There are 3 phrases that have rarely been spoken in the same sentence recently: Jobs 2009,Social Media and Mobile Technology are the exception. According to a report by Indeed, 7 of the 10 fastest growing opportunities of 2009 were social media or mobile-tech related, with Twitter showing the strongest growth.
This isn’t surprising, of course, as growth is relative and where we were before as social media was not nearly the buzzword in 2008 as it was in 2009. The important aspect here is that as 2010 rolls through, we should expect the gains to continue and the relationship between the economy and the social web to stay tied hand-in-hand.
Until the “next big thing” comes out to replace sites like Twitter and Facebook as valid business needs, we shouldn’t expect anything to change. The trends will continue.
In other words, 2010 looks like it will be a tremendous year of growth for social media as a profession.
Source:http://soshable.com/social-media-and-mobile-tech-jobs-show-strongest-growth-in-2009/
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Say hello to the Open Source Decade
Open Source has been around for quite some time, but odds are most people you ask won't know what "open source" is. This isn't because open source is obscure, but rather it has slipped into the mainstream, and unless you're already in the know, there's no real reason you will have noticed it.
But open source is here, and it's growing.
Linux maximus
Linux was written by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux itself was based on earlier incomplete kernels that themselves were available for reworking and building upon. When Torvalds licensed Linux under the GNU public license, there was mostly scoffing in the media, with a small minority of voices predicting widespread growth in the future. Now a majority of web servers worldwide are running Linux and Linux dominates the supercomputer market and adoption in high-end special effects houses in Hollywood. Linux also powers auto electronics, weapons systems, and an increasing number of desktop, laptop and netbook computers.
My prediction: Linux distros will continue to gain desktop and laptop popularity as they develop more usability and visual style improvements. Ultimately, though, it will take hardware driver maker support (or replacement) to create the happy turn-on-and-use experience most non-geeks want out of a computer. Usability is a hard thing to design by committee, but once it starts kicking in, I don't see much of anything holding Linux back. (And no, I don't see computers going away altogether. The cloud is nice, but with all that local processing power there is a great opportunity for cooler, better apps that can leverage that cloud far better than a generic browser. [Not to mention privacy and security concerns that will always hound an open network.]
Firefox burns
Last week Firefox 3.5 became the world's #1 browser release, edging out Internet Explorer 7. Of course, when you add in Internet Explorer 8 and the dead-but-not-buried Internet Explorer 6, Microsoft still holds the largest market share. Still, as ZDNet's Paula Rooney notes, open source has been putting the squeeze on IE.
The days of Internet Explorer’s dominance appear to be waning. Of course, Microsoft’s Windows operating system monopoly still owns the market, but we’re not sure how long that will matter, especially as software-as-a-service models take off and Google’s web-focused operating system is prepped for release.
As Microsoft’s grip on the browser market loosens, opportunities for open source rivals are blossoming. It will be interesting to see which of the two top open source browsers benefits most in 2009 .
By: by Laura Scott
http://www.blogher.com/say-hello-open-source-decade
But open source is here, and it's growing.
Linux maximus
Linux was written by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux itself was based on earlier incomplete kernels that themselves were available for reworking and building upon. When Torvalds licensed Linux under the GNU public license, there was mostly scoffing in the media, with a small minority of voices predicting widespread growth in the future. Now a majority of web servers worldwide are running Linux and Linux dominates the supercomputer market and adoption in high-end special effects houses in Hollywood. Linux also powers auto electronics, weapons systems, and an increasing number of desktop, laptop and netbook computers.
My prediction: Linux distros will continue to gain desktop and laptop popularity as they develop more usability and visual style improvements. Ultimately, though, it will take hardware driver maker support (or replacement) to create the happy turn-on-and-use experience most non-geeks want out of a computer. Usability is a hard thing to design by committee, but once it starts kicking in, I don't see much of anything holding Linux back. (And no, I don't see computers going away altogether. The cloud is nice, but with all that local processing power there is a great opportunity for cooler, better apps that can leverage that cloud far better than a generic browser. [Not to mention privacy and security concerns that will always hound an open network.]
Firefox burns
Last week Firefox 3.5 became the world's #1 browser release, edging out Internet Explorer 7. Of course, when you add in Internet Explorer 8 and the dead-but-not-buried Internet Explorer 6, Microsoft still holds the largest market share. Still, as ZDNet's Paula Rooney notes, open source has been putting the squeeze on IE.
The days of Internet Explorer’s dominance appear to be waning. Of course, Microsoft’s Windows operating system monopoly still owns the market, but we’re not sure how long that will matter, especially as software-as-a-service models take off and Google’s web-focused operating system is prepped for release.
As Microsoft’s grip on the browser market loosens, opportunities for open source rivals are blossoming. It will be interesting to see which of the two top open source browsers benefits most in 2009 .
By: by Laura Scott
http://www.blogher.com/say-hello-open-source-decade
Palm Pre and Pixi Getting webOS 1.3.5 Today
Sprint will release a new version of the webOS for Palm's most recent smartphones very soon. This operating system update will bring a number of enhancements, including the ability to store more third-party applications.
Palm CEO Jon Rubinstein recently gave a preview of webOS 1.3.5. His comment that caught the most attention was a promise that it will allow users to hold put more software on their Palm Pre or Pixi. This confirmed an earlier leak, which indicated that the next version of Palm's OS will let users use all of its internal storage capacity for holding apps, if they want.
Rubinstein went on to promise better Wi-Fi performance, and better performance from the Pixi.
Coming Today:-
Sprint's support website says that webOS 1.3.5 will be distributed starting today. This site also reveals some of the enhancements included in this update.
- Improvements in battery life optimization when in marginal coverage areas.
- QCELP capability fix will allow users to play and audio of video sent via MMS.
- Tapping an address from contacts will launch Google Maps or Sprint Navigation.
- Users can now download over 2G connections, when necessary
Curiously, Sprint's description of this update makes no mention of the increased capacity for storing third-party software.
Coming to a Pre and Pixi Near You:-
This carrier says it will begin pushing this update out to Palm Pre users over the air today. Users will be notified when it arrives.
Source:http://www.brighthand.com
Monday, December 28, 2009
Kindle becomes most gifted Amazon item ever
The post-Christmas annual statement by Amazon.com has revealed that its Kindle e-book has become the most-gifted Amazon item ever this Christmas.
Reportedly, the e-book sales have outnumbered the sale of real books, and 9.5 million Kindle e-books were ordered on Dec. 14, which amounts to 110 e-books being ordered every second.
Jeff Bezos, the chief executive officer and founder of Amazon says, “We are grateful to our customers for making Kindle the most gifted item ever in our history.”
“The Kindle Store includes over 390,000 books and the largest selections of the most popular books people want to read, including New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases,” he adds.
E-books are very affordable and also cheaper than real books. Market analysts are assuming a further dip in the prices, now that Barnes & Noble's competing Nook e-reader is also in the market.
Main Story:http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=1369429
Reportedly, the e-book sales have outnumbered the sale of real books, and 9.5 million Kindle e-books were ordered on Dec. 14, which amounts to 110 e-books being ordered every second.
Jeff Bezos, the chief executive officer and founder of Amazon says, “We are grateful to our customers for making Kindle the most gifted item ever in our history.”
“The Kindle Store includes over 390,000 books and the largest selections of the most popular books people want to read, including New York Times Best Sellers and New Releases,” he adds.
E-books are very affordable and also cheaper than real books. Market analysts are assuming a further dip in the prices, now that Barnes & Noble's competing Nook e-reader is also in the market.
Main Story:http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=1369429
Nexus One Google Phone Specification
Finally Google phone specifications - Nexus One - the much talked about a lot of people were caught, too. Is Android phone to 1 Ghz processor is really going to be a formidable opponent in the smart phone market? Check the specifications.
Then if the specifications of this mobile brings a new surprise? The answer is no! Because the feature was carried Nexus One was not much different from the 'brothers' who have their first Android operating system, such as the HTC-made. Whereas previously the news scene heralded Google makes consumers think that Google would issue something new on the cell phone.
With Android OS 2.1 and faster processors Qualcom Snapdragon (QSD 8250) 1 Ghz speed, hopefully this phone not too disappointing consumers. Here are some data on Google's specifications Nexus One:
Nexus One rumored to be launched in the United States market starting January 5, 2010. Now that Google has had their own Android device, which not only will challenge the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile phone users. But also other Android users, such as Hero HTC, and Motorola Droid.
Source:http://www.setyobudianto.com/
Then if the specifications of this mobile brings a new surprise? The answer is no! Because the feature was carried Nexus One was not much different from the 'brothers' who have their first Android operating system, such as the HTC-made. Whereas previously the news scene heralded Google makes consumers think that Google would issue something new on the cell phone.
With Android OS 2.1 and faster processors Qualcom Snapdragon (QSD 8250) 1 Ghz speed, hopefully this phone not too disappointing consumers. Here are some data on Google's specifications Nexus One:
- Touch screen 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED
- HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 2Mbps
- 3 color LED notification
- Haptic Feedback
- Akselorometer
- Sensor Light
- Proximity Sensor
- A-GPS
- Digital Compass
- WiFi
- 3.5 mm audio Jack
- Active noise cancellation
- 5MP Camera, autofocus, LED flash, geo-tagging & 2x digital zoom
- Stereo Bluetooth 2.1
- 512 MB RAM
- Battery 1400mAh
Nexus One rumored to be launched in the United States market starting January 5, 2010. Now that Google has had their own Android device, which not only will challenge the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Windows Mobile phone users. But also other Android users, such as Hero HTC, and Motorola Droid.
Source:http://www.setyobudianto.com/
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Google Voice returns to iPhone, thanks to VoiceCentral
Ever since Apple rejected Google Voice from the App Store, Google, as well as Voice users have been steaming. Sure, you can place a call or send a text via the Google Voice website, but in mobile Safari is not exactly the iPhone experience that users are accustomed to. Google Voice's website does not allow for a seamless and easy to use experience via a mobile browser.
TechCrunch is reporting that VoiceCentral, whose third-party Google Voice app was also removed from the App Store, will bring Google Voice back to the iPhone. Interestingly though, it will do it via the browser, completely bypassing Apple's app restrictions and revenue sharing. The experience will look and feel exactly as it would were it a normal app (swiping and all). Black Swan, as they're calling it, will feature everything you'd expect, with the only exception being your contacts. You will first need to import your contacts into your Google account before being able to use them.
