In Defense of Links, Part Two: Money changes everything — Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

An excerpt from the second part of the series referenced earlier today

How did we get here? Partly it’s because too many editors and reporters waited too long to learn Web basics, and many of the more enthusiastic early adopters fled the newsroom and took their expertise with them. Partly the problem is generational, and thus gradually being solved.

But a big part of it is Google’s responsibility. Google is a great tool because it draws meaning from links. And it is a profitable company because it has placed a tiny but real financial value on many links. But by making links a business, Google also made it harder for editors and writers to defend responsible linking. Links became the province of the publisher, not the editor. Even so, Google — and the Web itself — works best when links are made freely, motivated by passion or professional dedication or fun. When the links are made for a fractional cent or buck, we get spam and malware and wastelands of zombie splogs.

In Defense of Links, Part Two: Money changes everything — Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Amazon Kindle 3

Check the link below for more details and photos.  I’ve had the opportunity to explore a new Kindle and fully agree with the review.

Amazon's Kindle has always been the best eBook reader on the market, and with the latest version, the Kindle 3, the gap has widened to ludicrous proportions. There are two factors to this success. First, the Kindle simply offers the best eBook experience anywhere, with none of the horrific onscreen reflection, bulky heft, or lack of available titles that dogs Apple's lackluster iPad. And second, thanks to heightened competition in the eBook market, the Kindle is now reasonably priced, erasing my only serious complaint about previous versions. No software or consumer electronics product is perfect of course. But the Kindle 3 comes awfully close.

Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Amazon Kindle 3

In Defense of Links, Part One: Nick Carr, hypertext and delinkification — Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

Excerpt from a timely hypertext reality check; read the full post

The nub of Carr’s argument is that every link in a text imposes “a little cognitive load” that makes reading less efficient. Each link forces us to ask, “Should I click?” As a result, Carr wrote in the “delinkification” post, “People who read hypertext comprehend and learn less, studies show, than those who read the same material in printed form.”

This appearance of the word “hypertext” is a tipoff to one of the big problems with Carr’s argument: it mixes up two quite different visions of linking.

“Hypertext” is the term invented by Ted Nelson in 1965 to describe text that, unlike traditional linear writing, spreads out in a network of nodes and links. Nelson’s idea hearkened back to Vannevar Bush’s celebrated “As We May Think,” paralleled Douglas Engelbart’s pioneering work on networked knowledge systems, and looked forward to today’s Web.

In Defense of Links, Part One: Nick Carr, hypertext and delinkification — Scott Rosenberg's Wordyard

FT.com / Media - Google to rank e-mails automatically

An issue for Google users to ponder

Mr Glotzbach said that the company did not believe that the new e-mail feature would raise any privacy concerns.

“We’re not creating any new information, we’re leveraging information that is already there,” he said. Google already analyses the words used in e-mail messages in order to place relevant advertising against them.

FT.com / Media - Google to rank e-mails automatically

Google Offers Respite From Inbox Overload - NYTimes.com

Consistent with Eric Schmidt’s recent comments: “’I actually think most people don't want Google to answer their questions,’ he elaborates. ‘They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next.’"

“Important” messages are judged to be the most significant, and sit at the top of your Gmail window. Next is the “starred” area, the messages you say are important. Finally, “everything else” includes those messages that can probably be dealt with later, or completely ignored — the ones that aren’t quite spam, but don’t need to clutter up your screen or your brain right now.

Keith Coleman, Google’s product management director, told me in an interview that Google has been working to solve the e-mail overload problem for the better part of a decade.

Google Offers Respite From Inbox Overload - NYTimes.com

Microsoft Enters Google's Unwalled Garden - NYTimes.com

An interesting “co-opetition” case study'; see the full Bing blog post for more details

Microsoft Microsoft Bing is now available as a downloadable application for the Android platform.

In late 2009, when Microsoft introduced a downloadable application for the iPhone from Apple, it set off some excitement in the tech world. For years, Microsoft and Apple had been head-to-head in the war for personal computing.

On Monday, the tech world was buzzing again with an announcement by Microsoft’s search group, Bing, that the company has released an application for the Android platform from Google. The move could be seen as an encroachment on Google’s turf, as the two companies compete directly on a number of search platforms.

Microsoft Enters Google's Unwalled Garden - NYTimes.com

What Would Cisco Do With Skype? - Deal Journal - WSJ

More Cisco/Skype analysis 

Now the question would be, how could Cisco help Skype turn a profit, a task that eluded its previous big-pocketed owner, eBay. In other words, how could Cisco make Skype’s inexpensive services less-inexpensive?

Perhaps the most straight forward way would be to charge for the use of Skype’s video conferencing , but that might be the fastest way to erode Skype’s user base. Skype has begun offering premium Skype video-conference services to mobile devices, such as Apple’s iPad. But the challenge remains converting its massive subscriber base into paying phone users. It’s possible Skype could sell advertising, but the revenue from internet ads is not likely to justify a $5 billion deal.

What Would Cisco Do With Skype? - Deal Journal - WSJ

The Decline and Fall of Chatroulette - Digits - WSJ

For many Chatroulette users, I suspect there’s a bug-or-feature debate in this context

But the new design doesn’t appear to address the biggest problem with Chatroulette: the number of people using the site solely to share explicit images of themselves with total strangers. Chatroulette founder Andrey Ternovskiy has spoken out against people exposing themselves on the service, and this summer he wrote an open letter on the site saying that he would contact law enforcement with information about offenders.

There has been speculation that Chatroulette would implement filters to remove such content. But a look at the site makes it clear that this hasn’t happened. “It’s still the same wild, very sick world we’ve come to know and never go near,” writes Gary Cutlack at Gizmodo.

The Decline and Fall of Chatroulette - Digits - WSJ

Google Buys SocialDeck - WSJ.com

Another day, another social-something Google acquisition; it’ll be fascinating to see if/how the technologies/services eventually get consolidated

The acquisition, coming just days after Google's previous social acquisition, was announced Monday on SocialDeck's website. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

The Canadian start-up has launched several games titles for Facebook, as well as Apple Inc.'s iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry devices. SocialDeck's games platform technology enables simultaneous game play across multiple mobile devices and social networks.

The SocialDeck deal is one of several acquisitions in the past month through which Google hopes to build a social-networking service to counter Facebook, which recently topped more than 500 million users and is aggressively moving to develop its advertising business.

Google Buys SocialDeck - WSJ.com

KT Launches Tablet to Rival iPad - Digits - WSJ

Somehow I suspect that should probably read “[…] very soon to be a former exclusive supplier of Apple’s iPhones in South Korea”

KT, South Korea’s largest fixed-line operator, and the country’s second-largest mobile carrier by revenue, unveiled Monday plans to offer its “Identity Tab” tablet PC in early September.  KT, an  exclusive supplier of Apple’s iPhones in South Korea, has teamed up with Kosdaq-listed portable network device maker Enspert to make the device.

According to KT, the device weighs 445 grams, features a one gigahertz CPU, and a 7-inch liquid crystal display. It also has a 3 megapixel camera and 8-gigabytes of memory storage. Users can download content from the firm’s own online application market, called Olleh Market, as well as from Google’s Android Market.

KT Launches Tablet to Rival iPad - Digits - WSJ

Search for a Google-AP pact succeeds - The Boston Globe

AP content assimilation

Google will publish entire stories from the AP in the news section of its website. That’s a departure from its usual practice of showing snippets from stories posted on thousands of other websites. Google maintains those excerpts qualify as “fair use’’ under copyright law, exempting it from licensing fees.

The Google deal is part of AP’s effort to bring in more revenue from the Web to help offset a drop in revenue from newspapers and broadcasters.

Search for a Google-AP pact succeeds - The Boston Globe

Google Blows Off JavaOne, Citing Oracle's Android Lawsuit - Application Development from eWeek

Google Gone from JavaOne; see the link below for more posturing etc.

Then, in an Aug. 27 blog post, Joshua Bloch, Google's chief Java architect and part of the Google Open Source Programs Office, said:

"Like many of you, every year we look forward to the workshops, conferences and events related to open source software. In our view, these are among the best ways we can engage the community, by sharing our experiences and learning from yours. So we're sad to announce that we won't be able to present at JavaOne this year. We wish that we could, but Oracle's recent lawsuit against Google and open source has made it impossible for us to freely share our thoughts about the future of Java and open source generally. This is a painful realization for us, as we've participated in every JavaOne since 2004, and I personally have spoken at all but the first in 1996.

