Yahoo hopes to reach readers with iPad magazine (AP) : Technet

Yahoo hopes to reach readers with iPad magazine (AP)
Review: After long search, AP reviewer buys iPhone (AP)
Qualcomm reports stronger results, forecast (AP)
Huge asteroid will pass Earth within the Moon’s orbit on November 8 (Yahoo! News)
Just Show Me: How to use the Newsstand on your iPhone or iPad (Yahoo! News)
No Time to Buy Toothpaste? Hoseanna Offers Subscriptions to Staple Items (Mashable)
Yahoo unveils tablet, smartphone apps (Reuters)
Google picks Mobile as model for mobile business (AP)
Android phone repair cost telcos billions: study (Reuters)
Qualcomm upbeat for 2012 on mobile devices (Reuters)
!Blether hands on: Private group chat with a Twitter twist (Digital Trends)
Judge allows Sprint suit against AT&T/T-Mobile deal (Reuters)
Five iPhone apps to keep your life together (Appolicious)
Telefonica to slash handset range in cost drive (Reuters)
Chuck D files $100M class-action suit against label (Reuters)
Apple loses patent battle with small Spanish tablet maker (Digital Trends)
Apple to issue software fix for iPhone battery (Reuters)
HP Taps Calxeda Server-on-a-Chip for Demo Lab (NewsFactor)

Yahoo hopes to reach readers with iPad magazine (AP)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 02:37 PM PDT

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke, Ap Technology Writer – Wed Nov 2, 5:37 pm ET

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Yahoo has begun to distribute an iPad magazine that illuminates the Internet company's ambitions and the chronic hiccups that have thrown its fate into doubt.

The free magazine, called Livestand, has intriguing potential because its software can be customized to pull a deep pool of content from Yahoo's website and other participating publishers to cater to each user's interests.

But the magazine didn't arrive until Wednesday, well behind Yahoo Inc.'s own timetable for the product and 19 months after Apple Inc. began selling the iPad.

Since its launch last year, the iPad has thrust tablet computers onto the cutting edge of both technology and media.

Yahoo is counting on Livestand to keep its brand and services relevant as more people embrace the iPad and other mobile devices to consume digital content. The company also hopes that the magazine's customization tools make it easier to determine what each reader likes so advertisers can target their messages at people mostly likely to buy their products.

Yet Yahoo's delays in seizing such opportunities have been a recurring problem during the past decade. A combination of hubris, bureaucracy and poor decision-making caused Yahoo to react too slowly to threats posed by Google Inc. in Internet search and Facebook in social networking. That has left Yahoo badly weakened in two key markets.

Those setbacks are the main reasons Yahoo has been mired in a financial funk during a five-year stretch that saw the company go through three different CEOs who were unable to engineer a turnaround. Yahoo's board has been reviewing whether to sell all or parts of the company since firing Silicon Valley veteran Carol Bartz as CEO nearly two months ago.

If Yahoo remains independent, Livestand may become a key piece of Yahoo's latest comeback attempt.

It represents Yahoo's first major step toward building products primarily aimed at mobile devices before adapting them for desktop computers.

Besides drawing upon Yahoo's own content, Livestand chooses material from ABC, Forbes magazine, Parenting magazine and an assortment of publications devoted to sports and hobbies. Publishers will be offered a chance to sell subscriptions through Livestand next year.

Livestand "is sort of a re-imagining of what Yahoo can be," Blake Irving, Yahoo's chief product officer, told reporters after he unveiled the magazine at the company's Sunnyvale headquarters.

The magazine's debut came nearly nine months after Yahoo offered its first preview of Livestand. At that time, Yahoo said it hoped the magazine would be available in iPad's app store by June.

But Irving said Yahoo needed more time to ensure that the technology provided a smooth experience for readers, publishers and advertisers.

While Yahoo fine-tuned its product, several other digital magazine applications have attracted millions of users. One of the most popular, Flipboard, was hailed by Apple as its "app of the year" for 2010.

