Google+Facebook+iPhone: 09/23/11

Friday, 23 September 2011

Why Facebook Timeline Is Made For Its Youngest Users [OPINION]

When Facebook launched its integrated messages system in November 2010, founder Mark Zuckerberg related an anecdote about his girlfriend’s younger sister. He talked about how the young woman and her friends, high school students, used Facebook in a way that was foreign to him. When he asked them what they used for email, they said they don’t really use email — it’s too formal; they use Facebook and SMS.

It was this story that I couldn’t stop thinking about as Zuckerberg revealed the latest iteration of the Facebook profile at f8 on Thursday called Timeline. This was a feature aimed squarely at the generation of users who grew up with Facebook. As Zuckerberg was talking, my former colleague Brenna Ehrlich tweeted out: “new facebook seems like too much work. i do not enjoy scrapbooking, IRL…” My response, “That’s what I was just thinking…”

For many older users, myself included, it is doubtful that we will go back to the time before Facebook (for me, late 2004) to fill in the gaps on my Timeline. From talking to other people my age since the announcement, it seems more likely that people of our generation will sanitize stuff that resurfaces rather than adding more content to the stream. But for younger users, they don’t need to fill in any gaps — their Timeline is already more or less complete.

Not so simple: U.S. spy agency trying to go mobile

Lange, as the NSA's mobility mission manager, is developing a smartphone that he wants to bring inside the super-secret U.S. spy agency to access classified information and apps while on the move. He wants it to work as easily as any of the smartphones those that are so ubiquitous in the outside world.

That is no small vision for an agency where entire buildings are designated as Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities, known as SCIFs in spy speak, with many restrictions to ensure the handling and discussion of secret information stays secure.

Visitors to the Fort Meade, Maryland, NSA complex are not allowed to bring outside cellphones into the building.

Lange argues that using smartphones inside areas that deal with secret material will increase efficiency.

"I want to get this into everybody's hands" -- every employee in the Defense Department, intelligence community and across government, he said, while acknowledging that kind of talk makes "the security people's heads pop off."

He is working on a pilot project expected to begin running late this year or early next year using a smartphone that looks like any bought in stores but with security configurations to allow top-secret communication.

The NSA, which protects government computer networks from cyber threats and conducts electronic eavesdropping to detect national security threats, is known for its top-flight technological expertise.

Android Holds 54% Smartphone, Tablet Impression Share: Millennial

Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android operating system accounted for 54 percent impression share, growing 48 percent month over month on both smartphones and tablets through August.

That's the latest finding from mobile ad provider Millennial Media, which for the first time combined all connected devices, such as tablets and game players, with smartphones to calculate impression share.

Apple's (NYSE:AAPL) iOS platform, which includes the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, was almost half that of Android's share, with 28 percent of impressions.

However, there is more than meets the eye to this Android leadership.

That Millennial is now counting smartphone and tablet ad impression share for each platform together explains why Android's share fell from 61 percent and why iOS climbed from 21 percent in July. Android's tablet share is tiny, while Apple's iPad is ruling the market.

iOS is much closer to Android in application ad spend, notching 41 percent compared to Android's 49 percent share. Again, RIM was third with 8 percent of app ad spend. Most of the apps consumed include games such as the whole Angry Birds lineup, or music.

As for hardware share, Apple remains king with 23 percent smartphone device share. Perhaps not surprisingly, the top 3 Android OEMs trail Apple. HTC has 16 percent share on Millennial's network, while Samsung and Motorola enjoy 14.5 percent and 11.3 percent device share, respectively.

DockBoss+: Plug Android phones into iPhone docks

In my kitchen we have a great Altec Lansing speaker dock that plays host to my iPhone and the kids' iPods. But my wife's Android phone sits quietly on the sidelines, unable to interface with the dock's nonstandard, Apple-only 30-pin connector.

Same goes for the car: there's an iPod/iPhone connector in the glove box, but no interface for anything Android-powered.

Enter the CableJive DockBoss+, a specialized adapter cable that runs from your Android device's Micro-USB port and headphone jack to any 30-pin docking port or cable. It's a potentially killer solution for mating with speaker docks and car connectors alike.

The DockBoss+ isn't limited to Android phones; it can work with just about any device that has a Micro-USB port and headphone jack. Power is delivered to the former; audio, from the latter. In other words, the cable allows you to charge your device while listening to it.

Now for the bad news: the DockBoss+ costs $29.95. That's pretty steep when you consider that most speaker docks have a line-in jack, meaning you can connect any phone or MP3 player using a $3 patch cable. Then just plug in your regular charger and you can enjoy the same benefits afforded by the DockBoss+.

Read more: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_7-20110799-251/dockboss-plug-android-phones-into-iphone-docks/#ixzz1Yqnf3vjC

Is Otterbox promising support for new two iPhone models? No.

Seen that banner ad (above) on the Otterbox website today? It's certainly creating quite the buzz. Is Otterbox promising the debut of two new iPhone models? It turns out that no, they're not.

We gave Kelly Richardson of Otterbox a call today and she clarified the matter. "We're not even quite sure ourselves," she told TUAW, talking about whether there would be one model or two.

She explained that the ad reflected the current conversations going on in the blogosphere. "Like many, we are watching the rumor sites and using information to plan ahead as much as we can." Otterbox promises support for whatever iPhone debuts, but they're emphatically not stating or leaking anything further. "We do not have any confidentiality agreements with Apple," Richardson told TUAW.

As for those iPhone 4S Otterbox packaging photos that leaked yesterday, she explained, "What was circulating yesterday was not a case image for the iPhone 4S but a packaging design." Otterbox has not identified the source of the photos.

In the end, is Otterbox sneaking a secret message to the people? Richardson said that is not what the banner intended to convey. "We hope to have a product available as soon as possible," she said, "although we do not yet have a date of availability."

Source:http://www.tuaw.com/2011/09/23/is-otterbox-promising-support-for-new-two-iphone-models-no/

Why I'm Not One of the 89 Percent Getting Another iPhone

Whenever I tell someone that my next phone probably won't be an iPhone, the reaction is always the same: the eyes widen and the tone of voice shifts to complete surprise. "Why not?"

