Google+Facebook+iPhone: 09/06/11

Tuesday, 6 September 2011

Watchdog wants fair trade rules for Facebook, Twitter, Google

A leading regulatory watchdog is petitioning the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in a bid to establish a “trade regulation” framework, which would set out how web companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter can operate lawfully.

The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE) is looking for ways to protect U.S.-based web-based services or companies, by bidding the FTC to define acts or practices which they consider unacceptable.

While Google and Twitter are both under FTC investigation, Facebook is subject to a petition for federal investigation, to deem whether they are acting unlawfully.

The FTC can ban acts or practices that can cause “substantial injury to consumers which is not reasonably avoidable by consumers themselves”, adding that it can take action also if these practices are not outweighed by countervailing benefits.

For example, if Facebook were to reset everyone’s privacy settings each time they were updated, this could be considered an act in which the FTC would deem unacceptable, and could cause ‘injury’ to the subjects involved.

But, as the CRE believes, there are lacking rules and regulations to govern web-based services, it creates a perception that the FTC is interpreting “ambiguous rules” to obtain a “preconceived solution”.

The five-page petition sets out the CRE’s arguments, which include a “sound and legal framework” which would then avoid web companies and services inadvertently harming, not enhancing their businesses.

Facebook plea helps woman retrieve wedding ring lost at NASCAR race

A Bay City woman figured she would never again see the wedding ring she lost last month in the crowd of almost 100,000 attending a NASCAR race at Michigan International Speedway.

But social media and an honest race car crewman put the diamond band back on Andrea Wieland's finger, speedway organizers announced Tuesday.

"I thought I had lost it in the garage area somewhere, and I looked everywhere and just figured it was gone," Wieland told track officials. "I was frantic. I've been attending races at MIS for the past five or six years and have always had a great time. This time, because of my own doing, I was upset because I had lost a ring I've cherished for 16 years of marriage."

Wieland had taken the ring off while applying sunscreen during a fan promotion pre-race garage tour at the Aug. 21 Pure Michigan 400, where she got a close-up look at the cars and crews of NASCAR's top series, the Sprint Cup. She thought she put the ring safely into her camera bag. After searching the garage area of the two-mile track on 1,400 acres, Wieland reluctantly realized it was probably gone forever.

But, a crew member for Red Bull Racing's Brian Vickers, who told track officials he wished to remain anonymous, found the ring in the garage and pocketed it with the idea of trying to later locate its owner.

On her Sunday evening drive back to Bay City, Wieland used her cellphone to post a message on the race track's Facebook page: "Anyone who may have been in the garage area at MIS and may have found a wedding ring with 13 diamonds in it that includes the big center diamond PLEASE message me through Facebook!"

An MIS employee who saw the Facebook message took a phone call to the Brooklyn race track a few days later from the crewman at the No. 83 Toyota's race shop in North Carolina.

Read more at http://detnews.com/article/20110907/METRO/109070370/Facebook-plea-helps-woman-retrieve-wedding-ring-lost-at-NASCAR-race#ixzz1XFCYepnM

Mexico's Twitter 'terrorism' case sparks controversy

(CNN) -- One Mexican state's tough stance on Twitter posts could have a chilling effect on social media throughout the country, analysts say.

After false rumors about school attacks spread on Twitter and Facebook and caused real-life chaos on the streets of the city of Veracruz, state prosecutors accused two people of terrorism and sabotage for their posts. The charges could put the suspects behind bars for up to 30 years.

The pair's attorney is asking a federal judge to block the state's case, arguing that local authorities are abusing their power and violating free speech rights. Some free-speech advocates and fellow social media users have criticized the government's reaction, arguing that the possible punishment does not fit the crime.

Officials have defended their approach, saying the suspects should be punished after irresponsible actions online sparked widespread fear in the port city.

"Social networks are an excellent way to communicate, but sadly there are cowardly people who hide behind them only to hurt," Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte said in a Twitter post after announcing intentions to pursue terrorism charges against the suspects last month.

But several experts say the state government's harsh response could stifle social media, an increasingly common way to communicate about violence in Mexico at a time when some don't trust reports they're getting from the government or more traditional sources.

"It is absolutely disproportionate to say that a Twitter post can be an act of terrorism," said Raul Trejo Delarbre, a professor who studies social media at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

The case caught the attention of Amnesty International, which released a statement calling on Mexican courts to respect the rights of the accused "to a fair trial and to freedom of expression."

Last month, a group of about 20 young people protested in front of Veracruz state's Congress, demanding that government officials set the suspects free.

"They cannot compare virtual terms with real ones," group spokesman Roberto Arucha said.

But such cases are complicated, said Ryan Calo, a researcher at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society.

"I think that it is appropriate to mete out some punishment for this behavior. ... If it's a clear-cut case where there was actual harm, then I could see why the government would act," he said. "But they can't go overboard and they can't paint with too broad a brush, precisely because it will compromise a free-speech environment."

Google acquires KCK digital coupon firm Zave Networks

Zave Networks of Kansas City, Kan., which helps shoppers use discounts digitally, has been acquired by Google Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

Zave helps businesses put out virtual coupons, discounts and other special offers over the Internet, and helps consumers find and redeem such offers using their cellphones or other mobile devices.

The financial details of the acquisition were not announced. The company’s directors include Ronald LeMay, former chief executive of Sprint PCS, and Lance LeMay. The LeMays are founders of OpenAir Equity Partners, a venture capital and private equity firm focused on the wireless industry that backed Zave.

A statement from Zave said it was “passionate about creating a better platform for incentive programs — such as coupons and loyalty rewards — by making them 100 percent digital, easier, more measurable, efficient and environmentally friendly.”

The statement did not say how many employees Zave had and referred questions to Google, which declined to say.

Read more at http://www.kansascity.com/2011/09/06/3124020/google-acquires-zave-networks.html#ixzz1XFBr9iG3

Google joins the group on bargain hunts

Add one more name to the list of online discount sites vying for dollars from Boston area shoppers: Google Inc.

The Internet search giant is bringing its online daily bargain site, Google Offers, to Boston and four other cities today. It joins dozens of online discount services that have been launched since Groupon.com inaugurated the concept three years ago.

Google Offers was inaugurated in Portland, Ore. three months ago, and was launched in New York City and San Francisco last month.

Google’s product is similar to Groupon, which pioneered the “daily deal’’ online coupon in November 2008. Since then dozens of discount sites have been established, including the number two daily deal site, LivingSocial, now partially owned by Amazon.com, and sites from Facebook and Yelp.

