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Friday, January 21, 2011

In shake-up, Google tries to hold off new threats (AP) : Technet

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In shake-up, Google tries to hold off new threats (AP) : Technet

In shake-up, Google tries to hold off new threats (AP)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:58 PM PST

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE and BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writers Michael Liedtke And Barbara Ortutay, Ap Technology Writers – Fri Jan 21, 5:58 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Google is richer than ever, but it's not as cool as it once was.

Facebook boasts 500 million members who share 30 billion links, notes and photos each month — data that Google's search engine can't completely index. It's so influential that 26-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg was just named Time's person of the year, and a movie about the company's early days is a contender for best picture at the Oscars.

Twitter, Groupon and Foursquare, all hard-charging and potentially game-changing services, are additional thorns in Google's side, raising worries that the online search leader may be losing the competitive edge that turned it into the Internet's most powerful company.

Making Google hip and nimble again will be the priority as Larry Page, one of the two Stanford University students who founded the company in a garage in 1998, prepares to reclaim the CEO job in a shake-up that surprised Silicon Valley.

He last held it a decade ago, when Google Inc. had less than $100 million in annual revenue and fewer than 300 employees. Google's size today — 24,400 employees and annual revenue of $29 billion — has slowed its decision-making and innovation in the past few years.

About 200 of Facebook's 2,000 employees defected from Google, and the migration appears to be about more than just the allure of getting stock options in a hot company before it goes public. Some engineers seem to be drawn by the work at a smaller company, which offers an opportunity to reshape culture with less corporate bureaucracy and more creative freedom.

"Facebook has become the cool kid on the block, and now Google wants to prove it can still be cool, too," says Danny Sullivan, who follows both companies closely as editor-in-chief of Search Engine Land.

It's not an impossible feat, says Michael Cusumano, an MIT professor of management. As an example, he cites IBM, which seemed on its way to becoming a tech dinosaur in the early 1990s before Louis Gerstner arrived as CEO and streamlined the company.

To get back to its roots, Google concluded it needed to rearrange the hierarchy in place since technology veteran Eric Schmidt was brought in as CEO in 2001. It was an egalitarian arrangement, with Schmidt never having the final say on important matters. Page and Google's other founder, Sergey Brin, always weighed in, too. In some cases, such as Google's decision to move its search engine out of mainland China last year, the founders overruled Schmidt's wishes.

In April, Schmidt will become executive chairman and relinquish the CEO duties to Page, now 37 and graying. While Schmidt travels the world meeting with business partners, government officials and potential takeover targets, Page says he will be making most of the big decisions as he tries to rekindle "the soul and passion of a startup." Brin will concentrate on developing new products.

He's worth $15 billion, but Page remains something of a rebel who has always had a disdain for corporate protocol.

"Larry and Sergey both hate being organized. They don't want to be locked into meetings," says Ken Auletta, who got to know both of them while writing his book, "Googled: The End of the World as We Know It."

While a free-wheeling attitude typically works well at small companies, it could cause problems in a company as large as Google, says Steve Booth, a business professor at the University of Chicago.

"The risk is that if you take away the process, that in some sense you go back to a kind of chaos," Kaplan said.

Schmidt, 55, has no doubt Page is ready for the challenges ahead.

"Larry has been with me in every major decision in the past decade," Schmidt said in an interview Thursday. "It's not like he has been sitting around doing nothing."

Although management by committee worked well enough to turn Google into an enormous success, it eventually slowed Google's reaction to popular new ideas such as Facebook and Twitter. The bureaucracy has also caused Twitter and other startups to rebuff Google's attempts to buy them. Some entrepreneurs who decided to sell to Google fled the company after a few months of frustration.

"Facebook is the most ominous threat to Google, but Facebook is just emblematic of the rising pace at which all of these (startups) are moving," Wedbush Morgan analyst Lou Kerner says. "It's Facebook today, it's Groupon tomorrow, and it will be someone else after that."

