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Monday, March 28, 2011

EBay to buy GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion (AP) : Technet

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EBay to buy GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion (AP) : Technet

EBay to buy GSI Commerce for $2.4 billion (AP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 03:40 PM PDT

By RACHEL METZ, AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz, Ap Technology Writer – Mon Mar 28, 6:40 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Online marketplace operator EBay said Monday that it will pay $2.4 billion for GSI Commerce, which operates websites for retailers like Toys R Us and Bath & Body Works.

EBay Inc., which runs its namesake site where users buy and sell items through auctions and fixed-price "Buy it Now" formats as well as online payments service PayPal, hopes the acquisition will bolster its ability to connect buyers and sellers around the world. It could also help it become more of a threat to Amazon.com Inc.

GSI runs websites, packs and ships products and offers interactive marketing services to a variety of retailers. It has long-term contracts with 180 retailers, including Radio Shack, Ace Hardware and American Eagle Outfitters.

Shares of GSI, which is based in King of Prussia, Pa., surged 51 percent, or $9.82, to $29.20.

EBay has been working on improving its eBay.com website by doing things such as revamping its home page, cutting upfront listing fees it charges sellers and bolstering its search engine. In an interview, eBay CEO John Donahoe said the GSI deal fits in with his company's efforts to help retailers grow.

"Commerce is at an inflection point where the lines between online and offline commerce are blurring," he said. "We see retailers of all sizes, merchants of all sizes, looking for partners that can help them grow their businesses."

Lots of businesses need help doing things like generating demand for products, running their websites, delivering goods to customers, and growing their mobile sales, Donahoe said. GSI does this for large companies, and eBay and PayPal do this for small- and medium-sized companies, he said, which makes the acquisition a natural fit.

The purchase might also help eBay compete with Seattle-based Amazon, which, in addition to selling many items directly, allows merchants to sell their products through its site and offers product fulfillment services, too.

EBay is already involved with GSI through PayPal, which was integrated with GSI customers' sites last year, Donahoe said. He hopes that the purchase will also result in some of the companies GSI works with selling their goods on eBay.com.

Forrester Research analyst Brian Walker said the acquisition is a good move for eBay since it adds diversity to its business and gives the company access to larger merchants and merchant services that have traditionally shied away from selling on its site.

"It makes them a solution for large, regular-price retailers and consumer brands who would not see eBay or PayPal as solutions," he said.

The price seems high, he said, but it reflects the growing importance of the Web and mobile commerce.

San Jose-based eBay said it will pay $29.25 per share, a 51 percent premium to GSI's closing stock price on Friday. The $2.4 billion total is the second-largest amount eBay has paid for another company thus far — in 2005 eBay paid at least $2.6 billion for Internet calling and messaging service Skype, which it has since sold.

As part of the acquisition, eBay plans to sell GSI's licensed sports merchandise business and 70 percent of shopping sites RueLaLa.com and ShopRunner.com.

EBay hopes to complete the deal in the third quarter. It says its 2011 net income per share will be 30 cents to 34 cents lower than its earlier outlook. In January, it had forecast earnings of $1.56 to $1.61 per share. Its adjusted earnings won't be affected. The company had forecast adjusted earnings of $1.90 to $1.95 per share in January.

The company expects the acquisition of GSI to add to its earnings per share in 2012.

Shares of eBay fell $1.36, or 4.3 percent, to $30.34.

___

AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report.

Twitter's first tweeter returns as product guru (AP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:29 PM PDT

– Mon Mar 28, 5:29 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Jack Dorsey, the Twitter co-founder responsible for the messaging service's first tweet five years ago, is returning to oversee the company's products.

Twitter is tapping into its creator's ingenuity as it tries to build upon its popularity to make more money by selling more ads. The privately held company doesn't disclose its finances, but research firm eMarketer Inc. estimates Twitter will bring in advertising revenue of about $150 million this year.

Dorsey, Twitter's original CEO, announced his new role Monday on his Twitter account. He says he intends to remain CEO of a mobile payments service called Square that's located near Twitter's San Francisco headquarters.

As part of his new job, Dorsey's title has been changed from Twitter's chairman to executive chairman.