In a Wednesday interview, Irving scoffed at the notion that Yahoo's offering was coming too late.

Although the iPad has been around for a while, he said only a small fraction of the 700 million who regularly visit Yahoo's website currently own a tablet computer. That will change, though, during the next few years, if analysts are right in their predictions that tablets will become must-have devices in most households and offices.

"The window is still wide open for tablets," Irving said. "We are still in the very early stages."

Yahoo expects to have Livestand ready when tablets running on Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 8 operating system are ready to be sold. Microsoft hasn't said when Windows 8 will ship, but most analysts believe it will happen during the next eight to 11 months.

Besides Livestand, Yahoo also introduced an iPad app for its email service and another app called IntoNow that recommends content based on what a user is watching on television. Yahoo got the IntoNow technology as part of an acquisition earlier this year.

Irving pointed to the new products as a sign that it's business as usual at Yahoo amid speculation that the company be sold or broken up.

"We still have dreams about what this company can be," he said.

Review: After long search, AP reviewer buys iPhone (AP)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 03:58 PM PDT

By RACHEL METZ, AP Technology Writer Rachel Metz, Ap Technology Writer – Wed Nov 2, 6:58 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – I felt nervous and a little giddy sidling up to the counter at the Apple Store on the first day the new iPhone went on sale last month.

I'd just given the iPhone 4S a rave review, and I was going to buy one for myself. It was about to be my first iPhone and only my second smartphone.

I was a little freaked out.

I hadn't bought a cellphone since October 2008, when I got the first phone running Google's Android software, the G1, on its first day on sale. Since then, I've reviewed scores of phones for The Associated Press, and I've given personal recommendations to friends and family.

When it came to opening my own wallet, though, it got a lot harder: There were so many great phones out there, but none that had it all. I'm sure I'm not the only person who's had trouble deciding.

I really liked the G1 at first and because it never died, I kept using it. But over the years, smartphones have moved light years ahead. I granted it a new lease on life in January by replacing its battery, but with sluggish performance, tired features and an inability to run many newer apps, I knew time was running out.

It wasn't just the phone. It was also the phone's service plan with T-Mobile.

I've been a loyal T-Mobile customer for years. I've stuck with it when my first apartment in New York lacked coverage and again when I moved to a San Francisco apartment where I have to practically stick my head out the window to get a signal. But that was getting tiring.

I wanted a hot, new phone and reliable service to go with it.

As a gadget reviewer, you'd think it would be easy for me to pick out a new cellphone. I know what's out there, and I have access to the top devices. At any given time, I have a disturbing number of "loaner" smartphones crowding my desk, waiting to be reviewed or sent back to a handset maker or wireless carrier.

As it turns out, this made it even harder to make a decision. Part of me felt paralyzed by choice, while another part of me felt no existing phone had everything on my wish list of features. I also hesitated knowing that anything I bought would soon be replaced by a newer model.

On top of all that, I felt anxious about signing a new two-year service contract. I'd been going month to month with the G1 for almost a year. I was fearful that if I committed now, I'd miss out on a better phone over the next two years — one packed with more goodies from my wish list.

I wanted it all. I wanted design and ease of use like the iPhone, but with an operating system that's more flexible, like Android. I didn't want a physical keyboard, but I longed for a good on-screen keyboard. I wanted the ability to use third-party keyboard software like Swype for fast typing, something I couldn't do with an iPhone. I also desired an awesome touch screen and a built-in camera that could take the place of my trusty, yet older-model digital camera.

Also, it had to work well in my home and office.

When the iPhone 4 came out last June, it had much of what I wanted, but I wasn't completely swayed. I also held off because it was still only available with AT&T's network, so it would barely work in my apartment.

When the iPhone came to Verizon Wireless this February, I was more tempted by that network's reliability. But I figured I could hold out until June, when Apple typically announces a new iPhone. I figured a new iPhone would have an even better camera and processor and other features besides those. So I waited.

When it became clear a new iPhone wouldn't be coming until the fall, I waited some more.

