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Friday, September 9, 2011

AT&T defends T-Mobile deal in response to DOJ suit (AP) : Technet

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AT&T defends T-Mobile deal in response to DOJ suit (AP) : Technet

AT&T defends T-Mobile deal in response to DOJ suit (AP)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:36 PM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 7:36 pm ET

WASHINGTON – AT&T is countering the U.S. government's attempt to block its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile by depicting the deal as a way to provide consumers with better cell phone service at lower prices.

The argument, submitted in a Friday court filing, is AT&T Inc.'s first legal response to a lawsuit that the Department of Justice filed last week in an effort to ensure T-Mobile remains independent. AT&T's 25-page document echoed the company's previous contention that buying rival T-Mobile will enable it to expand its mobile communications network so there are fewer dropped connections in a world where constant online access is becoming the norm.

The Justice Department believes there wouldn't be enough competition if AT&T devours T-Mobile, creating a void that would increase prices and reduce the incentive to develop new technology.

AT&T's lawyers contend that the Justice Department's analysis reflects a misunderstanding of the market. They say T-Mobile, the fourth largest cell phone carrier with 33.6 million customers, isn't a significant competitive threat to AT&T, the No. 2 carrier with nearly 100 million customers. T-Mobile has been losing market share in recent years, a trend that AT&T argues will discourage its German parent, Deutsche Telekom, from investing to improve its own wireless network.

In contrast, AT&T says it spent more than $30 billion in network upgrades from 2008 through 2010, yet still can't keep up with customers' growing demand to transfer data over phones and other wireless devices, according to the court documents. But if it can snap up T-Mobile, AT&T believes the added capacity will put it in a better position to deliver better services. AT&T already has pledged to invest at least $8 billion and transfer 5,000 jobs currently in overseas call centers back to the U.S. if the T-Mobile purchase goes through.

The court filing also seeks to counter the Justice Department's theory that the U.S. cell phone market would be dominated by just three carriers — AT&T, Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp, if T-Mobile disappears from the market. AT&T's filing cites "innovative upstarts" MetroPCS and Leap/Cricket and regional carriers such as US Cellular and Cellular South as viable alternatives for most consumers.

"The (Justice) Department does not and cannot explain how, in the face of all these aggressive rivals, the combined AT&T/T-Mobile will have any ability or incentive to restrict output, raise prices, or slow innovation," the AT&T's lawyers wrote.

It's unusual for the Justice Department to challenge a proposed acquisition in court. Most companies back out of deals to avoid tangling with the government. But AT&T has a huge incentive to fight: It will have to pay a $3 billion termination fee if its agreement with T-Mobile unravels.

The first hearing in the case is set for Sept. 21 in Washington before U.S. District Court Judge Ellen Huvelle.

AT&T, which is based in Dallas, is seeking a quick resolution to the case.

Hackers send fake terror alerts from NBC's Twitter (AP)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 05:04 PM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 8:04 pm ET

NEW YORK – A hacker broke into the Twitter account of NBC News and sent out a handful of false tweets about a suspected hijacking and a plane attack at ground zero just days before the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Staffers noticed the false tweets at around 6 p.m. Eastern time Friday, contacted Twitter and soon after had the account suspended.

Host Brian Williams then read a statement on air saying the reports were false.

A group calling themselves Script Kiddies mentioned themselves in the tweets and appeared to be responsible.

By about 7 p.m. Eastern, the account was restored and the false tweets removed. NBC is contacting authorities including the New York Police Department and FBI about the incident.

Shuttered SAP subsidiary charged in Oracle theft (AP)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:17 PM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 7:17 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – A week after a big win against Oracle, German software maker SAP AG has been dealt a new blow in a theft case involving a now-defunct subsidiary.

The Justice Department has criminally charged the SAP subsidiary, TomorrowNow, with 12 counts related to the theft of software and documents from Oracle Corp. websites in a 4-year-old case.

The theft, which SAP has acknowledged, led to a $1.3 billion jury verdict against SAP last year. Last week, a federal judge threw out the award, calling it "grossly excessive." Unless Oracle accepts a lower, $272 million award, a new trial will be ordered in the civil case.

The criminal charges were filed Thursday. SAP will be on the hook for penalties, but the proposed amount is under seal. SAP agreed to a plea deal and sentencing is set for Wednesday.