"I'm thrilled to get back to work at Twitter," Dorsey tweeted Monday.

Dorsey stepped down as Twitter's CEO during the fall of 2008 and was replaced by another co-founder, Evan Williams. After that change, Twitter's online audience ballooned from about 3 million users to about 200 million now. Williams handed over the reins to Twitter's current CEO, Dick Costolo, nearly six months ago.

Costolo welcomed Dorsey back in a post on his Twitter account.

Even before Monday's announcement, Dorsey had been making increasingly frequent visits to Twitter to hang out and swap ideas with the company's employees, co-founder Biz Stone told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Dorsey began tinkering with the concept for Twitter as a side project within another company that Williams was running. Even after he stopped working for Twitter, Dorsey remained vested in its success because he is among the company's largest shareholders.

NY Times begins charging for digital access (AP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:20 PM PDT

– Mon Mar 28, 5:20 pm ET

NEW YORK – The New York Times began charging Monday for full access to its website and mobile services.

The third-largest U.S. newspaper is charging $15 every four weeks, or $195 a year, to read more than 20 articles a month on its website. That fee also covers a subscription on the newspaper's software for smartphones. The new fees kicked in at about 2 p.m. EDT.

Readers who want unlimited access on the website and the Times' software for Apple Inc.'s iPad tablet computer have to pay $20 every four weeks, or $260 annually. A digital subscription covering the website and both mobile options costs $35 every four weeks, or $455 annually.

The New York Times Co. is charging for digital access because online advertising revenue hasn't grown fast enough to offset losses in print ads.

Print subscribers will keep free online access. The Times is hoping to bring in more digital revenue while giving print readers more reason to keep their subscriptions.

The company declined to say Monday how many people have signed up for a digital subscription. But on Monday afternoon, the newspaper's customer-service line has a message telling people that they should expect longer-than-usual waiting times because of a high number of callers.

There are still ways for Web surfers to keep reading Times articles for free after they reach the 20-article limit in a given month.

Readers coming from a search engine such as Google or Yahoo get five free articles per search service per day. And there are no limits on the amount of traffic coming from two of the Web's most popular tools for sharing information, Facebook and Twitter.

Amazon.com Inc. said Monday that people who subscribe to The New York Times on the Kindle will get access to the newspaper's website at no extra cost. It didn't say when this would go into effect, just that subscribers will get more information in the coming weeks. Subscribers pay $20 a month to read the Times on the Kindle.

The Times said users of the iPhone and Android devices have to download a new version of the Times' software. An updated BlackBerry app is coming soon, so those users will get free access for now.

Shares of The New York Times Co. fell 6 cents to close Monday at $9.22.

50% of Tweets Consumed Come From Only 0.05% of Twitter Users [STUDY] (Mashable)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:06 PM PDT

Brian Anthony Hernandez Brian Anthony Hernandez – Mon Mar 28, 5:06 pm ET

A mere 20,000 Twitter users steal almost half of the spotlight on Twitter, which now ropes in a billion tweets every week.

That means only 0.05% of the social network's user base attracts attention, according to a new Yahoo Research study titled, "Who Says What to Whom on Twitter."

Of the 260 million tweets with URLs that the study's authors analyzed, nearly 50% of the tweets consumed were created by what they called "elite" users who fall into four categories: media, celebrities, organizations and bloggers. "Ordinary" users encompass everyone else.

Like findings in previous studies, the researchers for this one conclude Twitter resembles an information-sharing hub rather than a social network, with the top generators garnering huge follower tallies but not following their content consumers in return.

Unlike previous studies though, this one delves deeper into the production and flow of tweets. For example, while ordinary users consume a high number of tweets from celebrities and bloggers, those celebrities primarily listen to other famous people's tweets and those bloggers listen to other bloggers on Twitter.

"By studying the flow of information among the five categories … our analysis sheds new light on some old questions of communications research," the authors wrote in the 10-page study.

For access to a PDF of the full study, click here.

Do you think Twitter, which marked its fifth anniversary earlier this month, has evolved away from being a social network and transformed into just an information-sharing outlet? And if you think so, is that a good or bad thing?

