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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Protests, cyber-skirmishes rage over WikiLeaks (AP) : Technet

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Protests, cyber-skirmishes rage over WikiLeaks (AP) : Technet

Protests, cyber-skirmishes rage over WikiLeaks (AP)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 09:21 PM PST

By RAPHAEL G. SATTER and JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Raphael G. Satter And Jill Lawless, Associated Press – 34 mins ago

LONDON – Skirmishes raged across cyberspace between WikiLeaks supporters and the companies they accuse of trying to stifle the group, with websites on both sides of the battle line taken out of service or choked off by attacks.

The U.N.'s top human rights official raised the alarm Thursday over officials' and corporations' moves to cut off WikiLeaks' funding and starve it of server space — something she described as "potentially violating WikiLeaks' right to freedom of expression."

Navi Pillay also expressed surprise at the scale of the online attacks that have targeted major American financial players — in some cases denying access to their websites for hours at a time.

"It's truly what media would call a cyber-war. It's just astonishing what is happening," Pillay told reporters in Geneva.

In the Netherlands, a 16-year-old boy suspected of being involved in digital attacks by Wikileaks supporters was arrested.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department was looking into cyber attacks on opponents of WikiLeaks and companies that have stopped doing business with it. Holder spoke at a news conference following a meeting with European Union law enforcement partners on cybersecurity, counterterrorism and data protection.

WikiLeaks has been under intense pressure since it began publishing some 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables, with attacks on its websites and threats against its founder, Julian Assange, who is now in a British jail fighting extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations.

U.S. officials say WikiLeaks' actions have thrown diplomacy into disarray, caused countries to curtail dealings with America and, in the case of an earlier release of classified military documents, put the lives of informants at risk.

While U.S. allies have also criticized WikiLeaks, some world leaders have questioned the arrest of Assange.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, questioning the reliability of leaked U.S. cables referring to his nation as undemocratic and corrupt, said the fact that Assange is in custody shows the West has its own problems with democracy.

"Why was Mr. Assange hidden in prison?" Putin asked at a news conference. "Is this democracy?"

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was surprised by the lack of outcry against Assange's arrest.

"This WikiLeaks guy was arrested and I'm not seeing any protest for freedom of expression," Silva said Thursday in Brasilia. "There is nothing, nothing for freedom of expression and against the imprisonment of this guy who was doing better work than many of the ambassadors."

Many U.S.-based Internet companies have cut their ties to WikiLeaks, including MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc., Amazon.com, PayPal Inc. and EveryDNS. Those moves have hurt WikiLeaks' ability to accept donations and support publishing efforts — and touched off a bout of Web-based warfare.

Retaliatory attacks — which WikiLeaks says it does not sanction — have been claimed by a loose-knit group of "hacktivists" who gather under the handle "Anonymous."

They are using a modified version of software generally used to conduct "stress testing" on websites, according to Paul Mutton, an analyst with the London-based company Netcraft, which is tracking the attacks.

The technique allows even unsophisticated supporters to participate in attacks because all they have to do is download the file, which is then remotely operated to send a stream of bogus page requests to target websites.

Mutton said the number of computers spewing out spam had jumped from 400 to 2,000 machines on Wednesday — relatively small numbers, he said, but still apparently enough to overwhelm MasterCard and Visa.

"I've been surprised at how effective its been," he said. "You don't need huge numbers of people to carry out an attack like that."

The surprise was shared by Internet activist Gregg Housh, who is involved with Anonymous. "I was surprised Visa and MasterCard went down," he told The Associated Press.

Housh said the number of computers at Anonymous' disposal was rising rapidly, now about 3,000 strong. But he also said supporters were running out of anti-WikiLeaks targets.

"So far today, no one has stood up and said, 'Me next,'" he said, noting that some companies threatened by online action — such as Twitter and Amazon.com, were considered too powerful to bring down.

WikiLeaks supporters in Switzerland and Germany have threatened lawsuits against U.S. financial companies who have cut their ties to the website, while judicial authorities in France have put the brakes on the French government's effort to purge WikiLeaks from the country's computer servers.

The Germany-based Wau Holland Foundation, which has described itself as WikiLeaks' main backer, on Thursday protested PayPal's decision to cut ties with WikiLeaks and said about euro10,000 ($13,000) in donations had been frozen.

The foundation rejected PayPal's allegation it was supporting illegal activity and said its lawyer had demanded that PayPal restore access to the account.

WikiLeaks' payment processor, DataCell ehf, said it was preparing to sue Visa and MasterCard over their refusal to process donations to WikiLeaks. DataCell CEO Andreas Fink said he would seek damages from the U.S. credit card companies, saying "it is simply ridiculous to think WikiLeaks has done anything criminal."

Pillay said if WikiLeaks had broken the law "then this should be handled through the legal system and not through pressure and intimidation."

The flow of online support has also sparked some solidarity on the streets. A pro-WikiLeaks demonstration in Sydney sent about 500 demonstrators into the streets Friday, while in the central Pakistani city of Multan, dozens burned U.S. and British flags in the streets Thursday to protest Assange's detention.

Organizer Tariq Naeemullah called for the Australian's immediate release.

"The brave man was arrested because he was exposing the real face of the big powers," he said.

More pro-WikiLeaks protests are planned for Friday in Brisbane and Monday in London.

___

Frank Jordans and John Heilprin in Geneva, Juergen Baetz in Berlin, Toby Sterling in Amsterdam, Kristen Gelineau in Sydney and Khalid Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan contributed to this report.

Amazon's UK site selling WikiLeaks excerpts (AP)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 10:14 AM PST

By DANA WOLLMAN, AP Technology Writer Dana Wollman, Ap Technology Writer – Thu Dec 9, 1:14 pm ET

NEW YORK – Portions of the diplomatic cables contained in WikiLeaks are available for sale on Amazon's U.K. website, an odd twist after the company ousted the organization from its hosting service.

Excerpts from some of the 250,000 sensitive documents were contained in a Kindle e-book self-published by an author listed as Heinz Duthel. The book isn't available in the U.S.; people in the U.K. can buy it for 7.37 pounds ($11.60).

WikiLeaks has embarrassed Washington in recent weeks for exposing a trove of sensitive diplomatic documents, some of which contain brutally frank assessments of foreign governments. The e-book, viewed by The Associated Press in London, consists of excerpts along with reports on reaction to the releases from media and government officials. It also has a list of the cables by originating embassy.

Amazon later added a disclaimer to that effect to the book's product page.

"This book contains commentary and analysis regarding recent WikiLeaks disclosures, not the original material disclosed via the WikiLeaks website," it reads.