Google still hasn't been able to develop an effective social networking tool to counter Facebook, a delay that could cost the company dearly as Facebook learns more about people's ages, hometowns and passions. All that personal information is bound to help Facebook sell ads targeted at the audiences most likely to be interested in the products and services — a marketer's dream.

"Facebook is attacking Google in its most important fortress, which is advertising revenue," says Whit Andrews, an analyst at Gartner who has followed Google since 2000.

Google makes most of its money from ads that are triggered by search requests. For instance, someone searching for "flowers" would most likely see several links from florists. That's the main way Google has built up a bank account that now has about $35 billion in it. And it has left Google with a $196 billion market value, with a single share in the company costing more than a basic iPad.

But it's also saddled Google with the label of being a one-trick pony, even though it has been selling more ads with graphics, has branched out into a major player on mobile phones with its popular Android software and owns the Web's top video site, YouTube.

Facebook also only does one trick well so far, but it could eventually command even more revenue than Google's has.

By virtue of its design, Facebook engages its users with ads in a way Google cannot. It not only learns intimate details about users of its own website, but also on thousands of others as people press Facebook's ubiquitous "Like" button to express their approval of everything from Levi's jeans to a blog posting.

Facebook is expected to sell about $4 billion in ads in 2011, its seventh year in business. By comparison, Google's ad revenue totaled $6 billion when it turned 7 years old in 2005.

By then, Google had upstaged another Internet service that was once considered the Web's coolest company — Yahoo Inc., which is now pinning its turnaround hopes on linking many of its services to Facebook and Twitter.

__

Ortutay reported from New York. AP Technology Writer Jessica Mintz in Seattle and AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Facebook raises $1B more from non US investors (AP)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:58 PM PST

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay, Ap Technology Writer – Fri Jan 21, 7:58 pm ET

NEW YORK – Facebook said Friday it has raised $1 billion from non-U.S. investors, which combined with an infusion from Goldman Sachs and Russia's Digital Sky Technologies in December, brings the haul from its latest round of funding to $1.5 billion.

The investments value the social networking site at $50 billion, more than the current market values of Yahoo Inc. or eBay Inc., but below those of Amazon.com Inc. and Google Inc.

Facebook did not say Friday how it plans to spend the $1.5 billion.

The company, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif., had the option to raise up to $1.5 billion from non-U.S. investors through Goldman, but limited the offering to $1 billion. Spokesman Jonny Thaw declined to comment further on the decision to limit the offering, which was oversubscribed — meaning more people wanted in than got in.

Earlier this week, Goldman said it was barring U.S. investors from taking part in the Facebook offering, citing widespread media coverage that could have violated securities guidelines that govern private placements.

The investments are in Facebook's Class A shares. The company's Class B shares, held by executives and early employees hold 10 times the voting power of the Class A stock. Facebook created its dual-class stock structure in 2009 to give CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives control over the company. Google has a similar structure.

As anticipated, Facebook also said it will start filing public financial reports by April 30, 2012. While that doesn't technically mean an initial public stock offering, that is the most likely outcome because Facebook will have to make many of the same disclosures of a publicly traded company anyway.

The specific date for filing financial reports comes because the company expects to have more than 500 shareholders by the end of April this year. Once that happens, the Securities and Exchange Commission requires it to disclose its financial results and other details on a quarterly basis so that its investors are adequately informed.

That requirement kicks in 120 days after the first fiscal year in which a company exceeds the 500 shareholder threshold. Since Facebook's fiscal year ends Dec. 31, the latest possible date would be April 30, 2012.

It was the 500-shareholder rule that prompted Google Inc. to go public in the summer of 2004. If Facebook follows a similar timeline, its IPO could come during the summer of 2012.

Google developing Groupon competitor called Offers (AP)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 02:25 PM PST

By DANA WOLLMAN, AP Technology Writer Dana Wollman, Ap Technology Writer – Fri Jan 21, 5:25 pm ET

NEW YORK – Google Inc., which has expanded beyond its core search operations into mobile phones and other products, is developing a local coupon service similar to Groupon.

Like Groupon Inc., the service, Google Offers, will offer time-limited deals from local vendors, such as restaurants. Ten dollars, for example, might buy $20 worth of food at a local cafe.

