Category: Tech

Earvin “Magic” Johnson has finally joined Twitter. He’s sent 3 tweets so far and his account does display the Verified badge. He has amassed 30,915 followers since his first tweet about 17hrs ago and is following 35 people who mostly seem related to sports somehow. He has been using the celebrity-focuse Who Say service to tweet.

Magic was just named Chairman of Vibe Holdings LLC as part of an investment deal including Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle’s The Yucaipa Companies. As part of that announcement, Magic was quoted as saying “We will redefine Vibe Holdings as the center of influence for the coveted urban audience.” Given that a large portion of that audience is on Twitter and other social media sites, it’s logical that Magic would need to pay a visit.

Follow @MagicJohnson and give him a warm welcome.

IE9 Beta debuted back in September and the word was it was gaining on Chrome, whose claim to fame is speed and support of the latest standards. Shortly after the beta was launched, IE9 got 2 million downloads in 2 days. Now, IE9 Release Candidate is finally available for download and the word is that it’s four times faster than Chrome 10. It also boasts the best support for the latest web standards.

IE9 embraces Microsoft’s vision of the desktop moving onto the web and the web moving onto the desktop. The browser interface stays out of the way and they say it gives you more viewable space than Chrome. ReadWriteWeb is skeptical, though:

Showed two sites, side by side, on Chrome and IE9, and showed that IE9 offered a “full toolbar’s width” more screen space for content. (It’s clear here today that Microsoft considers Chrome its big browser competitor and not Firefox. As a matter of fact, the word Firefox hasn’t been mentioned once.) One other thing? My Chrome looks cleaner than the one they just showed – I have to wonder what version that was.

I have to say that I will definitely be trying out this Release Candidate, which you can download at www.BeautyOfTheWeb.com. Chrome is currently my browser of choice, but IE9 is making big moves and I’m curious to see it in action. One thing to note is that Firefox has barely been mentioned by Microsoft as a competitor. Chrome seems to be the one to beat.

via ReadWriteWeb, MSDN

Sprint Nextel Corp. has announced their Q4 results, showing 58,000 net subscriber gains, better customer retention, and 1.1 million wireless subscriber additions.

The fourth-quarter loss narrowed to $929 million, or 31 cents a share, from $980 million, or 34 cents, a year earlier, the Overland Park, Kansas-based carrier said in a statement today. Sales rose 5.5 percent, exceeding analysts’ estimates.

Sprint was able to expand its 4G network, which has been instrumental in attracting customers and building a perception of being a stable network. Devices like the Evo 4G have also helped to maintain Sprints image as a reliable and cutting-edge network.

Sprint has held it’s position against Apple’s iPhone as it remained exclusively with AT&T, a carrier that has taken many hits on it’s reliability. With Verizon expanding its 4G LTE network and beginning to sell the iPhone 4 to the masses today, it will be interesting to see if this changes Sprint Nextel’s bottom line.

via Businessweek

At their launch event today, HP came out swinging. They’ve brought together 3 devices running HP webOS which form a basic ecosystem which could be very attractive for consumers. The devices bring a fresh look at tablets and smartphones and provide a key piece that is still missing from the competitors.

HP Veer

The absurdly tiny HP Veer carries the tag line “Never before has a smartphone done so much and felt so small.” It packs all the punch of a high-end smartphone into a device the size of a credit card with a 2.6-inch multitouch display in vibrant 18-bit color, 320×400 resolution. Don’t worry, there is a slide-out physical QWERTY keyboard so you don’t need baby hands to text, email, and post Facebook updates.

HP Pre 3

The URL still says Palm.com, but there is no Palm branding anywhere else except for the page footer. The Palm…uh…HP Pre 3 is the new look of business. A work phone that you actually don’t want to leave at work. The device is smooth and sleek, also featuring webOS, a large WVGA display, vertical slide-out keyboard, and 1.4GHz of processing power. HP Synergy gives you the ability to combine your information from all the different places they reside online. View your personal and business information side-by-side for maximum efficiency, or keep things separate for when the boss is being nosy. The Pre 3 also features dual cameras for video calls.