Another slight annoyance, according to VoiceCentral, is that when you listen to voicemails, the audio will come from the speakers, and not the earpiece. This is due to the iPhone's way of routing audio from websites (using headphones will avoid this problem). Other than that, the app should look and feel like any other iPhone app. It even has offline support, allowing access to previously received transcriptions and texts. Black Swan is coming in early 2010. You can sign up for the limited beta at their website.
Here what it can do:
* Place calls through Google Voice™
* Browse your recent call history
* Listen to your voicemails
* Read and send SMS messages
* Import Google Voice™ contacts for easy dialing/SMS
* Review your billing and transaction history
* It can even be used offline to browse your contacts, call history, voicemails, and SMS messages. (Note: listening to voicemails still requires a connection just like the native app.)
Read full story...
Google’s Android To Hit 150,000 Apps By Next Year!!
Google’s Android Market growth has not been as fast or furious as Apple’s App Store, however, as more Android handsets are sold, that’s expected to change.
In fact, the Android Market may have as many as 150,000 apps by the end of 2010, according to Flurry, a mobile-application analytics firm, which merged with Pinch Media yesterday. In November, Apple said it had around 100,000 apps for the iPhone, which completely overshadows the 12,000 Android apps in existence. In an interview with Bloomberg, Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf said: “A lot of developers have come onto the Android platform” because of efforts by Verizon Wireless, Motorola and Google to promote the system.”
Flurry estimates that while Google will have between 100,000 and as many as 150,000 by the end of 2010, Apple could have 300,000. A handful of recent examples of applications that have moved from the iPhone to Android include: Evernote, CitySearch and Photobucket.
Many developers have held back making apps for the Android platform because it was unclear how big of a market it would become. That won’t be much of a question in 2010. Next year, Forrester Research is estimating that Google Android will take 10 percent of the mobile device market due to “heavy industry support” from Qualcomm, Verizon, Motorola, Google, and others.
Source:http://moconews.net
In fact, the Android Market may have as many as 150,000 apps by the end of 2010, according to Flurry, a mobile-application analytics firm, which merged with Pinch Media yesterday. In November, Apple said it had around 100,000 apps for the iPhone, which completely overshadows the 12,000 Android apps in existence. In an interview with Bloomberg, Flurry CEO Simon Khalaf said: “A lot of developers have come onto the Android platform” because of efforts by Verizon Wireless, Motorola and Google to promote the system.”
Flurry estimates that while Google will have between 100,000 and as many as 150,000 by the end of 2010, Apple could have 300,000. A handful of recent examples of applications that have moved from the iPhone to Android include: Evernote, CitySearch and Photobucket.
Many developers have held back making apps for the Android platform because it was unclear how big of a market it would become. That won’t be much of a question in 2010. Next year, Forrester Research is estimating that Google Android will take 10 percent of the mobile device market due to “heavy industry support” from Qualcomm, Verizon, Motorola, Google, and others.
Source:http://moconews.net
Friday, December 25, 2009
Twitter Buys Geolocation Startup Mixer Labs
Twitter is putting some of its recent big funding round to work; the company has purchased Mixer Labs, which provides services to developers who want to make their products location-aware. In late August, Twitter said it would introduce an opt-in feature that would make it easier for users to add their location to their Tweets and in a blog post Twitter CEO Evan Williams links the acquisition to that initiative. “We want to know, What’s happening?, and more precisely, Where is it happening?” he writes. “As a dramatic example, twittering “Earthquake!” alone is not as informative as ‘Earthquake!’ coupled with your current location.”
MixerLabs’ services include a ‘reverse geocoder,’ which takes coordinates and returns the nearest intersection, a ‘places finder,’ which compares specific locations to its database of 16 million businesses and points of interest, as well as a way to search for a specific type of media by location (Interestingly, this is an example Mixer Labs gives: “Want to get back all the Tweets within a specific neighborhood? No problem.”) The company also owns TownMe, a wiki site that lets users edit pages about their home towns.
Williams says that the Mixer Labs team—which includes CEO Elad Gil, who co-founded Google’s mobile team, and president Othman Laraki, who managed products at Google, including Google Toolbar—will now be joining Twitter. He says that they will be “looking at how to integrate the work Mixer Labs has done with the Twitter API.”
As for the terms of the deal, none were disclosed. Mixer Labs does not appear to have raised any venture capital funding, however.
This is not Twitter’s first acquisition; the company bought search startup Summize in July 2008 for a reported $15 million in cash and stock. More acquisitions are likely on the way. Co-founder Biz Stone told a news conference last month that the Summize purchase “was outstandingly good” and that the company was interested in buying up more firms.
Source:http://paidcontent.org/article/419-twitter-buys-mixer-labs/
MixerLabs’ services include a ‘reverse geocoder,’ which takes coordinates and returns the nearest intersection, a ‘places finder,’ which compares specific locations to its database of 16 million businesses and points of interest, as well as a way to search for a specific type of media by location (Interestingly, this is an example Mixer Labs gives: “Want to get back all the Tweets within a specific neighborhood? No problem.”) The company also owns TownMe, a wiki site that lets users edit pages about their home towns.
Williams says that the Mixer Labs team—which includes CEO Elad Gil, who co-founded Google’s mobile team, and president Othman Laraki, who managed products at Google, including Google Toolbar—will now be joining Twitter. He says that they will be “looking at how to integrate the work Mixer Labs has done with the Twitter API.”
As for the terms of the deal, none were disclosed. Mixer Labs does not appear to have raised any venture capital funding, however.
This is not Twitter’s first acquisition; the company bought search startup Summize in July 2008 for a reported $15 million in cash and stock. More acquisitions are likely on the way. Co-founder Biz Stone told a news conference last month that the Summize purchase “was outstandingly good” and that the company was interested in buying up more firms.
Source:http://paidcontent.org/article/419-twitter-buys-mixer-labs/
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Android and iPhone racing for customers
A new study reveals that Google and Apple are in a sharp race for smartphone demand. Among the Americans wanting to buy a smartphone between November and February, 20 percent plan to get and iPhone 3G or 3GS, while 17 percent want to buy an Android phone. Both categories are more specific when it comes to buying a high-end device, 14 percent of them opting for an iPhone 3GS, while 8 percent would buy a Motorola Droid.
BlackBerry is still leading in customers’ demand with 51 percent of those buyers aiming to purchase a RIM phone, but the preference for a particular model is not similar to the competitors’ situation. About 18 percent of BlackBerry customers would buy the least expensive model, the candybar Pearl. The touchscreen Storm and Storm2 demand is situated at 13 percent, but 4 percent are planning to buy a model of the high-end Bold and 3 percent are opting for its CDMA model, the Tour. Other platforms are trailing, just 2 percent aiming to buy a Palm Pre or the Windows Mobile-based AT&T Tilt.
The request for Android devices have dramatically increased compared to August when there was a lack of Android phones that left the entire group at 7 percent. Apple instead has had a steady demand and has lost only a single percentage point during the period between mid-summer and mid-fall.
BlackBerry demand is still strong, though Research in Motion is the only one company in the top three to have an operating system available on all important US carriers and selling its handsets at prices of $100, $50 or even free in some cases, on contract. Android expansion is considered identical to that of the iPhone, thanks to a great popularity of data use. On both platforms, users are more likely to utilize third-party applications, media playback, e-mail and the web than other owners of smartphones. E-mail is the only weak point on Android, 63 percent of its customers using it regularly, while in the case of the iPhone 87 percent of the owners are regularly using the service.
Source:http://www.htlounge.net
BlackBerry is still leading in customers’ demand with 51 percent of those buyers aiming to purchase a RIM phone, but the preference for a particular model is not similar to the competitors’ situation. About 18 percent of BlackBerry customers would buy the least expensive model, the candybar Pearl. The touchscreen Storm and Storm2 demand is situated at 13 percent, but 4 percent are planning to buy a model of the high-end Bold and 3 percent are opting for its CDMA model, the Tour. Other platforms are trailing, just 2 percent aiming to buy a Palm Pre or the Windows Mobile-based AT&T Tilt.
The request for Android devices have dramatically increased compared to August when there was a lack of Android phones that left the entire group at 7 percent. Apple instead has had a steady demand and has lost only a single percentage point during the period between mid-summer and mid-fall.
BlackBerry demand is still strong, though Research in Motion is the only one company in the top three to have an operating system available on all important US carriers and selling its handsets at prices of $100, $50 or even free in some cases, on contract. Android expansion is considered identical to that of the iPhone, thanks to a great popularity of data use. On both platforms, users are more likely to utilize third-party applications, media playback, e-mail and the web than other owners of smartphones. E-mail is the only weak point on Android, 63 percent of its customers using it regularly, while in the case of the iPhone 87 percent of the owners are regularly using the service.
Source:http://www.htlounge.net
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Motorola Opus One iDEN Cell Phone
The Motorola Opus One is another android phone and supports iDEN service. The iDEN isn’t dead. It still turns millions of customers. As for the design,its kinda nice looking. It’s nice to see iDEN phones starting to look nicer. The Motorola Opus One is suppose to be a cheap phone that will help put android in the hands of more consumers.
The Motorola Opus One cell phone features include a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, 3.1-inch HVGA capacitative touchscreen display, Wi-Fi,A-GPS, Bluetooth, 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM, microSD card slot, 2.5mm headset jack and running Android OS. This makes perfect sense. Android is great on all tech platforms, but it does do better on a 3G network over a 2G network.
Facts are most people dont want to pay so much for a phone or service so a cheaper phone with out all the bells and whistles fits most peoples needs.
Motorola Opus One iDEN Basic Specs:
- Available: 2010
- Display: 3.1-inch HVGA 320×480 capacitative touchscreen display
- Camera: 3 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
- Operating system: Android 1.5 with iDEN service
- Input: touch screen
- Memory: 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM
- Storage: microSD card slot
- Connectivity: A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.5mm headset jack, iDEN PTT & PTX
- Dimensions: 58mm x 118mm
- Weight: 100g
- Other:
– 64k and 128k iDEN SIM card support
– Accelerometer
– Proximity sensor
– Home, Menu, Back, Speaker buttons are capacitive buttons with haptic feedback
– Android LBS which is integrated into the iDEN GPS engine
– “Enterprise email”
– Plastic-molded housing with some rubberized texture finishes
– Motorola dual-mic technology noise-canceling for noisy enviroments
– Flash Lite v3.1.x
via : BGR
Story:http://www.new-cell-phones.org
The Motorola Opus One cell phone features include a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, 3.1-inch HVGA capacitative touchscreen display, Wi-Fi,A-GPS, Bluetooth, 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM, microSD card slot, 2.5mm headset jack and running Android OS. This makes perfect sense. Android is great on all tech platforms, but it does do better on a 3G network over a 2G network.