"Google is communicating with small businesses to enlist their support and participation in a test of a pre-paid offers/vouchers program," said Google Inc. spokesman Nate Tyler.

Google would not say when Offers would be available or provide any more details about its plans.

While Groupon is Google's most obvious competitor when it comes to offering local deals, the field of coupon sites has rapidly grown to include sites such as LivingSocial and Tippr. Flash sales site Gilt Groupe and the newsletter DailyCandy also offer local deals.

Google has signaled it wants to expand in local advertising. Last year, it promoted Marissa Mayer, who oversaw the company's core search products to grow the company's geographic and local services business, and gave her a seat on the company's operating committee of top decision-makers.

The company also has reportedly tried to enter the local deals business by buying prominent companies in the field. Last year, Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., reportedly considered acquiring Yelp for more than $500 million. And last month, it reportedly tried to buy Groupon for somewhere between $5 billion and $6 billion, but was rejected. Groupon has since raised an additional $950 million in venture capital funding.

Currently, Google's Places service lets local businesses set up pages where the owners can post photos and other promotional information, and customers can write reviews. Then, these places can appear as pinpoints on Google's popular map network, Google Maps.

Shares of Google rose $1.12 in after-hours trading after falling $14.94, or 2.4 percent, to close Friday at $611.83.

DC Universe Online: It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … well, it’s you! (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:32 PM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Fri Jan 21, 4:32 pm ET

"The next legend is you," promises the tagline for Sony's new online epic, which lets you create your very own superhero and play alongside the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. And if you'd rather play as a supervillain, you can do that, too.

Launched just a little over a week ago, DC Universe Online marks one of the few massively multiplayer online games that's available for both PC and game consoles (in this case, the PlayStation 3). In fact, several reviewers have pointed out that the button-mashing style of gameplay in DC Universe might actually work better on the PS3 than on a desktop PC — a notable observation, given that it's usually the other way around. (For the record, I tested the PS3 version.)

DC Universe has many things going for it — impressive graphics, a solid storyline, plenty of hand-holding for beginners in its early stages, and controls that are relatively easy to grasp — but its main appeal just might be the DC Comics license, which lets you fly into missions led by none other than, say, Superman himself.

The premise of DC Universe Online is simple: Brainiac, one of Superman's arch enemies, has unleashed his army of robot drones against Planet Earth, and Lex Luthor — yet another Superman foil — has cooked up a plan to turn ordinary citizens into superheroes to help ward off the invasion.

That's where you come in. After a brief prologue that sets up the story, the game launches you into a character editor, where the real fun begins: creating your very own superhero — or supervillain, if you happen to be feeling dastardly.

The editor lets you build on an existing superhero or create one from scratch. In either case, you'll first pick a gender and an overall build (large, medium or small) and then a mentor for your character: Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman for the heroes, or Lex Luthor, the Joker or Circe for villains.

With the custom creation editor, you can pretty much let your imagination run wild, choosing everything from skin types (human, lizard, cyborg, rock, you name it) to outfits (including capes, helmets, boots, power packs and utility belts) and overall temperament (serious, primal, flirty, powerful, comical).

My favorite part: deciding whether your hero will get from A to Z with the help of advanced acrobatics, super speed or — best of all — the power of flight. (Among the most thrilling moments in DC Universe for me was the first time I donned my digital cape and took off, soaring far above the skyscrapers of Metropolis.)

I ended up creating a trio of characters: one based on Batman, a female take on Superman (dubbed Electra Fye, get it?) and a bruising nature-based villain called Veggiepocalypse, complete with a big "V" on his rooted chest.

Coming up with a good superhero name is one of the unfortunate stumbling blocks in DC Universe Online. Since we're talking an MMO here, you must choose a name that hasn't already been snapped up, and established DC hero and villain names (like Catwoman and The Flash) are off-limits. Fair enough, but the character editor takes several seconds to tell you whether a given name has been taken, and it won't offer suggestions if the name you want is already in use, making for an annoyingly slow trial-and-error process.

