Archive | March, 2009
Facebook Members Give New Layout Thumbs Down
Facebook’s new, more Twitter-like interface is overwhelmingly unpopular with users, according to a Facebook application that is polling Facebook users on their feelings about the site’s layout changes. Today, the application’s reported results had just over 5% of the nearly 800,000 respondents approving of the changes. While the poll is far from being scientific, its results are still telling.
Like many of you, I’ve seen my friends complaining the new layout. Some of their gripes focus on how Facebook is mirroring Twitter.
Today one wrote, “I joined twitter and lost interest like *that*. I’m supremely narcissistic in thinking you all care about my whereabouts and status updates all day, but the new layout feels like that’s all Facebook is focusing on now… that functionality existed before the change, but it also allowed me to see wall comments, videos, pics and notes more easily. hatin’ it…”
I have to agree with that assessment. The only major change that I thought Facebook needed was to become more intuitive for the average user. Features like wall comments, videos, pictures and notes differentiate Facebook from Twitter and make it more interesting.
Don’t get me wrong –Facebook’s willingness to change is a good thing. I stopped using Friendster and MySpace because they became stagnant, and Facebook was a better alternative. Facebook’s inclusion of the events stream into its last layout was a good idea, and I started to visit the site more frequently throughout the day–even through my iPhone.
However, Facebook moved too far in Twitter’s direction, and lost some of what makes it unique in the process. It should listen to its customers and make some tweaks to the layout to keep them happy. What do you think?
Good Grief, Another Significant Gmail Enhancement: Previews
19. March 2009
I’ve officially given up trying to keep pace with each and every feature Google adds to Gmail, but this one looks neat: There’s a new Gmail Labs option that enables in e-mail viewing of Flickr and Picasa photos, YouTube videos, and Yelp reviews. Gmail notices links to this content, and simply embeds it in your message so you don’t need to click away to see what a friend has sent you.
Google says it’s interested in talking to other companies with services that could be embedded into Gmail–and it would be pretty neat if the idea was extended to just about any sort of content that anyone ever links to in an e-mail…
Is Cisco/Flip the US Robotics/PalmPilot of 2009? Hope Not!
19. March 2009
A great big domineering company that’s synonymous with communications equipment. A spunky little company with a cool, pocketable gadget that brings new technology to the masses. Today’s news that Cisco is spending $590 million in stock to buy Pure Digital, makers of the Flip line of low-cost, easy-to-use camcorders, reminded me of another acquisition that happened so long ago that I’d almost forgotten about it: The buyout of PalmPilot creator Palm Computing by one-time modem kingpin US Robotics back in 1995.
But once I started thinking about the Palm/US Robotics marriage, I remembered a historical tidbit that’s worth recording. I met with Palm executives in 1995, months before the first Palm PDA was announced. (At the time, they told me it was going to be called Taxi, but that’s another story for another time.)
5Words for March 19th, 2009
19. March 2009
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Like news? You’ll LOVE these!
Gizmodo tests WiMax, likes it.
Hacker compromises Mac in seconds.
New features in Silverlight 3.
Sirius founder: Sirius is doomed.
Steve Ballmer’s still courting Yahoo.
Random rumor: OLED Macs, iPhones.
Dell’s Adamo notebook on sale.
iPhone tethering seems to work.
Sony Cozies Up to Google to Fight Amazon
19. March 2009
No doubt Sony is beginning to feel the heat from Amazon. While its Sony Reader was on the market much longer than Amazon’s Kindle has been, in the short time Amazon’s device has been with us it has taken the e-book world by storm.
Suddenly Sony is finding itself in a position it probably would rather not be in: take on Amazon directly or risk being relegated to also-ran status against its growing competitor.
Well, the first move in what will probably be a multi-step response is a partnership with Google. Sony will initially offer about 500,000 copyright-free books for its device that have been scanned by Google’s book search service.
Reader users would also be happy to hear all these titles would be made available for free. Most of Kindle’s titles are priced at $9.99 and above.
As per copyright law, Google will not be able to offer full versions of books that still have copyright. However, its collection before 1923 would be made available to the Sony Reader.
With these new books, the Reader would catapult past the Kindle for most titles available. Amazon only offers about 250,000 books, but has taken the business model of offering only the most popular and current titles. Sony would have about 600,000 titles available after Google’s digitized library is added.
Is this a good move? It remains to be seen. One thing that Sony has going for it is the fact that it can be sold internationally fairly easy. The Kindle uses CDMA technology, which is rarely used outside of the North American continent.