Website to pay $950,000 for posting Beatles hits (AP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 05:53 PM PDT

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer Anthony Mccartney, Ap Entertainment Writer – Mon Mar 28, 8:53 pm ET

LOS ANGELES – A website that sold Beatles songs online for 25 cents apiece before they became legally available has agreed to pay record companies nearly $1 million to settle a federal lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton Tucker signed off on the settlement between BlueBeat.com and music companies EMI Group PLC, Capitol Records and Virgin Records America on Friday. The judge ruled in December that the site violated the music labels' copyrights and presented unfair competition.

A trial to determine how much BlueBeat owed the companies was scheduled to begin Tuesday in Santa Ana, Calif.

BlueBeat streamed and sold music by the Fab Four and other top-name acts, including Coldplay and Lily Allen, for several days before music companies sued to shut it down in November 2009. By then, the site had already distributed more than 67,000 songs by The Beatles.

The posting of Beatles songs came shortly after the release of the group's re-mastered albums and a pricey box set. A year later, Apple Inc. announced with great fanfare that it was selling Beatles music on its popular music service iTunes.

Within the first week, more than 2 million Beatles songs were purchased online for $1.29 apiece and 450,000 albums were sold.

BlueBeat had denied wrongdoing, claiming owner Hank Risan had pioneered a method called "psycho-acoustic simulation" that resulted in unique versions of copyrighted music.

The judge rejected his arguments and explanations of his technique in her December ruling, noting that Risan's recordings were based on copies of CDs that he had purchased.

Risan said the settlement amount was a fraction of what the companies sought. He said the site, which is still active but doesn't have any Beatles music available, is still working to register copyrights for 800,000 recordings.

"So long as we pay royalties, we can stream their stuff all day and all night without a problem," said BlueBeat's attorney Archie Robinson.

"We basically settled the case for their attorney fees," Robinson said. "I felt that was sort of an acknowledgement on their part that they don't have the damages they claimed."

Russell Frackman, an attorney who represented the recording companies, did not return a phone message seeking comment.

American Express makes digital wallets (AFP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 04:32 PM PDT

– Mon Mar 28, 7:32 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – American Express on Monday launched an online financial transactions service that it claims goes beyond what others provide in a market dominated by PayPal.

"Serve" went live in the United States and was to expand to other countries in the coming year.

"Serve is a new type of payment platform that isn't tied to a single card or mobile operating system," said American Express enterprise growth group vice president Dan Schulman.

"We intend to quickly evolve the Serve platform by adding new features and functionality as we learn from consumer and merchant experiences."

Serve essentially turns smartphones into digital wallets for people who rely on cash, checks, or bank debit cards.

Serve applications were available for iPhones and smartphones powered by Google-backed Android software. The service was also tailored for use at online venues such as social networking service Facebook.

Serve accounts could be tied to bank accounts, payment cards, or funded by money sent through peer-to-peer transactions between users of the service.

Serve could be used to settle bills at merchants that accept American Express cards.

American Express billed Serve as a "digital payment and commerce platform that gives consumers a new way to spend, send and receive money with services that go beyond the existing global payment network."

The Serve platform was based on technology American Express acquired when it bought online financial network Revolution Money in early 2010 in a deal valued at $300 million.

Sprint Nextel CEO got $9.1M pay package in 2010 (AP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 07:03 PM PDT

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer Alex Veiga, Ap Business Writer – 2 hrs 10 mins ago

Sprint Nextel Corp. President and CEO Daniel R. Hesse received total compensation valued at $9.1 million last year, a 26 percent drop from what he received in 2009, according to an Associated Press calculation of data filed with regulators.

Hesse, 57, received a salary of $1.2 million last year from the cellphone company, unchanged from the year before, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

He also received stock awards valued at $1.7 million at the time they were granted, more than double the amount from a year earlier, and option awards valued at about $1.8 million on the day they were granted, down 80 percent from the year before.

Hesse's performance-based cash bonus surged by more than threefold from the prior year to about $4.4 million.

The company said improvements in customer experience metrics, number of net postpaid subscriber results and total net wireless subscriber additions in the fourth quarter of last year were among the factors that influenced the performance-based payments to Hesse and other executives.