HP TouchPad

The webOS interface comes to the big screen with the HP TouchPad. It features a clean and spacious workspace with the activity cards, providing an easy way to visually organize what you’re doing on the screen. You can switch between cards, stack related cards, or have them stacked for you. All the basics are here: gaming, apps, wireless printing, and more.

What’s most interesting about the TouchPad is in how it leverages TouchStone technology to integrate with the Pre 3. You can share a URL by bumping the devices together. Receive text messages and answer phone calls on your TouchPad, a feature I’m sure many tablet owners would love.

I think the interaction between the TouchPad and Pre 3 is something many Apple customers have been longing for. On the other hand, how many apps does HP really have for these devices?

What do you think about webOS?

via HP

Vibe Holdings LLC has announced an investment from Magic Johnson Enterprises and Ron Burkle’s The Yucaipa Companies. Vibe Holdings is a leading multi-cultural media company featuring celebrated brands like Vibe Magazine, Vibe.com, Uptown Magazine and the iconic Soul Train TV show and library.

As part of the investment Earvin “Magic” Johnson will become Chairman of Vibe Holdings, utilizing his “unparalleled business acumen” to fuel continued growth at Vibe Holdings through the creation of advertiser-friendly platforms. Johnson is a “venerated and proven architect” of niche market development.

“The mission of Magic Johnson Enterprises is focused on building mutually beneficial relationships between corporations and the underserved urban market. Through programs designed to cultivate the existing profit potential of this burgeoning, and frequently neglected demographic, we are able to revitalize and maximize profit margins. Currently the landscape of modern media lacks a platform to serve this community on a global scale.” — Earvin “Magic” Johnson

Peter Kern, Managing Partner, InterMedia Partners, says they are “excited” to have Magic Johnson and Ron Burkle as partners and that they “have already assembled a great group of assets and brands which have strong momentum in the market; with the help of our new partners, we believe we can build a leading platform for our core audiences and for advertisers who need to reach them.”

Magic definitely has plans for the future of Vibe Holdings, saying “history and legacy are paramount in building brand affinity and we plan to integrate this ideology into the resurgence of Vibe Holdings. Through leveraging established brand equity we will create a pertinent message vehicle for major advertisers. We will redefine Vibe Holdings as the center of influence for the coveted urban audience.”

WSJ reports that “people familiar with the matter” say Apple has started production on the new iPad. The device will include a camera and a faster processor. While the display resolution will remain the same, the device is supposed to ship with a faster graphics processor.

The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad, these people said. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor, they said.

Even without Steve Jobs in the driver’s seat, Apple seems to be continuing to move forward. This makes sense as the iPad is critical to Apple’s bottom line and the competition isn’t slowing up at all. The iPad should debut within the next couple of months in a similar price range as the current iPad.

Piper Jaffray & Co. estimates Apple will sell 27 million iPads in 2011, and some investors expect as many as 35 million units in sales. “It’s going to be a critical growth driver,” said Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray.

On the flip side, with competition like the Samsung Galaxy Tab and HP’s upcoming WebOS tablet, research firm IHS iSuppli estimates the iPad’s market share will decline to less than 50% of the overall market by 2013.

It remains to be seen how successful the iPad will continue to be when it may not offer many of the features other tablets are packing.

via WSJ.com

Visa has agreed to acquire virtual goods monetization platform PlaySpan for $190 million in real life cash. The $190 million is the first payment, with additional payouts to follow for PlaySpan reaching certain milestones. Visa says this deal will compliment their previous acquisition of the CyberSource e-payment company for $2 billion and will extend their presence in the digital and mobile commerce.

PlaySpan has raised almost $50 million in funding since their launch four years ago. They have forged partnerships with the likes of Viacom, Disney, Facebook, Ubisoft, and Sanrio. Their flagship product UltimatePlay recently launched a mobile version which allows developers to easily incorporate virtual goods into their.