"We understand that this may disappoint and inconvenience many of you, but we look forward to presenting at other venues soon. We're proud to participate in the open source Java community, and look forward to finding additional ways to engage and contribute."

Google Blows Off JavaOne, Citing Oracle's Android Lawsuit - Application Development from eWeek

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: New frontiers in social networking

See the link below for context-setting/details…

I've always thought that the big problem with existing realtime social networking systems, such as Facebook and Twitter, is that they require active and deliberate participation on the part of individual human nodes (or "beings") - ie, typing out messages on keypads or other input devices - which not only introduces systemic delays incompatible with true realtime communication but also entails the possibility of the subjective distortion of status updates. NeuroPhones promise, by obviating the need for conscious human agency in the processing and transmission of updates, to bring us much closer to fulfilling the true realtime ideal, opening up enormous new opportunities not only in "human behavior modeling" but also in marketing.

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: New frontiers in social networking

Cisco May Be Making A Run For Skype [TechCrunch]

An interesting and plausible permutation 

Cisco has made an offer to acquire Skype before they complete their IPO process, says one of our more reliable sources. We have not been able to confirm this rumor one way or another via other sources, which isn’t surprising. A company in lock down during the IPO process is usually even more tight lipped than normal.

But if true this would be one very big acquisition. Skype insiders are hoping for an out of the gate valuation of $5 billion or so, we’ve heard. Presumably Cisco would have to bidding in that range to make it interesting.

Cisco May Be Making A Run For Skype

FT.com / Media - Google plans pay-per-view films

More bad news for soon-to-be-bankrupt Blockbuster

Google’s YouTube video site is in negotiations with Hollywood’s leading movie studios to launch a global pay-per-view video service by the end of 2010, putting it head-to-head with Apple in the race to dominate the digital distribution of film and television content.

Google has been pitching to the studios on the international appeal of a streaming, on-demand movie service pegged to the world’s most popular search engine and YouTube, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.

FT.com / Media - Google plans pay-per-view films

FT.com / Media - Rivals to Apple’s iPad ready to take the stage

It’s going to be a fun week for gadget geeks

Big-name manufacturers will unveil their answers to the iPad this week as Apple is due to launch a raft of new products.

Samsung and Toshiba are expected to lead a tablet charge at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin on Thursday, hours after a San Francisco media event where an annual update of Apple’s iPod range is expected.

FT.com / Media - Rivals to Apple’s iPad ready to take the stage

Oracle Takes Open-Source Software Fight to Google - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from a snapshot of the Oracle/Google Java suit

Google instead sees the suit as a move by Oracle to re-establish corporate control of Java, something that Sun’s executives were reluctant to do. “This action is not against Android per se but against any Java development not sanctioned by Oracle,” said Kent Walker, general counsel of Google. “The lawsuit is trying to put the genie back in the bottle.”

Oracle Takes Open-Source Software Fight to Google - NYTimes.com

Location Sites Experiment to Attract Mainstream Users - NYTimes.com

A timely reality check

But for all the attention and money these apps and Web sites are getting, adoption has so far been largely confined to pockets of young, technically adept urbanites. Just 4 percent of Americans have tried location-based services, and 1 percent use them weekly, according to Forrester Research. Eighty percent of those who have tried them are men, and 70 percent are between 19 and 35.

“Ever since mobile phones and location technology got started, there have been conversations about the potential for doing something really incredible with this for marketers,” said Melissa Parrish, an interactive marketing analyst at Forrester. “But clearly the question is whether it has reached the mainstream, and it looks like the answer is no.”

Location Sites Experiment to Attract Mainstream Users - NYTimes.com

Developers head to the drawing board to cash in on ‘social gaming’ - The Boston Globe

Check the link below for a timely social gaming snapshot

If you’ve ever clicked your mouse to man age a virtual zoo, cultivate a farm, or invite Facebook friends to join your mafia clan, you’ve been part of what is the hottest trend in video games. Called “social gaming,’’ these online games tend to be played within Facebook’s site or on a mobile phone, in just a few stolen moments here and there (as opposed to the hours of dedicated play required to master a typical video game). You’re encouraged to invite your friends to play with you, which helps the best games reach vast numbers of people with little money spent on marketing. And while the games are free to play, companies are generating millions of dollars in revenue by charging a few bucks here and there to purchase a virtual tractor that will help you tend your crops, or add a shaggy Himalayan yak to your online menagerie.

Developers head to the drawing board to cash in on ‘social gaming’ - The Boston Globe

Building a Nation of Know-Nothings - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from a timely and stark reality check

It would be nice to dismiss the stupid things that Americans believe as harmless, the price of having such a large, messy democracy. Plenty of hate-filled partisans swore that Abraham Lincoln was a Catholic and Franklin Roosevelt was a Jew. So what if one-in-five believe the sun revolves around the earth, or aren’t sure from which country the United States gained its independence?

But false belief in weapons of mass-destruction led the United States to a trillion-dollar war. And trust in rising home value as a truism as reliable as a sunrise was a major contributor to the catastrophic collapse of the economy. At its worst extreme, a culture of misinformation can produce something like Iran, which is run by a Holocaust denier.

It’s one thing to forget the past, with predictable consequences, as the favorite aphorism goes. But what about those who refuse to comprehend the present?

Building a Nation of Know-Nothings - NYTimes.com

Google Acquires Angstro, a Social Networking Start-Up - NYTimes.com

A busy social shopping season for Google

Angstro builds apps to easily exchange information among social services across the Web, pulling in data from social sites including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

[…]

Over the past few months, it has invested in Zynga, which makes online games that people play on social networks, and acquired Jambool, which builds apps, virtual goods and virtual currency for social networks.

Google also acquired Slide, which makes apps for social networks, and Max Levchin, a Slide and PayPal co-founder, now works at Google. Earlier this year, it bought Aardvark, for getting questions answered by people in your social network.

Google Acquires Angstro, a Social Networking Start-Up - NYTimes.com

Paul Allen Sues Apple, Google, Others Over Patents - WSJ.com

It’ll be interesting to see if Steve Jobs can extend his reality distortion field to encompass the intellectual property in question, and to see how this turns out for Facebook, Google, and other companies named in the suit

Billionaire Paul Allen has made major forays into cable television and sports teams since leaving Microsoft Corp. more than two decades ago. Now he's adding another pursuit: patent litigation.

Mr. Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, on Friday sued Apple Inc., Google Inc. and nine other companies asserting they are using technology developed about a decade ago at his now-defunct Silicon Valley laboratory. Mr. Allen, a pioneer of computer software, didn't develop any of the technology himself but owns the patents.

Paul Allen Sues Apple, Google, Others Over Patents - WSJ.com

Karen Hobert's Connecting Dots: Not really so funny

Check the full post for an embedded Stephen Colbert video reality check

So again, if Google knows all of this it then shouldn't it d be able to help us get rid of it? Granted we might not be able to delete every shred of information, but getting to the bulk of it is a good start.
With all its irony this bit by Stephen Colbert makes the point very eloquently:

Of course, there is one other answer. Google and Facebook could stop invasively data-mining and selling our private lives to the highest bidder. But that would be asking them to change who they are. And that's not fair.

Karen Hobert's Connecting Dots: Not really so funny

47 Calls Today. Google and AOL tee it up for the telepain. | SecurityCurve

Check the link below for more details

So have you read that Google just announced a new Gmail service that lets you make free calls?  It’s true – you can now use Gmail (and AIM) to make unlimited calls anywhere in the US via the web – for free.

Now there’s a brilliant idea.  Of course, I’m not sure if it occured to anyone over there, but the ability to make free calls, from over the Internet in IP-accessible fashion has a huge security impact.  Not only that, but it’s a huge win for robocallers.  How do I know this?  Because we’re experiencing the pain of the denial of service from robocalling quite vividly.

47 Calls Today. Google and AOL tee it up for the telepain. | SecurityCurve

BBC News - Facebook alternative Diaspora eyes launch date

Interesting times

Diaspora describes itself as a "privacy-aware, personally-controlled" social network.

