
locations were also recognized correctly, but failing even just once
eliminates an entire city from Google's service, a big black mark.
I'm slightly disappointed that BING-411 allows advertisers to sponsor
the top two search results, which I naturally toss out as being
irrelevant. That only allows BING-411 one more result in its first
grouping, forcing users to ask for additional results. But BING-411 also addresses my complaint in spades: not only does it identify the results as sponsored, but a small chime also calls them out as well. That chime is missing from the "true" results.
BING-411 does offer one nice feature, however: driving directions. How
useful are spoken driving directions on a phone? Not as useful as on a
GPS or mobile device; however, in California, where mobile browsing is
probably technically legal (but texting and using a cell phone is not)
voice directions are still quite useful.
BING-411 offers one direction at a time, allowing a user to say "next"
to advance to the next instruction., and summarizes the trip in terms
of mileage and drive time. I haven't tried a long trip using BING-411,
but I would assume that you could remain on the phone with it the
entire trip, if you wanted. Note that the service doesn't actually know
where you are, however, so it can't recalculate directions
automatically if you stray off course..
Both GOOG-411 and BING-411 offer to send results via text message, but
BING needs to streamline this. Google's service offers this as a
default option, while BING-411 allows you to send the information "to a
friend". Hello, Bing! I can pull over, you know?
Remix Depeche Mode with iDrum
Singur Ros, an Islandic band, and MGMT, an American band, have recently been releasing remixes of Depeche Mode. But these groups aren't the only ones who will be able to mix the beats of an oldies band. With a new app called iDrum: Depeche Mode Sounds of the Universe, anyone can remix beats on their iPhone or iPod Touch.
The app was brought to life by iZotope and Mute Records to help fans bring together their own beats.
The download is available in the iTunes Store for $5.99.
The app was brought to life by iZotope and Mute Records to help fans bring together their own beats.
The download is available in the iTunes Store for $5.99.
Shouldn't Facebook Friend Its Users?
When a company promotes its product or service, making it ubiquitous or even necessary, what obligation does that company have to its users? If the service is free is there any obligation at all? How about if the service has become part of the fabric of society--a listing from Google, a Facebook account, an email address. These free services create real world value for users until something goes wrong. Then the headaches are as real as the value was.
I searched the term "Facebook account disabled" in Twitter
kidzrevil Facebook disabled my account. No notification nothing. They were just like f**k it DISABLE !
WookieeChew I'm so upset with Facebook! If my account has been disabled what happens to all my YoVille money? My pet will die if I can't feed it! Ugh!
IDLawResources Can someone tell my followers on Facebook that FB disabled my account due to consumer education content issues and I am now on Linked In
I'm picking on Facebook because of the experience of Andy Thibault. Andy is an investigative journalist by trade but on Facebook he was just another victim of a hack. Who knows how phishers got into Andy's account, but they did and they sprayed his email list with come-ons to their ".ru" domained phishing site. It wasn't pretty.
I saw the problem before Andy because I got one of "his" emails. Facebook didn't want my help. To me this next paragraph reads like the Fire Department saying only the owner of a home could report it was on fire!
It is possible that malicious software was downloaded to your friend's computer or that their login information was phished in an attempt to send spam from their profile. We would like to investigate this issue further, but unfortunately, we cannot release information regarding a user's account to anyone but the account holder. Please tell your friend to visit the Facebook Help Center and contact us.
Andy changed his password and went on with life until Facebook shut him down! It came without warning or explanation. An email asking what happened brought a boilerplate response answering none of Andy's concerns or reactivating his account.
This is a common enough event one blog has an entry titled, "Why Your Facebook Account Will Be Disabled." "Will" be disabled--pretty strong.
After a few days Andy's account came back. There was no warning, no explanation. It was just there... until it wasn't--again. Andy tried again to contact Facebook and got the same boilerplate he had gotten a week before and, again, it was boilerplate that didn't apply to him! I know his account is still down because I can't respond to his earlier emails and his name no longer appears in my list of friends.
The impact of Facebook removing Andy as a friend seems more than mere metaphor.
When does a website cross the line and go from being optional to necessary. If you run your life on Facebook and you're cut off what message does that send to your colleagues and customers? If Google cuts you off (as they have in the past to me and many others) it's as if you've fallen off the face of the Earth! They're as responsive as Facebook.
Here's the real question. Doesn't, by virtue of its universal utility, the website become obliged to provide real customer service? It's a question I'm asking today which will be asked countless times until someones comes up with an answer and companies find virtual businesses often come with real world obligations. Who from Facebook will step up and "friend" its own users?
I searched the term "Facebook account disabled" in Twitter
kidzrevil Facebook disabled my account. No notification nothing. They were just like f**k it DISABLE !
WookieeChew I'm so upset with Facebook! If my account has been disabled what happens to all my YoVille money? My pet will die if I can't feed it! Ugh!
IDLawResources Can someone tell my followers on Facebook that FB disabled my account due to consumer education content issues and I am now on Linked In
I'm picking on Facebook because of the experience of Andy Thibault. Andy is an investigative journalist by trade but on Facebook he was just another victim of a hack. Who knows how phishers got into Andy's account, but they did and they sprayed his email list with come-ons to their ".ru" domained phishing site. It wasn't pretty.
I saw the problem before Andy because I got one of "his" emails. Facebook didn't want my help. To me this next paragraph reads like the Fire Department saying only the owner of a home could report it was on fire!
It is possible that malicious software was downloaded to your friend's computer or that their login information was phished in an attempt to send spam from their profile. We would like to investigate this issue further, but unfortunately, we cannot release information regarding a user's account to anyone but the account holder. Please tell your friend to visit the Facebook Help Center and contact us.
Andy changed his password and went on with life until Facebook shut him down! It came without warning or explanation. An email asking what happened brought a boilerplate response answering none of Andy's concerns or reactivating his account.
This is a common enough event one blog has an entry titled, "Why Your Facebook Account Will Be Disabled." "Will" be disabled--pretty strong.
After a few days Andy's account came back. There was no warning, no explanation. It was just there... until it wasn't--again. Andy tried again to contact Facebook and got the same boilerplate he had gotten a week before and, again, it was boilerplate that didn't apply to him! I know his account is still down because I can't respond to his earlier emails and his name no longer appears in my list of friends.
The impact of Facebook removing Andy as a friend seems more than mere metaphor.
When does a website cross the line and go from being optional to necessary. If you run your life on Facebook and you're cut off what message does that send to your colleagues and customers? If Google cuts you off (as they have in the past to me and many others) it's as if you've fallen off the face of the Earth! They're as responsive as Facebook.
Here's the real question. Doesn't, by virtue of its universal utility, the website become obliged to provide real customer service? It's a question I'm asking today which will be asked countless times until someones comes up with an answer and companies find virtual businesses often come with real world obligations. Who from Facebook will step up and "friend" its own users?
Review: Bump, the 1 Billionth iPhone App
The 1 billionth iPhone app downloaded uses a bit of legerdemain to make it easy to transfer contacts between iPhones and iPod Touches. Bump, from a small three-man development shop, uses the iPhone or iPod Touch's accelerometer, Internet connection and location data to promote social connection, so it's a perfect example for the platform.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Hands On: Tongal Aims to Become the YouTube of Ad Agencies
If the world of Web video were the same as the commercial media world of TV and movies, Rick Astley would be the richest man in Britain. OK Go would be the new U2. And YouTube would look a lot like Tongal, a new platform for crowdsourcing video ads.Tongal, currently in beta and open to invites only, has taken the quest for the elusive online business model a step further than ad-based sites by creating a system that rewards user input, while (hopefully) remaining profitable: The company works with corporate partners looking for a meme-worthy TV advertisement or other promotional video. Instead of relying on a single user or small team to conceptualize, plan, and execute a video, Tongal breaks down these steps into 'stages' of the contest. The best ideas are turned into the best pitches, which are then turned into the best videos.Users can come up with ideas, write pitches, film videos or any combination of those steps and get paid to do it. Once you have a whole assortment of corporate-sponsored Numa Numas, users pick the one they think is most likely to win the approval of the final round of judging, also for a cash prize.Lending Tree, Bringit.com, TopCoder and Comedy.com are
all either running contests or will be soon. And the payouts for
winning aren't too shabby, with the eventual first place winner in the
video production stage of Comedy.com's commercial parody contest
winning $1,000. YouTube users have certainly been willing to do
extensive video work for nothing more than notoriety, so the concept of
crowdsourcing advertising like this doesn't seem too far-fetched.
At this stage, the site's user interface isn't nearly as simple or intuitive as YouTube. A few times, I found myself clicking around in an endless circle of links before I realized exactly how to get to what I was looking for. This isn't to say that the user experience is altogether bad--it just doesn't have the
all either running contests or will be soon. And the payouts for
winning aren't too shabby, with the eventual first place winner in the
video production stage of Comedy.com's commercial parody contest
winning $1,000. YouTube users have certainly been willing to do
extensive video work for nothing more than notoriety, so the concept of
crowdsourcing advertising like this doesn't seem too far-fetched.
At this stage, the site's user interface isn't nearly as simple or intuitive as YouTube. A few times, I found myself clicking around in an endless circle of links before I realized exactly how to get to what I was looking for. This isn't to say that the user experience is altogether bad--it just doesn't have the
Yahoo Mail Adds Sort By Contacts Feature
Is your e-mail inbox crowded with newsletters, bill notifications, and useless forwards? Yahoo on Tuesday unveiled a new feature that lets you sort your inbox based on the people you've added to your address book.
In the View From tab in the Yahoo Mail inbox, there is now a Contacts option. Click that, and the inbox will display only messages from trusted recipients. Those with an overcrowded address book can create filters as well.
The feature will roll out to users in the U.S. and Australia in the next few weeks for classic and new Yahoo Mail users with the "smarter inbox" features enabled. To do so, create a profile at profiles.yahoo.com and then log back into Yahoo Mail.
In the View From tab in the Yahoo Mail inbox, there is now a Contacts option. Click that, and the inbox will display only messages from trusted recipients. Those with an overcrowded address book can create filters as well.
The feature will roll out to users in the U.S. and Australia in the next few weeks for classic and new Yahoo Mail users with the "smarter inbox" features enabled. To do so, create a profile at profiles.yahoo.com and then log back into Yahoo Mail.
iTunes Update Doesn't Break Palm Pre Syncing
Good news for fans of the brand-new Palm Pre (and of underdogs everywhere). Apple's new iTunes 8.2 update doesn't break the Pre's Pre-ternatural media syncing, where the Palm smart phone appears as an iPod to iTunes. I tried the Pre with the new version of iTunes, and it works just fine.The Pre, of course, was designed in part by one of the creators of iTunes, Jon Rubinstein. Folks close to the development process have told me that Palm worked some sort of mojo into the Pre's syncing so that if Apple breaks the Pre's connectivity, they'll break compatibility with some of their own older products, as well. I'm sure Apple's working hard to figure out how to do so, but for now, the Pre is scot free.
