Google lost out to a consortium on its bid to acquire an estimated 6,000 patents from Nortel, a bankrupt telecom-equipment manufacturer. Google bid $900 million for the patents however the consortium which included big companies such as Apple and Research In Motion made a $4.5 billion cash bid making their offer five times as much as that of Google. A lot of big companies became interested in acquiring the patents after they learned that it was up for sale. These patents include technologies related to 4G wireless systems, semiconductors and networking. Most of the patents relate to social networking, telecommunications and Internet search making it very attractive to own. A representative from Nortel said that the patents cost them $40 billion in investments in a span of 15 years. This was achieved through the company's own development as well as through acquisitions. Google was the first company to signify its interest in getting the patents since it planned to use it in its expansion of additional services. Kent Walker, the senior VP of Google had this to say regarding the outcome "This outcome is disappointing for anyone who believes that open innovation benefits users and promotes creativity and competition.” |
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Google Fails To Acquire Nortel Patents
Facebook To Announce “Awesome” Product Next Week
Facebook, the current leading social network, has a surprise in store for everyone which will be revealed next week. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that they will "launch something awesome" next week. Invitations have already been sent out through Facebook for an event that will happen at 10 AM this coming Wednesday, July 6. Nothing has leaked yet as to what the company will announce next week although it seems like a respond to the recent launch of Google's Google+ social network. Most experts believe that Facebook might announce some of its native mobile apps, specifically for the iPad which until now still does not have an app. The rumored Facebook iPad app will rely heavily on HTML 5 and will be web based. There's also some rumors circulating that Facebook might also be revealing it new photo sharing service for the iPhone. The company is working hard right now to introduce exciting new features as it expects to get serious competition from Google's own social network, Google+. The fact that Google had to shut down invites to their new service is proof that a lot of people are interested in joining it. Whatever the announcement next week will be, you can be sure that a lot of people will be interested in hearing about it. |
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Google Swiffy Converts Flash Into HTML5
Google Labs launches a new tool called Swiffy that can convert Flash files into HTML5 so that it could be viewed on devices that are not capable of Flash. SWF files are run through the converter that splits it into a JSON file. Then it renders the file with HTML, Scalable Vector Graphics, and Cascading Style Sheets. The converted files are slightly larger than the original Flash file but it renders smoothly in HTML5.
Adobe has a similar tool called Wallaby, which it launched earlier this year. It converts the FLA-format files into JavaScript, HTML5 and CSS. The tool was designed for developers to port ads for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and other devices that didn't have Flash capabilities.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that his company has no intentions of incorporating Flash into any of its devices that run on iOS. He added that Flash was created during the PC era. At today's mobile era, new open standards are created, such as HTML5.
Adobe responded to apple's challenge by creating tools for HTML5. It has already released a HTML5 update to the Dreamweaver software and introduced CSS Regions to its WebKit browser engine program. It would also launch Edge, a tool that allows designers to create animated web page elements with standard web technologies.
Google Unveils Google+ Social Network
Google announced its new Google+ social network, which is currently by invite only. Reports from those who got into the field test say that it's a social network for geeks. It has several options that let the user share, protect, hide and discover photos, videos, friends, posts, and more.
It has several features that could confuse those who are used to Facebook's minimalist approach. Its Circles feature lets the user add friends. The Hangout is a group video chat feature. Google+ lets its users upload unlimited amount of video and photos through its Google+ Mobile.
Sadly, Google's field test of its Google+ network suffered from overcapacity that is reported to be a regular occurrence during this part of its testing. There were also complaints of poor design and alpha glitches.
If you're lucky enough to get an invite for Google+, you'll notice a +Mark on the black bar on top of your screen when you're in a Google web site. When you click it, you'll enter Google+. You'll find four icons on top of the screen, which as Home, Photos, Profile and Circles.
Google Asks What Do You Love?
Google unveiled its WDYL.com web site, which displays results of your search via 20 different Google products on a single page. When you go to WDYL.com, you'll be greeted by a simple page that asks the user "what do you love?" and a search bar below.
Once the user input a search request, the site will display results through 20 widgets that feature Google's various searches, which include blogs, news, YouTube, and Picasa photos. You could scroll through all the widgets in the page.
Google silently rolled out this new web site without any fanfare, intro or marketing strategies. Apparently it was supposed to be launch a few days ago but Google had to fix some engineering problems before it was ready for the big unveiling.
It is interesting to see the results but it looks like WDYL.com is more of a promotional tool for Google's products such as Chrome, Gmail, Calendar, and others that don't show any results regarding the search query. There's a button at the bottom of each widget that would take the user to the Google product's web site.