Once you've finished creating your supercharacter, the game throws you right into the action. Your first goal: escape from a Brainiac satellite in Earth orbit, a stage that acts as a tutorial for combat and movement. After you've escaped — with a little help from a famous friend — you'll land in Metropolis, either at police headquarters (if you're a hero) or in a supervillain hideout.

As with World of Warcraft, you'll then begin the long process of building up your stats, weapons and inventory through a variety of quests. Electra Fye, my Superman-style heroine, began by swooping off to the waterfront to save terrified beachgoers from a horde  of giant gorillas. The villainous Veggiepocalypse, on the other hand, was dispatched to a nearby university to infect hapless college students with a potent mutagen. (Bwa-hah-hah!)

Of course, in the MMO world of DC Universe, you're never alone. At any moment hundreds of other heroes and villains are running, jumping and soaring through the air, punching out bad guys or hurling police cars. Fellow players may swoop in to lend you a hand when you're in trouble — or pick a fight, if your character lives on a player-versus-player server.

And what about combat? Unlike World of Warcraft and other, more traditional MMOs, DC Universe feels more like a fast-action slugfest than a thoughtful RPG. Powerful combos and chained attacks rule the day, with crazy-fast button mashing more the rule than the exception. It's a hair-trigger style of gameplay that lends itself well to the PS3 controller — although perhaps not as well to a mouse-and-keyboard combination for PC gamers.

That's not to say that standard MMO-type elements aren't present and accounted for in DC Universe Online. Your health, character level and "mana" meter sit in the top corner of the screen, with an activity ticker and dialog box floating to the left. Along the bottom of the screen, you'll find a row of circular character-ability modules, which you activate by clicking with the PC mouse or using the correct trigger/button combo on the PS3 controller.

The developers at Sony and Warner Bros. have settled on a series of compromises for console play, as you might expect. For example, you get only eight ability/inventory modules on screen at a time in the PS3 version of DC Universe, versus many more for, say, World of Warcraft for the PC. On the other hand, the pared-down options make the game much more accessible to beginners, particularly those with little or no experience with MMOs.

Graphically speaking, Metropolis doesn't look quite as polished as Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto IV, and the citizens of Metropolis tend to be a rather dull lot, doing little more than running for their lives and yelling "Help me!" Then again, Liberty City doesn't have to deal with dozens or hundreds of online players simultaneously in a single instance. Considering that it's an MMO, the Unreal Engine 3-powered DC Universe looks pretty spiffy.

But all is not perfect in the DC Universe, um … universe. The PS3 version of the game involves a lengthy installation process that takes up a 16GB chunk of disk space (problematic for those of us with older PS3s equipped with smaller hard drives), not to mention an hour or so of your time.

And like many massively multiplayer online games, DC Universe Online ain't cheap. There's the $60 retail price of the game itself, for starters; then, once your 30-day free trial is up, you'll have to fork over $15 a month to keep playing. That's an investment that World of Warcraft and Eve Online veterans will be used to, but for your average console player — and that includes me, by the way — it may be too bitter a pill to swallow.

I'll have to tackle that issue myself in just a couple of weeks, when my 30-day trial runs out. I admit, I'm one of those serial MMO quitters who occasionally fires up a new trial account in World of Warcraft and Eve Online, only to bail once it's time to pay up. Is DC Universe Online compelling enough to make me commit at last? Ask me again in about 14 days.

Full disclosure: Sony Online Entertainment supplied me with a free copy of DC Universe for review purposes.

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

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Apple turns the screws (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:23 PM PST

By Mike Krumboltz mike Krumboltz – Fri Jan 21, 4:23 pm ET

The more difficult you make it for someone to do something, the more they will try to do it. Case in point: Apple. The tech behemoth, well known for its "look but don't modify" stance on its hardware, is using a new type of screw on the iPhone 4. Why? To keep people from opening up the phone and futzing around with it.

The screw, known as the pentalobe, is relatively obscure. And that's the point. Apple apparently wants to use these unusual screws so people who own the iPhones can't open them up. Some might argue that this is like selling someone a car and bolting the hood shut so they can't check the engine.

