Apple Developing Video Sharing App for iPhones & iPads (video)

Apple Said to Be Developing iPhone Video Sharing App:

Apple is developing a video sharing and editing application and is testing new related features for its iPhone and iPad operating systems. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports on "Bloomberg Markets" August 25, 2016.

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Google Duo Review: Simple iOS, Android Video Chat (video)

Google Duo Review: Simple iOS, Android Video Chat:

Google Duo does one thing: cross-platform one-on-one video calls. WSJ's Joanna Stern asks Nathan Olivarez-Giles if it's worth the download. Video above published August 16, 2016

More info:

• duo.google.com
• Official Google Blog: Meet Google Duo, a simple 1-to-1 video calling app for everyone
• Google Duo is like FaceTime but more fun | money.cnn.com

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The Best Smartphones You Can Buy (video)

The Best Smartphones You Can Buy - What's the best iPhone to buy? Is the Galaxy S6 a good bet? WSJ's Joanna Stern reviews the top iOS and Android smartphones for 2015. Video: Drew Evans/The Wall Street Journal. Published Dec 2, 2015

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Europe's Rosetta Spacecraft Lands Probe on Comet (video)

Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft landed the first ever probe on a comet, the culmination of a decade-long mission to the icy body that’s currently between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Planetary Resources President Chris Lewicki speaks on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg 11/12)

iOS weakness allows hackers to replace iPhone apps | Technology | The Guardian: iOS Vulnerability--"A weakness in newer versions of iOS lets hackers install apps on iPhones or iPads by sending users an email or text message."

PCWorld
Nexus 6 review: The best Nexus yet, if you can tolerate its gargantuan size
PCWorld
The biggest, most expensive, and best Nexus phone Google has ever produced. All it needs is decent camera software. Share on Facebook · Share on Twitter · Share on Google+ · Share on LinkedIn · Share on Pinterest. It's bound to happen. You'll be lining ...


Wall Street Journal
Amazon Web business jumps 40 percent
The Seattle Times
The head of Amazon Web Services says a long list of businesses in every “imaginable segment” is using AWS “in a meaningful way.” 


Android Headlines - Android News
Samsung VR Headset Arrives in December
PC Magazine
Samsung told developers at its SF conference that the future is wide open for exciting new tech platforms...

ABC News
The New Way You Can Say 'Thank You for Being a Friend' on Facebook
ABC News
There's a new way to say, "Thank you for being a friend," on Facebook. The social network announced today it is launching a new service, "Say Thanks," that allows users to send video cards to their friends and family. The service is gradually being rolled out ...


CIO Today
Microsoft Releases Another Windows 10 Build
Tom's Hardware
Microsoft's Gabe Aul updated the Windows blog on Wednesday with news that a new version of Windows 10 is now available to download. This new build, 9879, includes new windowing and gesture improvements, tweaks to OneDrive usage, improvements ...


Christian Science Monitor
AT&T halts improvements until FCC decides on net neutrality
Christian Science Monitor
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson says the company will pause further investments into its fiber networks until the government makes a decision on net neutrality....


Detroit Free Press
Pew Privacy Survey: We've Lost Control Over Our Personal Data
NBCNews.com
A new Pew Research Center survey reveals that nearly all Americans surveyed feel they've lost control over how companies collect and use their personal information. The survey by the Pew Research Center's Internet Project asked 607 U.S. adults about ...


Wired
Microsoft's big play for the future of development
ITworld.com
It's hard to change direction when you're a company the size of Microsoft. In the past 18 months however, they've become considerably more open and modern. Today in a not so surprise move, Microsoft announced .NET Core 5, a component of the next ...

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How Disastrous was Windows 8? One Clue: It Killed Windows 9

Don't go looking for Windows 9--it doesn't exist--Microsoft officially unveiled the name of its next of Windows on Tuesday, and for some reason Microsoft decided to skip "9" and go straight to 10--"Windows 10." read more at: Windows 10 is the official name for Microsoft's next version of Windows | The Verge. And unfortunately for Microsoft, Windows 8 did a lot more damage than just kill the idea of Windows 9, it alienated millions of loyal customers who have since moved on to Google (Android and Chrome OS) and Apple (iOS and OS X). Here's the hard truth for Microsoft: with the advent of the Cloud and the ubiquity of connectivity, there's decreasing need for a Windows PC--a good Chromebook [tip: always get 4GB RAM] costs less, is more secure, and can satisfy all needs of over 90% of all users (consumers and knowledge workers), and Chromebooks can now work offline.


Fortune
Microsoft unveils its new Windows 10 operating system
Fortune
Microsoft has unveiled its new Windows operating system, and has given it a surprising name: Windows 10. Most in the techie media had expected ...
Microsoft Offers First Peek of Windows 10 - Wall Street Journal
5 things Microsoft users should know about Windows 10 - USA TODAY
Why Did Microsoft Brand Its Next OS Windows 10? - Forbes


Wall Street Journal
Microsoft Skips Windows 9 to Emphasize Advances - ABC News
Microsoft unveils first look at Windows 10 - USA TODAY


New York Times
As PayPal Spins Off, Apple Pay Signals New Era at Cash Register
New York Times
But the service, expected in the coming weeks, already has the technology industry ...Google Wallet, for example, was hamstrung by limitations on the types of ... And other competitors to Apple — like Samsung or Microsoft, which ...
Will Google Buy PayPal? - 24/7 Wall St.


