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AOL cracks open door to new Project Phoenix e-mail (AP) : Technet |
- AOL cracks open door to new Project Phoenix e-mail (AP)
- Black colleges look to increase online ed presence (AP)
- Apple Adds Ping to its iTunes App for iPad (PC Magazine)
- Should Your Startup Apply for the sFund? (Mashable)
- Location-based services still finding their way (Appolicious)
- Ireland does not rule out rescue (Reuters)
- Ubisoft assassins begin prowling the Internet (AFP)
| AOL cracks open door to new Project Phoenix e-mail (AP) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 09:31 AM PST You've still got mail — but AOL is redesigning it from the ground up to be faster and easier to use. AOL Inc. is opening the doors to its new Web-based e-mail program, code-named Project Phoenix, for a limited number of users. Starting next year, anyone will be able to sign up for access to a beta test site. The Project Phoenix inbox page was designed to make it easier to fire off a quick e-mail, text or instant message with just a few clicks on a "quick bar" at the top of the page. People can also send short replies right from the inbox page, without having to click on a message first. The new design displays thumbnails of recent photo attachments at a glance, and lets people toggle between several open e-mails at a time. When someone is reading an e-mail with pictures attached, the photos will also show up as thumbnails next to the message. Addresses in the body of the e-mail will trigger the system to display a map from AOL's Mapquest on the right-hand side, with the option to click for directions. Like Yahoo and other competitors, AOL is trying to become the one-stop shop for reading messages from other providers. Project Phoenix lets people link up their e-mail accounts on services from Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. In future versions, AOL plans to pull in Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn messages, too. The early beta felt sluggish when a reporter tried it out recently, but AOL said its tests show that the Phoenix inbox page loads about twice as fast as Google's Gmail inbox. Markedly absent from the new design: advertising. Fletcher Jones, the project lead for Phoenix, said AOL is working on other ways to make money from the free e-mail service because the old model — at least one towering, animated ad dominating the right-hand side of the screen — isn't very user-friendly. Jones would not say exactly what AOL's plan is, but one tactic is placing links to top AOL stories inside the inbox. AOL's content sites are more ad-heavy. "We're a different company than we were a year ago," Jones said in an interview. "The prior administration had priorities on revenue versus audience growth. Our priorities are on audience growth." About two weeks ago, the New York-based company overhauled the main AOL.com home page with more white space, hipper logo art, bolder photos and icons and a stronger focus on content from its network of websites and blogs. AOL Mail, which accounts for about 45 percent of AOL's total page views, is an important way to help users find all this new content. After all, Jones said, no matter what else is going on, people check their e-mail every day. But AOL is juggling the need to attract new traffic with the fact that many of its users have been around since the days of dial-up Internet access. The company plans to give existing customers the option to use the Project Phoenix system, and is providing live chat and other 24-hour customer service to support the transition. AOL doesn't have a firm plan for switching everyone over to the new design. As people are invited into the Project Phoenix beta, they'll also have a chance to sign up for a new AOL e-mail address — a gift for folks who have come to regret their early aol.com screen name choices. |
| Black colleges look to increase online ed presence (AP) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 08:30 AM PST |
| Apple Adds Ping to its iTunes App for iPad (PC Magazine) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 06:50 AM PST Apple has added its music-focused social network Ping to the iTunes app for iPad. iPad users can now access the all of the features of the music-based social network through a new button at the bottom of the iTunes app. In order to utilize Ping's features, users must open the iPad app, and it will be automatically updated with no additional download required. Within the iTunes app, Ping works in much the same way that it works on the iPhone. Ping will track users' purchases on iTunes and let them see and comment on the music that their Ping friends are downloading through a live feed. The integration of Ping comes before the anticipated release of iOS 4.2, which should drop later this month. Ping was launched at the end of August. Within the first 48 hours of its existence, more than one million users had already signed up. At the time, that was just a third of the users who had downloaded iTunes 10, the update necessary to use Ping. Last week, Apple's musical social network expanded its reach through a partnership with Twitter. Ping users can now integrate their Twitter followers into their Ping contacts, Twitter announced Thursday. Ping users can link to their Twitter account, and automatically respond when another user posts, likes, reviews, or purchases a song via iTunes. Song previews and links to purchase different content can be added to Tweets, too. As of last week, Ping has been faced with new competition from contact-sharing service Bump. Bump users can now share songs the Bump app on their iPhone. With version 2.2 of the Bump iPhone app, it's possible to play shared songs for free on YouTube and preview or purchase the file in the iTunes store. |
| Should Your Startup Apply for the sFund? (Mashable) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 12:51 PM PST This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Esteemed venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins launched a new fund called sFund last month. That's not specifically remarkable; VC firms launch new funds all the time. What makes the sFund remarkable are its other key investors: Facebook, Amazon and Zynga. Not only are these major tech companies investors, but they're also offering startups funded by the sFund advice, perks and "relationship capital" to give them an advantage over their competition. What is the sFund all about? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the fund? And finally, is it something your startup should consider applying for? Let's take a quick look.