A blog from Digital Trends explains: "Apple repair technicians are reportedly switching the screws on iPhone 4s that are brought in for service to an Apple Store. And, according to the report, Apple is not informing customers about the screw swap. The practice began last fall and has since become widely adopted."

For most people, this isn't a big deal. The screws are really only meant to dissuade adventurous and savvy technical wizards who want to see what makes their iPhones tick. The help forums on Apple are curiously devoid of anything pentalobe-related.

But people are not going to be thwarted. As soon as word leaked that Apple is using this new type of screw, Web searches on "pentalobe screwdriver" and "buy pentalobe screwdriver" each surged more than 1,000%.

Apple may be using an unusual kind of screw. But people are more determined than ever to knock it loose.

-- Michael Krumboltz is a Yahoo! writer.

Smartphones and Tablets to Get Even Faster With Nvidia's Tegra 3 Chip (Mashable)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:49 AM PST

Charlie White Charlie White – Fri Jan 21, 8:49 am ET

Nvidia is set to roll out the next-generation Tegra 3 chip aimed at smartphones and tablets, promising to be even faster than its current processor, which was one of the stars of CES 2011, the dual-core Tegra 2.

While Nvidia hasn't officially announced the processor yet, the Tegra 3's impending launch is almost certain, according to Softpedia. The new chip is expected to have four cores inside, and will probably roll out at the upcoming Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 14.

Without revealing any dates, Nvidia's general manager of Tegra Mike Rayfield confirmed the Tegra 3's launch in an interview with Hexus,

"I'm going to come pretty close to my cadence of a launch every year," said Rayfield. "It will be in production around the same time as my competitors' first dual-cores will."

Given that the Tegra 2 was launched at CES last year, Tegra 3's launch is due any time now.

Just as the Tegra 2 chip boosts the performance of tablets such as the Motorola Xoom and the first dual-core smartphone, the LG Optimus 2x, and many others we saw at CES 2011, the Tegra 3 is said to have four cores, which can further speed up browsing and gaming on tablets and smartphones. In addition, multiple cores can run at half speed to accomplish the same tasks that a single core would need to run at full speed, enhancing battery efficiency and generating less heat.

Clearly, multicore smartphones have arrived, with quad-core chips probably waiting in the wings. Ovum analyst Nick Dillon told Morningstar:

"In the same way that 1GHz was the standard for top of the range smartphones in 2010, every top-end service in 2011 is likely to have a dual-core processor. We may even see the first quad-core chipsets emerging in handsets by the end of the year."

Ohio mom who gave pot to 2-year-old gets probation (AP)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 05:18 PM PST

– Fri Jan 21, 8:18 pm ET

CINCINNATI – An Ohio woman who admitted giving her 2-year-old daughter marijuana and using her cell phone to record the child smoking it has avoided prison.

A Hamilton County judge on Friday placed 21-year-old Jessica Gamble, of suburban Cincinnati, on two years of probation with plans to reunite the mother and child.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Gamble has been in the county jail since September and must remain there for two more months to complete a program for drug treatment, job readiness and parenting skills. She also must spend three months in an inpatient drug rehabilitation facility and undergo outpatient drug treatment.

Gamble could have received up to 6 1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to corruption of another with drugs and tampering with evidence.

___

Information from: The Cincinnati Enquirer, http://www.enquirer.com

Antoine Dodson of "Bed Intruder" Gets His Own TV Show (Mashable)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 01:23 PM PST

Jolie O'Dell Jolie O'dell – Fri Jan 21, 4:23 pm ET

Antoine Dodson, whose claim to fame lies in the viral video "Bed Intruder," has been given the opportunity to shoot a reality television show pilot.

The show will center around Dodson and his family as they move across the country from their housing project in Alabama to Hollywood and around Dodson's desire to "leveraging every aspect he can to make a better life for his family," according to producer Entertainment One. The producers may also consider issuing a musical offering from Dodson in the future.