YouTube Says You Can Make Money On YouTube
A few years ago Michael Buckley was just a guy with a job. In his spare time he hosted a show on the local cable TV public access channel. Like most public access shows the audience was less than massive and the pay--well, there was no pay. And then, in one of those lucky chances, his cousin decided to post some bits from his shows on YouTube.
Michael Buckley doesn't go to the office any more. He's quit that job. Nowadays he's a big YouTube star and making pretty good money doing it! The New York Times places his yearly YouTube take north of $100,000. All this for an enterprise broadcast from his second bedroom in front of a piece of green cloth. Impressive.
What the Buck is the most popular entertainment show on YouTube with over 430,000 subscribers, 150 million views. He occasionally covers sports and politics but would much rather talk about what happened on The Hills.
So, does Michael Buckley know how to make the secret sauce and can he give the recipe to you? YouTube and Michael seem to think so because they've had him create "The Secrets to Michael Buckley's Success," a 27 minute lecture on how he did it. It's pretty good and he's very entertaining. He answers the top-10 questions sent by other YouTube users.
I suspect, just as Ryan Howard couldn't teach me to hit home runs, Michael's advice isn't very useful if you don't have his naturally over-the-top charisma and camera presence. Though there are techniques in gaining and maintaining an audience you first need an enjoyable show.
Unlike the real estate infomercial hawkers on late night TV this "Make Money At Home" how-to comes free with no-strings-attached. Break a leg.
Michael Buckley doesn't go to the office any more. He's quit that job. Nowadays he's a big YouTube star and making pretty good money doing it! The New York Times places his yearly YouTube take north of $100,000. All this for an enterprise broadcast from his second bedroom in front of a piece of green cloth. Impressive.
What the Buck is the most popular entertainment show on YouTube with over 430,000 subscribers, 150 million views. He occasionally covers sports and politics but would much rather talk about what happened on The Hills.
So, does Michael Buckley know how to make the secret sauce and can he give the recipe to you? YouTube and Michael seem to think so because they've had him create "The Secrets to Michael Buckley's Success," a 27 minute lecture on how he did it. It's pretty good and he's very entertaining. He answers the top-10 questions sent by other YouTube users.
I suspect, just as Ryan Howard couldn't teach me to hit home runs, Michael's advice isn't very useful if you don't have his naturally over-the-top charisma and camera presence. Though there are techniques in gaining and maintaining an audience you first need an enjoyable show.
Unlike the real estate infomercial hawkers on late night TV this "Make Money At Home" how-to comes free with no-strings-attached. Break a leg.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
RedGage Wants to Pay You for Your Content
A new Web service called RedGage launched into public beta this morning, and might be worth a look for people with lots of online videos, photos, blog posts, etc. You've probably got them stored on Flickr, YouTube, Blogger, and/or Facebook (or similar services), right? RedGage wants to aggregate all that content of yours, sell ads around it, and split the revenues with you.
To which my first response is: Revenue? Are margins on ad-supported user-generated content so high right now that you can cut in the content producers (who've clearly shown they'll work for free)? CEO Daniel Redlich, a 20-year-old finance student at NYU, thinks he can make it work.
Anyway, I suppose long-term viability isn't really our immediate concern as end-users. Our concerns are functionality and payout. The site looks and works well, with intuitive navigation that makes it easy to find stuff. It's also easy to set up RedGage to pull from your WordPress, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, and Blogger accounts. Similarly, you can push content from RedGage to Facebook, FriendFeed, and Twitter to promote your stuff on those feeds.
As for the payout, RedGage keeps a running tally of how much you are owed; when you're ready to collect, you'll get a RedGage Visa card in the mail that you can use to spend your earnings. New earnings will simply be added to the card's balance. The example Redlich used to illustrate the point of RedGage is blogging until you have enough to go see a movie. Use your Visa to pay for it, and when you want to go to another movie, upload more content to RedGage.
For normal users, though, the dollar amounts will be small--dollars or tens of dollars a week, if you're lucky. RedGage will be computing CPMs on an individual basis, so not every user will collect the same rate. Redlich told me that the pay scale is based on the user's level of activity on the site, and some algorithmically determined intangibles like sphere of influence and quality of content. Click on the Accounts button to see what your rate is and how much you're collecting for your blog posts, photos, videos, documents, and links.
It's free to try, and you can basically set it to aggregate your online content and then forget about it if you like. Just remember to claim your money at some point in the future.
To which my first response is: Revenue? Are margins on ad-supported user-generated content so high right now that you can cut in the content producers (who've clearly shown they'll work for free)? CEO Daniel Redlich, a 20-year-old finance student at NYU, thinks he can make it work.
Anyway, I suppose long-term viability isn't really our immediate concern as end-users. Our concerns are functionality and payout. The site looks and works well, with intuitive navigation that makes it easy to find stuff. It's also easy to set up RedGage to pull from your WordPress, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, YouTube, and Blogger accounts. Similarly, you can push content from RedGage to Facebook, FriendFeed, and Twitter to promote your stuff on those feeds.
As for the payout, RedGage keeps a running tally of how much you are owed; when you're ready to collect, you'll get a RedGage Visa card in the mail that you can use to spend your earnings. New earnings will simply be added to the card's balance. The example Redlich used to illustrate the point of RedGage is blogging until you have enough to go see a movie. Use your Visa to pay for it, and when you want to go to another movie, upload more content to RedGage.
For normal users, though, the dollar amounts will be small--dollars or tens of dollars a week, if you're lucky. RedGage will be computing CPMs on an individual basis, so not every user will collect the same rate. Redlich told me that the pay scale is based on the user's level of activity on the site, and some algorithmically determined intangibles like sphere of influence and quality of content. Click on the Accounts button to see what your rate is and how much you're collecting for your blog posts, photos, videos, documents, and links.
It's free to try, and you can basically set it to aggregate your online content and then forget about it if you like. Just remember to claim your money at some point in the future.
Google Squared Launched in Labs
Google on Wednesday officially launched Google Squared in Labs.
Squared is a Labs project introduced last month that lets you drill down your search results. Squared lets you add or delete results to produce the most useful "square" of information that you can save to your Google account and refer back to later.
"If you search for [roller coasters], Google Squared builds a square with rows for each of several specific roller coasters and columns for corresponding facts, such as image, height and maximum speed," Alex Komoroske, associate product manager for Google Squared, wrote in a blog post.
"While gathering facts from across the Internet is relatively easy (albeit tedious) for humans to do, it's far more difficult for computers to do automatically," he continued. "Google Squared is a first step towards solving that challenge."
Squared is a Labs project introduced last month that lets you drill down your search results. Squared lets you add or delete results to produce the most useful "square" of information that you can save to your Google account and refer back to later.
"If you search for [roller coasters], Google Squared builds a square with rows for each of several specific roller coasters and columns for corresponding facts, such as image, height and maximum speed," Alex Komoroske, associate product manager for Google Squared, wrote in a blog post.
"While gathering facts from across the Internet is relatively easy (albeit tedious) for humans to do, it's far more difficult for computers to do automatically," he continued. "Google Squared is a first step towards solving that challenge."
Will Hulu Charge For Content?
Don't get too attached to free content on Hulu.
Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s new chief digital officer, told attendees at an Internet Week event on Tuesday that he envisions a system that would charge for content on the Internet video site, Daily Finance reports.
Hulu launched as a joint venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal and recently added ABC to its partner list.
Miller, a former AOL executive, will meet with the Hulu board for the first time on Monday. When asked if a subscription-based Hulu might be in the future, he said that "in my opinion the answer could be yes. I don't see why over time that shouldn't happen. I don't think it's on the agenda for Monday [but] it seems to me that over time that could be a logical thing."
It's no secret that Miller's boss, Rupert Murdoch, is not in favor of putting content on the Web for free. Thus far, however, Murdoch's attention has been focused on news content rather than Hulu.
Miller said Tuesday that that news will likely have to be offered in bundles in order to attract subscribers.
Jonathan Miller, News Corp.'s new chief digital officer, told attendees at an Internet Week event on Tuesday that he envisions a system that would charge for content on the Internet video site, Daily Finance reports.
Hulu launched as a joint venture between News Corp. and NBC Universal and recently added ABC to its partner list.
Miller, a former AOL executive, will meet with the Hulu board for the first time on Monday. When asked if a subscription-based Hulu might be in the future, he said that "in my opinion the answer could be yes. I don't see why over time that shouldn't happen. I don't think it's on the agenda for Monday [but] it seems to me that over time that could be a logical thing."
It's no secret that Miller's boss, Rupert Murdoch, is not in favor of putting content on the Web for free. Thus far, however, Murdoch's attention has been focused on news content rather than Hulu.
Miller said Tuesday that that news will likely have to be offered in bundles in order to attract subscribers.
Read Twitter Replies in your Inbox with Twtmailer
So you work in an office where you don't want to install a Twitter app on your desktop, and the boss doesn't really appreciate seeing Twitter open in your Web browser. What do you do? Turn to Twtmailer, if you're the type who spends more time in your e-mail than you do on the Web. Twtmailer takes your Twitter credentials, watches your Twitter stream, and e-mails you every time someone sends you a reply. The service will e-mail the response to you along with a list of other replies you've recently received. Twtmailer is perfect for people who have a lot of followers or who keep
several conversations going on Twitter at the same time, but know
they'll have to eventually close their browser window and focus on
their e-mail instead; also for those who spend far more time in their
inboxes than they do on the Web.
several conversations going on Twitter at the same time, but know
they'll have to eventually close their browser window and focus on
their e-mail instead; also for those who spend far more time in their
inboxes than they do on the Web.
Yahoo Sues NFL Group Over Fantasy Football Licensing Fees
Yahoo on Monday sued a professional football association for the right to use player names and likenesses for its online fantasy football leagues.
Yahoo should not have to pay royalties to the National Football League Players Association, the union for players in the NFL, in order to use information that is publicly available, according to the suit filed in Minnesota District Court.
Fantasy football leagues lets Internet users compile the "fantasy" teams of their choice - the fates of which are determined by the actual performance of those players on the field.
Several years ago, Yahoo entered into licensing agreements with the NFL Players Association through NFL Players Inc. to use player data - but Yahoo did so, it said, because NFL Players Inc. threatened to sue them if they did not.
The last of those agreements, however, expired on March 1, and in light of a recent court decision, Yahoo argued that it should not have to sign another contract to continue its fantasy football leagues.
