Launch

Are Privacy and Social Networking Incompatible? —

The privacy furor stirred up over the past couple of weeks by the launch of Google’s social tool, Buzz, caused the search giant to make some fairly radical changes to the service. It also threw the issue of privacy in social networking into sharp relief. However, Google’s stumble in this space is just the latest in a long line of privacy flubs from nearly all of the vendors in the market. In my latest Long View over on GigaOM Pro (sub. req.), “Can Enterprise Privacy Survive Social Networking?,” I ponder whether social networking and privacy are fundamentally incompatible, and what individuals and businesses should be doing to limit the damage that can be caused by privacy leaks on social networks.

Privacy and social networking is something that we’ve discussed at length here on WWD; I particularly liked Dawn’s comments in “Private or Personal in Social Media?” Unlike Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg I don’t believe that the “age of privacy” is over, but there’s no doubting that the more of your “stuff” that you share online, the less control you have over your privacy. Perhaps social networks will evolve to give us reliable, granular, context-sensitive privacy controls, such as those that ReadWriteWeb’s Marshall Kirkpatrick argues for. But until they do, we all need to be careful about who we share our stuff with, and where we share it.

Do you think that privacy and social networking are fundamentally incompatible?

Photo by Flickr user rpongsaj, licensed under CC BY 2.0

HTC Desire to gain DivX support in future update —

The HTC Desire — the device has got a lot going for it. The Desire is virtually identical to the Nexus One, yet sexier since it has HTC’s Sense. What else could make the device dethrone the Nexus One as the top dog of the Android kingdom? Well, it may be gaining DivX support, as well as 720P video encoding in an upcoming update!

If we go back to the roadmap leaked way back in December, the Bravo clearly says ‘HD Ready’ on it, so it would be assumed that it would only be a matter of time before we got to see this feature enabled. Supposedly this was going to be a feature all along, but it didn’t make it in time for the launch of the device. What it does not say is that it may support DivX in the future, so it is a pleasant surprise to hear it will be coming to the device in the future.

DivX support will make it easy to throw some movies on your SD card, and have them play seamlessly, without restrictions. Their are applications in the market that support DivX, but they are very unstable, and not at all a joy to use. There are also people trying to get people to sign a petition to bring PSX, and N64 emulators to Android, as well as DivX support. While that sounds nice and all, who knows if that’ll ever happen. But I must admit, it would be nice to have VLC on my Nexus One.

So far, the only Android device to support DivX is the Samsung Spica. Although it is rumored to receive the Android 2.1 update at some point, it is no where near up to snuff to the likes of the Desire. Spica owners may be laughing now, but the Desire will crush it in all its 3.7″, AMOLED glory once they get the support for DivX. Also also coming up in the update is 720P video encoding, which will enable a user to record in HD, and I think everyone can be thankful for that.

So while the Spica may be the only kid on the block to support such features as DivX, those days are numbered. Also, when the Desire gets this supposed update, you can bet that eventually, either through HTC themselves, or the devs over at XDA, this ‘update’ will make it to the Nexus One someway, somehow.

[Via : MobileTechWorld ]

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• HTC Incredible caught on camera again
• Samsung I5700 Spica to get Android 2.1; Leaked firmware is here!

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Allrecipes fires up "Man Tested Recipes," Dude Food contest —

Beef, bacon, beer and butter figure heavily at ManTestedRecipes.com, a site launched today by Seattle's Allrecipes.com.

Naturally the launch sponsor is Seattle-based Bacon Salt. I'm guessing Lipitor will be next.

Allrecipes Chief Executive Lisa Sharples said the new site is "the genuine voice of men and what they want in food."

"Our research shows men genuinely enjoy cooking but have uniquely masculine interests and tastes; they deserve a dedicated and authentic community to connect with each other," she said in the release.

The site is similar to Allrecipes' user-generated format but with more social features for friendly men, such as tagging, friending and following. Users also get a "fridge" similar to a Facebook wall, on which people can post messages.

