Mountain Lion, Windows 8's Common Aim: Make Desktop More Like Mobile - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD

2012 is going to be a pivotal year for personal computing platforms; check the full article for more Mac OS and Windows projections

Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg said that Apple and Microsoft are taking very different approaches.

“Microsoft wants them to look the same,” Gartenberg said. “Apple wants them to feel the same.”

Gartenberg said that Microsoft has struggled with a similar approach in the past, noting that Windows Mobile initially aimed to replicate the Windows desktop down to the start menu — an approach that was not popular with consumers.

“It seems like Microsoft is again trying to say let’s make one size fit all,” he said. “That hasn’t worked out particularly well for them in the past. It feels like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.”

Apple, Gartenberg said, is trying to replicate some of the experiences popular on the iPhone and iPad, but is doing so in a more context-aware manner that reflects the different way computers are used as compared with phones and tablets.

Mountain Lion, Windows 8's Common Aim: Make Desktop More Like Mobile - Ina Fried - News - AllThingsD

Apple launches OS war against Microsoft [BetaNews]

Tbd if Apple will take a serious run at the market space today dominated by Evernote and OneNote; see the full post for other Mac OS X Mountain Lion details

Notes. Apple looks to make mincement out of Microsoft OneNote for iPad connected to SkyDrive. According to Apple's marketing material: "Notes in OS X Mountain Lion is designed for whatever’s on your mind. Think it up. Jot it down. Make it even more noteworthy with photos, images, and attachments...Notes works with iCloud, so when you create or edit a note on your Mac, it automatically updates on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch". That sound lots like OneNote to me, minus the one.

Apple launches OS war against Microsoft

HP CEO: Google-Motorola deal could close-source Android

Four more years – how much is that, measured in HP CEO-tenure units of time?…

WebOS could be an important player in the long run as an open-source mobile operating system because Android could become closed with Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility, Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman said Wednesday.

It may take up to four years for the complete impact of webOS to be felt, but HP will remain patient, Whitman said during a speech at the HP Global Partner conference in Las Vegas.

HP CEO: Google-Motorola deal could close-source Android

MSN Launches msnNOW to Keep You in the Know [Microsoft News Center]

Kind of surprising Microsoft introduced this under the MSN brand; also see Microsoft’s MSN Aims to Lure Younger Users by Touting Hot Trends (Bloomberg Businessweek)

Ever feel like you have to jump from site to site in order to piece together what’s happening in the world? Good news for those who like to stay up-to-date on the latest trends — msnNOW, a new service from MSN at now.msn.com, will help you stay in the know. msnNOW is the first service to surface the latest buzz from Facebook, Twitter, Bing and BreakingNews.com, all in one place. It cuts through the clutter of the Web, providing an up-to-the-minute view of breaking trends and the hottest social conversations, what people are saying about them, and why they matter.

More than a quarter of Americans under the age of 30¹get their information from various social media sites. With the influx of content today across the Web it can be challenging to ensure you’re seeing the relevant and credible content that matters most to you. msnNOW is the trusted source that will help make sense of the noise, anytime and from anywhere you’re online.

An example latest-trend story I saw this morning:

MSN Launches msnNOW to Keep You in the Know: Keep up on breaking trends and the hottest buzz from across Facebook, Twitter, Bing and BreakingNews.com — all in one place.

Reviewing Pinterest, the Newest Social Media Site - NYTimes.com

It’s Pinterest-in-the-press day; also see Pinterest's Rite of Web Passage—Huge Traffic, No Revenue (WSJ) and Review: Getting Stuck on Pinterest (Technology Review)

Every year, there’s another hot new online service, another drain into which to pour your time. Question: Once you’re on Facebook and Twitter and Foursquare and Google Plus and Tumblr and LinkedIn and Instagram and Reddit and Path — when, exactly, do you have time left over for a life?

Well, never mind. Incredibly, yet another free site has become white-hot popular, because it’s found yet another purpose not quite served by anyone else. It’s Pinterest.com, which recently laid claim to being the fastest Web site in history to break the 10-million-visitors-a-month threshold. It’s suddenly cropping up in conversation, online and off, with surprising frequency.

Reviewing Pinterest, the Newest Social Media Site - NYTimes.com

Cisco Appeals EU Approval of Microsoft's $8.5 Billion Skype Acquistion - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Imagine how difficult it would be to keep enterprises locked into proprietary Cisco hardware and software if another vendor offered a compelling and cost-effective alternative

“Imagine how difficult it would be if you were limited to calling people who only use the same carrier or if your phone could only call certain brands and not others,” De Beer wrote. “Cisco wants to avoid this future for video communications,” and so has filed the appeal. Messagenet, a European IP calling service, joined Cisco in filing the appeal. Both had commented to the European Commmission during initial hearings on the deal before it was approved.

Cisco doesn’t want the merger rescinded, but rather wants the EC to impose some interoperability conditions on Microsoft. Part of Microsoft’s plan with Skype has been to combine it with its Lync video and voice calling software for businesses. Both Lync and Skype use their own proprietary calling technologies, and so aren’t compatible with other video and calling services.

Cisco Appeals EU Approval of Microsoft's $8.5 Billion Skype Acquistion - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Samsung Galaxy Note Review: Better as a Jotter, not a Talker - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

Check here for the full review + a video overview; for an accentuate-the-negative review, see Galaxy Note: Lame tablet, lousy smartphone (InfoWorld) and a PC Magazine review (“Bottom Line: the Samsung Galaxy Note is an unfortunate tweener, satisfying neither phone nor tablet buyers”)

After testing the Galaxy Note, I have decidedly mixed feelings about it. It isn’t a very practical phone and, as a tablet, it can’t match the experience of the iPad, which is more spacious and has over 150,000 apps designed for it. However, I can see where some folks might consider the 5-inch screen a good trade-off for much better portability than other tablets, and Samsung has done some very interesting work in making the stylus, which is stored in a slot on the device, useful.

Samsung Galaxy Note Review: Better as a Jotter, not a Talker - Walt Mossberg - Personal Technology - AllThingsD

Evernote For Schools Site: Resource for Using Evernote in Education « Evernote Blogcast

Great resources for people using Evernote in educational domains

As more teachers and students adopt new technologies, including Evernote, they’re looking for useful resources to help them along the way. We’re excited to introduce them to Evernote for Schools, our new microsite devoted to helping those in the education community use Evernote more effectively.

Evernote Encourages a Lifetime of Learning

Teachers and administrators who are looking to start their students on a path of lifelong learning can find a collection of resources at Evernote for Schools including education-related case studies, videos, and a discussion forum for connecting and sharing tips and ideas for using Evernote in a school setting. Students can use Evernote to organize all their content (notes, projects, worksheets, lists and more) on all the computers, phones and tablets they use, at school and at home. Evernote allows students to build on their learning year after year by carrying their work with them from school to school, without the heavy load of  backpacks and binders.

Evernote Premium For Schools

Looking to bring the Evernote experience to your school? Our new offering is the easiest (most cost-effective) way to put Evernote Premium accounts in the hands of everyone at your school. Evernote Premium for Schools offers all our features, services and benefits bundled together at a special education rate. It’s perfect for groups of teachers, classrooms, whole schools or entire districts. Learn More

Evernote For Schools Site: Resource for Using Evernote in Education « Evernote Blogcast

Apple Chief Unveils a New Product: Himself - NYTimes.com

Excerpt of a timely snapshot of the post-Steve Jobs Apple era

Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s new chief, showed on Tuesday how he planned to do things differently from his predecessor. Mr. Cook, who long handled the investor relations chores Mr. Jobs avoided, spoke at a Goldman Sachs conference on a wide range of topics, all the while displaying a bit more personality than he has in public presentations in the past. His appearance amounted to his most extensive public comments since he became chief of Apple in August, just weeks before the death of Mr. Jobs.