Last month, a court ruled that CBS Interactive did not need a license from NFL Players Inc. in order to run a similar fantasy football league. The NFL has appealed the decision.
Yahoo is asking the court to rule that such a deal is not necessary and that its leagues are protected by the First Amendment and federal copyright law. They are also asking NFL Players Inc. to cover costs, expenses, and attorneys' fees.
Yahoo should not have to pay royalties to the National Football League Players Association, the union for players in the NFL, in order to use information that is publicly available, according to the suit filed in Minnesota District Court.
Fantasy football leagues lets Internet users compile the "fantasy" teams of their choice - the fates of which are determined by the actual performance of those players on the field.
Several years ago, Yahoo entered into licensing agreements with the NFL Players Association through NFL Players Inc. to use player data - but Yahoo did so, it said, because NFL Players Inc. threatened to sue them if they did not.
The last of those agreements, however, expired on March 1, and in light of a recent court decision, Yahoo argued that it should not have to sign another contract to continue its fantasy football leagues.
Last month, a court ruled that CBS Interactive did not need a license from NFL Players Inc. in order to run a similar fantasy football league. The NFL has appealed the decision.
Yahoo is asking the court to rule that such a deal is not necessary and that its leagues are protected by the First Amendment and federal copyright law. They are also asking NFL Players Inc. to cover costs, expenses, and attorneys' fees.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Bing TV Ad: Bing Rescues World From Google Ruin
It doesn't come right out and say it, but Microsoft's new Bing television ad campaign suggests that a certain popular search engine (and it ain't Ask Jeeves) is singly responsible for our world's woes, including the bear market, federal bailouts, high gas prices, the dramatic chipmunk, and Tay Zonday's "Chocolate Rain."Microsoft launched the first 60-second spot on Wednesday, the beginning of a series that cost more than $90 million to produce, according to a WSJ story. The targeted campaign should come as no surprise after Microsoft's attempts to appeal to the everyman (and brush off Apple's snobbery) in recent TV commercials.The ad says Bing, the "decision engine," can clear away the clutter of search overload, the root of all evil. "It's time to Bing and decide," the narrator concludes, touting Bing's ability to better guide your decision-making with its tailor-made search results. We can apparently run faster and build better paper airplanes now, too.Check out the commercial after the jump.
Google Updates Street View for Easier Navigation
The 360-degree imagery on Google's Street View mapping feature is pretty impressive, but until today, navigating the streets from your keyboard has been somewhat of a chore.
Google on Thursday updated Street View to allows users to move through the streets by double clicking on your mouse rather than using the arrow keys.
"We have been able to accomplish this by making a compact representation of the building facade and road geometry for all the Street View panoramas using laser point clouds and differences between consecutive pictures," Daniel Filip, a computer vision tech lead at Google Zurich, wrote in a blog post.
In addition, if you hover over a certain area, a shaded box will appear - an oval if you're on the street and a rectangle if you're pointing to a building. Double click the box and Street View will either take you to the best panorama shot of the building or street or give you the option to zoom into the selected area by double clicking.
If you've traveled too far, hit the return arrow in the address box to go back to your previous location.
"Not only is it an easier way to browse cities in Street View, it allows you to do superhuman things like jump from one side of a river to another to see a faraway building," Filip wrote.
Google on Thursday updated Street View to allows users to move through the streets by double clicking on your mouse rather than using the arrow keys.
"We have been able to accomplish this by making a compact representation of the building facade and road geometry for all the Street View panoramas using laser point clouds and differences between consecutive pictures," Daniel Filip, a computer vision tech lead at Google Zurich, wrote in a blog post.
In addition, if you hover over a certain area, a shaded box will appear - an oval if you're on the street and a rectangle if you're pointing to a building. Double click the box and Street View will either take you to the best panorama shot of the building or street or give you the option to zoom into the selected area by double clicking.
If you've traveled too far, hit the return arrow in the address box to go back to your previous location.
"Not only is it an easier way to browse cities in Street View, it allows you to do superhuman things like jump from one side of a river to another to see a faraway building," Filip wrote.
E3: Lego Harry Potter Made Official
Luke Skywalker got Legoed. So did Batman and Indiana Jones, too. Really, it only makes sense that everyone's favorite boy wizard would also eventually be turned into a minifigure as well.This week during the E3 convention in Los Angeles, Warner Brothers made official the eagerly anticipated title, Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4. The game will drop at some point next year. No word yet on which consoles will get it, though we're banking on most of them. This is Harry Potter, after all.
Belkin Announces GPS-Assisted iPhone App and FM Transmitter Combo
Belkin is following up on this week'sTuneBaseproduct introduction with a combination FM transmitter and GPS-assisted iPhone app. The newTuneCastAuto Live FM transmitter and ClearScan Live software together let iPhone and iPod touch owners find the clearest sounding audio playback in their cars.
AP: Our Mobile Site is Doing Well
The Associated Press has announced that on the first anniversary of its mobile site launch, www.apnews.com, the company has recorded 55 million local story reads. On average, users spend 17 minutes per month on various AP mobile properties.In terms of a story topic breakdown, more than half are for the AP's top news articles. After that, 21 percent are local news related, followed by 9 percent for entertainment and 7 percent for sports.Interestingly, iPhone and BlackBerry users average seven page views per visit. That indicates owners of those phones actually use the site and don't just hit it once and think their WAP browsers suck too much to go any further. (Try an original RAZR with that and let us know how long you last.)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Boxee Alpha for Windows Will Drop on June 23
With all the buzz surrounding the new Hulu Desktop and YouTube XL apps, don't forget about Boxee! Developers are still working hard on the little app that started it all, and according to DownloadSquad, is prepping for a public launch on June 23rd. Mac OS X and Ubuntu Linux users have had access to released betas for months, and Windows versions of the app have been in private testing for months (though we hear you can find bootleg copies if you search on the Internets), but broad public availability has been lacking--possibly due to content licensing issues, possibly because the app just isn't ready yet. The big question on everyone's minds: Will Boxee come to an agreement with Hulu in time for the Alpha launch, or will it rely upon other sources of online content, such as YouTube, Netflix, MTV, Pandora, and flickr?
Wridea Gives You Space to Brainstorm
There are plenty of Web apps that can help you make to-do lists, help you organize your tasks and personal projects, or help you build shopping lists, but not all of them give you the freedom to just start brainstorming and jotting down ideas as they come to you. Wridea is a perfect brainstorming tool: It's simple enough that its features aren't a barrier to use, but it also has the ability to bounce your ideas off other members and friends, add details and steps, and organize your ideas by topic.
Thursday Search Stats Put Bing Ahead of Yahoo
For a brief shining moment on Thursday, Steve Ballmer's quest for Bing to become the number-two search engine was achieved. Microsoft's Bing.com search engine surpassed Yahoo to second-place in searching on Thursday, though preliminary results from Friday put it back in third place.
In the United States, Bing captured 15.64 percent of searches, ahead of Yahoo's 10.32 percent, according to data from StatCounter. Globally, Bing had 5.56 percent of searches, still slightly ahead of Yahoo, which was at 5.17 percent.
Google still dominated searches on Thursday, with 71.99 percent in the U.S. and 87.66 percent worldwide.
As of Friday morning, however, Bing and Yahoo were battling it out for search dominance in the U.S.
Yahoo bested Bing with 10.75 percent of searches compared to Bing's 10.08 percent. Globally, Yahoo had a bigger lead, with 5.55 percent of searches compared to Bing's 3.73 percent.
Microsoft unveiled Bing at the D7 conference last week in California. A preview version of the site went live on June 1 and it made its formal debut on June 3.
Interest in Bing fluctuated throughout the week. In the U.S., Bing captured 5.52 percent out of the gate on June 1 and jumped to 9.13 percent the next day. By Wednesday, it dropped slightly to 8.4 percent but jumped to 15.64 on Thursday, the day after the launch.
Global statistics were similar, starting the week at 2.07 percent, experiencing a slight dip on Wednesday and reaching its all-time high of 5.56 percent on Thursday.
"It remains to be seen if Bing falls away after the initial novelty and promotion but at first sight it looks like Microsoft is on to a winner," Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, said in a statement.
In the United States, Bing captured 15.64 percent of searches, ahead of Yahoo's 10.32 percent, according to data from StatCounter. Globally, Bing had 5.56 percent of searches, still slightly ahead of Yahoo, which was at 5.17 percent.
Google still dominated searches on Thursday, with 71.99 percent in the U.S. and 87.66 percent worldwide.
As of Friday morning, however, Bing and Yahoo were battling it out for search dominance in the U.S.
Yahoo bested Bing with 10.75 percent of searches compared to Bing's 10.08 percent. Globally, Yahoo had a bigger lead, with 5.55 percent of searches compared to Bing's 3.73 percent.
Microsoft unveiled Bing at the D7 conference last week in California. A preview version of the site went live on June 1 and it made its formal debut on June 3.
Interest in Bing fluctuated throughout the week. In the U.S., Bing captured 5.52 percent out of the gate on June 1 and jumped to 9.13 percent the next day. By Wednesday, it dropped slightly to 8.4 percent but jumped to 15.64 on Thursday, the day after the launch.
Global statistics were similar, starting the week at 2.07 percent, experiencing a slight dip on Wednesday and reaching its all-time high of 5.56 percent on Thursday.
"It remains to be seen if Bing falls away after the initial novelty and promotion but at first sight it looks like Microsoft is on to a winner," Aodhan Cullen, CEO of StatCounter, said in a statement.
Get Facebook Status Updates Via Text Message
For those of you who can't get enough of your friends' daily activities, Facebook on Thursday unveiled a new feature that will let you receive their status updates via text message.
Will your phone be constantly buzzing every time one of your 500 friends updates their status? Thankfully, no. The service lets you pick and choose the friends from which you want text-based updates. You can also comment on their status by replying to the text.
Facebook is adding a "Subscribe via SMS" button to everyone's profiles. If you want text updates, click the link. If you have already enabled Facebook Mobile on your phone, the texts will start after you confirm your subscription. Otherwise, Facebook will walk you through installing the mobile app.
If a friend's updates become tedious, you can reply with "unsubscribe", go back to the person's profile and click "unsubscribe" or edit your text settings from the mobile app.
The service is rolling out now in 18 countries, including the U.S., U.K., South Africa, Indonesia and New Zealand.
Will your phone be constantly buzzing every time one of your 500 friends updates their status? Thankfully, no. The service lets you pick and choose the friends from which you want text-based updates. You can also comment on their status by replying to the text.
Facebook is adding a "Subscribe via SMS" button to everyone's profiles. If you want text updates, click the link. If you have already enabled Facebook Mobile on your phone, the texts will start after you confirm your subscription. Otherwise, Facebook will walk you through installing the mobile app.
