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Saturday, February 26, 2011

US tweaks China over web-erasing diplomat's name (AP) : Technet

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US tweaks China over web-erasing diplomat's name (AP) : Technet

US tweaks China over web-erasing diplomat's name (AP)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 05:54 PM PST

– Sat Feb 26, 8:54 pm ET

WASHINGTON – The U.S. is tweaking China for its online blocking of the American ambassador's name.

Searches for Ambassador Jon Huntsman's name in Chinese on a popular microblogging site called Sina Weibo were met with a message Friday that said results were unavailable due to unspecified "laws, regulations and policies."

Huntsman, a Republican, is leaving his post and is seen as a potential White House contender in 2012.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a Twitter posting Saturday that "it is remarkable" that even before Huntsman leaves Beijing, "China has made him disappear from the Internet."

China apparently widened its Internet policing after online calls for protests like those that have swept the Middle East.

Videogame makers seek footing on shifting landscape (AFP)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 08:55 PM PST

by Glenn Chapman Glenn Chapman – 24 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Videogame makers from around the globe are gathering to seek paths to fortune and glory on a landscape upset by social networks, smartphones, tablet computers, and the Internet "cloud."

More than 18,000 industry insiders are expected to attend the weeklong Game Developers Conference that kicks off Monday in downtown San Francisco.

The event has grown into the world's largest confab of videogame professionals since it started in 1988 with about two dozen computer game loving software developers meeting in a living room.

Major themes at GDC will include adapting to the booming popularity of "social games" at online communities such as Facebook and casual play on smartphones or tablet computers.

"In past years developers treated social games like second-class citizens to consoles," said Scott Steinberg, lead videogame analyst at TechSavvy Global.

"Now, they are facing the reality that this is where the future might lie."

Revenue from social games is likely to exceed a billion dollars this year, according to industry tracker eMarketer.

Facebook stands to benefit nicely from the trend, since about half of its more than 500 million members play games and the social network takes a 30 percent cut of revenue from game transactions.

Internet game playground Hi5 will introduce at GDC a SocioPay platform designed to ramp-up the amount of money developers pump from their creations.

SocioPay will complement a recently-launched Hi5 SocioPath portal that enables game applications to break free of Facebook while letting players stay connected to friends at the social network.

"Think of these as services that give social games the monetization platform and social network features they get from Facebook, but they don't need Facebook to do it," Hi5 president Alex St. John told AFP.

"Social gaming is going to continue to grow dramatically, and one of the ways is it is going to escape from the confines of Facebook," he added.

SocioPay times offers of virtual goods to when people are likely to accept and shows video ads to penurious players.

Fewer than two percent of social game players pay anything, according to industry statistics.

"The system intelligently separates people who will pay and who won't, then monetizes non-payers with ads," said St. John, whose background includes founding game website Wild Tangent and working on Microsoft's Xbox videogame console.

"Not only does it double your money, players like it better."

Hi5 shares in revenues from games it publishes.

Startup Blue Noodle at GDC will unveil Clickstrip technology that pays players in-game currency for clicking on-screen bars to watch 30-second video ads.

"Brands are really interested right now in the social space," said Blue Noodle chief executive Lesley Mansford. "Social networking social gaming is huge."

Habbo Hotel owned by Finland-based Sulake Corp. boasts being the biggest social game community for teenagers, with 16 million young people using the website monthly.

Habbo sells virtual components for people to create online games. It is free to join and play.

For example, someone will buy a virtual soccer field, goals, and ball, then invite friends to take part in matches for free.

A hot game involves creating faux hospitals where friends represented by animated characters play at being doctors, nurses or patients, according to Habbo executive vice president Teemu Huuhtanen.

A version of Habbo tailored for tablet computers is poised for release later this year when a second-generation iPad and devices running on Google's "Honeycomb" software take hold in the market.

"Social games are going to go to tablets," Huuhtanen said. "I don't think a lot of people understand how fast the world is going toward tablets and mobile."

Topics at GDC will include crafting games to be played on mobile gadgets and in Internet browser windows, as well as titles hosted as services online.

Developers will also explore the promise of 3D games and titles for play using motion-sensing controls for Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) videogame consoles.

Kinect for Xbox 360 and Move for PS3 have been hits since their releases late last year in a sign there is still money to be made with blockbuster console titles.

"The game industry continues to be an area of turbulence because everyone is trying to figure out where the future lies," Steinberg said.

"You continue to see studios close, publishing giants re-invent themselves, and the developer community realize the power it has to sell directly to shoppers."

The Nokia/Microsoft Windows Phone: A Preview (ContributorNetwork)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 11:38 AM PST

Jared Spurbeck Jared Spurbeck – Sat Feb 26, 2:38 pm ET
Contribute content like this. Start here.

Microsoft has finally stepped up to the plate and delivered a new smartphone operating system, called Windows Phone 7. It's shiny and distinct, and very different from both the iPhone's iOS and Android. But while Samsung and HTC have already built Windows phones using it, they haven't caught on so well, leaving Microsoft in a tight spot ... sort of like Nokia, who've seen their fortunes decline markedly since the rise of the iPhone and Android.