That's an understandable reaction. A new survey of 515 smartphone owners by UBS found that 89 percent of iPhone buyers will stick with Apple for their next handset. Another 4 percent were undecided. Android, by comparison, only had a 58 percent retention rate. Nearly a third of Android users surveyed said they'll switch to the iPhone.

I don't begrudge the iPhone devotees, because I'm not the kind of technology user who exalts one platform above all others. In my experience owning an iPhone 3GS for two years, iOS is still the smoothest, simplest operating system, with better apps than any other platform. And Apple always makes great hardware.

But to get back to the original question--why I'm a statistical anomaly--the simple answer is that Android offers features that I want, and that the iPhone doesn't provide. I've been through these reasons before, but with the launch of Apple's iPhone 5 around the corner, they're worth repeating:

Samsung seeks ban of Apple's iPhone, iPad in new Netherlands lawsuits

Following through on its threat to become more aggressive in the courtroom, Samsung has filed new patent infringement lawsuits against Apple in the Netherlands, seeking to ban sales of the company's iPhone and iPad products.

The four new patent cases were filed in district court in The Hague, Netherlands,according to Macworld. Samsung's complaint takes issue with Apple's iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, first-generation iPad, and iPad 2.

Samsung has alleged that the devices infringe on four 3G patents it owns. The Korean electronics maker seeks to ban the importation and sale of all devices listed in the suit. Each of the four patents in question are represented by their own separate lawsuit.

The complaints come as Samsung has made public comments vowing the step up its own legal action against Apple. The company said in a statement earlier Friday that Apple has been "free riding" on its own patented inventions.

The complaints filed in the Netherlands are just a few of the growing number of lawsuits between Samsung and Apple. The legal battle began in April, when Apple filed a suit against Samsung in the U.S., accusing its rival of copying the look and feel of the iPhone and iPad.

IPhone 5 Shortages May Stem from Display Defect

Apple may experience shortages of the iPhone 5 after display supplier Wintek reported a defect in some its screens.

The Taiwanese manufacturer is reportedly experiencing a bubble that shows up between the panel and lamination layer of the display only after it has been prepped for assembly, according to DigiTimes. The company did not confirm the report, but said all of its products are shipping on time.

Apple is expected to ship approximately 25 million iPhone 5 devices in the fourth quarter, with Wintek scheduled to supply displays for about 20 percent of them.

Consumer demand for the iPhone 5 is expected to be even higher than usual after Apple bypassed its usual launch window for a new handset in June. Many analysts also expect Apple to release the device on AT&T, Verizon andSprint — but not T-Mobile — at the same time, which will likely lead to far more customers lining up for the device than any iPhone launch before it.

Extreme shortages of the iPhone 5 may create challenges for Apple. The company’s fourth quarter numbers could be impacted by lighter than expected sales, even if it sells every device it makes. A botched launch of the first major product release since the resignation of Steve Jobs will also reflect poorly on new CEO Tim Cook, who Apple is still looking to assert as a worthy successor.

Most importantly, not having enough devices to satisfy customer demand during the holiday season will likely leave customers unhappy with Apple. The company has stated customers’ happiness is of paramount importance to them, and nothing makes consumers angrier than not being able to get the product they want.

Windows 8: Sleek UI But Not Ready for the Desktop

For a little more than a week now, I’ve been using the Windows 8 Developer Preview both on the Samsung tablet Microsoft passed out at the Build conference and on a standard desktop PC. So far, the operating system shows a lot of potential as a new environment for tablets and even for more standard machines. However, it still needs a lot of work before it’s ready for end-users.

To some extent, that’s to be expected. Microsoft was clear at the conference that this was a developer preview, not a customer beta. As such, it comes with a variety of developer tools. Visual Studio Express, Expression Blend 5, a remote debugger, and very little in the way of consumer applications give developers a number of sample applications written by Microsoft interns. It gives the feel of the basic user experience, so I set off to add programs I’m likely to run.

Windows 8 seems to boot very quickly and resume from sleep almost immediately on the tablet. Even on an older desktop (without the UEFI replacement for the BIOS) it seems to boot faster than Windows 7.

Once booted, the first thing you see is the new Start menu. It’s the most obvious part of the new “Metro” interface, with icons for Internet Explorer, the traditional desktop, Windows Explorer, the store, and more.

You can log into the computer normally, or use a Windows Live account. Your login name appears in the upper right hand corner of the first screen. From here, you can lock the computer, log off, or add other users. From the log off screen, you can also restart or shut down the computer.

Samsung vs. Apple War Set to Explode

A top Samsung executive says the company will take a bolder stance in its patent battle with smartphone and tablet rival Apple, which Samsung claims has been "free riding" on its patented wireless technologies.

"We'll be pursuing our rights for this in a more aggressive way from now on," Lee Younghee, head of global marketing for mobile communications, said Friday in an interview.

Lee, a senior vice president at Samsung, did not say what form the South Korean company's stronger stance would take or if there would be more lawsuits. But her remarks suggest a definite change in tone. She described its previous approach as "passive."

So far, Samsung has mostly spoken about the dispute through press releases and comments by anonymous company officials in South Korean and foreign media. The public nature of the comments appeared to back up recent South Korean media speculation the company was planning to go on the offensive.

The fight began when Apple sued Samsung in April in the United States, alleging the product design, user interface and packaging of Samsung's Galaxy devices "slavishly copy" the iPhone and iPad.

Samsung has responded with its own lawsuits accusing Apple of violating its intellectual property. The fight has spread to 10 countries, according to Samsung, including the U.S., South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia.

The battle is all the more complex as Apple and Samsung are not only competitors in the fast-growing global market for smartphones and tablet computers, but also have a close business relationship.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/23/samsung-vs-apple-war-hits-high-gear/#ixzz1YqmACqry

Motorola moves software exec Christy Wyatt to enterprise role

Motorola Mobility's (NYSE:MMI) top software executive for mobile devices, Christy Wyatt, will move to a more enterprise-focused role, a company spokeswoman confirmed.