If a friend's updates become tedious, you can reply with "unsubscribe", go back to the person's profile and click "unsubscribe" or edit your text settings from the mobile app.
The service is rolling out now in 18 countries, including the U.S., U.K., South Africa, Indonesia and New Zealand.
Mozilla Products Turn Seven
Happy birthday to Mozilla. The company launched its first product seven years ago today, Mozilla Foundation chair Mitchell Baker noted in a blog post.
The product was Mozilla 1.0--a suite that included a Web browser, an e-mail reader, and a chat client.
"It wasn't Firefox, but we were proud of Mozilla 1.0, and I still think rightly so," Baker wrote.
The anniversary prompted Baker to think about starting an updated timeline.
"I would like to create a sort of timeline of Mozilla that is personal," she wrote. "Somewhat related to the existing timeline project, but focused on Mozilla contributors rather than events. I'd like to have some way to visualize when people came to Mozilla, what brought each of us."
"Any ideas welcome," she concluded.
The product was Mozilla 1.0--a suite that included a Web browser, an e-mail reader, and a chat client.
"It wasn't Firefox, but we were proud of Mozilla 1.0, and I still think rightly so," Baker wrote.
The anniversary prompted Baker to think about starting an updated timeline.
"I would like to create a sort of timeline of Mozilla that is personal," she wrote. "Somewhat related to the existing timeline project, but focused on Mozilla contributors rather than events. I'd like to have some way to visualize when people came to Mozilla, what brought each of us."
"Any ideas welcome," she concluded.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Memo: Best Buy Windows 7 Tech Guarantee Starts June 26
Microsoft's tech guarantee program for Windows 7 will begin on June 26 at Best Buy, according to a leaked memo posted on Engadget.
"Best Buy will begin a Technology Guarantee June 26, which guarantees customers a free Windows 7 operating system with PC purchase between June 26 and the Windows 7 launch day," the memo reads.
Microsoft announced this week that Windows 7 will be available starting Oct. 22. The guarantee will cover PCs running Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate, as well as standalone software purchases.
Also on June 26, customers will be able to preorder "select versions" of Windows 7 on BestBuy.com. The Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade will run for $49.99, and a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade will cost $99.99. This offer will run through July 11.
Notable, however, is how the Best Buy memo opens. "This new operating system is not just a 'Vista that works' program - it's a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality, and creativity that uses less computer resources," it reads. Ouch.
"Best Buy will begin a Technology Guarantee June 26, which guarantees customers a free Windows 7 operating system with PC purchase between June 26 and the Windows 7 launch day," the memo reads.
Microsoft announced this week that Windows 7 will be available starting Oct. 22. The guarantee will cover PCs running Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate, as well as standalone software purchases.
Also on June 26, customers will be able to preorder "select versions" of Windows 7 on BestBuy.com. The Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade will run for $49.99, and a Windows 7 Professional Upgrade will cost $99.99. This offer will run through July 11.
Notable, however, is how the Best Buy memo opens. "This new operating system is not just a 'Vista that works' program - it's a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality, and creativity that uses less computer resources," it reads. Ouch.
MarkSpace Promises Missing Sync for Palm Pre, Macs
Windows PC users already have a Palm Pre local syncing solution in Chapura's PocketMirror (which has popped up in the Pre's App Catalog), but Mac users will have to wait a little while longer until Mark/Space's just announced Missing Sync for Palm Pre comes out.Missing Sync will connect your Mac Address Book contacts and iCal Calendars into the Pre's Synergy calendar and address book via Wi-Fi. It will also let you transfer files, music, videos, and ringtones from your Mac via a USB cable. You can already transfer files, music, videos and ringtones to a Pre using iTunes, but Missing Sync is a good backup in case Apple ever shuts down that Pre/iTunes relationship.Mark/Space hasn't announced a price or exact release date for Missing Sync, other than to say it's "coming soon." They say they'll also have a Windows version, too.
Telex? Really?
Like so many others I've been following the tragedy of Air France Flight 447. As we mourn the death of those on board the process of learning from this event begins. Obviously if there was something preventable that led to the crash we need to change it.
An Airbus spokesman was widely quoted Friday making reference to speed indications and pitot tubes. Part of what he said struck me as strange. Here's CNN's version.
Airbus confirmed on Friday that in the wake of the crash it sent a Telex to operators of all Airbus models reminding them what to do when speed indicators give conflicting readings.
A Telex? Really? There must be a mistake.
A Telex was (is?) a message sent between two dumb terminals using a switched network--not unlike the standard "dial-up" telephone network. It allowed companies flexibility to send text messages from their own facilities to any other Telex equipped spot without heading to a company like Western Union and sending a telegram. This was a big deal... in 1965.
From Wikipedia: At the rate of 45.45 (0.5%) baud -- considered speedy at the time -- up to 25 telex channels could share a single long-distance telephone channel by using voice frequency telegraphy multiplexing, making telex the least expensive method of reliable long-distance communication.
The fact CNN and other news agencies chose to capitalize "Telex" means they're using it as a proper noun--implying its classic meaning. It seems a strange comms choice for a high tech company and its high end customers. Maybe the spokesman is confused or the word has been unofficially adopted and modified over time? I'll keep checking.
An Airbus spokesman was widely quoted Friday making reference to speed indications and pitot tubes. Part of what he said struck me as strange. Here's CNN's version.
Airbus confirmed on Friday that in the wake of the crash it sent a Telex to operators of all Airbus models reminding them what to do when speed indicators give conflicting readings.
A Telex? Really? There must be a mistake.
A Telex was (is?) a message sent between two dumb terminals using a switched network--not unlike the standard "dial-up" telephone network. It allowed companies flexibility to send text messages from their own facilities to any other Telex equipped spot without heading to a company like Western Union and sending a telegram. This was a big deal... in 1965.
From Wikipedia: At the rate of 45.45 (0.5%) baud -- considered speedy at the time -- up to 25 telex channels could share a single long-distance telephone channel by using voice frequency telegraphy multiplexing, making telex the least expensive method of reliable long-distance communication.
The fact CNN and other news agencies chose to capitalize "Telex" means they're using it as a proper noun--implying its classic meaning. It seems a strange comms choice for a high tech company and its high end customers. Maybe the spokesman is confused or the word has been unofficially adopted and modified over time? I'll keep checking.
Twitter Users Not Really Using Twitter
In honor of its newly released Twitter plug-in Tweetgrade, security app manufacturer Purewire has issued some interesting--if slightly depressing--stats about Twitter usage. Apparently not that many people who use the micro-blogging service ever actually, you know, use the micro-blogging service.
Based on a study of seven million users, 25-percent of those who have signed up on Twitter aren't actually following anyone else, 30-percent of users don't have any followers, and a staggering 80-percent of people using the service have less than 10 followers.
A full one-third of all users Twitter users haven't posted a single tweet, and 80-percent of all users have tweeted less than 10 times. Forty-percent of all users who've signed up haven't tweeted since their first day.
I'd feel obligated to tweet some of these stats, but really, would anybody listen?
Based on a study of seven million users, 25-percent of those who have signed up on Twitter aren't actually following anyone else, 30-percent of users don't have any followers, and a staggering 80-percent of people using the service have less than 10 followers.
A full one-third of all users Twitter users haven't posted a single tweet, and 80-percent of all users have tweeted less than 10 times. Forty-percent of all users who've signed up haven't tweeted since their first day.
I'd feel obligated to tweet some of these stats, but really, would anybody listen?
Clipmarks 2.0: Save and Share Your Favorite Bits of the Web
Unless you are truly a night owl (meaning you are up with me at 2 a.m.) by the time you read this Tuesday morning there should be both a spiffy new site design at Clipmarks.com and a new version of the exceedingly handy (and free!) Clipmarks clipping tool available for Firefox and ready for download. The new version for IE wasn't quite ready at 2.0 launch time, but is "coming soon" (the older version is still perfectly serviceable, but puts multiple icons on your menu bar instead of just the one in the new Firefox version; and of course it's lacking the new features like clip-to-blog).
It's been just under a year since I first reviewed Clipmarks over on PC Magazine. New to this version of the clipping tool is Clip-to-blog, a really easy way of clipping stuff off most any site on the Web and then with just a few clicks adding it to your own blog. All the most popular blog platforms are supported including Blogger, Moveable Type, and Word Press among others. This service includes clipping video too---and that's another new feature on the main Clipmarks site---clipped video sharing. There's plenty of other features too; watch for a review over on PC Magazine later today.
For those unfamiliar with Clipmarks, it combines a downloadable tool that allows you to clip (think cut and paste basically) and then save what you clipped to your very own sovereign patch of Clipmarks territory (okay there is a good deal of the typical legalize you agree to when registering and downloading the client, but really you are quite free and the sovereign of your own clips unless they are public and egregiously offensive). You then can share it with everyone (the default) or keep it private. That's really just the basics in simplest terms; the real beauty of the site is the community it's part and parcel of. To me it's the best platform around for sharing things you've found on the Web.
I confess that a year ago I really looked at the site initially for the free clipping tool and storage, but soon found myself seduced, amazed, and captivated with what everyone else was clipping. Then I discovered that I could subscribe to people whose clips I found interesting, as well as being able to lend my voice by "popping" things I thought were interesting---in essence rating them---and bringing them to more people's attention. The site really epitomizes the sort of utopian vision I'd have for the Web were I one of its architects. Really though you've just got to go and check out/try out Clipmarks for yourself, words here don't do it justice.
It's been just under a year since I first reviewed Clipmarks over on PC Magazine. New to this version of the clipping tool is Clip-to-blog, a really easy way of clipping stuff off most any site on the Web and then with just a few clicks adding it to your own blog. All the most popular blog platforms are supported including Blogger, Moveable Type, and Word Press among others. This service includes clipping video too---and that's another new feature on the main Clipmarks site---clipped video sharing. There's plenty of other features too; watch for a review over on PC Magazine later today.
For those unfamiliar with Clipmarks, it combines a downloadable tool that allows you to clip (think cut and paste basically) and then save what you clipped to your very own sovereign patch of Clipmarks territory (okay there is a good deal of the typical legalize you agree to when registering and downloading the client, but really you are quite free and the sovereign of your own clips unless they are public and egregiously offensive). You then can share it with everyone (the default) or keep it private. That's really just the basics in simplest terms; the real beauty of the site is the community it's part and parcel of. To me it's the best platform around for sharing things you've found on the Web.