The Boston Globe’s online site, Boston.com, has its own daily deal site, called Boston Deals. And a business-to-business site called RapidBuyr launched in Boston last month, targeting small and mid-size companies seeking bargains on office equipment and other products.

Last month, however, Facebook shut down its deal site, and Yelp reduced its online couponing staff by half, indicating the sector may be saturated.

Raymond Boggs, vice president of small and medium business research at IDC, a Framingham research firm, said that Google’s brand recognition gives the site a good chance of success, even in a crowded market.

“The Google name is so visible, and it’s such a compelling brand, that it’s already on people’s radar,’’ he said.

Eric Rosenblum, Google’s director of product management, commerce, said that to participate, users need a Google ID, the same ID they would use for the company’s other products, like its e-mail service, Gmail.

Google Offers uses Checkout, the company’s own payment service.

The first deal on the site is a half-price offer from Toscanini’s Ice Cream in Cambridge’s Central Square, down the street from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Judge Rules That Workers Fired for Facebook Posting Must Be Rehired

BUFFALO, N.Y. - A National Labor Relations Board Administrative Law Judge has found that a Buffalo nonprofit organization unlawfully discharged five employees after they posted comments on Facebook concerning working conditions, including work load and staffing issues.

2 On Your Side first started following this case involving Hispanics United of Buffalo last May.

The Office of General Counsel issued a report last month outlining some of the cases.allegations to her Facebook page. The initial post generated responses from other employees who defended their job performance and criticized working conditions, including work load and staffing issues. Hispanics United later discharged the five employees who participated, claiming that their comments constituted harassment of the employee originally mentioned in the post.

The case involves an employee of Hispanics United of Buffalo, which provides social services to low-income clients. According to the National Labor Relations Board, after hearing a coworker criticize other employees for not doing enough to help the organization's clients, the employee posted those

The case was heard by Administrative Law Judge Arthur Amchan on July 13-15, 2011, based on a complaint issued May 9 by Rhonda Ley, NLRB Regional Director in Buffalo, New York.

Judge Amchan issued his decision on September 2, finding that the employees' Facebook discussion was protected concerted activity within the meaning of Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act, because it involved a conversation among coworkers about their terms and conditions of employment, including their job performance and staffing levels. The judge also found that the employees did not engage in any conduct that forfeited their protection under the Act.

Judge Amchan ordered that Hispanics United reinstate the five employees and awarded the employees back pay because they were unlawfully discharged. The judge's decision also requires that Hispanics United post a notice at its Buffalo facility concerning employee rights under the Act and the violations found. Hispanics United has the right to appeal the decision to the Board in Washington.

Two Arrested in Alleged iPod, iPhone Thefts

A drunk-driving report led Murrieta police to suspects in an ongoing theft investigation.

On Sunday at 8:18 p.m., officers responded to Hunter and Winchester roads after receiving reports of a possible DUI driver, said Murrieta police Sgt. Robert Anderson in a news release.

Officers were given a vehicle description and license plate number, which they found to be registered to 18-year-old Kevin Ryan Scott Bredesen of Murrieta, the sergeant said. Bredesen was wanted for questioning in a theft case being investigated by Murrieta police Officer Dave Lawlor.

Bredesen is also facing a court date for previous charges of alleged possession of marijuana for sale, according to court records.

Officers found Bredesen's car parked in the area, but it was unoccupied. Further investigation led the officers to 29000 block of Hunter Road, Anderson said, where they found Bredesen and a 17-year-old companion.

Officers were given permission to search Bredesen's vehicle, and found several iPods, iPhones, other cell phones and several GPS units concealed in a hidden compartment in the trunk, according to Anderson.

"Both admitted to being involved in the original theft case Officer Lawlor was investigating, but denied ownership of the newly found property in the vehicle," Anderson said.

GameStop Affirms Popularity Of Mobile Gaming; Plans To Sell iPhone, iPod, And iPad

Still think mobile gaming isn’t a big deal? GameStop disagrees. Though they may not be as in-depth or graphically stimulating as console or PC-based games, but mobile games are accessible to everyone. My grandma can’t play L.A. Noire, but she’s beat every level of Angry Birds. So it only makes sense that GameStop has decided to put a couple new devices on its shelves: the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

GameStop has made a push into the tablet and mobile gaming space as of late. It started an iOS device trade-in program (for select stores) that is expected to roll-out nationally sometime during this year, reports 9to5mac. The company also said in April it had plans to get into the tablet space, whether that be with a device already on the market or by building a GameStop-branded gaming slate. Turns out, nabbing the iOS trifecta was the best plan.

Apple iPhone 5 Preorders in Germany: Report

T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom AG is allowing customers to preorder the iPhone 5, according to Bloomberg. However, the preorder process lacks any mention of a release date or device specs.

Although Apple has remained customarily tight-lipped about its plans for the next-generation iPhones, rumors generally point to a September or October unveiling for the device. In the United States, the iPhone is not yet available on T-Mobile, which has been targeted for acquisition by AT&T.

Other rumors suggest the iPhone 5 will include a larger screen and faster processor, along with an 8-megapixel camera and possibly a redesigned body. There’s also a widespread theory that Apple intends to release a line of low-cost iPhones to complement its next-generation device, which in turn would allow Cupertino to combat the rising number of cheap Google Android smartphones on the market.

In yet another sign that a new iPhone might well be upon us, an Apple employee reportedly lost a prototype device in a Northern California bar. This latest incident, which supposedly occurred at a San Francisco establishment known for its tequila, echoes a similar one in 2010, when an Apple engineer lost an iPhone 4 prototype at the Gourmet Haus Staudt beer garden in Redwood City, Calif. The newest (lost) prototype has reportedly not been recovered.

Beyond its product roadmap, Apple is undergoing some seismic shifts at the moment. In an August letter to Apple’s board of directors and employees, CEO Steve Jobs suggested he could “no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO.” He asked the board to activate a prearranged succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO—a familiar role for the latter, considering he’s stepped in as interim chief whenever Jobs’ longstanding health issues drove him to take medical leave.

Facebook for iPhone Gets Big Privacy Upgrade [PICS]

Facebook has updated its iPhone app with a slew of new features and privacy controls, many of which mirror recent enhancements to the website.

Facebook for iPhone 3.5 [iTunes link] now lets users tag friends and places in posts and share external links from the web view. It also makes it easier to control who can see what posts, matching the enhanced controls now available on Facebook.com. The app also features redesigned Profile and Group walls, making both more streamlined and clean.