The e-book does contain the original WikiLeaks material, but more in the form of excerpts than as entire cables. In some respects, the e-book isn't going much beyond what a blog or a news organization might publish.

The title is an electronic book available for Amazon's Kindle e-reader and the company's software for reading Kindle books on mobile phones and computers. Amazon allows authors to submit their own works and shares revenue with them.

WikiLeaks has been migrating around the world, using Internet companies in different countries to host the site. Last week, Amazon.com Inc. ousted WikiLeaks from its servers, citing a violation of its terms of service.

Other U.S. companies have also attempted to distance themselves from the leak. MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc. and PayPal have all made it impossible for people to donate money to the organization behind WikiLeaks. A Visa credit card was used by the AP to buy the Kindle e-book, underscoring the difficulties private companies have trying to stop the flow of information.

WikiLeaks' website, founded by Julian Assange, allows people to access the documents directly instead of forcing them to rely on newspapers and other media organizations to reprint excerpts.

Duthel, the book's listed author, also sells self-published books such as "Julian Assange. The Whistleblower. Traitor or Hero?" and "Secret and Intelligence Service Encyclopedia." Another is "Discovering Asian Women."

This isn't the first time Amazon has come under fire for selling a controversial book. Last month, Amazon was found to be selling a self-published guide that offered advice to pedophiles, raising questions about how — and if — it vets the self-published books it sells. The book later disappeared, but it wasn't clear whether Amazon or the author had pulled it.

___

AP writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Kids go on expensive buying sprees in iPhone games (AP)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 12:11 PM PST

By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer Peter Svensson, Ap Technology Writer – Thu Dec 9, 3:11 pm ET

NEW YORK – "The Smurfs' Village," a game for the iPhone and other Apple gadgets, was released a month ago and quickly became the highest-grossing application in the iTunes store. Yet it's free to download.

So where does the money come from? Kelly Rummelhart of Gridley, Calif., has part of the answer. Her 4-year-old son was using her iPad to play the game and racked up $66.88 in charges on her credit card without knowing what he was doing.

Rummelhart had no idea that it was possible to buy things — buy them with real money — inside the game. In this case, her son bought one bushel and 11 buckets of "Smurfberries," tokens that speed up gameplay.

"Really, my biggest concern was them scratching the screen. Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would be charging things on it," the 36-year-old mother said.

She counts herself lucky that her son didn't start tapping on another purchase button, like the "wheelbarrow" of Smurfberries for $59.99.

Rummelhart joins a number of parents who have been horrified by purchases of Smurfberries and other virtual items in top App Store games. The 17 highest-rated comments on "The Smurfs' Village" in the App Store all complain about the high cost of the Smurfberries, and two commenters call it a "scam."

Apple introduced "in-app purchases" last year, letting developers use the iTunes billing system to sell items and add-ons in their games and applications.

This year, developers have started to use the system in earnest as the main revenue stream for many games. Of the 10 highest-grossing apps in the App Store, six are games that are free to download but allow in-app purchases. Four of those are easy, child-friendly games. Two of them, "Tap Zoo" and "Bakery Story," have buttons for in-app purchases of $100 in just two taps.

Capcom Entertainment Inc., the publisher of "The Smurfs' Village," says inadvertent purchases by children are "lamentable." When it realized what was happening, it added a warning about the option of in-app purchases to the game's description in the App Store, and it's updating the game to include warnings inside it as well. The game has retreated to being the fourth-highest-grossing app in the App Store.

The warnings may alert parents, but it's doubtful that they'd deter children who can't read and don't understand money. Also, the option to buy $59.99 worth of Smurfberries at a time remains. Capcom spokesman Michael Larson says "Smurfs" is no different from other games in this regard, and the bulk purchasing option is useful to adult "power players."

It's quite likely that most of the money pulled in by these games comes from addicted adults who want to quickly build their Smurf villages, bakeries, zoos and zombie farms. But there's a loophole in the in-app purchase process that children stick their fingers through.

Usually, the purchases require the owner of the device to enter his or her iTunes password. But there is no password challenge if the owner has entered the password in the last 15 minutes for any reason. That means that if a user enters the password for a purchase or a free app upgrade, then hands the phone or iPad over to a kid, the child will not be stopped by a password prompt.

Capcom and other game publishers have no control over the 15-minute password-free period, which is set by Apple.

Apple defends its system. Spokeswoman Trudy Muller says the password system is adequate and points out that parents can restrict in-app purchases. The parents contacted for the story received refunds from Apple after complaining, and praised the company's responsiveness.

However, there's reason to believe that the password timeout doesn't always work.

Andrew Butterworth of Brooklin, Ontario, was well aware of how in-app purchases work and of the password-free period. He was careful to let at least 15 minutes pass after a password entry before letting his 5-year-old son play with his iPod Touch. That didn't help, once he'd loaded "The Smurfs' Village."

"He came to me all proud and said he'd figured out a way to get all these Smurfberries," Butterworth says. "And as soon as I saw the Smurfberries, I knew that he'd purchased them using my credit card. I was amazed that he'd figured out a way to do it, because I was sure that he would have needed my password."

He had last entered his password on the iPod four or five hours earlier, he said. His son's shopping spree cost $140.

Chris Gropp, another Canadian, said he had not entered his iTunes password the same day his son bought $67 in Smurfberries, apparently without being asked for the password.

TeamLava LLC, the publisher of "Bakery Story" and "Farm Story," says the games follow all of Apple's rules and restrictions. In either game, it's possible to buy $99.99 worth of "gems" in one go.

The game publishers and Apple point out that device owners can turn off the option to conduct in-app purchases by going to the Settings app, then hitting the General button, then the Restrictions option. The parents contacted for the story had done so after being alerted to the purchases through their iTunes billing statements.

Apple takes requests for refunds through the computer version of the iTunes program. In the "Store" menu, chose "View my account," then click "Purchase History," then "Report a Problem." Then click on the problem purchase.

Butterworth was pleased with the refund, but still thinks "Smurfs" is a "scam."

"They make it a ridiculously difficult game to play, and you can skip all the difficult parts by spending money," he said. "I believe that they know exactly what's going on."

Snapstick promises to “snap” the Web to your TV (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:10 PM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Thu Dec 9, 7:10 pm ET

Yes, it's yet another service claiming to be able to bring the Web -- the entire Web, including Hulu and other streaming video sites -- to the HDTV in your den, all with a snap of your wrist and the help of an iPhone, iPad, or a laptop.

The service is called Snapstick, and for now, it's only in private beta. I've yet to see Snapstick up close and personal (although the techies at CNET snagged an in-person demo), and it's not clear when the service will be made available to the public.