Wyatt

Motorola spokeswoman Juli Burda confirmed to FierceWireless that effective immediately, Wyatt, who has been corporate vice president of software and services product management, will instead be running the company's enterprise business for handsets as corporate vice president and general manager of enterprise. Wyatt was previously responsible for the strategy and planning of Motorola's mobile software platforms, services, applications and experiences and the development of strategic partnerships
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Read more: Motorola moves software exec Christy Wyatt to enterprise role - FierceWireless http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/motorola-moves-software-exec-christy-wyatt-enterprise-role/2011-09-23#ixzz1YqlnUPyR
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Samsung Series 5 Chromebook Review

You run your social life in the cloud. You handle your email in the cloud. You might even write your documents, store your music and keep your backups in the cloud. Why not do away with local computing altogether? That’s the premise of Google’s Chrome OS, relying on just a browser to be your window to the all-purpose web. The Samsung Chromebook Series 5 is one of the first notebooks to give Chrome OS a go, in the case of our Three powered machines offering 3G to release you from the WiFi teat, too. Can we really live in the cloud, or are we destined to tumble back to earth with a bump? Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut.

Samsung Electronics chairman warns of stormy chip market

CHIPMAKER Samsung has warned of an "intensifying storm" in the chip business as it opened a new fabrication plant.

Kun-hee Lee, chairman of Samsung Electronics painted a gloomy picture while receiving the first wafer baked out of its Line 16 plant, saying, "The global semiconductor industry is in a period of fierce cyclical volatility." Lee went on to say that the plant showed Samsung's commitment to the memory industry, which perhaps was a swipe at rival DRAM outfits that are looking to get out of the business.

Lee continued by saying that expansion is the way Samsung can remain the biggest player in the memory business in these difficult times. "We must prepare for an intensifying storm in the semiconductor industry by further enhancing our technological capabilities and expertise in order to maintain our leadership position," said Lee.

Samsung's Line 16 is the Korean chip giant's first 20nm DDR3 fab and eventually it should turn out 10,000 12-inch wafers every month. The firm also said it will start production of 10nm class NAND flash chips next year.

The memory market has been down on its luck in the last few quarters. Hynix has been on the lookout for a buyer, but back in July another memory firm, Hyundai pulled out of a deal to buy Hynix.

Samsung has maintained its number one memory vendor status despite the industry's woes and supplies many companies with its chips. Its new Line 16 memory chip shop should further cement its strong position.

Source:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2111673/samsung-electronics-chairman-warns-stormy-chip-market

Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch first impressions review

This fanboy stalked his Sprint Dedicated Care rep for many moons, leading up to this day. What hardship getting here.Samsung announced the Galaxy S II in February, and it started selling everywhere else in the world in April. But not the United States. As if the waiting wasn't enough, 10 days earlier the rep informed me that I would have to go to the local Sprint Store to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch, but only if I bought a $50 gift card first. Then I would have to return to the store on Sept. 18. Sprint couldn't mail the phone to me. Surely this was a joke.

When I pre-ordered, one other person was on the list.

I arrived at the store, expecting great fanfare. The Galaxy S II is considered top-of-class for Android phones, and Sprint has the prestige of offering the phone here first. But there were no signs, announcements or funky T-shirts proclaiming the arrival of the most powerful, thinnest, most beautiful smartphone ever to arrive in these United States.

I coughed up my gift card and was handed the SGS2E4GT (cue harps).

The Sprint tech turned it on, thus activating the number for the line I opened to qualify for the phone. But when I informed him I needed to do phone swaps, he referred me to customer care.

Will You Line Up on iPhone 5 Release Day? [Poll]

The iPhone 5 has an incredible amount of pent up demand, demand that may see some supply soon. Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5 on October 4th along with iCloud and iOS 5. At this event, Apple will finally tell us when the iPhone 5 release date is. Right now we think that October 13th is a likely candidate, but it could drop even sooner.

With the iPhone 5/iPhone 4S saga coming to an end, we have to ask. Will you be lining up for the new iPhone on release day?

Typically Apple releases see long lines on launch day, and low availability for a few weeks right after. We were on hand for the iPad 2 launch, and saw lines wrapping around the block at the Apple Store in Columbus Ohio. In order to get our spot, about 25 back, we arrived at 11 AM and jumped in line. The diehards up front had been waiting since around 9 AM.

iPhone 4S rumours: what you need to know

The rumours are growing every day that Apple is about to launch not one, but two new phones in October: the iPhone 4S and theiPhone 5. Here's all you need to know about the feasibly forthcoming iPhone 4S.

It seems unlikely that Apple will launch two new phones at once, as the previous phone (in this case, the iPhone 4) is always made available at a lower price with a smaller storage capacity.

If you're desperate to know what we think will be coming from the top end new Apple device, check out our iPhone 5: All You Need To Know video below:

Samsung seeks ban of iPhone and iPad in The Netherlands

Computerworld - Samsung Electronics has hit Apple with four patent cases in district court in The Hague, Netherlands, demanding a sales ban and a retail recall of all Apple products that use 3G technology.

The first hearing in the case is scheduled for Monday. Samsung in The Netherlands is demanding a preliminary injunction against all mobile products of Apple "specifically iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1, and iPad 2."

All these devices infringe four of Samsung's essential 3G patents, the Korea-based tech giant claims in the complaints, which Webwereld, a Dutch IDG publication, has viewed.

Samsung is seeking a ban in The Netherlands on importing, trading and sales by Apple and five Apple subsidiaries. Additionally, Samsung wants Apple to recall all infringing devices in stock from its "professional customers," including electronics stores like Media Markt, where Apple has set up a shop-in-a-shop business.

Samsung has filed separate cases for each of the four patents it is invoking against Apple in The Hague. The patents are related to methods of managing the data connection and speed between a mobile station, such as asmartphone or tablet, and a network base station.

Samsung is also invoking similar patents in other cases against Apple in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Japan and South Korea.

The patents in question are so called standards-essential, which means they are incorporated in internationally accepted technology standards -- in this case, 3G and UMTS standards as ratified by organizations such as ETSI.