Facts are most people dont want to pay so much for a phone or service so a cheaper phone with out all the bells and whistles fits most peoples needs.
Motorola Opus One iDEN Basic Specs:
- Available: 2010
- Display: 3.1-inch HVGA 320×480 capacitative touchscreen display
- Camera: 3 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
- Operating system: Android 1.5 with iDEN service
- Input: touch screen
- Memory: 512MB Flash / 256MB of RAM
- Storage: microSD card slot
- Connectivity: A-GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 2.5mm headset jack, iDEN PTT & PTX
- Dimensions: 58mm x 118mm
- Weight: 100g
- Other:
– 64k and 128k iDEN SIM card support
– Accelerometer
– Proximity sensor
– Home, Menu, Back, Speaker buttons are capacitive buttons with haptic feedback
– Android LBS which is integrated into the iDEN GPS engine
– “Enterprise email”
– Plastic-molded housing with some rubberized texture finishes
– Motorola dual-mic technology noise-canceling for noisy enviroments
– Flash Lite v3.1.x
via : BGR
Story:http://www.new-cell-phones.org
The Meaning Of Open
Last week I sent an email to Googlers about the meaning of "open" as it relates to the Internet, Google, and our users. In the spirit of openness, I thought it would be appropriate to share these thoughts with those outside of Google as well.
At Google we believe that open systems win. They lead to more innovation, value, and freedom of choice for consumers, and a vibrant, profitable, and competitive ecosystem for businesses. Many companies will claim roughly the same thing since they know that declaring themselves to be open is both good for their brand and completely without risk. After all, in our industry there is no clear definition of what open really means. It is a Rashomon-like term: highly subjective and vitally important.
The topic of open seems to be coming up a lot lately at Google. I've been in meetings where we're discussing a product and someone says something to the effect that we should be more open. Then a debate ensues which reveals that even though most everyone in the room believes in open we don't necessarily agree on what it means in practice.
This is happening often enough for me to conclude that we need to lay out our definition of open in clear terms that we can all understand and support. What follows is that definition based on my experiences at Google and the input of several colleagues. We run the company and make our product decisions based on these principles, so I encourage you to carefully read, review, and debate them. Then own them and try to incorporate them into your work. This is a complex subject and if there is debate (and I'm sure there will be) it should be in the open! Please feel free to comment.
There are two components to our definition of open: open technology and open information. Open technology includes open source, meaning we release and actively support code that helps grow the Internet, and open standards, meaning we adhere to accepted standards and, if none exist, work to create standards that improve the entire Internet (and not just benefit Google). Open information means that when we have information about users we use it to provide something that is valuable to them, we are transparent about what information we have about them, and we give them ultimate control over their information. These are the things we should be doing. In many cases we aren't there, but I hope that with this note we can start working to close the gap between reality and aspiration.
By:Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President at Google
Google Public Policy Blog: The meaning of open
At Google we believe that open systems win. They lead to more innovation, value, and freedom of choice for consumers, and a vibrant, profitable, and competitive ecosystem for businesses. Many companies will claim roughly the same thing since they know that declaring themselves to be open is both good for their brand and completely without risk. After all, in our industry there is no clear definition of what open really means. It is a Rashomon-like term: highly subjective and vitally important.
The topic of open seems to be coming up a lot lately at Google. I've been in meetings where we're discussing a product and someone says something to the effect that we should be more open. Then a debate ensues which reveals that even though most everyone in the room believes in open we don't necessarily agree on what it means in practice.
This is happening often enough for me to conclude that we need to lay out our definition of open in clear terms that we can all understand and support. What follows is that definition based on my experiences at Google and the input of several colleagues. We run the company and make our product decisions based on these principles, so I encourage you to carefully read, review, and debate them. Then own them and try to incorporate them into your work. This is a complex subject and if there is debate (and I'm sure there will be) it should be in the open! Please feel free to comment.
There are two components to our definition of open: open technology and open information. Open technology includes open source, meaning we release and actively support code that helps grow the Internet, and open standards, meaning we adhere to accepted standards and, if none exist, work to create standards that improve the entire Internet (and not just benefit Google). Open information means that when we have information about users we use it to provide something that is valuable to them, we are transparent about what information we have about them, and we give them ultimate control over their information. These are the things we should be doing. In many cases we aren't there, but I hope that with this note we can start working to close the gap between reality and aspiration.
By:Jonathan Rosenberg, Senior Vice President at Google
Google Public Policy Blog: The meaning of open
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Exciting web browser trends in 2010
Next year is going to be a big year for web browsers. In 2010, we’ll hopefully see Firefox 4, Internet Explorer 9, Safari 5, and possibly even Chrome 5. This new batch of browsers will include several new features that have the potential to entirely change the way we interact with the Web.
What follows are five trends that we’ll be seeing in these new browser releases, and what they’ll mean to you. Some browsers may not see all of these upgrades, but you can bet that every developer in the browser field is paying close attention to what the competition is doing.
1. HTML 5 makes its mark
Anyone interested in the future of the Web should be paying close attention to the rise of HTML 5. It will to a large extent replace the need for Flash elements, but it’s so much more than that. HTML 5 is the first step toward more desktop-like web applications. It’s also replacing everything Google is doing with Gears, i.e. it will offer offline storage support, drag and drop file capabilities, and much more.
All of the upcoming browsers mentioned above will be paying particular attention to HTML 5 support, even though the specification won’t be finalized for several more years. It’s similar to how wireless router manufacturers began implementing draft versions of the 802.11n wireless spec well before it was finished. The 802.11n spec went through eleven drafts after the first was proposed in 2006, and it was only finalized recently on October 29, 2009. All the while, 802.11n routers were on the market.
2. Chrome rolls out Firefox-like extensions
2010 will also see increased focus on browser extensions. Google already offers extension support for developer Chrome builds, and it will be rolled out to the public with the release of Chrome 4. While it may just seem like Google is aping Firefox’s most unique feature, they’re also innovating by making their extensions much easier to build (they’re basically just web pages), more stable (they run in their own process), and easier to distribute (they’ll be immediately available on the Extensions Gallery after developers submit them).
After using Chrome’s extensions for a few hours, I immediately made it my primary web browser. I held off in the past because I was so dependent on many Firefox extensions – but when I realized that Chrome had pretty much all of the popular Firefox extensions, and that it was also much faster in other respects, the decision was practically made for me.
Firefox still has more extensions, but poorly made extensions also have the uncanny ability to destroy your Firefox experience. Mozilla will surely look into this for 2010 Firefox releases as they also work to catch up to Chrome on the Javascript rendering front (more on that below).
3. Firefox gets individual processes like Chrome
This is the beauty of competition (and the open source movement). While Chrome is mirroring a Firefox feature with their extensions, Mozilla is looking to implement separate processes for multiple tabs, plugins, extensions, and more. They’re calling this particular project Electrolysis – which is a fitting name since the goal is to separate these elements so a single unruly tab or extension won’t bring down the entire browser. Apparently, they’re even using the same open source code as Chrome for the project.
Electrolysis would not only make Firefox more stable, it would also help Mozilla tame the browser’s notorious memory management issues. While running many elements as individual processes does have the potential to eat up more RAM (as is true for Chrome), I find that it’s worth it to give up a bit more RAM for overall better memory management.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if individual processes make their way over to Safari, and also Internet Explorer at some point (although perhaps not in 2010).
Full story:http://royal.pingdom.com/2009/12/21/exciting-web-browser-trends-in-2010/
What follows are five trends that we’ll be seeing in these new browser releases, and what they’ll mean to you. Some browsers may not see all of these upgrades, but you can bet that every developer in the browser field is paying close attention to what the competition is doing.
1. HTML 5 makes its mark
Anyone interested in the future of the Web should be paying close attention to the rise of HTML 5. It will to a large extent replace the need for Flash elements, but it’s so much more than that. HTML 5 is the first step toward more desktop-like web applications. It’s also replacing everything Google is doing with Gears, i.e. it will offer offline storage support, drag and drop file capabilities, and much more.
All of the upcoming browsers mentioned above will be paying particular attention to HTML 5 support, even though the specification won’t be finalized for several more years. It’s similar to how wireless router manufacturers began implementing draft versions of the 802.11n wireless spec well before it was finished. The 802.11n spec went through eleven drafts after the first was proposed in 2006, and it was only finalized recently on October 29, 2009. All the while, 802.11n routers were on the market.
2. Chrome rolls out Firefox-like extensions
2010 will also see increased focus on browser extensions. Google already offers extension support for developer Chrome builds, and it will be rolled out to the public with the release of Chrome 4. While it may just seem like Google is aping Firefox’s most unique feature, they’re also innovating by making their extensions much easier to build (they’re basically just web pages), more stable (they run in their own process), and easier to distribute (they’ll be immediately available on the Extensions Gallery after developers submit them).
After using Chrome’s extensions for a few hours, I immediately made it my primary web browser. I held off in the past because I was so dependent on many Firefox extensions – but when I realized that Chrome had pretty much all of the popular Firefox extensions, and that it was also much faster in other respects, the decision was practically made for me.
Firefox still has more extensions, but poorly made extensions also have the uncanny ability to destroy your Firefox experience. Mozilla will surely look into this for 2010 Firefox releases as they also work to catch up to Chrome on the Javascript rendering front (more on that below).
3. Firefox gets individual processes like Chrome
This is the beauty of competition (and the open source movement). While Chrome is mirroring a Firefox feature with their extensions, Mozilla is looking to implement separate processes for multiple tabs, plugins, extensions, and more. They’re calling this particular project Electrolysis – which is a fitting name since the goal is to separate these elements so a single unruly tab or extension won’t bring down the entire browser. Apparently, they’re even using the same open source code as Chrome for the project.
Electrolysis would not only make Firefox more stable, it would also help Mozilla tame the browser’s notorious memory management issues. While running many elements as individual processes does have the potential to eat up more RAM (as is true for Chrome), I find that it’s worth it to give up a bit more RAM for overall better memory management.
I also wouldn’t be surprised if individual processes make their way over to Safari, and also Internet Explorer at some point (although perhaps not in 2010).
Full story:http://royal.pingdom.com/2009/12/21/exciting-web-browser-trends-in-2010/
Google vs Microsoft on the browser, cloud, and mobile platforms
Google is an amazing company, even more so from the inside. To the outside world Google is just search. But Google has made three big bets on the future of computing; Chrome (browser), Google Apps (cloud), and Android (mobile) that will change everything.