Apple Chief Unveils a New Product: Himself - NYTimes.com

Ex-Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz Connects Caregivers With New Site - Businessweek

Check the full article for more details

Two years after Sun Microsystems Inc.’s sale to Oracle Corp. ended his run as one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent chief executive officers, Jonathan Schwartz is resurfacing on a smaller stage.

Schwartz announced today the debut of CareZone, a startup website that lets family members and health-care workers share information about aging or ill parents, spouses and children. CareZone has seven employees, is funded with less than $2 million of Schwartz’s own money, and came about as a reaction to his need to care for older parents -- and a desire to try a different business than Sun’s, Schwartz said in an interview.

Ex-Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz Connects Caregivers With New Site - Businessweek

iPad 3 Rumor Roundup - Technology Review

It’s that time of year again; check the full article for a speculation summary

Try to contain your excitement, if you can. But various outlets are reporting that Apple will be launching its next iteration of the iPad on March 7. iMore’s Rene Ritchie fixed the date yesterday, citing “sources who have been reliable in the past”; the Loop’s Jim Dalrymple, who’s viewed as being credible for his 17 years of covering Apple products, then confirmed this with a simple “Yep” on his blog. We’ll still have to qualify this as a rumor, though.

iPad 3 Rumor Roundup - Technology Review

App Battles Driver Distraction but Spares Passengers - Technology Review

A hopeful leading indicator

Smart phones are a growing source of driver distraction, but researchers hope to use their capabilities to make the devices' use less dangerous. New sensing technology can determine whether a phone is being used by the driver, or merely a passenger, and is providing a building block for a new generation of distraction-thwarting apps.

Research shows that just talking on a phone increases the risk of a crash four times; texting increases it 23 times.

App Battles Driver Distraction but Spares Passengers - Technology Review

Apple, Suppliers Test Tablet With Smaller Screen - WSJ.com

Apparently not inclined to let Amazon dominate the smaller-screen tablet market

Officials at some of Apple's suppliers, who declined to be named, said the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has shown them screen designs for a new device with a screen size of around 8-inches, and said it is qualifying suppliers for it. Apple's latest tablet, the iPad 2, comes with a 9.7-inch screen. It was launched last year.

One person said the smaller device will have a similar resolution screen as the iPad 2.

Apple, Suppliers Test Tablet With Smaller Screen - WSJ.com

Google’s Deal for Motorola Mobility Gets Clearance - NYTimes.com

It’ll be fascinating to see what remains of Motorola Mobility a year from now

The deal, worth $12.5 billion, still needs a few more regional approvals but has cleared the biggest hurdles. It would bring Google 19,000 new employees, the lower margins of a manufacturing enterprise and the challenge of extending its very successful cellphone software business.

Google’s Deal for Motorola Mobility Gets Clearance - NYTimes.com

Apple Asks Outside Group to Inspect Factories - NYTimes.com

Leading by example

Corporate analysts say Apple’s shifts could incite widespread changes throughout the electronics industry, since a lot of companies use the same suppliers. They also said it seemed calculated to forestall the kind of public relations problems over labor issues that in previous decades afflicted companies like Nike, Gap and Disney. “This is a really big deal,” said Sasha Lezhnev at the Enough Project, a group focused on corporate accountability. “The whole industry has to follow whatever Apple does.”

Apple Asks Outside Group to Inspect Factories - NYTimes.com

Apple Captured a Fifth of U.S. Consumer Electronics Revenue in Holida - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Still room for Apple to grow…

By now it’s a truism that Apple’s killing it in the United States consumer electronics industry, but here’s one more piece of data to drive that point home: NPD says Apple captured 19 percent of all sales dollars of consumer electronics in the U.S. in the holiday quarter of 2011. That’s nearly twice the percentage captured by Hewlett-Packard, which ranked second on NPD’s list of the top five CE brands.

Apple Captured a Fifth of U.S. Consumer Electronics Revenue in Holida - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

The Real Reasons Apple Will Ship a 7-Inch iPad | Cult of Mac

The post continues with more Samsung Note “phablet” analysis and speculation about a 7” iPad (via Sameer Patel)

The real object of attraction for some users will be the phone’s giant screen. At 5.3 inches diagonally, the screen is one of the largest on the market. (By comparison, the iPhone’s is a 3.5-inch screen.) The device’s 800 x 1280 pixel resolution makes it seem even roomier than the diagonal measurement might suggest.

There are three classes of users who will be attracted to the big screen. The first is people who want a tablet, but one that fits in a pocket or purse and doesn’t require a second purchase. The Galaxy Note falls into a form factor called a “phablet” — both phone and tablet.

The second class is serious phone enthusiasts who download a lot of apps,  games and eBooks and want the biggest screen possible.

And the third is older people who struggle with normal-sized phones and their tiny screens and type sizes.

The Real Reasons Apple Will Ship a 7-Inch iPad | Cult of Mac

Whoa, A Lot Of Words From Microsoft on 'WOA' PCs - Digits - WSJ

Check the full article for a useful WOA summary

Steven Sinofsky, the head of Microsoft’s Windows business, on Thursday expended more than 8,000 words in a blog post about what he called WOA, a version of the forthcoming Windows 8 operating system that will work on new hardware using cellphone-style chips licensed by ARM Holdings.

The document is likely to be studied for months for clues about the company’s intentions. But here are some key messages:

Whoa, A Lot Of Words From Microsoft on 'WOA' PCs - Digits - WSJ

Digital Services Seek a Captive Consumer - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from an overview of the emerging battle of the ecosystems

“It’s not about brands or devices or platforms anymore,” said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner. “It’s about the ecosystem. The idea is to get consumers tied into that ecosystem as tightly as possible so they and their content are locked into one system.”

So Facebook, which has half of its users accessing it from mobile devices, has dabbled in phones and is said to be moving even more firmly in that direction. Apple, once just a computer maker, already gets most of its profit from mobile devices and is eyeing televisions, which would play content from iTunes.

Digital Services Seek a Captive Consumer - NYTimes.com

Fly Or Die: The Nokia Lumia 800 “Flagship” Windows Phone | TechCrunch

A more positive take on the Lumia 800

When you hold one in your hand, it’s clear that the smartphone wars are far from over. It is too easy to dismiss Windows Phone 7 as being too little, too late. (That was our first reaction too). No, it’s clear that Windows Phone has more than a fighting chance. Microsoft will make sure that the economics are much more attractive to the carriers than the iPhone’s so that they push Windows Phone. If consumers bite, Windows Phone could emerge as a very strong smartphone platform.

Fly Or Die: The Nokia Lumia 800 “Flagship” Windows Phone | TechCrunch

Lumia 800: Nokia’s Comeback? | Monday Note

Excerpt from an extensive Jean-Louis Gassée reality check

This is a well-made, elegantly designed, and capable phone. But let’s return to The Question: Is this the Killer Phone? Will the Lumia 800 and its siblings put Nokia and Microsoft back in contention? My answer is, regretfully, No.

The Lumia contains neither the revolutionary new features nor the fresh approach that any serious smartphone needs to compete with the two new giants, Samsung and Apple. The Korean company is very, very determined; it takes no prisoners — ask Sony. And Apple is no longer Little David fighting the Microsoft Goliath: Last quarter, the iPhone alone generated more revenue and profit than all of Microsoft.

Lumia 800: Nokia’s Comeback? | Monday Note

Apple worth more than Google, Microsoft combined - The Washington Post

Sign of the times

Apple’s been having a great week in the stock market and is now hovering at $495 per share as of noon Friday. The rally on the market also gave the Cupertino, Calif.-based company some additional bragging rights: As of Thursday morning, Apple’s market cap was bigger than the values of Google and Microsoft combined.

You read that right. Apple’s market cap is around $462 billion as of mid-Friday. Microsoft’s is about $257 billion and Google’s weighs in at about $197 billion.