What is Snapstick? A new TV set-top box, like Apple TV or the Boxee Box? Not exactly. Instead, Snapstick is billing itself more as software that would be built into Wi-Fi-enabled set-top boxes, HDTVs, Blu-ray players, or game consoles from third-party manufacturers. In an e-mailed statement, Snapstick says it's "in talks" with "multiple" hardware makers, although it didn't specify which ones. (The company went ahead and built its own set-top boxes for the purposes of the private beta.)

OK, so how does it work? Here's the deal: Say you're watching TV in your living room and browsing the Web on your iPhone at the same time (as one often does), and you come across a video that you want to see on the big screen.

Using the Snapstick client, you'd simply "snap" the video to your TV -- either with a tap on the iPhone display, or by flicking your handset at the set (with your iPhone's accelerometer detecting your flicking motion, as CNET notes). Don't have an iPhone or iPad? Snapstick will also work with other smartphones, or your laptop.

Snapstick promises nothing less than "full, unrestricted Web" on your TV, including video sites like Hulu, Fox, ABC and MTV that are currently blocking their videos from Google TV (as well as from and other set-top boxes with Web browsers).

How will Snapstick succeed where Google TV has failed? According to NewTeeVee, the Linux-based Snapstick software will use a standard Firefox browser that won't bear the hallmarks of a TV set-top box -- meaning sites like Hulu shouldn't be able to identify and block Snapstick-enabled devices.

That's the theory, in any case. Even if Snapstick does manage the trick of browsing normally off-limits streaming video sites undetected, I doubt broadcasters will sit back and let it happen. Guess we'll find out.

If the idea behind Snapstick sounds awfully familiar, perhaps you're thinking of "AirPlay," Apple's new iOS feature that lets iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users stream videos to the Apple TV. But while AirPlay only lets you stream specific videos to Apple TV (like those that you rent or purchase from iTunes), Snapstick is promising the entire Web, on your TV screen.

It's also sounds like you're not really streaming Web videos directly from your iPhone, iPad, or laptop to your Snapstick-enabled TV; instead, once you "snap" a video to your set, the system "offloads the Internet connection to the existing Wi-Fi network in your home" -- meaning, essentially, that your iPhone or laptop is acting more like a "visual" (as Snapstick puts it), URL-flinging remote control than an actual streaming device.

Alright, but how will Flash-based Web videos look on Snapstick-embedded devices? Will the Snapstick software be able to cull enough processing power from an HDTV or a Blu-ray player to render HD video?

Hopefully we'll get some answers next month at CES, where Snapstick is slated to show off its latest progress and perhaps announce a hardware partner or two.

And when can we expect the first Snapstick devices to arrive? Think second quarter next year, the company says.

So, does Snapstick sound like it's for real? Could it compete with Apple TV and Google TV? Let me know what you think.

-- Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

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Few U.S. adults use Twitter — but those who tweet, tweet often (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 11:19 AM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Thu Dec 9, 2:19 pm ET

Seems like just about everyone's tweeting these days, but a new survey finds that for now, only 8 percent of adults in the U.S. are using Twitter. That said, nearly one in four of those who do tweet check their feeds "several" times a day.

The latest findings of the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that Twitter is most popular among women, with 10 percent of those who are online tweeting versus 7 percent of men. Young adults also rated high, with 14 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 29 hip to the ways of Twitter.

Unsurprisingly, the percentage of Twitter users drops as the age brackets get higher, with just 7 percent of those aged 30-49 on Twitter, and a mere 4 percent of those 65 and up admitting to tweeting.

Disappointingly, though, the Pew survey doesn't include teenagers — who, as we learned through a variety of surveys last year, aren't all that into tweeting. (Or at least they weren't a year ago.)

ReadWriteWeb has an interesting essay by a precocious 16-year-old who tells us that today's teens would rather "extend their real social connections onto the Internet" than merely engage in "self-promotion" or "follow interests immediately." That's why Facebook "has almost everything a teen could want," while Twitter "offers no value to teenagers," writes RWW guest author Michael-Moore Jones (who is on Twitter, by the way). Teens: Agree? Disagree?

Statistical breakdowns aside, Pew is basically telling us that 92 percent of online U.S. adults don't bother with Twitter. Here's the thing, though: Those who are tweeting are well-nigh addicted.

More than half of adult U.S. Twitter users check their Twitter feeds at least once a week, according to the survey, with 12 percent checking at least once a day and an eye-popping 24 percent checking "several" times a day. Indeed, the "several-times-a-day" Twitter checkers make up the biggest slice of the pie when it comes to frequency of use.

That said, the percentage of rabid tweeters is followed closely by those users who never check their feeds — 21 percent, says Pew, with a total of 49 percent of tweeters checking in less than once a week.

OK, so when we tweet, what are we tweeting about? Turns out the lion's share of tweets — 19 percent — are "personal updates," along the lines of "Waiting to get my pat-down at LAX" or "Yum, coffee," according to Pew.

Up next are "retweets" at 18 percent, followed by "general life observations" (such as "Why can't we all get along?" or "This country's going straight down the drain") at 16 percent.

Also popular are links to news stories, updates about work ("Time to file another TPS report"), and photos, at 12 percent each, with tweeted videos and locations pulling up the rear at 8 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

So, are you tweeting — and if so, how often? And is it true that teens (or many teens, at least) don't tweet?

Related:
8% of online Americans use Twitter [Pew Internet]
Why Teens Don't And Won't Tweet [ReadWriteWeb]

— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

Follow me on Twitter!

Apple suppliers point to new camera-toting iPad in 2011 (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 09:24 PM PST

By Kelvin Soh and Argin Chang Kelvin Soh And Argin Chang – 31 mins ago

HONG KONG/TAIPEI (Reuters) – Component suppliers for Apple Inc's iPad are gearing up for a new round of production in the first quarter, sources said on Friday, with one saying the product will be a revamp of the popular tablet computer including front- and back-mounted cameras.

Touchscreen chip designer Wintek Corp, battery maker Simplo Technology Co Ltd and AVY Precision, an unlisted maker of covers for electronic products, are among suppliers for the next batch of iPads, four people familiar with the situation said.

Two could only confirm they were ramping up for a new round of production in the first quarter for components previously supplied for the original iPad, while two said the ramp-up was for a new iPad.

One of those said the revamped model would feature cameras on the front and rear, while the other said the new model would be slimmer, lighter and have a better resolution display.

Camera module makers Genius Electronic Optical Co Ltd and Largan Precision Co Ltd were also starting new supply deals with Apple, two sources said, but neither could confirm for which product the modules were intended.