PlaySpan’s flagship product UltimatePay is a ‘Monetization as a Service’ platform for apps, games, videos and digital goods. Based on the user’s location, the payments platform draws from over 85 different payment options. Because of its vast variety of payment options (which include PayPal, pre-paid cards, and a number of credit cards), UltimatePay is designed for a global audience. Currently, PlaySpan powers virtual goods marketplaces across 1,000 video games, virtual world publishers and social networks.

eCommerce sales is big business for Visa. PlaySpan will help Visa capitalize on the growing digital goods market, which generated an estimated $25 billion in consumer spending globally in 2010 and is expected to reach $280 billion by 20143.

via TechCrunch, PlaySpan

It’s not looking good for Nokia’s sole weapon in the battle against Google and Apple. Android and iOS are the mobile operating systems to beat and Nokia’s Meego was supposed to be the challenger. The N9-00 was to be the first device running the Meego operating system, but Reuters reports the device has already been canned.

Nokia (NOK1V.HE) has ended development of its first smartphone using its new MeeGo operating system before it was ever launched, two industry sources close to the company said. A spokesman for Nokia declined to comment.

The device hasn’t even been officially launched yet. Not a good look for Nokia. Of course, it’s possible we may still see the device at Nokia’s event on Friday or at Mobile World Congress next week. Since the device was really just rumor, rumors of it being killed off don’t mean much.

So really, this is a lot like saying something that didn’t exist still doesn’t exist. – Engadget

Xperia Play (Playstation Phone) to Verizon?

In a comparison chart between the iPhone 4 and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, Wirefly has listed the device with Verizon as the carrier. Having the iPhone 4 and the Xperia Play could be a big win for “Big Red,” but Sony Ericsson hasn’t played favorites in the past so it’s unlikely they will have any type of exclusive relationship. The Xperia will be available on every single carrier in the UK starting in April, so it’s logical they would pursue a similar strategy in the US. The Xperia Play will be announced this Sunday, February 13th.

The Sprint Echo is turning a lot of heads since its launch yesterday. The device features not one, but two 3.5-inch 480 x 800 displays which unfold into a single 4.7-inch 960 x 800 surface. The device, manufactured by Kyocera, has a patented “liquid-metal” hinge which provides multiple configurations for the device. You can close it up and use it like a single-screen phone, open it up like a mini-surface, or prop it up like a baby laptop.

Kyocera has customized seven core apps to take advantage of the dual screens, including the browser, email, and messaging. There is also a dual-screen app launcher which is accessed by tapping both screens simultaneously. Unfortunately, all other apps will just take up the whole screen as they don’t support the dual-screen hardware, but Kyocera and Sprint say an SDK is coming.

Many love this device at first sight, but many think it will fail. Some have even compared it to the Microsoft Kin. Coming from Sprint, you’d expect the Echo to be 4G-capable, but it’s not. It also only has one camera, a rear-facing 5 megapixel camera with 720p video capture.

While the dual-screens seem like a killer feature, the fact that developers will need to re-write their applications to support it is less than optimal. It also opens the door for more fragmentation. We will have to see how the Echo does once it’s launched later this year.

via engadget

Today, in a conference call with reporters, Keith Olbermann announced he will be hosting a one-hour primetime show on Current TV, the Emmy Award-winning television and online network founded in 2005 by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt.

Olbermann will also step in as “chief news officer” for Current. Beginning in late spring, Olbermann says the new show will be “an improved and we hope amplified and stronger version of the show that I just did at my previous network.”

After recently leaving MSNBC, rumors circulated as to where Olbermann would end up. Chairman of Current TV Al Gore said he is “extremely honored and delighted” to have Olbermann at Current and he is a “great fit with Current in every way.”

When asked if Olbermann would be able to donate to political candidates in his position at Current, a practice with got him in hot water with his previous employer, Gore said “”The answer is yes. We believe at Current that every citizen has freedom of speech, and that freedom of speech includes the ability to donate to candidates of your choice.”

via Huffington Post, Current TV

Today, OpenX upgrades their ad technology platform to make it easier for publishers. OpenX is currently serving ads on thousands of websites worldwide. They serve more than 350 billion ads per month.

Many of the features of sodapdf are free, but some are not. If you use a feature that’s not covered by the free version, the saved file will have a watermark attached to the corners of every page.

This latest update provides a single and efficient interface for publishers to manage their ad revenue stream and more. Visit http://sidekickperformance.com
if you happen to be needing a laser cutter.