Vibe – Google is a high energy environment. Lots of smart people with big ideas. Everything is data driven. Decisions are made based on data that has been analyzed, and going forward everything is monitored and measured based on the data. Opinions and “gut feel” are considered too, but in the end, results are measured by data. Even things like travel expense caps for airfares and hotels are data driven. They keep track of every trip taken and the actual costs for airfares and hotels, then establish the caps based on the data.
The Google campus is beautiful, funky, and efficient. There are bicycles everywhere for people to use to get between buildings. In some ways it feels like a college campus, but the intensity level is much higher. Most people sit in open cubes with four or more people in a pod. Offices with doors typically have 2 or 3 people in them. People work in groups and there is a real sense of teamwork everywhere you look.
Perks – Free breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the gourmet cafes in each building. The food is awesome!! The 401K match is 50% of your contribution up to $8,250. Health plan is pretty good, but not as good as Microsoft’s plan. MSFT pays for everything, no co-pays, no deductibles. Google really caters to employees needs. Onsite dry cleaning service, car washes, Oil changes, ATM, Fitness Centers, Haircuts, Massage, and Concierge services.
Meetings - 30 minutes is the standard, start on time and end early if possible. Video Conferences are pretty standard since the company is geographically distributed. Nearly every conference room has video conference equipment. Everyone uses Google Docs to capture meeting notes, a true example of real time collaboration.
Gmail – The Gmail you all use as consumers is the same email all Google employees use internally. Threaded conversations are a HUGE time saver and help keep things organized. I didn’t really appreciate that feature until my departure from Microsoft when my email inbox was flooded with messages many with the same subject line.
More On:http://dondodge.typepad.com
Monday, December 21, 2009
Social Media Resolutions For 2010
A Guide on How to Create a Better Social Media Presence in 2010!
Social media is a vast field and comes with a plethora of issues to follow. Since 2010 is right around the corner, and you must be planning a new strategy for your social media marketing.
You can plan your resolutions in the social media style. The list to choose among the issues is endless, but here is a list of most important items to work on in social media in 2010. However, there is no immaculate answer in social media; each company is different, but each of these points can be adjusted for any company. It can also work as a guide on how to create a better social media presence in 2010!
1. Spend more on customer service : - So many problems could be diffused easily if companies would simply treat customers as they should. In today’s social life activities, word of mouth travels far and can truly influence users across the globe. By offering your products with excellent support and a pleasant experience, you will create brand advocates that will help you in case of emergency also.
2. Make a better effort to track conversation : - One of the toughest aspects of Social Media Marketing is tracking the conversations that are occurring in the market. Research and look out for a solution that will help you and your company achieve your social media targets. There are a number of good tracking systems on the market, the trick is to test drive them and see what will work for you. In addition to tracking mentions, tracking broad keywords and engaging customer who are looking for help can be a very profitable portion of your social media marketing campaign. When looking for tools, those that allow the archiving and exportation of data is something that can be a big help as you make your internal cause for social media.
3. Act proactive and work to protect your brand names : - Stop name squatters and others from hijacking your brand name and your trademarked term. Services like KnowEm allow you to reserve user names across hundreds of sites and prevent those from stealing your brand. Taking a few minutes and a few dollars now can save you a lot of time and money to get it back later, so get out there and protect your brand.
4. Create intelligible social media strategies & social media policies : - Most of the companies don't consider this as important than their other work and there is a lack of social media strategy and they are engaging because they think they have to. Sit down and put together a list of goals then work to find a strategy that will work to accomplish them. Don’t just Tweet or make a Facebook page because your competitor did. Come up with a list of goals and a strategy to be accomplished. Tactics and strategies are crucial in social media.
5. Provide Training & education to the workers : - Policies should be set forth to ensure that workers are not breaking terms of use, acting inappropriately or providing inaccurate information. As recently, there have been some social media meltdowns based on the lack of knowledge of some individuals acting on behalf of a company. In addition, anyone who is allowed to speak on behalf of the company should have extreme comprehension of the networks, how they work and the overall company strategy. When executed poorly, social media has the power to severely harm a brand, and providing training and education is the fundamental factor that can prevent these problems.
6. Reward loyal fans with exclusives : - By offering the customers items that are exclusive to them, you can “demonstrate value” and make them feel good about following you. Not only would they get an exclusive deal/song/download/game, they also get the feeling that they are getting a special connection that not everyone has.
This all about the important tips or you can say resolutions that you can try to work on in 2010 and watch your social presence flourish. Happy Holidays!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Celebrity Smartphones That Made a Splash in 2009
The smartphone market is growing very healthily, as expected, 72% year on year. And 2009 is considered as the year of smartphones. When the Palm Pre arrived in June, the iPhone was its natural competitor. While Apple's most precious asset still continue to rule the market, the battle field has since become considerably more crowded. Google's Android operating system, new Windows phones from Microsoft, enhanced BlackBerry devices are also enticing the users. In addition, PC maker Dell has also join the hot competition this year.
Here is a list of some of the year's preeminent phones.
Apple iPhone 3GS
Apple's iPhone remains the smartphone to beat. Apple launched the new iPhone 3GS on 8 June 2009 as a follow up to its popular iPhone 3G. With this Apple remains at the leading edge of smartphone innovation with the iPhone 3GS. Apple's iPhone has transformed how the world thinks of cellphones. Phone companies and hardware-makers follows the iPhone's touchscreen interface, easy access to the Internet, and bustling App Store.
Its newest model, the 3GS, features voice controls, the ability to shoot and edit video, a built-in digital compass, landscape- and portrait-mode digital keyboards, a universal search capability, and faster application launch times. It's available in 16GB or 32GB.
The phone's processor runs at 600 megahertz, compared to 412 megahertz in previous models and packs 256MB of RAM, up from 128MB before. Apple claims that everything users do on iPhone 3G S is up to 2x faster and more responsive than ever.
Apple iPhone 3G
Apple's iPhone has become on of the world's most popular smart phones. The 8GB Apple iPhone 3G deserves a spot in its own right. Users get the 3.5-inch widescreen display with multitouch capabilities, e-mail, Web browsing and multimedia support, UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE radios, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, assisted GPS and, of course, access to Apple's App Store, with its more than 100,000 apps—for the lowered price of $99.
Motorola Droid
Android devices rocked the market in the second half of 2009, and the Motorola Droid has been called the best of them. Droid makes for a powerful tool, along-with Google’s smooth software, Verizon's killer network, and Motorola’s new-aged design. It runs Android 2.0, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and features a 3.7-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera that can geo-tag images, the ability to run several applications at once and voice recognition. It also has ties to a slew of Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, the Android Marketplace and Google Maps with voice-guided navigation. Google has launched an excellent and competitive smart-phone with many of the features that a modern user would think of.
Palm Pre
The June arrival of the Pre started a new chapter for Palm. Palm Pre features a tiny QWERTY keypad, the phone scores high points on messaging feature. From within one application, users can exchange texts with phone contacts and swap instant messages with friends who use either AOL instant messenger or Google Talk.
Pre has a 3 megapixel camera that lets users take photos in horizontal or landscape mode. The phone also boasts of strong multi-tasking features with the ability to have different applications open at the same time. Pre also supports copy-and-paste feature.
Palm Pixi
News of the Pixi leaked out as the Pre hype was quite high. Palm officially announced its second webOS-based smartphone, the Pixi, a slim and less-expensive smartphone with a visible full keyboard following the Palm Pre. It comes with Synergy, can connect to Sprint's 3G network and features a 2.63-inch multitouch screen, a dedicated QWERTY keypad, a 2-megapixel camera, universal search, GPS, a full HTML browser, and support for corporate and personal e-mail, IM, SMS and MMS. In November, some retail outlets lowered its price, which includes a service contract, to $24.99.
BlackBerry Bold
RIM has termed its new innovation as the 'boldest' smartphone launch in India. BlackBerry Bold measures 114mm x 66mm x 15mm and features a full-QWERTY keyboard.
Bold is also claimed to be the fastest BlackBerry on the market with 128MB RAM and 624 MHz processor. The phone packs 1GB on-board storage memory and has support for microSD/SDHC memory card slot for memory expansion of up to 16GB.
The phone features a host of multimedia capabilities including a 2 megapixel camera with video recording and an advanced media player for music, pictures and multiple format videos. The phone comes with a 3.5 mm jack, dedicated volume controls and dual speakers. It also supports video streaming.
Bold also has built-in GPS feature with BlackBerry Maps and support for location-based applications and services.
A-1 Technology is a mobile applications development firm focusing on Mobile software programming for iPhone,Android,Blackberry and A-1 developers are best in industry to offer best and cost effective Mobile Software programming .Visit a1technology.com to get the best services.
Here is a list of some of the year's preeminent phones.
Apple iPhone 3GS
Apple's iPhone remains the smartphone to beat. Apple launched the new iPhone 3GS on 8 June 2009 as a follow up to its popular iPhone 3G. With this Apple remains at the leading edge of smartphone innovation with the iPhone 3GS. Apple's iPhone has transformed how the world thinks of cellphones. Phone companies and hardware-makers follows the iPhone's touchscreen interface, easy access to the Internet, and bustling App Store.
Its newest model, the 3GS, features voice controls, the ability to shoot and edit video, a built-in digital compass, landscape- and portrait-mode digital keyboards, a universal search capability, and faster application launch times. It's available in 16GB or 32GB.
The phone's processor runs at 600 megahertz, compared to 412 megahertz in previous models and packs 256MB of RAM, up from 128MB before. Apple claims that everything users do on iPhone 3G S is up to 2x faster and more responsive than ever.
Apple iPhone 3G
Apple's iPhone has become on of the world's most popular smart phones. The 8GB Apple iPhone 3G deserves a spot in its own right. Users get the 3.5-inch widescreen display with multitouch capabilities, e-mail, Web browsing and multimedia support, UMTS/HSDPA and GSM/EDGE radios, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 connectivity, assisted GPS and, of course, access to Apple's App Store, with its more than 100,000 apps—for the lowered price of $99.
Motorola Droid
Android devices rocked the market in the second half of 2009, and the Motorola Droid has been called the best of them. Droid makes for a powerful tool, along-with Google’s smooth software, Verizon's killer network, and Motorola’s new-aged design. It runs Android 2.0, offers 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, and features a 3.7-inch touch screen, a 5-megapixel camera that can geo-tag images, the ability to run several applications at once and voice recognition. It also has ties to a slew of Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, the Android Marketplace and Google Maps with voice-guided navigation. Google has launched an excellent and competitive smart-phone with many of the features that a modern user would think of.
Palm Pre
The June arrival of the Pre started a new chapter for Palm. Palm Pre features a tiny QWERTY keypad, the phone scores high points on messaging feature. From within one application, users can exchange texts with phone contacts and swap instant messages with friends who use either AOL instant messenger or Google Talk.