Facebook Faces Antitrust Complaint
Consumer Watchdog objects the new terms for using the Facebook credits that will take effect on Friday. It says that the new terms will enable Facebook to extend its monopoly over the virtual goods market in social games within the site.
The new terms prohibit game developers from charging lower prices for their games on other social networks. The consumer group said that Facebook wants to dictate prices. It undermines competition and forces the consumers to pay higher prices.
In the past, Consumer Watchdog is a Google critic. It once labeled video ads of former CEO Eric Schmidt as creepy. It looks like the group is expanding its range has taken Facebook as its next target. The group also included Zynga in its complaint. It said that the social gaming company conspired with Facebook through an agreement made last May 2010. Although the details of the deal are secret, it is rumored to include concessions on Facebook's part regarding Facebook Credits.Google+ To Compete With Facebook
Google is taking another shot at social networking with its limited release of Google+. This new service provides you with an interesting way of connecting with your friends and acquaintances. What the company did is take the best features of Facebook and Twitter and add their own ideas in creating Google+.
The service is available for selected people only since it is still in its beta phase. If you want to try it out you have to ask someone who has access to the service so that you could create your account. I was lucky enough to get an invite and tried it out for a spin.
Once I was able to access my Google+ account I immediately noticed that it is different from Google Buzz or Google Wave. What makes this social network unique is that you will be able to immediately categorize your contacts into different Circles. Whatever content you want to share can be limited to specific Circles.
One feature that is useful is the Hangout feature. You can start a Hangout and can invite up to ten people to video chat with. Make sure to have your webcam ready if you want to use this feature.
Although there are still some bugs in Google+ it already looks like it will be a popular service.
Paypal Hits 100 Million And Predicts The End Of Wallets By 2015
Who would have thought that 100 million registered users would signal the end of the wallet—the humble, easy to carry, wallet. Well, Paypal president, Scott Thompson, announced recently that his company now has over 100 million active users. This milestone led him to announce in the same breath, that by 2015, we will all be using some form of digital currency. Yes, by 2015, all our wallets will be in the Smithsonian.
It is indeed fact, that today more and more people use the internet and other digital platforms to make purchases. But it is also true that even today, some people prefer to go into a bank and deal directly with a teller—a live person. And we mustn't forget that as we march towards this bold digital future, security seems to be lagging woefully behind. In the last six months, online companies have had no fewer than 30 security breaches with data, and no fewer than 250 million people affected. That's more people who've had their data compromised than Paypal glorious milestone of 100 million active users.
Using digital platforms to effect purchases requires a "digital connection" and I doubt that we'll all be connected by 2015. When people talk about the digital revolution, they tend to forget the millions of people who have yet to graduate to broadband, or even worse, make their first phone call. Even in the wealthy western societies, having a cell phone doesn't necessarily equate to having spending power. Mr Thompson, perhaps meant to say: "By 2015, no-one who works at Paypal will have need for a wallet". Had he said that, I would have wholeheartedly agreed.
The wallet is probably not here to stay, but I guarantee Mr Thompson and Paypal that it will be around long after 2015.
See analysis of the 100 million milestone in the video below.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Microsoft Third Quarter Earnings Up But Still Loses To Apple
Microsoft just presented a report which shows a 31% increase in profits which translates to US$5.2 billion or 61 cents per share. This latest figure however is still not enough to beat Apple’s earnings. This is the first time in 20 years that Microsoft losses to Apple.
One key line of Microsoft which is Windows showed it dropped 4% which can be attributed to the decline in PC sales worldwide.
Although the company has increased its earnings it is now playing catch up with Apple. PC sales which is where Microsoft gets most of its profit due to licensing of its Windows operating system is on a steady decline due to the entry of tablets. These devices run on either iOS of Apple or Android of Google with no viable Microsoft tablet in the market yet.
The recent entry of Microsoft into the smartphone market has also been slowed down and is far behind Android or iOS smartphones.
The strong products of the company seem to lie on their Office productivity suit and their Xbox line. In the long run this may not be enough to sustain them as more and more devices are coming out of the market that does not run on the Windows platform.
Nintendo: Breaking Stereotypes
Nintendo which is considered to be on of the greatest video game producers in the world announced that the release of their home console and a Wii successor will take place in 2012.
Briefly, Nintendo will present a playable model of the new system and its specifications at the E3 Expo. This annual game showcase will take place on June 7-9, in Los Angeles. Believably, the new home console will be providing players with high-definition gaming which is supposed to be even better than Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
The presence of touch-screen controllers is also possible and they will provide you with the opportunity to get all the images from the central console. But still, nothing is confirmed and it is believed that Nintendo will center on a fresh sort of gameplay. According to Nintendo, it is becoming harder to develop something new and surprise players.
And yet, there are a lot of features that could be updated and made more popular. Now, Wii is considered to be a home console, played in the living room with all the family members. But, Nintendo wants to change this stereotype.