While the Reader needs to be tethered to a computer to download books, it can do this anywhere. Sony could exploit this weakness to its advantage if it so desired. Amazon, you might want to start considering a GSM version, no?
Internet Explorer 8 Arriving on Thursday
18. March 2009
Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal has published a lengthy review of Internet Explorer 8 that says the final version of Microsoft’s new browser will be available for downloading on Thursday at noon ET. Walt likes it quite a bit, except for the fact that he found it slow in some instances. (He did some speed tests which didn’t agree with the ones that Microsoft itself recently published.)
Back in January, I reviewed the RC1 version of IE 8 that’s still the current version of the new browser as of the time I write this, and found it to be..well, a significant improvement over IE 7 and a good browser overall, but one that still feels a tad cluttered, interface-wise. Unlike most of its rivals, it feels like a browser that’s been around for a decade and a half and built up some cruft. And its marquee features, Web Slices and Accelerators, still need to be widely embraced by developers to live up to their potential. Still, any user of any earlier version of IE who doesn’t want to jump ship to Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, or (whew!) Flock should move to IE 8 for its improved security, compatibility, and–at least compared to earlier versions of IE–speed.
Me, I’m basking in the riches of the most competitive browser race ever–it’s not uncommon for me to use Firefox, IE, Safari, and Chrome in the course of one day. (I’m taking a break from Flock, which was my default browser for quite awhile, but I could be back.) I don’t think any browser is a runaway winner at the moment, and every browser has something to recommend it. Like I said in my IE 8 RC1 review, that’s good news for consumers and a challenge for browser developers.
More thoughts on IE 8 once I get my hands on the final version.
Silverlight vs. Flash: The Winner is…Consumers!
18. March 2009
At Microsoft’s MIX conference today, the company Silverlight 3.0, a new version of its rich-media Web plug-in, that includes new multimedia capabilities that aim to it to parity with Adobe Flash, it can now run applications offline as well, as Adobe’a AIR can. Adobe will doubtlessly respond by improving both Flash and AIR, continuing its leapfrog race with Microsoft.
When Microsoft introduced Silverlight 2.0, it stripped out many of the advanced graphics capabilities found in Silverlight’s predecessor, the .NET Framework’s Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF). Adobe responded by giving Flash Player custom effects and filters as well as GPU hardware acceleration in an attempt to differentiate its platform.
Microsoft must have been taking notes. Silverlight 3 uses hardware graphics acceleration and includes support for 3D effects. Those features can be used for viewing up high definition video or even to jazz up business applications. It also reaches outside of the browser, and is cross platform for Windows and Mac (Mono Moonlight, a Linux version, is progressing more slowly).
Let’s be realistic: Flash continues to dominate the Rich Internet Application space. However, Microsoft is now concentrating so much of its resources on Silverlight that there’s no way Adobe can regard it as anything other than a real threat to Flash’s pervasiveness. I say, let the two companies have at it. The Web applications that developers create using either platform will be more powerful and provide consumers with better, more useful, and more entertaining experiences.
Would You Pay $699 For an iPhone?
18. March 2009
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Good news, sort of: Boy Genius Report is reporting that AT&T is about to start selling iPhones 3Gs that don’t require signing a contract, an option which it said it was going to get around to offering all along. They won’t come cheap, though: Folks who are willing to sign two-year contracts can get an 8GB iPhone 3G for $199 or a 16GB one for $299, but the same phones sans contract will apparently be $599 and $699 respectively.
Of course, those prices have a tinge of deja vu to them–when the original iPhone was announced in January of 2007, an 8GB one went for…$599. (The 4GB model was $499, and 16GB iPhones didn’t yet exist.) But that $599 8GB iPhone required a two-year contract, and was a distinctly lesser handset–no 3G broadband, no GPS, and no third-party apps. Today’ $599 iPhone is a better device with fewer strings attached.
But it isn’t really commitment-free, since it’s still locked to AT&T, and apparently only existing AT&T customers will be able to get one–and only one per line. Unless you’re planning to unlock your phone without anyone’s approval, you’re still effectively agreeing to remain an AT&T customer–and therefore turn over $1400 for service over the next two years, in all likelihood–until such time as AT&T and Apple decide it’s okay to unlock iPhones.
(And I’m still unsure why they object to the practice, if consumers are willing to pay an unsubsidized price. I’ve bought several other models of phone from AT&T at full price because the company would cheerfully unlock them if I asked; just what makes the so that’s different?)