Pre has a 3 megapixel camera that lets users take photos in horizontal or landscape mode. The phone also boasts of strong multi-tasking features with the ability to have different applications open at the same time. Pre also supports copy-and-paste feature.
Palm Pixi
News of the Pixi leaked out as the Pre hype was quite high. Palm officially announced its second webOS-based smartphone, the Pixi, a slim and less-expensive smartphone with a visible full keyboard following the Palm Pre. It comes with Synergy, can connect to Sprint's 3G network and features a 2.63-inch multitouch screen, a dedicated QWERTY keypad, a 2-megapixel camera, universal search, GPS, a full HTML browser, and support for corporate and personal e-mail, IM, SMS and MMS. In November, some retail outlets lowered its price, which includes a service contract, to $24.99.
BlackBerry Bold
RIM has termed its new innovation as the 'boldest' smartphone launch in India. BlackBerry Bold measures 114mm x 66mm x 15mm and features a full-QWERTY keyboard.
Bold is also claimed to be the fastest BlackBerry on the market with 128MB RAM and 624 MHz processor. The phone packs 1GB on-board storage memory and has support for microSD/SDHC memory card slot for memory expansion of up to 16GB.
The phone features a host of multimedia capabilities including a 2 megapixel camera with video recording and an advanced media player for music, pictures and multiple format videos. The phone comes with a 3.5 mm jack, dedicated volume controls and dual speakers. It also supports video streaming.
Bold also has built-in GPS feature with BlackBerry Maps and support for location-based applications and services.
A-1 Technology is a mobile applications development firm focusing on Mobile software programming for iPhone,Android,Blackberry and A-1 developers are best in industry to offer best and cost effective Mobile Software programming .Visit a1technology.com to get the best services.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Most popular topics on Twitter in 2009
Here's a list of the top 10 trending topics in several categories tweeted about on Twitter in 2009. The most popular topic overall was the Iran elections. It's interesting to take a look back at 2009 through the filter of Twitter to see what was important (or at least what we tweeted about most.)
Here are the lists from Twitter blog:
News Events
1. #iranelection
2. Swine Flu
3. Gaza
4. Iran
5. Tehran
6. #swineflu
7. AIG
8. #uksnow
9. Earth Hour
10. #inaug09
People
1. Michael Jackson
2. Susan Boyle
3. Adam Lambert
4. Kobe (Bryant)
5. Chris Brown
6. Chuck Norris
7. Joe Wilson
8. Tiger Woods
9. Christian Bale
10. A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez)
Movies
1. Harry Potter
2. New Moon
3. District 9
4. Paranormal Activity
5. Star Trek
6. True Blood
7. Transformers 2
8. Watchmen
9. Slumdog Millionaire
10. G.I. Joe
Story:http://www.gather.com/
Main source:http://blog.twitter.com/2009/12/top-twitter-trends-of-2009.html
Here are the lists from Twitter blog:
News Events
1. #iranelection
2. Swine Flu
3. Gaza
4. Iran
5. Tehran
6. #swineflu
7. AIG
8. #uksnow
9. Earth Hour
10. #inaug09
People
1. Michael Jackson
2. Susan Boyle
3. Adam Lambert
4. Kobe (Bryant)
5. Chris Brown
6. Chuck Norris
7. Joe Wilson
8. Tiger Woods
9. Christian Bale
10. A-Rod (Alex Rodriguez)
Movies
1. Harry Potter
2. New Moon
3. District 9
4. Paranormal Activity
5. Star Trek
6. True Blood
7. Transformers 2
8. Watchmen
9. Slumdog Millionaire
10. G.I. Joe
Story:http://www.gather.com/
Main source:http://blog.twitter.com/2009/12/top-twitter-trends-of-2009.html
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Motorola to Launch Android App Store, SHOP4APPS
Mobile phone maker Motorola has just made its first steps into the Android area of the market, yet it seems that the company has big plans for the segment in the near future. Following the launch of its Motorola CLIQ and Motorola DROID handsets, the handset vendor is now reported to plan the launch of its own Android app store, one that will be called SHOP4APPS, it seems.
The said software solutions portal has been discovered a few days ago by the guys over at Android and Me, which also posted some shots with it, pretty handy we might add, especially since Motorola has taken down the website already, and no one can access it at the moment. However, there are some details that were uncovered along with the app store, such as the fact that it is web based and that users will be able to access it easily directly from their Android handsets.
Some of the features the said SHOP4APPS store from Motorola is expected to come around with include:
Source:http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-to-Launch-Android-App-Store-SHOP4APPS-129642.shtml
The said software solutions portal has been discovered a few days ago by the guys over at Android and Me, which also posted some shots with it, pretty handy we might add, especially since Motorola has taken down the website already, and no one can access it at the moment. However, there are some details that were uncovered along with the app store, such as the fact that it is web based and that users will be able to access it easily directly from their Android handsets.
Some of the features the said SHOP4APPS store from Motorola is expected to come around with include:
- - Apps Store catalog is accessible via your mobile browser, a mobile client, or Motorola Media Link (MML).
- MotoAppstore free Mobile Client. This client allows you to download and install your purchases applications.
- MyLocker section – check your download history (name of the application, date of the purchase, version).
- The ability to purchase apps from the desktop site, place them in your MyLocker, and then download it using your handset.
- Automatic notification alerts when a new version of an app is available.
- The ability to re-download and transfer your apps to a new phone.
Source:http://news.softpedia.com/news/Motorola-to-Launch-Android-App-Store-SHOP4APPS-129642.shtml
Is open source a train anyone can stop?
This past decade the software community has experienced significant turmoil and success. Linux, a mainstream operating system, is proof you can monetize open source software with application service and support around the world. Red Hat harnessed Linux and initially it took off into the stratosphere. It has struggled since those early years but continues to survive. Legal battles surround it, mainly from suing other open source companies like SCO.
Open source code is steadily seeing growth. Wordpress, Opera and Mozilla are companies making significant financial inroads in the software industry. With thousands of open source developers and volunteer programmers adding features and plug-ins, open source software continues to rise in popularity and is for many a profitable industry.
Using a variety of software licence options within GNU - GPL, vetted by several organizations such as Open Source Initiative and Free Software Foundation, the genesis of a software application now flourishes, creating a never ending ecosystem of growth and updates. This allows continued increase market share and user base. None of these companies have been on the radar screen of any government oversight or anti-trust litigation.
The other side often referred as the dark and/or evil side is the money-grabbing power side with the likes of Microsoft, IBM, HP and others. Google’s foundation is built upon open source software and now it’s stuck somewhere in the middle of knight in shining armor and evil empire.
We know who traditionally winds up in court versus the Department of Justice or the European Union. Never has an open source company been in defendant position. The open source community have been witnesses and appellate to the software giants and the benefactor of government actions.
Full Story: http://government.zdnet.com
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
FeedBurner Socialize: Add Your Feed to Twitter
If you've used TwitterFeed to post updates from a blog to your Twitter account, you'll like FeedBurner Socialize.It's a new FeedBurner feature that distributes the content from a feed on Twitter.
"To get started, go to the Socialize service on FeedBurner's Publicize tab and add the Twitter account to which you would like to post items from your feed. You can take the default settings and click [Save] to start socializing immediately, or use the options we offer to customize exactly which feed items are sent to Twitter and how exactly you would like them to look. The next time you post a new item to your feed it will be sent to Twitter," mentions FeedBurner's blog.
Socialize uses Google's new URL shortener and it adds a parameter that helps you track Twitter traffic in Google Analytics.
Source: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/12/feedburner-socialize-add-your-feed-to.html
"To get started, go to the Socialize service on FeedBurner's Publicize tab and add the Twitter account to which you would like to post items from your feed. You can take the default settings and click [Save] to start socializing immediately, or use the options we offer to customize exactly which feed items are sent to Twitter and how exactly you would like them to look. The next time you post a new item to your feed it will be sent to Twitter," mentions FeedBurner's blog.
Socialize uses Google's new URL shortener and it adds a parameter that helps you track Twitter traffic in Google Analytics.
Source: http://googlesystem.blogspot.com/2009/12/feedburner-socialize-add-your-feed-to.html
Google Wave Notifier Keeps You Updated For New Waves !
Is it possible to receive alerts whenever you receive a new Wave ? Yes, you can use a Windows Application called Google Wave Notifier. If you will download the Notifier, an icon will be appeared on your system and it will let you know whether you have any unread news.
Some important features of Google Wave Notifier :
Source:http://www.vhxn.com/google-wave-notifier-keeps-you-updated-for-new-waves/
Some important features of Google Wave Notifier :
- It will automatically check for new Waves for every two minutes.
- You can see the last reply to an unread Wave.
- It gives you quick access to your last five unread Waves.
- If any new version will be found, it will let you know.
- You can easily browse to an unread Wave or your inbox.
Source:http://www.vhxn.com/google-wave-notifier-keeps-you-updated-for-new-waves/
Monday, December 14, 2009
Windows Mobile 7 Phones to Launch in Late 2010
Phil Moore, Head of Microsoft Mobile Division in UK has confirmed that phones with Windows Mobile 7 wont be available until late next year. He announced this in a Q&A session held at the ‘Connect’ technology summit in London. This news means that we are not going to see handsets with Windows Mobile 7 anytime before last quarter of 2010.
Windows Mobile 7 has been in works since late 2005. This is not the first time it has been delayed. With this latest confirmation by Phil Moore, we may not even see any glimpse of Windows Mobile 7 at the upcoming ‘Mobile World Congress 2010’ which is going to be held in February next year.
More : http://www.redmondpie.com/
It has been put back until late next year but it is definitely coming. You’re going to see a lot more on Windows Mobile 7. Giving the enterprise users and consumers what they want will be part of Windows Mobile 7. You’ll get flexibility on a much easier touch UI.
Windows Mobile 7 has been in works since late 2005. This is not the first time it has been delayed. With this latest confirmation by Phil Moore, we may not even see any glimpse of Windows Mobile 7 at the upcoming ‘Mobile World Congress 2010’ which is going to be held in February next year.
More : http://www.redmondpie.com/
Google Chrome: Download YouTube Extension Accepted
The official Chrome Extensions gallery is restricted and Google doesn’t allow those extensions that it deems unfit. Easy YouTube Downloader extension was rejected by Google because it allowed users to download videos/audios from YouTube, but you can grab it from 3rd party chrome extensions gallery.
It seems that Google has realized that if they block an extension users can simply grab it from elsewhere. Today they accepted an extension called YouTube Downloader which allows anyone to download video/audio from YouTube quickly.