Additionally, Facebook fixed a number of bugs and made some performance enhancements. We really like the update and are especially impressed with Facebook’s new privacy options tour that accompanies the app the first time it is launched.On the downside, 9to5 Mac reports that Facebook has taken this update opportunity to remove the Facebook for iPad code that accidentally leaked out in July. An official iPad app remains missing in action.

San Francisco-based Clean Power Finance raises $25 million from Kleiner Perkins & Google Ventures

Clean Power Finance, a San Francisco-based software company that helps independent solar installers offer financing to home- owners, has raised $25 million. The round was led by new investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byersand Google (GOOG) Ventures.

The company also announced that Robert "Nat" Kreamer, one of the founders of competitor SunRun, is Clean Power Finance's new CEO. Kreamer, a reserve officer in the Navy who served in Afghanistan, has been quietly working with Clean Power Finance in that capacity for months.

California's rooftop solar industry has enjoyed a big boost in recent years from new financing arrangements -- from leases to "power purchase agreements" -- that make it possible for individuals and businesses to go solar with little or no money down.

SolarCity, SunRun and Sungevity -- all Bay Area startups -- have made names for themselves by bringing affordable solar to the masses, and each company has grown rapidly and expanded beyond California.Clean Power Finance offers solar financing through solar installers rather than directly to residential or commercial building owners. And instead of creating a consumer brand, it focuses on the untapped business-to-business market and basically acts as the middle man between installers and investors.

It works with a variety of undisclosed lenders and is in the process of creating dedicated tax equity funds to finance solar installations. Several leading banks have already created similar funds with companies like SolarCity and SunRun, and in June, Google announced a $280 million fund for residential solar projects with SolarCity.

Man charged with sending more than 20,000 threatening Twitter messages to Google exec Mayer

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal grand jury in San Francisco has charged a San Antonio man with harassing a high-ranking Google executive with more than 20,000 Twitter posts, some of which were threatening.

According to court records, Gregory Calvin King was arrested in Texas last month and transported to San Francisco to face charges he threatened Google vice president Marissa Mayer, the company’s first female engineer.The indictment identified the alleged victim only as “M.M.” but King’s Twitter account shows him sending thousands of threatening posts to Mayer.

Twitter Renews Deal With Bing; Google Deal Remains MIA

Twitter and Bing announced that they have extended their deal that allows Bing to tap into Twitter’s information in a cutesy exchange on Twitter itself. As for Google, which Twitter’s been on the outs with since July, Twitter says there’s no similar happy news to report.

Dear Twitter, I Love You! Kisses, BingTwitter spokesperson Carolyn Penner compiled the exchange using the awesome Storify service, as you’ll find here:

It’s perhaps the first press release via Twitter conversation that I know of.

Details? You Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Details!But how about details? How long is the deal for? Is Microsoft paying $30 million for it, as AllThingsD reported to be rumored earlier this year?

A Microsoft spokesperson told me simply:

I can confirm that Bing is extending its collaboration with Twitter. We are not disclosing terms of the deal.

Why Your Business Should Be on Google Places

Google has been very apologetic about the fact that open businesses are being incorrectly reported as closed on Google Places. It's incredibly easy to report business as closed on the service, and Google has promised on its blog to fix the problem. Let's back things up for a second and look at the Google Places service.

Google Places is free, and you can't argue with that. It also puts your listing at the top of local searches for your business category, since the first thing that pops up when you Google health food store" + "New York City is a map displaying pertinent businesses. Having a listing on Google Places ensures that you are on that map and gives you chances to enhance it through adding videos, brands that you carry, QR codes, and additional information about your company.

Who Is Using Google Places
Your customers are definitely using Google Places. Google's Marissa Meyer stated earlier this year that 20 percent of Internet searches were local, while 40 percent of mobile searches were local. Additionally, customers with smartphones are using Google Places to find your business with the Google Places app for both Android and iPhone. BlackBerry and Windows Phone users can access Google Places listings through Google Maps for Mobile. You also have the option of using QR codes in your listing, which give mobile users even more information about your business.

Once you are on the service, you can see exactly who is visiting your Places profile via Google Maps Mobile, as well as those visiting through a regular Web search. You can even see where driving directions requests originated from, which can tell you if you need to target online or offline ads in a specific neighborhood.

Getting on Google Places
The process is not hard or time-intensive. Simply enter your information at places.google.com to register with the service. If you already have videos on YouTube and a QR code, be prepared to enter those to enhance your listing. If you have a highly competitive business category, take advantage of these extra features to get a leg up on your competitors.

If Your Business Is Reported ClosedThe problem that users have been reporting for a couple of months is that when a business is reported as closed, a tag comes up right away that reads, "Reported as closed."

Report: Facebook to Compete with iTunes

Facebook is presumed to be preparing to announce a music service at it’s f8 conference later this month. Users will be able to share songs through Facebook the way they currently share links, movies, TV shows, videos, and other personal media, according to online reports.

The UK’s Daily Mail reports that the announcement is expected at Facebook’s annual f8 conference scheduled for September 22 in San Francisco, if everything comes together in time. The feature would let online music services, such as Spotify and Rdio, post information to Facebook pages. This would be similar to the current feature of “liking” websites in Facebook and is reminiscent of the way Apple’s own attempt at a social networking service, Ping, works in iTunes.

Facebook is looking towards music streaming services rather than cloud services, according to the Wall Street Journal. Streaming services, such as Spotify and Rdio, may require a user to pay a monthly fee, but then allow them access to an unlimited amount of music. Cloud services, such as the ones from Google and Amazon and the upcoming iCloud service from Apple, allow users to access their private collections remotely.

Some of the services are expected to develop a player specifically for Facebook. This would allow users to listen to music without leaving the Facebook page, although they may be asked to login. On the other hand, users wouldn’t have to download a separate app. This could be very beneficial to users who aren’t allowed to install software on their machine. (Can you say workplace? wink, wink) Other services may choose to have users switch to their proprietary Facebook app to listen.

Google takes issue with jury selection in Oracle vs Android case

While Apple continues to focus its lawsuits against Android licensees, Oracle's lawsuit targeting Google's Android infringement of Java continues on a fast track to Halloween that Google appears interested in slowing down with jury selection objections.

According to a report by FOSS Patents blogger Florian Mueller, Google has objected to the court's decision to draw jurors from a pool pre-cleared for a separate, longer criminal trial.