Apple worth more than Google, Microsoft combined - The Washington Post

T.M.I. - I Don’t Want to Know - NYTimes.com

Too much friends’ personal information = bad for you

Shelly [sic] Turkle, a psychologist and author of “Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less From Each Other,” spoke of the effects. “People pay a psychological price for seeing information about former friends and spouses and colleagues that they really shouldn’t be seeing,” she said. It’s not good for our emotional health and, she said, “It makes people feel bad because they know they shouldn’t look at this stuff — but they can’t help it!”

A study published last month in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking found that the more time people spent on Facebook, the happier they perceived their friends to be and the sadder they felt as a consequence.

T.M.I. - I Don’t Want to Know - NYTimes.com

Electronic Security a Worry in an Age of Digital Espionage - NYTimes.com

Check the full article for some extreme travel tips

What might have once sounded like the behavior of a paranoid is now standard operating procedure for officials at American government agencies, research groups and companies that do business in China and Russia — like Google, the State Department and the Internet security giant McAfee. Digital espionage in these countries, security experts say, is a real and growing threat — whether in pursuit of confidential government information or corporate trade secrets.

“If a company has significant intellectual property that the Chinese and Russians are interested in, and you go over there with mobile devices, your devices will get penetrated,” said Joel F. Brenner, formerly the top counterintelligence official in the office of the director of national intelligence.

Electronic Security a Worry in an Age of Digital Espionage - NYTimes.com

WinInfo Short Takes: WOA! Look Out Apple, Microsoft is Getting the Tablet Right

Paul Thurrott summarizes the best-case for Microsoft, but imho far from likely, Windows 8 ARM tablet scenario (i.e., Windows 8 ARM tablets do to the iPad what Windows did to the Mac, many years ago); I do agree, in any case, that Office 15 (especially OneNote) appears to be Microsoft’s best hope for Windows tablet momentum-building

After months of silly silence in the face of hundreds of legitimate questions from customers, businesses, developers, and the tech press, Microsoft suddenly and unexpected unveiled (most of) its plans for ARM-based Windows 8 tablets. I've got the details (of course) in Microsoft Finally Explains Windows 8 on ARM: Desktop and Office 15 Applications Will Be Included, as well as an accompanying screenshot gallery. But the big takeaway here is simple. Windows on ARM, or "WOA," as Microsoft calls it, looks like more than a credible answer to the iPad. In fact, it looks like something that will relegate the iPad to the backwater of the tablet market, much as Windows did to the Mac. And they will ship with full, but touch-enabled, versions of the coming Office 15 apps, which should be a neat final nail in the coffin of those overpriced luxury items from Cupertino. Last year, the Kindle Fire proved that a low-priced device could quickly chip away at the iPad's dominance. This year, ARM-based Windows 8 tablets are going to accelerate the iPad's decline. And I'm not the only one who thinks so.  This is a big deal, people. The only question is why Microsoft sat on this for so long. Windows on ARM looks awesome.

WinInfo Short Takes: February 10, 2012

Microsoft: Windows 8 on ARM to 'include' some Office 15 apps | ZDNet

An intriguing Office 15 reality check from Mary Jo Foley; also see Microsoft unveils Office 15 Metro design look and feel (The Verge)

My biggest question after reading today’s post is what does “include” mean here, in terms of these four Office apps being “included” with Windows 8? Will these four Office 15 apps will be bundled on Windows 8 ARM PCs and tablets? Will they be free? Will these simply be new versions of the existing Office Web Apps — the Webified versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote that Microsoft already offers for free?

Microsoft: Windows 8 on ARM to 'include' some Office 15 apps | ZDNet

Google's Foray Into Hardware Will Be A Total Disaster — Here's Why [Business Insider]

Excerpt from another Google magical-hardware reality check

Google has never successfully sold anything to consumers. Not a single thing.

Google is really good at building fast, useful, responsive software that runs at Internet scale, and at hooking up the users of that software with advertisers to make gobs of money.

That's a great business. Google utterly dominates it. There are untapped adjacent markets, too -- what about getting serious about Apps, taking its expertise in delivering online services and really applying them to the enterprise? (Is Google really going to cede that market to Box.net? Really?)

Or building YouTube into the cable TV system for the Internet?

Or even coming up with new forms of advertising for other kinds of media?

But adding a business in which it has demonstrated none of the characteristics necessary to succeed just seems utterly mad.

Google's Foray Into Hardware Will Be A Total Disaster — Here's Why

Google's first hire, Craig Silverstein, leaves for start-up - latimes.com

Inspirational; also see Steven Levy’s perspective

Google's first hired employee, Craig Silverstein, is leaving the tech giant where he's worked since its founding to sign on with the rising education start-up Khan Academy.

[…]

Google emailed a statement confirming Silverstein's departure from the company:

"Craig's been with Google since the early days. He was instrumental in the development of search and made numerous contributions to Google over the years. We wish him all the best at the Khan Academy and know that he will do great things to help them promote education around the world."

Shantanu Sinha, the president and COO of Khan Academy, also emailed a statement on the group's latest hire, saying:

"We are thrilled to have Craig Silverstein join our team. His deep technical knowledge and organization-building experience will be extremely valuable to us as we grow as an organization. We are excited that talented individuals like Craig believe so passionately in our mission and are willing to join us in our quest of providing a world-class education to anyone, anywhere."

Google's first hire, Craig Silverstein, leaves for start-up - latimes.com

Just Ahead: Cars That Tweet, Buy Tickets - WSJ.com

Be afraid, be very afraid…

Undaunted by fear of safety regulations, auto makers are piling new technologies into their vehicles: everything from 17-inch dashboard screens to services that check Facebook and buy movie tickets.

This newfound confidence comes as a push for national regulations governing driving and cellphone use—including the suggestion of a total ban—has petered out.

Just Ahead: Cars That Tweet, Buy Tickets - WSJ.com

Google at Work on an ‘Entertainment Device’ - NYTimes.com

My initial inclination, upon seeing this storyline in the NYT, WSJ, and Bloomberg Businessweek this morning, was to make a snarky comment about the lackluster-to-date leading indicators in Google TV 1.0, Google Music, and Google Books, but there is a subtly significant dimension: Motorola’s set-top box business, which will likely soon become Google’s set-top box business

Google is developing a home entertainment device, according to people with knowledge of the company’s plans, in a move that would bring it more broadly into consumer electronics.

The device, which exists as a prototype and will eventually be sold as a branded item to consumers, is the company’s most significant venture into hardware. While the initial purpose of the device will be for streaming music, the eventual use could be much wider.

Google at Work on an ‘Entertainment Device’ - NYTimes.com

Amazon Prepping New 7- and 9-Inch Kindle Fires for Midyear? - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

Considering my experience with my Kindle 2 over the last couple years, and my initial Kindle Fire impressions (mostly from a distance; I don’t own one), I’d prefer a more svelte ~7: Kindle Fire than one super-sized to iPad dimensions, at this point (in part because I also expect to continue being an iPad user…).  I’m also still tempted by the Samsung Note smartphone/tablet tweener…  In any case, it’s not surprising that Amazon wishes to avoid pulling an Osborne, and likely won’t announce the next wave of Kindle Fire devices until they’re ready to ship.  Tangentially, I won’t be surprised if the next wave of Kindle Fire devices is based on Samsung hardware, but that’s just a hunch.

Pacific Crest analyst Chad Bartley this week raised his Fire sales estimate for this very reason. “We are raising our 2012 sales forecasts to 14.9 million from 12.7 million,” he wrote. “But we believe there is an upward bias, particularly from the new 7- and 9-inch models, which we expect to launch in mid-2012.”

It’s been speculated upon before, but it’s interesting to hear that Amazon may have a 9-inch version of the Fire headed to market later this year, particularly now that we know Apple’s iPad 3 will debut next month. Makes you wonder how the retailer’s loss-leader strategy will translate to the larger-screen tablet market that Apple dominates.