It adds a small download option below the embed code inside the info box on the right-sidebar, just like Easy YouTube Downloader extension. Both extensions have the same functionality, Easy YouTube Downloader adds download links while YouTube Downloader adds a drop-down menu with a button.
We wonder if Google will now accept Easy YouTube Downloader or perhaps there could be another reason why it was rejected in the first place.
The installation rate of YouTube Downloader extension is not surprising keeping the demand of such extension in mind, its been a few hours since it went live and has already surpassed 800 installations.
Source:http://www.addictivetips.com/internet-tips
It seems that Google has realized that if they block an extension users can simply grab it from elsewhere. Today they accepted an extension called YouTube Downloader which allows anyone to download video/audio from YouTube quickly.
It adds a small download option below the embed code inside the info box on the right-sidebar, just like Easy YouTube Downloader extension. Both extensions have the same functionality, Easy YouTube Downloader adds download links while YouTube Downloader adds a drop-down menu with a button.
We wonder if Google will now accept Easy YouTube Downloader or perhaps there could be another reason why it was rejected in the first place.
The installation rate of YouTube Downloader extension is not surprising keeping the demand of such extension in mind, its been a few hours since it went live and has already surpassed 800 installations.
Source:http://www.addictivetips.com/internet-tips
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Collaborate around OpenSocial gadget content using Atlassian Confluence
Hello Readers, Mark Halvorson from Atlassian posting. A while back Atlassian announced its commitment to bringing OpenSocial to the Enterprise, since that time we've been working hard to get OpenSocial working in all of our products. In October we released JIRA 4.0, Atlassian's award-winning issue tracker. With JIRA 4.0's new Shindig-based dashboards, JIRA acts as both an OpenSocial gadget producer and consumer. Now we're happy to announce that Confluence 3.1 is now generally available for download from atlassian.com - and it too can now both produce and consume OpenSocial gadgets!
As many of you know OpenSocial gadgets make it easier to integrate with other applications on the web and behind the firewall. Along with many other new features it is now possible to embed OpenSocial gadgets on any Confluence wiki page. This will let groups of people collaborate around gadget content from virtually any application seamlessly.
* Embedding OpenSocial Gadgets is Easy - Confluence 3.1 lets you embed Gadgets from other Atlassian tools like JIRA, Bamboo and FishEye directly into Confluence pages. You can add and configure gadgets in just a couple clicks using the Macro Browser, a visual editor available from any page.And because OpenSocial is an open standard, you can use Gadgets to integrate with 3rd party applications behind the firewall and thousands of applications on the web.
* Add Confluence to other applications - Confluence also provides its own Gadgets that you can embed into other OpenSocial containers like JIRA or even Gmail. Confluence comes with three out-of-the-box gadgets: Activity Stream, QuickNav and Confluence News.
Source:http://blog.opensocial.org/2009/12/collaborate-around-opensocial-gadget.html
As many of you know OpenSocial gadgets make it easier to integrate with other applications on the web and behind the firewall. Along with many other new features it is now possible to embed OpenSocial gadgets on any Confluence wiki page. This will let groups of people collaborate around gadget content from virtually any application seamlessly.
* Embedding OpenSocial Gadgets is Easy - Confluence 3.1 lets you embed Gadgets from other Atlassian tools like JIRA, Bamboo and FishEye directly into Confluence pages. You can add and configure gadgets in just a couple clicks using the Macro Browser, a visual editor available from any page.And because OpenSocial is an open standard, you can use Gadgets to integrate with 3rd party applications behind the firewall and thousands of applications on the web.
* Add Confluence to other applications - Confluence also provides its own Gadgets that you can embed into other OpenSocial containers like JIRA or even Gmail. Confluence comes with three out-of-the-box gadgets: Activity Stream, QuickNav and Confluence News.
Source:http://blog.opensocial.org/2009/12/collaborate-around-opensocial-gadget.html
Friday, December 11, 2009
Dell Android tablet hitting CES 2010
Dell is to launch an Android-based tablet device,possibly by 2010 in the market.
The new model, which will go up against the currently available Archos Internet Tablet and recently announced JooJoo (formerly the CrunchPad), will allow users to surf the Web from a handheld device bigger than a touchscreen smartphone, but smaller than a standard netbook.
Details so far are thin on the ground, but our multiple "black ops sources" tell us that it will feature a 5-inch screen, run the Android OS and be coming to the UK in the new year, with a more than likely announcement expected at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.
Dell is of course staying quiet on this, but did give more than the standard no comment when asked for more details about tablet:
"Dell continually develops and tests new products that extend the mobile experience. We have not made any product announcements and do not comment on speculation, rumour, or unannounced products".
Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com
The new model, which will go up against the currently available Archos Internet Tablet and recently announced JooJoo (formerly the CrunchPad), will allow users to surf the Web from a handheld device bigger than a touchscreen smartphone, but smaller than a standard netbook.
Details so far are thin on the ground, but our multiple "black ops sources" tell us that it will feature a 5-inch screen, run the Android OS and be coming to the UK in the new year, with a more than likely announcement expected at CES 2010 in Las Vegas.
Dell is of course staying quiet on this, but did give more than the standard no comment when asked for more details about tablet:
"Dell continually develops and tests new products that extend the mobile experience. We have not made any product announcements and do not comment on speculation, rumour, or unannounced products".
Source: http://www.pocket-lint.com
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Apple Launched RSS feed for iPhone News
Apple this week has taken another step toward better communicating with iPhone developers, launching an RSS feed for iPhone app news.
News subscribers will receive the latest Apple App Store submission tips, such as the importance of App name and icon consistency, plus data on App Store submission approvals, program updates and testing techniques.
Apple said in November that iPhone developers have created more than 100,000 apps for smartphones and market research firm IDC says there will be 300,000 by 2011. Apple roared past the 2 billion app download mark in September. Yet Apple has been knocked by App Store developers and buyers for imperfect management of the App Store submission and oversight processes.
Some developers have argued that Apple makes it too tough for them to get their apps onto the App Store, such as when Apple rejected a Google Voice app earlier this year. Others decry apps like the notorious Shaken Baby app that slip onto the App Store. Then there’s the recent scandal involving bogus iPhone app ratings that led Apple to scuttle 1,000 previously approved apps.
Buyers have complained about a “no refund” policy that makes plunking down increasingly higher amounts for apps a tougher purchase decision.
The new RSS feed is Apple’s latest attempt to get a better handle on its booming App Store. The company recently introduced ways for developers to gain more visibility into exactly where a submitted app stands in the process.
While Apple’s App Store is in a league of its own, other smartphone makers, such as Windows Mobile maker Microsoft, are boosting theirs as well.
Source: http://www.iphoneappstore.us/
News subscribers will receive the latest Apple App Store submission tips, such as the importance of App name and icon consistency, plus data on App Store submission approvals, program updates and testing techniques.
Apple said in November that iPhone developers have created more than 100,000 apps for smartphones and market research firm IDC says there will be 300,000 by 2011. Apple roared past the 2 billion app download mark in September. Yet Apple has been knocked by App Store developers and buyers for imperfect management of the App Store submission and oversight processes.
Some developers have argued that Apple makes it too tough for them to get their apps onto the App Store, such as when Apple rejected a Google Voice app earlier this year. Others decry apps like the notorious Shaken Baby app that slip onto the App Store. Then there’s the recent scandal involving bogus iPhone app ratings that led Apple to scuttle 1,000 previously approved apps.
Buyers have complained about a “no refund” policy that makes plunking down increasingly higher amounts for apps a tougher purchase decision.
The new RSS feed is Apple’s latest attempt to get a better handle on its booming App Store. The company recently introduced ways for developers to gain more visibility into exactly where a submitted app stands in the process.
While Apple’s App Store is in a league of its own, other smartphone makers, such as Windows Mobile maker Microsoft, are boosting theirs as well.
Source: http://www.iphoneappstore.us/
Droid Beats iPhone 3GS For Time Magazine's Top Gadget Of 2009
In a bit of a surprising twist, Time magazine has named the Motorola Droid the number one gadget of 2009 on their list of top tech toys for the year. The device beat out the iPhone 3GS, who's predecessor took the top slot last year. The main reason they give for the honor of number one is that in their opinion, it's the first device to pair the hardware with the Google Android OS, positioning it to be the first real iPhone competitor.
Their praise of the iPhone 3GS was less than glimmering, noting that the new device boasts little more than a speed increase.
"Take the iPhone. Make it faster. There, you're done," the story said. "Yes, the 3GS has a better camera — with video. And it has a compass and voice control. Those are all improvements over the original. But the main point of, and the best thing about, the new iPhone is speed. It has more of it. Period."
Source:http://www.iphonealley.com
Main Story:http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278,00.html
"The Droid is a hefty beast, a metal behemoth without the gloss and finish of the iPhone, but you don't miss it," the magazine said. "The Droid's touchscreen is phenomenally sharp and vivid, it has an actual physical (not great, but good enough) keyboard, and best of all, the Droid is on Verizon's best-of-breed 3G network. It's Android's first credible challenge to the iPhone."
Their praise of the iPhone 3GS was less than glimmering, noting that the new device boasts little more than a speed increase.
"Take the iPhone. Make it faster. There, you're done," the story said. "Yes, the 3GS has a better camera — with video. And it has a compass and voice control. Those are all improvements over the original. But the main point of, and the best thing about, the new iPhone is speed. It has more of it. Period."
Source:http://www.iphonealley.com
Main Story:http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1945379_1944278,00.html
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Microsoft combines Azure and Windows Server orgs: “Server and Cloud Division”
Microsoft announced today that Windows Azure and Windows Server will together become a new division in the Server and Tools Business: the Server and Cloud Division. If it wasn’t clear before, Microsoft is heavily invested in “the cloud”, and this move further solidifies Azure into the mainstream of Server and Tools.
As the only company in the industry that has the leading server platform complemented by a massive investment in online services, we have the unique ability to offer our customers a choice to tap into one or both approaches simultaneously through one consistent platform.
Here are some details, from the Windows Server Division blog:
Together, Windows Server, Windows Azure, SQL Server, SQL Azure, Visual Studio and System Center help customers extend existing investments to include a future that will combine both on-premises and cloud solutions, and SCD is now a key player in that effort.
The details of this organizational change are noted below:
Source:http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2009/12/08/microsoft-combines-azure-and-windows-server-orgs-server-and-cloud-division.aspx
As the only company in the industry that has the leading server platform complemented by a massive investment in online services, we have the unique ability to offer our customers a choice to tap into one or both approaches simultaneously through one consistent platform.