"It makes sense for these suppliers to begin delivering their goods in February," said Steven Tseng, an analyst at RBS in Taipei. "I think Steve Jobs will announce the new product in January, and we should see the new product hitting shops in about April."

All the people familiar with the supply chain situation declined to be named because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the topic and because of Apple's obsession with secrecy.

Spokespeople at all five companies either declined to comment or were not immediately contactable. An Apple spokeswoman also declined to comment.

Component makers generally do not know what a finished product will look like or what software it will run on because they are only responsible for manufacturing one part before passing it on for assembly.

Apple is expected to ship 12.9 million iPads this year, with shipments rising to 36.5 million in 2011, research firm iSuppli said in July, with an 84 percent share of the tablet PC market.

Other tech brands such as Dell, Acer and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion have all also jumped on the tablet PC bandwagon, having unveiled their own versions of the mobile device.

"I expect to see more tablet PCs being pushed out in the second half of next year," said Bamboo Lin, an analyst at SinoPac Securities in Taipei.

"Sales of the iPad will still be good next year, but I expect those running on Google's Android system to have the advantage in the long run, just like what's happening with smartphones now."

(Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin in SEOUL; Editing by Doug Young and Jacqueine Wong)

Remains of the Day: 'Tis better to give than receive (Macworld)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:30 PM PST

Dan Moren Dan Moren – Thu Dec 9, 7:30 pm ET

We're all about giving today: Zuck's giving away his virtual fortune, Costco's giving up Apple products, Apple's trying to give Steve Jobs some money, and Chinese housewives are trying to give the gift of black market iPads. We'll give you all of this and more in the remainders for Thursday, December 9, 2010.

16 tycoons agree to give away fortunes (Wall Street Journal)

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is among the 16 new billionaires who have pledged to give the majority of their wealth to charity as part of the "Giving Pledge" organized by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. Unfortunately, as Zuckerberg's company isn't public and his wealth is mainly valued based on theoretical holdings, his charitable donation will be made in farm coins.

Costco reports strong quarter; will phase out selling Apple products (Seattle Times)

Wholesaler Costco announced in its recent quarterly earnings that it has reached a mutual consensus with Apple to phase out sales of the company's products, due to an inability for Costco to offer large discounts or sell the products online. Really, though, Costco was disappointed when it turned out that it couldn't sell crates of two hundred iPads alongside enormous packs of toilet paper.

Apple owes Steve Jobs some money: $37.91 (AppleInsider)

According to records in the California State Controller's Office uncovered by AppleInsider, Apple owes Steve Jobs $37.91 in unclaimed property. Apparently, he's also owed $0.20 worth of dividends from Time Warner, $35 of income from IBM, a few hundred dollars in insurance and annuity checks, and a falafel sandwich from Phil Schiller.

Alleged iPad 2 cases show up with some interesting cuts (Engadget)

The case manufacturers are at it again, this time trying to suss out what the next-generation iPad will look like. Pictures of one prototype case have surfaced, though they sport a mystery: a large additional slit in the bottom of the case. The logical speculation has settled on it being for a revamped speaker, but let's not let a little something like logic slow us down. What do you think? USB port? Flash card reader? High-powered laser gun?

iPad-smuggling housewives detained (Wall Street Journal)

Customs officials in Shenzhen nabbed 14 housewives who tried to smuggle 88 iPads and 340 mobile phones from Hong Kong into mainland China. This could make a great TV show—would you describe them as…desperate?

FCC member questions easy net rules for wireless (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 05:17 PM PST

By Jasmin Melvin Jasmin Melvin – Thu Dec 9, 8:17 pm ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A plan to give wireless networks more flexibility than their landline counterparts in proposed Internet rules is being questioned by Federal Communications Commission member Mignon Clyburn.

In remarks prepared for a conference on Thursday, Clyburn said it was essential that wireless networks "grow in an open way just as our wired ones have."

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski last week laid out what he called "rules of the road" for preserving an open Internet for consumers while giving broadband providers flexibility to manage their networks.

His proposal would ban the blocking of lawful traffic while allowing Internet providers to manage network congestion and charge consumers based on Internet usage.

Genachowski said the rules should be more flexible for wireless broadband, reflecting that wireless is at an earlier stage of development than terrestrial Internet service.

But Clyburn told a telecommunications conference that she had concerns about the wireless aspects of the measure, worried that "two kinds of Internet worlds" could be created by giving concessions to wireless carriers.

Any toughening of the approach to wireless Internet could attract opposition from carriers like Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc.

It is also unclear whether Genachowski's approach will be sufficient to win over a majority of the five-member FCC at its December 21 meeting.

The two Republican commissioners have opposed the rules, saying the Internet is best able to thrive in the absence of regulation. And Genachowski's two fellow Democrats on the panel could withhold support from any measure they view as too weak.

Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Commerce subcommittee on communications, technology and the Internet, urged Clyburn and Michael Copps, both Democrats, to support the chairman's open Internet rules.

Kerry said in a letter on Thursday that it would be shortsighted to "vote against the good" in favor of "the perfect."

Some analysts have said usage-based pricing could benefit landline Internet providers like Comcast Corp and Time Warner Cable Inc, with them charging more for data-intensive activities like the downloading of movies.

Clyburn said concluding the open Internet proceeding was on her Christmas wish list.

"I, like many of you, am weary of the stand-offs, pontificating, greed wars, and tough guy posturing," she said at the Practising Law Institute's annual telecommunications policy conference.

Companies and public interest groups have until December 14 to lobby the commissioners before the FCC's "sunshine" rule kicks in, prohibiting stakeholders from meeting with commissioners in the week before a scheduled meeting.

Clyburn said supporting progress and innovation was not mutually exclusive of protecting consumers, pointing to the agency's 2005 policy statement on consumers' right to access lawful Internet content, services and devices.

"The predictions of doom and gloom did not come to pass. In fact, what did occur was more innovation and investment," she said.

(Reporting by Jasmin Melvin; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

China social networking co hires banks for U.S. IPO (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 09:44 PM PST

By Melanie Lee Melanie Lee – 9 mins ago

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – One of China's largest social networking companies, Oak Pacific Interactive, has hired investment banks for an initial public offering in the United States in the first half of next year, sources close to the matter told Reuters on Friday.

Oak Pacific Interactive (OPI), owns Renren, China's largest online social networking site, Nuomi, a website featuring daily deals, and online community Mop.

Two successful IPOs in the U.S. by Chinese technology companies have prompted others to follow suit, aiming to list in a market with the potential for higher valuations.