To get things going, there's a "Dude Food" recipe contest through April 30, encouraging visitors to "boast about your roast" and compete for a $500 prize.

Allrecipes said the site was inspired by market research, including comScore findings that 36 percent of community food site visitors are male and Allrecipes findings that 70 percent of men "were more interested in visiting a men's food site than a general food site," the release said.

Other findings from its research, pulled from the release:

Read more...

Android Finally Invades AT&T — AT&T has finally added the Google Android platform to its portfolio of mobile devices with the launch of the Motorola Backflip. AT&T, the exclusive provider of the Apple iPhone in the United States, now offers business professionals a more diverse array of choices--expanding even further later this year with the expected addition of devices based on Palm's WebOS.

Microsoft reportedly moves up Windows 7 SP1 release date —

Even though Microsoft has dropped a plan to wait nearly two years after Windows 7's launch to issue a first service pack, it won't deliver the update before the fourth quarter of this year, a site that has accurately predicted past Windows timetables said today.

Microsoft would be smart to reconsider and delay a service pack as long as possible, one analyst countered.

Report: Microsoft moves up Windows 7 SP1 release date — Although Microsoft has dropped a plan to wait nearly two years after Windows 7's launch to issue a first service pack, it won't deliver the update before late this year, a site that has accurately predicted past Windows timetables said.

HP Slate Strikes at the iPad —

Apple iPad’s Oscar evening debut on millions of TVs may have been the talk of the town Monday morning but not for long. Rival PC maker HP has launched a sneak attack on the iPad.

HP released a video introducing its tablet called the Slate that will run Windows 7 operating system and support Flash–a jab at the iPad, which will not display Flash-based sites or videos.

“With this slate product, you’re getting a full Web browsing experience in the palm of your hand,” posted Phil McKinney, vice president and chief technology officer for HP’s personal system group on the company’s blog. “No watered-down Internet, no sacrifices.”

HP did not reveal pricing or availability for the device though it has indicated it will be available this year.

Since the launch of Apple iPad in January, PC makers are rushing to offer tablet devices that can position themselves between the 4-inch touchscreen smartphone and the 12-inch netbook or laptop. They say tablets could be ideal for surfing the web while sitting on a couch or could double up as a e-reader and personalized video viewing device, in addition to checking e-mail and web browsing.

Dell has said that it will launch a family of tablets, the first of which will be a PlayStation Portable sized device with a 5-inch screen codenamed Dell Mini 5. Dell hasn’t disclosed pricing or availability for its product yet. Apple’s iPad starting at $500 will on sale from April 3.

Though HP has released the specs yet, the company’s video indicates a device that’s closer to the 9.7-inch display iPad in its design and size.

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HP’s slate seems to offer a full capacitive touchscreen and the familiar pinch-to-zoom gesture. Overall, the design resemblance to the iPad is startling so the Slate could clearly be a tablet for those who want an iPad like device on the Windows ecosystem.

The Slate has icons that lets users quickly access the browser, apps such as Pandora and the music player. And like the iPad, it has an e-reading feature that will offer access to magazines and newspapers.

HP’s video also shows the Slate running a video playback from MTV, a web-based game designed in Flash, photo-editing and a digital version of the New York Times.

As for pricing, McKinney says HP could have released a slate two years ago but it would have cost around $1500. “Since then, chip and screen advancements have given us the ability to create a product that can hit a size, weight, battery life and price point that will make this product a mainstream offering,” he wrote.

Photo/Video: HP Slate (HP)

T-Mobile invites us to 'come experience the HTC HD2' on March 16; release on the 24th? — Like clockwork, we've just been dropped a line by T-Mobile USA asking us to join them for a very special media event to check out the HTC HD2 -- "a larger than life entertainment powerhouse" -- in fabulous New York City on the evening of March 16. That lines up nicely with the company's earlier assurances that we'd see a launch in March -- but what day in March, exactly? Well, we're hearing from a number of tipsters (including trusted sources) that the 24th is the day this thing breaks loose at retail, so set your watches and calendars accordingly -- assuming you haven't been wooed into Windows Phone 7 Series' tender, loving grasp, that is.