For anyone who'd not yet seen the video, Bed Intruder is essentially an auto-tuned and amusingly edited clip featuring Dodson as he expresses outrage over the attempted rape of his sister in their home in the Lincoln Park Projects. In spite of the macabre topic and setting, millions of YouTube viewers have found Dodson's take on the situation refreshing, hilarious and even empowering.

In fact, "Bed Intruder" was the most-watched independent video of 2010. The clip currently has 67.5 million views.

Dodson recently made an appearance at the Mashable Awards in Las Vegas, where he accepted the award for Best Internet Meme and previewed a follow-up.

Of his newfound fame, Dodson told Mashable's Adam Ostrow, "This will never get old!"

Check out the full interview below, and in the comments, let us know if you think Dodson has the makings of an entertaining, watchable TV entertainer.

Rumor: Google readying Groupon competitor (Appolicious)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 10:34 AM PST

$2.6M deal to settle FEMA mobile home claims (AP)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:10 PM PST

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press – Fri Jan 21, 7:10 pm ET

NEW ORLEANS – Companies that manufactured mobile homes for FEMA after Hurricane Katrina have agreed to pay $2.6 million to resolve thousands of claims that the temporary shelters exposed Gulf Coast storm victims to potentially dangerous fumes.

Attorneys for plaintiffs and roughly two dozen mobile home makers and their subsidiaries on Friday asked a federal judge in New Orleans to approve the proposed class-action settlement, which could benefit thousands of families.

The settlement doesn't involve claims for residents who lived in FEMA travel trailers, which housed the majority of storm victims. Government tests found that travel trailers had significantly higher average formaldehyde levels than mobile homes, which are larger and sturdier.

Facebook spills on fundraising and IPO plans (Digital Trends)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:50 PM PST

Molly McHugh Molly Mchugh – Fri Jan 21, 6:50 pm ET

Facebook valueIn a rare press release, Facebook has cut to the chase about its funding and IPO plans. In a series of question and answer statements, the social network officially revealed it's been working with Goldman Sachs and what (or what not) it plans to do with all that money.

In addition to confirming it raised $1 billion in overseas share offerings and increased its valuation to $50 billion, Facebook also took some time to set the record straight about those pesky whispers about SEC investigations. "Even before the investment from Goldman Sachs, Facebook had expected to pass 500 shareholders at some point in 2011," the press release noted. And here's the kicker: "…therefore [Facebook] expects to start filing public financial reports no later than April 30, 2012."  So there you have it: a 2012 Facebook IPO is in motion, always has been, and all the sloppy work in the world on Goldman Sachs' part won't stop it.

Sure, we know that private companies are capable of disclosing their financial records without going public, but that's something of an unprecedented move. And even though Facebook's all about unprecedented moves, we're inclined to believe the company has officially set the stage for an IPO next year.

So what about that $1 billion it just pocketed? Without mentioned specifics, the company claimed it will "continue investing to build and expand its operations." CFO David Ebersman also said, "With this investment completed, we now have greater financial flexibility to explore whatever opportunities lie ahead." At least until April 30, 2012…

Songs, Cacti, and LittleBigPlanet in Viral Views 18 (PC World)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 06:00 PM PST

Armando Rodriguez Armando Rodriguez – Fri Jan 21, 9:00 pm ET

Hello and welcome to another Viral Views! Since LittleBigPlanet 2 launched this week, we have been kind of busy making our way through Media Molecule's superb and adorable platformer. While we engage in video game antics, please enjoy these great things we found on the Internet this week.

Father and Daughter Duet

This is probably the cutest thing I have seen on the internet thus far. Watch as this little girl and her dad cover the song "Home" by Edward Sharpe and The Electric Zeros while simultaneously conquering your heart.

Cactus People

Speaking of conquering-it looks like various cactus people have taken over a Minecraft server. This blog chronicles the plight of the Cactus People as they strive for Minecraft equality. Me? I want to break them apart and make a pumpkin house.

LittleBigPlanet 2 Levels

If you are wondering what could distract me from VV, hopefully this will answer your question. Since LittleBigPlanet gives you the tools to create your own levels, people have built some pretty astounding things. These are just a taste of some of the amazing levels that the gaming community has built for the game.