Amazon Prepping New 7- and 9-Inch Kindle Fires for Midyear? - John Paczkowski - Mobile - AllThingsD

LinkedIn Profit Jumps 30 Percent as Revenue More Than Doubles - John Letzing - Social - AllThingsD

Fortuitous timing for Facebook IPO fans

LinkedIn Corp.’s profit jumped 30 percent and its revenue more than doubled in its latest quarter, providing a lift to the young social-networking industry ahead of Facebook Inc.’s public offering later this year.

LinkedIn Profit Jumps 30 Percent as Revenue More Than Doubles - John Letzing - Social - AllThingsD

Turing's Enduring Importance - Technology Review

Check the full article for a synopsis of Turing’s life and work

Many histories of computing give the impression that it was a straightforward set of engineering decisions to use punch cards, then relays, then tubes, and finally transistors to build computing machines. But it wasn't. General-purpose machines required Turing's fundamental insight that data and code can be represented the same way. And keep in mind that all of today's computers were developed with the help of slower computers, which in turn were designed with slower computers still. If Turing had not made his discovery when he did, the computer revolution might have been delayed by decades.

Turing's Enduring Importance - Technology Review

Report: Google gets Drive cloud storage ready to roll (GigaOM)

It’ll be interesting (and ominous for Dropbox, Box.net, and others) to see if this perennial projection comes to fruition this time around; also see Google Is Painting A Big Fat Target On Dropbox (Business Insider)

Google is finally about to big-foot its way into the cloud storage business, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

With its “Drive” or “G-drive” service — which has been talked about for some time — Google would take on some very popular consumer-oriented cloud storage entrants, notably Dropbox and Apple’s iCloud. People use these services as virtual closets for their digital photos, documents and music. Once their material is in the cloud, they can access it from many devices.

http://gigaom.com/cloud/report-google-gets-drive-cloud-storage-ready-to-roll/

Android Phones Go on a Power Trip - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

Final paragraphs of a review of the latest high-end Android smartphones

Android still feels disjointed in spots. Why do we still have to use different apps for Gmail and all other e-mail? And there’s no standard connector in a standard spot, so there’s no universe of docks, alarm clocks, car adapters as there is with the Apple gadgets.

Still, Android is coming on strong; all manufacturers considered, it’s outselling the iPhone. Android’s latest surge toward power and polish should thrill almost everyone. The possible exception: anyone whose three-month-old Android phone is suddenly obsolete.

Android Phones Go on a Power Trip - State of the Art - NYTimes.com

LinkedIn Is Acquiring Contacts Start-Up Rapportive - Liz Gannes - Social - AllThingsD

LinkedIn rumored to be augmented with contextual Gmail communication/collaboration tools

Rapportive, which is still available only for Gmail, overlays an email correspondent’s social networking accounts alongside open messages and drafts. So, for instance, you can see a person’s most recent tweet and mention it in your email to them. Or you can realize that you’re not connected on LinkedIn to a person you just had a meeting with, and rectify that.

Rapportive hasn’t publicly disclosed how many people use it, but in September, Vohra was quoted as saying Rapportive users viewed more than 65 million contacts per month. He also said at the time that the company was preparing to sell premium products.

LinkedIn Is Acquiring Contacts Start-Up Rapportive - Liz Gannes - Social - AllThingsD

Yahoo’s Shakeup Puts Pressure on Directors to Sell Asian Assets - Businessweek

Looking likely further disintegration is in Yahoo’s near-term future

Under Bostock and co-founder Jerry Yang, who severed ties to Yahoo last month, the company has faced criticism for spurning a takeover offer by Microsoft Corp., losing search- market share to Google Inc. and failing to extract value from Asian assets, including a stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. The board, aiming to please investors, may make more of an effort to sell the Asian investments, said Herman Leung, an analyst at Susquehanna International Group in San Francisco.

“With Jerry gone and now Bostock gone, it’s kind of a changing of regime in its entirety -- something needs to happen with the Asian assets,” said Leung, who rates the stock “neutral.” “There are no more excuses.”

Yahoo’s Shakeup Puts Pressure on Directors to Sell Asian Assets - Businessweek

Google's Android and Chrome, Together At Last - Digits - WSJ

Some shiny new Chrome – but only if you have one of the latest Android devices

Followers of Google in recent years have wondered why the company was developing two separate computer operating systems—Android and Chrome—and whether the technologies behind them would converge.

[…]

Chrome is now available through the Android Market for mobile apps but only on newer devices such as the Galaxy Nexus or Xoom tablet. The vast majority of Android devices won’t have access to Chrome.

Lily Lin, a spokeswoman for Google, said the company was “evaluating bringing Chrome to all platforms,” including Apple and Microsoft mobile devices.

Google's Android and Chrome, Together At Last - Digits - WSJ

A Textbook Case of iPad Fun With Studying - Katherine Boehret - The Digital Solution - AllThingsD

From a detailed iBooks 2 review

This week, I tested a one-stop solution to much of that which ails textbooks: Apple’s iBooks 2. This redesigned iPad app offers enhanced educational textbooks that are, for now, focused on high-school students and cost no more than $15 each. Apple’s smallest and least expensive iPad can store roughly eight to 10 textbooks, along with other content. (High schoolers have an average of four textbooks a year, according to Apple.) The iPad itself weighs just over one pound.

These electronic textbooks include interactive materials that seem like they should’ve been available long ago: multiple-choice questions that can be answered with taps on the screen, embedded videos, dynamic diagrams that change with touch gestures and flash cards for studying important terms in a book.

A Textbook Case of iPad Fun With Studying - Katherine Boehret - The Digital Solution - AllThingsD

What Wikipedia Won’t Tell You - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from a provocative information responsibility perspective piece by the chief executive of the Recording Industry Association of America

The hyperbolic mistruths, presented on the home pages of some of the world’s most popular Web sites, amounted to an abuse of trust and a misuse of power. When Wikipedia and Google purport to be neutral sources of information, but then exploit their stature to present information that is not only not neutral but affirmatively incomplete and misleading, they are duping their users into accepting as truth what are merely self-serving political declarations.

As it happens, the television networks that actively supported SOPA and PIPA didn’t take advantage of their broadcast credibility to press their case. That’s partly because “old media” draws a line between “news” and “editorial.” Apparently, Wikipedia and Google don’t recognize the ethical boundary between the neutral reporting of information and the presentation of editorial opinion as fact.

What Wikipedia Won’t Tell You - NYTimes.com

OneNote Blog - OneNote Mobile for Android is now available worldwide

This probably comes as a significant and very positive surprise to a lot of OneNote users; check the full post for details and screen shots

For all of you who've been asking (and patiently waiting) for a version of OneNote for your Android phones, we have great news: OneNote Mobile for Android is now available! Download it from the Android Market app store today!

Mobile versions of OneNote are currently available on Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad, and now Android. No matter which platform you prefer, OneNote Mobile lets you easily capture and access all of your notes and ideas on the go.

[…]

OneNote Blog - OneNote Mobile for Android is now available worldwide

CHART OF THE DAY: Apple Is Pulling In 40% Of All Mobile Industry Revenue, And 75% Of All Mobile Profits [Business Insider]

#StructuralCompetitiveAdvantage

The lines on the chart are trailing four quarters data to give you a look at the overall trend. Head over to Asymco for more on what it means for Apple and the industry →

CHART OF THE DAY: Apple Is Pulling In 40% Of All Mobile Industry Revenue, And 75% Of All Mobile Profits

Prey takes over your devices to keep thieves under surveillance - Chicago Sun-Times

Interesting times

Conventional spyware is a piece of code that invisibly tracks a user’s movements and habits without his or her knowledge, and silently reports what it learns back to an evil enterprise (which we can define as anything from “A Russian crime syndicate” to “Facebook”). Prey is a special kind of “white hat” spyware that lies dormant and never tracks a device’s legitimate user. But when your hardware is stolen, you can remotely activate Prey and it’ll begin to invisibly and regularly report the hardware’s location, and the thief’s activity, back to you. Prey isn’t designed to make your life miserable; it’s designed to help you get your gear back.