Jury selection not diverse enough!
Google says the group is "is less likely to provide a fair cross section of the community than the usual venire available in patent-infringement cases such as this one. As a practical matter, most potential jurors who ordinarily would be available to serve on a three-week civil trial will have significant personal or professional commitments that may make them ineligible to serve in a multi-month criminal trial. Accordingly, the pre-cleared group will be smaller, less diverse, and less representative than the broader group that would otherwise be available for selection."

Mueller notes that Google's intention is likely to be a delay tactic intended to ensure the case won't be ready for trial by the end of October as is currently scheduled. But he also notes that the jury pool originally selected for its ability to participate in an unrelated month long case is more likely to be older and more conservative, and less likely to be tech savvy, employed and of the younger "Google generation."

That would make it harder for Google to argue the fine technical details that distinguish Android's Dvalik virtual machine from Oracle's original Java VM, and make it harder to convince jurors that Android's documented infringement is excusable though legal loopholes that could allow the sealing of evidence, as Google has worked to do, albeit unsuccessfully so far.

No technical experts!
At the same time, Google has also argued against the the court's decision to allow a technical expert to serve as an independent, court appointed advisor, asking that the advisor instead be an "industry expert" more familiar with marketing.

Google stated, "if the Court decides to appoint a technical or industry expert regarding the basis of demand for Android, Google believes that an industry expert would be more helpful to the Court and the jury than a technical expert.

"An industry expert would have first-hand knowledge of the market for handsets, operating systems, and applications, how those products are marketed to consumers, and the reason why consumers make their practical purchasing decisions. […] A technical expert, by contrast, might be limited to offering objective data regarding how any patented features in the Android software improved the performance of that software, but may not have a basis for evaluating the extent to which any of those performance improvements actually mattered to consumers, relative to the other features of the software."

Mueller notes that in this situation, "Google obviously wants to downplay the role Oracle's Java IPRs play, claiming that anything those patents (and copyrights) cover is just a small part of Android as a whole. Oracle wants the opposite.

"Programmers are, on average, more inclined to attach substantial value to certain functionalities, and in this case we're talking about rights that allegedly cover essential aspects of Android's app platform. A programmer's perspective is likely to be that Android would be fundamentally less valuable without the technologies to which Oracle claims exclusive rights. For a programmer, Android without access to all those Dalvik-based apps is a rather unattractive platform."

Google Voice Users Can Now Export Texts, Voicemails & Phone Numbers

An update to Google Takeout, the search giant’s data export service, now allows Google Voice users to retrieve all of their account data.

“We believe that our users should be able to export any data that they create in (or import into) one of our many products,” Google engineer Anthony Jawad writes in a post on the news.

“This means that all of the data associated with your Google Voice account, from your call history to voicemail messages, greetings and call recordings, is now available for download,” he adds.

The Google Takeout update, also announced by way of the quirky YouTube video below, comes courtesy of The Data Liberation Front, a team of in-house engineers building products to help users move their data in and out of Google.

Google Takeout was first released in July. The service launched with the ability to export data from Buzz, Contacts and Circles, Picasa Web Albums, and your Google profile.

Can Google Grow Up?

As mentioned last week on Google's blog, this fall the company will shut down a series of services, including Aardvark, Desktop, Notebook, Web Security (the original Postini technology) and others less well known. Jeff Reeves at Smart Money magazine has even suggested spinning off several divisions to give Google more focus, and giving employees an incentive for some of its far-out ideas.

But first, you'll need a scorecard to keep track. Some of the shut-downs are complete: for example, with Google Desktop, nothing will kept up: the APIs, gadgets, plug-ins and everything else will go away next week. Other shut-downs are more transitional: For example, Google will continue to support existing Web Security customers, although it will not sell any new subscriptions. And Aardvark? Shuttered. All we can do is sigh. (See here for our thoughts on when Google acquired them.)

What does this mean? Obviously, Google is maturing as a company, and even with all of its resources can't continue many of its product lines. The Postini acquisition is a good case in point. When Google acquired them four years ago, they were one of the leaders in email filtering and Web security. Since then, Google has integrated these features into their browsers and email products. According to a PR rep, the full set of remaining email-related Postini services, such as Google Message Continuity, will continue to be sold and supported.

Google willing to spend big on Hulu

Google apparently really wants to buy premium video site Hulu. According to AllThingsD, sources familiar with the situation suggest that Google is willing to spend big for Hulu, proposing an acquisition that’s much larger in scale than what’s been offered by the other contenders. Google also seems to be asking for a lot more than what Hulu has put on the table.

We first heard reports of Hulu’s decision to sell when it began shopping itself around to the likes of Microsoft, Amazon, and Yahoo among others back in July. However, Microsoft has dropped out of the bidding early on, leaving Yahoo, Amazon, and the Dish Network still seriously vying for the purchase. All three are expected to offer between $1.5 billion and $2 billion for Hulu in exchange for the site, its subscription service, and the rights to its exclusive content for at least two years.

Top 5 Reasons to Distribute an iPhone/iPad e-Book through iBooks with the Help of a Convenient New Full-Service Publishing Option

Denver, CO (PRWEB) September 06, 2011

Up until recently there was no simple, convenient way for self-publishing authors to create and distribute e-book editions of their books through Apple's iBookstore without losing all of the control and a lot of the money. That changes with the launch of a new service from Outskirts Press, the fastest-growing full-service self-publishing and book marketing firm.

Here are the top 5 reasons authors are distributing e-books through Apple's iBookstore and using the new iPad/iPhone Premium Edition with Private Label iBooks Distribution from Outskirts Press to do it:

1. Dramatically increase the book's exposure

Over 70 million electronic Apple devices have sold and the sales figures keep growing. iPhone revenues account for over half of all smart phone revenue in the United States. Simply put, it is a huge market that cannot be ignored, especially for authors interested in broadening the reach of their book. Like with many other e-book formats, readers who find your book in the iBookstore can begin reading immediately after purchase. Not only does this reduce author cost - based on the cost of print books - but it also cuts reader costs down substantially with the elimination of printing and shipping costs.

2. Lead the e-book market

Apple's iPad is at the forefront of the e-book craze. According to engadget.com, "[The iPad] is the first e-book reading experience we've seen that seems to truly understand the visceral, sensual enjoyment of holding an actual volume in your hand." Unlike Kindle, which only offers black and white text, reading on the iPad/iPhone is appropriate and engaging for all books -- black and white or full-color. In addition, Apple is forecasting that over twenty-eight million iPads will be sold by the end of this year. This will put all the books available in the iBookstore at the fingertips of even more readers.