Hesse also got perks valued at $15,002, down 65 percent from what he received in 2009.

The perks package was comprised of $7,579 for home security; $5,887 for personal use of company aircraft; and, $1,536 in contributions to 401(k) and deferred compensation plans.

Hesse did not receive a bonus for 2010, or in the prior two years.

His total compensation in 2009 was $12.3 million.

The AP formula for executive compensation is designed to isolate the value that the company's board placed on the executive's total compensation package during the last fiscal year. It includes salary, bonus, performance-related bonuses, perks, above-market returns on deferred compensation and the estimated value of stock options and awards granted during the year.

The calculations don't include changes in the present value of pension benefits, making the AP total different in most cases from the total reported by companies to the SEC.

Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint Nextel has been struggling to turn its business around and stem a steady loss in subscribers dating back to its acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. in 2005.

In December, Sprint announced that it would start shutting down the Nextel network in 2013, and be done by 2015.

In the fourth quarter of last year, the cellphone company posted its first quarterly net gain of contract subscribers since December 2007, when Hesse was named CEO.

The subscriber gains come after big improvements in customer service, something Hesse has made central to his turnaround efforts.

The company ended 2010 with a total of 49.9 million subscribers, up from 48.1 million the year before.

Still, the company's losses deepened last year.

Sprint Nextel lost $3.5 billion, or $1.16 a share, in 2010. That compares with a loss of $2.44 billion, or 84 cents a share in 2009.

The company's full-year net operating revenue rose to $32.6 billion, from $32.3 billion the year before.

Sprint Nextel's stock price rose about 16 percent in 2010, climbing to $4.23 at the end of the year from $3.66 at the close of 2009.

Catch Notes Android app a big help for your memory (Appolicious)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 04:00 PM PDT

News Corp in talks with Vevo on Myspace: source (Reuters)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 07:38 PM PDT

– 1 hr 34 mins ago

NEW YORK (Reuters) – News Corp has held talks to give control of Myspace to the music label-owned video site Vevo.com, but the likelihood of a deal being reached was slim, a person with knowledge of the talks said.

News Corp in February kicked off the process to explore the sale or spin-off of its troubled social entertainment site, a person familiar with the talks told Reuters at the time.

The media conglomerate has tapped boutique investment bank Allen & Co to aid with the process, and as of February had already received early interest from around 20 parties.

In its talks with Vevo.com, News Corp is discussing exchanging Myspace for a stake in a new venture, the person said.

Representatives for News Corp had initially contacted Vevo to see if they would be interested in purchasing all of Myspace a few weeks ago but were rebuffed.

Since then, a joint venture has been proposed which could see News Corp spin off its stake into some sort of joint venture.

But the person close to the talks said the chances of a new joint venture with News Corp was "very slim."

Arguably one of the more valuable assets of Myspace is Myspace Music, a joint venture between Myspace and the four major music label owners including Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Music.

Vevo.com, launched in December 2009, is also a joint venture, owned by Universal Music, Sony Music and Abu Dhabi Media Co.

News Corp spokeswoman Julie Henderson declined to comment and representatives for Vevo.com did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Yinka Adegoke and Maria Aspan; Editing by Richard Chang)

3D smartphone showdown: LG Optimus 3D vs. HTC EVO 3D (Digital Trends)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 05:54 PM PDT

Jeffrey Van Camp Jeffrey Van Camp – Mon Mar 28, 8:54 pm ET

htc-evo-3d-front-and-lg-optimus-3d

This week, Nintendo launched the first major glasses-free 3D handheld device. If you're wondering, yes, it has better 3D than either of these two phones. However, HTC and LG aren't far behind. While I have no love for LG's implementation of 3D in the Optimus Pad tablet (T-Mobile G-Slate), LG's first attempt at 3D in the smartphone space is a different story. The LG Optimus 3D does the third dimension justice with glasses-free 3D. And HTC's new entry, like everything HTC seems to put out lately, is polished and worthy of attention. But which phone is the best and which offers the best 3D experience? I spent some time with both devices at last week's CTIA trade show. My findings are below.