Here are some details, from the Windows Server Division blog:
Together, Windows Server, Windows Azure, SQL Server, SQL Azure, Visual Studio and System Center help customers extend existing investments to include a future that will combine both on-premises and cloud solutions, and SCD is now a key player in that effort.
The details of this organizational change are noted below:
- 1. The Windows Azure development team, will move from under Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie to the Server & Tools Business, led by Bob Muglia, President, Server and Tools Division. Senior Vice President Amitabh Srivastava will lead the newly formed SCD, reporting to Bob.
2. The Windows Server and Solutions group, led by Corporate Vice President Bill Laing, will join the Windows Azure team to form the Server & Cloud Division. Bill will report to Amitabh and will continue his role as a key member of the STB leadership team. Bill will partner with Amitabh to continue the bilateral sharing of technology between Windows Server and Windows Azure, which has been a key design goal of Microsoft’s software + services strategy.
3. The Windows Azure business and marketing team, will continue to be led by Doug Hauger. Doug will join the Server and Tools Marketing Group, led by Corporate Vice President Robert Wahbe, reporting to Corporate Vice President Bob Kelly, who is also responsible for Windows Server, System Center, and Forefront.
Source:http://www.liveside.net/main/archive/2009/12/08/microsoft-combines-azure-and-windows-server-orgs-server-and-cloud-division.aspx
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Yahoo Users Take Control of Ads
Yahoo! released a beta version of a tool today (Ad Interest Manager) which enables consumers to see a summary of their online activity (interest areas) and make choices about their exposure to interest-based (read behavioral) advertising served from the Yahoo! Ad Network.
In addition to Ad Interest Manager showing users both Yahoo!'s educated guesses about their interests and a summary of those observations, the tool also provides a list of interest categories that Yahoo! has placed a user into and lets people turn those categories off (or opt out of interest-based ads entirely).
“Ads tailored to users’ interests make online experiences more compelling and user-focused, and the new tool Yahoo! is launching today will provide transparency into how Yahoo!’s interest-based advertising works,” said Yahoo! Vice President of Policy and Head of Privacy, Anne Toth.
Ad Interest Manager will clearly have an effect on display advertisers as well - the effect (good or bad) however is yet unknown. I would expect that through better targeting though, both groups will benefit from the offering.
“Yahoo! has long provided its users with products and services for free, thanks to a business model based almost entirely on advertising, and we’ve found that consumers are more likely to click on advertising that speaks directly to them and their interests,” said Yahoo! Vice President and General Manager of Display Advertising, David Zinman. “With the introduction of Ad Interest Manager, users can not only get a better understanding of how the process works, but they can also communicate better with Yahoo! and our advertisers about what most interests them.”
Source: http://www.websitemagazine.com
Monday, December 07, 2009
Google Goggles, Mobile Visual Search
Google revealed some details about an upcoming mobile application that lets you upload photos and returns relevant information.
Google is working on Google Visual Search, a mobile application that lets users take a picture of a location from their Android-powered smartphone and trigger a Google search that pulls up information associated with the image.
"Imagine you're a tourist and you arrive at this place and you would like to know more about it, all you will have to do is take a shot of the [Santa Monica pier] sign and you see we recognized this as the Santa Monica pier," [Google Product Manager Hartmut] Neven said.
However, the technology, known internally as Google Goggles, didn't pass muster when Google tested it with a focus group in August. The company's engineers are working out the bugs and building out the immense database required to propel the technology.
Neven Vision, a company acquired by Google in 2006, had several patents on mobile visual search and object recognition, including a patent for an "image-based search engine for mobile phones with camera".
Source:
http://googlesystem.blogspot.com
HTC Legend launch in March 2010
For those who were waiting for information on new phones from HTC in 2010, there is a pile of info.
In the Lifestyle category, HTC plans to launch the HTC legend. This is an Android phone, and a March 2010 launch is planned for it. That means there is a chance that this one would feature the upcoming Android update, the Android 2.1 / Flan. Read more about upcoming Android phones in 2010
Androidandme has managed to lay their hands on basic information about the HTC Legend, and a scanned photo of the phone. Let us see what we have got here.
From the photo, the HTC Legend looks quite a bit like the HTC Hero – that includes the overall shape and the chin too is very much there.
Of course, HTC would launch its update Sense UI on top of the Android OS. The specifications list show both CDMA and GSM versions of the Legend. You get a 3.2 inch capacitative touchscreen, five megapixel autofocus camera, all being powered by a Qualcomm processor running at 600 MHz.
A clickable mouse is located on the center of the ‘chin’ of the HTC Legend.
There is also a 3.5mm audio jack which will be welcomed.
HTC legend Technical specifications
Size
111×57x11.4 mm
Networks
WCDMA/ HSPA: 900/2100 MHz
GSM/ GPRS / EDGE: 850 / 900 /1800/1900 MHz
Download and upload speed
2 Mbps upload, 7 Mbps download
OS
Android (possibly Android 2.1)
Display
3.2 inch capacitative touchscreen
Camera
5 MP camera with auto focus and flash
Internal memory
512 MB Flash, 256 MB RAM
Memory Card
MicroSD card
WLAN
802.11/bg
Bluetooth
2.1 with EDR
GPS
GPS / AGPS
Battery
1300 mAh
More:http://www.dancewithshadows.com/tech/htc-legend-launch-photo/
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Yahoo And Microsoft Finalize Search Deal At Last
The long awaited and much talked about search deal between two of the internet’s oldest entities, Microsoft and Yahoo! has finally been cemented and all set to go into effect. This all new search deal is aimed at providing a stark competition to the search behemoth, Google. The deal was announced in the month of July this year and after a few months of negotiations has finally been signed off by both the parties.
The Microsoft-Yahoo! deal will now face its biggest adversary, the federal regulators. If and when the deal’s terms are cleared by the federal agency, Microsoft will begin powering Yahoo’s search engine by the middle of the year 2010. The search was proposed after a long standing acquisition battle last year, when Microsoft tried to buy out Yahoo! For $47.5 billion.
However, both companies later resolved their differences to unite in their fight against Google’s ever increasing dominance over the internet. As of now, Yahoo’s search service rank second in the world, after Google’s, which is in the first place and Microsoft Bing has attained the third spot. Even, with this alliance between these two major players, many analysts still believe, that its going to take a lot of innovation and dedicated efforts for these firms to give a competition to Google, a name that has now become synonymous with virtually every aspect of the online world.
Source:http://trendsupdates.com/yahoo-and-microsoft-finalize-search-deal-at-last/
The Microsoft-Yahoo! deal will now face its biggest adversary, the federal regulators. If and when the deal’s terms are cleared by the federal agency, Microsoft will begin powering Yahoo’s search engine by the middle of the year 2010. The search was proposed after a long standing acquisition battle last year, when Microsoft tried to buy out Yahoo! For $47.5 billion.
However, both companies later resolved their differences to unite in their fight against Google’s ever increasing dominance over the internet. As of now, Yahoo’s search service rank second in the world, after Google’s, which is in the first place and Microsoft Bing has attained the third spot. Even, with this alliance between these two major players, many analysts still believe, that its going to take a lot of innovation and dedicated efforts for these firms to give a competition to Google, a name that has now become synonymous with virtually every aspect of the online world.
Source:http://trendsupdates.com/yahoo-and-microsoft-finalize-search-deal-at-last/
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Social Media Now Regularly Used by 65% of People at Work
Nearly 65 percent of respondents reported using social media as part of their normal work routine, including reading blogs, visiting business profiles on sites like Facebook or LinkedIn or using Twitter to find information and/or communicate about business-related matters.
Among respondents using social media for business purposes in their day-to-day jobs, 62 percent visit company or brand profiles on social networking sites and 55 percent search for business information on these sites.
Among those using any form of social media to find business-relevant information, the most popular activity is attending webinars or listening to podcasts (69 percent) followed by reading ratings or reviews for business products or services (62 percent).
The least popular activities are saving business-related links on social bookmarking sites (28 percent) and participating in discussions on third-party web sites (29 percent).
Experienced social media pros are likely to be astounded that over half of respondents indicated that they participate in online business communities or forums. This is far higher than the typical two-percent participation rate among monthly visitors to online communities. This difference may be due to how study respondents understood the word “participate”, possibly interpreting it as “visit," rather than "post."
Facebook is the dominant social network on which consumer-focused companies maintain one or more profiles, cited by 83 percent of respondents versus 45 percent for Twitter. B2B companies, however, maintain a presence on both platforms with 77 percent maintaining a profile on Facebook and 73 percent on Twitter.
Consultants and marketing communications professionals are the most active users of social media as a resource for business information, particularly in smaller firms. IT professionals have the lowest participation rate.
The average company in this study was planning, developing or running seven different social media initiatives; 65 percent of respondents staffing those initiatives, and 71 percent of companies themselves, have less than two years of experience with social media for business.
Building brand awareness and brand reputation are two of the top social media success metrics.
B2C firms, though, were ahead in a few areas: social media advertising, user ratings and reviews, and online communities for customers and prospects.
Both business-to-consumer and business-to-business companies are rapidly adopting social media, unable to ignore a major destination of Internet users, Business.com says. But the two types of firms have different social site usage patterns.
Not only were B2B firms more likely overall to maintain a social network profile, they were managing profiles across more social sites and were significantly more likely to be present on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
B2C companies were better represented on Facebook and MySpace.
Source:http://ipcarrier.blogspot.com/2009/12/social-media-now-regularly-used-by-65.html
Among respondents using social media for business purposes in their day-to-day jobs, 62 percent visit company or brand profiles on social networking sites and 55 percent search for business information on these sites.
Among those using any form of social media to find business-relevant information, the most popular activity is attending webinars or listening to podcasts (69 percent) followed by reading ratings or reviews for business products or services (62 percent).
The least popular activities are saving business-related links on social bookmarking sites (28 percent) and participating in discussions on third-party web sites (29 percent).
Experienced social media pros are likely to be astounded that over half of respondents indicated that they participate in online business communities or forums. This is far higher than the typical two-percent participation rate among monthly visitors to online communities. This difference may be due to how study respondents understood the word “participate”, possibly interpreting it as “visit," rather than "post."
Facebook is the dominant social network on which consumer-focused companies maintain one or more profiles, cited by 83 percent of respondents versus 45 percent for Twitter. B2B companies, however, maintain a presence on both platforms with 77 percent maintaining a profile on Facebook and 73 percent on Twitter.
Consultants and marketing communications professionals are the most active users of social media as a resource for business information, particularly in smaller firms. IT professionals have the lowest participation rate.