TaoMee, a social networking site for children, was also planning to list late next year and would conduct its "beauty parade" for investment banks in the first quarter of 2011, said a source familiar with the situation.

Both companies will be following in the footsteps of online video site operator Youku.com Inc and online retailer E-Commerce China Dangdang Inc, which saw their stocks soar on this week's debuts.

Youku's triple-digit first-day pop was the biggest since 2005, when Baidu Inc rose 354 percent, according to data from the New York Stock Exchange.

Oak Pacific Interactive had hired Credit Suisse Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG to underwrite the IPO, the sources said. The banks declined to comment.

"They selected bankers a couple of months ago and are looking at a first-half 2011 listing," said one sources, declining to be named as the information was not yet public.

Another source said the amount to be raised had not been finalized.

Oak Pacific declined to comment.

Social networking sites such as Renren and Kaixin001, which operate like Facebook, have grown in popularity in China in recent years, garnering most of their revenue from online advertising. They also benefit from an ecosystem closed to major foreign competition. Facebook and Twitter are banned in China.

In 2008, Oak Pacific, led by charismatic Chief Executive Joe Chen, announced that it had received $430 million in private funding.

China is the world's largest Internet market by users at 420 million. About half of them use social networking sites, according to government data.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Editing by Chris Lewis)

Media Streamers Step Up (PC World)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 06:03 PM PST

Yardena Arar Yardena Arar – Thu Dec 9, 9:03 pm ET

So much media, so many ways to watch it on your HDTV. That's the quick take on the media-streaming landscape following a year of explosive growth in the number of set-top boxes, a term that has come to mean pretty much any device that connects, and somehow delivers, video, music, and still images to your set. New, high-profile streamers from Apple, Boxee, Logitech (running Google TV), and Roku put the category front and center.

Where is all this media coming from? The sources are continually expanding, and vary depending upon which box you buy. It could be from a free or commercial Internet service (such as Amazon, Apple TV, Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Vimeo, or any network TV site), or it could be stored on a drive, either connected directly to the box (via a USB port or an internal hard drive) or shared over your local area network via either a wired or wireless connection. And then there are all the TV shows and movies you've recorded with a digital video recorder.

The set-top boxes we've seen can deliver media from at least some of the above sources, but at this writing none of them can do it all--either because that's how they were designed, or because Hollywood won't let them.

While Apple TV in its current iteration supports the popular Netflix on-demand service, it's still optimized for media rented or purchased on iTunes. The current iteration of Apple TV lacks a hard drive, so you have to stream purchased media from a computer, iPod or iPad. Of the media streamers we looked at, the most versatile and capable were the Logitech Revue with Google TV and the Boxee Box by D-Link--but some network sites are preventing them from showing their video content, and early glitches keep these from being knock-out successes.

Roku's products are great for streaming media from literally dozens of sites and services--but they don't support streaming from your PC or networked drive. A whole group of boxes from little-known vendors (Cirago and Uebo, for example) do support streaming of locally stored media, but lack built-in software for Netflix or other commercial services. Because these boxes typically support DLNA servers, some rely on Media Mall's Play-on software running on a networked PC (which essentially creates a DLNA server) to access Netflix and the like.

But this is basically a workaround that adds network hops, whereby the media has to stream from the Internet to a PC, and then to the box, as opposed to streaming straight to the box; this approach makes the music or video much more prone to stuttering or freezing because of interference.

Other variables apply, too. Most media streamers support 720p HDTV, either through an HDMI or a component video hookup. Not all, however, can deliver 1080p content, a capability that typically ups the price of the streamer. Some have built-in storage of their own, allowing them to double as media servers; but USB ports for attaching drives that you provide are more common.

Some connect to your network via ethernet; others also have built-in Wi-Fi support, although at this writing that support is mostly for 802.11n on the 2.4GHz band. Because most notebooks and other devices also use the 2.4GHz band, interference can compromise smooth playback of video, causing stuttering or even stopping a video while the software waits for more input to arrive. Of the streamers we looked at, only Roku's high-end version supports streaming by Wi-Fi over the less-crowded 5GHz band.

In general, we recommend looking into wired network options--such as HomePlug AV powerline or the newer MOCA (Multimedia over Coax Alliance) products that use your home's cable TV wiring--for hooking up media streamers, as they generally are more reliable, especially for video.

However, the diversity of the boxes means that your very first consideration in shopping for one should be what media sources you want it to stream--and whether your other entertainment center components, such as your HDTV, console game, or Blu-ray player, is already capable of delivering them. Many newer models of these devices support Internet services, and there's little point in shelling out money for a box that duplicates what you already have.

Pricing is all over the map. While some Roku models go for under $100, prices generally fall in the $100 to $200 range, depending on features; the $300 Logitech Revue is the priciest of the group, but it comes with a full-blown keyboard and Web browser.

See our Top 5 Media Streamers chart and check our reviews carefully, especially if you're willing to be an early adopter. While these products show great promise in letting you enjoy media on your TV, the gold rush mentality of vendors means that many are arriving with what we would consider beta software that will require firmware updates. As consumer electronics go, they can be geeky. But they are rapidly opening up a whole new frontier in home entertainment that may make them well worth the trouble.

Were You Naughty or Nice on Facebook This Year? [APP] (Mashable)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 03:02 PM PST

Erica Swallow Erica Swallow – Thu Dec 9, 6:02 pm ET

Looking for a way to figure out whether or not you're worthy of that Kindle this holiday season? Well, there's an app for that... on Facebook.

Honda unleashed its "NaughtyOrNice-a-tron" Facebook app today. It analyzes a user's Facebook activity, including status updates, comments and likes, focusing on language usage and key behaviors, to determine if he or she has been naughty or nice on the world's largest social network.

The NaughtyOrNice-a-tron Facebook app is part of Honda's seventh annual "Happy Honda Days" campaign, which promotes its end-of-year sales event. This year, Honda's goal with the campaign is to "communicate unbridled holiday happiness." We think the NaughtyOrNice-a-tron app is a nice addition and does just that.

Testing out the app, I couldn't help but remember all the good times I had this year -- as the algorithm trucked away, it showcased comments and status updates that sparked delightful moments for me. I really got a chuckle, for example, when it scanned through a status update I posted after my iPhone mistakenly auto-corrected "going" for "Google." Evil auto correct. The app deemed that to be a "nice" moment for me (coded in the color green). I have to admit that it did indeed make me smile that day I texted a friend to apparently say that I was "Google crazy." It's sort of sad that I may actually type "Google" more than "going."