By the summer, my G1 was looking sadder and sadder. After reviewing the excellent T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide, I almost gave in and bought one for myself, but I didn't want a physical keyboard or two more years of being tied to my service provider.

Finally, the iPhone 4S was announced in October. I reviewed it and was impressed enough with the hardware and new software to brave the launch day crowds and get a white 16-gigabyte model that runs on Verizon Wireless' network. It cost me $199 and will tie me up with the carrier for two years.

Now, several weeks later, I'm happy with my decision.

The iPhone 4S isn't perfect. I really wish, for example, that Apple would let outside developers offer keyboard apps for the device. Yet it's a fast, fantastic smartphone. Despite complaints from other users that they've been experiencing poor battery life, I haven't noticed any problems so far. And Verizon's service, while costlier than what I had with T-Mobile, is reliable for calls and transferring data.

One of my favorite parts of the device is Siri, the built-in "personal assistant" that responds to your voice in a soothing, robotic female tone. It can do everything from scheduling meetings to texting friends to telling you how many calories you'll burn if you bike 100 miles (4,455, assuming you're a 159-pound male).

Most impressive to me are the little things. For instance, if I ask her midday to set an alarm for 7 o'clock, Siri knows I mean 7 p.m. (she'd set it for 7 a.m. if I issued the same order in the evening). I've used voice-recognition software before, but never anything like this.

Weirdly, I often find myself saying "thank you" after Siri completes a task, almost as if she were a friend doing me a favor (her responses range from "that's nice of you to say" to "your wish is my command.")

I'm digging the organizational features, such as the Notification Center, which gives me a quick glance at missed calls, appointments, weather and more when I swipe down on the screen.

Also, the camera is great. At a recent Portishead concert, I was able to snap plenty of detailed shots very quickly, even in the low light of an outdoor evening show.

Not long after I switched, I got a tempting offer in the mail from T-Mobile. Come back to us, it pleaded, and we'll give you any smartphone for free.

For a moment, I imagined returning to T-Mobile's welcoming arms and snagging a new Android smartphone. I'd pick an expensive one, naturally, as the letter said I could have any one I wanted. The iPhone's not for everyone, I reminded myself, and there are plenty of people who are happy with other handsets.

Then I remembered why I switched to Apple's gadget — and changed networks — in the first place.

Most people won't get their hands on as many phones as I have as a gadget reviewer, but chances are they share my desire for getting the best product at the best price.

For my money, the iPhone 4S gives me the right combination of brains, beauty and reliable service.

And so, I set the letter aside and got back to playing around with my new iPhone.

___

Rachel Metz can be found on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rachelmetz

Qualcomm reports stronger results, forecast (AP)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:35 PM PDT

By JORDAN ROBERTSON, AP Technology Writer Jordan Robertson, Ap Technology Writer – Wed Nov 2, 7:35 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Qualcomm Inc., a chip-maker for mobile phones, reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results driven by rising smartphone demand.

In Qualcomm's fiscal fourth quarter, which ended Sept. 25, the company's net income was $1.06 billion, or 62 cents per share, up 22 percent from $865 million, or 53 cents per share, a year ago.

Excluding special items, the company said Wednesday that it earned 80 cents per share, which was higher than the 78 cents per share that analysts polled by FactSet expected.

Revenue rose 39 percent to $4.12 billion, higher than the $3.99 billion expected.

For fiscal 2011, Qualcomm earned $4.26 billion, or $2.52 per share, on $15 billion in revenue.

Qualcomm makes its own chips and licenses its wireless technologies to other companies for use in their chips. The San Diego-based company is benefiting from rising smartphone use, which means phone makers need more powerful and expensive chips to handle voice and data traffic on the devices.

The company said it particularly benefited from demand in emerging markets and in third-generation, or 3G, phones — the common type available today. Many carriers are upgrading their networks to fourth generation, and phones for those networks are starting to appear.

Another maker of cellphone chips, Texas Instruments Inc., last week reported falling net income in its latest quarter on weak overall demand, yet one bright spot was sales of its OMAP "application processors," which function like a PC's central processing unit.