The case stems from Oracle's discovery that TomorrowNow performed massive downloads of documents that were intended for Oracle customers. Oracle argued that SAP used the stolen information to steal customers. SAP argued that TomorrowNow didn't steal many customers with the information, and should only have to pay $40 million for accounts it did manage to lure away.

A jury awarded Oracle more than 30 times that amount in November, one of the largest verdicts in a case involving software-related theft.

Tecca TV: TechLife on cyborg bugs, fire surfing, pizza in space, and more! (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:08 PM PDT

Opel to introduce EV concept car that costs pennies to drive (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:03 PM PDT

Blogger Finally Releases an iPhone App (Mashable)

Posted: 08 Sep 2011 03:58 PM PDT

Ben Parr Ben Parr – Thu Sep 8, 6:58 pm ET

[More from Mashable: Google's South Korea Office Raided]

Google has finally launched an iOS app for Blogger, giving the blog network's millions of users a simple way to write, manage and publish posts from their iPhones.

The app, available for iOS users 3.2 and up, is rather straightforward. It allows users to compose and publish blog posts complete with photos and geotagging. It also lets users view and edit their published and draft blog posts. It mimics the simplicity of the Blogger for Android interface, though. Users can also manage multiple blogs from the interface.

[More from Mashable: Google+ Power Users Reject Suggested Users List]

While the app works for the iPad, it only works in compatibility mode. Hopefully an iPad app is in the near future.

This is the first official Blogger app for the iPhone. BlogPress created an unofficial app that Blogger endorsed, but an official app has been long overdue. The blogging service, once the world's largest blogging service, has been overshadowed by WordPress, Tumblr and more lightweight competition. Google recently started investing in an overhaul of the service in an attempt to make Blogger relevant once again.

What do you think of Blogger and its new iOS app? Let us know in the comments.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Internap not for sale, bets on data center growth: CEO (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:44 PM PDT

By Rachana Khanzode Rachana Khanzode – Fri Sep 9, 6:44 pm ET

(Reuters) – Internap Network Services Corp, a provider of services that help improve Internet connectivity, is not up for sale at a time when a wave of consolidation is sweeping through the fast-growing telecom networking industry.

Bankers and analysts had identified Internap as a potential target for bigger rivals amid a scramble to tap into strong demand for 'cloud computing' that allows remote access to computing power and data over the Internet.

"I am not shopping the company and we listen to any offers that come in and respond accordingly," Internap's Chief Executive Eric Cooney told Reuters.

Analysts reckon AT&T Inc, Windstream Corp, CenturyLink Inc and Frontier Communications are all on the prowl for takeover opportunities in the space.

"At this stage the best value for our shareholders is to continue executing our organic growth plan," Cooney said.

A number of deals have been struck this year including Verizon Communications Inc's $1.4 billion bid for Terremark and phone company CenturyLink Inc's more recent $2.5 billion acquisition of Savvis.

"We believe Internap represents a compelling buy as it operates defensive telecom businesses with solid growth prospects, has no debt and the recent drop in the stock," Clayton Moran, an analyst at The Benchmark Co, told Reuters.

Earlier this year, rival Rackspace also said it was committed to staying independent. Other players like Equinix, InterXion Holding NV and private firms SoftLayer Technologies Inc and Joyent are also considered attractive targets by some analysts.

Cooney was the former CEO of TANDBERG Television and oversaw its acquisition by Ericsson Group in 2007. He left TANDBERG to become Internap's CEO in March 2009 and has been instrumental in driving growth in the company's data center business.

EYES DATA CENTER GROWTH

Originally an internet protocol (IP) service provider, Internap began to provide its own data center services under CEO Cooney's leadership. The company also did away with its business that was primarily selling data centers for other providers.

Internap is betting on growing demand for web-hosting in data centers -- large warehouses lined wall-to-wall with powerful computer storage servers, marking a shift away from its other business, IP services.

"While the IP services is strategically important to us...in financial or revenue terms, the dollars of growth will come prominently from the data center side," Cooney said.

The company's revenue was almost equally divided between internet protocol (IP) services in its latest reported quarter on July 28. Its IP services revenue has stayed stagnant or declined over the past year, but its data center business has fared much better.