3. Full ownership and control

Unlike other submission services, The iPad/iPhone Premium Edition with Private Label iBooks Distribution option from Outskirts Press registers an exclusive ISBN in the author's name and an exclusive Apple account in the author's name (or uses the author's pre-existing Apple account). This means the author, and only the author, is the true publisher of record for the iPad edition. The author holds all the control, and keeps 100% of the royalties paid by Apple. "Not only can authors now publish under their own name or imprint with this new option," said Outskirts Press Vice President Kelly Schuknecht, "they also have full control over their retail price. Apple takes only thirty percent. The Authors keep the remaining seventy percent, and it is deposited directly to their account. There is no middle-man taking a cut."

4. Convenient and easy

Authors who have tried to create an .epub file themselves or attempted to navigate Apple's daunting submission process know how challenging it can be. No longer! Outskirts Press takes care of all the behind-the-scenes leg work for authors and lets them sit back, collect all the money, keep the .epub file, and bask in all the glory that comes along with exposure over seventy million iPad and iPhone owners. "In the beginning, I looked at working directly with Apple myself on this project. After reviewing everything that was involved-- time and money-- it was clear that I was way ahead, once again, letting the experts handle it all for me," stated David A. Koop, author of Cancer: It's a Good Thing I Got It, in reference to the new service from Outskirts Press.

Read more at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/09/06/prweb8773908.DTL#ixzz1XExZzkbS

Tour de France Photog Ditches DSLR for iPhone

There’s no greater misconception in photography than that it’s the gear that makes the photographer (Just ask Damon Winter). In the hands of a skilled shooter, even the iPhone 4’s camera can make compelling images.

During this year’s Tour De France, an event silly with photo pros trying to make a living, photojournalist and documentarian Gregg Bleakney took the opportunity to experiment with using his iPhone to capture the experience as he saw it. No more following the herd trying to get the same shot that everyone else was getting.

Wired.com caught up by e-mail with Bleakney in China to find out why he pursued the project and what it was like working without his DSLR in tow.

Wired.com: So what gave you the idea for the project?

Gregg Bleakney: I’d just come off an assignment at the Giro d’Italia where I was able to negotiate great photographic access and was keen to do something similar at the Tour de France. But I quickly discovered that the media environment at the Tour was an entirely different animal than the Giro — there was almost always a massive scrum of photographers jostling to make pictures of the same “behind the scenes” moments in credentialed press and team areas.

As an emerging photographer, I feel like I should always push hard to separate my work from everyone else’s, and I started to look for another way to cover the event. I was really blown away by the energy and spectator culture outside of the restricted-entry press areas at the start and finish lines of the race; the occasional moments when athletes leave their security perimeter to interact with fans, the security perimeter itself, and with the spectators interacting with each other. So I decided to spend several stages working outside of credentialed areas without a press pass and jokingly dubbed this my “Totally Not Behind the Scenes at the Tour de France” project.

Wired.com: What, if any, obstacles were you faced with while working on it?

Bleakney: Many of the fans were making pictures at the Tour de France with their mobile phones, so I decided that I should do the same if I really wanted to embrace this “NOT behind the scenes” culture. I’d never used an iPhone camera seriously before, and it took some time to get used to both the shutter delay and composing without a viewfinder.

Also, when betting nearly a week of my time and money on a personal project at a major event like the Tour de France, I was constantly battling my herding instinct and internal monolog chatter like, “OK, so I’m NOT going to sprint into that privileged access area to photograph Cadel Evans, or the Schlecks, or some of the other key athletes involved in one of the most competitive Tour de France battles in history, like all of the other photographers — photos which I know that I could sell. Instead I’m going loiter in the spectators’ area to shoot some kids waiting for autographs that no editor will likely ever buy? Why am I doing this again?”

But I stuck with the project idea and used couch-surfing and other social-media travel tools that week to keep my costs down.

Wired.com: How do you feel about documentary work in today’s climate?

Bleakney: I find it absolutely thrilling to be a documentary photographer right now — there’s no better gig in the world for me. Potential outlets for thoughtful photo essays are nearly infinite, and there are incredible opportunities to distribute work that’s executed at a high level to a global audience.

PostSecret launches iPhone app

Since 2004, hundreds of thousands of people have sent their deepest, darkest secrets anonymously on a 4-by-6-inch postcard to Frank Warren, who in turn posted many of them on his public PostSecret blog.

The blog soon became larger than that, evolving into an ongoing community art project. It offered readers a bit of healing and connection, as many of the secrets touched on issues of failed relationships and family worries and insecurities. Some secrets were sad, others silly.

Yesterday, PostSecret launched an iPhone app that looks and reads much like the original blog.

PostSecret has never been easy to read. One early postcard bore a drawing of the twin towers and read, “Everyone who knew me before 9/11 believes I'm dead.” A later secret that served as a suicide warning note sparked an offline movement to stop a person from jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge.

The app is no different. A first glance at the app — on which users can share secrets anonymously by taking a photo on their phone, adding a 140-character message and uploading it — includes secrets that are just as heart wrenching.

“All I wanted for my birthday was to hear from you... I miss you so much,” one secret reads, with a photo of a white dog behind it.

“This is where I cry,” reads another secret, from Birmingham, over a photo of a shower.

And while users may worry about inclusion of the location-sharing feature on iPhones, the good people of PostSecret spent two years crowd-sourcing from the 80,000 members of the PostSecret Community to create guidelines that ensure the secret-sharing was safe.

Accessories can turn iPhone into a fancy camera

There may be an iPhone 5 waiting in the wings, but that hasn't stopped Kogeto founder Jeff Glasse from preparing to release in the coming weeks his Dot accessory, which slips over the iPhone 4 to provide a 360-degree view on videos and photos.

With more than 125 million iPhone owners, there's a huge and growing market for Dot and others.

Dot proposes to turn the iPhone from a cool camera that happens to be in your pocket to one that starts to resemble professional equipment.

But Kogeto isn't alone in courting iPhone users.

Photojojo, a photo accessory site, offers a $249 DSLR connector to hook lenses from your digital SLR directly to the iPhone.

Then there's Owle's Bubo steadicam setup that makes your images steadier and has the tools to attach a wide-angle lens. It's one of many similar grips, which are most noticeable in videos.

Camera accessories are a slice of the iPhone accessories market, which is estimated to be a $500 million category for 2011 by researcher NPD Group.

"People love their iPhone. It's the digital Swiss Army knife of our time," says Glasse. "I can chart my boat from the iPhone, use it for GPS in the car, as a book reader. … And for many people, it's now their primary camera."