sFund Q&AQ: What exactly is the sFund? A: The sFund is a $250 million venture capital fund designed to fund startups and companies focusing on social media-related initiatives. Its manager is Kleiner Perkins partner Bing Gordon, current board member of Zynga and Amazon and former chief creative officer of EA. Q: What makes the sFund unique? Q: Who has been funded by sFund? Q: What is the biggest advantage to being funded by sFund? Q: What is the biggest disadvantage to being funded by sFund? Q: I have a startup and I'm looking for funding. Should I apply for sFund?
More Funding Resources from Mashable:- Essential Startup Funding Tips From 8 Seasoned Investors - Here's the First Startup Getting Money from sFund - Venture Capitalists, Super Angels and the State of Startup Funding - HOW TO: Legally Structure your Startup |
| Location-based services still finding their way (Appolicious) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 12:43 PM PST |
| Ireland does not rule out rescue (Reuters) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 03:55 PM PST DUBLIN/BERLIN (Reuters) – Ireland did not rule out the possibility that it may have to turn to Europe for help in dealing with its debt crisis on Sunday but said that no application had been made for assistance yet. "Things are happening day by day," Justice Minister Dermot Ahern told national broadcaster RTE's "The Week in Politics" when asked if he would put his reputation on the line and say that Dublin would not apply for aid. In an emailed statement, a spokesman for the Department of Finance said there were ongoing contacts with international colleagues "in light of current market conditions" but repeated that no application had been made for assistance. EU sources over the past two days have said that talks on a possible bailout were under way and that Ireland, with borrowing costs rocketing, was unlikely to hold out without assistance. The European Union is keen for Ireland to accept aid, sources have said, to avert a Greek-style scenario where budget problems in one country plunge the entire euro zone into crisis. Ahern said reports Ireland was in aid talks were "fiction." "There are no negotiations going on. If there were, the government would be aware of it, and we are not aware of it," he said in a script released by RTE, adding that he had spoken to Prime Minister Brian Cowen on Sunday and to Finance Minister Brian Lenihan. Ireland would become the second euro zone country after Greece to obtain an international rescue but, earlier, another cabinet colleague said Ireland was not like Greece in that it was funded until mid-2011 and therefore did not need assistance. "We have every confidence that we will be able to manage this economy," the minister of enterprise, trade and innovation Batt O'Keeffe said. "It's been a very hard-won sovereignty for this country and this government is not going to give over that sovereignty to anyone. He added that the International Monetary Fund had stated it believed Ireland could manage on its own. Germany, the EU's chief paymaster, said it was not exerting pressure on Ireland to accept aid. EU sources said the range of aid under discussion was 45 billion-90 billion euros ($63 billion-$123 billion), depending on whether Ireland needed support for its banks, driven into debt by the financial crisis and a property market crash. Such aid, if it were needed, could come from an initial EU bailout mechanism or from the 440 billion euro European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) set up after Greece was forced to seek help in May. PORTUGAL STILL UNDER SCRUTINY One of the sources said Dublin was not keen on applying for emergency funding, but that it may not have a choice if it came under renewed attack in financial markets. Ireland has blamed Germany for aggravating its woes by pushing the idea of asset value reductions or "haircuts" for private bondholders in a euro zone rescue mechanism from 2013, a move which sent spreads wider on bonds of euro zone peripheral nations. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was quoted as saying at last week's G20 meeting that markets must understand that politicians cannot keep asking taxpayers to pay for losses incurred by investors when markets turn against them. Ireland's borrowing costs shot to record highs in the past week on concerns about a deficit set to hit 32 percent of gross domestic product this year and worries private bondholders could be forced to take such "haircuts" on their holdings. The focus on Ireland has not helped ease pressure elsewhere in the euro zone periphery. The foreign minister of Portugal, seen by many investors as the next country that could need aid, said on Saturday that failure to adopt a broad coalition government to deal