If a piece of naughty data is discovered on your Facebook profile, it appears with a red filter over it. Surprisingly, the app deemed me to be completely nice... not a naughty bone in me. But I found another Facebooker who wasn't found to be such a goody two-shoes:

After a thorough scan, the app pumps out your results -- as you can see below, I'm definitely worthy of a Kindle this year (hint, hint, Santa). Apparently, a few of my friends are, too -- the results page also includes the results for your friends who have scanned their own profiles.

This isn't the first time Honda has utilized social media to promote its latest initiatives. In August, the car company advertised on virtual billboards in Car Town, a Facebook game. And it also launched its "Everybody Knows Somebody Who Loves a Honda" Facebook app last year, which encourages users to help Honda prove its theory that everyone does indeed know somebody who loves a Honda.

Of course, social media isn't always rainbows and butterflies -- Honda has received some backlash along the way, but luckily has been able to manage it with panache.

What do you think of Honda's new Facebook app and its previous attempts to engage Facebook users? Let us know what you think in the comments, and don't forget to check out if you've been naughty or nice on Facebook this year!

Google Books leads Android Apps of the Week (Appolicious)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 01:59 PM PST

New Notepads: Better, Stronger, Faster (PC World)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 06:30 PM PST

Ian Harac Ian Harac – Thu Dec 9, 9:30 pm ET

Much as coelacanths have changed only slightly despite millions of years of evolution, some bundled Windows apps have scarcely progressed since the dawn of Microsoft's operating system. Today's Notepad text editor, for one, barely differs from the 1985 version.

Although a text editor should be a lightweight tool (and an inexpensive one), it should still pack a decent punch. If you need or want more from a text editor than you get from Notepad--but you don't want to waste money or system resources--we have six free options for you.

(For links to all of these downloadable text editors in one convenient place, see our "New Notepads" collection.)

Everyday Improvements for Taking Notes

Ted Notepad, which delivers improved just-plain-text editing for simple notes, memos, to-do lists, and other text-oriented tasks. It looks a lot like classic Notepad, but has quite a few more options, such as improved searching, sorting, and conversion functions (for dealing with text files from Unix or Mac environments.)

Notepad Tabs goes beyond single-file editing. In addition to the tabbed interface that allows you to have multiple files open, Notepad Tabs offers the ability to save sets of files in groups, so you can open several files at once. It even includes a small file browser on the main screen to make opening files easier. The sole drawback is that the browser shows only .txt files, when you might need to open many other formats such as .html or .cpp. (You can still open these via the standard Open dialog box, of course.)

Powerhouse Text Editors for Coders

The following programs are all perfectly good for taking notes, but they also offer functionality mostly of interest to coders, Web mavens, or sysadmins. If you often need to work with structured text such as HTML or source code, consider these editors.

Notepad2. While it doesn't support tabs, it does have a lot of useful features for working with an opened file, including flexible syntax highlighting, encoding conversion, block formatting (for coders, indent or "outdent" blocks of code), case conversion, and more. As a stand-alone .exe file of under 700KB, it's also a good portable app to put on a USB drive or a small netbook.

TinyEdit boasts a tabbed interface and built-in support for syntax highlighting for a host of programming, scripting, and markup languages. This very small program (less than 600KB) runs as a stand-alone .exe file, no install needed, making it perfect to slip onto a USB drive. Unfortunately, the interface is marred by somewhat broken English (one dialog box asks, 'Are you sure to associate with main support files with TinyEdit?'), and the Find dialog box forgets selected options (such as 'whole word') when you open it.

ConText has a built-in browser that's similar to Notepad Tabs' but lists many different types of files. ConText comes with a large suite of syntax highlighters for programmers, as well as a template for you to make your own. It also allows you to search all open files for a given string, and shows the results in an output window--ideal for mass changes or analysis.

Notepad++, a full-featured text-editing powerhouse masquerading as a humble Notepad replacement. The interface is a bit cluttered and busy with overly long menus, but the feature set is immense. Tabbed browsing, syntax highlighting, macro recording, text processing (convert smart quotes to plain quotes, and much more), and even an FTP tool are all built in. The only drawbacks: The program has so many options, some users may be overwhelmed. And at 10MB post-install, Notepad++ isn't exactly lightweight.

Any of these six downloads will handle the basic job of editing text--and manage it better than Notepad. The trade-off is between size and functionality: A program bloated with features you will never use is not better than one that omits those features entirely. Because "text is text," there's no reason not to have more than one of these free programs installed for different purposes, or to keep one of the more complex editors on your main system and one of the smaller editors on your netbook or USB drive.

AP Enterprise: FAA loses track of 119,000 aircraft (AP)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 09:28 PM PST

By CHRIS HAWLEY, Associated Press Chris Hawley, Associated Press – 27 mins ago

NEW YORK – The Federal Aviation Administration is missing key information on who owns one-third of the 357,000 private and commercial aircraft in the U.S. — a gap the agency fears could be exploited by terrorists and drug traffickers.

The records are in such disarray that the FAA says it is worried that criminals could buy planes without the government's knowledge, or use the registration numbers of other aircraft to evade new computer systems designed to track suspicious flights. It has ordered all aircraft owners to re-register their planes in an effort to clean up its files.

About 119,000 of the aircraft on the U.S. registry have "questionable registration" because of missing forms, invalid addresses, unreported sales or other paperwork problems, according to the FAA. In many cases, the FAA cannot say who owns a plane or even whether it is still flying or has been junked.

Already there have been cases of drug traffickers using phony U.S. registration numbers, as well as instances of mistaken identity in which police raided the wrong plane because of faulty record-keeping.

Next year, the FAA will begin canceling the registration certificates of all 357,000 aircraft and require owners to register anew, a move that is causing grumbling among airlines, banks and leasing companies. Notices went out to the first batch of aircraft owners last month.

"We have identified some potential risk areas, but I think we're trying to eliminate as much risk as possible through the re-registration process," said FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown.

The FAA says security isn't the only reason it needs an up-to-date registry. Regulators use it to contact owners about safety problems, states rely on it to charge sales tax, and some airports employ it to bill for landing fees. Also, rescuers use the database to track down planes that are missing.

But the FAA has emphasized the security and law enforcement angle as the new measure has moved through the rule-making process over the past two years. The agency says the paperwork gap is becoming a bigger problem as authorities increasingly rely on computers to tighten aviation security in the wake of 9/11 and other terrorist plots.

There have already been cases of criminals using U.S. registration numbers, also known as N-numbers or tail numbers, to disguise their airplanes. In 2008, Venezuela authorities seized a twin-engine plane with the registration number N395CA on the fuselage and more than 1,500 pounds of cocaine on board.

Soon afterward, airplane owner Steven Lathrop of Ellensburg, Wash., received a call from a reporter.