Cooney expects Internap's data center business to outpace the market growth rate of 15-20 percent.

Demand for data center services has been driven by an explosion in telecommunications and the growing popularity of cloud computing.

"Increasingly we will look much more like Rackspace, Savvis or Terremark did before they got acquired, in terms of revenue and profitability growth," he said.

Internap will add 42,000 square feet to build on its capacity of 141,000 square feet, as it eyes growth in 2012 and beyond.

The company's shares have fallen about 38 percent since it posted its second-quarter results in late July. They closed at $4.54 on Friday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Rachana Khanzode in Bangalore; Editing by Viraj Nair)

AOL shares fall; report of possible Yahoo tie-up (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 01:42 PM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 4:42 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Investors sent shares of AOL down over 5 percent on Friday after conflicting reports about a possible tie-up between AOL and Yahoo.

AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong reportedly approached private equity firms to gauge interest in a deal with Yahoo that would place Armstrong as the head of the combined company, according to a Bloomberg report.

CNBC later reported that a source close to Yahoo said the company had no interest in a deal with AOL.

AOL shares closed down 5.3 percent at $14.72 while Yahoo inched up 0.3 pct to $14.48.

Both Yahoo and AOL declined to comment.

Benchmark analyst Clay Moran said that AOL investors were likely disappointed that Yahoo was not interested in a deal.

This is not the first time that reports of an AOL-Yahoo tie-up have surfaced. Last year, AOL, once famed for its dial up and email services, tapped Bank of America to explore strategic options, including a potential merger with Yahoo, people familiar with the matter told Reuters at the time.

Yahoo has been embroiled in its own troubles, causing the ousting of its Chief Executive Carol Bartz earlier this week.

(Reporting by Jennifer Saba and Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

Online books project founder dead in Ill. at 64 (AP)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:10 PM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 7:10 pm ET

URBANA, Ill. – Long before the Kindle, Nook or iPhone, there was Michael S. Hart and his Project Gutenburg, a network of volunteers dedicated to providing free online access to as many books as they could.

Hart, who is also considered the founder of the e-book, died Tuesday at his Illinois home, said Stephanie Gabel of Renner-Wikoff Chapel and Crematory in Urbana. He was 64. Gabel did not know the cause of death.

Hart was a University of Illinois student when he founded Project Gutenberg 40 years ago.

Hart often said he got started in 1971 by typing the text of Declaration of Independence into a computer network that he and about 100 others had access to. In an interview last year, he said the project and a variety of partners it works with have made more than 100,000 books available for free online.

His obituary posted on Project Gutenberg's website said Hart worked as an adjunct professor — someone who works without tenure and has to effectively be rehired ever year. But in interviews over the years, he and friends made clear the project was his life's work and joy.

"I get little notes in the email, saying `Hey! I just (found) Project Gutenberg, and this is great stuff," Hart told WILL radio in Urbana in a 2003 interview. "You get people that (it) just tickles their fancy, and they just read and read and read, and they're so happy about it."

Hart was born in Tacoma, Wash., in 1947, and grew up in Urbana. He served in the U.S. Army before graduating from the university with a liberal arts degree.

Books added to Project Gutenberg initially had to be typed by Hart and others into computers for distribution. The project has sometimes been criticized for errors and typographical mistakes.

Hart said he just wanted to distribute as many books as possible.

"This mission is, as much as possible, to encourage all those who are interested in making eBooks and helping to give them away," Hart wrote on the project's website, then later noted: "Project Gutenberg is not in the business of establishing standards."

___

Online: http://www.gutenberg.org/

Analysts expect 8 billion app downloads for Apple this year, but more for Android (Appolicious)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:01 AM PDT

NBC News Twitter hacked with fake attack messages (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:46 PM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 7:46 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The NBC News Twitter feed was hacked on Friday by a group that claimed a hijacked plane, in a fresh attack, had crashed into the site where New York's twin towers were destroyed in September 11 attacks 10 years ago.

The hoax by a group called The Script Kiddies came just two days before the United States marks the 10th anniversary of the 2001 attacks on New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington.

"The NBC News twitter account was hacked late this afternoon and as a result, false reports of a plane attack on ground zero were sent to @NBCNews followers," NBC said in a statement.