T-Mobile invites us to 'come experience the HTC HD2' on March 16; release on the 24th? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile invites us to 'come experience the HTC HD2' on March 16; release on the 24th? — Like clockwork, we've just been dropped a line by T-Mobile USA asking us to join them for a very special media event to check out the HTC HD2 -- "a larger than life entertainment powerhouse" -- in fabulous New York City on the evening of March 16. That lines up nicely with the company's earlier assurances that we'd see a launch in March -- but what day in March, exactly? Well, we're hearing from a number of tipsters (including trusted sources) that the 24th is the day this thing breaks loose at retail, so set your watches and calendars accordingly -- assuming you haven't been wooed into Windows Phone 7 Series' tender, loving grasp, that is.

T-Mobile invites us to 'come experience the HTC HD2' on March 16; release on the 24th? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android finally invades AT&T — AT&T has added the Google Android platform to its portfolio of mobile devices with the launch of the Motorola Backflip.

Apple Stock Hits Another Record High — Apple stock hits another record high on Monday as investors gear up for the iPad launch in stores.

DEMO Spring 2010: spotlight on cloud tech —

DEMO Spring 2010 is the premier launchpad event for innovative technology, and will take place March 21-23 at the JW Marriott in Palm Desert. As the event grows closer, we’ll unveil information about the key themes and panelists featured in each of the seven DEMO Tech Segments.

Each vertical launch segment will feature product demonstrations, pitches by early-stage entrepreneurs, as well as a panel discussion addressing specific funding challenges and investment opportunities. Matt Marshall, Editor in Chief of VentureBeat and Executive Producer of DEMO will lead the panel discussions with key members of the DEMO ecosystem including past demonstrators, VC’s, service providers and corporate business development/acquisitions professionals.

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Cloud Technology:

Cloud computing is radically changing business by supporting anytime, anywhere data access, and the cloud technologies segment will showcase the latest hot startups and products about to disrupt the market.

Panelists:

• Peter Fenton, general partner, Benchmark Capital
• Mike Maples, managing partner, Maples Investments
• Satish Dharmaraj, partner, Redpoint Ventures

For a look at the DEMO Spring 2010 Conference agenda, click here.

“Register for DEMO, March 21-23, JW Marriott in Palm Desert, CA from the VentureBeat site and save $1000 on your 2-day conference registration fee (includes all demonstrator launch presentations, access to the DEMO pavilion, meals and social functions).

Intel readies 8-core Nehalem-Ex processors for a March launch — Intel's current generation of Xeon processors already represents some of the fastest silicon you can buy, and yet the company's forthcoming Nehalem-Ex-based Xeons are being touted as the single greatest generational jump in its history. To achieve that, Intel has strapped eight cores into each CPU, with a pair of threads per core and 24MB of shared cache, along with integrated quad-channel memory controllers, Turbo Boost, and the pretty awesome ability to scale up to eight sockets -- meaning you could have 64 processing cores in the same rig. Don't even ask whether these chips can run Crysis 2, they'll probably be showing up in the machines that are making the game... and maybe yours, provided you have the cash to splash later this month.

Intel readies 8-core Nehalem-Ex processors for a March launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Taking the exact opposite approach from Apple, HP is working directly with Adobe. Apple refuses to support for Flash on its mobile devices. HP and its forthcoming Slate tablet has been in bed with Adobe since day one of the project.

You recall the Slate, Ballmer waved it around at CES, leaving us all drooling for another look. The device run Windows 7, meaning that if you have become familiar with the new Microsoft operating system, the Slate is going to be very familiar to use.

How well the full Windows experience translates to the smaller screen remains to be seen. HP is losing no time pointing out in a loud voice that its tablet does what many wish the iPad could: run Flash.