The open-source project made headlines earlier this year when Facebook was forced to simplify its privacy settings, after they were criticised for being overly complex and confusing.

[…]

The team turned to the fundraising site Kickstarter to raise the $10,000 they thought they would need to build the network.

In the end the team raised $200,642 from nearly 6,500 people.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, reportedly donated to the project.

BBC News - Facebook alternative Diaspora eyes launch date

Mossberg Review: Cell Towers for the Home Work Best in Worst Sites | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

An extreme customer service option

While some people will welcome these devices as a godsend, others will resent the idea that they have to spend anything extra to get cellphone service they are already paying for.

Plus, when you make calls while your phone is connected to the MicroCell, you are still using up the minutes in your AT&T plan, just as you would on a regular outside tower, unless you buy an optional extra-cost MicroCell service plan. The company defends this by noting that you are still using its network, even though you are connected to it differently.

However, at least two of the carriers—AT&T and Sprint—are quietly giving away these devices to selected customers with terrible coverage whose patronage they presumably wish to keep. It is unclear to me how to qualify for these free devices, which appear to be handed out on a case-by-case basis.

Mossberg Review: Cell Towers for the Home Work Best in Worst Sites | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

Novell profit slips amid uncertainty - The Boston Globe

Difficult choices ahead for Novell (and its remaining customers)

Adjusted for one-time items, earnings fell to 6 cents a share, narrowly missing the 7 cents a share expected on average by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Chief executive Ron Hovsepian said the revenue came in low mainly because customers were uncertain about the ongoing review by the company’s board to seek ways to enhance shareholder value.

The board began the review in March after rejecting a $2 billion takeover offer from private equity firm Elliott Associates LP.

Novell profit slips amid uncertainty - The Boston Globe

Microsoft Updates Office Web Apps, Facebook Docs [Windows IT Pro]

Some Office Web Apps refinements

This week, Microsoft began rolling out the first functionality updates to its online office productivity suites, Office Web Apps (OWA) and Facebook Docs. OWA gets a number of requested new features, including printing (from Word Web App), Excel Web App charting and auto fill, and PowerPoint clip art and themes support. And Facebook Docs, essentially a version of OWA that runs on the Facebook platform, gets document tagging and search functionality.

Microsoft Updates Office Web Apps, Facebook Docs

The Apple Guessing Game Commences - NYTimes.com

Next Wednesday will be a big day for Apple; see the link below for some speculation about what Apple will announce

By now you might have heard: Apple is holding an invite-only news media event on Sept. 1.

Invites like these show up two or three times a year, and it’s always a puzzle wrapped in a cryptic bow of noninformation. Such is the case with the most recent one, which shows a picture of an Apple-branded guitar.

So what could it mean? Is Apple going to start selling wooden guitars? Will Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, stand up on stage and announce the long awaited iGuitar? I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it: probably not.

But what could Apple be readying?

The Apple Guessing Game Commences - NYTimes.com

State of the Art - New Kindle Leaves Rivals Farther Behind - NYTimes.com

Follow the link below for more more details on the state of the e-reader competitive landscape

Really, though, what makes the Kindle so successful isn’t what Amazon added to it; it’s what Amazon subtracted: size, weight and price. Nook’s two-screen setup makes it fussy and complicated. Sony’s additional screen layers make the E Ink less sharp.

In the meantime, certain facts are unassailable: that the new Kindle offers the best E Ink screen, the fastest page turns, the smallest, lightest, thinnest body and the lowest price tag of any e-reader. It’s also the most refined and comfortable.

State of the Art - New Kindle Leaves Rivals Farther Behind - NYTimes.com

A Look at the Reading Habits of E-Reader Owners - WSJ.com

A timely e-book snapshot

People who buy e-readers tend to spend more time than ever with their nose in a book, preliminary research shows.

A study of 1,200 e-reader owners by Marketing and Research Resources Inc. found that 40% said they now read more than they did with print books. Of those surveyed, 58% said they read about the same as before while 2% said they read less than before. And 55% of the respondents in the May study, paid for by e-reader maker Sony Corp., thought they'd use the device to read even more books in the future. The study looked at owners of three devices: Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle, Apple Inc.'s iPad and the Sony Reader.

A Look at the Reading Habits of E-Reader Owners - WSJ.com

For a fee, digital dirt can be buried - The Boston Globe

Sign of the times: “online reputation management” services

A real estate broker sought to bury a negative review that a client posted online after a home buying experience. A banking executive looked to de-emphasize content from Google search results about a convict who shared his name. A woman new to the dating scene wanted to remove some painful references to her online divorce records.

All three were in need of an Internet reputation manager, someone who could help save their online reputation by cleaning up undesirable digital footprints.

For a fee, digital dirt can be buried - The Boston Globe

Oracle forms new 'axis of evil' against open source, claims Adobe • The Register

Check the link below for more details

Oracle has replaced Microsoft as the FOSS community’s number one enemy, according to Adobe System’s open source boss.

David McAllister, the Flash and Photoshop maker’s open source and standards director, said in a blog post yesterday that the implosion of the OpenSolaris Governing Board highlighted how “the axis of evil has shifted south about 850 miles or so”.

Oracle forms new 'axis of evil' against open source, claims Adobe • The Register

One-stop shops: Does HP really want to be the Target of tech? | Good Morning Silicon Valley

Interesting permutation

Last year, Oracle jolted the tech industry by moving into hardware with its purchase of Sun — although judging by its recent lawsuit against Google over Java, it’s clear Oracle was after more than hardware. (See ‘Mo Money Mo Problems’ for Google.) The Redwood City-based company is quite acquisitive, so much so that there is a live poll going on at the Software Advice site, a speculation session that tries to predict which company is next on CEO Larry Ellison’s shopping list. Among the intriguing possibilities: Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry.

One-stop shops: Does HP really want to be the Target of tech? | Good Morning Silicon Valley

For Scholars, Web Changes Sacred Rite of Peer Review - NYTimes.com

Why didn’t this happen 10 – 15 years ago?

Now some humanities scholars have begun to challenge the monopoly that peer review has on admission to career-making journals and, as a consequence, to the charmed circle of tenured academe. They argue that in an era of digital media there is a better way to assess the quality of work. Instead of relying on a few experts selected by leading publications, they advocate using the Internet to expose scholarly thinking to the swift collective judgment of a much broader interested audience.

For Scholars, Web Changes Sacred Rite of Peer Review - NYTimes.com

Google Buzz bug spotlights tepid usage | Relevant Results - CNET News

And, given Google’s modus operandi, Buzz users may also be wondering if Google will simply terminate the service, since it almost certainly isn’t meeting Google’s goals

Google Buzz went live in early February with visions of combining a stream of updates from services like Twitter with the engagement of services like Facebook or Friendfeed, giving Google a foothold in social media. Ever since Google said in February that "tens of millions of people have checked Buzz out" Google has consistently refused to state how many people are actively using Google Buzz, and it's still unwilling to reveal that number.

Laporte's experience, however, shows that the actual number of users itself isn't necessarily as important as the degree to which those users are engaged with the service. Social-media fans have a variety of outlets through which to share thoughts, links, and discussions, but there's only so much time even the most obsessed can spend on any one particular service, and people are likely to stick with the ones that generate the most attention for their musings. That's not good news for Google as it tries to make Buzz relevant in a world where Facebook has 500 million users and Twitter has over 100 million.

Google Buzz bug spotlights tepid usage | Relevant Results - CNET News

Facebook Deletes Accounts Purporting to Be From North Korea - BusinessWeek

Check the link below for more details

Facebook Inc., owner of the world’s largest social-networking website, said it deleted two accounts that purported to be from North Korea.

“If a person poses as a person or entity that you don’t officially represent, that becomes a violation of our policy,” said Kumiko Hidaka, a Facebook spokeswoman. “Facebook is based on real people that are on there making connections and people are going to get the most value of the site if they’re using real identities.”

Facebook Deletes Accounts Purporting to Be From North Korea - BusinessWeek

Microsoft’s Bing Shows Some IPhone Love - Digits - WSJ

Interesting times

The Bing group can’t afford to be Windows partisans, however. Even if Windows Phones are wildly successful, almost no one in the technology and wireless industries believes a single company will dominate the technology behind cellphones the way Microsoft has in PC operating systems. To the extent that Microsoft wants Bing to become a viable alternative to Google on mobile phones, it has to embrace other major mobile phones, even if it doesn’t help their own mobile operating system.

