Month: September 2010

The New Digg Is Alive and Kicking

The majority of the Digg community has been actively revolting against the new Digg now that it has opened up. While there have been reports of instability, it seems the primary concern is with certain missing features. What’s interesting about that is that these are the very same features used to game the Digg site in the past. Digg v4 is trying to keep it moving, growing out of the niche site it used to be and becoming something more useful to the average person. It’s more social and focuses more on your network of friends rather than being controlled by a tight group of elite users.

Apparently, those users don’t appreciate the changes. About 3 days ago, the Digg front page was flooded with links from competitor Reddit. Users chose to digg all links auto-submitted from Reddit. Digg is in a tough place. If they don’t change, they’re doomed, but any changes they do make will be met with harsh actions and criticism. via Mashable

Android Going Hard Into the Tablet Market

The Samsung Galaxy Tab dazzled and impressed when it finally became official. It’s 7″ of Android Froyo goodness that will definitely give the iPad a run for it’s money. It is also capable of many things the iPad may never do, including Flash support and multiple video formats. If that wasn’t enough, Archos just launched a complete line of 5 Android tablets of various sizes and features. All will ship with Android 2.2 and you can get one for as little as $99. I’m pretty sure this is only the beginning.

The 2010 Black Weblog Award Winners

The results are in for this year’s Black Weblog Awards. 27,000 people made their voices heard and, in some cases, the judges and the popular vote disagreed. For the first time in BWA history, there was a tie in one of the categories. Also, Black Web 2.0 won the “Science or Technology” category.

The staff of Black Web 2.0 would like to extend our congratulations to all the nominees and winners of this years award. We would also like to send a special thank you to everyone who voted for us in the “Best Science of Technology Blog” category. All our accomplishments would be nothing without you our readers. We are honored and humbled by our win and remain committed to bringing you the best of blacks in technology.

The 200 Most Powerful Black People on Twitter

Controversy erupted as we first listed the 100 Most Powerful Black Women on Twitter, followed by the 100 Most Powerful Black Men on Twitter. This was a quantitative analysis based on scores from Klout and Twitter Grader. Many were disturbed or angered by the fact that athletes and entertainers dominated, especially in the mens’ category. The lists were meant to spark discussion, not as a guide for who to follow on Twitter. As the discussion brewed, some very interesting points came up. One comment that stood out was by Elon James White:

“How do we as Black people change the national conversation on race and perception when we AS BLACK PEOPLE aren’t even aware of the different voices that are out there.”

He went on to say how important it is to “be open to change and share our information readily.” We can mostly agree that the media will not highlight many of those black leaders who deserve it, so it is up to us to promote them, share their content, and try and change things.

The launch of the Ping social network at Apple’s recent media event isn’t really something most of us expected. It’s an interesting service which uses your social network to help you discover new music within iTunes. Of course, in order for it to be of any use, you need to have a social graph for it to pull data from. Most sites would simply connect to your Twitter and Facebook to give you a base to work from, but this isn’t possible for Ping because Facebook decided to block Apple’s API access.

Why the Block?

Most of your up-and-coming applications that connect to Facebook do so without any formal agreements. This is because they are usually small and won’t cause much of a dent in Facebook’s resources. For companies like Twitter and Apple, Facebook requires some type of agreement in place just to cover their bases. That many users trying to sync up their entire social graph from Facebook could be a problem.

In Apple’s case, they had all the functionality in place and the Facebook feature worked for a day or so, but was promptly blocked by Facebook at the API level. This is because the two companies never reached any agreement. Apple hasn’t commented on the matter, but Facebook did give a canned response:

“We’re working with Apple to resolve this issue. We’ve worked together successfully in the past, and we look forward to doing so in the future”

Can They Squash It?

Why does this canned response sound familiar? Hrm… Oh! Because this is the same message we got from Facebook after a similar situation with Twitter: “We are working with Twitter to resolve the issue.” Facebook and Twitter were never able to get it together, so it’s not really looking good for an agreement between Facebook and Apple. This is especially true given that Jobs himself says Facebook wanted “onerous terms that we could not agree to.”

While a simple partnership would benefit both companies, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. Both companies are well-known for being stubborn. However, if Ping can’t get the social ball rolling on its own, it may need a boost from Facebook to fill in the blanks.

via AllThingsD, TechCrunch, NYTimes

Snoop Dogg is hooking up with Symantec to promote a contest against cybercrime. Contest participants simply have to display their rap skills in an anti-cybercrime video.

The “Hack is Wack” contest challenges the public to upload their best two-minute rap video on the subject of cybercrime to a website by Sept. 30. The entries will be judged on creativity, originality and their message — the winner will receive round-trip airfare for two to Los Angeles, two nights of accommodations, two tickets to a Snoop Dogg concert and a new laptop with Norton security software.

I guess Snoop Dogg really is into everything. In a video interview he says, “We’re trying to get people to raise awareness by making a rap song about cybercrime because a lot of people don’t even realize that this is happening.” Snoop is confident that using his name will help raise awareness about cybercrime.