Well, that's it for this week's Viral Views. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Multitouch surface to build:

See you in seven!

Armando Rodriguez lives on the Internet and occasionally comes to visit the real world

Like this? Visit GeekTech

Every Friday afternoon for more Viral Views; for best results, follow @viral_views on Twitter (that's with an underscore).

Remains of the Day: Crazy talk (Macworld)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 04:30 PM PST

Dan Moren Dan Moren – Fri Jan 21, 7:30 pm ET

In which new Apple bumpers are sighted (oh boy!), a Verizon iPhone commercial is aired (hur...ray?), and one crazy headline is published (what the $#@$%?). Read on, forthwith, for the remainders for Friday, January 21, 2011.

Universal iPhone bumper from Apple sneaks into Apple Store (TUAW)

One fellow claims to have snagged a revised "bumper" from his local Apple Store. The new version of Apple's case reportedly fits both the AT&T iPhone and the forthcoming Verizon iPhone, which feature ever-so-slightly different locations for the Ring/Silent switch. This is, incidentally, about three minutes more than you will ever want to think about an iPhone case.

Verizon iPhone (YouTube)

Speaking of the Verizon iPhone, the carrier released its first commercial for the forthcoming smartphone. At least I think it's for the Verizon iPhone. It might actually be a warning for some impending apocalypse.

Will Eric Schmidt Become Apple CEO? (International Business Times)

No.

(There, now you don't have to click the link.)

Insider Software launches WEBSIWYG (Macworld)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:15 PM PST

Jackie Dove Jackie Dove – Fri Jan 21, 6:15 pm ET

Insider Software, the maker of FontAgent Pro font management software, has announced the debut of WEBSIWYG, a Web-based font-catalog service that lets users view and request fonts on networked FontAgent Pro Servers.

The new service lets FontAgent Pro Server customers preview all fonts available on their organization's font servers without requiring them to first install the font files on their client computers. With WEBSIWYG (pronounced web-zee-wig), authorized users can log into FontAgent Pro Server 4 to see what fonts are available, filter search results, and view expanded previews of the fonts they're interested in.

By offering users the ability to preview fonts in any Web browser, administrators allow them to explore the enterprise font server the same way they explore font vendor Websites. Users can see fonts in their native typefaces while letting IT, finance, and legal departments conserve and maintain control over font licensing.

To download a font from the server, users add it to their shopping cart. When they're finish shopping, WEBSIWYG sends an email request to the administrator, who approves the request, issues a font license, and triggers the font for download.

WEBSIWYG can be used with Mac OS X Server 10.5 or later, and requires 1GB of disk space and 512MB of memory. It connects to FontAgent Pro Server 4. Users can access WEBSIWYG with Web browsers on a variety of platforms.

WEBSIWYG is available immediately and costs $195 for five users. Volume license pricing is also available.

Will Page Back Google's Enterprise Unit? (PC World)

Posted: 21 Jan 2011 03:50 PM PST

Juan Carlos Perez Juan Carlos Perez – Fri Jan 21, 6:50 pm ET

After Google's ground-shaking decision to change CEOs, the company should explain soon to customers and partners how its plans for the enterprise will evolve after Larry Page takes over in April from Eric Schmidt.

Google's enterprise unit caters to an audience of CIOs, IT directors, business managers, resellers and consultants, all of whom demand clarity, consistency and long-term product road maps from their vendors and partners.

While shifts in the top management at any tech firm can be a worry for enterprise customers, the issue could be seen as a bigger one at Google, whose enterprise business contributes a tiny piece of its overall revenue.

In addition, this year Google's main enterprise product, the Google Apps suite, will face much tougher competition from various players, including Microsoft with its upcoming release of Office 365.

The enterprise unit may well rank below other priorities for Page, such as boosting Google's shaky social-networking position, pushing ahead with Android in the cutthroat mobile market, doubling-down on the upcoming Chrome OS and growing display ad revenue, not to mention retaining Google's dominance in search advertising.