“It’s all about building a great service and making it as broadly available as possible,” says Microsoft’s Sohn.

Bing’s next move: a Bing app for Android, Google’s mobile phone operating system, due out in the next few months.

Microsoft’s Bing Shows Some IPhone Love - Digits - WSJ

Business & Technology | Entertainment industry anxious at prospect of Google TV | Seattle Times Newspaper

Google prepares to attempt to disrupt yet another industry; also see Why Apple's iTV Will Change Everything for some interesting speculation

But broadcasters are worried about Google gaining too much control over online video advertising. The company continues to advocate an advertising auction model that's been successful in its core search business. That makes perfect sense for a manufacturer selling digital cameras, but it would be disruptive for network ad sales, where prime-time hits are bundled with other less-popular shows so that the winners pay for the losers.

Google needs the cooperation of the programming community to improve the overall accuracy of its video search. Right now, Google TV isn't very effective in correctly identifying TV shows.

In demonstrations with network executives, Google TV confused one network's shows for a rival's. On another occasion, it listed the several ways a popular prime-time show could be watched online and on TV — except on the network's own website

Business & Technology | Entertainment industry anxious at prospect of Google TV | Seattle Times Newspaper

Apple applies for patent to kill jailbroken devices | Apple - CNET News

I suspect this will surprise few people

The company has applied for a patent, titled "Systems and Methods for Identifying Unauthorized Users of an Electronic Device," that covers a series of security measures to automatically protect devices from thieves and other "unauthorized users." Unauthorized users apparently applies to those who engage in jailbreaking, which allows devices to run apps not approved by the company producing the operating system--such as Apple, the main target of such bypasses.

Apple applies for patent to kill jailbroken devices | Apple - CNET News

Noticed - E-Books Make Readers Less Isolated - NYTimes.com

Consistent with my experience, but people ask about the e-reader, not the books.  For increased isolation, load music on your Kindle and wear earbuds…

“Strangers constantly ask about it,” Michael Hughes, a communications associate at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, said of his iPad, which he uses to read a mix of novels and nonfiction. “It’s almost like having a new baby.” An iPad owner for four months, Mr. Hughes said people were much more likely to approach him now than when he toted a book. “People approach me and ask to see it, to touch it, how much I like it,” he said. “That rarely happens with dead-tree books.”

Noticed - E-Books Make Readers Less Isolated - NYTimes.com

Now Playing - Night of the Living Tech - NYTimes.com

A timely Steve Lohr reality check

Strip away the headline hyperbole of the “death of” predictions, they note, and what remains is mainly commentary on the impact of the accelerated pace of change and accumulated innovations in the Internet-era media and communications environment. A result has been a proliferation of digital media forms and fast-shifting patterns of media consumption.

Now Playing - Night of the Living Tech - NYTimes.com

Data mining the heart - The Boston Globe

See the link below for an extensive snapshot

Research presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association found that 22 percent of heterosexual couples surveyed met online, and researchers believe the Web could soon eclipse friends as the primary means of finding mates. As dating interactions have moved from the privacy of bars and social gatherings to the digital world of websites and e-mails, they are generating an unprecedented trove of data about how the initial phases of romance unfold. Online profiles contain detailed personal and demographic information about website users, and their interactions are indelibly recorded in digital form.

Data mining the heart - The Boston Globe

Google likes Like.com, buys visual search team | Relevant Results - CNET News

Google takes a break from acquiring social gaming-focused companies

Google has snapped up Like.com, the start-up announced Friday, as Google puts its product-shopping search strategy on the front burner.

Techcrunch, which reported a deal was in progress earlier in the week, said the official deal could be for as much as $100 million. "We were the first to bring visual search to shopping, the first to build an automated cross-matching system for clothing, and more. We see joining Google as a way to supersize our vision and supercharge our passion," said Munjal Shah, co-founder and CEO, in a statement posted on Like.com's home page.

Google likes Like.com, buys visual search team | Relevant Results - CNET News

Facebook Feeling Unfriendly Toward ‘Social Network’ - NYTimes.com

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out

Mr. Kirkpatrick, whose book, “The Facebook Effect,” is a reported account of the company’s history, says much of the film, including many of the details of Mr. Zuckerberg’s personal life, are made up and “horrifically unfair.” He said that Facebook might be forced to deliver a forceful rebuttal once the film has its premiere, especially if it turned out to be a hit.

“They are going to try to ignore it but are going to be unable to,” he said.

Facebook Feeling Unfriendly Toward ‘Social Network’ - NYTimes.com

The Deal With Facebook Places and Privacy in Plain English [GigaOm]

Check the link below for more details

Bringing attention to the issues of privacy around location sharing is a good cause, so props to the ACLU for that. As it is, Facebook users are complaining themselves that turning off Places entirely involves jumping through several hoops. Facebook absolutely could have made Places more opt-in, for instance, by making people find the app themselves and decide to install it on their profiles. But as usual, the company is more concerned with reducing friction that will stop products from spreading and people from sharing. That’s always going to be problematic for many people. In my opinion, friends checking friends in to inaccurate locations will happen rarely unless your friends are jerks or teenagers. Both of those are (hopefully) temporary situations.

The Deal With Facebook Places and Privacy in Plain English

Business & Technology | China turns on to electric cars | Seattle Times Newspaper

Interesting times

The announcement, analysts say, is another example of how China seeks to marshal resources and tackle industries and new markets. The plan also underlines what China describes as its growing commitment to fight pollution and cut carbon emissions.

According to some reports by state-run media, Beijing intends to invest nearly $15 billion in the venture. If true, that would be one of the world's most ambitious attempts to develop more energy-efficient vehicles.

Business & Technology | China turns on to electric cars | Seattle Times Newspaper

Facebook, Google Square Off on 'Places' - WSJ.com

The Google/Facebook competitive landscape expands

The rollout of Facebook Places follows the launch of Google Places in April. Google Places, building on prior Google business listings, offers up Web pages dedicated to individual businesses, showing where they are located, street-level images, and customer reviews of services or products, be it Joe's Pizza or the dry cleaner. Businesses can also advertise through their Google Place pages.

With these location services, both Google and Facebook are attempting to organize and provide information about any location, including schools, parks, and tens of millions of local businesses. And both want businesses to advertise online and potentially target ads in real-time to users of mobile devices, right where they are.

Facebook, Google Square Off on 'Places' - WSJ.com

BlackBerry maker reportedly developing workaday iPad rival - The Boston Globe

Think different…

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, is racing to introduce its tablet as rivals debut similar devices that fill the gap between smartphones and laptops. By using QNX technology, RIM could take advantage of the independent software developers who create applications for QNX and build on the popularity of its BlackBerry smartphone with corporate customers.

BlackBerry maker reportedly developing workaday iPad rival - The Boston Globe

Facebook Places will make it harder to lie to your friends. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine

A timely reality check for people who are thinking about going Places

OK, I'm not recommending that you turn it off just yet. But this is how things go with Facebook. Places represents another in a series of big changes to how you interact with your friends, family, co-workers, and strangers on the site. It's sure to affect your relationships in amazing and awful ways, most likely both. Given the scope of this initiative, it's not paranoid to think about turning it off. I've got one particular fear about Places: With this system, Facebook becomes the honesty police, a social truth serum that will prevent you from casually lying to your friends, family, and co-workers about where you were, what you were doing, and whom you were with last night. This may sound like a good thing. It's not.

Facebook Places will make it harder to lie to your friends. - By Farhad Manjoo - Slate Magazine

Get a Sony Reader Pocket Edition for $99.99 | The Cheapskate - CNET News

5-inch screen, and neither Wi-Fi nor wide-area wireless (PC connection required to loadcontent); it might be a different story if larger e-readers with wireless weren’t available for $139 - $149, but I can’t see this being a winner for Sony

And, lo, the era of the sub-$100 e-book reader is finally upon us! Sears (Sears?) has the Sony Reader Pocket Edition PRS-300BC for $99.99 (plus $7 for shipping and sales tax in some states). It's new, not refurbished.