Texas Instruments' weakness lies primarily in areas outside of cellphones, as it makes chips for a variety of industrial and other functions. Another cellphone chipmaker, Broadcom Corp., also reported lower earnings but said its wireless division was strong. Like TI, areas outside of cellphones were the company's biggest weaknesses, such as chips for broadband modems.

For fiscal 2012, Qualcomm expects earnings of $3.42 per share to $3.62 per share, excluding items, on revenue of $18 billion to $19 billion. Analysts expected earnings of $3.46 per share and revenue of $17.3 billion.

Shares rose $4.86, or 9.3 percent, to $57.04 in extended trading Wednesday after the results were reported. In regular trading earlier, the stock increased $2.04, or 4.1 percent, to close at $52.18.

Huge asteroid will pass Earth within the Moon’s orbit on November 8 (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 06:25 PM PDT

Just Show Me: How to use the Newsstand on your iPhone or iPad (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 06:16 PM PDT

No Time to Buy Toothpaste? Hoseanna Offers Subscriptions to Staple Items (Mashable)

Posted: 01 Nov 2011 03:55 PM PDT

Sarah Kessler Sarah Kessler – Tue Nov 1, 6:55 pm ET

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Hoseanna

Quick Pitch: Customized subscriptions to staple items such as Pantyhose, tampons and deodorant.

Genius Idea: Marrying a subscription service with practical products to save women time.

[More from Mashable: Moredays Adds Life to Your Digital Calendar]

Even women who fit the shopohalic stereotype are unlikely to find much thrill in a deodorant purchase. The same goes for the pantyhose, tampons, condoms and beauty products that they keep stocked. Instead of taking time from their days to purchase these items, Hoseanna gives women the option to have them automatically shipped to their homes every two or three months.

Subscription products for women aren't a new idea, but the company that popularized it, Birchbox, focuses on samples of high-end beauty products. Birchbox is more about fun than practicality.

"We're not fashion, we're not luxury," says Hoseanna co-founder Tracey Solomon. "Our luxury, if you will, is convenience."

Solomon and her co-founder Katrina Carroll-Foster, who went to the same Canadian high school together, both have a history of demanding jobs that limit their time more than their discretionary spending. Like an increasing number of women, they're likely to pay for the convenience of services like Fresh Direct, laundry delivery and dog walkers.

Companies such as Soap.com have already tapped into this trend by offering delivery on household products and cosmetics. Hoseanna has taken it a step further by adding a Birchbox-like subscription model.

Hoseanna customers can either buy items for just one time, or set a delivery schedule for individual products on a two- or three-month schedule. They receive a confirmation e-mail ten days before each shipment so that they have time to cancel, and their credit cards aren't charged until the box ships.

The New York City-based startup has been shipping since August 2010, when it launched in private with just Pantyhose. Even though it ended up being one of the hottest sumemrs on record and few women were wearing pantyhose, sales were high enough to encourage the co-founders to add other products in August 2011.

Aside from shipping fees on orders less than $30, there's no charge for using the service. Hoseanna's profits are baked into the price of its products -- just like a brick and mortar store. Solomon says that the startup has been doubling its number of sales every month since it expanded beyond Panythose in August. Because the company is just getting started and won't talk specifics, however, it's hard to say whether this is an impressive as it sounds.

If the company does indeed sustain its traction, it will be proving the effectiveness of a mantra that could easily carry over into other genres of products:

"We want to give women back five minutes of their days," Solomon says.

Image courtesy of Flickr, sparkieblues

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Yahoo unveils tablet, smartphone apps (Reuters)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:59 PM PDT

– Wed Nov 2, 7:59 pm ET

SUNNYVALE, California (Reuters) – Yahoo Inc unveiled a handful of products to try and bolster its mobile and social networking offerings, as the struggling Web company continues to evaluate its future.