Here's a closer look at some of the many iPhone camera accessories:

•Kogeto's Dot costs $79. Glasse recommends putting the iPhone with the Dot on a table at a party to capture everything in a different way.

•Photojojo's iPhone SLR Mount lets you attach Canon or Nikon lenses over your iPhone for moody shots that throw the background out of focus or dramatically zoom in on the action.

Tip: Once it's attached to the iPhone, everything will look weird — or upside-down. To fix, you'll need to download the $1.99 Almost DSLR app.
•Owle's $150 Bubo camera mount fits over the iPhone, giving photographers a nice grip on all sides of the camera for a steadier, more stabilized image and a wide-angle attachment that goes over the camera for a wider view of the world.

Sprint court filing against AT&T merger suggests it will get iPhone

A court filing in Sprint's lawsuit to block AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile lauds Apple's iPhone as "iconic" and suggests that the third place US carrier's inability to carry the iPhone is about to end.

The comment, published by Nilay Patel of This is my next, argues that the existing scale of AT&T and Verizon Wireless caused Apple to first forge an exclusive partnership with AT&T and then add Verizon.

This provided the two largest carriers with a "time to market advantage for the iPhone," and Sprint notes that it "has had to compete without access to the iPhone for nearly five years."

Sprint calls the top two carriers the "Twin Bells," and says they "had had a tremendous time to market advantage with the iPhone, and have been able to lock many customers into two year contracts with the iconic device."

Credible rumors have been swirling around Sprint's ability to carry the next generation of Apple's iPhones later this fall when the new iPhone 5 and what is believed to be a revamped, cost effective version of iPhone 4 are expected to ship.

Sprint is seeking to block the AT&T / T-Mobile deal now, and is using the iPhone as an example of how scale could hold back smaller players from competing nationally. Fourth place carrier T-Mobile's patent company Deutsche Telecom similarly noted that the minor US carrier's inability to sell the iPhone has hampered its ability to retain customers.

US ambassador to Syria condemns regime on Facebook

Ambassador Robert Ford

WASHINGTON — The US ambassador to Damascus denounced the regime of President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday in a posting on Facebook, taking aim at Syria's justifications for a violent crackdown against demonstrators.

Ambassador Robert Ford said he accepted that members of Syria's security forces had died during protests that have swept the country in the past six months, but their numbers were far less than the number of protestors killed.

The "number of security service members killed is far, far lower than the number of unarmed civilians killed," said a strongly-worded post, which attracted a mixture of positive and negative comments from respondents.

Ambassador Ford said the Syrian government, with "a clear preponderance of arms and force, bears the responsibility for the violence," which has killed more than 2,200 people since mid-March, according to the United Nations.

"Neither the Syrian protest movement nor the international community will believe that this Syrian leadership desires or is capable of the deep, genuine and credible reforms that the Syrian people demand," he wrote.

"No one in the international community accepts the justification from the Syrian government that those security service members? deaths justify the daily killings, beatings, extrajudicial detentions, torture and harassment of unarmed civilian protestors."

The ambassador also refuted allegations made on the embassy's Facebook page that the United States is "helping terrorists in Syria."

How to post your tweets to Facebook

Since Twitter's inception, users have relied on third-party apps and programs to send their Twitter posts to Facebook. But today, Twitter finally announced native Facebook integration.
So whether your Twitter addiction is causing you to neglect Facebook, or you're tired of updating two social networks, follow these steps to send all your tweets to Facebook.

To enable the new feature, log in to Twitter and head to Settings > Profile. At the bottom, connect your Facebook account to Twitter, and check "Post your Tweets to Facebook." Click "Save," and you're set.

While this new feature is convenient for tweeters, it's important to note a few things:

Red more at http://howto.cnet.com/how-to-post-your-tweets-to-facebook/8301-11310_39-20102182-285.html

Facebook Updates Help Users Share Better With Others

On a recent vacation to Aruba, I had to smile when I saw that each of the computers in the hotel business center had Facebook.com saved in their Internet bookmarks. Even people in a tropical paradise are anxious to check Facebook.

For all of Facebook's popularity, many of its users are still nervous about how to maintain their privacy on the network. Google's rival social network, called Google+, answered the call for easier sharing control: Each post clearly shows which groups of friends will see it, and these groups are privately named by users.
This week I'll dig into the latest updates on Facebook, which aim to ease the process of controlling one's profile and privacy. An upcoming Facebook developer conference in two weeks is expected to reveal additional changes.

Show Me the ViewersOne of the interface changes on Facebook is its more obvious way of showing users who will see their posts. Facebook takes a page from Google+ by better revealing sharing: It uses a drop-down menu beside each post that, by default, checkmarks either Public, Friends or Custom, and sharing can be changed with each post. The Custom setting can exclude or include certain groups, but people still must open it to adjust customized sharing. With Google +, though, all groups with whom content is shared are constantly visible underneath the post.

Facebook's own blog hints at future improvements to this sharing awareness, saying that this drop-down menu will grow to include smaller groups of people with whom you may want to share so as to make it easier to choose the audience you want for certain posts, which sounds a lot like what Google+ offers.

Now, you can change the sharing settings associated with a post after it publishes to your profile. In the past, a post's sharing settings were permanent once it was published, and changing it required deleting the entire post and re-posting with different sharing settings.

Location, Location, LocationA handy new feature in Facebook is the ability to add one's location to each post. This feature was once limited to the Facebook app on mobile devices. Adding a location to a post like, "heading off for lunch with friends," gives the post more contextual information. By tagging the photos I share on Facebook from my recent vacation with "Aruba," I save myself the trouble of creating an Aruba album or adding a caption to each photo that says where it was captured.

Tag, You're ItWhen Facebook first enabled tagging people in posts, a method used for mentioning someone so other people know that person is with you, numerous friends asked me how to do this since it wasn't obvious. Before now, the way to tag someone was by placing the "@" symbol before a friend's name while mentioning that friend in a post, or simply typing his or her name. Now, a small symbol below the window where users type posts shows an icon of a person with a "+" symbol. Clicking on that lets users type other people's names to add to the post.

Facebook now lets you tag people in photos and posts even if you aren't Facebook friends with them—and vice versa. Previously, you could only tag people if you were already Facebook friends.

Also, any post or photo in which you're tagged by someone who isn't a Facebook friend must first be approved by you. And Facebook takes this a step further by now letting you opt to review and approve any tag someone else tries to add to one of your Facebook posts or photos.

Before, any other Facebook friend could tag you or other people in your photos without your say-so. This content tag review isn't on by default, so to turn it on, select Account (in the top right corner of your Facebook page) and then Privacy Settings. Next, edit the settings in How Tags Work and turn Profile Review on.