"We are working with Twitter to correct the situation and sincerely apologize for the scare that could have been caused by such a reckless and irresponsible act," the network added.

The Twitter account was later suspended, but according to screen shots of the fake tweets, three messages were sent in quick succession.

"Breaking News! Ground Zero has just been attacked. Flight 5736 has crashed into the site, suspected hijacking. more as the story develops," read the first. The Script Kiddies claimed responsibility in a later tweet.

New York and Washington D.C. are already on high alert in response to a credible but unconfirmed threat of an al Qaeda plot to target the cities on the anniversary of the downing of the World Trade Center towers by hijacked airplanes.

The hacking of the NBC News Twitter account was met with instant condemnation. The Business Insider called it a "disgusting 9/11 prank", while Washington Post blogger Melissa Bell said the tweets seemed "particularly shocking and cruel."

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Cynthia Johnston)

Sprint Reportedly To Offer Unlimited Data for iPhone 5 (NewsFactor)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 04:05 PM PDT

Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com Jennifer Leclaire, newsfactor.com – Fri Sep 9, 7:05 pm ET

First, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint would get the iPhone 5. Now, Bloomberg is reporting that Sprint will follow in the footsteps of Verizon and offer an unlimited-data package plan. But some analysts are wary of the rumors.

Two weeks ago, the Journal cited people familiar with the matter saying Sprint would start selling the iPhone 5 in mid-October. That would help Sprint compete with Verizon and AT&T and leave a struggling T-Mobile out of the iPhone loop.

Bloomberg picked up where the Journal left off, also citing people familiar with the matter, with a report that Sprint would rely on unlimited-data service plans to distinguish itself from the other iPhone carriers.

"It's a competitive disadvantage if your two larger competitors have the iPhone and you don't," Matthew Thornton, an analyst at Avian Securities, told Bloomberg. "Getting the iPhone closes that gap."

Rumors Likely True

The rumors aren't so farfetched. Sprint does, after all, offer unlimited data plans on high-profile smartphones for $100 a month. BlackBerry and HTC devices that run on the third-largest carrier can tap into plans for all-you-can eat voice and data service.

But carriers have run into problems with unlimited-data plans for the iPhone.

Even if Sprint did get the iPhone 5 -- and even if Sprint offered unlimited-data plans on the device -- the unlimited plans might be short-lived.

The unlimited plans were offered as Verizon rolled out its iPhone 4, in a move to win customers from AT&T. But in July Verizon put the kibosh on the all-you-can-eat services for new accounts.

"I think it's a little too early to discuss because the rumors have been spring rumors," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "I am going to wait until there is something to comment on. I am not saying Sprint won't get the iPhone 5, but Sprint didn't say it."

Death of Unlimited?

Verizon's kibosh was followed by AT&T's decision to throttle the heaviest mobile broadband users on its network. Starting Oct. 1, AT&T smartphone customers with unlimited plans -- the wireless carrier describes these customers as those whose extraordinary level of data usage puts them in the top 5 percent of heaviest users in a billing period -- may experience throttling, or reduced connection speeds.

AT&T stressed that the action would only affect a minority of consumers, those who use 12 times more data on average than typical smartphone data customers. Essentially, consumers that aren't data hogs won't notice any difference in connection speeds.

So, again, even if "people familiar with the matter" are reporting that Sprint will get the iPhone 5 in mid-October, and that it will offer unlimited data plans, it likely would be a matter of time before Sprint's network would become overloaded by the mobile broadband hogs -- and the third-largest carrier would have to do what its competitors are doing, shift down.

Reports say Sprint will entice iPhone owners with unlimited data (Appolicious)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 11:00 AM PDT

Adobe Offers Server Solution To Flash Video on iOS (NewsFactor)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:31 PM PDT

Barry Levine, newsfactor.com Barry Levine, newsfactor.com – Fri Sep 9, 6:31 pm ET

Adobe has been showcasing new tool capabilities to handle HTML5 technologies, but the company has not completely given up its efforts to get Flash on Apple's iOS mobile devices. This week Adobe announced its new Flash Media Server 4.5, with a new workaround solution so that Flash-based video will play on the iPad and iPhone.

The new Media Server adds iOS support, and allows content owners to create HTTP-based content on the fly. It also provides integrated content protection, for simplification of deployment or lowering of infrastructure cost.