CrashPlan iPhone and Android Apps Let You Browse and Download Your Backed Up Files on the Go

iOS/Android: One of our favorite tools forcreating an automated, bulletproof backup solution, CrashPlan, now has mobile apps for securely viewing, downloading, and sharing your backed up files from within your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

The free mobile apps let you access common file types like photos or office files (spreadsheets and text files) from any of the computers that have been backed up to CrashPlan's servers. (You need a CrashPlan+ account with the online backup option to use the mobile apps.) In addition to browsing and viewing files, you can download them to your device or email them.

Pretty much all you need to do is sign in with your CrashPlan+ account on the app to access everything, which is synchronized to the CrashPlan servers.

Source:http://lifehacker.com/5843275/crashplan-iphone-and-android-apps-let-your-browse-and-download-your-backed-up-files-on-the-go

Apple Bans iPhone app that exposes darker side of smartphones

Apple has removed the iPhone app "Phone Story," a satirical game that exposes the dark side of smartphone production, from the App Store earlier this week. The call to drop the ban-hammer allegedly came after many iPhone users reported the game for being inappropriate and cruel.

Apple realized that the game illustrates the hideous truth behind the production of their devices, and that hit made them uncomfortable.

"Phone Story" is another contentious app from the indie developer team Molleindustria, who is well known for creating controversial media. The app is a collection of darkly satirical mini-games that chronicles a smartphone's lifespan.

Players begin with the collection of materials at gunpoint from the mines of the Congo. The game then goes into the oppressive factories where the workers are asked to assemble the devices in grueling 12-36 hour shifts in unacceptable conditions for almost no pay. The incredibly graphic part of the app is a mini-game by the name"Suicides." The player assumes the role of medical personnel attempting to catch workers jumping off the roof of the factory.

The whole object of this game is to educate the public in a "comical" manner about the reality of what goes into making a smartphone.
In 2010, the Foxconn factory (a producer of the parts found in most smartphones) in Taiwan had 14 successful suicides out of 18 attempted suicides. There have been three reported successful attempts this year at the time.

The majority of the suicides have been people within the ages of 18-25, which would be the age of the average college student.

I found these statistics to be appalling to say the least. It never ceases to amaze me how cruel and greedy the corporate world can be.

At first, Apple approved the app (unlike the Android Market, every app that is submitted for release on iTunes is thoroughly checked and tested. Just another reason Android is better than Apple). It was released through iTunes on September 9. The app was banned and removed from iTunes 4 days later on September 13.

Samsung seeks Dutch ban on Apple smartphone and tablets

Samsung made comments early Friday about going on the offensive with its ongoing patent dispute with Apple, and it appears to be putting its money (and its lawyers) where its mouth is. The Korean company just filed a complaint with The Hague, seeking a ban on all sales of Apple’s smartphones and tablets due to alleged infringement of four of its wireless mobile technology patents.

Dutch site Webwereld.nl has the details of the new complaint filed with The Hague, which relates specifically to 3G mobile networking technologies, as well as technologies governing the transfer rate of data to mobile devices over a cellular network. Samsung’s complaint covers Apple itself, as well as five other private companies that manage Apple’s sales and distribution channels in the Netherlands.

Samsung is seeking the ban of sales of the entire iPhone line, according to the filing, as well Apple’s 3G tablet devices. It is asking for €1 million (around $1.34 million USD) in penalty for each violation of the ban, should it succeed in its complaint.

Apple already has an active suit against Samsung ongoing in the Netherlands. In August, the court in that case issued a mixed preliminary decision that hinders Samsung’s ability to sell its Galaxy line of phones in the country, but Samsung’s lawyers now claim that those patents are “futile, marginal and irrelevant” (from the translated Dutch) compared to the ones it claims Apple’s products are in violation of.

ZTE Skate and other smartphones will tip up next week

CHINESE PHONE MAKER ZTE has a trio of own branded smartphones, including the Skate, which are inbound today and next week.

In the UK we have Orange's Monte Carlo, which is a rebranded Skate, but ZTE is releasing it as its own phone too. The Skate and Tureis are expected to tip up next Tuesday with the Libra expected today, according to online retailer Clove.

Clove said, "We were originally expecting the first stock of the newly released ZTE Skate to be here today, but the date has now been pushed back ever so slightly to Tuesday 27th September, so only a few days delay."

The phone is priced at £219, whilst the Libra and Tureis have price tags of £166 and £144, respectively. The Skate will come with a 4.3in touchscreen and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

The mainland Chinese firm doesn't seem happy with releasing just three phones, with many more planned for this year.

He Shiyou, EVP and Head of the Terminal Division at ZTE said, "We are committed to developing smartphone products and will launch a total of 30 smartphone models before the end of 2011."

The INQUIRER is meeting with Wu Sa, director of mobile device operations at ZTE next week, so we hope to get more details about its future products.
Source:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2111720/zte-skate-smartphones-tip

Report: Apple Boasts 89 Percent Retention Rate, RIM Users Less Loyal

Do you have an iPhone? Chances are, you'll stick with that Apple smartphone for quite some time rather than switching to Android, BlackBerry, or Windows Phone, according to new data from UBS.

Apple has an 89 percent retention rate, according to a poll of 515 smartphone owners, UBS Research found, asreported by GigaOm.

"In general, retention rates appear to be falling for most of the OEMs. Relatively, Apple's retention rates have held up incredibly well even as its market share has risen," the survey said.

Of those polled, only 6 percent said they were thinking of dropping iOS for another platform; 4 percent were undecided. As a result, the retention rate could be as high as 93 percent, UBS speculated.

Behind Apple, Samsung and HTC did well, and were the only other handset manufacturers to win more users than lose them. The same couldn't be said for RIM, which dropped from a 62 percent retention rate to 33 percent in the last 18 months, GigaOm said. HTC was at 39 percent and Samsung was at 28 percent.

Overall, 45 percent of those polled by UBS already had a iPhone, followed by 18 percent with a BlackBerry, and 16 percent with a Nokia device.

Many iPhone owners are hoping that Apple will soon unveil its iPhone 5; the latest rumor suggests that Apple might announce it on October 4 for a mid-October release. The iPhone 4 made its debut in June 2010.