"He sort of started the conversation with, `Do you know where your airplane is? ... Your airplane's in a jungle in South America,'" Lathrop said.

Lathrop's Piper Cheyenne II XL was locked safely in its hangar at the Ellensburg airport. The smugglers had apparently chosen his tail number because the model was similar to their plane.

"Anybody with a roll of duct tape can put any number they want on an airplane," Lathrop said.

Federal law requires all U.S. aircraft owners to register their planes with the FAA and carry the registration certificate on board. The registration number — all U.S. registrations start with the letter N — is painted on the fuselage or tail. The numbers are used on flight plan forms and by air traffic controllers to communicate with aircraft in flight.

The amount of missing or invalid paperwork has been building for decades, the FAA says. Up to now, owners had to register their planes only once, at the time of purchase. The FAA sent out notices every three years asking owners to update their contact information if needed, but there was no punishment for not doing so. As of 2008, there were 343,000 airplanes on the registry. By 2010, the number had risen to 357,000.

The U.S. registry includes 16,000 aircraft that were sold but never updated with the names of the new owners, and more than 14,000 aircraft that have had their registrations revoked but may still be flying because the FAA has not canceled their N-numbers. Other registrations are outdated because the owners have died or the planes were totaled in crashes. Some planes are simply derelicts corroding in barns or junkyards.

As a result, there is a "large pool" of N-numbers "that can facilitate drug, terrorist or other illegal activities," the FAA warned in a 2007 report.

The problem became more acute after the government launched a new computer system for tracking flights called the Automatic Detection and Processing Terminal, or ADAPT, the FAA says. The system combines dozens of databases, from a list of stolen aircraft to the names of diplomats. It flags suspicious flights in red on a map.

Unreliable data in the system has led to cases of mistaken identity.

Pilot Pierre Redmond said his Cirrus was searched by Customs and Border Protection agents in fatigues and bulletproof vests last year in Ramona, Calif. They told him his tail number had been confused with that of a wanted plane in Florida.

In August, police in Santa Barbara, Calif., detained flight instructors John and Martha King at gunpoint after federal authorities mistook their Cessna for a plane that was stolen in 2002. The Kings are famous in aviation because they produce and star in a popular series of test-preparation videos for pilots.

The error in the Kings' case was eventually traced to a law-enforcement database that is cross-referenced with the FAA's registry, not to the registry itself. But Brown of the FAA called it an example of the real-world consequences of bad recordkeeping.

"It's very, very scary," Martha King said. "If this keeps happening to people, somebody's going to get shot."

To update the FAA registry, the agency will cancel all aircraft registrations over the next three years. Owners will have three months to re-register. In addition, the FAA will do away with its one-time registration certificate and adopt one that has to be replaced every three years. Those who fail to re-register will lose their certificate, and the plane must be grounded.

"We're trying to model it more closely on some of the programs that are in effect for automobiles," Brown said. "With the more regular renewal process, you will capture bad data much more frequently."

Airlines, leasing companies, charter operators and banks agree there is a problem but have complained about having to repeatedly re-register planes.

The Air Transport Association of America, which represents airlines, warned in 2008 that the measure "had the potential to wreak havoc on the commercial air transportation system." On Tuesday, ATA spokesman David Castelveter said airlines are still gauging the potential effect of the new rule.

Other groups noted that most of the aircraft with paperwork problems are smaller planes that pose little terrorist threat.

"I don't think we're going to see a tremendous security benefit as a result of this," said Doug Carr, a vice president of the National Business Aviation Association.

Banks and finance companies that hold loans used to buy planes will be among those hardest hit, said David Warner, general counsel for the National Aircraft Finance Association. A bank's claim to an aircraft is often tied to the FAA registration, so lenders are having to hire more staff and buy computer systems to track hundreds of aircraft registrations, Warner said.

He said the FAA has exaggerated the danger.

"The threat of people wanting to do us harm is very real, but the focus on re-registration or stale registration data on aircraft is not where the risk is likely to be," Warner said.

___

Associated Press writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report from Washington.

WikiLeaks backers threaten more cyber attacks (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

By Georgina Prodhan and Jeremy Pelofsky Georgina Prodhan And Jeremy Pelofsky – Thu Dec 9, 7:00 pm ET

LONDON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Cyber attacks on global companies seen as enemies of WikiLeaks drew the attention of U.S. authorities on Thursday and Dutch police arrested a 16-year-old boy suspected in attacks on credit card sites of Visa and MasterCard.

Internet activists vowed to crash sites that have blocked business with WikiLeaks and PayPal, and others saw sporadic outrages.

Attorney General Eric Holder said U.S. authorities were looking into cyber attacks on companies like Amazon.com and others. "We are aware of the incidents," he said.

The teenage boy was arrested by a high-tech crime unit in The Hague after admitting to attacks on the websites of two credit card companies, MasterCard and Visa, the prosecution in the Netherlands said on its website.

The suspect, whose details were not disclosed, was believed to be part of a larger group of hackers under investigation that participated in so-called denial of service attacks, the prosecution said. Data and computer equipment were confiscated during his arrest.

The loosely organized campaign to avenge WikiLeaks against those who have obstructed its operations, calling itself Operation Payback, has already temporarily brought down the websites of Visa and MasterCard, and of the Swedish government.

A succession of U.S. institutions has withdrawn services from WikiLeaks after the website published thousands of sometimes embarrassing secret U.S. diplomatic reports that have caused strains between Washington and several allies.

In Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange showed the West was hypocritical in its criticism of Russia's record on democracy.

When asked about leaked U.S. diplomatic cables that cast him as Russia's "alpha-dog" ruler of a corrupt bureaucracy, Putin questioned whether the U.S. Foreign Service was a "crystal clean source of information."

WikiLeaks activists instructed their followers on Thursday to mount a distributed denial of service attack on a PayPal website that manages the integration of the company's payment processing technology with independent online merchant websites. PayPal is a subsidiary of eBay.

A PayPal spokesman said the company had detected an attack on the site, http:/api.paypal.com, but that it appeared to be operational, although various attempts to access the website by Reuters on Thursday were unsuccessful.

Online retail and web-hosting powerhouse Amazon last week stopped hosting WikiLeaks' website, and on Thursday it briefly became the main target of the pro-WikiLeaks campaigners -- before they admitted it was too big for them, for the moment.

"We cannot attack Amazon, currently. The previous schedule was to do so, but we don't have enough forces," read one message on Twitter.

The activists said they would instead attack PayPal, which has suspended the WikiLeaks account the organization had used to collect donations. MasterCard and Visa had also become targets after stopping processing donations.