Prey takes over your devices to keep thieves under surveillance - Chicago Sun-Times

56% Of Time Spent On Social Is Wasted | Forrester Blogs

From a George Colony social reality check

Respondents to my one question survey report that 56% of the time they spend on social is wasted.

While hardly scientific, this result gives credence to the views I expressed at Le Web that we are heading into a Post Social (POSO) period. In POSO, a new wave of social tools will emerge that are: easier to use, more filtered, more efficient, more private, faster, and offer a better value/time proposition.

56% Of Time Spent On Social Is Wasted | Forrester Blogs

Brier Dudley's Blog | Apple, Samsung drive 61 percent smartphone surge | Seattle Times Newspaper

Check the full article for more details

Samsung and Apple are neck and neck for the leading market share, after a phenomenal year for Samsung.

Samsung's unit sales grew 310 percent to 94 million phones, while Apple's sales grew 96 percent to 93.2 million phones. That left Samsung with a 19.1 percent market share and Apple with 19 percent, according to IDC's report.

[…]

Brier Dudley's Blog | Apple, Samsung drive 61 percent smartphone surge | Seattle Times Newspaper

Kindle-wielding Amazon dips toes into physical world - Yahoo! News

Would the rest of the retail world complain about no longer being Amazon’s showroom?

At a conference in late 2011 run by the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, some industry players hinted that Amazon might launch a retail store presence like Apple to let consumers test its gadgets, according to Cowen & Co. analyst Jim Friedland.

"The primary goal of the test is to determine if a physical retail presence can accelerate sales of Kindle devices and follow-on consumption of digital content at an attractive return on invested capital," Friedland wrote in a note to investors on Monday. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment.

Kindle-wielding Amazon dips toes into physical world - Yahoo! News

Wolfram Alpha Pro democratizes data analysis: an in-depth look at the $4.99 a month service | The Verge

Also see Wolfram, a Search Engine, Finds Answers Within Itself (NYT)

On Wednesday, February 8th, Wolfram Alpha will be adding a new, "Pro" option to its already existing services. Priced at a very reasonable $4.99 a month ($2.99 for students), the new services includes the ability to use images, files, and even your own data as inputs instead of simple text entry. The "reports" that Wolfram Alpha kicks out as a result of these (or any) query are also beefed up for Pro users, some will actually become interactive charts and all of them can be more easily exported in a variety of formats. We sat down with Stephen Wolfram himself to get a tour of the new features and to discuss what they mean for his goal of "making the world's knowledge computable."

Wolfram Alpha Pro democratizes data analysis: an in-depth look at the $4.99 a month service | The Verge

Apple's iPhone Business Alone Is Now Bigger Than All Of Microsoft [Business Insider]

Signs of the times

Tech writer MG Siegler just noted a remarkable fact:

Apple's iPhone business alone is now bigger than Microsoft.

Not Windows. Not Office. Microsoft.

[…]

The iPhone also appears to be considerably more profitable than Microsoft.

In the December quarter, Apple's iPhone business generated $24.4 billion of revenue. Microsoft's whole company, meanwhile, from Windows to Office to servers to XBox, generated $20.9 billion.

If we assume that Apple generates the same operating profit margin on its iPhone business that it generates on its overall business--38%--the iPhone business generated about $9.3 billion of profit in the December quarter.

All of Microsoft, meanwhile, generated only $8.2 billion.

Apple's iPhone Business Alone Is Now Bigger Than All Of Microsoft

Facebook: The Revenge of the Nerds | Monday Note

Excerpt from some insightful Facebook analysis

The Washington Post’s Wonkblog put Facebook’s performance in graphic perspective:

Take a look at the number of employees: a mere 3,200. With 3.7B in revenue, that works out to $1.2M per worker. Turning to cash per worker ($3.9B / 3,200 = $1.2M), Facebook is about as rich as Uncle Apple’s $1.3M cash per “full-time equivalent” employee. It’s a remarkable achievement for any company, and unheard of for one so young.

Facebook: The Revenge of the Nerds | Monday Note

A New Net - Technology Review

Aiming high

A startup called Nicira is launching a product today with the audacious goal of making all Internet services smarter, faster, and cheaper

[…]

Ben Horowitz, a partner in the investment firm Andreessen-Horowitz, says he and his partner Marc Andreessen, a cofounder of Netscape, quickly realized that Nicira was delivering something long overdue in computing. "The total lack of innovation in networking compared to operating systems or storage had been bothering us for a while," he says. "It was holding back the industry." After meeting Casado, Horowitz invested in Nicira and joined its board. He saw in Nicira echoes of VMware, a company that helped set off the cloud computing boom and has a market capitalization of $40 billion. VMware's software creates virtual computers inside a server, boosting the efficiency of data centers and driving down the cost of servers. Nicira's software promises a similar instant upgrade to what a data center can do, by removing the efficiency bottleneck imposed by networks.

A New Net - Technology Review

Hide From Google - Wired How-To Wiki

Some useful tips, if you’re inclined to limit Google’s view of you/your activities

"If you're not paying for something, you're not the customer; you're the product being sold." —blue_beetle, Metafilter discussion.

Google started off the new year by announcing that they will be changing their privacy policies so that they can create more detailed profiles of their users. Starting March 1st, 2012, Google will combine information from user’s Gmail, Google Search history, YouTube, and other services. Prior to this change, Google profiled their users, but restricted the profile data use to the service from which the data was collected.

Because we have come to rely on web services so much in our day-to-day activities, it simply isn't an option to stop using search, webmail, and social networking. But there are ways for heavy users to keep a low profile so that, should Google turn decidedly evil, you won't be completely at their mercy. If you are concerned about the amount of information that Google knows about you for whatever reason, here are some techniques you can use to guard your privacy online.

Hide From Google - Wired How-To Wiki

What was the true genesis of Craigslist? - Quora

Check the first answer to this Quora question for Craig Newmark’s summary

There are a number of different stories of why (and how) Craig Newmark started Craigslist. Seeing Craigslist today, you can tell that it's a massive marketplace but it's not optimized for profit & revenues. So what was it that Craig wanted to build? How did he go about laying the foundation?

What was the true genesis of Craigslist? - Quora

Facebook’s Mobility Challenge - NYTimes.com

Have you ever clicked on a Facebook ad, on a PC or a smartphone?

Facebook is not the only company struggling to translate the success of its Web site to mobile devices, where screen space is at a premium and people have little patience for clutter or slow loading times. It is a problem that plagues companies as diverse as news publishers and the streaming radio service Pandora, and it is likely to loom larger. There were more global shipments of smartphones than of personal computers in 2011, according to a recent report from Canalys, a research firm.

But the issue seems particularly urgent in the case of Facebook, which is wildly popular among its users and is seen as a company of the future, a hybrid of social hub and information conduit, platform and publisher. In other words, if Facebook cannot figure it out, who can?

Facebook’s Mobility Challenge - NYTimes.com

Apple Updates iBooks Author With Better EULA Wording [The Next Web]

Check the link below for details

Apple has updated its iBooks Author app in order to clarify the language of its End User License Agreement. The changes to the EULA clarify that Apple does indeed intend the packaged product to be sold on the iBookstore only, but also make it clear that it does not lay claim to the content that you use to create the book, nor does it try to limit what you can do with that content elsewhere.

Apple Updates iBooks Author With Better EULA Wording

It’s Not Whether Google’s Threatened. It’s Asking Ourselves: What Commons Do We Wish For? | John Battelle's Search Blog

First paragraph of a timely Web reality check; also see Facebook, Google, and the Future of the Online 'Commons' (James Fallows)

If Facebook’s IPO filing does anything besides mint a lot of millionaires, it will be to shine a rather unsettling light on a fact most of us would rather not acknowledge: The web as we know it is rather like our polar ice caps: under severe, long-term attack by forces of our own creation.