Another noteworthy component of the OpenX Enterprise platform is an integrated data collection and targeting system that allows publishers to use both proprietary and third-party data to enable audience-based media buying across their entire inventory.

This update brings a complete API framework with an object-oriented design which should allow developers to easily integrate OpenX with other software components. Services like Groupon, who have been using OpenX for ads on their website and email blasts, stand to benefit from this advanced interface.

via TechCrunch

The latest Google doodle aims to stimulate the imagination as Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (free Google books download) did for many. In a post, Google Doodler Jennifer Hom recounts how the book sent her imagination into hyper drive.

Today’s doodle, celebrating Verne’s 183rd birthday, tries to capture that sense of adventure and exploration. Using CSS3 (and with help from our resident tech wizards Marcin Wichary and Kris Hom), the doodle enables anyone to navigate the Nautilus down (nearly) 20,000 leagues with the simple pull of a lever. And for those using devices with built-in accelerometers and the latest versions of Google Chrome or Firefox, it’s even simpler—just tilt your device in the direction you want to explore and the Nautilus will follow.

The Google logo now looks like a collection of portholes or a window looking out into the deep of the ocean. The lever to the right allows you to navigate up, down, and tilt right or left. This exposes more of the surrounding scenery and wild life. It would be awesome if this worked on my Android smartphone as it would be interesting to see how this plays with the accelerometer. As you navigate the murky deep, be sure to keep an eye out for giant squid.

via Official Google Blog

As of today, Gawker has a brand new look that has many scratching their heads. The new look is a simpler 2-pane design the defies the default blog-style layout. The landing pages for sites like Gawker.com, Jezebel, and Lifehacker now show a single featured post with a list of other content down the side. Gone is the reverse-chronological order of posts that greets your on most blogging sites.

“It just feels inevitable,” Denton says. “We have a crying need to showcase both exclusives and visual posts. The visual posts are now at least half of our top-performing stories. And audience growth on sites like Deadspin and Gawker has been driven by our most sensational scoops.”

Images now dominate the Gawker network, which makes for an easy to look at experience, except for one problem. The Gawker.com site isn’t displaying anything. Neither is Gizmodo. Visiting either gives you something like the shot below.

While Jezebel, Lifehacker and others are simply having a few design glitches here and there, Gawker and Gizmodo are completely blank except for the list of stories down the site. Clicking through to an individual post on the right, or clicking Next Post at the bottom brings you to the content but, for the moment, many visitors are just confused. If you would rather view any of the Gawker sites with a standard blog layout, hit the button immediately left of the Home button at the top of the right sidebar.

Many were none too thrilled when Essence redesigned their site a while back. Twitter completely revamped their homepage, forcing many Twitter developers to completely change their strategy. MySpace has also had a recent redesign aimed at capturing a younger audience. When Google tweaked Google News, many users were plain angry about it, while the NAACP site redesign made it easier to use and stepped up their media game. Let’s not even get into the numerous changes Facebook has gone through, fighting their users the entire way.

It’s a daring move any time a web property does a redesign. Some will like it, most will probably hate it. At the end of the day, you at least have to make sure it doesn’t completely break your site. Even if it does, you would think a popular site like Gawker would have had a Plan B already in place.

via WSJ, NiemenLab

According to an ad from Best Buy, we should be seeing the Motorola Xoom Android tablet launched on February 24th. The ad prices the device at $799.99 with a data plan starting at $20 per month for 1GB and going up to $80 per month for 10GB. This is apparently identical to current data plans for the Samsung Galaxy Tab through Verizon.

So, the $700-$800 price range that has been rumored along with a February launch date all seem likely for tablet fans anticipating the Xoom. Motorola has also launched a portal site for the Xoom which features their Super Bowl ad.

The ad references Apple’s 1984 ad, featuring a sterile civilization with a bunch of people in white wearing white earbuds….except for the one normal guy with a Motorola Xoom tablet. He appears to be using the tablet’s navigation feature to find his new job. The ad appears to hint that, when it comes to the tablet market, most people just aren’t paying attention to what’s important. Check it out below.

via Engadget