By early evening EST (1810 GMT), the main websites of PayPal, Amazon -- a key Christmas shopping destination -- MasterCard and Visa all appeared to be functioning normally.

OPERATION PAYBACK

Facebook said it had removed the activists' Operation Payback page on Thursday because it was promoting a distributed denial of service attack -- a form of freezing websites by bombarding them with requests that is illegal in many countries.

The campaign also disappeared briefly from Twitter before reappearing in a different guise. Twitter declined to comment.

In an online letter, Anonymous, a loose-knit group, said its activists were neither vigilantes nor terrorists. It added: "The goal is simple: Win the right to keep the Internet free of any control from any entity, corporation, or government."

Some of the motivation for the cyber campaign appears to stem from anger at the arrest in Britain of Assange over alleged sex crimes committed in Sweden. He is in jail in London, awaiting an extradition hearing.

Assange said last week he had expected clampdowns in countries such as the United States that championed free speech, and had deliberately picked providers like Amazon to host its data to test that theory.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay voiced concern on Thursday at reports of pressure being exerted on private companies to halt financial or Internet services for WikiLeaks.

"The campaign is not over from what I've seen, it's still going strong. More people are joining," a spokesman for the Anonymous group calling himself "Coldblood" told BBC Radio 4. The speaker, who had an English accent, said he was aged 22 and was a software engineer.

"Anonymous has targeted mainly companies which have decided for whatever reason not to deal with WikiLeaks. Some of the main targets involve Amazon, MasterCard, Visa and PayPal."

LIMITED INTERRUPTION

In a statement on Thursday, MasterCard said although there was a limited interruption of some online services, cardholders could continue using cards for transactions worldwide. Its main processing systems were not compromised, the statement said.

The campaigners also claimed responsibility for bringing down Visa Inc's site, which was temporarily unavailable in the United States, but later restored. Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet said the Swedish government's website was down for a short time overnight in the latest apparent attack.

Assange, a 39-year-old Australian, has been hailed as an advocate of free speech by supporters, but now finds himself fighting serious sexual allegations made by two women in Sweden.

Assange will have another court appearance next Tuesday and his supporters assert he is being victimized for his work.

(Additional reporting by Greg Roumeliotis at The Hague, Patrick Lannin in Stockholm, Ben Deighton in Brussels, Marius Bosch in Johannesburg and Alexei Oreskovic in San Francisco; Writing by Keith Weir, William Maclean, Georgina Prodhan and Steve Holland; Editing by Jackie Frank and Peter Cooney)

Chrome Web Store Puts Desktop in the Browser (NewsFactor)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 11:11 AM PST

Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com Jennifer Leclaire, newsfactor.com – Thu Dec 9, 2:11 pm ET

At long last, Google has opened its Chrome Web Store. Google first mentioned the store for its open-source browser at its I/O conference in May.

The web apps Google is listing in the store are regular web applications built with standard web tools and technologies. The applications will also run in other browsers that support these technologies.

Although there are a growing number of free apps online, Google decided it was time to build a single open marketplace where consumers can find them. The Chrome store also gives developers opportunities to reach consumers by offering a single platform where consumers can search for apps. The store is currently only available in the U.S., but Google promised to expand it early next year.

Google's Good Timing

"Developers have already started uploading apps, and we expect the number to grow over time," Linus Upson, vice president of engineering, and Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, wrote in a Google blog post. "The store will be featured prominently in Chrome, helping people discover great apps and developers reach millions of users around the world."

Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, is bullish on the prospects for the Chrome Web Store. As he sees it, the mobile market, the popularity of mobile apps, and other online stores such as the Salesforce app exchange paved the way for the Chrome store.

"Given that no software can be downloaded to the new Chrome OS notebooks, apps are a way to provide a richer desktop-like software experience in the browser," Sterling said. "It also creates a way for developers to make money on browser-based software where they might have trouble charging for site access in a conventional web environment."

Chrome OS in the Enterprise?

Meanwhile, Google is planting seeds about Chrome OS notebooks' potential in the enterprise. Google pointed to InterContinental Hotels as a case study for Chrome OS notebooks in call centers, business service centers, and hotel guest use. Bryson Koehler, a vice president at InterContinental, said the speed, simplicity and security benefits of Google Chrome are benefiting his operation.

"We have 13 call centers around the world with thousands of agents whose goal is to get our customers the information they need as fast as possible. We believe the Chrome notebooks will provide our agents with the fastest experience for the web apps and sites that they use to support our customers," Koehler said. "By reducing the average time per call, we'll both increase customer satisfaction and significantly reduce our costs. And from an IT perspective, we won't have to spend countless hours manually installing security patches and upgrades to operating systems and client software."

Koehler also said the guest log-in feature of the Chrome OS notebooks is ideal for the hotel's business centers because it gives guests a secure browsing experience while preventing them from leaving behind any sensitive information.

Sterling also sees possibilities for Chrome OS in the enterprise. In fact, he said, "I think it might be a much bigger play in the enterprise than among consumers -- unless it's really cheap."

Venezuela seeks to regulate Internet with media bill (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Dec 2010 08:43 PM PST

– 1 hr 12 mins ago

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela plans to include the Internet in a law that regulates the media, under a proposed bill presented to parliament on Thursday that the opposition claims will result in censorship.

Manuel Villalba, a lawmaker from President Hugo Chavez's Socialist Party, said the law was aimed at protecting citizens.

"Nowhere is the restriction of access to the Internet suggested. There should just exist protection of citizens' moral and ethical honor," said Villalba, who heads the National Assembly's media commission.

The bill proposes applying limits on content in "electronic media" according to the time of day, with adult content reserved for programing after midnight.

Such limitations already are in place for TV and radio programing. It was not clear how they would be applied to the Internet

The bill also proposes allowing the government to restrict access to websites if they are found to be distributing messages or information that incite violence against the president. Chavez frequently accuses the opposition of plotting to kill him.

Chavez has been criticized by media freedoms groups for forcing an opposition TV station off the air and taking away the licenses of dozens of radio stations.

The government says Venezuela's elite uses the media to undermine Chavez and considers its own one-sided reporting of news as a legitimate response in a communications "war."

Opposition politicians have previously warned that Chavez intends to copy web restrictions favored by his ally Cuba, especially on social networks such as Twitter which are hugely popular with critics of the president.

Venezuela has taken a tough stance against people who spread false rumors on social networks but Chavez is an avid Twitter user and has more than 1 million followers to his account @chavezcandanga.

(Reporting by Frank Jack Daniel; Editing by Bill Trott)
at 10:08 PM

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