I confess that a year ago I really looked at the site initially for the free clipping tool and storage, but soon found myself seduced, amazed, and captivated with what everyone else was clipping. Then I discovered that I could subscribe to people whose clips I found interesting, as well as being able to lend my voice by "popping" things I thought were interesting---in essence rating them---and bringing them to more people's attention. The site really epitomizes the sort of utopian vision I'd have for the Web were I one of its architects. Really though you've just got to go and check out/try out Clipmarks for yourself, words here don't do it justice.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Collect, Blog, and Share Clips of the Web with Amplify
Simplified blogging platforms like Tumblr and Posterous are increasingly popular these days, but what both services lack is an easy way to grab entire pieces of Web pages, re-post them, and share them with friends on other social networks. Enter Amplify, a service from the creators of Clipmarks. Amplify allows you to grab entire snippets of the Web, including stories, images, and media, and post it on your clips blog for the world to see. Additionally, once you've posted it, you can share those snippets again with your friends on Twitter or Facebook.
Cardinals Manager Sues Over Fake Twitter Account
There's no crying--or fake Twitter accounts--in baseball. Tony La Russa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, is suing the micro-blogging site over a fake Twitter account that made fun of his drunken driving and Cardinals pitchers who have passed away, AP reports.
The faux Tweets are "derogatory and demeaning" and damaged La Russa's trademark rights, according to the suit filed in California Superior Court.
The account in question has been deleted, but the lawsuit includes screen shots of the offending posts. "Lost 2 out of 3, but we made it out of Chicago without one drunk driving incident or dead pitcher," one Tweet reads.
In other Twitter news, the site will be down for maintenance on Friday June 5 from 8pm to 9pm Pacific time.
The faux Tweets are "derogatory and demeaning" and damaged La Russa's trademark rights, according to the suit filed in California Superior Court.
The account in question has been deleted, but the lawsuit includes screen shots of the offending posts. "Lost 2 out of 3, but we made it out of Chicago without one drunk driving incident or dead pitcher," one Tweet reads.
In other Twitter news, the site will be down for maintenance on Friday June 5 from 8pm to 9pm Pacific time.
Twitter Prepping 'Verified Accounts', Slams Coach
Twitter will launch a "verified accounts" beta later this summer to prevent users from creating fake accounts.
The micro-blogging site will begin with public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and others at risk for impersonation, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote in a blog post. Approved accounts will include a "Verified Account" seal on the upper right-hand corner.
"We hope to verify more accounts in the future but due to the resources required, verification will begin only with a small set," he wrote. That set will eventually expand to include businesses.
Stone stressed that Twitter accounts without the verified seal of approval are not necessarily fake. "The vast majority of Twitter accounts are not impersonators," Stone wrote. "Another way to determine authenticity is to check the official web site of the person for a link back to their Twitter account."
Stone's post also addressed Tony La Russa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, who sued Twitter over a fake Twitter account that made fun of his drunken driving and team pitchers who have passed away.
"With due respect to the man and his notable work, Mr. La Russa's lawsuit was an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous," Stone wrote. "Twitter's Terms of Service are fair and we believe will be upheld in a court that will ultimately dismiss Mr. La Russa's lawsuit."
Twitter suspended the account in question when notified about its existence, but reports that the case has been settled are not true.
"Twitter has not settled, nor do we plan to settle or pay," Stone wrote.
The micro-blogging site will begin with public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and others at risk for impersonation, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone wrote in a blog post. Approved accounts will include a "Verified Account" seal on the upper right-hand corner.
"We hope to verify more accounts in the future but due to the resources required, verification will begin only with a small set," he wrote. That set will eventually expand to include businesses.
Stone stressed that Twitter accounts without the verified seal of approval are not necessarily fake. "The vast majority of Twitter accounts are not impersonators," Stone wrote. "Another way to determine authenticity is to check the official web site of the person for a link back to their Twitter account."
Stone's post also addressed Tony La Russa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, who sued Twitter over a fake Twitter account that made fun of his drunken driving and team pitchers who have passed away.
"With due respect to the man and his notable work, Mr. La Russa's lawsuit was an unnecessary waste of judicial resources bordering on frivolous," Stone wrote. "Twitter's Terms of Service are fair and we believe will be upheld in a court that will ultimately dismiss Mr. La Russa's lawsuit."
Twitter suspended the account in question when notified about its existence, but reports that the case has been settled are not true.
"Twitter has not settled, nor do we plan to settle or pay," Stone wrote.
Swedish Pirate Party Gets European Parliament Seat
The three-year-old Swedish Pirate Party scored a victory earlier this week when it managed to secure a seat in the European parliament. The young party, based around copyright law reformation, grabbed 7.1 percent of a recent vote in the country, with 99.9 percent of votes reported.
According to the numbers, the party will get at least one--and more likely two--of Sweden's seats in the European parliament. "We've felt the wind blow in our sails," party leader Rick Falkvinge told Torrent Freak after the results were announced. "This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it's time to make a difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples' lifestyle, bit by bit."
According to the numbers, the party will get at least one--and more likely two--of Sweden's seats in the European parliament. "We've felt the wind blow in our sails," party leader Rick Falkvinge told Torrent Freak after the results were announced. "This feels wonderful. The citizens have understood it's time to make a difference. The older politicians have taken apart young peoples' lifestyle, bit by bit."
Current TV Reporters Convicted in North Korea
Laura Ling and Euna Le, reporters for Al Gore's Current TV, were convicted today of a "grave crime" against North Korea, and will face a sentence of 12 years in a labor camp.
The women were reporting on a story about human trafficking. Officials in Pyongyang arrested the reporters after they crossed the China-North Korea border.
The sentence in the two-day trial came down from the top Central Court in Pyongyang--it cannot be appeal in North Korean court. The U.S. on Friday demanded that the reporters be released.
The women were reporting on a story about human trafficking. Officials in Pyongyang arrested the reporters after they crossed the China-North Korea border.
The sentence in the two-day trial came down from the top Central Court in Pyongyang--it cannot be appeal in North Korean court. The U.S. on Friday demanded that the reporters be released.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Early Google Supporter Found Dead in Swimming Pool
Rajeev Motwani, founder of the Mining Data at Stanford project (MIDAS) and an early advisor to Google founder Sergey Brin, was found dead in the swimming pool of his Atherton, California home on Friday.
The 47-year-old Stanford University computer science professor died from an apparent drowning. According to those close to him, Motwani didn't know how to swim.
The 47-year-old Stanford University computer science professor died from an apparent drowning. According to those close to him, Motwani didn't know how to swim.
Skyfire Launches Version 1.0 of Mobile Browser
Skyfire, the company behind the free mobile browser of the same name, just released version 1.0 of its flagship app, which is available for download at get.skyfire.com. The company said that to date, over one million consumers have installed and used the browser in the past five months.
Opera Launches Opera Mobile 9.7 Beta
Opera Software has released a beta version of the long-awaited Opera Mobile 9.7 mobile app to the public. The new version promises much faster rendering, due to the company's proprietary Opera Turbo and Opera Presto 2.2 rendering engines. The new app also supports Opera Widgets, and compresses pages by up to 80 percent on the server side before delivering them to handsets.
Korea Enters the Games Convention Online as a National Partner
The Games Convention Online is making history in Leipzig from July 31st to August 2nd. Why? This convention is the world's first trade show for browser, client and mobile games, but that's not all.
Korea, the leading nation in online gaming, has been declared an exclusive national partner for the European event. The country plans to bring 15 companies to showcase its products at the convention including NHN, one of South Korea's largest gaming portals and a Forbes global 2000 company.
"As the market leader in online and mobile gaming, Korea is already several years ahead in terms of know-how and technology. With its presentation at the Games Convention Online, trade and private visitors can see the future development of the European market and at the same time, tap into new ideas," says Silvana Krschner, Strategy Director GC Global.
Korea, the leading nation in online gaming, has been declared an exclusive national partner for the European event. The country plans to bring 15 companies to showcase its products at the convention including NHN, one of South Korea's largest gaming portals and a Forbes global 2000 company.
"As the market leader in online and mobile gaming, Korea is already several years ahead in terms of know-how and technology. With its presentation at the Games Convention Online, trade and private visitors can see the future development of the European market and at the same time, tap into new ideas," says Silvana Krschner, Strategy Director GC Global.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Microsoft's Bing Search Engine Goes Live
Microsoft officially rolled out its Bing search engine on Monday, two days ahead of its scheduled June 3 release. The software giant provided a sneak peak at Bing last week at the D: All Things Digital (D7) conference in Carlsbad, Calif.
"Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don't do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find," Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said at the time. "When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web."
If this morning's headlines are any indication, it appears that people want to use the Web to access porn. Several blogs reported that turning off Bing's "safe search" component and searching for "porn" in the video search box turns up thumbnail search results depicting graphic sex acts. But as PC World points out, doing a search for "porn" on Google and Yahoo will also produce plenty of NSFW on-screen content.
PCMag software analyst Michael Muchmore took a look at Bing last week and found that while the service is far from a Google killer, its slick interface and tailored search results definitely give the search engine giant a run for its money.
UPDATE: Microsoft e-mailed to say that Bing is currently in "preview" mode and that the formal launch is still scheduled for Wednesday. MSN Search Toolbar and Live.com are currently redirecting to the preview, a spokeswoman said. Visitors to Bing.com will notice a small "preview" tag underneath the Bing logo.
"Today, search engines do a decent job of helping people navigate the Web and find information, but they don't do a very good job of enabling people to use the information they find," Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, said at the time. "When we set out to build Bing, we grounded ourselves in a deep understanding of how people really want to use the Web."
If this morning's headlines are any indication, it appears that people want to use the Web to access porn. Several blogs reported that turning off Bing's "safe search" component and searching for "porn" in the video search box turns up thumbnail search results depicting graphic sex acts. But as PC World points out, doing a search for "porn" on Google and Yahoo will also produce plenty of NSFW on-screen content.
PCMag software analyst Michael Muchmore took a look at Bing last week and found that while the service is far from a Google killer, its slick interface and tailored search results definitely give the search engine giant a run for its money.
UPDATE: Microsoft e-mailed to say that Bing is currently in "preview" mode and that the formal launch is still scheduled for Wednesday. MSN Search Toolbar and Live.com are currently redirecting to the preview, a spokeswoman said. Visitors to Bing.com will notice a small "preview" tag underneath the Bing logo.
Bing-a-Thon Brings Hulu a Commercial-Free Day
Today Bing, Microsoft's new "decision engine", is bringing Hulu a commercial-free day.
The bing-a-thon started at 12 A.M. and will end at 11:59 P.M. PST.
After the day of uninterrupted videos, Bing will host a live party with
Olivia Munn and Jason Sudeikis.
The bing-a-thon started at 12 A.M. and will end at 11:59 P.M. PST.
After the day of uninterrupted videos, Bing will host a live party with
Olivia Munn and Jason Sudeikis.