with the crisis may force the country out of the euro. Greece's prime minister said in an interview on Saturday that the possibility of extending repayment of its 110-billion-euro EU/IMF loan was up for discussion. On Sunday, Greece was holding local elections that could complicate its deficit-cutting efforts. Erik Nielsen, chief European economist at Goldman Sachs, wrote in a note on Sunday that the European Commission may be discussing a possible aid deal this weekend with Portugal, which has a smaller deficit but more acute funding needs than Ireland. "In spite of their differences, if (when) Ireland or Portugal officially seeks help, it can only be in everyone's interest to start the process for the other country at the same time," he said in the note.. (Additional reporting by Gernot Heller in Berlin, Marc Jones in Tutzing, Germany; Writing by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Louise Ireland) |
| Ubisoft assassins begin prowling the Internet (AFP) Posted: 14 Nov 2010 02:04 AM PST SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Stealthy killers will begin stalking the Internet on Tuesday when Ubisoft releases the latest title in its line of "Assassin's Creed" videogames. "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" builds on the 15th century Renaissance era treachery and intrigue of its predecessor, but with a first-ever online feature that allows players to divert from the storyline and hunt one another. "We could say that you've been training for this moment," Ubisoft senior vice president of sales and marketing Tony Key said while discussing the third installment in the blockbuster 'Assassin's' franchise with AFP. "You are assigned to kill someone, while at the same time someone is assigned to kill you," he continued. "It creates this real sense of paranoia about everyone around you." Ubisoft software savants in Annecy, France, crafted online multi-player capabilities into "Brotherhood", which was a team effort that also involved the French videogame maker's studios in Canada and Singapore. Videogame play has been moving increasingly online, letting people pit themselves against friends or strangers in titles tailored for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or Wii consoles linked to the Internet. "Brotherhood" allows a player to pick from an array of characters, each with signature weapons and assassination techniques. The online multi-play feature won a "Game Critics" award at the major Electronics Entertainment Expo videogame industry gathering in Los Angeles in July. Unlike shooter games in which veteran players typically mow down neophytes in virtual skirmishes that last minutes if not seconds, "Brotherhood" promises prolonged battles of stealth and wits. "Every time someone walks by you, you are holding your breath," Key said. "There are other characters that look like yours walking around, so you've got to watch for tells," he added. "If someone starts acting strange and getting close, that is usually a dead giveaway." Players can opt for a storyline mode that puts them in the trademark hooded garb of Ezio, part of a bloodline of master assassins that used their deadly skills to thwart corruption and grand conspiracy. The third installment of the line-up was designed to stand alone, but devotees of the franchise will note that it picks up Ezio's story about 20 years after the end of "Assassin's Creed 2" (AC2). "Ezio is now famous and recruiting a brotherhood of assassins to help him," Key said. "Someone new to the franchise will get a deep story, while people who loved 'AC2' will see Ezio as an older, wiser guy with some flair." The stage was set in "AC2" when the hero's family was betrayed and murdered by ruling families of Italy, compelling Ezio to learn the ways of his assassin ancestors to obtain revenge. Ezio became a freedom fighter to his friends and a bogeyman to tyrants of Italy. "Assassin's Creed" was the first game to immerse players in a believable and mature experience inspired by historical events, according to Ubisoft videogame producer Sebastien Puel. "AC2" built on the original title's winning elements with more gorgeous cityscapes, animations, and 15th century historical settings. Ubisoft reported that sales of "Assassin's Creed" titles have topped 19 million copies worldwide and that the videogame titan has logged a record high number of pre-orders for "Brotherhood." Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot is to reveal the pre-order figure when the France-based firm releases earnings figures on Monday. "Consumers can't wait to get their hands on 'Assassin's Creed Brotherhood,' and we're looking forward to delivering them an experience they'll never forget," Key said. |
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