Get a Sony Reader Pocket Edition for $99.99 | The Cheapskate - CNET News

Facebook Places Location-Based Service Review | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

An excerpt from Walt Mossberg’s review of Places

In addition to testing Places around town, I paid close attention to its privacy features, to judge how much control Facebook is offering users over who gets to see where they are. My conclusion is that the controls are decent, but could be a bit better. You can control how public your Places information is on Facebook’s privacy settings screen, in the Sharing section. The default for Places is “Friends Only,” unless you expressed a preference to share things with everyone. That’s a good thing, in my view. You can change this to broaden it to, say, friends of friends, or even everyone. Or, you can limit it, so that, for instance, only certain people can see your location, or certain people can’t.

Facebook also allows you to bar others from checking you in, and lets you hide yourself from others’ “Here Now” listings, though you can’t customize this latter setting by, say, allowing only some people to know you’re nearby.

Facebook Places Location-Based Service Review | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

Facebook Unveils Service to Announce Locations - NYTimes.com

Also see "New Facebook Location Feature Sparks Privacy Concerns”

Users will also be able to tag friends who are with them, and the service will suggest other nearby locations that users may be interested in. Check-ins will be broadcast in status updates that will appear in a variety of places, including the pages of a user’s friends and the Places page for that location.

“This is not a service to broadcast your location at all times, but rather one to share where you are, who you are with, when you want to,” said Michael Sharon, product manager for Places. “It lets you find friends that are nearby and help you discover nearby places.”

Facebook Unveils Service to Announce Locations - NYTimes.com

Facebook | Who, What, When, and Now...Where

Facebook introduces Places, with an emphasis on privacy settings

If you're like me, when you find a place you really like, you want to tell your friends you're there. Maybe it's a new restaurant, a beautiful hiking trail or an amazing live show.

Starting today, you can immediately tell people about that favorite spot with Facebook Places. You can share where you are and the friends you're with in real time from your mobile device.

Facebook | Who, What, When, and Now...Where

What's Wrong With 'X Is Dead' - Science and Tech - The Atlantic

More on the latest Wired cover story controversy

Technologies die violent deaths less often than we think.
This is the basic problem with the Chris Anderson-anchored Wired cover story, "The Web is Dead." If you think about technology as a series of waves, each displacing the last, perhaps the rise of mobile apps would lead you to conclude that the browser-based web is a goner.
But the browser-based web is not a goner. It's still experiencing substantial growth -- as BoingBoing's Rob Beschizza showed with his excellent recasting of Wired's data -- and that should be one big clue that the technological worldview that says, "The new inevitably destroys the old," is fundamentally flawed.

What's Wrong With 'X Is Dead' - Science and Tech - The Atlantic

Whitman's biggest goof could be Jobs next coup; Why Skype is a great buyout target, again. - Grant Robertson

Excerpt from an intriguing scenario (via Steve Gillmor)

Are you starting to see some upside for Apple? The biggest videophone user base meets the hottest videophone devices. Add the resulting Skype to Facetime gateway as a value-added service of Mobile Me -- Wanna connect to a Skype user? You must buy Mobile Me! -- and you have the thing Skype has always been missing; a solid revenue stream that doesn't depend on POTS termination.

Added to which, the Windows Skype installer represents several million more opportunities to fling copies of Safari to Windows users.

Potential FTC roadblocks aside, AAPL could swallow Skype whole without even pulling out the Amex Black card

Whitman's biggest goof could be Jobs next coup; Why Skype is a great buyout target, again. - Grant Robertson

The Web Isn’t Dead; It’s Just Continuing to Evolve [GigaOm]

An interesting information quality snapshot

The bottom line is that the Wired article simultaneously repeats an obvious point — that we’re using more and more apps instead of pointing a browser at a website — and misses an equally obvious point, which is that this evolution has nothing to do with the web being “dead,” or even sickly. The web is healthier than ever. If nothing else, the dramatic growth of Facebook, which most people interact with through their web browser, should help to cement that idea. We may be using specific apps to access specific web-based services, and we may be making less use of all-in-one browsers like Firefox or Safari, but that has little or nothing to do with the web being dead.

The Web Isn’t Dead; It’s Just Continuing to Evolve

Google TV Is a Tough Sell Among Would-Be Partners - WSJ.com

A timely TV++ snapshot, although it’s surprising Microsoft Mediaroom wasn’t mentioned

While Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and a range of other companies offer ways to watch some content, like TV shows and movies, over the Web through hardware connected to traditional TVs, Google TV would go further. The Google software aims to play any video that runs anywhere on the Web, from clips on YouTube to full-length TV episodes that media companies distribute on their own sites. That open pipe has some media companies worried that their content will get lost amid a range of Web content, including pirated clips, according to people familiar with the matter.

[…]

Google TV Is a Tough Sell Among Would-Be Partners - WSJ.com

Microsoft: Games to be front and center for Windows Phone 7 | ZDNet

Check the full article for more details

Microsoft says the dedicated group inside of Microsoft Game Studios will develop video games for Windows phones, help outside game publishers and scout out small, independent game makers. Company officials also said to expect Halo Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst, and Guitar Hero 5 to all be available for Windows Phone 7 when the devices launch this fall.

All in all, there are 50 titles that will be available for Windows Phone 7. According to a spokesperson, these “are just the beginning of a full portfolio of games and applications coming to Windows Phone 7 this holiday – there is much more to come. Additional titles will be announced between now and the Windows Phone 7 launch this holiday season; once the phone launches, new Xbox LIVE titles will be added to the games portfolio every week.”

Microsoft: Games to be front and center for Windows Phone 7 | ZDNet

Lycos Fetches $36 Million - WSJ.com

Not a happy ROI story

Lycos, the search engine and Internet portal, was acquired by online-marketing company Ybrant Digital for $36 million.

Ybrant Digital, which is based in India, bought Lycos from South Korea's Daum Communications Corp., which had acquired the Web portal for $95 million in 2004.

Lycos developed one of the first crawler-based search engines and was one of the top Web destinations during the Internet bubble. It was acquired in 2000 by Spain's Terra Networks for $12.5 billion in stock. But it was soon eclipsed by Google Inc. and other rivals.

Lycos Fetches $36 Million - WSJ.com

North Korea Takes to Twitter and YouTube - NYTimes.com

Sign of the times

North Korea has taken its propaganda war against South Korea and the United States to a new frontier: YouTube and Twitter.

In the last month, North Korea has posted a series of video clips on YouTube brimming with satire and vitriol against leaders in South Korea and the United States.

North Korea Takes to Twitter and YouTube - NYTimes.com

The Early Facebook Employee Exodus - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from an interesting Facebook snapshot

A source who is an early Facebook employee (in the low double digits) estimates that about half of the people who joined prior to that employee’s hire date have left the company. Multiple company insiders said that Kevin Colleran, the company’s first ad sales person, is now the longest-tenured Facebooker after Mark Zuckerberg, with others like Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz and Adam D’Angelo having since founded their own startups (Jumo, Asana and Quora, respectively).

The Early Facebook Employee Exodus - NYTimes.com

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Brave New Google

Read the rest of the post (and the interview) and ponder the implications

In an interview published today in the Wall Street Journal, Google CEO Eric Schmidt lays out the next stage in his company's ambitious plan to replace human agency with automated data processing, freeing us all from the nuisance of thinking:

"We're trying to figure out what the future of search is," Mr. Schmidt acknowledges. "I mean that in a positive way. We're still happy to be in search, believe me. But one idea is that more and more searches are done on your behalf without you needing to type."

"I actually think most people don't want Google to answer their questions," he elaborates. "They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next."

Seriously, read the full WSJ article; the unscripted Eric Schmidt is revealing…

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr's Blog: Brave New Google

Man Scrawls World’s Biggest Message With GPS ‘Pen’ | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

An interesting hobby (via All Things Digital)

One man drove 12,238 miles across 30 states to scrawl a message that can only be viewed using Google Earth. His big shoutout: “Read Ayn Rand.”

Nick Newcomen did a road trip over 30 days that covered stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. First, he identified on a map the route he would need to drive to spell out the message. He put a GPS device in his car to trace the route he would follow. Then, he hit the road.