It’s Not Whether Google’s Threatened. It’s Asking Ourselves: What Commons Do We Wish For? | John Battelle's Search Blog

Facebook Is Using You - NYTimes.com

For two timely dystopian Facebook reality checks, see this NYT opinion piece and also Evgeny Morozov’s The Death of the Cyberflâneur; tangentially, on Google, see Who Does Google Think You Are? (Bloomberg BusinessWeek).  A couple things to keep in mind, from my perspective: 1) scripta manent (assume everything you write down and share, one way or another, will eventually be public information) and 2) there is no such thing as a free Internet service (e.g., with Facebook and Google, you are bartering personal information every time you visit the sites); people who remain circumspect about these realities and their on-line activities are more likely to avoid the dystopian downside dimensions. 

LAST week, Facebook filed documents with the government that will allow it to sell shares of stock to the public. It is estimated to be worth at least $75 billion. But unlike other big-ticket corporations, it doesn’t have an inventory of widgets or gadgets, cars or phones. Facebook’s inventory consists of personal data — yours and mine.

Facebook Is Using You - NYTimes.com

The Upside of Dyslexia - NYTimes.com

For a similar perspective on the upside of autism, see The Age of the Infovore: Succeeding in the Information Economy

THE word “dyslexia” evokes painful struggles with reading, and indeed this learning disability causes much difficulty for the estimated 15 percent of Americans affected by it. Since the phenomenon of “word blindness” was first documented more than a century ago, scientists have searched for the causes of dyslexia, and for therapies to treat it. In recent years, however, dyslexia research has taken a surprising turn: identifying the ways in which people with dyslexia have skills that are superior to those of typical readers. The latest findings on dyslexia are leading to a new way of looking at the condition: not just as an impediment, but as an advantage, especially in certain artistic and scientific fields.

The Upside of Dyslexia - NYTimes.com

Employers and Brands Use Gaming to Gauge Engagement - NYTimes.com

A timely gamification reality check; tangentially, on incentive systems, also see When Life Is a Bunch of Carrots

Gamification may not sound novel to members of frequent-flier or hotel loyalty programs who have strategized for years about ways to game extra points. But those kinds of membership programs offer concrete rewards like upgrades, free flights or free hotel stays. What’s new about gamification is its goal of motivating people with virtual awards, like a mayoralty on FourSquare, that have little or no monetary value.

“It’s deepening the engagement and exposure to the brand through something that has intangible value,” says Emily Murphy, a researcher at Forrester Research where she was a co-author of a recent report on gamification.

Employers and Brands Use Gaming to Gauge Engagement - NYTimes.com

Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, Staying on Message - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from an extensive Facebook COO profile

Her attention to women has paid off for the business in other ways, too, investors and analysts say.

Ms. Sandberg has said that women drive 62 percent of activity on Facebook in terms of status updates, messages and comment. Women also drive 71 percent of daily fan activity. Women have 8 percent more Facebook friends than men, on average, and spend more time on the site. In Facebook’s early days, women were first to upload photographs, join groups and post to walls.

“It’s no secret that women are an incredibly powerful market segment, buying online and making decisions in the digital world many times a day,” said Aileen Lee, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the venture capital firm, which has invested in Facebook and several start-ups led by women.

Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, Staying on Message - NYTimes.com

Paulo Coelho calls on readers to pirate books | Books | guardian.co.uk

I’m guessing, from the final sentence below, that Coelho does not have much experience with Kindle devices (via The New Yorker)

Although Coelho admitted that as an author he should be defending intellectual property, he went on to call on the "pirates of the world" to "unite and pirate everything" he has ever written.

"The good old days, when each idea had an owner, are gone forever. First, because all anyone ever does is recycle the same four themes: a love story between two people, a love triangle, the struggle for power, and the story of a journey. Second, because all writers want what they write to be read, whether in a newspaper, blog, pamphlet, or on a wall," he said. "The more often we hear a song on the radio, the keener we are to buy the CD. It's the same with literature. The more people 'pirate' a book, the better. If they like the beginning, they'll buy the whole book the next day, because there's nothing more tiring than reading long screeds of text on a computer screen."

Paulo Coelho calls on readers to pirate books | Books | guardian.co.uk

Refurbished Motorola Xooms Sold With Data From Previous Owners‎ - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Oops

The company said today that 100 of the 6,200 it sold through Woot.com between October and December of 2011 may not have been properly reformatted.

In other words, they still contained the personal information of their previous owners — everything from email and social networking passwords to photos and documents.

Refurbished Motorola Xooms Sold With Data From Previous Owners‎ - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Windows Phone Developer Exec Leaving for Amazon - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Small world

Brandon Watson, who has been heading up Microsoft’s efforts to convince programmers to develop for Windows Phone, is leaving the company for Seattle-area neighbor Amazon.

“The rumors are true,” Watson said in a Twitter post. “The team is in great hands.”

At Amazon, Watson will lead a group working on Kindle applications for various Amazon-made and non-Amazon devices.

Windows Phone Developer Exec Leaving for Amazon - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Facebook chief faces tax bill of $1.5bn - FT.com

Perhaps Mitt Romney could provide some timely tax tips

Mark Zuckerberg faces a tax liability of more than $1.5bn this year, vaulting the Facebook co-founder into the leagues of all-time highest taxpayers and leaving a big question mark over his company’s initial public offering.

The taxes will fall due on a vast profit of nearly $5bn that Mr Zuckerberg, 27, plans to take on stock options he was handed in 2005 for acting as Facebook’s chief executive.

Facebook chief faces tax bill of $1.5bn - FT.com

Information Diet | Clicks Have Consequences

Another timely insight from the author of The Information Diet

This is what I mean when I say that "clicks have consequences": our information diets online have an ethical consequence to our social community. By watching video of the adorable kittens or by reading online that story about the Kardashians, you're not only doing yourself a disservice, you're actually telling editors to write more stuff like that, at the expense of other stuff. The ethical consequences of a poor information diet are more direct and immediate than the environmental consequences of eating meat.

[…]

This isn't something I say to scare you or fear-monger you into behavioral change. Rather, it's good news because the solution is simple. If you want better content and better journalism, you have the ability to make it happen. Consume consciously and deliberately select your information providers, and make the media chase after you.

Information Diet | Clicks Have Consequences

Does Siri Speak the Language of Love? A New Book Investigates - NYTimes.com

Sign of the times – and, I’m guessing, an ELIZA 2.0 story (I haven’t read the book)

Blue Rider Press said in a news release that “Siri & Me” chronicles a character named Dave, “a 29-year-old writer and blogger, who falls in love with the mysterious—and often cryptic—woman living inside of his new iPhone.” The publisher added: “Through their trials and tender moments, Dave and Siri both prove that communication is the key to every relationship, but that nothing is more important than holding hands with the one you love.”

Does Siri Speak the Language of Love? A New Book Investigates - NYTimes.com

Information Pleas: Networks Resort to Trickery in an Attempt to Lift Ratings - NYTimes.com

Check the full post for analysis by Joe Maguire, and stop watching TV “news,” if you haven’t done so already…

For those who follow information responsibility, here’s a story that has a little bit of everything:

• A widespread tolerance of cynical data distortion, all to manipulate ratings and rankings.
• Distortion of category boundaries to exclude unwanted data points.
• Distortion of category boundaries to include desirable data points.
• Manipulation of idiosyncratic metrics.
• Abuse of the news cycle.
• Anemic enforcement of ethical standards.
• An exclusive set of informed consumers who are not hoodwinked.

Information Pleas: Networks Resort to Trickery in an Attempt to Lift Ratings - NYTimes.com

Facebook’s new friend request: political insiders - The Washington Post

Investing long-term

Facebook has studied mistakes by older rivals, such as Google and Microsoft, and is responding quickly, experts say, by strategically hiring experienced Democratic and Republican operatives. The company has brought on key operatives from the past three administrations.