3D effect

Winner: LG Optimus 3D (aka AT&T Thrill 4G)

ctia-2011-lg-optimus-thrill-3d-menu-of-3d

We have to hand this one to LG. We were unable to look at both phones side-by-side, but LG's 3D demonstrations had a lot more depth to them and the 3D viewing angles were slightly more relaxed on the Optimus. To be more specific though, LG created menus and software that specifically shows off the power of its 3D. HTC hasn't really done this yet. Its weather app had some fun 3D effects, but to really experience 3D, you had to open the camera. Neither device used 3D in the traditional menus. Representatives said this would drain the battery and strain the eyes. I agree.

On the lower left side of the LG Optimus there is a dedicated "3D" button that opens up a rotating 3D cart with camera, games, apps, YouTube 3D, and other options full of 3D-specific content. We're giving this category to the Optimus because it attempts to make 3D an experience instead of an underused feature. Several full games were rendered in 3D, something we did not see on HTC's device.

Horsepower

Winner: HTC EVO 3D

Both the EVO 3D and Optimus are great phones where it relates to specs, but the EVO pulls ahead. While there have been a lot of 1GHz dual-core processors floating around the show, the HTC EVO 3D is the first I've seen with a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor. The Optimus has a 1GHz TI processor. In addition, though both screens are 4.3 inches, the EVO 3D also has a higher resolution at 540×960; LG's display is a respectable 480×800. Both devices also have a full 1GB of RAM, but the LG has double the storage of HTC's device with 8GB. For some reason, HTC chose to only include 4GB of internal storage. However, where it lacks in storage, the EVO 3D makes up for in 4G WiMax support on Sprint. Despite the word "4G" in carrier name ("AT&T Thrill 4G"), AT&T's HSPA+ high speed network doesn't hold up to Verizon or Sprint's LTE and WiMax networks. HTC's EVO also has dual speakers, though it was too loud to try and figure out the benefit a second speaker brings.

Camera

Winner: HTC EVO 3D

htc-evo-3d-camera-and-lg-optimus-3d

Both devices have dual stereoscopic 5MP 3D rear cameras and 1.3MP front cameras, but HTC's device simply takes better photographs, overall. The 3D photos from both cameras had decent depth, but HTC's camera took better 2D pictures, especially in lower light. The HTC EVO pictures were more colorful and higher quality overall during the brief time I spent with the devices. HTC's camera software was more sophisticated, with more options and a display that showed pictures more naturally in 2D before it shifted to 3D.

Though the LG Optimus has a dedicated 3D button that opens up its 3D menu, HTC has a built in 2D/3D toggle that directly connects to its camera, which has a very nice round button. So for those interested in camera features, HTC appears to have had this in mind first and foremost. Both devices can shoot 1080p video in 2D and 720p in 3D, but I did not get a chance to shoot any moving video on either.

Operating System

Winner: HTC EVO 3D

There isn't much debate here. HTC is running on a brand new version of Sense built over Google's new Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. Not only do users get the performance and battery improvements of Gingerbread, but HTC's Sense is more complete experience than LG's custom interface. HTC's new 3D rotating cart effect (check it out in the video for the HTC EVO View 4G) is also fairly kickass. Still, the new LG interface does boast a few cool features like the ability to group and organize applications in new ways.

Overall

Winner: HTC EVO 3D

For being the first two phones with glasses-free 3D, I am fairly impressed with both the LG Optimus 3D and HTC EVO 3D. They both pull off 3D well (though neither compare to the Nintendo 3DS) and both companies were smart enough to not try and make the entire menu system 3D. LG's 3D apps menu also stands out and is a great demonstration of its capabilities. With that said, HTC's device takes the cake where it relates to 3D cameras, hardware, and operating system. Battery life and price may still be an issue with both of these devices, but as it stands we think HTC delivers a more solid overall experience.

Is Apple Delaying the Release of iPhone 5? (Mashable)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 12:20 PM PDT

Ben Parr Ben Parr – Mon Mar 28, 3:20 pm ET

Apple could be delaying the release of its unannounced generation iPhone from its typical summer debut to sometime in the fall due to the Verizon iPhone 4.

For the last four years, Apple has released a new version of the iPhone in June or July. And for the last three years, Apple has unveiled the phone at its Wordwide Developers Conference (WWDC), held sometime in June each year.