Not only will the winner of the contest probably get covered on tech blogs across the web, but they also get a chance to step their music game up. They will get a chance to meet with Snoop’s management team and learn how to take their music career to the next level. Snoop also hinted that he might jump on a track with the winner if the song is hot enough, saying “If the song is good enough, I might throw a verse or a hook or something like that.”

This definitely looks like a good deal for some aspiring artist who can also articulate the dangers of cybercrime in a hot 16. I would suspect that Snoop may take a more involved role depending on how good the winner of the contest is. We all know how much he likes doing online video.

As far as Symantec goes, even though they’re the makers of the popular Norton Security software, this will definitely raise awareness for their brand. Teaming with Snoop exposes Symantec to a new audience that might have known of the company, but really didn’t understand their purpose. In the meantime, cybercriminals beware because Snoop is on the case. When asked about starting a security team, he said “Come on man, you know when my team come after you, we gonna get you.”

via Snoop Dogg, Symantec team up on cybercrime

The Samsung Galaxy Tab became official today after Samsung announced it at a press conference at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin. They are calling it a “smart media device.”

“Samsung recognises the tremendous growth potential in this newly created market and we believe that the Samsung GALAXY Tab brings a unique and open proposition to market. There is a new and emerging consumer demand that Samsung can satisfy since mobile is in our DNA. This demand continues to grow and develop as users tap its limitless potential. The Samsung GALAXY Tab has been designed to enable consumers to maximise their online experience wherever that may be. The Samsung GALAXY Tab is pushing the market in new directions and Samsung believes this is only the beginning of its innovations as pioneers in smart media devices.” — Simon Stanford, Head of Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland

The Tab looks a bit like the HTC Evo, except that it’s 7-inces and will definitely not fit in your pocket. It’s running Android 2.2 (Froyo), is powered by a Cortex A8 1 GHz processor, has 512 MB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal microSD memory. Samsung claims that the 7″ screen is the “perfect” size for enjoying all types of media content via a PC-like browsing experience.

Getting to the point, the Tab is definitely a worthy competitor to the iPad. It has dual cameras and supports 3G and WiFi, so videochat is a possibility. Flash is fully supported and it can handle a bunch of video formats, including DivX, XviD, MPEG4, H.263, and H.264.

In addition, Samsung has unveiled both an e-reading application and a media hub. These make it easy to get new content on your device and seem to be Samsung’s answer to iTunes.

The ‘Readers Hub,’ Samsung’s unique e-reading application, provides easy access to a vast digital library – from classical literature to the latest bestsellers and reference materials. At the same time, Samsung unveils ‘Media Hub,’ a gateway to a world of films and videos, and ‘Music Hub,’ an application giving access to a wide range of music tunes.

It may not be a real iTunes competitor, but with the other features packed into the Samsung Galaxy Tab, it should be enough to make the device more than useful.

via Engadget, Mashable, Gizmodo

It looks like Apple still has a few tricks up their sleeves. While completely redesigning their entire iPod lineup and finally molding Apple TV into something resembling a useful consumer product, they also managed to make some important tweaks to iTunes. There are a few small design changes, but the most important feature addition is a social networking component called Ping.

Ping allows iTunes users and artists to follow each other and to be followed. The concept is much like the type of network you would find on Twitter. Thinking ahead to avoid any major privacy problems, you have to opt-in or “raise your hand” (as Jobs put it) to be followed. Jobs is hoping that most artists do choose to be public and followed.

Just as you might find on Facebook and Twitter, Ping revolves around an activity feed. You can post videos, photos, comments, opinions, and songs. You can comment on anything that has been posted. Of course, songs can be purchased with a single click.

When viewing an artist’s page, you will be able to see their upcoming performances. On your own page, you’ll get a look at concerts near you. Ping is attached to your iTunes just like Buzz is stuck inside your Gmail. The difference here is that you can get at your Ping network from your mobile device. In your iTunes app, check your recent activity to see what your friends and favorite artists are up to. You also gain access to custom song and album charts created from you and your friends’ activity.

iTunes has served up 11.7 billion songs, 450 million TV episodes, 100 million movies, 35 million books, and has 160 million accounts. That’s a lot of people you can follow, and a lot of music that can be passed around. Especially since Ping will be available on the iPhone as well. — Gizmodo

This is definitely not the cloud-based music streaming service that many were pining for, but it is definitely an interesting step for Apple. I think iTunes may have put a huge dent into the profits of many smaller startups that focus on sharing what you’re playing.

iTunes 10 is available now for Apple customers and is coming soon for Windows.

Apple TV never quite found its footing, but this latest update may take it to the next level. One important design choice is to eliminate storage. Apple TV is streaming only, eliminating the need for users to worry about how much space they have left. This also means Apple doesn’t have to worry about storage management.

It has a built-in power supply, HDMI, ethernet, and 802.11n wireless. No local storage means no purchases, only rentals. It also means that the device is tiny and silent. Everything is streamed in HD quality when available. You can also stream directly from your computer, which is probably where you store all your purchased items anyway.

New releases will be available for $4.99 in HD on the same day they’re available on DVD. You can stream ABC and Fox offerings for $0.99 each. They’ve also integrated reviews from Rotten Tomatoes so that you can avoid ruining family night with a bad movie choice.