Microsoft Goes Off the Reservation with Bing-a-Thon
Someone in Microsoft's marketing department convinced billions of Twitterers to tweet "Bing A Thon", which corresponds to this live stream on Hulu. It expires at 8 PM ET on June 8, capping a commercial-free day on the site spomsored by Bing, Microsoft's new search engine. I'm not sure what to make of this. Like the new Internet Explorer 8 ads, Microsoft is either desperate, doesn't care, or is simply going for broke. The Bing-a-thon is either weird, wonderful, or just plain bizarre. So far I've seen Fred Willard, dancing elementary school kids, an adult jumper, and some 15 percent cashback deal on an LG flatscreen. And a cat stylist.Oh, and the Bing-a-thon features Olivia Munn. Is that good? I'm never sure what to think in the absence of some TV marketer trying to tell me what is cool. Then I know.
Always Match Destination Formatting
Q: Following up on the tip Eliminate Unwanted Options in Word, is there a way during copy and paste to make "Match destination formatting" the default? I do a lot of copy and paste between Word to Excel, and each time, I have to check "Match destination formatting." It would be great if I could set this to happen as the default. - John Geyer. A: Word gives you detailed
control over this feature. Click the Office orb at top left, click the
Word Options button, and click Advanced in the list at left. In the
Cut, copy, and paste section there are four items that control the
default action when pasting text a) within a document, b) between
documents c) between documents with a style conflict, and d) from other
programs. Set the last one to "Match Destination formatting"; you may
also want to set the others the same way.
Excel doesn't have a similar setting, but there's a simple
workaround. If you press the Backspace or F2 key before pasting text it
will paste the text only, retaining the existing formatting. - Neil J.
Rubenking.
control over this feature. Click the Office orb at top left, click the
Word Options button, and click Advanced in the list at left. In the
Cut, copy, and paste section there are four items that control the
default action when pasting text a) within a document, b) between
documents c) between documents with a style conflict, and d) from other
programs. Set the last one to "Match Destination formatting"; you may
also want to set the others the same way.
Excel doesn't have a similar setting, but there's a simple
workaround. If you press the Backspace or F2 key before pasting text it
will paste the text only, retaining the existing formatting. - Neil J.
Rubenking.
Analyst: Apple Struggling to Protect Users From Malware
Apple has always prided itself on its minimal need for malware protection. That pride, however, may be setting the company up for a bigger security threat. As security analyst Rich Mogull puts it, "Based on a variety of sources, we know that Apple does not have a formal security program, and as such fails to catch vulnerabilities that would otherwise be prevented before product releases."
Mogull, a Mac owner and founder of security firm Securosis adds that the company ought to implement secure software development across its product lines, adding, "It's clear that that Apple considers security important, but that the company also struggles to execute effectively when faced with security challenges."
Mogull, a Mac owner and founder of security firm Securosis adds that the company ought to implement secure software development across its product lines, adding, "It's clear that that Apple considers security important, but that the company also struggles to execute effectively when faced with security challenges."
Report: Facebook Grows in May, Twitter Flattens
Web traffic analyzer Compete released its stats for May this week. The news is good for Facebook, which saw an 8-percent growth rate last month--that's up from 4.6-percent the month (which is actually down from 11-percent in March).
The news was a little less positive for Twitter, which only saw a one-percent growth in May--that's down from a staggering 40-percent growth the month prior, a jolt that no doubt owed a lot to Oprah's plugging the micro-blogging service and the great Kutcher/CNN race.
Myspace grew a bit more, at two-percent for the month of May.
The news was a little less positive for Twitter, which only saw a one-percent growth in May--that's down from a staggering 40-percent growth the month prior, a jolt that no doubt owed a lot to Oprah's plugging the micro-blogging service and the great Kutcher/CNN race.
Myspace grew a bit more, at two-percent for the month of May.
Calculated References in Excel
Q: I am trying to copy formulas down a worksheet. I have two rows of data, but when I copy them down I only want their reference to increase by one. For example, in Sheet2 cell B1 references cell Sheet1!A11. When I copy it into the cell two rows down (that is, B3) I want it to reference row 12, but it jumps to 13. Is what I want possible? - Mike McDonald.
A: You can make the row or column in any reference into an absolute reference by prefixing it with a dollar sign ($). When you copy that formula the absolute reference will not change. Without the dollar sign you have a relative reference. If the original formula referred to a cell two rows down and five columns to the right, the copied formula will change to maintain that relationship with the new location.
What you want is neither a relative reference nor an absolute reference; you want a calculated reference. For cell B1 you want to reference the cell from Sheet1 that's ten rows down and one column to the left. For cell B3 you want the cell that's eleven rows down and one column to the left. For each two rows down in Sheet2 you want to go down just one row in sheet 1. The first step is to build a text string that represents the desired reference.
We'll build the reference in R1C1 format rather than the standard A1 format, to avoid the messy requirement of expressing the column using letters. It looks like this: ="Sheet1!R"
A: You can make the row or column in any reference into an absolute reference by prefixing it with a dollar sign ($). When you copy that formula the absolute reference will not change. Without the dollar sign you have a relative reference. If the original formula referred to a cell two rows down and five columns to the right, the copied formula will change to maintain that relationship with the new location.
What you want is neither a relative reference nor an absolute reference; you want a calculated reference. For cell B1 you want to reference the cell from Sheet1 that's ten rows down and one column to the left. For cell B3 you want the cell that's eleven rows down and one column to the left. For each two rows down in Sheet2 you want to go down just one row in sheet 1. The first step is to build a text string that represents the desired reference.
We'll build the reference in R1C1 format rather than the standard A1 format, to avoid the messy requirement of expressing the column using letters. It looks like this: ="Sheet1!R"
Pandora Hits Windows Mobile
It's been a long time coming, but Pandora Media just announced that Pandora is now available for Windows Mobile smartphones
Pandora Comes to the Palm Pre
BlackBerry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile users have been tuning into Pandora for months, and now the popular mobile app is coming to the Palm Pre.
"Pandora on the Pre is a great listening experience--a fluid user interface with all the standard Pandora features you've come to expect on the web," Pandora's Tom Conrad wrote in a blog post. 'It even runs in the background where it presents a mini playback control panel in the Pre's dashboard area."
Pandora executives visited Palm headquarters back in December for a Pre demo, Conrad wrote.
"I went in with modest expectations and was blown away by all they had achieved," he said. "I remember leaving the building excited about the chance to help them launch their new phone and to act as an early design partner for their development SDK."
"Pandora on the Pre is a great listening experience--a fluid user interface with all the standard Pandora features you've come to expect on the web," Pandora's Tom Conrad wrote in a blog post. 'It even runs in the background where it presents a mini playback control panel in the Pre's dashboard area."
Pandora executives visited Palm headquarters back in December for a Pre demo, Conrad wrote.
"I went in with modest expectations and was blown away by all they had achieved," he said. "I remember leaving the building excited about the chance to help them launch their new phone and to act as an early design partner for their development SDK."
Release of Bing Boosts Microsoft's Search Results
Microsoft got a boost in search results in the days surrounding the release of its Bing search engine, comScore reported Tuesday.
From June 2 to June 3, average daily penetration for Microsoft Sites increased from 13.8 percent to 15.5 percent. The company's share of search results pages also jumped from 9.1 percent to 11.1 percent during the same time.
"These initial data suggest that Microsoft Bing has generated early interest, resulting in a spike in search engagement and an immediate term improvement to Microsoft's position in the search market," Mike Hurt, comScore senior vice president, said in a statement. "So far it appears that the lifts in searcher penetration and engagement have held relatively steady throughout the five-day period. The ultimate performance of Bing depends on the extent to which it generates more trial through its extensive launch campaign and whether it retains those trial users. It appears it is off to a good start."
Results from StatCounter gave Bing a short-lived boost over Yahoo on Thursday June 4.
On that day in the United States, Bing captured 15.64 percent of searches, ahead of Yahoo's 10.32 percent. Globally, Bing had 5.56 percent of searches, still slightly ahead of Yahoo, which was at 5.17 percent.
Stats from today, however, put Yahoo at 11.35 percent in the U.S. and Bing at 5.79 percent. Globally, Yahoo has 5.42 percent and Bing has 2.6 percent of searches.
From June 2 to June 3, average daily penetration for Microsoft Sites increased from 13.8 percent to 15.5 percent. The company's share of search results pages also jumped from 9.1 percent to 11.1 percent during the same time.
"These initial data suggest that Microsoft Bing has generated early interest, resulting in a spike in search engagement and an immediate term improvement to Microsoft's position in the search market," Mike Hurt, comScore senior vice president, said in a statement. "So far it appears that the lifts in searcher penetration and engagement have held relatively steady throughout the five-day period. The ultimate performance of Bing depends on the extent to which it generates more trial through its extensive launch campaign and whether it retains those trial users. It appears it is off to a good start."
Results from StatCounter gave Bing a short-lived boost over Yahoo on Thursday June 4.
On that day in the United States, Bing captured 15.64 percent of searches, ahead of Yahoo's 10.32 percent. Globally, Bing had 5.56 percent of searches, still slightly ahead of Yahoo, which was at 5.17 percent.
Stats from today, however, put Yahoo at 11.35 percent in the U.S. and Bing at 5.79 percent. Globally, Yahoo has 5.42 percent and Bing has 2.6 percent of searches.
GPS War on the iPhone!
As we saw in yesterday's Apple WWDC keynote, GPS maker TomTom is going to market with turn-by-turn navigation for the iPhone, which will be available in the iTunes store for an as-yet-undisclosed price The company will also sell a hardware kit that includes a window mount and charging cable.This morning we learned that rival GPS maker Navigon, which recently stopped producing standalone GPS devices for the U.S. market, is also entering the iPhone arena. Even though TomTom hasn't given a release date for its app, Navigon says it's app "takes off first." That's some GPS smack talk. Navigon will actually offer two navigation apps, including a lite version with maps but no active routing. The full version will include Navigon's excellent Reality View and lane assistance features, which help you navigate tricky highway exits. It will also deliver day and night viewing modes, a POI database, portrait and landscape orientations, and the ability to navigate to saved contacts. Sources say that the app will be available with North American, Western European, or Australian maps. There's no release date or pricing yet.
pulpTunes Streams Your iTunes Library Across the Web
If you want to take your iTunes library with you but you don't have an iPod big enough, you might consider streaming your music collection over the Internet so you can listen to your favorite tunes while at work, traveling, or anywhere else far away from your beloved collection. There are a number of ways to do this, and most of them are complicated, but pulpTunes makes it easy to set up a stream, password protect it, and listen to your own tunes anywhere you have an Internet connection.