Rather than build modern phones with Google's open-source Android operating system, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop -- former head of Microsoft's business division -- predictably chose to partner with Microsoft, and build Windows phones with them. So far all we've seen is the concept artwork, and it does look very shiny. But if we look at the people involved, we can make a few guesses about what those shiny phones will be like.

Hardware by Nokia

Nokia makes cell phone hardware, dozens and dozens of different models of it. Aside from their cameras, which are reportedly outstanding, the biggest thing they have going for them is the supply and distribution network that lets them make so many phones for so cheap. Indeed, one of the big benefits being touted about the partnership is that they'll "bring Windows Phone to a larger range of price points."

The downside is that those CGI models probably only represent the upper range of what they'll be making. There will probably be tons of cheaper Nokia phones that don't look as nice, plus competing Windows Phone models from Samsung and HTC. Besides that, most of the cost of a smartphone is absorbed by the cost of the data plan, which is why you can get a new Android phone for a single cent on a typical two-year contract. It'd be hard for Nokia to beat that.

Software by Microsoft

Nokia's blog gives "Five reasons to get excited about a Microsoft partnership," including Microsoft Office, Zune Marketplace music, and games from XBox Live. Whatever you may think of Windows and Microsoft Office, XBox Live is a popular service, and the Zune experience is streamlined and polished.

The downside is obvious, from Microsoft's history. Their older Windows Mobile operating system was so outdated you had to use a stylus on most of its phones, Palm Pilot-style. And Windows Mobile phones were still being sold in 2010. Windows Phone 7 has arguably caught up to Android and iOS, but for how long? Will Microsoft fall behind again, the next time something big happens?

Putting it all together

So far, things look fairly predictable. Nokia is using hardware components they already know how to make, and Microsoft's shipping an OS they already wrote. Down the road, though, things may fragment a bit. Nokia's been given the power to make unpredictable changes to the Windows Phone operating system; and since their previous efforts at writing software have been a mixed bag, there's no telling if this will improve or destroy the platform.

In the end, though, they may be losing this race. Microsoft has only delivered one update to the Windows Phone software since it shipped four months ago, and it's run into technical problems in the process. If this is the rate they can move at, not only will it be awhile before we see any Nokia Windows phones, they may not be worth using by that time.

Jared Spurbeck is an open-source software enthusiast, who uses an Android phone and an Ubuntu laptop PC. He has been writing about technology and electronics since 2008.

Best Celebrity Twitter Pictures (The Daily Beast)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 05:48 PM PST

Nintendo 3DS Launches in Japan Amidst Tales of Lines, Sellouts, and 'Eye Pain' (PC World)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 08:16 AM PST

Matt Peckham Matt Peckham – Sat Feb 26, 11:16 am ET

Nintendo's bid to put glasses-free 3D into the anxious hands of the masses just got underway in Japan. The company's 3DS--sequel to the DS and DSi, and employing a new 3.53-inch widescreen that uses parallax barrier tech to create the illusion of three-dimensional imagery--launched Saturday in the Land of the Rising Sun to long lines, claims of emptied stores, and Twitter tales of 3D-induced headaches.

Bloomberg reports "about 2,000 people" lined up at store in Akihabara, a shopping area in Tokyo, in hopes of obtaining a 3DS after electronic retailers sold out on pre-orders alone.

Reuters reports customers were also lined up at a camera store in Yurakucho, Tokyo, though didn't offer estimates (much of the story's dedicated to frowning on the 3DS's chances in light of tablet and smartphone alternatives).

And The Wall Street Journal reports "hundreds of people" lined up outside a store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, with the "line snaking around the building." The WSJ also notes people lined up outside multiple Tokyo stores the night before.

Adult anime and manga site Sankaku Complex noticed a Japanese news site that's apparently compiling Twitter dispatches from new 3DS owners complaining about--though also praising--the 3DS's 3D mode. One person claims to suffer eye pain after playing for five minutes, while others mention taking breaks after experiencing eye "tiredness" or "soreness." It's too early to read that stuff as more than anecdotal, but it'll be interesting to observe both how Japanese gamers respond to the technology and how the Japanese media handles reports of issues with it.

For more on the 3DS and its potential impact on your eyes, have a look at our interview with optometrist Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford: Will Nintendo's 3DS Harm Your Eyes? We Ask an Expert.

If you're lucky enough to live in Japan, you can get your hands on a 3DS for 25,000 yen, or about $305. The 3DS launches in the U.S. on March 26 for $250 and games are expected to sell for $40 each.

You can always import a 3DS if you're impatient, of course, and popular online retailer Play Asia's teasing dozens of 3DS unboxing pictures, though importing the system could set you back just shy of $500--not to mention the prohibitive cost of games, which list between $60 and $70 a piece.

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Google Makes it Easier to Get Cooking (PC World)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 07:31 AM PST

Harry McCracken Harry Mccracken – Sat Feb 26, 10:31 am ET

Google is adding a cool new feature to its eponymous search engine today: Recipe View, which lets you pull up results that show only recipes -- then filter them by ingredients, preparation time, and calories using options in Google's left-hand toolbar.