According to a promotional video from HP and Adobe “85% of the Alexa top 100 use Flash on their websites,” and “75% of all video on the web is Flash.” The Slate can access “the full web, not just part of it.” Those are fighting words.

There are two excellent videos on the Slate that explain the device better than I could hope to. To begin, here is a 30 second teaser promotion for the Slate, which is quite Apple-inspired:

And here is the full 5 minute video from HP and Adobe on Flash and the Slate:

Will the Slate sell as well as the iPad? Of course not. It does not have even 5% of the iPad’s buzz. Even more so, it lacks a launch date. The iPad is going to come first, and steal nearly all the tablet marketshare to be had.

However, later this year, consumers are going to have a full-Flash enabled tablet to choose from along with the iPad. I know which I want more.

Report: Microsoft moves up Windows 7 SP1 release date — Although Microsoft has dropped a plan to wait nearly two years after Windows 7's launch to issue a first service pack, it won't deliver the update before late this year, a site that has accurately predicted past Windows timetables said.

Mediagazer, A New Techmeme Aggregation Site Focusing on Media News —

Gabe Rivera and Megan McCarthy have just launched the latest Techmeme aggregation site, Mediagazer which will focus on media news.

Maya Baratz has more on the launch in SF Weekly’s All Shook Down.

This is a blog post from Laughing Squid, subscribe via RSS, Email, Twitter & Facebook.

Related posts:

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- Garysguide San Francisco, Technology & New Media Events

- EveryBlock, Track News In Your City, Neighborhood & Block

- Social Media Mullet

iPad ad reveals book pricing and NYT button —

Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPad

The iPad television ad that appeared during Sunday night's Oscars ceremony showed off more than the iPad's functionality. It revealed some book pricing, too.

Several of the books had prices clearly displayed (you'll get a better look here), ranging from US$8 to $15. For example, Sen. Edward Kennedy's "True Compass: A Memoir" is listed for $14.99, while "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is priced at $7.99.

By contrast, Appleinsider reports, those titles sell for $19.25 and $7.19 on the Kindle, respectively.

We reported on a leaked list of likely initial iBookstore titles and prices in late February, but this is the first official indication of pricing from Apple -- for the record, all the prices above match up with the file we saw. It's notable that the list appears to include New York Times bestsellers as a separate category, which aligns with the sharp-eyed observations of reader Alejandro; he noticed the distinctive Times logo in the iBooks app at the bottom of the screen (see image below) at the end of the ad.

Based on the leaked list, other titles we might expect to see at launch are "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks for $9.99, "U is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton for $12.99 and "The Wrecker" by Clive Cussler for $12.99.

The iBooks application represents Apple's first foray into the ebook market, currently dominated by the Kindle and Nook. The competition is heating up before the iPad even hits stores, as HarperCollins and Macmillan have forced Amazon to re-visit their pricing policies. In January of this year, before the iPad's introduction, Amazon adopted the 70/30 revenue split that the App Store uses. An epic battle is about to erupt which can only mean one thing: Better choices and products for us, the customers!

TUAWiPad ad reveals book pricing and NYT button originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NEWS: PHOTOS: Sigma DP1x hands-on —

No price or availability but that doesn't mean its not ready for its close-up

Following the launch of the Sigma DP1x at PMA in Las Vegas, the company has thrown it on a plane to Blighty for us to come along with a camera and snap the goods.

Still in "prototype" development we managed to get a quick fondle of the new model, but alas not allowed to take any photos of the menu system in action.

The DP1x is an upgrade from the DP1, launched in March 2008. It has a 14-megapixel Foveon X3 image sensor, and Sigma's TRUEII image processing engine.

Inside, there's a 16.6mm F4 lens which has been designed solely for the DP1 series and the autofocus algorithm and UI have been tweaked a little over the DP1.

The bad news is, currently Sigma isn't giving out pricing or availability at the moment.