My Profile, My WayOne of my favorite new features is that it's now easier for me to tweak my own profile page to include content I want on it. For example, a friend tagged me in one of her photos and one of my eyes was closed. Rather than un-tagging myself from my friend's photo, which totally unidentifies me in the photo, I can now just remove the photo from my profile.

To do this, I clicked on the icon that appears at the right side of each post and selected Remove Post in the drop-down menu. This lets my friend keep the photo tagged with my name, but the photo doesn't appear with my profile. The same is true for non-photo posts that include my name.

Claussen Facebook Contest Extends 'Journey'

Claussen Pickles is building on the success of its ad campaign spoofing cold-climate explorers with a new Facebook contest offering a grand prize of a trip for two to Alaska or Iceland.

The main focal point of the Kraft Food brand's "Journey to the Claussen Pickles" campaign are YouTube-hosted videos, directed by Sam Cadman, co-creator of the U.K. cult-hit TV stunt show "Trigger Happy TV."

The videos feature an intrepid fictitious explorer, Sir Edwin Horsham, driving around in a dogsled (fake dogs) in supermarkets. Horsham gives shoppers a lift to the chilled section to dramatize Claussen's unique "always chilled, never heated" fresh benefits, sometimes stopping to mourn the room-temperature pickle brands residing in center store. In a new release, the adventurer faces off against a "polar bear" (someone in a bear costume carrying a shopping basket) to reach the chilled section.

The campaign, from agency The Escape Pod, launched in June. One effort was a promoted tweet using the hashtag #claussenpickles and a link to the first video.

Facebook removes “hide all posts” option from News Feed

Facebook has recently removed the option to hide all posts from the drop-down menu for editing posts in the News Feed. Many users, myself included, are now just seeing the options to “Hide this post” and “Report post or spam.”

Previously, the drop-down menu had a “Hide all by [Your Friend or Page]” option, according to Inside Facebook. Now, it has disappeared and the way to manage posts in your News Feed has changed.

If you click the “Hide this post” option for a post made by your Facebook friend, you will then be given three options: Undo, Hide all by [Your Friend], and Unfriend [Your Friend]. If your friend used an app to make the post, you’ll also see an option to Hide all by [App's Name].

If you click the “Hide this post” option for a post made by a Facebook Page you have Liked, you will then be given two options: Undo and Unlike Page. In short, this essentially means that if you Like a Page, you are going to get posts in your News Feed from it. If you don’t want to get posts from the Page, you’ll have to Unlike it.

For users, this is an annoying change, but it’s only one that those who have Liked a lot of Pages will notice. Facebook’s stance continues to be: if you opted-in, this is how things are going to work. That means, if you friend someone or Like a Page, you’re going to receive updates from them. Of course, Facebook’s algorithms still evaluate what posts to show you based on what friends and Pages you interact with frequently. If you want to see everything that your friends do, don’t worry, the Ticker is coming.

Google Shutters Little Known Products

I've now come to the conclusion that Google, like Microsoft and Yahoo before it, suffers from the “if you build a better mousetrap” mentality that makes marketers laugh.

The company has decided to shutter a number of recent initiatives and acquisitions, many of which are unknown to most people.

Chopped products include Google Pack, Google Web Security, Aardvark, Fast Flip, Google Maps API for Flash, Image Labeler, Notebook, Sidewiki, and Subscribed Links.

Google Senior Vice President Alan Eustace posted an explanation on the Google blog.

“This will make things much simpler for our users, improving the overall Google experience,” he wrote. “It will also mean we can devote more resources to high impact products-the ones that improve the lives of billions of people.”

These products remind me of all the products Yahoo manages to buy then shutters. Often times, after the termination announcement, I check out the product and say to myself, “Wow, this is great. I would have used this had I known about it in the first place.”

I'm not sure if these companies are totally clueless about marketing and publicity, but my guess is that they are. They genuinely believe that people will somehow find these products on their own and create a huge buzz. If an engineer designs a better mousetrap, people will magically flock to it and they will get rich overnight, so they think.

In the first decade or so of its life, Google never advertised. However, it will evolve into Yahoo II unless it gets a clue.

Much of this attitude stems from Silicon Valley. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt was the CTO of Sun Microsystems, which was notorious for not advertising. Scott McNeally, the CEO of Sun when Schmidt was there, bragged about how little money and effort Sun spent on marketing and advertising. Of course, now it is out of business, absorbed by Oracle. Good work, boys.

Only recently has Google begun to show up at trade shows, usually to promote AdSense. And since Google has become a verb—as in, “Google it!”—the company is coasting down the same road as Sun.

I'm guessing Google watches Microsoft spend cash on Bing advertising and sees little impact, despite the fact that Bing has gained market share. Google should note that if Bing, a clearly inferior product, can gain market share, then there must be something to this idea of marketing. You know, put in some effort!

10 Google products tapped by icy finger of the Grim Reaper

Google will spend the next few months killing off ten products that just weren’t successful or can be put to better use through integration with existing Google services such as search and Chrome.

As CEO Larry Page noted in a recent earnings call, Google has “a few small speculative projects happening at any given time,” but spends the vast majority of its money and staff on its core technologies. To avoid clutter and the appearance of wastefulness to shareholders, Google has to trim the list now and then.

“Over the next few months we’ll be shutting down a number of products and merging others into existing products as features,” Google Senior Vice President Alan Eustace wrote in a blog post last week. The products to be shut down are Aardvark, Google Desktop, Fast Flip, Google Maps API for Flash, Google Pack, Google Web Security, Image Labeler, Notebook, Sidewiki, and Subscribed Links.

While some of the products will disappear completely, others will live on in one form or another. Google Web Security was part of the Postini acquisition in 2007, and is pitched to enterprise IT customers as having the ability to block malware and integrate with directory services for “granular enforcement and reporting.” While it will no longer exist as a standalone product, the technology that powers Google Web Security will continue blocking malware in the Chrome browser, which didn’t exist when Google purchased Postini.

The e-mail security portion of Postini seems poised to live on as a separate brand, and Postini services are also integrated into the Google Apps suite of office applications. Aardvark, meanwhile, was a startup acquired by Google in 2010 to boost “social search,” in which questions are answered by fellow Google users rather than Google algorithms. The concept is similar to Quora, but seems to have failed at Google. Instead of promising to integrate Aardvark into other products, Eustace merely writes that “we’ll continue to work on tools that enable people to connect and discover richer knowledge about the world.”

