Category: Tech

Amazon Cloud Player Now Works on iOS?

Amazon’s Cloud Player service is a ballsy move by Amazon that lets users stream music from the cloud directly to their mobile devices or web browsers. The service does not have the blessing of the music industry and launched with only an Android app. This is understandable given Apple’s relationship with the recording industry. To bad, so sad, for iOS device owners…until now. MG Siegler explains how it works:

If you visit Amazon’s Cloud Player through the Safari web browser on an iOS device, you’ll see that it does in fact now work. You’ll first hit a warning page telling you that your browser is not supported, but just ignore that. Click into the music in your drive and it will begin playing. It works flawlessly — even to the point where if you get a Push Notification or incoming call, the music will be paused.

Netflix Finally Available on (some) Android Devices

For all you Androids at there, rejoice. You can now watch Netflix on select Android devices. Watching shows and movies instantly over 3G or WiFi. Resume right where you left off on your computer or TV. Search and browse titles with ease. There are currently 5 officially supported devices:

Facebook Responds on Smear Campaign

Facebook was recently caught trying to pull a fast one against competitor Google, by hiring a PR Firm to basically drag Google’s name through the mud. In true Facebook style, their response to getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar doesn’t say much at all. They’ve repeatedly escaped reprisals from users by sticking their collective heads in the sand until everything boils over. This latest event seems no different.

No ‘smear’ campaign was authorized or intended. Instead, we wanted third parties to verify that people did not approve of the collection and use of information from their accounts on Facebook and other services for inclusion in Google Social Circles — just as Facebook did not approve of use or collection for this purpose. We engaged Burson-Marsteller to focus attention on this issue, using publicly available information that could be independently verified by any media organization or analyst. The issues are serious and we should have presented them in a serious and transparent way.

TechCrunch attempted to reach out to Facebook for a less sterile response, but got none. Since Facebook doesn’t want to speak up for what they’ve done, MG Siegler breaks it down for us without their input.

Troubles with Internet Censorship on the African continent stretch far beyond what we’ve heard from countries like Egypt. Ethiopia, Uganda, Ivory Coast and others have begun filtering the web in fear of protest movements gaining popularity and using social media to organize.

With an Internet penetration rate of only 0.5 percent, the state-owned Ethiopian networking infrastructure blocks a wide range of political opposition and independent news sites which report on the country.

Ethiopian officials recently hijacked an event sponsored by UNESCO, replacing independent journalists with government-approved reporters. They also unblocked a number of sites, probably temporarily, due to the event’s theme of new media and the Internet.

Ethiopia continues to be one of Sub-Saharan Africa’s worst offenders when it comes to Internet freedom. –Al Jazeera

A new method of Internet Censorship, Just-in-Time blocking, has become popular due to protests spreading across the Middle East and North Africa. In this case, sites are blocked temporarily in direct response to protests and other gatherings. On April 14, Uganda’s Communications Commission (UCC) allegedly used this method to block Twitter and Facebook for 24 hours as citizens protested against rising food and fuel prices.

Ugandan Commissioner of Police Andrew Kaweesi has called cyberactivism a Western phenomenon, stating that “governments need to come up with an enabling law that guards against misuse of communication networks to protect social values and national identity,” and called for regulation of online publications.

With only 5.6 per cent of the total global online population, Africa lags behind the rest of the world. Even with efforts to get more Africans online, they run the risk of increased Internet filtering and incarceration. While countries like Egypt and Sudan have mostly open access to the Internet, dozens of bloggers have been arrested in Egypt and the Sudanese government is known to use social networking to track down protesters.

Will the cost that citizens will have to pay be worth having widespread Internet access?

via Al Jazeera English.

It’s no secret that Google and Facebook aren’t the best of friends. Facebook has 600 million users or so, with a huge social graph that Google wants in on. Facebook isn’t having it. They’ve had their little spats before, but this latest story is nothing short of ridiculous. Facebook got the idea to get at Google by highlighting privacy concerns in using Google services. The problem is, Facebook couldn’t do so directly because of their own privacy issues. To get around this, they hired a PR firm to do their dirty work.

While this firm, Burson-Marsteller, has “represented lots of blue-chip corporate clients in its 58-year history,” has consulted for Bill Clinton, and strategized for Hillary in 2008, their approach here was quite amateur. The Daily Beast says it best: “here were two guys from one of the biggest and best-known PR agencies in the world, blustering around Silicon Valley like a pair of Keystone Kops.”