I was a huge fan of ShoutCast back in the day when it was one of the few ways to stream your music over the net, but the problem with ShoutCast was always that anyone could listen to your music and you didn't have any control over what song was playing at what time; it really was radio. Then new services appeared that allowed you to create VPN connections to your home network where you could play your music, or you could set up a complex Web host on your home computer that would broadcast your music just to you and allow you to control the playback. pulpTunes does something similar, but streamlines the process so you don't have to get your hands dirty configuring the streaming and sharing services that make an app like this possible. Simply install pulpTunes, select your username and password, and you're all set. If you want to customize the app, you can dig into it a bit, but you don't have to in order to get your stream working. The most additional work you'll have to do to use pulpTunes is open the firewall port on your home network that the app uses to stream over the Internet.In addition to being simple to configure, pulpTunes is also cross-platform and works well on both MacOS, Windows, and even Linux. In Linux, you don't even need iTunes (which is good because it's not supported or available), you simply need an iTunes library XML file that tells pulpTunes where the music really lives. Once you have pulpTunes configured and streaming on the computer that hosts your iTunes library, you'll get a URL with that machine's IP address that you can visit anytime you'd like to tune in.pulpTunes supports MP3 and AAC files, so it can even handle your DRM-free downloads from the iTunes music store. Additionally, the app supports iTunes DJ, displays the cover art of your music as it plays, and even allows you to download the songs right from your library to your remote computer. The app also allows you to tweak the song buffer, meaning you can increase or decrease the actual play-time of a track based on how fast or slow your network connection is.If you're looking for an incredibly simple way to stream your iTunes music over the Internet and control it on the other end, pulpTunes is the way to go. Even if you just have a ton of MP3s and you want a way to listen to them remotely, the combination of iTunes and pulpTunes is so easy to set up and use it's a good way to go. The only reason I wouldn't suggest it is if you hate iTunes. [via Lifehacker]
I was a huge fan of ShoutCast back in the day when it was one of the few ways to stream your music over the net, but the problem with ShoutCast was always that anyone could listen to your music and you didn't have any control over what song was playing at what time; it really was radio. Then new services appeared that allowed you to create VPN connections to your home network where you could play your music, or you could set up a complex Web host on your home computer that would broadcast your music just to you and allow you to control the playback. pulpTunes does something similar, but streamlines the process so you don't have to get your hands dirty configuring the streaming and sharing services that make an app like this possible. Simply install pulpTunes, select your username and password, and you're all set. If you want to customize the app, you can dig into it a bit, but you don't have to in order to get your stream working. The most additional work you'll have to do to use pulpTunes is open the firewall port on your home network that the app uses to stream over the Internet.In addition to being simple to configure, pulpTunes is also cross-platform and works well on both MacOS, Windows, and even Linux. In Linux, you don't even need iTunes (which is good because it's not supported or available), you simply need an iTunes library XML file that tells pulpTunes where the music really lives. Once you have pulpTunes configured and streaming on the computer that hosts your iTunes library, you'll get a URL with that machine's IP address that you can visit anytime you'd like to tune in.pulpTunes supports MP3 and AAC files, so it can even handle your DRM-free downloads from the iTunes music store. Additionally, the app supports iTunes DJ, displays the cover art of your music as it plays, and even allows you to download the songs right from your library to your remote computer. The app also allows you to tweak the song buffer, meaning you can increase or decrease the actual play-time of a track based on how fast or slow your network connection is.If you're looking for an incredibly simple way to stream your iTunes music over the Internet and control it on the other end, pulpTunes is the way to go. Even if you just have a ton of MP3s and you want a way to listen to them remotely, the combination of iTunes and pulpTunes is so easy to set up and use it's a good way to go. The only reason I wouldn't suggest it is if you hate iTunes. [via Lifehacker]
American Airlines Expands Mobile Boarding Passes
American Airlines has expanded its mobile boarding pass option to a total of six airports. That means that domestic AA travelers flying out of these airports can bypass check-in by accessing a two-dimensional barcode.
Wishpot Helps Save You Money and Get What You Want
Most online retailers allow you to add items to a
SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone Finally Here; and There's Room for Improvement
TV on the iPhone? Bring it on! PCMag's Zach Honig gave the long-anticipated SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone ($29.99 at the App Store) a test run. Though he found a lot to like in (the app's interface has been polished for the iPhone, for example, plus that whole TV-on-the-iPhone thing), he has a significant amount of criticisms as well. At Apple's insistence, the app works only over Wi-Fi--3F and Edge connections aren't supported--and Zach experienced connection issues. Get all the testing details and find out the SlingPlayer's final score in the SlingPlayer Mobile for iPhone review at PCMag.com.
Envivio Unveils iLiveTV for iPhone OS 3.0
The iPhone's mobile TV options are slim--SlingPlayer for the iPhone is still your best, albeit artificially limited bet. Fortunately, that may soon change. Envivio has unveiled iLiveTV, a pro-level video compression system for evaluating, developing and deploying Live and On Demand TV video services for the iPhone.
UK Mob Overtakes Google Street View Vehicle
It's the classic battle of man verses machine. In one corner, a mo of angry British villagers. In the other, a car taking pictures for Google Street View. Never since that guy played chess with that computer has our future been so precarious.
A group of villagers in Buckinghamshire have been on edge recently, thanks to a series of burglaries in their area. The events had led them to be extremely weary of any suspicious vehicles in the area, like, say, a car with a camera on its roof. Spotting the car, the villagers formed a human chain and berated the driver about the "invasion" of their privacy.
"I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car driving down the lane," villager Paul Jacobs told The Times. "My immediate reaction was anger; how dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent? I ran outside to flag the car down and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also facilitating crime."
For effectiveness, it sure seems to beat a lawsuit, hands down.
A group of villagers in Buckinghamshire have been on edge recently, thanks to a series of burglaries in their area. The events had led them to be extremely weary of any suspicious vehicles in the area, like, say, a car with a camera on its roof. Spotting the car, the villagers formed a human chain and berated the driver about the "invasion" of their privacy.
"I was upstairs when I spotted the camera car driving down the lane," villager Paul Jacobs told The Times. "My immediate reaction was anger; how dare anyone take a photograph of my home without my consent? I ran outside to flag the car down and told the driver he was not only invading our privacy but also facilitating crime."
For effectiveness, it sure seems to beat a lawsuit, hands down.
Google Launches New Beta Version of Reader for iPhone
If you can't stand to be away from your RSS feed for too long, Google and the iPhone are here to help. The search engine giant on Monday launched a new beta version of Reader for the iPhone (and other phones with advanced browsers, of course).
"This new version is designed to offer many of the same features as the desktop, while making it quick and easy to act on items," Google wrote in a blog post. "Scan the titles for an item that interests you, tap and it expands in place. Starring, sharing, and keeping unread are done in place, so you never have to leave the list view or refresh the page."
Users can access the beta at http://www.google.com/reader/i/ on their mobile phones.
"Since it's still in beta, we're not going to automatically send you to it, so bookmark the site so that you don't forget the address," Google said. "We love getting feedback from users, so let us know what you think in our discussion group."
Meanwhile, if you're using your iPhone to look up directions, Google said yesterday that it has updated its New York City Street View photos and improved their quality.
For those of you concerned about making an unwanted appearance in Street View photos, Google is now testing its new face-blurring technology in NYC.
"This effort has been a year in the making--working at Street View-scale is a tough challenge that required us to advance state-of-the-art automatic face detection, and we continue working hard to improve it as we roll it out for our existing and future imagery," Andrea Frome, a Google software engineer, wrote in a blog post.
A city apparently not looking forward to Street View is Rome. The Times of London reports that Romans are a bit wary of their new mayor, who has taken to installing London-like surveillance cameras. When a camera-equipped car taking pictures for Google Street View recently rolled through town, writer Bernhard Warner reports that "pedestrians shuffled off the street and into bars, out of sight of the offending vehicle."
"I cannot wait to see when Google Earth will have a street-level view of Rome," Warner wrote. "Don't be surprised if you see the backs of a lot of Italian hurrying for the door."
"This new version is designed to offer many of the same features as the desktop, while making it quick and easy to act on items," Google wrote in a blog post. "Scan the titles for an item that interests you, tap and it expands in place. Starring, sharing, and keeping unread are done in place, so you never have to leave the list view or refresh the page."
Users can access the beta at http://www.google.com/reader/i/ on their mobile phones.
"Since it's still in beta, we're not going to automatically send you to it, so bookmark the site so that you don't forget the address," Google said. "We love getting feedback from users, so let us know what you think in our discussion group."
Meanwhile, if you're using your iPhone to look up directions, Google said yesterday that it has updated its New York City Street View photos and improved their quality.
For those of you concerned about making an unwanted appearance in Street View photos, Google is now testing its new face-blurring technology in NYC.
"This effort has been a year in the making--working at Street View-scale is a tough challenge that required us to advance state-of-the-art automatic face detection, and we continue working hard to improve it as we roll it out for our existing and future imagery," Andrea Frome, a Google software engineer, wrote in a blog post.
A city apparently not looking forward to Street View is Rome. The Times of London reports that Romans are a bit wary of their new mayor, who has taken to installing London-like surveillance cameras. When a camera-equipped car taking pictures for Google Street View recently rolled through town, writer Bernhard Warner reports that "pedestrians shuffled off the street and into bars, out of sight of the offending vehicle."
"I cannot wait to see when Google Earth will have a street-level view of Rome," Warner wrote. "Don't be surprised if you see the backs of a lot of Italian hurrying for the door."
Disneyland Paris Comes to Google Street View
Euro Disney has had its share of troubles, but can it survive a Google invasion?
Certain international locales have not exactly greeted Google's Street View cameras with open arms, but the search engine giant worked out an arrangement with Disney to photograph its Parisian theme park.
"Last October, as the last few rays of sunlight remained high enough in the sky, Disneyland Paris opened its gates early to our Street View car to capture some of the magic at street-level," Liz Ericson, a product marketing manager in London and Paris, wrote in a blog post. "We drove up Main Street USA (outside of Paris!), through Adventureland, and around Fantasyland and even in Walt Disney Studios Park."
Disneyland Paris (and Walt Disney Studios Park) is the first amusement park in the world to be photographed by Street View cameras. Ericson said Google hopes to add other attractions in the future, such as race tracks, castles, and parks.
Google also created a mapplet of the park.
Certain international locales have not exactly greeted Google's Street View cameras with open arms, but the search engine giant worked out an arrangement with Disney to photograph its Parisian theme park.
"Last October, as the last few rays of sunlight remained high enough in the sky, Disneyland Paris opened its gates early to our Street View car to capture some of the magic at street-level," Liz Ericson, a product marketing manager in London and Paris, wrote in a blog post. "We drove up Main Street USA (outside of Paris!), through Adventureland, and around Fantasyland and even in Walt Disney Studios Park."