Earlier today, Apple announced the dates for the next WWDC. The announcement was unusual though. Apple's SVP of marketing didn't say anything about new hardware; in fact, it was all about software. "At this year's conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS," he said in the company's press release, making it sound as if a new iPhone wasn't high on the company's agenda for WWDC.

The Loop chimed in, claiming it has heard that WWDC will be "a software show in 2011, not a hardware event." Adding fuel to the fire is a new report that claims Apple has yet to order components for the iPhone 5. Apple typically orders the parts for its phones six months in advance, so if this rumor is true, then Apple won't have enough time to assemble enough iPhones for a June or July 2011 release, even if it started ordering parts tomorrow.

Instead, Apple may wait until September or October to release the iPhone 5, after its 2012 fiscal year begins. Apple's current fiscal year ends on September 24. The upcoming smartphone is rumored to include a a bigger screen and better cameras and could feature NFC chip technology and a metal back.

The reason Apple may be waiting to launch the iPhone 5 could be the Verizon iPhone 4, which it announced in January and launched in February. The CDMA-version of the iPhone has given Apple more than 100 million potential customers, so the company could be avoiding a scenario where it shoots itself in the foot by releasing a new iPhone too early.

By delaying the iPhone 5's launch, Apple can focus on acquiring new CDMA customers. A delayed release would also give Mas OS X Lion a more prominent role at this year's WWDC.

Image courtesy of iDealsChina

Boxee, Apple announce plans to change the mobile video streaming landscape (Appolicious)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 05:00 PM PDT

Remains of the Day: Da cloud, boss, da cloud! (Macworld)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 04:30 PM PDT

Dan Moren Dan Moren – Mon Mar 28, 7:30 pm ET

The forecast for the next version of Apple's mobile operating system is overcast. But if you're not so much interested in the future of Apple as you are the past—and you have $3000 to blow—then you're in luck. Elsewhere, Sprint makes a surprise announcement (surprise not included), and a popular iOS franchise makes its way to the big screen. Sort of. The remainders for Monday, March 28, 2011 are coming soon, to a theater near you.

iOS 5 Likely Pushed To The Fall After A Cloud Unveiling At WWDC (TechCrunch)

With iOS 5 likely due to be shown off at WWDC, rumors say it won't actually ship until the fall. But don't worry, when it does show up, rumors say it'll bring a heavy dose of cloud integration, including the previously suggested cloud music locker service, a cloud service for finding friends and family, and a free copy of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Apple Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh - NEW IN BOX!!! (eBay)

Want to pick up a piece of Apple history? There's a Apple Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh up for auction on eBay—but it gets better: this sucker's mint in box. At the current bid of $3050, it's almost reached half of its original $7500 pricetag. But for the winning bid, you could take it home, unwrap it, and fire up all 250MHz of its PowerPC 603e processor. Maybe you could play some Maelstrom or something.

Sprint Opposes Proposed AT&T Acquisition of T-Mobile USA (Sprint)

If surprises are your thing, you might as well just stop reading here. Sprint has officially voiced its condemnation of AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile. The fourth-place carrier notes that the deal would yield "a combined company that would be almost three times the size of Sprint in terms of wireless revenue and would entrench AT&T's and Verizon's duopoly control over the wireless market." Duoply, you say? Call Rich Uncle Pennybags—I'm about to make him a star again!

Angry Birds: The Movie (Trailer) (YouTube)

If you only see one movie based on an iPhone app this year… (Also, on the upside, if ever there were a film that would seem to encourage throwing things at the screen…)

Product News:

feedHopper RSS Reader 4.0 - Dyerware's RSS reader for the iPad updates to version 4.0, bringing a new Reading Mode feature that lets you specify font, margin, paper style, and other aspects of your reading experience. There's also a new sort button, AirPlay support for podcast, and a couple of bug fixes. $2.

Awaken 5 - The latest update to Embraceware Software's $10 Mac alarm clock software has been rewritten from scratch with an all new user interface, support for multiple timers, improved Apple remote support, and more. Available on the Mac App Store.

