Month: December 2010

Craig McCaw, Clearwire Chair, has left the company. Clearwire says no disagreement prompted McCaw’s resignation, but the company’s fate is now even more in question. Clearwire has had a difficult year. Early on, they were expanding 4G into NYC, LA, and San Fran. The very next month, they were cutting 15% of their staff and halting all expansions. Shortly after that, they shed $1.1 billion in debt in an effort to save themselves.

With Craig McCaw gone, some suggest the only clear option for Clearwire is to sell to Sprint.

According to @redsn0w_testers, RedSn0w 0.9.7b4 will be released today.

Today’s beta4 will eliminate separate usbmuxd process (so many more Mac users can use it). After that, expand to Windows.

This is the 4th beta of the new “backup method,” which redsn0w calls “Jailbreak Monte.” Currently, this jailbreak technique disables bluetooth and there are reports of problems with Skype, which just launched video calling support on the iPhone.

via iClarified, Dev-Team Blog

It has been expected that Skype would soon bring its video calling feature to the iPhone and most expected them to announce it at CES. It looks like Skype had something to prove after their recent outages and has made video calls available in the latest version of the iPhone app.

This gives you options other than FaceTime for doing video calls on your iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and fourth-generation iPod touch. Not only that, but you can now do video calls with Skype users on Windows, Mac, and Linux clients. Even if you’re lacking a front-facing camera or don’t have a camera at all, you can still do video calls via Skype in a limited fashion.

Engadget has run some tests on the new feature and had this to say:

So we just gave 3.0 a spin, calling iPhone-to-iPhone (both WiFi), iPhone-to-desktop (both WiFi), and again iPhone-to-iPhone (both 3G). The first two worked great, although the desktop camera produced better quality. As for the worst-case scenario, 3G-to-3G video calling, well… we wouldn’t recommend it unless absolutely necessary. Video after the break, and be sure to note the battery life — after about 10 minutes of use, we dropped from 66 percent to 61.

All I want to know is, where is when is this coming to Android? Get Skype video for iPhone here.

Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and Jerry Weintraub have announced a partnership with Google, the U.N., and several anti-genocide organizations to launch a satellite surveillance project to monitor the Sudan region. No, this isn’t another Ocean’s Eleven sequel, it’s a move by a group called Not On Our Watch to help prevent genocide and civil war in the Sudan region. These high-profile actors are the co-founders of the group.

Not On Our Watch is funding the startup phase of the Satellite Sentinel Project which plans to collect near-real-time satellite imagery from Sudan and combine it with field analysis from several other humanitarian organizations, including the Enough Project and the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

Clooney serves as the face and voice of the movement. Saying in a press statement:

“We want to let potential perpetrators of genocide and other war crimes know that we’re watching, the world is watching. War criminals thrive in the dark. It’s a lot harder to commit mass atrocities in the glare of the media spotlight”

According to ReadWriteWeb, this is another example of real-time mapping technologies being used to “prevent and respond to crises.” The group will use the satellite imagery to gauge impending conflict and hopefully warn citizens ahead of time.

Southern Sudan will soon vote on a secession referendum, which raises fears of a north-south civil war.

One of the most well-known Android handsets is the EVO 4G. Not only is it the first 4G phone, but it’s easy to spot one given their 4.3″ screen. Some have said it’s one of the Android devices that can challenge the iPhone. It’s no wonder that HTC will reuse the same form-factor in the HTC Thunderbolt.

While the EVO is at home on Sprint’s 4G network, the HTC Thunderbolt is destined for Verizon’s new LTE 4G network. The Thunderbolt offers a slimmer, more streamlined design and features Google and Verizon branding. We should see the official unveiling of the HTC Thunderbolt next week at CES.

via Droid Life

Earlier this month, Gawker was attacked, resulting in a huge leak of Gawker network account passwords. Earlier today, it was found that a security researcher stumbled upon a database of 44,000 usernames and passwords associated with accounts registered on the Mozilla add-ons website.

The partial database of user accounts was mistakenly left on a Mozilla public server, which would have allowed anyone to access the account usernames and the password hashes.

In this case, it seems that the researcher involved is the only one who accessed the passwords. The potential breach was reported via Mozilla’s Web Bounty program, which rewards external, non-employee security professionals $500 to $3,000 to find and submit bugs to Mozilla.

At this point, the risk is minimal. Unlike the Gawker hack, it seems these accounts only exposed to one person. Also, the accounts are mostly inactive. Still, for users that use the same usernames and passwords across multiple sites, you may want to change your password.

via Mozilla Passwords Leaked, No Reason to Panic – RWW

According to 4chan’s status blog, they are down due to a DDoS attack.

Site is down due to DDoS. We now join the ranks of MasterCard, Visa, PayPal, et al.—an exclusive club!

If you recall, a group calling themselves Anonymous launched similar attacks against those who refused to work with Wikileaks. Sites included Paypal, MasterCard, Visa, and Bank of America among others.