A recent report from NPD found that Google's Android is currently the mobile operating system to beat, but the platform still faces competition from Apple's iOS and, interestingly, Microsoft's Windows Phone.

Source:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2393452,00.asp#fbid=cxrDZu6-5TV

Motorola Brings the Milestone 3, Spice Key and Motokey XT to Argentina

Claro Argentina and Motorola Mobility of Argentina S.A. have joined forces to bring three Android devices to market. Motorola MILESTONE 3 is the newest and most advanced member of the intelligent and powerful family of Motorola's MILESTONE devices, Motorola SPICE Key is a modern and fashionable smartphone that is also budget friendly, and Motorola MOTOKEY XT has a full QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen display and is super-slim and fashionable. The three devices will be available through Claro in Argentina. Here is more info on these three new Android smartphones from Motorola:

MILESTONE 3 by Motorola

Motorola MILESTONE 3 features a dual-core processor, dedicated number row on the top of the thin QWERTY keypad, a 4.0-inch touchscreen display, and more:

Motorola Atrix 2 Leak Shows Larger, Improved Screen

Motorola is boosting the size and quality of the display for its' next-generation Atrix 4G Android smartphone, headed to AT&T soon. The Verge got its hands on a prototype of the Atrix 2, dubbed Edison, which now features a curvier design, but still lacks the 4G LTE punch.

The features found on the Atrix 2 prototype are in line with most high-end Android devices currently found on the market. There’s an 8-megapixel camera on the back with 1080p video capture and an LED flash, micro USB and HDMI ports, as well as 8GB of internal storage. The processor is 1GHz dual core, which is slightly behind devices such as the HTC Sensation XE, which runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core processor.

Bigger Better?
The stand out feature of the Edison prototype is the screen, compared to Motorola’s other 4G phones, the original Atrix and Bionic. The Atrix 2 unit pictured has a 4.3-inch qHD screen, slightly larger than the Atrix’s 4-inch display, but the same size and resolution (540 by 960 pixels) as the Bionic. Despite the similarities, the Atrix 2 screen looks much sharper, as Motorola removed the PenTile pixel arrangement, which displayer hatch patterns on solid shades of gray.

In their assault against the iPhone, Android handset manufactures have been pushing for larger displays in their smartphones in the past year, with most high-end devices sporting screens of 4-inches upwards. Despite the extra screen real estate, resolutions for these screens still don’t match the iPhone 4’s Retina Display. However, Apple is believed to soon follow the larger screen trend as well, as rumors suggest the iPhone 5 will feature a larger display too (currently 3.5-inch).
Read more at http://www.pcworld.com/article/240470/motorola_atrix_2_leak_shows_larger_improved_screen.html

Cloud Computing: Google+ Launches With Search Box, Hangouts Go Mobile on Android

Google+ launched from limited field testing to full beta Sept. 20, which means any user (except Google Apps suite users) can join the service as Google seeks to extend its social network to Facebook's 750 million-plus users. The beta launch was accompanied by a number of new features. These include a search feature and several improvements to the popular Google+ Hangouts group video conferencing application, which lets up to 10 users at a time to hold court in a session via their computers. Actually, Google is now letting its Android handset users access Google+, too, thanks to a new mobile application. Take this quick tour of the new Google+ features, which are also being touted on the Google.com home page.

Google Wallet May Add Risk to Consumer

NEW YORK (LowCards.com) -- After years of speculation, mobile payments are finally a payment option for some smartphone users with this week's debut of Google(GOOG _)Wallet.

The verdict: Mobile phones provide daily conveniences for Americans, but flashing a phone at the register may not be any easier than swiping acredit card, and it may provide more risk to the consumer.

The rollout of Google Wallet means owners of Nexus S 4G phones from Sprint can download an app that will allow them to pay for purchases by waving your phone at properly equipped cash registers.

Mobile payments allow consumers to make purchases or transfer money quickly with an app downloaded to a mobile phone. Even though mobile payment systems are available today, plastic cards and cash won't vanish tomorrow. Consumers and retailers will need convincing and incentives to make the switch.

Consumers won't save money by paying with a mobile phone. The same fees and interest rates for consumers and interchange fees for retailers will apply to mobile payments. Retailers are also reluctant to spend the money to buy the equipment necessary to link your cellphone to their cash registers.

Google Could Defeat Oracle's Android Licensing Hopes by Dropping Jave2ME

Bloomberg reports that another round of talks between software giants Google Inc. (GOOG) and Oracle Corp. (ORCL) ended at an impasse. Oracle Corp. is currently suing Google for using pieces of its patented Java2ME (J2ME) code in Android via the Apache Project's Java Standard Edition "Harmony" (J2SE).

Google CEO Larry Page sat with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison for 10 hours trying to work out an acceptable licensing agreement. The talks ended with no deal reached, with both parties agreeing to talk to court officials about "when further discussions will take place and whether the further attendance of Mr. Ellison and Mr. Page will be required."

I. Oracle's Plan For Double-Dip License Fees
The case represents a substantial risk for both firms.

Working in Oracle's favor is the fact that the judge has suggested that Google's infringement of the Java technology was "brazen". But Google has some advantages of its own. It dug up documents from the former CEO of Sun Microsystems -- the company Oracle acquired the Java intellectual property from in 2010 -- praising Google's use of Java in Android, and casting doubt on whether Sun was opposed to the unpaid use.

Furthermore, Google succeeded in convincing the judge to toss out the $6.1B USD that Oracle wanted -- a figure which included speculative future damages. Oracle has since revised its estimate downwards to $2.3B USD, a figure that still includes a $1.2B USD speculative damages total for 2012, which Google contends is unfair.

If the pair can't settle up, the case will likely go to trial. If that happens Oracle will be seeking one thing -- a permanent injunction banning U.S. Android sales. Unlike Apple, Inc. (AAPL) who is seeking a similar injunction in hopes of permanently preventing U.S. Android sales, Oracle's "permanent" injunction bid would be in hopes of forcing Google into a lucrative licensing deal. Oracle could ask for a royalty as high as $15-20 per device license, on top of the identical fee it already charges Android handset makers like Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd.'s (SEO 005930).