Disneyland Paris (and Walt Disney Studios Park) is the first amusement park in the world to be photographed by Street View cameras. Ericson said Google hopes to add other attractions in the future, such as race tracks, castles, and parks.
Google also created a mapplet of the park.
Brigham Young University Considers Lifting YouTube Ban
My college years were pre-YouTube, but had the video site been around back in the stone age of 1998, I'm sure it would have been a great addition to my bag of procrastination tools.
Students at Brigham Young University have not had the luxury of surfing YouTube since 2006, when the school restricted access to the site because it was inconsistent with the school's mission statement. But that could soon change, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
"The amount of educational material on YouTube is increasing," university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins told the Chronicle. "What we're looking at is the opportunities that are there for material that might be useful on campus and in the classroom."
The school expects to make a decision by the beginning of fall semester.
The Church of Latter-day Saints has its own YouTube channel, Mormon Messages.
Students at Brigham Young University have not had the luxury of surfing YouTube since 2006, when the school restricted access to the site because it was inconsistent with the school's mission statement. But that could soon change, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
"The amount of educational material on YouTube is increasing," university spokeswoman Carri Jenkins told the Chronicle. "What we're looking at is the opportunities that are there for material that might be useful on campus and in the classroom."
The school expects to make a decision by the beginning of fall semester.
The Church of Latter-day Saints has its own YouTube channel, Mormon Messages.
Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.5 Beta 4
Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 3.5 beta 4, a release that promises improvements to performance, web compatibility, and speed. It is now available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux via an online download.
Beta 4 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 Web-page layout rendering engine. Improvements to Gecko include speculative parsing for faster content rendering, Mozilla said.
The release also adds six additional languages, bringing the total to 70.
Mozilla championed the inclusion of the browser's Private Browsing Mode and TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, though both features were available in beta 3. Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 beta 3 in early March, changing the official title from Firefox 3.1 to Firefox 3.5.
Beta 4 also includes location-based browsing using geolocation, support for native JSON and web worker threads, and support for new web technologies such as: HTML5 and elements, downloadable fonts and other new CSS properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 offline data storage for applications, and SVG transforms.
Mozilla warned that the release is still for testing purposes.
"Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 is a public preview release intended for developer testing and community feedback," the company wrote in a blog post. "We recommend that you read the release notes and known issues before installing this beta."
Beta 4 is based on the Gecko 1.9.1 Web-page layout rendering engine. Improvements to Gecko include speculative parsing for faster content rendering, Mozilla said.
The release also adds six additional languages, bringing the total to 70.
Mozilla championed the inclusion of the browser's Private Browsing Mode and TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, though both features were available in beta 3. Mozilla released Firefox 3.5 beta 3 in early March, changing the official title from Firefox 3.1 to Firefox 3.5.
Beta 4 also includes location-based browsing using geolocation, support for native JSON and web worker threads, and support for new web technologies such as: HTML5 and elements, downloadable fonts and other new CSS properties, JavaScript query selectors, HTML5 offline data storage for applications, and SVG transforms.
Mozilla warned that the release is still for testing purposes.
"Firefox 3.5 Beta 4 is a public preview release intended for developer testing and community feedback," the company wrote in a blog post. "We recommend that you read the release notes and known issues before installing this beta."
Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.5 Preview to Developers
Mozilla provided developers with a taste of Firefox 3.5 on Tuesday.
The company released a preview version of Firefox 3.5 for the 800,000 people using Firefox 3.5 beta 4.
The release is only for developer testing and community feedback. "We recommend that most users wait for the official Firefox 3.5 release, which is coming soon," Mozilla wrote in a blog post.
For those who will be sampling the preview, it includes fixes for stability bugs, correctness fixes for the JavaScript engine, and improvements to built in support for open Ogg based video and audio playback.
Firefox 3.5 beta users should receive the update automatically in the next 24 hours. If not, select "check for updates" in the "help" menu.
The company released a preview version of Firefox 3.5 for the 800,000 people using Firefox 3.5 beta 4.
The release is only for developer testing and community feedback. "We recommend that most users wait for the official Firefox 3.5 release, which is coming soon," Mozilla wrote in a blog post.
For those who will be sampling the preview, it includes fixes for stability bugs, correctness fixes for the JavaScript engine, and improvements to built in support for open Ogg based video and audio playback.
Firefox 3.5 beta users should receive the update automatically in the next 24 hours. If not, select "check for updates" in the "help" menu.
Google Apps Get Outlook Syncing
Google wants to make its Apps work for you. The has recently added user direct synchronization and Blackberry interoperability to its list of features. Today's addition of Microsoft Outlook sync should only further the company's plan to make the suite all the more business friend.
Google today rolled out Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook, which lets users sync e-mail, contacts, and calendars with Google Apps. On the e-mail front, the app uses Gmail's offline protocol for faster syncing. For more information on the new feature, check out Google's Enterprise Blog.
Google today rolled out Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook, which lets users sync e-mail, contacts, and calendars with Google Apps. On the e-mail front, the app uses Gmail's offline protocol for faster syncing. For more information on the new feature, check out Google's Enterprise Blog.
Facebook Opening Up 'Vanity URLs' at Midnight Friday
What are you doing Friday night? The social networking faithful will be waiting excitedly in front of a laptop in order to capture the Facebook "vanity URL" of their choice when the clock strikes twelve. At 12:01am Eastern Saturday morning, Facebook will start allowing users to create usernames for personalized URLs.
At this point, the URL for your Facebook profile ends with a series of numbers. On Saturday, you'll be able to replace those numbers with a name of your choice to make it easier for people to navigate to your site. For example, you can switch from http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456 to http://www.facebook.com/chloe. And it's free.
"Your new Facebook URL is like your personal destination, or home, on the Web," Facebook's Blaise DiPersia wrote in a blog post.
Usernames will be available to anyone with a Facebook profile or a page with more than 1,000 fans. It must be at least five characters long, and once you pick a name you cannot change it, so choose wisely.
To prevent cybersquatting, anyone who signed up for Facebook after 3pm Eastern time today will not be able to secure a username until after 12:01am on June 28. Facebook reserves the right to revoke a username, and will allow rights holder to contest names they believe infringe on their trademarks.
At this point, the URL for your Facebook profile ends with a series of numbers. On Saturday, you'll be able to replace those numbers with a name of your choice to make it easier for people to navigate to your site. For example, you can switch from http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456 to http://www.facebook.com/chloe. And it's free.
"Your new Facebook URL is like your personal destination, or home, on the Web," Facebook's Blaise DiPersia wrote in a blog post.
Usernames will be available to anyone with a Facebook profile or a page with more than 1,000 fans. It must be at least five characters long, and once you pick a name you cannot change it, so choose wisely.
To prevent cybersquatting, anyone who signed up for Facebook after 3pm Eastern time today will not be able to secure a username until after 12:01am on June 28. Facebook reserves the right to revoke a username, and will allow rights holder to contest names they believe infringe on their trademarks.
Game Crazy Releases Gaming App
Today, the videogame store chain Game Crazy released an iPhone app to keep their customers updated on new game releases and "coming soon" titles. Gamers and parents can find out trade-in prices and how much a game costs.
Don't know where the closest Game Crazy is? Use the app's built-in store locator.
Game Crazy is the first retailer to offer an app that provides up-to-date information on video games. The app is free to download at the iTunes Store.
Don't know where the closest Game Crazy is? Use the app's built-in store locator.
Game Crazy is the first retailer to offer an app that provides up-to-date information on video games. The app is free to download at the iTunes Store.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wolfram Alpha Gets a Big Update
When Wolfram Alpha finally launched a few weeks back, the search engine failed to live up to the incredible buzz that preceded it. Let's face it, though--Wolfram Alpha isn't Google, nor is it trying to be. The site has a long way to go if it's going to attempt to offer even a fraction of Google's comprehensiveness. Inclusiveness aside, Wolfram Alpha is still fairly rough, but its designers are working on that--constantly.
According to the Wolfram Alpha team, the search engine is constantly receiving new data. On top of that, its programmers are always actively building a new version of the engine. Yesterday's rollout offers a litany of updates, including new linguistic forms of data and questions, additionally composite comparisons, more country borders, more European currencies, etc.
There's a very long--and extremely specific--list of updates over at the Wolfram Alpha blog. Good news for anyone named "Zebulon."
According to the Wolfram Alpha team, the search engine is constantly receiving new data. On top of that, its programmers are always actively building a new version of the engine. Yesterday's rollout offers a litany of updates, including new linguistic forms of data and questions, additionally composite comparisons, more country borders, more European currencies, etc.
There's a very long--and extremely specific--list of updates over at the Wolfram Alpha blog. Good news for anyone named "Zebulon."
Comcast DOCSIS 3.0 Comes to Washington, D.C.
Comcast expanded its DOCSIS 3.0 service to our nation's capital Tuesday. Residents in the Anacostia section of Washington, D.C. will have access to the company's super-fast wideband Internet service starting this month.
Comcast is also rolling out wideband, which promises speeds of us to 50 Mbps, to the D.C. metro area, including Arlington and the city of Alexandria in Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George's County in Maryland. The entire D.C. market is expected to have service by year's end.
With the D.C. roll out, Comcast is dropping the price on certain bundles.
The Extreme 50 service, which offers 50 Mbps downstream and 10 Mbps upstream, normally runs $139.95 per month. Starting June 15, the price will drop to $116.95 per month in most markets. In addition, customers who subscribe to at least one other service - either video or voice - will pay $99.95 per month.
Ultra service, with 22 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream, is $62.95 per month.
"I applaud Comcast for bringing this innovative technology to the District and to our neighborhoods east of the river first," D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said in a statement. "Residents, especially those who are tech-savvy, will be thrilled about their ability to enjoy this next generation of technology."
Comcast is also rolling out wideband, which promises speeds of us to 50 Mbps, to the D.C. metro area, including Arlington and the city of Alexandria in Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George's County in Maryland. The entire D.C. market is expected to have service by year's end.
With the D.C. roll out, Comcast is dropping the price on certain bundles.
The Extreme 50 service, which offers 50 Mbps downstream and 10 Mbps upstream, normally runs $139.95 per month. Starting June 15, the price will drop to $116.95 per month in most markets. In addition, customers who subscribe to at least one other service - either video or voice - will pay $99.95 per month.
Ultra service, with 22 Mbps downstream and 5 Mbps upstream, is $62.95 per month.
"I applaud Comcast for bringing this innovative technology to the District and to our neighborhoods east of the river first," D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said in a statement. "Residents, especially those who are tech-savvy, will be thrilled about their ability to enjoy this next generation of technology."
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