At this time, it is not known whether these DDoS attacks are related or who might be behind this latest attack on 4Chan. While it doesn’t seem that 4Chan and Anonymous would have any animosity towards each other (it’s been reported that they’re closely related), Tumblr and 4Chan went at it just last month and the situation seemed unresolved.

Who do you think took out 4Chan?

via 4chan – Status

Amazon.com announced today that the third-generation Kindle is now the bestselling product in Amazon’s history. In just five months, the new Kindle took the title of bestselling product from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7).” Amazon also shared that customers ordered more than 13.7 million items worldwide across all product categories on its peak day, Nov 29th. This is a record-breaking 158 items per second. Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos offers some interesting insight into the Kindle’s success.

“We’re seeing that many of the people who are buying Kindles also own an LCD tablet. Customers report using their LCD tablets for games, movies, and web browsing and their Kindles for reading sessions. They report preferring Kindle for reading because it weighs less, eliminates battery anxiety with its month-long battery life, and has the advanced paper-like Pearl e-ink display that reduces eye-strain, doesn’t interfere with sleep patterns at bedtime, and works outside in direct sunlight, an important consideration especially for vacation reading. Kindle’s $139 price point is a key factor — it’s low enough that people don’t have to choose.”

more at Amazon Media Room

One of the goodies expected to be featured at CES 2011 is the Android-based Galaxy Player. The 9.9mm thick Galaxy Player (YP-GB1) will be running Android 2.2 Froyo and is inspired by the successful Galaxy S phones. It will also look good next to the 7″ Samsung Galaxy Tab, which launched in September and has moved more than 1 million units.

The 9.9mm thick Galaxy Player (YP-GB1) runs on Android 2.2 Froyo OS and features a 1GHz CPU, 4-inch Super Clear LCD screen supporting up to WVGA resolution (800×480), T-DMB, SoundAlive audio enhancing technology, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.2MP rear camera with front facing camera for video calling, GPS, HD video playback, microSD card slot, Android Market and Samsung Apps access and a 1200mAh removable battery.

via Samsung Hub

Your Apps May Be Snitching

For an increasing number of techies and non-techies alike, smartphones are becoming a central part of life. It’s no wonder that these devices store some of our most personal secrets and information. While the relationship with our smartphones seems intact, it looks like the apps we run on those phones could be undermining what we’ve built.

An examination of 101 popular smartphone “apps”—games and other software applications for iPhone and Android phones—showed that 56 transmitted the phone’s unique device ID to other companies without users’ awareness or consent. Forty-seven apps transmitted the phone’s location in some way. Five sent age, gender and other personal details to outsiders.

iPhone apps were found to share more data than Android apps and we aren’t talking about niche or no-name applications. Some of the apps at fault include: TextPlus, Pandora, Paper Toss, and Grindr. Many of those applications are able to share your data without your knowledge or consent, despite the limitations placed on apps on both platforms. While much of the data was found to be shared “anonymously,” it would be best to keep your smartphone close and your apps even closer.

via WSJ

Google TV Delayed for Last-Minute Tweaks

Google TV was supposed to be the future of living room entertainment. It was supposed to battle Apple TV and Roku, who have both already moved around 1 million units. At The Consumer Electronics Show next month in Las Vegas, we were supposed to see a preview of the Google TV software, which basically brings the web to your TV. Manufacturers like Sony, LG, Toshiba, and Sharp were on board and ready to go.

But Google has asked the TV makers to delay their introductions, according to people familiar with the company’s plans, so that it can refine the software, which has received a lukewarm reception. The late request caught some of the manufacturers off guard.’

James L. McQuivey, an analyst at Forrester, says that one of Google’s problems is in handling their partnerships. Until they develop “more sophisticated partnership skills and issue polished products,” they will continue to have difficulties. McQuivey went on to say that Google TV has all the right ingredients and the perfect recipe, but Google is having a hard time putting it all together. They’re going to need to step their cooking game up because this is a race and they have been left at the starting line.

via NYTimes

Google Buys Huge Building in New York for $1.9 Billion

Google is building their presence in New York by purchasing a ridiculously large building. Not only is the building huge, but it sits in a strategic position on top of the Hudson Street/Ninth Avenue fiber highway.

So down, in fact, that the web search titan just dropped $1.9 billion to acquire one of the largest and most historic buildings in all of the Big Apple. At nearly 3 million square feet, 111 Eighth Avenue, the former Port Authority building, sits like a beached, red-brick cruise ship overlooking New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. The building is so big, in fact, that it has elevators large enough to accommodate 18-wheel semi-trucks.

And yes, that’s a helicopter landing pad on the roof.

The building’s proximity to fiber has made it attractive to tenants like Verizon, Sprint, Level 3, WebMD, Nike, BarnesandNoble.com and ad agency Deutsch. Now, Google will kind of become their landlord. They will retain the Taconic Management Company to “continue the leasing oversight services and management of the building” in order to maintain “the same level of customer service the building’s tenants have come to expect.”

via Google, Wired

Facebook Categorizes Your Updates

Facebook took updates from its users, did some fancy math magic with them, and came up with some interesting insights into user behavior. For example, young people like to curse and are likely to express more negative emotions. They also talk about themselves a lot. Older people tend to post longer updates that mention other people. What is most interesting to note for those trying to build a brand on Facebook:

Word usage of more “popular” people also differs from people with a lower friend count. People with more friends tend to use more of the pronoun “you” and other second person pronouns. They write longer updates, and use more words referring to music and sports. More “popular” people also talk less about their families, are less emotional overall, use fewer past tense and present tense verbs and words related to time.