The company, which fired CEO Carol Bartz in September, introduced new multimedia applications for tablet personal computers and smartphones on Wednesday, and demonstrated new technologies aimed at attracting third-party publishers and advertisers to a new Apple Inc iPad-based media service.

"Innovation in this space is happening on mobile devices first, and it's closest to users and that's where the fastest-growth markets are," product chief Blake Irving told reporters at Yahoo's Sunnyvale, California headquarters.

Among the new products unveiled were a multimedia newsstand for tablets dubbed Livestand, a weather application for Android mobile devices, and a new version of IntoNow, a social application related to television, for the iPad.

Yahoo has long endured criticism for lacking a more comprehensive strategy for engaging Web users who are drifting away from PCs and spending more time on tablets and smartphones.

It has been undergoing a strategic review of its business since ejecting Bartz. The company has hired investment bank Allen & Co and has entertained inquiries from various private equity firms, including Silver Lake Partners, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Asked how Yahoo can stay focused on developing new products amid the uncertainty, Irving said the company's mission has not changed and the staff remain dedicated to developing innovative products.

"I'm personally more bullish on Yahoo today, than I was two weeks ago, eight weeks ago, a year ago," Irving said without elaborating.

"We have dreams about what this company can be, and that's what we're building."

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Richard Chang)

Google picks Mobile as model for mobile business (AP)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 03:32 PM PDT

By PHILLIP RAWLS, Associated Press Phillip Rawls, Associated Press – Wed Nov 2, 6:32 pm ET

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Google Inc. went far from its California headquarters to make an Alabama city its model in a new campaign to help businesses build better websites for mobile devices. The alliteration, Mobilizing Mobile, was simply too good to pass up.

It doesn't matter that mobile and Mobile (moh-BEEL) are pronounced differently.

Google spokeswoman Sandra Heikkinen said some executives in Mountain View, Calif., are still practicing the pronunciation of the city, but "we love the alliteration."

The search giant is planning a series of events and workshops in Mobile from Nov. 14-16 to help businesses build a presence on the mobile Internet and get new customers. Participants will have the opportunity to have their desktop websites developed for portable devices like smart phones and tablets the same day as the workshop. It can tell potential customers their location, phone number, hours of operation and other information designed to drive business.

"Someone can find them that afternoon," said Jason Spero, Google's director of mobile advertising for the Americas.

For Google, it's part of an international effort, GoMo, to get more businesses using mobile sites.

For Mobile, it's an opportunity for businesses to get their sites developed and hosted free for a year. It's also an opportunity for the city to turn a digital search disadvantage into an advantage.

Leigh Perry Herndon, vice president of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, said people who type Mobile into an Internet search often get more information about telecommunications companies than they do the port city in Alabama. But now that spelling problem has brought Google to the city.

"This is one of those benefits of having a name that sounds like something else," she said.

Google executives said that while Mobile's name made it attractive, research made it a cinch. They found a city with a diverse range of businesses and a tech-savvy population with heavy broadband use, but lots of potential for development with mobile devices.

Herndon said many Mobile businesses have developed websites aimed at desktop computer users, but they have not adapted to the small screens of smartphones. She said Google is giving businesses a way to get with the latest trend in finding business information.

"You have an opportunity to get on board or you find your website outdated," she said.

Spero figures people with smart phones in Mobile are like people everywhere: They carry their phones with them all the time and they want to navigate the digital world from their phones.

"I truly believe this is driving a sociological change," he said.

___

Online:

GoMo Initiative: http:// www.howtogomo.com/

Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce: http://www.mobilechamber.com/

Android phone repair cost telcos billions: study (Reuters)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 05:12 PM PDT

– Wed Nov 2, 8:12 pm ET

(Reuters) – Fitting older versions of Google's Inc popular Android software to cheaper cellphones could send the repair costs of global telecoms operators up as much as $2 billion, a study by wireless services firm WDS showed.

Costly hardware failures are more common on Android devices than on Apple Inc iPhones and Research In Motion Inc BlackBerry phones, which have strict control over the components used in their devices, WDS data showed.