Last year it hired Marne Levine, who was chief of staff to Obama’s former chief economic adviser Larry Summers, as head of global public policy in Washington. General counsel Theodore Ullyot was deputy assistant to President George W. Bush. Joe Lockhart, Facebook’s vice president of communications, was President Bill Clinton’s press secretary.

Facebook’s new friend request: political insiders - The Washington Post

No "Facebook fatigue" for longtime users: survey - Yahoo! News

Another Pew summary

A survey released on Friday shows that people who have used the social networking site over a long period - since its founding in 2004, say - show no sign that they are tired of posting pictures, updating weekend plans or just relaying random thoughts.

[…]

Ahead of the IPO, one concern about Facebook has been that users will simply bore of it after a while, a phenomenon known as "Facebook fatigue." The Pew research suggests those worries may be unfounded.

No "Facebook fatigue" for longtime users: survey - Yahoo! News

Facebook’s IPO filing sends Zynga stock soaring - SlashGear

A happy halo effect for Zynga

With big expectations for Facebook IPO filing, Zynga’s own stock has soared since the IPO paperwork was filed. In fact, since the Facebook IPO filing Zynga’s market cap has climbed over $1 billion thanks to the increase in stock prices for Zynga. Apparently, Zynga stock was trading at the close of market early this week for $10.96 per share, which is a bit higher than the $10 per share price in December when the company made its IPO. Yesterday, Zynga stock opened at $11.05 and the price went up to $12.81 per share at its peak.

Facebook’s IPO filing sends Zynga stock soaring - SlashGear

Altova Blog: Data Exchange for the Mobile Workforce

Check the full post for an overview of how Altova tackles a long-standing problem with XML and innovative tools (it’s post-90s “store form in document,” for those who speak Notes…)

Organizations have been forced to adapt many of their internal business processes to accommodate an increasingly mobile workforce. Although there are technological solutions that address many of today’s communication needs, the plethora of different document formats in use – even within the same organization – means that some tasks remain vexing. For example, how does an organization remain flexible enough to facilitate the exchange of data among mobile workers yet retain the ability to bring that data into internal IT systems?

[…]

Altova Blog: Data Exchange for the Mobile Workforce

RIM Offering Free PlayBook Tablets to Android Developers - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Better than taking up valuable landfill space, I suppose

Research In Motion plans to give away tablets to Android developers who quickly port their apps to run on the PlayBook device.

RIM developer executive Alec Saunders mentioned the program in a Twitter message on Thursday, with the company offering up a few more details on its Web site.

RIM Offering Free PlayBook Tablets to Android Developers - Ina Fried - Mobile - AllThingsD

Pew Report: On Facebook, We Get More Love Than We Give - Liz Gannes - Social - AllThingsD

See the source article and/or Pew report for more stats and analysis

We receive significantly more likes, messages, tags and friend requests from our Facebook friends than we send out ourselves, according to a new Pew Internet report.

In one month, Pew study participants liked other people’s Facebook content an average of 14 times, and had their own Facebook content liked 20 times. They sent nine personal messages, and received 12. Twelve percent of them tagged friends in photos, and 35 percent were themselves tagged in at least one photo. Forty percent made a friend request and 63 percent received one. Every category showed that same pattern.

Pew Report: On Facebook, We Get More Love Than We Give - Liz Gannes - Social - AllThingsD

Windows Phone 8 Preview [Windows IT Pro]

More details on Microsoft’s multifaceted bet-the-company strategy on Windows 8; check the full article for more perspectives from Paul Thurrott

Windows Phone 8, codenamed Apollo, will be based on the Windows 8 kernel and not on Windows CE as are current versions. This will not impact app compatibility: Microsoft expects to have over 100,000 Windows Phone 7.5-compatible apps available by the time WP8 launches, and they will all work fine on this new OS.

Windows Phone 8, as its name suggests, will also be tied closely to the desktop version of Windows 8 in other ways. They'll be launched closely to each other, and will share integrated ecosystems, thanks to the shared underlying code, components, and user experiences. Windows Phone 8 is part of the "Windows Reimagined" campaign that Microsoft announced for Windows 8. This makes sense as they're companion products in every sense of the word.

Windows Phone 8 Preview

Modeling Reality. Really. Conceptual: Huh Wuh Now? | erstudio.com

Excerpt from a new blog focused on modeling realities

Let the debunking begin. Last time we said that data modeling is difficult for various reasons, some legitimate and some silly, and that we’d scrutinize some of the silly ones. One reason: People misunderstand the nature of conceptual modeling.

First some basic definitions. […]

• A conceptual data model is a technology-neutral expression of the kinds of data that some person or organization values. To stress the point, I sometimes say “technology-agnostic” or even “technology-apathetic.”  When you are building a conceptual data model, you should not care about technology. (Hard to realize in practice, but let’s at least get the definitions right.)
• A logical data model is also an expression of kinds of data, as that data would be represented by a particular technology paradigm such as the relational model.
• A physical data model is also an expression of kinds of data, as that data would be represented in a particular implementation in a particular product, such as a specific version of Oracle Database or Microsoft SQL Server.

Modeling Reality. Really. Conceptual: Huh Wuh Now? | erstudio.com

Zuckerberg Controlling 57% of Facebook Seen as Risk to Investors - Businessweek

Planning for the very long-term

Mark Zuckerberg’s majority control over Facebook Inc. puts too much power in the hands of one person and may deter potential investors in the company’s initial public offering, corporate-governance experts said.

The chief executive officer has 56.9 percent of voting power, the Menlo Park, California-based company said yesterday in its prospectus to investors. He also has the ability to designate a successor in the event he still controls the company at the time of his death, Facebook said in the filing.

Zuckerberg Controlling 57% of Facebook Seen as Risk to Investors - Businessweek

Scanner Apps Make Digital Versions of Paper Documents - NYTimes.com

Excerpt from an overview of why you can probably retire your home fax machine; some of the scanning apps also integrate with Evernote (which includes optical character recognition for images) and/or Dropbox

[…] For the price you might pay to send a fax from the local copy shop, you can buy an app that scans documents, builds PDF files and exports them without all the hardware headaches.

Free apps like JotNot Scanner are a good entry point for cautious buyers, but on Apple, at least, paid apps like TurboScan ($2), Scanner Pro ($7) and JotNot Scanner Pro ($2) are worth the money.

On Android, CamScanner (free for limited version; $5 for unlimited version) offers similar functions, while Scan to PDF is a good free option.

Scanner Apps Make Digital Versions of Paper Documents - NYTimes.com

Apple Spotted Shopping Around for TV Parts - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

It’s not the TV market; it’s the information and entertainment market, in which TVs are simply one type of input/output device

So Apple’s reportedly been shopping around for parts that might be used in TVs.

Not the hardest of evidence that the company will actually produce one. That said, the signs do appear to be adding up. Over the past few months we’ve heard chatter claiming Apple televisions have been prototyped and that Sharp has been retooling a production line at one of its factories to produce the modified amorphous TFT LCD displays that will grace them.

If that is the case, it’s entirely possible that the TV market will be the next one Apple attempts to reinvent. And if it pulls it off, the rewards could be great. Some say Apple stands to gain an incremental $50 billion to $100 billion in market cap if it produces a compelling HDTV, one that not only trumps the competition but steals market share away from it, as the iPhone has from incumbent smartphone producers.

Apple Spotted Shopping Around for TV Parts - John Paczkowski - News - AllThingsD

Stop All That Poking: Facebook Filing Crashes SEC Web Site - Kara Swisher - News - AllThingsD

Sign of the times

Apparently, Facebook has a lot of friends.

Clickety-clicking ones, whose massive interest in the just-filed IPO of the Silicon Valley social networking giant seems to have temporarily crashed the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR Web site, where anyone can access regulatory documents on companies.