Of course, Apple does sell unlocked, truly commitmentless iPhones in countries where it’s required to do so. When I was in Spain last month, I saw an unlocked 16GB iPhone 3G for 799 Euros, or $1075 U.S, at an airport electronics shop. My buying advice is simple: YOU’D BE NUTS TO SPEND OVER A THOUSAND DOLLARS ON AN IPHONE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WHEN A NEW MODEL IS LIKELY JUST MONTHS AWAY!!! (Whew.)
Anyhow, I might consider a $599 iPhone 3G if I could unlock it without fear of technical glitches or reprisal from Apple–I just hate contracts, and travel overseas enough that the idea of being able to pop in a cheap local SIM is mighty appealing. But I’d wait until June or so to see what Apple has waiting in the wings. And I’m guessing it isn’t a given that any new iPhones will be immediately available at an unsubsidized price.
I feel a T-Poll coming on…
$10 Facebook Pac-Man With Strings Attached? No Thanks!
18. March 2009
Namco is dipping its toes into Facebook gaming with two classic titles, Pac-Man and Dig Dug. Like virtually everyone, I enjoy Pac-Man, so I gave the app a spin.
Sadly, this venture has hardly any redeeming value. After installing the “J2Play” application, which apparently enables Namco’s games and others, you still have to download the game itself. The executable is 13MB and the installed product is 34MB.
To sync the game with your Facebook profile (so everyone can witness your skills), you have to log in every time you start playing, even if you’ve already signed into Facebook in a browser. The Pac-Man game itself does not match the smoothness and graphic feel of the original, and you can only play for 10 minutes before you’re asked to cough up $10.
“Such an epic fail,” one commenter writes on the App’s page. “This is pretty much a textbook example of how not to deploy a game on Facebook,” writes another. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Pac-Man is a quick-fix kind of game. It needs to fire up quickly or the whole purpose is lost. Furthermore, it’s not worth $10.
For good measure, here are some reasonable places to get your Pac-Man fix:
-At any of the various Web sites hosting free flash Pac-Man clones.
-At GameTap, where Internet Explorer 6 and 7 users can play online for free (registration to play through the GameTap client is temporarily closed).
-On Xbox Live Arcade, where $5 gets you the game, community high scores and the comfort of playing from your couch.
-At a real arcade, where you’re likely to get bored before your 40 quarters are gone.
5Words for March 18th, 2009
18. March 2009
Here’s what I’m reading this morning:
Google Chrome: In beta! Again!
Jailbreakers dive into iPhone 3.0.
Fujitsu sells a color e-reader.
Privacy group wants Google investigated.
McCain Twitter interview: kinda lame.
Like Action? Listen to Police and Fire Scanners
18. March 2009
I started to write about ways to glean info in a national disaster. I’ll get to that in another story, because as I dug around, I discovered live scanner feeds. You know the kind–police, fire and rescue, forest service, emergency services — and I wiped out an afternoon glued to the broadcasts.
I listened to the Newcastle, Australia police struggling with a jaywalker and then handling a robbery attempt; later heard the Thurston County, WA police nab a parole violator; and finally downloaded a clip from a recent pursuit of a guy shooting at a Snohomish County, Washington, sheriff deputy.
Fascinating stuff, indeed.
The Joy (and Hazards) of Watching YouTube on TV
18. March 2009
Have you ever wanted to watch YouTube on your TV?
I have, ever since Tivo started allowing YouTube streaming to their DVRs back in July 2008. And I’m here to confess: I’m a huge fan. Watching YouTube on my HDTV has radically changed how I “watch TV”.
One night I decided to do an experiment. I skipped watching regular prime time TV and only watched YouTube videos from my Tivo. I signed in to YouTube, so I could access my favorites, and playlists. Two hours later, I found that it was a very fascinating journey.
What did I watch? Anything that looked interesting, including some of my old YouTube favorites. Mostly, I let the videos lead me to the next one via suggestions and related content. It was an exercise in random discovery. I followed certain YouTube users. Then I would backtrack a bit and find myself on another trail of YouTube discovery. I spent some time watching music videos. I searched for classic Internet favorite videos. I even watched some of YouTube’s promoted videos, and found some of them were pretty good. (My current favorite is something called Thru-You, a YouTube mashup, where someone grabbed random musical clips from YouTube and created awesome songs.)
iPhone vs. Palm Pre: It’s Still War!