Cheaper Android models, costing as little as $100 to make, have helped Android emerge as the dominant platform in smartphones, attracting dozens of manufacturers ranging from Samsung Electronics Co Ltd to no-brand Asian vendors.

"While this price point sounds very attractive, when you look at a total cost of ownership its a different story," said Tim Deluca-Smith, Vice President of Marketing at WDS, which offers device management and call center services to operators.

Android's share of the global smartphone market rose to 57 percent in the third quarter from 25 percent a year earlier and just 3 percent two years earlier, boosted by the success of models from Samsung, HTC Corp and Sony Ericsson, according to research firm Canalys.

Deluca-Smith said that, while Android has helped take smartphones to masses of people, it has come at a cost, especially when telecommunications operators roll out cheaper devices from less-known brands.

"At the moment, Android is a bit of the Wild West," he said.

He said returning a device costs an operator on average 80 British pounds in service costs, transport fees or in the costs of replacing of the device.

The study covered 600,000 technical support calls taken by WDS across Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia.

(Reporting By Tarmo Virki; editing by Andre Grenon)

Qualcomm upbeat for 2012 on mobile devices (Reuters)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 04:26 PM PDT

– Wed Nov 2, 7:26 pm ET

(Reuters) – Chipmaker Qualcomm Inc forecast double-digit sales growth this fiscal year, banking on continued strong demand for smartphones and mobile devices as its quarterly results beat Wall Street estimates.

San Diego based Qualcomm makes chips for a number of mobile devices, including Apple Inc's newest iPhone, which has seen record sales since its launch last month and helped to boost Qualcomm's earnings in the past quarter.

Chief executive Paul Jacobs said on Wednesday he anticipated demand for smartphones and tablets to remain strong and said the company would also benefit from further expansion of data network technology in emerging countries.

The mobile chip maker estimated full-year revenue of $18 billion to $19 billion, an increase of 20 to 27 percent from a year ago, and 7 percent to 13 percent growth in earnings per share.

For the current quarter and holiday shopping season, it expects sales to jump 30 percent to 42 percent.

By comparison, rivals Broadcom Corp and Texas Instruments Inc both warned last month that revenue could slip on weaker demand this quarter.

However, while Broadcom also makes chips for Apple products and other cellphone makers, it has a larger exposure to the declining PC market as does Texas Instruments.

Analysts welcomed Qualcomm's outlook saying there was little not to like.

"They really don't have any PC exposure and they have been picking up some market share, plus they are benefiting from a pickup in Apple and Nokia," said Aalok Shah D.A. Davidson & Co.

Sanford C. Bernstein & Co's Stacy Rasgon said Qualcomm was "baking in some economic uncertainty ... but to have them guide this way is good."

Qualcomm said on a conference call with analysts that consumers would likely hang on to their phones longer before replacing them in countries where GDP growth was lower and that the company had factored in that the global economy was a little weaker.

Qualcomm, which also makes money off licensing royalties for its chip patents, posted fourth quarter net earnings of $1.06 billion, or 0.62 cents per share, compared with $865 million, or 53 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter.

Revenue in its fourth quarter, which ended September 30, rose 39 percent to $4.12 billion, compared with Wall Street expectations for almost $4 billion according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Qualcomm shares rose 9 percent in late trading after closing at $52.18 in the regular Nasdaq session.

(Reporting by Nicola Leske; editing by Richard Chang and Andre Grenon)

!Blether hands on: Private group chat with a Twitter twist (Digital Trends)

Posted: 02 Nov 2011 05:44 PM PDT

Andrew Couts Andrew Couts – Wed Nov 2, 8:44 pm ET

If the current trend in third-party chat applications based around Twitter is any indication, it would seem the micro-blogging service's 100 million users just aren't satisfying their instant communication fix.

The latest to the Twitter-based chat arena is !Blether, a private, browser-based group chat app. Unlike some other Twitter chat apps, however, !Blether – which is Scottish for "blather" or "nonsense" – does not use Twitter's direct message or @mentions system for the chat. In other words, everything you say through !Blether is not posted to Twitter in any way. !Blether uses a private system, and all conversation is only accessible to people invited into a particular chat.