"If push comes to shove and management decides to jettison less-strategic initiatives, Google Apps could be in trouble," Gartner analyst Tom Austin said via e-mail.

It doesn't help that Schmidt, a former CEO at Novell and CTO at Sun Microsystems, has much more experience and, arguably, knowledge of enterprise software than Page. Schmidt once described the enterprise unit as Google's backup plan if the bottom ever fell out of the online ad market.

"Page has less enterprise business experience. Schmidt has deeper enterprise roots. Does that mean they will back off on their enterprise investment on Google Apps? We don't know but we would be surprised if they don't raise -- or re-raise -- that question," Austin said.

Google declined to comment at this early stage about Page's plans for the enterprise unit. However, a source familiar with the strategy said Page has always been a strong advocate for the business and expects it to remain a focus for the company and a continued area of investment.

Douglas Menefee, CIO of healthcare company The Schumacher Group, is optimistic about Page's appointment but hopes he articulates his vision for the enterprise unit quickly.

"With any senior change in an organization I have concerns on the products and service. I will be monitoring our service delivery throughout the transition," he said via e-mail.

The Schumacher Group has 2,500 users of Google Apps for Business, the paid version of the suite, as well as 3,500 users of Google's Postini message security and archiving service. In addition, the Lafayette, Louisiana-based company plans to start using Google's enterprise Search Appliance.

It gives him confidence that Google Enterprise products are in enough demand and generating enough revenue for Google that freezing investment in them would be illogical. "My hope and anticipation is that Google will continue to commit resources towards enterprise solutions," Menefee said.

That said, it wouldn't surprise him if Google Apps sales slow until Page explains his plans for the enterprise. "However, I don't anticipate a knee-jerk reaction from the CIO community to exit out of existing contracts. After all, we continue to get value from the solutions," Menefee said.

Industry analyst Michael Osterman from Osterman Research believes that when Schmidt assumes his new role as executive chairman, which will focus on external relations with customers, partners and government agencies, he may have more time to spend advocating for Google Apps in the marketplace.

"Google definitely needs to focus on the enterprise market given Microsoft's strong push with Office 365," he said via e-mail. "Consequently, there is an important window of opportunity for Google now in the enterprise space in advance of Office 365."

Cloud Sherpas, a Google Apps reseller and service provider, has no concerns about the CEO switch, said founder and marketing vice president Michael Cohn.

"We're sad to see Eric step down. He was a strong supporter of Google Enterprise," Cohn said in a phone interview. "But we don't have any fear with regards to Larry."

However, Cohn also looks forward to hearing what enterprise strategy Page plans to pursue, especially his plans for the Google Apps channel partners.

For analyst Rebecca Wettemann at Nucleus Research, Page has a lot of work to do to prop up Google's enterprise business.

"While Eric was a good spokesperson, Google still struggled between enterprise aspirations and the smartest-kid-in-the-room mentality. It's not surprising that Eric was challenged in driving real enterprise success at Google. At Novell, his skill was in brilliant research & development, not necessarily in bringing compelling enterprise products to market," she said via e-mail.

Page needs to bring more execution to the enterprise unit beyond product innovation, including reliable product road maps, enterprise-class customer support and service, and a stronger commitment to business needs and data protection, she said. "I'm not sure Page is up to the challenge, but Eric didn't leave huge shoes to fill," Wettemann said.

IDC analyst Al Hilwa is also skeptical about Google's long-term commitment to the enterprise market. "It's not clear how much Google really wants to play there. They have talked the talk, but I'm not sure they are walking the walk," he said via e-mail.

Currently, Google Apps has more than 30 million users, including millions of its paid version Apps for Business. In 2010, more than 1 million businesses adopted Apps, raising the total to more than 3 million businesses, according to Google. Recent customer wins include the U.S. General Services Administration, Virgin America and large food retailer Ahold.

Chris Abraham, president of the Abraham Harrison digital marketing and social media agency, is also confident in his company's investment in Google Apps for Business. "If Google had brought in an outsider, there might be more of a concern, but the fact that it's a co-founder taking the reins is reassuring," he said in a phone interview.
at 9:42 PM

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