They approached Privacy advocate Christopher Soghoian, hoping to use his name for Facebook’s vendetta against Google. He told BetaBeat that they even offered to ghost-write the piece. Instead of simple refusing their request, he posted the email exchange online, much to Facebook’s embarrassment.

Why should Facebook be embarrassed? Their have no privacy concerns, right? It’s not as if Facebook’s API has ever leaked private information. They’ve never forced users to opt-out of sharing their information with third-parties. They didn’t have to have a meeting specifically about privacy since users had become so upset they were flocking to Facebook alternatives. There wasn’t even an unofficial Quit Facebook Day as users attempted to rebel against the popular social networking site. Kidding aside, even after changing their privacy policies, Facebook apps still leaked data. It was only a couple of days ago that Symantec discovered Facebook applications accidentally leaking data to third parties, again. This last leak caused Facebook to overhaul their security protocols and implement OAuth 2.0, HTTPS and SSL Certificates.

I’ll refrain from making references to black pots and kettles, but Facebook definitely loses face here. As far as many are concerned, Facebook’s integrity was already in question when it came to privacy, and this backstabbing and desperate move doesn’t help any. One has to wonder, though. How scared of Google is Facebook to pull a stunt like this?

Hitch Radio provides access over 33,000 radio stations worldwide, allowing you to explore new music and listen to what you want when you want. You can search for content and share what you find with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. In addition to music, Hitch also covers news, talk, and sports stations.

Hitch Radio not only provides a way to access these regional radio stations, but makes it easy to find what you need. Data is organized in real-time and passed to the user. Instead of tuning into a station, you Hitch-a-Ride. If you like where it takes you, it’s easy to share with your social networks.

Facebook connect integration allows you to Hitch-a-Ride with a friend. This means they’re in the driver’s seat and you hear whatever they hear. From the Hitch Radio About page:

It’s a pretty cool way to sit back and relax while you stay in touch with your friends throughout the day. Ever hear a song on the radio and call up your friends to make sure they’re listening, too?

The site itself is simple to interact with. You search for what you need and the play buttons appear directly in the search results. Look for artists and songs, radio personalities or stations, or just search in a specific location. Hit play in the results and a new window opens with the station info so you can listen in the background.

Hitch Radio, currently in private beta, is definitely a cool service if you’re looking for a way to occupy your ears. One of the most interesting features is the real-time nature of the search. Have you ever just missed your favorite song or news show on the radio? Doesn’t happen on Hitch Radio because you can just search for a different station playing the same thing.

This year’s Google I/O conference illustrates exactly where Google is headed as a company. There is a heavy focus on Android and Chrome OS with some very interesting announcements thrown in. Here are a few of them.

Chrome Web Store Available Worldwide

Google has opened up the Chrome Web Store to its entire user base of 160 million users. The store is going worldwide, speaking 41 different languages. Those outside the current markets will only have access to free apps initially, but that still means they can grab ChromeDeck.

Another app that makes it’s debut in the Chrome Web Store? Angry Birds. Now, you don’t even need a mobile device to waste you life away throwing birds at pigs. This is possible only because of the accelerated development of browsers and web applications load by Google and their Chrome Browser.

Google also announced in-app purchases, which takes just one line of code for developers to add, and is keeping the fee structure simple at a flat 5%. To date, 17 million apps have been installed from the Chrome Web Store.

Google Music is Finally Here

A year after it’s announcement, Google Music is finally running in beta. The service is quite close to what Amazon launched recently with their Cloud Drive. Both services allow for the upload, storage, and streaming of your music from the cloud. While Amazon is giving you 5GB of storage, Google is measuring your storage in “songs” and you get to store 20,000 of them. They say this is only for a limited time, though. Check ReadWriteWeb for a detailed run-down and comparison of the two services. You can request an invite to the service here.

A New Kind of Computer: Chromebook

Just when you thought those CR-48 laptops were just a gimmick to promote Chrome OS, Google changes the whole game. With the Chrome Web Browser at its core, the Chromebook offers a lightweight, fast, secure, and reliable way to do business. Remember the Chrome Web Store? Yeah, it’s in the Chromebook. You’ll soon be able to grab one from Amazon, Best Buy and other retailers.