HTTP Live Streaming

Users of the Media Server can now stream Flash-encoded video content as HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), which Apple's iOS supports, instead of MPEG4 in the F4F file format. When the Media Server detects that a device, such as an iPad, does not have Flash, it provides the video as MPEG2 in HLS format on the fly.

Browsers that are designed to support HTML5 technologies can handle HLS. However, Adobe's solution only works with video streaming, not with games or animation created in Flash.

While this could solve publishers' problem of providing video that displays on Apple's devices as well as on others, it also can be seen as a sign that Adobe is resigned to having to straddle both worlds.

Last month, Adobe released a new HTML5 tool, called Edge, for creating Web motion and interaction design using those standards-based technologies. Apple in particular has favored HTML5 technologies over Flash, and has complained about Flash's performance, security, and power drain on mobile devices.

Edge, New Flash Access

When it released Edge, Adobe said it saw the tool as a complement to its Flash Professional and Flash Builder software. The company pointed out that it had previously issued a variety of significant HTML5 milestones, including contributions to jQuery, code for WebKit, and enhancements to HTML5 in the company's flagship product, Creative Suite 5.5.

While Edge is HTML5-specific, Adobe has been clear about its intention to appear as a champion of these open-standard technologies throughout its product line. Its Creative Suite 5.5, announced in May, went further than earlier versions in its support of content created using HTML5 as well as Flash.

Along with Media Server, the company on Thursday released its Adobe Flash Access 3.0, for delivering content with a single, back-end workflow. Access now has the ability to leverage the same content delivery, protection, and monetization infrastructure for mobile devices and platforms.

Access also now offers the ability to deliver many TV channels to millions of online subscribers, with a content protection solution that the company said is cost-efficient. The updated software is also compatible with an industry-standard, cloud-based digital rights locker, UltraViolet, that allows consumers to create their own video libraries and watch them across various devices.

Samuel Goldwyn nabs "Diana Vreeland" doc at festival (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 02:29 PM PDT

By Joshua L. Weinstein Joshua L. Weinstein – Fri Sep 9, 5:29 pm ET

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Samuel Goldwyn Films has beaten out IFC, Magnolia, Sony Pictures Classics and Music Box to make the first acquisition of this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

The company bought North American rights to "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel," a documentary about the late fashion editor of Harpers Bazaar.

Goldwyn slated the movie for a 2012 release.

Lisa Immordino Vreeland, who is married to the fashion icon's grandson, directed the movie. Her co-directors are Bent-Jorgen Perlmutt and Frederic Tcheng, who edited "Valentino: The Last Emperor."

According to Samuel Goldwyn Films, "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel" is "an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the 20th century, an enduring icon whose influence changed the face of fashion, beauty, art, publishing and culture forever. During her 5-year reign as the 'empress of fashion,' she launched Twiggy, advised Jackie O and coined some of fashion's most eloquent proverbs."

Peter Goldwyn, the company's head of acquisitions, and Ian Puente, its VP business development and general counsel negotiated for Goldwyn. Josh Braun and David Koh of Submarine negotiated on behalf of the filmmaker.

A Steve Jobs Death Rumor Sweeps Through Twitter (The Atlantic Wire)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 01:50 PM PDT

Rebecca Greenfield Rebecca Greenfield – Fri Sep 9, 4:50 pm ET

Shortly before 3pm, a single from the CBS operated What's Trending account about  ("Reports say that Steve Jobs has passed away. Stay tuned for more updates.") has sparked a frenzy of speculation about the founder of Apple. What's Trending soon retracted the tweet: "Apologies- reports of Steve Job's death completely unconfirmed. Live on." But big tech blogs like Gizmodo are on high alert. "We realize we're cranking the wheel on the rumor mill by writing this, but we want to settle the question definitively. So we've got our feelers out everywhere, and are trying to either quash this rumor or verify some awful news we've all been dreading," writes Sam Biddle. 

Related: Apple's Lawsuit Against Samsung Is a Bad Idea

Much of the speculation seems to be tied up with Apple's stock performance on Friday: down just below 2 percent. Jobs, of course, stepped down as CEO two and a half weeks ago but he's staying on as chairman. Even if he's not the chief anymore, he's still expected to be a guide behind the company. So, it's worth pointing out, that while Apple was down, it basically kept pace with the broader market late this afternoon, even gaining a bit after the rumor started circulating on Twitter. So while the tech bloggers are worried, the stock market investors do not.