This is an important aspect to understand of why Oracle's campaign is more harmful to Android, than Microsoft's licensing efforts -- Oracle is double-dipping, seeking fees both at the OS and handset levels, where as Microsoft is content to stick with handset licensing.

Rick Santorum wants his Google problem fixed. Can Google shrug him off?

Rick Santorum has had a Google problem for years, but now the Republican presidential hopeful wants the company to fix it.

The problem began in 2003. After the then-US senator from Pennsylvania said he was opposed to “homosexual acts,” a gay rights activist figured out how to drive top search results for the politician’s name to graphic, homosexual material.

Now, as the race for the GOP nomination heats up – with yet another debate Thursday night – the former governor is renewing his appeal to Google to filter its search results.

“I suspect if something was up there like that about Joe Biden, they’d get rid of it,” he told Politico on Tuesday.

But Google, the largest Internet search engine with some 70 percent of online search results, maintains that this is not the company’s problem.

“Google’s search results are a reflection of the content and information that is available on the Web,” says spokesman Gabriel Stricker via email. Users who want content removed from the Internet should contact the webmaster of the page directly, he suggests, adding that once the webmaster takes the page down from the Web, “it will be removed from Google’s search results through our usual crawling process."

“We do not remove content from our search results,” he says, “except in very limited cases such as illegal content and violations of our webmaster guidelines.”

This tussle between the aspiring nominee and the Internet behemoth sheds a spotlight, say media and political analysts, on such unresolved digital-era issues as who has the right to control an online reputation and what responsibility comes with Google’s massive profile.

Both sides in this dustup have more than a soupçon of disingenuousness, says Michal Ann Strahilevitz, a professor of marketing at Golden Gate University in San Francisco.
“If you want to be president, people are going to say all kinds of things about you, nasty, untrue, mean and downright awful sometimes,” she says, “that just comes with the territory.”

Google Overhauls Product Search, Ditches Boutiques.com

Google continued to clean house this week, ditching its Boutiques.com site and folding it into Google Product Search.

Going forward, Boutiques.com traffic will be redirected to Google Product Search. The full transition is expected by October 14; Google said it will email users with instructions on how to save Boutiques.com data.

Google unveiled Boutiques.com in November 2010 and touted it as a Web site that combined computing power with fashion savvy in an effort to keep users informed about trends and provide shopping recommendations.

The team behind Boutiques.com came from Like.com, an online retailer that Google acquired last year. In a Thursday blog post, Google said the Like.com team "will drive new ideas for apparel shopping through one unified product. The team is excited to be a part of the shopping experience on Google and have our work displayed to millions of users every day."

Burak Gokturk, Like.com co-founder and member of the Google Commerce team, said the move is the "first in a series of improvements we're making to Google Product Search leveraging the computer vision and machine learning technology developed by the team we affectionately call our fashion and computer nerds."

For now, Google has unveiled a new Product Search homepage, which has a new look "designed to inspire and facilitate easy, enjoyable browsing and shopping," Gokturk said. That includes larger images, simplified text, and lighter colors.

"Using the same innovative machine learning and computer vision technologies we developed for Boutiques, you can now browse dress collections that match the color, silhouette and genre you desire," he said.

Google also added the option to see similar items; a striped dress, for example. "We hope it brings that element of surprise and discovery we all love with brick-and-mortar shopping to the online shopping experience," Gokturk wrote.

TWITTER ADS: What They Are And How They Work

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo has said that advertising is the centerpiece of the company's business model.

But Twitter doesn't want to run boring display advertising with big banners. It wants ads to feel unobtrusive and part of the system.

So what are Twitter ads, exactly? And how well do they work?

More importantly, how do they perform?

In this note, we look at the three types of sponsorship opportunities Twitter currently offers advertisers. We also look at some case studies

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-ads-2011-9#ixzz1YowBekG2

Washington Post CEO On Facebook Partnership: The Future Of News Sites Includes 'Social Element'

NEW YORK -- For the past few months, Washington Post CEO Don Graham tried out a beta version of the newspaper’s Social Reader, one of several news apps unveiled by Mark Zuckerberg at Thursday’s f8 conference. The app allows users to see which articles their Facebook friends are reading and to share the articles they are reading themselves with their network of friends.

Graham said he found it “fascinating” to see what other beta users -- mostly technologists -- were reading about technology and admits to being twice as interested in reading stories they were clicking on.

“Seeing friends reading something has actually made me a lot more likely to read it,” Graham told The Huffington Post by phone from the f8 conference. “I’m a bit surprised by that.”

Graham, 66, hopes other Facebook users similarly discover Post stories that friends read or that are recommended to them based on their interests.

But while the Post may see increased engagement with its journalism, the paper’s site won’t get the clicks. Social Reader includes all of the Post’s articles, along with those from Post Co. brands -- Slate, Foreign Policy, The Root -- and partners such as the AP, Reuters, GlobalPost, and Mashable. So readers do all of their reading within Facebook.

Still, Graham says that the paper gets a lot out of the partnership. He repeatedly stressed that Social Reader allows Post management to learn a lot about what readers want.

“For me, I think in the future, good news sites -– and we’re going to be one –- are going to have a social element,” Graham said. “And here’s the first chance to prove that. Here’s the first chance to develop something special. Here’s the first chance to see how important this is."

Facebook, Google+ announce changes

This week Google+ announced it is opening its invite-only field test to a public beta so now anyone can join.

It also has been making a lot of changes to make it more public-friendly.

At the same time, Facebook is launching major changes, with a lot of features similar to ones introduced by Google+. The Facebook features seem to be having everybody confused with different lists of friends (family, close friends, geographic location, etc.).

Who's got time for all that?

And on Thursday, Facebook announced yet another change - a major design overhaul. It also announced it is adding a timeline feature, with your most important stories at the top of your news feed.

Since I had to wrap up my column before I had a chance to learn more about it, I will have to explore this in an upcoming column.

Oh, and remember MySpace (now My__)? It too announced a design change on Thursday. Imagine that.

Now back to Google+. It, too, has introduced new features, which include mobile hangouts (video conferencing) and improved search functions.