Just another type of netbook, you say? While that may be true, the key here is in how Google is approaching the business and education. In an effort to address costly and insecure setups for these organizations, Google has announced Chromebooks for Business and Education:

This service from Google includes Chromebooks and a cloud management console to remotely administer and manage users, devices, applications and policies. Also included is enterprise-level support, device warranties and replacements as well as regular hardware refreshes. Monthly subscriptions will start at $28/user for businesses and $20/user for schools.

I’d say “BOOM!,” but that’s getting so overused, isn’t it? You also may be wondering how Google will address the problem of offline access, a major sticking point for a browser-based OS. They’ve announced today that they’ve been internally testing totally offline versions of Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Docs. These will become available to all users this summer.

Check out the hilarious video for more details on the Chromebook. One of my favorite quotes from the video is in response to the question “This has the web?,” where the Chromebook responds, “it actually IS the web.”

Artist and producer Pharrell Williams has been named creative director of the new Karmaloop TV network, which launches later this year. The network is aimed at the 18-34 demographic who grew up with the Internet.

In a video on the Karmaloop TV site, Pharrell says that they reach a unique demographic that is not currently being addressed, as he puts it, “in the right way.”

“We don’t wanna follow youth culture. We want to continue to lead. We want to bring programming that not only changes their mentality, but lifts their mentality.”

KarmaLoop TV says Pharrell will have a “significant equity position” in the company. Karmaloop CEO Greg Selkoe said Williams will help create a brand that will get “cutting-edge youth culture” excited about TV, as MTV did in the 80s. KarmaLoop TV, a spin-off from the 10yr old Karmaloop streetwear shopping site, is headed by former president of the AMC cable channel Katie McEnroe.

It will be interesting to see what the front man for N.E.R.D. will bring to the network. Will you be tuning into Karmaloop TV?

via The Washington Post.

This summer, in July, Hip-Hop Word Count will be featured in the Art & Design Exhibition Talk To Me at The Museum Of Modern Art. Hip-Hop Word Count is a searchable ethnographic database built from the lyrics of over 50,000 Hip-Hop songs from 1979 to present day. The exhibit focuses on interactions with objects, including: interfaces, information systems, visualization design, and communication devices, and on projects that establish an emotional, sensual, or intellectual connection with their users.

Examples range from a few iconic products of the late 1960s to several projects currently in development—including computer and machine interfaces, websites, video games, devices and tools, furniture like the one you can get in the Ivy and Wilde store and other physical products, and extending to installations and whole environments.

Tahir Hemphill of HHWC will be presenting infographics of Jay-Z and 50 Cent’s careers as well as an interactive data visualization tracking mentions of ‘Champagne’ from 1980 to 2010. Hemphill’s work has been previously been exhibited at Siggraph (Siggraph 2002); Queens Museum of Art (Queens International Biennial, 2002) and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (Black New York Photographers of the Twentieth Century, 1999).

Hemphill and Hip-Hop Word Count were recently featured on the Michael Eric Dyson show, where he discussed some of the motivations behind the hip-hop database. He shared his hopes that HHWC would be used as a teaching tool, in advertising and marketing, and as a tool for new rappers to figure out whether they’re actually adding anything new to the rap game.

Also coming in July, Hemphill will be working on The Crown Heights Gold exhibition. Inspired by the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Crown Heights riot, a tragic event that began on August 19, 1991, Hemphill will focus on a critical re-reading of historical events and facts surrounding the riots via Hip-Hop videos and news reels. tragic event that began on August 19, 1991.

Rumors swirled yesterday of a Skype acquisition by Microsoft and they’ve now been proven to be true. Microsoft has officially announced a deal under which Microsoft will acquire Skype, the leading Internet communications company, for $8.5 billion in cash from the investor group led by Silver Lake. This is a very aggressive move by Microsoft to get into the “increasingly-converged worlds of communication, information and entertainment.”

Buying Skype—a service that connects millions of users around the world via Internet-based telephony and video— would give Microsoft a recognized brand name on the Internet at a time when it is struggling to get more traction in the consumer market.

The acquisition will increase accessibility of real-time video communications for both consumers and enterprise users, in addition to providing revenue opportunities for both parties. Skype’s 170 million users will join the family of real-time communications platforms at Microsoft, including: Lync (which saw 30 percent revenue growth in Q3), Outlook, Messenger, Hotmail and Xbox LIVE.

“Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Together we will create the future of real-time communications so people can easily stay connected to family, friends, clients and colleagues anywhere in the world.”