Tags: Cameras Sigma Compact cameras 14 megapixels Sigma DP1x Digital cameras

               

PHOTOS: Sigma DP1x hands-on originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:02:09 +0000

BlackBerry Storm2 Now Available in Hong Kong — Canadian mobile phone maker Research In Motion has recently announced the launch of its second touchscreen device, the BlackBerry Storm2, on the market in Hong Kong. The new mobile phone comes with a great deal of enhancements when compared to the previous touchscreen smartphone from the company, including an improved touch functionality, as well as... (read more)

Verizon claims 5-12Mbps 4G LTE service in 25+ markets this year, but what about the hardware? —

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Still racing for an LTE launch in the second half of this year, Verizon Wireless has been testing its trial 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks in Boston and Seattle since last August.

Today the wireless network operator says it will be able to deliver speeds between 5-12 Mbps downlink and 2-5Mbps uplink at launch.

"Our LTE rollout plan positions Verizon Wireless to be a global leader in 4G LTE deployment. We are on track to deliver an outstanding wireless data experience to customers in 25 to 30 markets covering roughly 100 million people by year's end," Tony Melone, senior vice president and chief technical officer at Verizon Wireless said in a statement this morning. "As device makers, manufacturers and others around the world begin to introduce newer and faster products to take advantage of these incredible new speeds, Verizon Wireless will be positioned to offer our customers new and exciting products on the nation's first 4G LTE network."

The first commercial deployments of LTE belong to TeliaSonera in Norway and Sweden, which opened for business last December. However, consumer equipment that can take advantage of the increased bandwidth continues to be seriously limited. Nokia announced it was the first to make an LTE modem, and TeliaSonera partnered with Samsung to offer a USB LTE dongle, but there are currently no smartphones or consumer devices utilizing the technology.

Last year, Verizon CEO Dick Lynch said LTE laptop modems and handsets won't be out until a year after the LTE network launches.

Meanwhile, the United States' fifth largest Network operator MetroPCS expects its LTE network to be completed in the second half of 2010 as well. Like TeliaSonera, MetroPCS has partnered with Samsung for its first consumer LTE device.

Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

iPad ad reveals book pricing and NYT button —

Filed under: Apple Corporate, iPad

The iPad television ad that appeared during Sunday night's Oscars ceremony showed off more than the iPad's functionality. It revealed some book pricing, too.

Several of the books had prices clearly displayed (you'll get a better look here), ranging from US$8 to $15. For example, Sen. Edward Kennedy's "True Compass: A Memoir" is listed for $14.99, while "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World... One Child at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is priced at $7.99.

By contrast, Appleinsider reports, those titles sell for $19.25 and $7.19 on the Kindle, respectively.

We reported on a leaked list of likely initial iBookstore titles and prices in late February, but this is the first official indication of pricing from Apple -- for the record, all the prices above match up with the file we saw. It's notable that the list appears to include New York Times bestsellers as a separate category, which aligns with the sharp-eyed observations of reader Alejandro; he noticed the distinctive Times logo in the iBooks app at the bottom of the screen (see image below) at the end of the ad.

Based on the leaked list, other titles we might expect to see at launch are "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks for $9.99, "U is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton for $12.99 and "The Wrecker" by Clive Cussler for $12.99.

The iBooks application represents Apple's first foray into the ebook market, currently dominated by the Kindle and Nook. The competition is heating up before the iPad even hits stores, as HarperCollins and Macmillan have forced Amazon to re-visit their pricing policies. In January of this year, before the iPad's introduction, Amazon adopted the 70/30 revenue split that the App Store uses. An epic battle is about to erupt which can only mean one thing: Better choices and products for us, the customers!

TUAWiPad ad reveals book pricing and NYT button originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple - New York Times - App Store - HarperCollins - Last Song

Pixel Qi Offers DIY Screen Replacement: Easy As Changing a Lightbulb —

Do it yourself kits aren’t new, and it’s not even a new phase washing over the world. People have been finding ways to make things on their own for quite a long time. It’s part of man’s ingenuity. But some times, or maybe even more often than not, doing it yourself can be a real pain. Well, Pixel Qi wants to make it at least a little bit easier for you to replace that bland ol’ LCD screen on your laptop by offering you a do it yourself kit.