Both are in tough competition with each other. Facebook has an edge since many people already use it, but Google+ is working on making social interactions better.

Only time will tell which social media network will win the popular vote.

Stay tuned for more in the weeks to come.

Yahoo looks to Facebook to power its news service

WEB PORTAL Yahoo has integrated its news service with Facebook to serve up customised news story suggestions.

Yahoo's news service, which aggregates articles from a number of different sources, now integrates with Facebook in order to show what articles have been read by those on your friends list. Underpinning all this is an impressive backend, which Yahoo calls Mixer, that connects to Facebook.

The idea behind Yahoo News' Facebook integration is to present content that it says has been picked by "social editors" - your friends on Facebook. Yahoo claims, "The deep integration with Facebook offers an immersive social experience on Yahoo News so people can discover and connect around the news and information they are enjoying on Yahoo! seamlessly through updates on Facebook."

Yahoo's system automatically jots down what articles have been read by which Facebook accounts and uses this information to recommend content. The system has some pretty impressive performance requirements, such as Yahoo wanting to serve up a list of stories based on Facebook data within 250ms. That figure might sound high, but given the amount of data Yahoo will have to mine and the number of requests it will have to handle, consistently meeting that goal is a tough task.

Facebook has, for the most part, been working with Bing for its various search engine tie-ups. Microsoft has a small stake in Facebook and the two firms are pretty cosy, whereas Yahoo has seemingly let the social networking boom slip by. But this should help Facebook find out even more information about what people get up to when they're not on Facebook.

Yahoo's news service powered by its social editors didn't come soon enough to spare ex-CEO Carol Bartz. However Yahoo will need more than just a fancy news aggregation service if it is to compete with Google once again.

Source:http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2111663/yahoo-looks-facebook-power-news-service

Fixes to 'Facebook law' heading to Nixon

Revisions to a law restricting Internet communications between teachers and students overwhelmingly passed the Missouri House this morning on a 139-2 vote.

The bill now goes to Gov. Jay Nixon, where it faces an uncertain fate.

The original law was blocked from going into effect last month by a Cole County judge, citing concerns that it infringed on free speech rights.

The law -- which passed unanimously earlier this year as part of a larger education bill -- contained provisions prohibiting teachers from having private online conversations with students. It said teachers may not "establish, maintain, or use a nonwork-related Internet site" that allows the posting of information that's available only to the teacher and a student, which some interpreted as prohibiting teachers from using sites that allow private messages, such as Facebook.

Opponents of the law said it could cut off even the most innocent online exchanges, such as questions about homework assignments, and worried that it could bar teachers from communicating with their own children online.

The bill passed today repeals the electronic communication provision and replaces it with a mandate that school districts develop their own social media policy by March 1, 2012. Those policies must include "the use of electronic media and other mechanisms to prevent improper communications between staff members and students."

Local school districts will now be in control of their policies, although many of them will likely rely on policy proposals drafted by the Missouri School Boards Association, said state Rep. Chris Kelly, D-Columbia.

Several lawmakers expressed concern that by passing the authority to develop these policies off to the local level there is a chance districts will establish rules that are not constitutional.

“I’m sure all districts are going to try to do what’s right,” said Republican Rep. Jay Barnes of Jefferson City. “But if one district makes a mistake, a teacher is going to be the victim of that bad policy.”

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/political-fix/article_9910847e-e5f4-11e0-9c83-001a4bcf6878.html#ixzz1Yov8OY2l

New Facebook Changes Will Help You Change the World

Today Facebook announced two of the biggest product changes in its history. First, Facebook is making it easier for people to share the action they take on Causes and get their friends involved in real-time. Second, Facebook is launching Timeline, which will allow people to curate all of the information on their profiles to better share the moments in life that matter most. Because taking action and then sharing it with friends is the core of what people do on Causes, we think that these changes will have profoundly positive effects on people trying to help the world by using Causes.

Causes was founded with the mission of empowering anyone to change the world. Our model is based upon the belief that everyone has the power to have an outsized impact on the world by banding together with other like-minded individuals, taking direct action, and inspiring their friends and their friends' friends to join in. In short, we provide the grassroots with organizing tools for creating large-scale collective action.

We could not have launched Causes without Facebook Platform, providing real identity and real friends. Facebook Platform was created so that experiences that are inherently social in our off-line lives could be brought online as an authentic expression of who we are; Facebook did this best in revolutionizing photo sharing. Altruism is one of the most fundamentally social impulses, and doing things for others without expecting anything in return is core to what makes us human. This is why from the day Facebook Platform launched in 2007 Causes has been honored to be one of the most popular applications, with over 140 million users.

Brands finally succeed in social games on Facebook

Facebook gamers are finally embracing well-known brands in their social games. That’s one of the conclusions from a panel on social games at the f8 conference for Facebook developers yesterday.

Sean Ryan (pictured left), director of game partnerships, pointed out that Facebook as a gaming platform has evolved from a place where original game ideas initially prospered. Now that there are 800 million users on the social network, it’s only natural for brands to take over, he said. Gamers can gravitate to them because they can pick up a game already knowing the narrative behind it, making the game much easier to learn.

For a time, Facebook was resistant to brands. Friends shared games that they found to be fun, and in the early days, Zynga dominated the market. That turned into a huge advantage for Zynga, and its distribution power now allows it to launch original titles that can succeed in part because they can be cross-promoted to so many of Zynga’s existing users. The same is true with the iPhone, where original titles such as Koi Pond drew a lot of attention at first but where plenty of brands such as Bejeweled, Plants vs. Zombies, and Uno in the top charts.What was unusual about Facebook is that non-branded games held onto the top rankings on the popularity charts for a longer time than usual, largely because of the power of friend recommendations on the platform. Many game companies tried to launch branded games on Facebook and it was like hitting their heads against brick walls.

Facebook's colonization of the Web gains steam

About a year ago I wrote about Facebook's growing dominance of the social Web casting a huge shadow over the Internet of people. At that time the service had 500 million users. In his F8 keynote yesterday, Mark Zuckerberg said that as many as 500 million people used Facebook in a single day, with the total Facebook tribe approaching 800 million.