The only functions !Blether actually does use Twitter for is login credentials, and inviting other users to chat. To initiate a !Blether chat, simply send a tweet that starts with â€œ!bâ€

"!b @name1 @name2 subject"

Everyone you've mentioned will receive a link to join the chat. They'll have to first allow the !Blether app to access their account, of course, but then they're in. It's also possible to send an invite directly from your !Blether dashboard.

Still, itâ€™s hard to shake the feeling that everything youâ€™re saying in a !Blether chat is being posted to your Twitter feed, at least at first. But Kevin Bradshaw, chief executive of Blether Labs, assures us everything we say is safe and sound inside the Blether servers.Â

"Twitter is used only for the invites," Bradshaw told Digital Trends. "Everything else runs on our servers, so it's totally private."

We here at DT have been testing out !Blether for the past day or so. And it actually fares surprisingly well. Here's a quick rundown of what we've found:

The good

Since all !Blether chats run through the !Blether system, messages are not limited to 140 characters, which would be a major strike, if they were. In other words, it functions just as you want it to function.

!Blether also allows for as many people to be in a single chat as you like, and you can technically have an unlimited number of chats going at one time. Since !Blether uses Twitter only for invites, it also allows you to invite people to chat, even if you don't follow each other on Twitter.

Another good feature — or, at least, it seems good so far — is that !Blether saves all your old chats, so you can go back and look at past conversations, if you wish to do so for whatever reason. !Blether also makes it possible to restart chats at a later time. And if you shut down your browser, or it crashes, you can easily jump right back into a chat.

The bad

Itâ€™s important to remember that !Blether just launched on Wednesday, meaning itâ€™s still very much in beta, and there are a number of technical issues that need to be worked out before !Blether can make the big leagues.Â

These quirks include weird reloads of the chat that happen out of the blue, and the fact that, as of today, !Blether automatically censors profanity out of your private chat messages. We asked Bradshaw about this odd and troublesome â€œfeature,â€

As for real problems with !Blether: First, the only person who can invite other people to join a chat is the person who started the chat room in the first place. Weâ€™re sure there are reasons for this, but we found it to be an irritating limitation.Â

Second, when chatting with a large group of people (say, four or more), we found it difficult to keep track of who's talking with whom. It would be very nice if !Blether would add an alert feature, like a different-sounding chime, when someone wants to address you directly. As it is, !Blether makes a chime when anyone writes anything, if you're not currently on the chat window — a highly distracting feature if you're trying to do anything else besides chat at that particular moment.

Most of our other complaints are fairly minor. For instance, every message sent in a chat is posted with "a second ago." As in, this message was just posted "a second ago." While this might be useful later, if you want to review the conversation, it's mildly distracting when you're engaged in a fast moving chat.

Conclusion

Overall, !Blether works surprisingly well for a new platform. It's different than some of the other options out there, like Bonfire.im, which launched last week and works like an instant message chat system that's integrated directly into a user's Twitter dashboard. And, if you ask us, that's a good thing, as there are amazingly few free, mainstream group chat applications out there.

It was because of this lack of a private group chat client, and the desire to chat privately with other Twitter users, that !Blether got its start.

"I was at a conference, and an audience member sent an interesting tweet," says Bradshaw. "I wanted to talk to them privately about it and invite in a colleague (also in the audience). There was no way to do it, and now there is."

If you're going for a heavy-duty group chat app, something you can use safely for inter-office communications and the like, we recommend going with Campfire – but that will cost a minimum of $12 a month, which only allows for up to 12 chatters total. The price goes up to $99 a month for up to 100 chatters, but Campfire also allows for a wide range of other functionalities that !Blether and every other Twitter-based chat client lack.

Long story short: If you're looking for a way to chat with you Twitter friends, !Blether is definitely a good way to go.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

Technet

Wednesday, November 2, 2011