The Google Desktop product has been around since the ancient times of 2004, and gave users a desktop widget that displayed news and could search for files on their computers. With the new emphasis on cloud-based computing, Google says this product is no longer necessary, and all support will be discontinued on Sept. 14.

The Google Maps API for Flash move could be disruptive for some developers. The tool “was launched to provide ActionScript developers a way to integrate Google Maps into their applications,” Google notes, referring to the Adobe ActionScript programming language. Existing customers of the Maps API Premier service will continue to receive support, but Google will shift development effort to the JavaScript Maps API.

Korean trustbusters raid Google offices (scoop)

The Korean Fair Trade Commission, that country's antitrust agency, raided Google's offices in Seoul today, CNET has learned.

Regulators are apparently interested in information about Google allegedly limiting access to rival search engines on its Android mobile operating system. In April, two Korean Internet companies--NHN, which operates the popular Naver search engine there, and Daum Comminications--asked the country's Fair Trade Commission to investigate Google's business practices regarding mobile search.

It's also possible that mobile-device makers, some of which are based in South Korea, may have raised concerns related to restrictions Google places on use of its Android mobile OS.

In a statement, Google defended its Android strategy and said that it intends to comply with Korean regulators.

"We will work with the KFTC to address any questions they may have about our business," the company said in a statement. "Android is an open platform, and carrier and OEM partners are free to decide which applications and services to include on their Android phones. We do not require carriers or manufacturers to include Google Search or Google applications on Android-powered devices."

The Google Seoul office was also the target of a raid in May, when South Korean police investigated suspicions that AdMob, Google's mobile advertising unit, had illegally collected personal location data without permission, according to a Reuters report. At the time, a Korean police official told Reuters that that the police suspected Google of collecting personal location information "without consent or approval from the Korean Communication Commission."

Read more at http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20102191-93/korean-trustbusters-raid-google-offices-scoop/#ixzz1XEnLBh25

Germany Takes IPhone 5 Pre-Orders, Best Buy Gears Up for October Launch

Deutsche Telekom began taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5 in Germany, as rumors surrounding the device’s October release intensifies.

The parent company of T-Mobile is reportedly taking pre-orders for the iPhone 5, despite the fact that Apple has not announced details on the device’s release, price, or even its very existence. Deutsche Telekom has not commented on the reports and is supposedly keeping the pre-ordering process low profile.

The carrier is allegedly not taking online reservations and only letting customers pre-order the device in-store.

Deutsche Telekom’s decision to begin taking pre-orders may stem from fear that there will not be enough iPhone 5 supply to meet demand. Apple and its carrier partners received more than 600,000 pre-orders for the iPhone 4 last year, with thousands more people showing up to purchase without a reservation. The demand forced Apple to delay iPhone 4 shipments for months.

Deutsche Telekom’s reported decision to take pre-orders comes as new iPhone 5 release rumors begin to surface. Over the weekend, a specific Best Buy location was scheduled to have a new “Apple fixture” installed on October 21, according to an anonymous tip at website This is My Next, further indicating an October release.

Apple has engaged in similar practices with Best Buy in the past. The launch of the iPad and iPad 2 both brought Apple representatives to specific Best Buy locations after hours to prepare displays on the eve of release.

Texas BBQ Chain Uses Google Apps To Collaborate

Google Apps offers many tools for collaboration, but for small to midsize businesses (and probably a lot of other businesses) the allure starts with email.

That was very much the case for Bone Daddy's House of Smoke, a barbeque chain based in Addison, Tex., that operates four restaurants with a fifth due to open in December. IT Director Doug Wittrup said he had previously been managing email with a makeshift arrangement that included a hosted installation of Microsoft Exchange for executives and simple POP3 email accounts for their assistants. "Whenever we had a message that had to go out to everybody, it was tough to see who got it and when they got it," he said.

Many of Bone Daddy's 600 employees such as waiters and waitresses had no access to the company's online communications, Wittrup said. "Collaboration in our world should come from everybody, but the problem was everybody was not connected. So the question was, how do I cost-effectively bring everyone into the fold?"

The hosted Exchange service he had signed up for only provided 250 MB of storage per inbox--a far cry from the 25 GB included with Google Apps for Business. Google Apps includes a version of Gmail you use with your own business domain, plus group calendaring, document sharing, and discussion groups. Google offers it to businesses of all sizes, but it particularly appeals to small to midsize businesses.

To make the transition, Wittrup sought help from Cloud Sherpas, a Google Apps consulting and implementation specialist. Wittrup said he probably didn't absolutely need to bring in outside help for the transition but doing so helped him ensure that the data migration from Exchange was completed properly.

"I could probably have done it myself, but then I would have been working without a net," Wittrup said. Cloud Sherpas also provided valuable training videos that helped users get comfortable with the Google environment, he said.

The transition started with a pilot project in late December to early January, where five executives began to transition to Google Apps. "Each one of those people had veto power--if any one of them had said, 'This will not work for me,' we would not have moved ahead," Wittrup said. But that veto never came. Most of the technical problems with the transition had to do with the way they ran the Gmail and Exchange mail servers in parallel initially, where the overlap caused some glitches, he said.

Man charged with threats to Google exec via Twitter

A 27-year-old man who used Twitter to post more than 20,000 messages to threaten Google exec Marissa Mayer has been arrested by the FBI, and is charged with making threats transmitted through interstate communications and with making harassing interstate communications.

Mayer, Google's first female engineer and now a vice president of local, maps and location services, was allegedly the target of Gregory Calvin King via his tweets made between November 2010 and Aug. 19.

The indictment, said the San Francisco Examiner:

... mentions postings to Mayer on Aug. 14 saying "IM SURE YOU THINK IM ERIOUS AND I’LL F****** SHOOT YOU" and "I REALLY THINK I NEED TO SHOOT SOMEONE TO EVEN MY F****** SCORE."

Other posts on King’s Twitter feed included “I should f****** shoot your ass marissa.”

...In some of his Twitter posts, King accused Mayer of having him falsely arrested and being associated with a group that tried to infect him with HIV “in powder form.” He also made derogatory statements about Jews, blacks and Latinos.

The FBI says there is no apparent connection between Mayer and King, who was arrested in San Antonio, Texas Aug. 19, where he had moved from Virginia. He opted to be taken to San Francisco, where the complaint was filed, for his probable cause and bail hearing, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

The agency started investigating the case after Google's corporate security reported the harassment in February, according to an affidavit. King allegedly was using three Twitter accounts, with some of the threats coming from Virginia, others from Texas.