Slate Magazine
Facebook Atlas ad platform: Your data will follow you across Web, apps, devices.: "... a new advertising platform called Atlas. ... they’ll be drawing on all of Facebook’s knowledge of you as an individual in order to target you. They’ll be able to do that even if you’re not logged into Facebook and have cookies turned off... Facebook [is now] in direct competition with Google’s DoubleClick service, offering advertisers the chance to target users and measure their ads’ reach on a potentially wide array of sites as well as mobile apps... Atlas won’t rely on browser cookies... they’re notoriously ineffectual on mobile devices. Google has been working to address this problem... If you’ve ever logged into Facebook on your phone, Facebook has linked your phone’s unique identification number to your Facebook account. So when you use another app or a different browser on the same device, Facebook’s computers still know it’s you..."


The New Yorker
Does a Yahoo–AOL Merger Make Sense?
The New Yorker
In a profile of Yahoo C.E.O.'s, Marissa Mayer, from August of 2013, Vogue suggested that, since leaving Google to join Yahoo the previous year, ...


Reuters
Google searches for right note in online music business
Reuters
Google's YouTube service has become a low-profile titan in streaming ... The new version will incorporate technology acquired by Google with the ... going to continue to see the big players like Apple and Google experiment,” ... E-commerce giant Amazon launched its music service in June, providing ...

We Now Know Nearly Everything About Google's Giant New
Lisa Eadicicco
Google hasn't confirmed its new smartphone yet, but we may have a pretty good ...

Apple Releases OS X Yosemite Golden Master Candidate to Developers
Eric Slivka
Apple today released a candidate golden master version of OS X Yosemite to developers, just over two weeks after releasing the eighth Developer ...

Google announces Drive for Education: free, unlimited storage & more security
Harrison Weber
... Drive for Education, a new service that bolsters Google's existing Google Apps for Education service with unlimited storage, ...
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Free Voice Calls From Google Hangouts App

Voice calls in Hangouts: call history (left); dialer (middle); in a call (right) (source: Google)

Free voice calls from Hangouts: "... Hangouts already makes it easy to send a quick message, or start a group video chat. But sometimes it’s best to just call to say “I love you,” and with the new version of Hangouts you can. Starting today you can make voice calls from Hangouts on Android, iOS and the web. It’s free to call other Hangouts users, it’s free to call numbers in the U.S. and Canada, and the international rates are really low. So keeping in touch is easier and more affordable than ever. To get started on Android, just grab the new version of Hangouts (v2.3, rolling out over the next few days), then install the accompanying dialer to turn on voice calls. On iOS and the web, voice calls
will be available the next time you open the app..."

Call phones in Hangouts: Worldwide Calling Rates

Turn any Hangout into a live video call with up to 10 friends or simply choose a contact to start a phone call from your computer. Who says you can’t be together even when you’re not?
Download Hangouts: Google Play | iTunes App Store | For your computer

More info on Google Hangouts

Exclusive: Nokia, Windows Phone Brands to be Replaced By Microsoft, Windows - Geek on Gadgets : Geek on Gadgets: "we can confirm that Microsoft will be completely dropping the “Nokia” branding from their devices, leaving “Lumia” as the hero brand for upcoming devices. In fact we understand that the Lumia 830 and Lumia 730 will be the final two devices to launch with “Nokia” branded on the phone.  Future devices will most likely carry the “Microsoft” name along with “Lumia”."

RadioShack's Last Hope for Survival: Shrinking Fast in Bankruptcy - Businessweek: "RadioShack’s mission—to shrink like crazy—hasn’t been accomplished fast enough. The ailing electronics retailer said on Thursday that it may not be able to avoid bankruptcy. While still holding out hope for new financing, the company acknowledged it could run out of money as soon as this month..."


CNN
Facebook testing disappearing posts
CNN
(CNN) -- If you want to use Facebook a little more like Snapchat, you might soon get your chance. The social-media giant is testing a feature that would ...

What Exactly Is the Facebook Messenger App for iOS Tracking? | Motherboard: "... iOS forensics and security researcher Jonathan Zdziarski spent Tuesday morning disassembling Facebook Messenger’s iOS binary, at one point declaring via Twitter that “Messenger appears to have more spyware type code in it than I've seen in products intended specifically for enterprise surveillance.” In an email, Zdziarski said that Messenger is logging practically everything a user might do within the app, from what and where they tap, to how often a device is held in portrait versus landscape orientation; even time spent in the Messenger app, versus the time it spends running in the background...."