Man Scrawls World’s Biggest Message With GPS ‘Pen’ | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Cultural Studies - Crafting Fictional Personas With the Language of Facebook - NYTimes.com

Sign of the times – I wonder if the page will be pulled since it’s a fake identity

In “My Darklyng’s” intriguing meta-commentary, there is a certain cross-pollination of what might be considered real life and fiction. Ms. Mechling and Ms. Moser hired a 15-year-old, Hannah Grosman, to be featured in photographs and videos for the character Natalie’s Facebook page. There are real people commenting on Natalie’s page; Hannah uses one of the photos from a photo shoot of herself as Natalie with another actress as the profile picture on her real Facebook page. A video of a kiss at the World Cup was posted on Natalie’s page just minutes before one of Hannah’s real friends posted the same thing. So it is no longer art imitating life, or life imitating art, but the two merging so completely, so inexorably that it would be impossible to disentangle one from the other, rather elegantly making the point that these media, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, all this doodling in the ether, involve wholesale inventions of self, not projections.

Cultural Studies - Crafting Fictional Personas With the Language of Facebook - NYTimes.com

RIM Also Facing Competition From Microsoft | WirelessGround.com Blog

I expect we’ll see a lot of similar press over the next few months

So why does anything think that the new Windows Mobile can compete against the BlackBerry? Well, the fact that Microsoft is already such a strong corporate player gives it an advantage that Apple and Google currently do not have. Mix in an improved user interface, better Microsoft Exchange and SharePoint functionality and the fact that Microsoft has muscle to throw behind its products. The result? Companies might want to consider it as an alternative to BlackBerrys.

RIM Also Facing Competition From Microsoft | WirelessGround.com Blog

Bait and Switch - The Cloud Blog

Excerpt from a Steve Gillmor post

Historically, Google’s infatuation with Open as a brand name has had its challenges in resolving the conflict between standards and speed to market. A minor false note was struck early when Gmail sprouted video chat on top of its Gtalk/Chat product, using some code that looked suspiciously like a Flash container (just right click the video frame to see what I mean.) More recently, the language around Flash at this year’s Google I/O announcements redefined Flash as open by its role in giving users a choice. It might have made an interesting exercise to ask the Ovangelists what they thought of the newspeak, but the Apple/Google falling out seemed to trump the usual hippie language of yore.
Nothing, however, prepared us for the Google Verizon putsch of recent days, where Google made it clear that the FCC had better crawl back into its cave before Eric and the boys get really mad. For those of us who used to refer to the commission as the F-CC in the good old days when Nixon used it to cow CBS away from its antiwar coverage, it’s astonishing to feel sorry for the agency. But a monster carrier and a run-away search monopoly will do that for you.

Bait and Switch - The Cloud Blog

Talking Business - The Real Reason for Ousting H.P.’s Chief - NYTimes.com

A stark assessment

H.P. says its board should be applauded for not letting Mr. Hurd off the hook. But this is just after-the-fact spin. In fact, the directors should be called out for acting like the cowards they are. Mr. Hurd’s supposed peccadilloes were a smoke screen for the real reason they got rid of an executive they didn’t trust and employees didn’t like.

The stand-up thing would have been to fire Mr. Hurd on the altogether legitimate grounds that the directors didn’t have faith in his leadership. But of course Wall Street would have had a conniption if the board had taken such a step. So instead, it ginned up a tabloid-ready scandal that only serves to bring shame, once again, on the H.P. board.

Talking Business - The Real Reason for Ousting H.P.’s Chief - NYTimes.com

Oracle's Java Suit Gives Jolt - WSJ.com

“Open” is such a flexible concept…

"It's something that developers perceive as a threat to the potential health of the Java ecosystem," said Mik Kersten, chief executive of Tasktop Technologies Inc., a maker of task-management software for developers that is based on Java.

One of the most prominent Java backers is International Business Machines Corp. By controlling Java, Mr. Ellison "controls IBM's oxygen supply…and everybody in this world understands there will be a big dust-up between Oracle and IBM," said Eben Moglen, director of a non-profit called Software Freedom Law Center that gets funding from both Oracle and Google.

Oracle's Java Suit Gives Jolt - WSJ.com

With $480m deal for Unica, Big Blue continues its big push in Bay State - The Boston Globe

A big deal for IBM

IBM will pay $21 a share for Unica, a hefty premium over its Thursday closing price of $9.55. News of the acquisition sent Unica stock up 118 percent to close at $20.84 on the Nasdaq stock exchange yesterday. IBM shares were down 43 cents to close at $127.87 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Yesterday’s deal is one of many recent IBM deals. The company has spent $20 billion on acquisitions since Samuel J. Palmisano became chief executive eight years ago and apparently has no intention of slowing. Palmisano recently said IBM will dole out another $20 billion over the next five years to buy businesses.

With $480m deal for Unica, Big Blue continues its big push in Bay State - The Boston Globe

Initial Thoughts on Oracle vs Google Patent Lawsuit - Miguel de Icaza

Check the full post for more insights

I would like to think that this is going to be solved with a quick settlement where Oracle will shake Google for a few billion dollars and the entire matter will be put behind.

Oracle will likely want to settle with Google under terms that will only cover Google's own use as they want to go shaking other OEM trees for more cash.

An unlikely scenario is for Google to pay the bills for all Android OEMs as they are coming out fast and strong from every corner of the world.

It occurred to me that Oracle could sell all the Java assets for Google. But Google probably passed on this opportunity back when Sun was put on the market.

From later in the post:

Google could settle current damages with Oracle, and switch to the better designed, more pleasant to use, and more open .NET platform.

Not a joke – see the link below for more context-setting.

Initial Thoughts on Oracle vs Google Patent Lawsuit - Miguel de Icaza

Microsoft's Xbox 360 leads U.S. market for second straight month [TechFlash]

You know, the larger form factor XNA device (compared to WP7)…

The Xbox 360 registered 443,000 units sold for the month -- more than double its total of 203,000 in the same month last year. By comparison last month, the totals were 254,000 for the Wii and 215,000 for the PlayStation 3, based on early numbers released to NPD clients.

Gamers appear to be embracing the revamped hardware and, in some cases, switching to the Xbox 360 in advance of the release of Microsoft's Kinect motion-based control system later this year, said David Dennis, a Microsoft spokesman. He called it a "pretty awesome month" for Xbox 360 sales.

Microsoft's Xbox 360 leads U.S. market for second straight month

Google’s Lame Defense of its Net Neutrality Pact [GigaOm]

Definitely a week of new challenges (and learning opportunities…) for Google

Here Google is playing the kind of semantic gymnastics that lobbyists deploy so well. In a world where corporate interests (and sometimes their actual lobbyists) write legislation, Google isn’t merely an interested party proposing an idea for network neutrality; it’s a powerful influencer suggesting to overworked and under-informed legislative aids how laws should be written. Unless the FCC takes back control of this process, or Congress stymies any legislative effort because its members are reluctant to touch a hot-button issue during a mid-term election year, Google and Verizon’s compromise will influence policy in a way that common citizens cannot.

[…]

Ironically, Google may have thrown its reputation under the bus with this whole effort, only to see Congress stand by and do nothing because of the coming mid-term elections. Or perhaps Congress will take the framework and bastardize it to an extent that Google will rue the day it tried to move the ball forward on net neutrality at all. Politics are messy, and Google is learning this firsthand.

Google’s Lame Defense of its Net Neutrality Pact

Oracle sues Google over Android and Java | Relevant Results - CNET News

Small world.  See the link below for the full Oracle complaint.

Of course, Java has been forked and fragmented many times over the years, destroying the "write once run anywhere" promise of the technology with different implementations on different computing platforms. Still, Oracle, on behalf of Sun, is arguing that Java is a mobile operating system competitor against Android, and that Google is using Java-derived technologies without a proper license.

Oracle also noted the interlocking history between Google and Java in its complaint, noting that "Google has been aware of Sun's patent portfolio, including the patents at issue, since the middle of this decade, when Google hired certain former Sun Java engineers." Google CEO Eric Schmidt led the team that developed Java at Sun prior to becoming CEO of Novell, and later Google in 2001. Urs Hölzle, senior vice president of operations and a Google Fellow, also played a significant role in Java's development in the 1990s, and apparently other Sun engineers have joined Google in the intervening years.