Stop All That Poking: Facebook Filing Crashes SEC Web Site - Kara Swisher - News - AllThingsD

On Its Eighth Birthday, Facebook Files to Raise $5 Billion in IPO - Kara Swisher - News - AllThingsD

Excerpts from an expert summary

Here are the major stats on Facebook’s IPO, which it just filed: 845 million monthly users and 483 million daily users; annual revenue of $3.7 billion; $1.8 billion in annual operating income and $1 billion net income.

[…]

And here are some uh-oh stats:

A full 12 percent of Facebook’s revenue in 2011 was linked to its relationship with online gaming giant Zynga.

And overall growth is slowing too.

On Its Eighth Birthday, Facebook Files to Raise $5 Billion in IPO - Kara Swisher - News - AllThingsD

For Founders to Decorators, Facebook Riches - NYTimes.com

Notes to self: 1) learn to paint; 2) invent time machine; 3) go back in time to early Facebook days and win contract to paint office murals in exchange for Facebook stock

The graffiti artist who took Facebook stock instead of cash for painting the walls of the social network’s first headquarters made a smart bet. The shares owned by the artist, David Choe, are expected to be worth upward of $200 million when Facebook stock trades publicly later this year.

The social network company announced its $5 billion public offering Wednesday afternoon, which is expected to value the whole company at $75 billion to $100 billion. Ultimately, that offering will mint a lot of billionaires and millionaires.

For Founders to Decorators, Facebook Riches - NYTimes.com

Jonathan Franzen: e-books are damaging society - Telegraph

Somehow this article, which I ran across via The New Yorker, seems to parallel Neil Young and the Sound of Music (AllThingsD)

The author of Freedom and The Corrections, regarded as one of America’s greatest living novelists, said consumers had been conned into thinking that they need the latest technology.

“The technology I like is the American paperback edition of Freedom. I can spill water on it and it would still work! So it's pretty good technology. And what’s more, it will work great 10 years from now. So no wonder the capitalists hate it. It’s a bad business model,” said Franzen, who famously cuts off all connection to the internet when he is writing.

“I think, for serious readers, a sense of permanence has always been part of the experience. Everything else in your life is fluid, but here is this text that doesn’t change.

Jonathan Franzen: e-books are damaging society - Telegraph

Computer History Museum | Exhibits | This Day in History: February 1

And “write once, run anywhere” is still going to come to fruition “real soon now”

February 1, 1991: Sun Microsystems Starts Java^TM Technology.

Mike Sheridan, James Gosling, and Patrick Naughton of Sun Microsystems, Inc. start to develop Java^TM technology. It grew out of a Sun project in embedded control called *7 (Star Seven). Naughton focused on Aspen graphics system, Gosling on programming language ideas, Sheridan on business development.

Computer History Museum | Exhibits | This Day in History: February 1

Filing: Without Itanium Chip, HP Is "Strategically Screwed" - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

Scripta manent…

What you’ll find is a lot of information that goes to the core of Oracle’s argument that HP has a lot to lose if the Itanium chip goes end of life, which is exactly what Oracle has said Intel plans to do. As the only major server vendor who sells boxes running Itanium chips, HP makes a lot of money — billions of dollars, according to a newly unredacted statement in the filing — on service-and-support contracts with its Itanium customers. As one HP executive is quoted on page four of the filing, without Itanium, HP would be “strategically screwed.”

Filing: Without Itanium Chip, HP Is "Strategically Screwed" - Arik Hesseldahl - News - AllThingsD

So Google+ notifies me…

Just saw this in Chrome (on Windows):

At least I was notified, via the Google+ Notifications Chrome extension, that I will now be notifying Google about more of my Chrome activities (and, in fairness, I could have clicked “Cancel,” in which case I assume I would have seen the warning every few days; I could also uninstall the extension, of course, but I assume Google already has most of the related data anyway…)

Apple Goes Corporate - Businessweek

Subtitle: The iPad is letting Apple succeed at business without really trying

From the second page of the article:

For companies considering tablets, the main alternatives are devices that run Google Inc.’s Android operating system. Many chief information officers are concerned that Android isn’t as secure as Apple’s iOS software, said Santiago Becerra, CEO of MeLLmo, a corporate app developer.

Companies also have to go through a lengthy testing phase before letting a device access its networks, and it’s easier to qualify the iPad than each of the many Android tablets on the market. For now, MeLLmo only makes apps for the iPad.

“There are so few CIOs looking at Android that it’s not worth it for us right now,” Becerra said.

Apple Goes Corporate - Businessweek

Google Defends New Privacy Policy - WSJ.com

Read the WSJ article and then revisit FTC settlement gives Facebook leverage over competitors (Washington Post), for an interesting juxtaposition; also see Google Targets Rival Facebook With Tough New Privacy Policies (Daily Beast/Dan Lyons) 

Google said the changes could improve people's experience using some of its services. But the company has also indicated to outsiders that the changes may help boost its online-advertising business, which generated nearly $40 billion in revenue last year.

Google said that it isn't collecting new kinds of information about people and that the policy essentially consolidates dozens of policies that were already in effect for individual Google services. But it added that if users are signed into their Google accounts, data about their Web-search history and the videos they watched on YouTube may now be used in combination with other services.

Google Defends New Privacy Policy - WSJ.com

Radical Videogamers Go on Nonkilling Spree - WSJ.com

Tangentially, also see Why Did We Look The Other Way on Competition, Gamification? (Forbes)

Videogames have long been assailed for their violent themes and gruesome imagery. But a small slice of players has embraced a new strategy: not killing. They are imparting real-world morals on their virtual-world characters and completing entire games on a "pacifist run"—the term for beating a blood-and-guts adventure without drawing any blood.

The cool restraint of pacifism can bring bragging rights and even a taste of online fame. Videogame enthusiasts routinely post videos of their accomplishments on YouTube.

Radical Videogamers Go on Nonkilling Spree - WSJ.com

Amazon Shares Drop as Revenues Fall Short - NYTimes.com

It’s easy to succeed in business; every company simply needs to be more like Apple…

“With the valuation Amazon is carrying, you got to perform,” said Colin Gillis, senior technology analyst for BGC Financial. “You’ve got to be like Apple — smash through the numbers people are afraid even to whisper. Instead, they’re only making slightly over a penny on every dollar in revenue. That’s pathetic in any industry.”

Other analysts were more optimistic.

“The long-term story is very much intact,” said Scott Devitt of Morgan Stanley, although he noted that investors might not be buying the stock for the next six months or so.

Amazon Shares Drop as Revenues Fall Short - NYTimes.com

Personal Data’s Value? Facebook Is Set to Find Out - NYTimes.com

From an overview of Facebook, the social data management company

At the moment, the battle is on between those two models of making money from online advertising. If Google’s search engine cast the Internet as an instrument of solitary exploration, Facebook requires its users to share what they do with their Facebook “friends.” In some ways, the Facebook offering is a test of how valuable the social model of the Internet could be.

According to comScore, a market research firm, Facebook has become the largest platform for display advertising on the Web in the United States; 28 percent of all display ads come to Facebook, followed by Yahoo, which gets less than half that share.

While advertising is its bread and butter, Facebook has sought new sources of income by becoming a place where goods and services are bought and sold, whether it is virtual farm animals or real concert tickets.

Personal Data’s Value? Facebook Is Set to Find Out - NYTimes.com

Facebook IPO could redefine the social media market - Business - The Boston Globe

Check the full article for a Facebook IPO snapshot

Can an initial public offering from Facebook reverse the Wall Street curse on social media companies?

Facebook IPO could redefine the social media market - Business - The Boston Globe

Mobile Phone Data Reveals Human Reproductive Strategies - Technology Review

Some insightful research done in collaboration with Albert-László Barabási and Robin Dunbar

The pattern of calls and texts between humans reveals how women invest more heavily in their main relationship than men; and how this changes as they age.

Mobile Phone Data Reveals Human Reproductive Strategies - Technology Review