Over at the Pixel Qi blog, Mary Lou Jespen clarified a few certain points about the kits. She elaborated on the planned release date, and even expounded on why Pixel Qi is doing anything like this in the first place. First, the kits will be available by the end of the second quarter, this year. The company is going to offer up more official details when the launch gets closer. Secondly, Jespen goes on to say that during her time in Nigeria, she realized that a kit like this could be far more beneficial than people realize. Especially with the technology that Pixel Qi utilizes (a combination of LCD and E-Ink), the uses are almost endless.

In her recollection, she elaborates that 11-year old girls were taking it upon themselves to fix the monitors on laptops in their region. With this story, she alludes to the fact that changing the screen on a laptop is “only slightly more difficult than changing a lightbulb.” Basically, remove the bezel, unplug the current screen and then plug the Pixel Qi one in. Now, if you’re a fan of the warranty that comes with your laptop, this is obviously not the way you want to go. But, whether you’re out of your warranty of you’re just one of those people that love to do things on your own, we can’t stop you.

[via Pixel Qi]

---

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Another Small Crack In Windows' Armor: Popular 'Steam' Gaming Platform Coming To Mac (MSFT, AAPL) —

Microsoft's Windows operating system is losing another exclusive: Software maker Valve says it will bring its popular Steam gaming platform to Apple's Mac, Macworld's David Chartier reports:

In a press release Monday, Valve announced that Steam, its “Source” gaming engine, and a number of its most popular titles will be available on the Mac in April. Selections from Valve’s library that will be available at launch include Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half Life series.

Read the rest of this story »

See Also:

• CHART OF THE DAY: Google Chrome Is Eating Microsoft's Lunch
• CHART OF THE DAY: In Case You Had Any Doubts About Where Microsoft's Profit Comes From
• Windows 7 Sales On Fire! Microsoft Has Sold Over 90 Million Licenses

Apple Stock Hits Another Record High — Apple stock hits another record high on Monday as investors gear up for the iPad launch in stores.

Boomerang’s Offerwall Launches User Reviewed Virtual Currency Offers —

As gaming on social network grows by leaps and bounds, there’s been a proliferation of startups that are helping game developers monetize by offering virtual currency deals in conjunction with advertisers. Offerpal, gWallet, Cherry Deals and others all partner with both developers and advertisers to offer virtual currency deals within games. Today, Boomerang Networks is entering the arena with its newly launched offer platform, Offerwall, which offers users the ability to rate and review virtual currency offers.

As more users participate in clocking and buying into the deals, good offers float to the top and bad offers are kicked off the system. Users can rate each advertising offer, giving it a thumbs up or thumbs down. Based on their experience, users can also write reviews and comments, which are then visible to the game’s entire community of users. Offerwall’s algorithm that sets the order in which advertising offers are displayed, allowing popular offers to rise to the top and unpopular or poorly related offers to be eliminated all together. If the user gives a thumbs down to an advertising offer, that particular offer, as well as similar offers, are never presented to that user again.

Similar to gWallet, Offerpal and others, Offerwall promises to avoid distributing spammy offers by employing a direct sales team that works with advertisers directly. Offerwall is also targeting international markets for its in-game offers and can be translated into all major languages including German, French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Russian. Boomerang has also built partnerships with international payments providers, tailoring payment options to the region where the deals are being offered. At launch Offerwall is being used by 50 game applications, including BarnBuddy from TheBroth and MouseHunt by HitGrab.

As more players enter the virtual currency space, startups are developing innovative ways to make their offers more attractive. Offerpal recently launched Offerpal Tasks, gWallet just launched a new placement format for offers and Cherry Deals offers Groupon-like local deals to earn virtual currency. Offerwal’s international strategy and user-reviewed and rated format could help separate the startup from its rivals.