The average company in this study was planning, developing or running seven different social media initiatives; 65 percent of respondents staffing those initiatives, and 71 percent of companies themselves, have less than two years of experience with social media for business.
Building brand awareness and brand reputation are two of the top social media success metrics.
B2C firms, though, were ahead in a few areas: social media advertising, user ratings and reviews, and online communities for customers and prospects.
Both business-to-consumer and business-to-business companies are rapidly adopting social media, unable to ignore a major destination of Internet users, Business.com says. But the two types of firms have different social site usage patterns.
Not only were B2B firms more likely overall to maintain a social network profile, they were managing profiles across more social sites and were significantly more likely to be present on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
B2C companies were better represented on Facebook and MySpace.
Source:http://ipcarrier.blogspot.com/2009/12/social-media-now-regularly-used-by-65.html
Friday, December 04, 2009
Twitter Releases New Mobile Interface
For the first time, Twitter has entered the ring to battle against various twitter clients. We’ve seen a lot of apps available or twitter, too many to even name infact. But this is the first we’ve seen of something similar that is actually created by Twitter themselves. Twitter has always had a slimmed-down mobile client while the new preview at mobile.twitter.com, will come with almost all the features and graphics of the main site.
Although it doesn’t have as much to offer as the Apps available in the AppStore, it’s a definite improvement from the other mobile version, and the official blog on the subject says that they still have lots of visitors, despite all the other third-party clients out there.
In order to try out the new version, it’s best to use a WebKit browser such as Safari on the iPhone. The new mobile interface will not replace the m.twitter.com experience for the time being, but you can look for that switch to happen in the coming months.
Source: http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/iphone-news/twitter-releases-new-mobile-interface/
Although it doesn’t have as much to offer as the Apps available in the AppStore, it’s a definite improvement from the other mobile version, and the official blog on the subject says that they still have lots of visitors, despite all the other third-party clients out there.
In order to try out the new version, it’s best to use a WebKit browser such as Safari on the iPhone. The new mobile interface will not replace the m.twitter.com experience for the time being, but you can look for that switch to happen in the coming months.
- Leland Rechis of the User Experience team writes:
What may be a less known fact is: Lots of people access Twitter on their phones via our good ol’ mobile website, and trusty ‘m’ has been delivering tweets faithfully. However, ‘m’ doesn’t fully feel like Twitter, and could probably do a bit more things for you.
‘M’ should also be fantastically innovative — naturally the best way to do that is use our own APIs. So, the mobile team here built a brand new mobile web client from scratch, using only Twitter APIs, and we’d like to share the results with you.
Source: http://www.iphoneincanada.ca/iphone-news/twitter-releases-new-mobile-interface/
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Microsoft Launches Bing Maps
Microsoft Corporation is doing all it can to try to ensure that, someday its efforts pay off and perhaps the oldest internet entity might just be able to give a solid nudge to its arch rival, Google Inc., the search engine giant that has virtually taken over the world wide web.
Keeping the stride and spirit alive, Microsoft has announced the launch of its very own mapping service in beta mode, called Bing Maps, a highly media rich service that looks like any other mapping service currently in existence. Bing Maps is based entirely on the Microsoft Silverlight multimedia platform, providing a smooth and interactive visual experience and also makes it far easier to zoom in and out of maps and 3D buildings. Furthermore, Microsoft has introduced ‘StreetSide’ which Microsoft’s answer to Google Maps’ ‘Street View’.
One of the most interesting features of Bing Maps is the Application Gallery, that features several social networks, such Twitter, where in geo-location data can be implemented into Twitter, which then displays the tweets posted by users on their location on the maps. This feature could be especially helpful in getting real-time updates on news events in a certain location.
The Local Lens application is yet another highly innovative service that has been employed with Bing Maps, wherein, the service indexes blog posts and then relay those posts as per the topics they have covered and then display them on the locations mentioned in the posts.
Bing Maps is also being seen as an effort by Microsoft to advertise the Bing search engine, that was launched in the month of June this year and since then there has been mass advertising to promote the service. The promotions for the Bing service haven’t gone to waste, as Microsoft has witnessed a growth in the search market, from 8% to 9.9%, ever since Bing was introduced.
Source: http://trendsupdates.com/microsoft-launches-bing-maps-in-beta-to-fade-google-maps/
Keeping the stride and spirit alive, Microsoft has announced the launch of its very own mapping service in beta mode, called Bing Maps, a highly media rich service that looks like any other mapping service currently in existence. Bing Maps is based entirely on the Microsoft Silverlight multimedia platform, providing a smooth and interactive visual experience and also makes it far easier to zoom in and out of maps and 3D buildings. Furthermore, Microsoft has introduced ‘StreetSide’ which Microsoft’s answer to Google Maps’ ‘Street View’.
One of the most interesting features of Bing Maps is the Application Gallery, that features several social networks, such Twitter, where in geo-location data can be implemented into Twitter, which then displays the tweets posted by users on their location on the maps. This feature could be especially helpful in getting real-time updates on news events in a certain location.
The Local Lens application is yet another highly innovative service that has been employed with Bing Maps, wherein, the service indexes blog posts and then relay those posts as per the topics they have covered and then display them on the locations mentioned in the posts.
Bing Maps is also being seen as an effort by Microsoft to advertise the Bing search engine, that was launched in the month of June this year and since then there has been mass advertising to promote the service. The promotions for the Bing service haven’t gone to waste, as Microsoft has witnessed a growth in the search market, from 8% to 9.9%, ever since Bing was introduced.
Source: http://trendsupdates.com/microsoft-launches-bing-maps-in-beta-to-fade-google-maps/
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Droid on track to sell 1 million by year end
Motorola and Verizon are on track to selling 1 million Droid phones by year end, a huge success for both companies. The company has sold between 700,000 and 800,000 units in the first month of its release, beating early predictions of only selling just over half a million in 2009.
The Droid runs on Android 2.0 from Google, which offers numerous feature list, including ones missing from the iPhone. Android 2.0 debuted on the Droid at the beginning on November, adding dozens of features over the previous version, including a new interface.
Droid had a $100 million marketing campaign push to help promote the new smartphone in the North American market, something that seems to have paid off. The Motorola Droid estimated to sell only 600,000 units by the end of 2009, but has already passed expectations.
Even though the Motorola Droid failed to beat iPhone sales, it managed to sell roughly 100,000 in the first two days; it didn't come near the estimated 1 million iPhone 3G and 3GS sold in their opening weeks.
The Droid and Android comes feature packed and includes a 3.7-inch multi-touch screen, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel camera, MicroSDHC support, an interchangeable battery.
Motorola Droid starts at $199.99 US, same retail price as the iPhone 3GS 16GB.
Source: http://www.neowin.net/
The Droid runs on Android 2.0 from Google, which offers numerous feature list, including ones missing from the iPhone. Android 2.0 debuted on the Droid at the beginning on November, adding dozens of features over the previous version, including a new interface.
Droid had a $100 million marketing campaign push to help promote the new smartphone in the North American market, something that seems to have paid off. The Motorola Droid estimated to sell only 600,000 units by the end of 2009, but has already passed expectations.
Even though the Motorola Droid failed to beat iPhone sales, it managed to sell roughly 100,000 in the first two days; it didn't come near the estimated 1 million iPhone 3G and 3GS sold in their opening weeks.
The Droid and Android comes feature packed and includes a 3.7-inch multi-touch screen, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 5-megapixel camera, MicroSDHC support, an interchangeable battery.
Motorola Droid starts at $199.99 US, same retail price as the iPhone 3GS 16GB.
Source: http://www.neowin.net/
Facebook making privacy controls easier
Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, sent an open letter to the social network's users announcing some good news both for the company and for users. He announced Facebook now has over 350 million users. To put that into perspective, the Facebook population is larger than those of all of the countries in the except China and India.
The other, and arguably more intriguing, bit of information from Zuckerberg was the announcement of updates to Facebook privacy settings:
"The plan we've come up with is to remove regional networks completely and create a simpler model for privacy control where you can set content to be available to only your friends, friends of your friends, or everyone.
We're adding something that many of you have asked for — the ability to control who sees each individual piece of content you create or upload." (emphasis added)
Make good privacy choices
This is an important change because it will provide individuals a way to have better control and hopefully filter their postings for appropriateness. Perhaps this is Facebook's way of letting users help themselves and making good choices online. I especially liked how Zuckerberg leads users down the path of choosing privacy settings:
"...the best way for you to find the right settings is to read through all your options and customize them for yourself. I encourage you to do this and consider who you're sharing with online." (emphasis added)
If you're a Facebook user, will this change be helpful to you? Do you think people will take the time to update their privacy settings? The comments are yours.
Images:http://www.flickr.com/photos/36521958135@N01/3016389517
Story: http://nextcommunications.blogspot.com/2009/12/facebook-making-privacy-controls-easier.html
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Tata Docomo-RIM launches BlackBerry Curve 8520
Telecom services provider Tata Docomo and Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, today unveiled the BlackBerry Curve 8520 smartphone.
Priced at Rs 14,990, BlackBerry Curve 8520 has easy mobile access to email, messaging, social networking and mobile Internet, a release issued here said.
It also has powerful multimedia features including music and video player and camera with video recording.
"We have been consistently offering cost-effective propositions for our customers that has increased mobile usage and penetration in the region. The new Blackberry Curve 8520 is launched for the use of a larger population," Tata Docomo's Head (Marketing) Abdul Khan, said.
The new model has an innovative touch-sensitive track pad, which makes scrolling and selection smooth and easy for a great navigating experience.
It also includes dedicated media keys that are smoothly integrated along the top of the handset giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos.
Besides, the new smartphone offers approximately 4.5 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/Tata-Docomo-RIM-launches-BlackBerry-Curve-8520/articleshow/5285899.cms
Priced at Rs 14,990, BlackBerry Curve 8520 has easy mobile access to email, messaging, social networking and mobile Internet, a release issued here said.
It also has powerful multimedia features including music and video player and camera with video recording.
"We have been consistently offering cost-effective propositions for our customers that has increased mobile usage and penetration in the region. The new Blackberry Curve 8520 is launched for the use of a larger population," Tata Docomo's Head (Marketing) Abdul Khan, said.
The new model has an innovative touch-sensitive track pad, which makes scrolling and selection smooth and easy for a great navigating experience.
It also includes dedicated media keys that are smoothly integrated along the top of the handset giving customers an easy, convenient way to control their music and videos.
Besides, the new smartphone offers approximately 4.5 hours of talk time and 17 days of standby time.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/Tata-Docomo-RIM-launches-BlackBerry-Curve-8520/articleshow/5285899.cms
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