Sony: Private Information Stolen
The things that happened to Sony’s customers are really frustrating. Sony itself wants to warn its customers about the possibility of their credit card information stolen.
Sony also informs the customers that during the period of April 17 and April 19, 2011, some intrusion which is illegal and unauthorized occurred. As a result, particular information from PlayStation Network user account turned vulnerable.
Seems that Sony is also taking measures to prevent the loss of information. On the first day of this case, they switched off PlayStation Network as well as Qriocity services. They also contacted a security company to start the investigation and to learn what had happened. Thirdly, they took all the necessary steps to rebuild and thus to strengthen the whole network infrastructure which provides more security for the private information of users. Sony is also thanking the customers for the patience and it assures that all the issues will be resolved as soon as possible.
Sony is asking the customers to be careful with answering e-mails, requiring providing any private information as a part of user account information might have been stolen. Such information as Billing Address, Purchase History and all the passwords can also be used by another persons.
Sony Officialy Reveals Android Tablets
Sony held a press conference this week in Tokyo to reveal their upcoming tablet products. The company will make its initial presence in the tablet scene felt not by one but two tablets. The tablets are called the S1 and the S2 and both will be running on the Honeycomb platform.
The first tablet is the S1 which focuses more on Sony’s Qriocity feature and is shaped like a folded magazine. It will be using a Tegra 2 processor and will have customized features that will set it apart from other Honeycomb devices.
The S2 will be a dual screen clamshell tablet device that comes with a 5.5 inch display capable of resolutions of 1024×480 pixels. It’s designed to fit easily in your pocket.
Both devices will be PlayStation Certified which means it will possess the same gaming capabilities as the recently released Xperia Play smartphone.
Sony is expected to release both devices by fall in the US although this is just an estimated date. As for the pricing of both devices the company has not released any official statement yet however insiders are estimating the price for the S1 to be $599 while the S2 is pegged at $699.
Firefox 4 Beats Our Expectations
It seems that Firefox 4 is becoming more popular and it reached about 100 million downloads. But, it is still early to say that Firefox 4 is something unique and especially effective.
The number of downloads is still counting according to the stats provided by Mozilla. Firefox 4 is believed to be the first product of Mozilla that represents a fully functional browser with a great deal of enhanced and updated tools.
Thanks to a newly developed JavaScript engine, called JagerMonkey, Firefox 4 is becoming faster, 4-8 times. Such a feature as a privacy function will not let anybody track you. Moreover, there is a highly convenient feature which is Firefox Sync will let you synchronize all the bookmarks, preferences, browser condition as well as passwords. As for the interface, it seems to be sleeker and the possibility to quickly reach the sites you want is provided with the App Tabs.
Mozilla paid an extensive attention to the security issues and, now, Firefox 4 is able to cease executing malicious code when pages have been loaded. It has become available with Content Security Policy intended to stop XSS attacks.
iPhone Application Nominated for Bafta
ncredibly but one of the iPhone applications has been nominated for a Bafta. This application has become so popular for granting access to The Thick of It, comedy series. Today, the British Academy Television Awards revealed the information on the nominees in the category of New Media. This application called The Missing iPhone represents an addition of the book The Thick of It. It includes some interesting information gathered by the cast of the BBC comedy. The release of the application happened to be in December last year.
Malcolm Tucker’s iPhone is easily accessed with the mentioned application and a user can check various information such as text messages, emails, and other docs. The main principle is that a spin doctor leaves a user progressively irritated voice mails.
The developers of The Thick of It has included the voices of the member, namely Chris Addison, Rebecca Front as well as Peter Capaldi, acting as Tucker. According to the words of Agant’s Managing Director, Dave Addey, applications can become another way of storytelling. It is so exciting to see that Bafta recognizes the powers and new corners of spreading TV show’s world.
On May 22, the results of the nomination will be announced.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Sony Ericsson Reveals First Walkman Branded Android Smartphone
Sony Ericsson has showcased it first Walkman branded smartphone that is based on Google Android 2.1. The handset will hit the following markets: Hong Kong, China, Malayasia, India, Singapore, Phillipines, Taiwan, Vietnam as well as Thailand. It will be offered in three color options, including metallic red, azure blue and also iconic orange. The new W8 is equipped with a 3-inch capacitive HVGA display that is supportive to the resolution of 320×480. It is powered by a 600Mhz processor. The mobile device comes with 128MB of memory. Unfortunately, there are doubts that it will get update to Froyo.