Skype will be taken under Microsoft’s wing as a new business division within the company. Skype CEO Tony Bates will become President of the Microsoft Skype Division, reporting directly to Ballmer, who says “Bates has a great track record as a leader and will strengthen the Microsoft management team. I’m looking forward to Skype’s talented global workforce bringing its insights, ideas and experience to Microsoft.”

Egon Durban of Silver Lake said about the deal, “We are excited about Skype’s long-term future with Microsoft, as it is poised to become one of the world’s most dynamic and comprehensive communications platforms.”

If you recall, it was just a short while ago that Google and Facebook contemplated a Skype acquisition. Now, Microsoft puts itself in a better position in this communications race by teaming up with Skype.

via WSJ.com, Microsoft ht SocialWayne

Microsoft has announced the availability of the Windows Azure Toolkits for mobile devices, including: Windows Phone, iOS, and a preview of tools for Android. These tools allow developers to leverage the cloud to accelerate creation of mobile apps. Groupon, for instance, is using the platform to create a consistent mobile experience for users.

“At Groupon, we recognize that people aren’t tied to their computers and want to get deals – whenever and wherever they happen to be. Taking advantage of the Windows Azure Toolkits for Mobile Devices, we can rely on a common backend to create consistent, next generation mobile experiences like real-time notification services that integrate into each phone’s home screen and app experience,” said Groupon’s Michael Shim, vice president of Mobile Business Developer & Partnerships.

Mobile apps is a booming industry and is only growing. Forrester predicts the market will exceed $7 billion by 2015. The problem is that there are too many options out there for developers to create for. They’re forced to prioritize one mobile platform over another and, even when they do try to cover all platforms, the user experience can be inconsistent.

The Windows Azure Toolkits simplify things by providing a common back-end to share features like requirements like device notifications, authentication, storage. Developers can still write client code that exploits the strengths of each individual platform.

Microsoft is also announcing a “Cloud Ready” package for the toolkit. This simplifies the process of setting up services in Windows Azure and allows you to get started quickly without worrying about modifying services. Check out the screencast below for a tutorial on Windows Azure for iOS and hit TechNet Blogs for more details.

The Resumator, a service aiming to “take the hassle out of hiring”, has secured $700,000 in funding led by Rincon Venture Partners, with Paige Craig, ff Venture Capital and Christopher Muenchhoff participating. The Pittsburgh-based company is a graduate of the May 2009 AlphaLab program run by seed stage investor Innovation Works, which was also part of this round.

The Resumator is no stranger to Black Web 2.0. Founder and CEO Don Charlton is featured on our list of Tastemakers and was at our recent NewMe conference. He’s shared his knowledge and experiences here a number of times, including details on what he learned from participating in the AlphaLab accelerator program, and has shared some strategies for starting your own new media property (don’t forget part 2).

In our Q&A with Charlton back in 2009, he described The Resumator:

For small businesses and startups, hiring is extra work, and no one’s expertise. Someone is usually “deputized” to manage the hiring process, and this person (the CEO, office manager, or “unlucky stiff”) usually has no formal experience in recruiting.

The Resumator helps these deputized HR managers save time and money on hiring by instantly replacing the inefficiency of their HR inbox with an entire online recruiting platform for promoting jobs and reviewing resumes.

Companies who trust The Resumator for their hiring include Evernote, ThinkGeek, Dreamhost, Disqus, and Daily Burn.

Oprah may have dropped the ball on this one. Mukami Kinoti-Kimotho is an “on-air personality, journalist, organizational ambassador and celebrity spokesperson” based in Washington, DC. Last year, she had the opportunity to compete for a spot on Oprah’s OWN network. She didn’t win, but that hasn’t stopped her from seeking to become a media mogul.

Mukami’s own multimedia company, MaWazo Media, will launch their first season on May 12th at 4pm EST (that’s this Thursday). Mukami will tweet the event live from her account (@MukamiTV) using the hashtag #MukamiTV.