17. March 2009
Going into this morning’s Apple iPhone 3.0 unveiling, one of the biggest questions of the year in the world of tech was how Palm’s upcoming Pre phone would stack up against the iPhone. The Pre looks like it’ll be the most interesting and imaginative new smartphone to date that isn’t an iPhone, and the only one with a software platform that has a shot at out-innovating Apple. (I have high hopes for Google’s Android over the long haul, but if that OS changes everything, it’ll have to do it on a handset that’s more groundbreaking than T-Mobile’s G1.)
Now that we have a better sense of the iPhone software that the Pre will compete with when it shows up–I’m guessing that the Pre’s planned launch time frame of the first half of the year and iPhone 3.0′s summer release will result in both showing up around the same time–it still looks like the competition between the two phones will be fierce and fun.
A Hundred New iPhone 3.0 Features? Let’s Count ‘em!
17. March 2009
One of the oft-repeated mantras at this morning’s iPhone 3.0 event was that the new software has over a hundred new features–a claim that Apple repeats on its still-sparse iPhone 3.0 info page. I think there’s a good chance that the company will eventually enumerate them, since it says that Leopard has 300+ new features and then meticulously accounts for them.
But I got to wondering: Just how many features did Apple tell us about this morning? Was it all of them? And if it skipped any, was it because they were too boring and/or arcane to merit discussion? Or could it be holding back anything unspeakably wonderful to tell us about at the last moment?
The Curious Case of iPhone 3.0
17. March 2009
Call it the Benjamin Button school of software development. When Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone at Macworld Expo San Francisco 2007, it already sported a user interface so highly-evolved that it hardly felt like a 1.0 release–it looked more like the result of years of refinement. But for all of the iPhone OS’s initial maturity, it was missing a laundry list of basic features that other handheld platforms usually have pretty much from birth. Stuff like cut and paste, MMS, search tools. and the ability to handle at least some tasks in the background. Oh, and the ability to run third-party applications at all.
Last year’s iPhone 2.0 update was mostly about supporting third party apps. And today’s iPhone 3.0–which, incidentally, I guest-blogged about for Laptop in a post about the biggest new features–is largely about the baby steps that other platforms would have taken at inception. In other words, the iPhone’s operating system is doing something I can’t remember any software doing: It’s aging backwards.
Hey Apple, Help Developers Write Secure iPhone Software
17. March 2009
iPhone users have groaned and moaned about the device’s lack of basic copy-and-paste functionality, but Apple held off on delivering the feature until it got the security right. Kudos to Apple for making security a requirement, and designing its software correctly. Third-party iPhone developers should be designing software the same way.
It has become increasingly important for developers to treat security as they would any other software severe defect–stamping out problems at the very beginning of an application’s lifecycle. It’s less expensive for software makers to address security issues before an application ships, and the security and privacy of end users is safeguarded better that way.
That’s the rationale behind Apple’s decision to delay copy-and-paste. During Appple’s press conference today, Scott Forstall, senior vice president of iPhone software, explained that the company opted to address resolve security issues that arise when information is copied between applications.
I think that is of particular importance in a smartphone’s operating system–after all, users store important information on their phones that could be compromised by malware. Clearly, Apple is thinking security, but it should be empowering its developers to do the same. As far as I know, it has not invested the resources to make that happen.
In fact, no big vendor has invested in a major security push with developers–except for Microsoft. Microsoft has published its Security Development Lifecycle (tools and processes that the company uses to build security into its software), has released free threat assessment tools for developers, and set up training programs for sharing security-related knowledge and experiences.
Over the past several weeks, I spoke with Microsoft about the future of the Security Development Lifecycle. While the SDL is not a cure-all, security vulnerabilities in Microsoft software have dropped marked since it was adopted. It would not surprise me if there were security tools incorporated into the next version of the company’s Visual Studio development environment.
Apple would be smart to take a similar approach with the iPhone, sharing its internal principles for writing secure software with third-party developers whose applications also need to be as rock-solid as possible. For that matter, so should Palm, and every other smartphone software producer.
At today’s event, Harry asked the last question, concerning the App Store approval process, and Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller pointed to security checks as one reason why giving third-party apps the go-ahead takes time. Overall, I’m encouraged by Apple’s commitment to security, but today’s iPhone 3.0 announcement didn’t answer the broader question: What is it doing to make certain that iPhone developers know how to write applications that are safe, period?
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19. March 2009
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