Justin Bieber song prompts royalties fight (Reuters)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 02:39 PM PDT

By Eriq Gardner Eriq Gardner – Mon Mar 28, 5:39 pm ET

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – A pair of artist managers have filed a lawsuit seeking royalties from the hit Justin Bieber song "One Less Lonely Girl."

Vance Tate and Thomas Oliveria claim in a lawsuit filed last week that they represent songwriters Sean Hamilton and Hyuk Shin, who collectively go under the moniker, A-Rex.

In 2008, A-Rex created a song, "One Less Lonely Girl," which ended up on Bieber's first album the following year and is credited as a collaboration among R&B star Usher, Hamilton, Shin, and two others.

Tate and Oliveria claim they are entitled to 10% of publishing royalties associated with A-Rex's share of the song.

The plaintiffs estimate that's worth at least $200,000 and are seeking damages for breach of contract, fraud, conversion, and copyright infringement. In addition to Hamilton and Shin, the suit also names EMI Music Publishing and LA Reid Music Publishing Company, an entity connected with Bieber's label boss Antonio "L.A." Reid.

Since the song was introduced by Bieber, with an accompanying music video, the title has become a slogan of sorts for his young female fans. The singer has sold scarves and red roses branded with "One Less Lonely Girl."

Explaining the song's concept, Bieber told MTV News, "I think it's really important these girls have something so they can be one less lonely girl."

Four Reasons To Avoid the BlackBerry PlayBook (PC World)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 05:33 PM PDT

Tony Bradley Tony Bradley – Mon Mar 28, 8:33 pm ET

The BlackBerry PlayBook will soon move from vaporware to the real world. The seven-inch tablet will be available April 19 in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models that match the price of equivalent Apple iPad 2 models at $500, $600, and $700. The parity of storage capacity and price makes for a somewhat level playing field in comparing the two, so here are a few reasons that stand out to steer clear of the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Size- While the two tablets may seem evenly matched you're paying the same amount for a smaller device with the PlayBook. It's like going to a restaurant and having them tell you that the medium drink, and the large drink are both the same price--wouldn't you get the large drink? There are those, however, who consider the seven inch tablet to be a virtue--lighter and easier to work with one-handed. I'm just not one of them. I don't agree that those factors are worth sacrificing display size.

tablet can fill the role of mobile computing platform in place of a notebook PC. With a tablet like the iPad 2 or Xoom, there is at least enough screen real estate to take on some productivity tasks, but a tablet like the BlackBerry PlayBook is more like an oversized smartphone than a slim notebook and is too small to accomplish much more than you can with many smartphones.

3G Wireless- The BlackBerry tethering feature is sort of cool--being able to sync email and use the PlayBook as a larger external display for a BlackBerry smartphone (although not much larger as we just got done talking about). However, with the PlayBook, tethering with a BlackBerry smartphone isn't just a feature, it's a necessity. The initial PlayBook models will only be equipped with Wi-Fi, and will be unable to sync data with a BlackBerry Enterprise Server at all. Tablets like the iPad 2 and Xoom also come in 3G models with cellular networking to connect in areas where no wireless network is available.

Email- The PlayBook doesn't do email. Using BlackBerry Bridge to tether the PlayBook with a BlackBerry smartphone will allow some email functionality by enabling the smartphone connection with BES to pass through to the tablet. As for email outside of BES, RIM suggests using the Web to get to it--like logging into Outlook Web Access. An update is planned for later this year which will supposedly give the PlayBook the ability to connect to BES natively, and possible expand other email options, but for a tablet aimed primarily at business users this wonky email setup is a severe handicap.

Apps- RIM won some bonus points with the announcement that the BlackBerry PlayBook will be able to run Android apps. Kudos. However, Android as a platform has only fraction of the apps available for Apple's iOS. If you break it down based on apps that are actually designed for the tablet as opposed to the smartphone, the gap is even wider in favor of the iPad. I know that the majority of app pitches I get are aimed at the iPad, and when I inquire about other platforms Android is on the radar, but has to wait a few months because it's a lower priority.

The Android apps won't run natively either, which could lead to performance issues. The Android apps will run in an a separate environment within an app player which can be downloaded from BlackBerry App World. The PlayBook will also run BlackBerry apps, but there are even fewer of those.