Why do you want to tune in? Not only is Mukami living the dream and taking advantage of the fact that the gatekeepers are gone, but there is a greater purpose in her hustle. Not just another pretty face, she tackles issue like “Global Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership Development, Gender Equity, Child Survival, Health, Education and Sustainability of the Arts.” One of the goals of the show is to “amplify the voices of individuals doing extraordinary things,” highlighting those her are “overcoming obstacles” and “working and succeeding at becoming their very best and fulfilling their ultimate purpose in life.”

read their guide here

Subscribe to the MukamiTV YouTube channel, mark your calendars, and be sure to check out the first episode of the season this Thursday.

via afrospear

Apple Updates iMac. Adds Thunderbolt and Next Gen Quad-Core Processors

After Apple shut down their online store for a while, many assumed it was in anticipation of an iMac refresh. Those rumors turned out to be dead on. Pricing for the new iMac start at $1,199 for a 21.5″ model with a shiny new 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and 3x faster graphics. These new iMacs also feature a Thunderbolt port and a FaceTime HD camera. Shipping time is 24 hours. The basic all-in-one design is the same, but these bad boys are now packing some serious heat.

via Engadget

Google Chrome Supports It Gets Better Project

The Google Chrome team is doing their part to reinvigorate the It Gets Better Project, which has been around since last September. A few weeks ago, a video circulated featuring Apple employees sharing personal message for the project. Now, the Google Chrome team has done a similar video. This is not the first time Google has taken part in the project, as several Googlers were featured in a video back in October. Even Obama has done his part to support the It Gets Better Project in a video.

via TechCrunch

Sprint + Google Voice Integration Rolls Out

Sprint and Google are finally rolling out integration with Google Voice. This allows you to route your calls through Google Voice using your Sprint number or a Google Voice number. Very convenient, but many are having serious issues. Some Google Voice accounts have become completely crippled. Many are not able to activate the GV account with Sprint at all.

Some international calls are not being routed through Google Voice, resulting in serious fees. At least one user tried to deactivate the integration and now, when he makes calls via Google Voice, the person he is calling ends up in his voicemail with full access. Google Voice has been my primary phone number for over a year now and I haven’t had any problems since integrating with Sprint, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed and knocking on wood.

via Engadget

It seems that scammers have found a way to infiltrate Google search to push malicious software to visitors. Many have complained about Google Image search results directing them to pages that prompted them to download anti-virus scareware via misleading error messages and alerts (ie. Your computer is infected! Click here to fix!).

According to SANS Internet Storm Center, these attackers have been able to distribute malicious scripts across an unknown number of sites which populate the pages based on topics from Google Trends. These scripts than grab images from other sites which makes them look legit in an image search.

“The user’s browser will automatically send a request to the bad page which runs the attacker’s script. This script checks the request’s referrer field and if it contains Google (meaning this was a click on the results page in Google), the script displays a small JavaScript script…[that] causes the browser to be redirected to another site that is serving FakeAV. Google is doing a relatively good job removing (or at least marking) links leading to malware in normal searches, however, Google’s image search seem to be plagued with malicious links.”

A Russian malware researcher, Denis Sinegubko, says this is “the most efficient black hat trick ever,” and added that it was very simple to set up. Sinegubko says about 5,000 sites have been hacked, with the average site containing 1,000 of these bogus pages. This results in Google sending 15 million visits to these sites every month.

Google spokesman Jay Nancarrow said the company is aware of the attacks and is making “active efforts to improve both the quality of the results and malware detection.” He added that they are “improving, as are the people trying to put users at risk, and in the interests of those users it’s best if we don’t reveal everything that we’re doing about this.”

Sinegubko is developing an add-on for Firefox that can flag these evil Google Image search results by placing a red box around them. You can also protect yourself by using an add-on like Noscript, which restricts what sites can run scripts in your browser. Similar add-ons exist for Google Chrome as well.

via Krebs on Security

CNET reports that a third attack has been planned against Sony. According to an Internet Relay Chat user frequenting a channel used by hackers, the attack is planned for this weekend. Their plan is to publicize information whole or in part that was copied from Sony’s servers during a previous intrusion.

Should the planned attack succeed, it would be the latest blow in a series of devastating security breaches of Sony’s servers over the past month. The failure of Sony’s server security has ignited investigations by the FBI, the Department of Justice, Congress, and the New York State Attorney General, a well as data security and privacy authorities in the U.K., Canada, and Taiwan.

Several weeks ago, Anonymous targeted a number of Sony sites with their “patented” distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack. Their members feel that Sony acted unfairly against hacker George Hotz. Later, another attack resulted in personal customer information being exposed for millions of Sony customers. This forced Sony to shut down PSN, Qriocity, and Sony Online and they are still working to bring theses services back online.

Sony doesn’t know who orchestrated this last “highly sophisticated, planned” attack, but are hinting around that it may have been Anonymous. The group denies any involvement in the breach, though. They’ve issued a statement denying it was involved: “While we are a distributed and decentralized group, our ‘leadership’ does not condone credit card theft,” the statement said.

via CNET News