As it is a Walkman branded smartphone, it comes with Walkman Music Player. Apart from that it is enabled with TrackID music recognition and features PlayNow technologies. The mobile device is equipped with a 3.2 MP camera that will provide you with photos of mediocre quality. It is also supportive to 3G. The W8 is available with Facebook and Twitter integration. It is enabled with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
If you are a music fan then you might like the handset and would like to buy it. Leave your comments belowiPad 2 Headed To 13 More Countries Next Week
Despite rumors circulating that components for the iPad 2 are low and unable to keep up with the demand due to the quake-tsunami combo that hit Japan, Apple has announced that they will be releasing the iPad 2 in 13 more countries starting next week.
Chief Operating Officer for Apple Tim Cook reported that despite the tragedy that affected Japan, their supplies have not been affected nor will it have any effect in the future. Although the company sources some of their supplies from Japan, the productions of these supplies are still meeting the target.
The iPad 2 first launched in the US last March 11 and since then have been selling out constantly. Its online store is even delayed in processing orders for as much as 1 to 2 weeks. During March 25 the iPad was made available to 25 additional countries worldwide which also sold out immediately.
Although the 13 countries have not been specifically named, a good guess could be Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and probably Japan.
As of now Apple is still struggling to keep up with the demand although they are confident that the supply and demand will soon balance out.
PlayStation Portable Go Will Not Be Produced Anymore
Sony has made a decision to stop the production of its PlayStation Portable Go. It was a quite decision which leads to an unexpected demise of the device. It is suggested that the news was learned by sales manager of AV Watch. The company keeps silent, it does not confirm or deny the latest news.
The PSP Go was launched in 2009 and was available for $250. The handheld gaming console was offered with 16GB of Flash storage and it was supportive to UMD discs. Moreover, Sony worked together with a range of game developers so as to launch digital game titles.
The January, the company rolled out its NGP game console that comes with a 5-inch OLED display. It is powered by quad-core CPU which is complete with quad-core GPU. It is a bit surprising for us to know that the company stops the production of PSP Go. Sony did not do anything similar with its previous generation of PSP.
One should not forget that Sony Ericsson has rolled out its first PlayStation smartphone, known as the Xperia Play. It has game buttons and it is based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
PSP Go is still available for sale in the market and one can play games on it.
Powerful Presentations with iPad
The world of business is full of numerous meetings and presentations which makes it exciting and more colorful. But it is hard to make at least one presentation worth watching and a lot of equipment and skills needed for that. That would be a nice to have everything needed in one place when you are dealing with the process of creating a representation. And, if it were possible to use something like an iPad that could provide you with the tools for effective and impressive presentation. For now, every time we are in need of planning a meeting, we have to deal with a lot of office machines and keep it all movingEvery company depending on its business, customers has some definition of formality and informality. Disregarding the form of meeting, an iPad have a great deal of applications that will not only help but create the most suitable presentation with a lot of nice tricks.
One of the greatest advantages of using an iPad is that everything you see on it you can transfer on the screen of a projector. The only thing you need to do is to buy the right cables from the Apple Store.
GQ announced the release of its new iPad application that comes with the redesigned digital editions. GQ states that the application is new and improved but not that much. This very new issue was created with the help of the publishing system of Adobe.Reviewers have a positive opinion about that improvement as now it looks more like a digital magazine and now comes in a PDF-like format. Reader-friendly layout with some build-in slideshows make reading more exciting and occupying.
But, the testing of the application appeared to be frustrating as we still observe a lot of bugs and crashes in its work. You cannot even select a part of the text and it appeared to be very unhandy to send it via e-mail or through social networking sites.
Surprisingly but the cost of the application has been raised by $2 and costs $4.99. One more disadvantage is that this issue is just available with the iPad. People even cannot subscribe to the news.
In general, it is pleasant to use the application but it is so soon to call it improved. People get more entertainment but they do not get what they are used to. It is hardly to say what is better or what is worse.
Apple Wins! Adobe Must Admit Rules
The battle between two flash media giants was hot and nobody could suppose that the winner of it will be Apple. Adobe appeared in front of the terms when Apple is not going to adopt its flash media to the iOS platform of Adobe.Recently Adobe has presented the newly developed Flash Media Server that uses HTTP Live Streaming protocol developed by Apple. It features H.264-encoded video and soon flash media streaming appears on iOS devices.
Before, there were a lot of complaints about the difficulty of optimizing media content considering Flash Media Server featuring Real Time Streaming Protocol. There are many friends of mine who have already uninstalled Flash from the desktops. And each of them is interested how Adobe will leave Real Time Streaming Protocol along and will simply apply HTTP Live Streaming once an iOS device is found.
Many companies start refusing the flash rep-installs of Adobe. Apple has already declined all the pre-installs with MacBook Air. Now, you can see what company is in charge and what company will dictate any tendencies in the sphere of Flash. Hopefully, you won’t be left without Flash media at all and each company will act with respect to each other.
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