Oracle sues Google over Android and Java | Relevant Results - CNET News

Oracle Says Google Android Violates Patents That Came With Sun - BusinessWeek

More on the Oracle/Google lawsuit (no wsj.com subscription required for this article)

The popularity of Android, and the increasing competition in the smartphone market, has prompted other patent-infringement suits over the operating system. Apple has claimed that HTC’s Android-run phones are infringing its patents and is seeking to block imports of the phones into the U.S.

Microsoft Corp., the world’s biggest software maker and owner of the Windows Mobile operating system, said in April that the Android system may infringe its patents. Microsoft, which signed a licensing agreement with HTC, said at the time it was in talks with other makers of phones that run on Android.

Oracle and Google will probably settle the case by agreeing to license each other’s patents, IDC’s Stofega said.

Oracle Says Google Android Violates Patents That Came With Sun - BusinessWeek

Oracle Sues Google, Saying Android Violates Java Copyrights - WSJ.com

Interesting times…

The suit represents a sweeping shot at the current, much admired and often resented, king of Silicon Valley by Oracle's swashbuckling chief executive who has thrived even while alienating many with his aggressive acquisitiveness and push to portray himself as an outsider.

The move creates a confrontation between Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, whose company dominates in business software, and Google's Eric Schmidt, a former Sun chief technology officer who spread Sun's open software message at Google.

Oracle Sues Google, Saying Android Violates Java Copyrights - WSJ.com

Jeff Wilcox – Looking ahead: Panorama and Pivot controls for Windows Phone developers

Check this article for an overview of facets of Windows Phone 7 that are likely to make it a very popular platform with Visual Studio and Silverlight developers (via Scott Guthrie)

Apps in Windows Phone 7 make it easy to explore and experience information thanks to two similar navigation controls: panorama and pivot controls. We’ve made it easy for developers to build applications with these experiences by putting these Silverlight controls and associated tooling in the next release of the free developer tools (didn’t make the beta).

The controls are simple & easy to use, but I’ve seen enough rumbling on forums to know that developers are anxious to learn more about their capabilities. In lieu of bits, I’m going to introduce these controls and how they appear from a simple API & XAML perspective, so that you’ll have what you need while planning your apps to know how these experiences can fit into your apps.

Jeff Wilcox – Looking ahead: Panorama and Pivot controls for Windows Phone developers

E-books taking off at Vancouver public libraries — and they carry no late fees

I hope this is a leading indicator of a mainstream library trend (via Security Curve); see this page for more details

The library doesn’t separate e-book seekers from other website visitors, but when coupled with the number of questions the library is receiving about digital files, it’s clear interest in e-books is on the rise, Kavanagh said.

Digital books, newspapers and magazines can be downloaded onto personal devices or computers directly from the library’s website, and when they need to be returned, the file automatically disappears, eliminating the potential for late fees or lost materials. A library card and a device to read the book are all that’s required to access the virtual library.

E-books taking off at Vancouver public libraries — and they carry no late fees

FT.com / Technology - Cisco shares tumble after results

Interesting that the mainstream business press seems to conclude Cisco’s results are indicative of a broad tech spending drop, despite the fact that other tech players, e.g., Apple and Microsoft, beat quarterly earnings expectations

Reduced technology spending by big companies around the globe led Cisco Systems, the world’s largest maker of networking equipment, to miss analyst expectations as it reported fourth quarter and annual results.

Shares in the bellwether tech group fell more than 8 per cent in after-hours trading.

FT.com / Technology - Cisco shares tumble after results

FT.com / Technology - Google deal splits industry over net neutrality

More details on Google/Verizon debate (tbd if Facebook will further clarify its clarification quoted in the previous post…)

The freedom this would give network operators drew strong reactions on Wednesday from some of Google’s biggest rivals. In a statement, Ebay said: “Two-tier networks with corporate toll lanes would stifle ground-up innovation and benefit dominant businesses at the expense of smaller competitors and entrepreneurs.”

Christopher Libertelli, Skype’s senior director of government and regulatory affairs, added: “We believe openness principles should apply to wireless as well as fixed-line internet access.”

Google defended its position saying: “We know not everyone will like all aspects of this proposal, that’s the nature of compromise. But one thing you can’t dispute is this would lock in protections for consumers.” Facebook said it objected to any plan that exempted wireless networks from net neutrality rules.

Amazon said that while “network operators should be allowed to offer additional services, we are concerned that this proposal appears to condone services that could harm consumer internet access”.

FT.com / Technology - Google deal splits industry over net neutrality

Facebook Breaks With Google on Net Neutrality - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

While the Facebook/Google rivalry is great headline fodder, it’s not clear that Facebook officially disagrees with the Google/Verizon proposal; see, e.g., the Facebook qualification in this CNet article (which has a similar title but notes “Noyes clarified to CNET via e-mail that it's reasserting Facebook's existing stance on Net neutrality and that the statement should not be considered specific to the Google-Verizon framework”).  What is clear from the NYT article: a former Facebook employee who is now a venture capitalist takes issue with the proposal, as does Amazon, and eBay doesn’t have an official position yet.

On Monday, I spoke with Matt Cohler, one of Facebook’s earliest employees and now a venture investor at Benchmark Capital. His concerns were broader than just wireless networks, which he said should be protected, too. Mr. Cohler said he was disturbed by the division that Google and Verizon seemed to have drawn between the public Internet, which would be subject to net neutrality principles, and new “enhanced services,” which would be free of such rules. “It is certainly concerning to me that there is language being used about the ‘public Internet,’” Mr. Cohler said. “That begs the question about what is not the public Internet.”

Facebook Breaks With Google on Net Neutrality - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

As E-Books Gain, Barnes and Noble Tries to Stay Ahead - NYTimes.com

An apt analogy

For readers, e-books have meant a transformation not just of the reading experience, but of the book-buying tradition of strolling aisles, perusing covers and being able to hold books in their hands. Many publishers have been astounded by the pace of the e-book popularity and the threat to print book sales that it represents. If the number of brick-and-mortar stores drops, publishers fear that sales will go along with it. Some worry that large bookstores will go the way of the record stores that shut down when the music business went digital.

As E-Books Gain, Barnes and Noble Tries to Stay Ahead - NYTimes.com

Cisco’s Chambers Roots For H-P While Competing Against It - Digits - WSJ

Interesting that people such as John Chambers and Larry Ellison express respect for what HP used to be…

Still, Chambers says, it’s important for Silicon Valley that H-P does well, and he laments the leadership changes that include CEO Mark Hurd’s surprise resignation on Friday. “It’s been 10 years of turmoil,” he says. “I want to see them do well–I just don’t want them to do well against us.”

As for whether Cisco might lose any top talent as H-P hunts for new leadership, Chambers scoffs. Though there are no employment contracts with non-compete provisions handcuffing Cisco managers, he says, such a move would be against unwritten rules.

“We don’t go to competitors at the top,” Chambers says. “We all are family; we don’t hurt our family.”

Cisco’s Chambers Roots For H-P While Competing Against It - Digits - WSJ

Dell’s Streak: a Tiny Tablet That Takes Calls, Too | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

Final paragraph of Walt Mossbergs’s Streak review.  I don’t think Dell will get far with the device, unless it introduces a larger form-factor version soon.

Dell sees the Streak as a tablet first, with phone calling as a secondary function. It may well appeal to people for whom the iPad is too large to carry around, yet want some of the tablet experience coupled with a phone. But tweener devices can be hard to love and Streak buyers will have to overlook some of the shortcomings I encountered.

Dell’s Streak: a Tiny Tablet That Takes Calls, Too | Walt Mossberg | Personal Technology | AllThingsD

Google Steps Up Acquisitions as Some Projects Falter - BusinessWeek

More learning experiences for Google ahead

The purchase of Slide will boost the company’s social- networking technical knowledge, Schmidt said. The deal follows the acquisition of Aardvark early this year, a search company that includes social features. Even so, Google isn’t trying to create “another Facebook,” he said.

Schmidt declined to give specifics on what Slide will do for Google. The company already includes social elements in many services, such as Gmail, Google Docs and its photo site Picasa. Google paid about $200 million for Slide, according to people familiar with the matter.

“The answer is not knowable by me today -- that’s why we bought them,” Schmidt said. “We will discover it together.”