Not every recipe on the Web will be part of the fun-site proprietors need to mark up their recipe pages with special code so that Google understands the recipe's details. (According to Wired.com, several major cooking sites already do so.) I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

Here's Who You Think Should Win The Oscars [INFOGRAPHIC] (Mashable)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 09:44 AM PST

Charlie White Charlie White – Sat Feb 26, 12:44 pm ET

With the Oscars broadcast only a day away, we can't wait another minute -- we'd like to know who's going to win, and we want to know now. Here's an exclusive infographic that could give us a hint or two.

However, according to Webtrends, this pre-show buzz might not indicate the real winners. When Webtrends experts were looking at the details of the data, "it was clear that this is the 'people's choice' – a popularity contest and not necessarily the view of the Academy."

How did Webtrends get this data? It scoured blogs, Facebook, Twitter feeds and other microblogs, putting a finger on the pulse of the online world, picking up the pre-buzz and figuring out who might have a good chance of winning.

So take a look at this data, keeping in mind that these "winners" might not necessarily point toward the Academy's choices. Who do you think will win? Let us know your picks in the comments.

Image courtesy Webtrends

Study: Apple's Mobile Browser is Fastest (PC World)

Posted: 25 Feb 2011 08:50 PM PST

Nick Mediati Nick Mediati – Fri Feb 25, 11:50 pm ET

Sick of waiting for pages to load on your mobile device? Get an iPad or iPhone. That's the upshot of a mobile browser speed study done by a company called Gomez. They found that Apple's mobile version of Safari was fastest and BlackBerry's browser the slowest.

According to Gomez, the iPad fully loads pages in 8.4 seconds on average. The iPhone comes in second at 19.7 seconds, followed by Android at 36.5 seconds, and Blackberry at 61 seconds.

Gomez also analyzed perceived page loading times--that is, how long it took each browser to load the items visible "above the fold" on screen (i.e. the elements visible to you when you first visit the page without scrolling down). Perceived load times are shorter because … In this, the iPad again came out on top, with a perceived load time of roughly 6.6 seconds. The iPhone clocked in at about 15.7 seconds, followed by Android at 28.2 second, and BlackBerry at around 43.8 seconds.

Some have tested mobile browsers on a particular OS--such as our Android browser comparison from September--or have compared browsing on one phone to browsing on another, but as far as we're aware, nobody else has released this sort of mobile browser speed comparison before.

Here's a complete chart of Gomez's browser data, including its data for PC (i.e. laptop/desktop) browsers:

Browser Testing: No Clear Winners

These are by no means end-all, be-all numbers. Browser speed testing can be a bit of a thorny issue. There are many variables involved, depending on your hardware, your network connection, your operating system, the Web site itself, and so forth. For example, Gomez's numbers don't match up exactly with the testing we've previously done.

In the case of Gomez, the company, which helps companies improve the performance of their Websites and applications, decided to take what it considers to be a "real-world" approach to measuring browser performance. Its data is based on over 282 million Webpages served across over 200 popular sites. Gomez used data collected from business customers that use its performance monitoring services. It only takes into account Webpages visited using the browser included with the operating system, so browsers like Opera Mini were not included.

Also, since the data is in aggregate, it includes data from both Wi-Fi and cellular network users, and users from different cellular networks. It also includes data from all sorts of different phones and tablets with different hardware configurations. Still the information they provided to us is interesting, and gives us at least an idea of what the general experience of using each browser is like.

And as we've said in the past, other factors beside speed should dictate your choice in browsers--and now, smartphone OSes. Go with whatever works best for you.

How about you? Do Gomez's numbers reflect what you've experienced? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Next Up: iPhone 5 (PC World)

Posted: 26 Feb 2011 11:32 AM PST

Paul Suarez Paul Suarez – Sat Feb 26, 2:32 pm ET

Next week Apple will spill the beans on the iPad 2, which can only mean one thing: It's time to start focusing on the iPhone 5 -- which will (probably) be announced in June.

Like clockwork, 9 to 5 Mac on Friday uncovered a photo from a Chinese reseller of Apple parts that will get that process under way.

The site suggests the unconfirmed part could be the digitizer panel for the next iPhone. Interestingly enough, the part appears to have a larger cutout section for a screen which could support earlier reports from DigiTimes that the new model will feature a four-inch display to compete with some Android devices.

Besides being unconfirmed, the photo is problematic because the part doesn't appear next to anything -- giving it no scale. It could just as easily mean that the upcoming iPhone could be smaller if the screensize remains the same and the bezel shrinks. The screen could also be any other size, there's really no way to tell.

Regardless if this is a legit part or not, it seems like Apple has a few changes in store for the next iPhone besides a larger screen.

Jonny Evans of Computerworld reported last month that the new model is expected to run on a multi-core A5 CPU and may feature a dual-core graphics core. Evans also suggests that Apple will be getting into the NFC field after hiring veteran Benjamin Vigier as the Mobile Commerce Manager.

Stay tuned. The iPhone 5 rumor mill is sure to heat up in the coming months. iDealsChina, the website that leaked the part photo, seems to hint that more photos will be popping up soon.
at 9:35 PM

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