So, if you want people to connect with you on Facebook or any other social network: don’t get too personal, be positive (or at least neutral), make your updates timeless, and talk about others more than yourself.

via Facebook, ReadWriteWeb

Google and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) have teamed up to bring you realtime coverage of Santa’s sleigh-ride around the world. You can follow Santa as he travels the world sliding down chimneys, dropping off presents, and eating entirely too many chocolate chip cookies.

NORAD has confirmed that Santa and his fully-loaded, reindeer-powered sleigh took off from the North Pole and soared into the arctic sky at 6:00 a.m. EST (5:00 a.m. CST, 4:00 a.m. MST, 3:00 a.m. PST). NORAD radar is tracking Rudolph’s bright red nose, and satellite imagery is providing minute-by-minute coverage of Santa’s location.

While watching Santa’s progress across a world map is pretty cool, that’s just the tip of the iceberg this year. Instead of just watching a 2D Santa hop across a flat map, you can see Santa in 3D using the Google Earth plugin. Tips on setting that up are here. After you’ve got the plugin installed, just visit the 3D tracker to see what’s really going on with jolly old St. Nick.

With mobile being the new center of attention in the tech world, Google and NORAD have also made it possible to check on Santa from your smartphone using Google Maps for mobile. Just open it up and do a search for “Santa” to see his latest location.

If you’re interested in seeing videos of where Santa has been or can’t get the Google Earth plugin working, you can watch video of where he’s been.

Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras pre-positioned at many locations around the world only on December 24th. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world.

For the kids, or adults who still believe in Santa, you can visit the Kids’ Countdown section to browse shops in the North Pole, play games, and see what’s going on with Santa’s helpers.

Making sure to keep up with the latest in social networking, you can also track Santa via Facebook and on Twitter at @noradsanta.

While Time magazine named Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg person of the year, Financial Times opts for Apple CEO Steve Jobs. It’s easy to see how both leaders could be considered for such a title. Both run high-profile companies who set the standards in their respective industries.

It’s hard to argue against FT’s logic: Apple had a phenomenal year, with back-to-back record quarters at a time when the U.S. is still emerging out of a deep recession. Under the leadership of Steve Jobs, Apple also managed to create another breakthrough product: the iPad. Finally, the iPhone 4 launch, although initially marred with antenna issues, turned out to be one of the most successful product launches in Apple history.

Definitely hard to argue against an Apple or Facebook CEO for person of the year, but it highlights an interesting point about Google. While you will regularly see Google right up there with Apple and Facebook as far as leading the technology world, it seems that Eric Schmidt just doesn’t have the same presence as a Zuckerberg or a Jobs. Even Bill Gates was mentioned as a potential candidate by FT.

via Mashable, Financial Times

Google latest doodle is their most ambitious one yet. It features a collage of artwork with the images representing the letters and colors of the Google logo. Michael Lopez, who has been “chief doodler” for the past 18 months said, “”We want to end the year with a bang.”

For Micheal Lopez, creating this years holiday card came down to the wire. The design took five artists about 250 hours. It will be opened by hundreds of millions of people. Youre on the list.

Google has featured some pretty fancy doodles in the past year. Some interactive, some including video, and others featuring artwork. This latest Google logo represents a combination of advanced HTML 5 web programming and stunning artwork. As you hover over each individual image, it expands so that you can see the whole thing.

via WSJ

Skype was down for millions of users today. Twitter was buzzing with users saying they couldn’t login. Initially, Skype engineers weren’t sure what the problem was and directed users to monitor @Skype on Twitter for updates. According to Om Malik, this response was simply not good enough:

Sorry, not good enough! Skype is one of the key applications of the modern web. It is already a hit with consumers, and over past few years it has become part of the economic fabric for startups and small businesses around the world. I am not sure we can comprehend the productivity cost of this outage.

Skype is an important communications tool for a lot of people. For many, it gets more use than their actual phones. While many users aren’t paying, they were still adversely affected by the outage and many were just as upset as Om.

According to Skype, the outage was due to some of their “supernodes” being unavailable because “many of them were taken offline by a problem affecting some versions of Skype.” Skype works as a distributed network, this is why some users had no problems and others were unable to login. Key pieces of the network failed, effectively blocking users across the globe.

As Om points out, a peer-to-peer network like Skype shouldn’t really go down. This outage shows that there are some chinks in the Skype armor and the network may not be as robust as originally thought. This also comes at a time when Skype is pushing into the business sector and just coming from an IPO.

Skype says that their engineers are frantically creating new “mega-supernodes” which should resolve the problem, but many users are still experiencing difficulties at this time.