Google Steps Up Acquisitions as Some Projects Falter - BusinessWeek

BBC News - US military to attack Moore's Law for future computers

See the link below for more details

An exaflop is the equivalent of one million trillion calculations per second.

Darpa said its research project was needed to help analyse the tidal wave of data that military systems and sensors are expected to produce.

The research project, dubbed the Ubiquitous High Performance Computing (UHPC) program, would attempt to create hardware that "overcomes the limitations of current evolutionary approach".

BBC News - US military to attack Moore's Law for future computers

BBC News - Virus writers hit Google Android phones

Just another day in the Googleplex; also see Google offices raided by Korean police

The program poses as a media player but once installed starts sending premium rate text messages.

The service being sent messages is operated by the malicious app's creator, who scoops up the fees.

Discovered by Kaspersky Labs, it is believed to be the first booby-trapped application for Android.

BBC News - Virus writers hit Google Android phones

Facebook's Foursquare competitor is imminent | The Social - CNET News

This is going to force some Facebook user conceptual model evolution, to prevent geolocation-related info over-sharing

There are, of course, complications, which leave the geolocation- and local-services start-up community with plenty of questions about how much of their data they will have to share with Facebook if they tap into the new APIs. And additionally, Facebook's tendency to garner bad press with regard to privacy may make some of them wary of getting involved.

But it's likely that they will have little choice. Facebook is the biggest force in the social Web by far, and it's about to be the biggest force in geolocation, too.

Facebook's Foursquare competitor is imminent | The Social - CNET News

Netflix to Pay $1 Billion to Add Films to Its On-Demand Service - NYTimes.com

A major Netflix milestone

It was a coup — albeit a costly one — for Netflix, which knows it needs to lock up the digital rights to films as customers stop receiving DVDs by mail and start receiving streams via the Internet. The deal will start Sept. 1.

Ted Sarandos, the chief content officer for Netflix, said he was essentially taking the “huge pile of money” that Netflix paid in postage for DVDs by mail — about $600 million this year — “and starting to pay it to the studios and networks.”

Netflix to Pay $1 Billion to Add Films to Its On-Demand Service - NYTimes.com

Amazon Is Said to Look at Hardware Beyond Kindle - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

Perhaps additional dedicated device types in Amazon’s future

The people who know of the company’s plans said Lab 126 was fostered inside Amazon with this goal in mind, but until recently the company has focused exclusively on the Kindle e-reading platform.

“Jeff’s original goal for the lab was to build a range of other devices,” said one person, referring to Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s founder and chief executive. “There was talk of music players and other electronics.”

This person also said Lab 126 briefly discussed entering the mobile phone market to compete with Apple and Google, but the project “seemed out of Amazon’s reach.” But the person said Amazon had not definitively rejected the idea of building a phone in the future.

Amazon Is Said to Look at Hardware Beyond Kindle - Bits Blog - NYTimes.com

The Man Who Designed The Pre Is The Latest To Leave Palm/HP [TechCrunch]

Check the full article for more on a “mass exodus” from Palm

The hits just keep on coming for HP. Hot on the heels of the massive story of HP CEO Mark Hurd’s resignation amid scandal, another high-level person has left the company. Peter Skillman, the Vice President of Design at Palm (which HP officially purchased in July) has left the company, we’ve confirmed.

It’s not clear where Skillman is going next, but he had been with Palm for 11 years. And that’s a big blow for HP as Skillman takes with him nearly 20 years of product design experience. At Palm, he was the man in charge of the design of the ill-fated but loved Pre.

The Man Who Designed The Pre Is The Latest To Leave Palm/HP

Polycom Announces New Strategic Relationship with Microsoft for End-to-End Unified Communications - Company - Polycom

Another snapshot for IBM Lotus and other Microsoft unified communications competitors to consider

"Our research shows that nearly 70 percent of the companies considering a unified communications solution are thinking of deploying Microsoft Office Communications Server," said Brent Kelly, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse Research. "These enterprises need seamless integration and interoperability between Office Communicator on the desktop and personal, group, and telepresence video solutions like those offered by Polycom for executive offices, meeting suites, and conference rooms. By working together, Microsoft and Polycom are making it easier for organizations to have a true end-to-end unified communications environment, which includes high definition video."

Offering a broad portfolio of integrated solutions spanning voice, video and application integration for Microsoft UC, this agreement makes Polycom a member of Microsoft's key strategic global alliance for the company's UC business. As part of this long-term strategic agreement, each company is investing in product development, sales, and marketing. Through resources, investments, and strong field engagement, Polycom and Microsoft will deliver rich, compelling UC solutions, offering customers the flexibility to deploy the features that help them lower their costs, improve productivity and meet their unique business needs.

Polycom Announces New Strategic Relationship with Microsoft for End-to-End Unified Communications - Company - Polycom

Google and Verizon's net neutrality proposal explained -- Engadget

Check the link below for analysis (via Steve Wildstrom)

Now, we don't know for sure what happened, but we've got a theory: the proposal reads to us like Verizon's basically agreeing to trade neutrality on its wired networks for the right to control its wireless network any way it wants -- apart from requiring wireless carriers and ISPs to be "transparent" about network management, none of the neutrality principles that govern wired networks will apply to wireless networks. That's a big deal -- it's pretty obvious that wireless broadband will be the defining access technology for the next generation of devices and services. But you know us, and we don't do hysterics when we can do reasoned analysis instead -- so grab a copy of the official Verizon / Google Legislative Framework Proposal right here and let's break it down step by step, shall we?

Google and Verizon's net neutrality proposal explained -- Engadget

IBM, Gartner in Blog Tiff Over Notes Report - PCWorld Business Center

A case study in statistical significance versus vendor spin

Talk of an increasing number of users migrating off Notes and Domino is more apt to be gossip at cocktail parties than "hard evidence of anything other than due diligence in the market," according to Brill. In fact, sales of new licenses grew during the second quarter, Brill said.

That sounds like good news, but Brill's summary of the report doesn't tell the whole story, said Austin, vice president and fellow at Gartner and also the author of the report, in a blog post on Saturday.

For example, from July 1 in 2009 to April 30, 116 different clients booked one or more calls with Gartner analysts seeking advice on migrating away from Notes for e-mail, and no Microsoft customers called Gartner for advice on whether to migrate to Notes and Domino for e-mail, Austin added in a second blog post on Sunday. That disparity is a significant factor, Austin said.

Austin stressed that Gartner's research is based on substantive data and very serious discussions with professionals with serious issues and concerns.

IBM, Gartner in Blog Tiff Over Notes Report - PCWorld Business Center

Oracle’s Ellison: H-P Board Made a Big Mistake - Digits - WSJ

An excerpt from Larry Ellison’s letter:

The H-P Board just made the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago. That decision nearly destroyed Apple and would have if Steve hadn’t come back and saved them. H-P had a long list of failed CEOs until they hired Mark who has spent the last five years doing a brilliant job reviving H-P to its former greatness.

[…]

The final insult was when the H-P board going to the press and suggested that Mark Hurd engaged in expense fraud over a few thousand dollars. This is not credible. Mark Hurd, like most other CEOs, does not fill out his own expense reports, so even if errors were made Mark didn’t make them. What the expense fraud claims do reveal is an H-P board desperately grasping at straws in trying to publically explain the unexplainable; how a false sexual harassment claim and some petty expense report errors led to the loss of one of Silicon Valley’s best and most respected leaders.

Oracle’s Ellison: H-P Board Made a Big Mistake - Digits - WSJ

The U.S. must fight for technological freedom in China and the Islamic world. But what's the best strategy? - By Eliot Spitzer - Slate Magazine

Excerpt from a timely reality check

What is unusual about this new reality is that the negotiations that may truly matter are now being conducted not by government officials but by private parties seeking to generate profits and protect market share. While I intend no disrespect to Google, Research In Motion, and their sister companies, it is surely the case that their motives and goals will not necessarily align perfectly with those of our national diplomacy.

What to do about this? How can the U.S. government be involved, formally or informally, to ensure the spread of technologies that will foster freedom in other nations? Can our government argue for such protections when the Patriot Act itself permits government encroachments here? Can we create laws that somehow increase the bargaining power of the Googles of the world in their discussions with China?

The U.S. must fight for technological freedom in China and the Islamic world. But what's the best strategy? - By Eliot Spitzer - Slate Magazine