According to Experian Hitwise, Facebook had a 10 percent share of Internet visits in the U.S. for the week ending Sept. 17, followed by Google at 7 percent. Among social networks, Facebook garnered more than 65 percent share of visits, compared with YouTube at 19.5 percent for the same time period.

With the new features announced yesterday at F8, Facebook is poised to cast a bigger shadow over the Internet of people and things.

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20110664-93/facebooks-colonization-of-the-web-gains-steam/#ixzz1YouSdAAl

Samsung sues Apple in The Netherlands over iPhone and iPad 3G technology

Samsung has backed up claims that it would react to Apple’s patent claims aggressively by filing four cases in The Netherlands accusing the Cupertino-based company of infringing patents with its iPhone and iPad products that utilise 3G technology.

News of the new lawsuit comes from Webwereld.nl, which details Samsung’s summary proceedings in The Hague, where the electronics giant has appealed for a Dutch trade and import ban on sales of all Apple’s smartphones and tablets. The ban is said to apply to Apple but also five other companies that are affiliated with Apple’s sales and distribution.

The infringement and trade ban encompasses “in particular but not exclusively for the latest products from Apple iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPhone 1 and iPhone 2″ writes Samsung in its indictment. It also claims one million euros for each violation of the ban on sales and imports.

Samsung: Apple’s Been “Freeriding,” We’re Getting Aggressive

If you were to take a good hard look at the Apple-Samsung trail of destruction (otherwise known as their world-wide patent war), you’d likely come to the conclusion that Apple is ahead by a few key points. Apple has taken down the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Germany, won an EU-wide (sort of) injunction on three Galaxy smartphones(though Samsung’s found a way to keep selling them), and kept the GalTab from being sold in Australia as well. Samsung has yet to get any iProduct removed from store shelves.

Obviously, this is an ongoing war and anything could happen, but as it rests now Apple has the advantage. With any win, however contained, the psychological affects of that win carry over into other court systems and countries. So Apple’s win is more than just a win in Europe, and a semi-win in Australia — it’s a sign to all the other courts that Apple may just have a point to their argument. To Samsung, this effect is lethal.

With that said, Samsung’s head of global marketing for mobile communications Lee Younghee has said that Samsung plans to take a much more aggressive stance with regard to Apple, reports theAP. After hearing this, Samsung’s somewhat tentative attitude throughout these proceedings makes much more sense. It’s well known that Samsung and Apple share a fruitful business relationship, with Samsung being a component supplier for Apple and Apple, in turn, being one of Samsung’s biggest customers.

Apple hasn’t done much to protect this relationship over the course of the battle, asserting rights in any country it can and alleging infringement at every turn. Of course, Samsung has filed plenty of its own lawsuits and appeals, but in almost every case it’s had the appearance of a retaliatory move, rather than a switch over to the offensive. In this way, Samsung has played the game slow and steady, refraining from crossing any line until the company is prepared to never return.

T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S2 almost here?

The Samsung Galaxy S2 has been released on Sprint and announced for AT&T, which means that only T-Mobile’s variant of the Android phone is the only one that’s missing (Verizon won’t be carrying it). Well, for folks who’ve been waiting for the phone to arrive, the wait is almost over. Earlier last month when Samsung unveiled all three US versions of the Galaxy S2, T-Mobile didn’t give a release date for the phone, but it did mention that it will be holding a separate event for the phone.

Today, T-Mobile has been reported to have sent out invitations for an event next week, where the carrier is believed to be announcing the phone. The event will be on Monday, September 26th in San Francisco and it will be an evening of DJs, drinks and devices. No word on whether T-Mobile will be showing off any other phones or tablets, but the release date for its Galaxy S2 is expected to be revealed. Stay tuned and we’ll keep you posted.

Source:http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/09/t-mobile-samsung-galaxy-s2-almost-here/

Samsung Aims to Muddy Waters

As the legal battle between Samsung Electronics Co. and Apple Inc. heads back to courts in South Korea and Australia in coming days, it appears that Samsung is trying to sow confusion among courts world-wide over different types of patents.

At the heart of the issue are so-called standard patents, which companies contribute to international bodies and make available to other companies, generally for minimal, though reliable, royalties to make gadgets compatible with each other.

Apple is involved in several high-profile patent battles over the rapidly growing market in mobile computing products like smartphones and tablets. But its dispute with Samsung is particularly heated because the Korean electronics company is the biggest seller of smartphones using Google Inc.’s Android software and is about to surpass Apple in overall smartphone sales.

Samsung Stepping Up Attacks on 'Free Riding' Apple in Patent Dispute

Associated Press reports that Samsung is becoming more vocal about its efforts to go on the offensive against Apple in the patent dispute between the two companies, accusing Apple of "free riding" on Samsung's intellectual property with its products.

"We'll be pursuing our rights for this in a more aggressive way from now on," Lee Younghee, head of global marketing for mobile communications, said Friday in an interview.

Lee, a senior vice president at Samsung, did not say what form the South Korean company's stronger stance would take or if there would be more lawsuits. But her remarks suggest a definite change in tone. She described its previous approach as "passive."Lee suggests that Samsung has been relatively "passive" in the dispute thus far out of respect for the fact that Apple and Samsung have a close relationship for component supplies, although Apple is reportedly looking to minimize its reliance on Samsung in that regard.

Lee said that Samsung has kept that relationship in mind amid the dispute with the Cupertino, California-based company, and has largely been pulling its punches.

"We've been quite respectful and also passive in a way" in consideration of those links, Lee said during the interview in her office at Samsung's headquarters building in southern Seoul. "However, we shouldn't be ... anymore."

It hasn't taken Samsung long to follow through on its promise to become more aggressive, as Dutch site Webwereld.nl reports [Google translation] that Samsung has filed suit against Apple in The Hague, requesting a ban on sales of Apple's 3G-enabled iOS devices in the Netherlands. The suit explicitly names the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, and original iPad, but does not limit its claims to the listed devices.
Read more at http://www.macrumors.com/2011/09/23/samsung-stepping-up-attacks-on-free-riding-apple-in-patent-dispute/

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Friday, 23 September 2011