In many ways, the PlayBook seems more on par with the Atrix 4G laptop dock than with other tablets. It has more functionality than the Atrix 4G as a standalone mobile device, but when it comes to critical functionality the RIM tablet relies heavily on the BlackBerry smartphone.

If you have a BlackBerry smartphone, there are some cool features in the PlayBook and you should at least check it out--but, I believe that other tablets still present a much better value. If you don't have a BlackBerry smartphone, don't even think about getting a PlayBook tablet.

Middle East censors wield Western software: report (AFP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 06:48 PM PDT

– 2 hrs 24 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Even as Western leaders call for democratic freedom in the Middle East, software from US and Canadian firms is being wielded by censors in oppressive regimes, a report has said.

Programs crafted to keep children from getting to porn websites or other material deemed off-limits by parents can readily be modified for mass political censorship, according to OpenNet Initiative (ONI) findings.

"Western companies are playing a role in the national politics of many countries around the world," concluded the ONI report authored by Helmi Noman and Jillian York.

"By making their software available to the regimes, they are potentially taking sides against citizens and activists who are prevented from accessing and disseminating content thanks in part to filtering software."

The study looked at Internet filtering programs made by US and Canadian companies.

Censors in at least nine Middle Eastern and North African countries used US or Canadian software to limit what citizens could access on the Internet, according to the report.

Internet service providers in Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, Sudan, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used Western-built filtering tools to prevent block certain online material, ONI said.

Taboo topics included sex, dating services, homosexuality, skeptical views of Islam, and secular and atheist discourse.

Censors also blocked information about ways to remain anonymous on the Internet or circumvent online filters by using "proxy" servers.

"By relying upon out-of-the-box filtering systems, states have outsourced the task of deciding what is or is not acceptable speech," the report's authors said.

The report gave an example of Internet service providers in Qatar, Yemen, and the UAE using filtering software made by Canada-based Netsweeper, which reportedly acknowledged working with telecom operators in those countries.

"Western government leaders have advocated for human rights and the free flow of information in heavily censored countries," the report stated.

"But, we have yet to see concrete initiatives from these governments to address how Western companies are directly collaborating with -- and perhaps profiting from -- the government censors."

NASA computer servers vulnerable to attack: audit (AFP)

Posted: 28 Mar 2011 09:09 AM PDT

– Mon Mar 28, 12:09 pm ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – NASA's inspector general warned Monday that computer servers used by the US space agency to control spacecraft were vulnerable to cyber attack through the Internet.

"We found that computer servers on NASA's agency-wide mission network had high-risk vulnerabilities that were exploitable from the Internet," NASA inspector general Paul Martin said in an audit of NASA's network security.

"Specifically, six computer servers associated with IT assets that control spacecraft and contain critical data had vulnerabilities that would allow a remote attacker to take control of or render them unavailable," the report said.

It said a cyber attacker who managed to penetrate the network could use compromised computers to exploit other weaknesses and "severely degrade or cripple NASA's operations."

The inspector general's audit of NASA's computer security found "network servers that revealed encryption keys, encrypted passwords, and user account information to potential attackers.

"These data are sensitive and provide attackers additional ways to gain unauthorized access to NASA networks," the report said.

The inspector general warned that "until NASA addresses these critical deficiencies and improves its IT security practices, the agency is vulnerable to computer incidents that could have a severe to catastrophic effect on agency assets, operations, and personnel."

The inspector general performed the audit after NASA experienced a number of cyber intrusions that the report said resulted in the "theft of export-controlled and other sensitive data from its mission computer networks."

The inspector general cited a May 2009 incident in which cyber criminals infected a computer system that supports one of NASA's mission networks.

"Due to the inadequate security configurations on the system, the infection caused the computer system to make over 3,000 unauthorized connections to domestic and international Internet Protocol (IP) addresses including addresses in China, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, and Estonia," the report said.

It said that in January 2009, cybercriminals stole 22 gigabytes of export-restricted data from a Jet Propulsion Laboratory computer system.

The inspector general recommended that NASA immediately act to mitigate risks on Internet-accessible computers on its mission networks and carry out an agency-wide IT security risk assessment.
at 9:41 PM

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