Related: Apple's Getting Serious About TV

Alibaba to release English mobile OS this month: executive (Reuters)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 02:55 AM PDT

– Fri Sep 9, 5:55 am ET

HANGZHOU, China (Reuters) – Alibaba Cloud Computing, a unit of Alibaba Group, will release an English version of its mobile operating system this month and launch its tablet in the next two months, a top company executive said on Friday.

Wang Jian, Alibaba Group's chief architect and president of Alibaba Cloud Computing, told reporters the firm was in talks with global hardware vendors on partnerships regarding its mobile OS but declined to give details.

Chinese Internet companies are expanding into the mobile hardware space as they try to bolster market share in a nascent but rapidly growing market.

"Eventually all our services will be delivered on mobile. People will spend less time in front of their computer screens and more time in front of their smartphones," Wang said.

Wang said that the English mobile OS would be available via upgrade.

Alibaba launched in late July its first self-developed mobile operating system and smartphone in a bid to capture a slice of China's rapidly growing mobile Internet market.

Earlier this week, Dell Inc confirmed that it was working with Baidu Inc to develop smartphones and tablets for the Chinese market.

(Reporting by Melanie Lee; Writing by Kazunori Takada; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

Google Reveals Details About Its Carbon Footprint (NewsFactor)

Posted: 09 Sep 2011 12:06 PM PDT

Barry Levine, newsfactor.com Barry Levine, newsfactor.com – Fri Sep 9, 3:06 pm ET

Google is coming clean about how green it has become. Among other things, the technology giant has revealed that, for all its services, its servers use less energy for a month, per user, than a light bulb that burns for three hours.

But, put together, the company's data centers continually use about 260 million watts, or about 25 percent of what a nuclear power plant generates.

Zero-Carbon Footprint

The company's greenness was detailed for the first time in a posting Thursday on its official Green Blog, and elsewhere. On the blog, Urs Hoelzle, senior vice president for technical infrastructure, noted that, because Google has been a carbon-neutral company since 2007 -- that is, it saves or removes the same amount of carbon emissions as it creates -- even the three hours of a light bulb per user is offset. The resulting carbon footprint of the company is zero.

Previously, Google has been general in discussing its energy use, possibly to avoid releasing competitive information. Now, in an apparent effort to show off its successful conservation and impact-less use of energy, the company is releasing some statistics.

It said its custom-built data centers used only about half the energy of most other centers. About 30 percent of its current electricity use is from renewable sources, including renewable energy already in the grid and renewable energy the company buys directly. That figure is expected to grow to over 35 percent next year.

The company's solar-generated electricity, bike-to-work programs, and other efforts remove the equivalent of about 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year. At the Mountain View, Calif., headquarters alone, solar panels generate about 3 million kWh of clean energy annually.

Reusing a Paper Mill

A huge part of Google's energy needs, of course, are its massive data centers. The company has said that it emphasizes four concepts to increase energy efficiency. It accurately measures power usage, keeps the centers warm to reduce cooling costs, designs each element in the data center to operate at optimal efficiency, and cools data centers without chillers.

The company's newest data center, in an old paper mill in Hamina, Finland, uses a variety of innovative techniques to reduce energy use. For instance, raw seawater from the Gulf of Finland uses an existing seawater tunnel, originally built for the paper mill. The seawater is run through heat exchangers, then sent to a "tempering building," where it mixed with more, cooler seawater. It is then returned to the Gulf at a temperature close to the natural one. No compressor-based or refrigerant-based cooling is used.

On Thursday, the company also released a study about the energy savings from using cloud-based services versus housing local servers. It cited data showing that "cloud-based services like Gmail allow organizations of all sizes to reap" advantages of increased efficiency, reduced overhead, and creating a smaller carbon footprint.

Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp, said that the greening of data centers "is not a passing fad," because it can be a substantial cost-saving measure. She noted that Dell, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, and HP have also been leaders in this area.

The biggest savers, she said, are virtualization, cloud services and the rise of the remote, mobile workforce, which often mean fewer local power needs.
at 9:37 PM

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