Apple TV now comes with full Netflix integration, which makes it a win-win for consumers. This also highlights the strength of the Netflix service for instant streaming. As it stands, you either need a gaming console or a computer to watch Netflix movies and shows instantly. With Apple TV, you simply hook the tiny box up to your TV and gain access to the Netflix instant library. It requires minimum setup and configuration, and the device is targeted for one specific task. With a price tag of $99, this makes Apple TV almost a must-have device.

As Gizmodo puts it, “they are getting the message: It’s not all about their iTunes store. That’s good.” It most certainly is. If Apple TV can eliminate the need for many of the home theater hacks and custom configurations we see in many home theater setups, it could earn a full-time position in many homes. Not only that, it can transcend from a hobby or niche device to something that lowers the bar for the average user.

No more tinkering with software and custom hardware. Just plug in the box and go. For $99, I’m sure many would give it a try. Not sure how the cable companies are going to feel about it, though.

Apple has sold 275 million iPods. Even though iPod sales have always done well, Jobs says they’ve never sat back on their laurels. Every year they keep pushing for a better product. To that end, they have completely redesigned each iPod model.

At the heart of many of these changes is iOS. Not only has it brought some amazing features to the iPhone 4, but it has also been used to enhance the iPod lineup. iOS 4.1 brings many bugfixes to the iPhone 4, fixing the proximity sensor, bluetooth, and iPhone 3G. Other features include:

• HDR Photos – Switching on HDR causes your phone to take three separate photos: One regular exposure, one under exposed shot, and one over exposed shot. They keep both the normal photo and the HDR photo, which is combined from all 3 exposures. This results in being able to pick out detail you would otherwise miss out on.
• Game Center – the ultimate in multi-player gaming from the palm of your hand, including a new title codename “Project Sword” developed by Epic and running the Unreal engine (think “Gears of War”).
• TV Show rentals and purchases.
• Upload full HD to YouTube directly from your phone.

It will be available as a free download next week.

iPod Shuffle

The iPod Shuffle initially had buttons, but did away with them in favor of the Voice Over feature. This let you control and interact with your iPod Shuffle by talking. Even though many loved the feature, others still missed their buttons. The newest incarnation of the iPod Shuffle brings the best of both worlds, bringing back the buttons and keeping the Voice Over feature. This is the smallest iPod ever. They’ve also integrated Genius mixes as well as your standard playlists. You can get the Shuffle in 5 different colors for $49. It holds 15 hours of music.

iPod Nano

There are two major changes in the iPod Nano. It is 46% smaller than before and you can clip it to your clothes like an iPod Shuffle as it’s about the same size. To compensate for the lack of buttons, you can now control the Nano via a touch screen. It also includes the Voice Over technology from the Shuffle, Multi-tasking, ping+twist to change screen orientation, FM Radio, and holds 24hrs of music. You can get an 8GB for $149 or a 16GB for $179.

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch has become the #1 portable gaming device. Jobs says, “The iPod touch outsells Nintendo and Sony’s portable game players combined. It’s been amazing.” How can they make it better? By giving it all the features of the iPhone 4 without the actual phone. The new device is thinner than before and includes a Retina display. It has a 3-axis gyroscope to improve gaming and is integrated with Game Center to make multi-player gaming easier. It comes with iOS 4.1 and has dual cameras so you can now FaceTime from your iPod Touch. The rear camera records in HD and you can edit video right on the device. It holds 40hrs of music and comes in at $229 for an 8GB, $299 for a 32GB and $399 for a 64GB.

If you’re into the location check-in thing, you’re probably well aware that Foursquare is the poster child. While they stay at the forefront of location-based services, Gowalla can’t be counted out yet and is preferred by many users. While the check-in itself is the primary focus of these sites, that’s not where the value lies. Gowalla’s new Highlights feature takes us beyond the check-in:

The best way to think about the feature may be to think back to the “25 Things About Me” meme that spread throughout Facebook last year. The meme asked you to answer a set of 25 questions and send the answers to your friends. Gowalla Highlights is similar in that they want you to tag about 20 real world places based on a set of criteria. For example, you’re asked to name you favorite “Date Night” spot, the place you think has the “Best Tacos,” your “Alma Mater,” and your favorite “Watering Hole,” among other things. Each of these answers reveals a bit about who you actually are, and where you spend your time. — MG Siegler

Rather than simply racking up check-ins or points and becoming the virtual mayor of some location, this approach by Gowalla makes check-in data useful to all users. For instance, if you visit a place that is special to someone you know, you’ll be alerted of that. If you want to find out where to kick off family night, you can see what the community recommends.

The very features that made Gowalla awkward for some users in the beginning may be the ones that keep them in the location race. Initially, virtual goods were a big part of the service. You could “pick up” and collect these virtual goods as you traveled to different locations. That feature is still available, but has been played down a bit in favor of offering real world interaction.

Highlights will become part of the API just like other Gowalla features and this is where it will shine. Not only is location data useful in features like Highlights and Trips, but it will be interesting to see what developers create using this data.