NBCNews.com
US threatened massive fine to force Yahoo to release data
Washington Post
The U.S. government threatened to fine Yahoo $250,000 a day in 2008 if it ... communications by users of Yahoo and other U.S.-based technology firms. ... The original order to Yahoo came in 2007 and set off alarms at the ... including Google, Apple and Facebook — to comply with the data demands.
Documents Unsealed in Yahoo's Case Against US Data Requests - New York Times


New York Times
Microsoft Sees More Than Fun in a Game Like Minecraft
New York Times
Technology |​​NYT Now ... And Microsoft likes the game so much that the tech giant wants to buy Minecraft's parent ... Already, Facebook bought a virtual reality headset maker for $2 billion and the Japanese ... Last month, Amazon agreed to buy Twitch, a streaming video site, for more than $1 billion.
Culture Clash: Minecraft Fans Fear Microsoft - Wall Street Journal

Google Continues To Build Upon Its Life Sciences Ecosystem
Forbes
Google has a mission to organize the world's information and make it accessible to everyone. The company is mostly known for its search engine and ...


Wall Street Journal
Europe's Google Piñata
Wall Street Journal
Mr. Almunia said in February he was satisfied with Google's third offer, reached after two rounds of renegotiation following competitor input on ...

A Google Glass fit for the factory floor
Fortune
 ... It wasn't long after Google first revealed its Glass project in 2012 that technology companies ...


NPR (blog)
Is Amazon's Failed Phone A Cautionary Tale?
NPR (blog)
Amazon slashed the price of the Fire phone from $199 To 99 cents. ... Google has gone to great pains to build versions of Android that use less and ...

Google's studied silence on net neutrality finally broken
Washington Post (blog)
After a long silence, one of the Internet's biggest companies has finally weighed in on the latest net neutrality debate. On Wednesday, Google said it ...

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Native Apps and App Stores Will Soon Be Dinosaurs

Steve Jobs was right -- he was just ahead of his time. With HTML5 and the modern mobile browser, native apps and app stores will soon look like dinosaurs, even worse than brick-and-mortar retail:

The Confusing World of Apps - WSJ.com: "Given the plethora of apps out there, it has become increasingly hard for smartphone users to spot the best ones. Apple's App Store and Google Play each have over a million to choose from. To make things worse, app searches aren't as intuitive as consumers might hope ..."

Audacity | Steve Jobs Looked Beyond Native Apps. And He Was Right.: " . . . The distinctions, as Jobs saw them, were that web apps would be secure, universally available, easy to update and required no dedicated software development kit (SDK). The debate was, and still is, that web app development was a better choice than native app development. While a few years ahead of the technologies of the time, Jobs correctly touted the browser as an important, if not the most important, application platform. Seven years later, huge advancements in browser technology and an incredible resurgence in JavaScript as a matured programming language have narrowed the gap between app development techniques...."

Heard on the Street: Alibaba's Magic Fades on SoftBank - WSJ.com: "SoftBank investors have more to keep in mind than just Alibaba's valuation. The company posted a 28% on-year decline in net profit for the three months ended in March, weighed down by costs from serial acquisitions and a telecom price war in Japan. And SoftBank still appears keen for its Sprint unit to make a bid for T-Mobile, despite regulator skepticism. The deal has strategic logic as it would help consolidate Sprint's position in the U.S., but it would also expand SoftBank's net debt, which already is at six times Ebitda, much higher than telecom peers."

Global Raids Target 'Blackshades' Hacking Ring - WSJ.com: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation and foreign police agencies have launched a series of raids around the world at the homes of people linked to a type of hacking software called Blackshades, according to posts on hacker forums and people familiar with the investigation. The software is what experts call a "rat''—remote access tool—that allows people to control computers from a distance..."

Apple, Google settle smartphone patent litigation | Reuters: "Apple Inc and Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit have agreed to settle all patent litigation between them over smartphone technology, ending one of the highest profile lawsuits in technology. In a joint statement on Friday, the companies said the settlement does not include a cross license to their respective patents. "Apple and Google have also agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform," the statement said...."

Apple Sued Over Vanishing Texts After IPhones Swapped Out - Bloomberg: "A former iPhone user sued Apple Inc. (AAPL) claiming the company’s messaging system interfered with delivery of texts after she switched to an Android-based smartphone. Apple’s iMessage retains text messages sent from other users of Apple devices and won’t deliver them to her Samsung Electronics Co. (005930) phone running on Google Inc.’s Android operating system, Adrienne Moore said in the complaint filed yesterday in San Jose, California. People who replace their Apple devices with non-Apple wireless phones and tablets are “penalized and unable to obtain the full benefits of their wireless-service contracts,” according to the complaint...."

BlackBerry Director Nordberg to Step Down as Board Shrinks to 6 - Bloomberg: "BlackBerry Ltd. said director Bert Nordberg won’t stand for re-election just a year after he was named, leaving the smartphone maker with six board members. Nordberg, the 58-year-old former chief executive officer of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications, is a member of the company’s nominating committee, BlackBerry said yesterday in a filing. It didn’t say why he won’t seek to remain on the board after being appointed last year...."

Windows Phone web usage tops BlackBerry in North America but looks stagnant — Tech News and Analysis: "While Chitika’s graph shows BlackBerry’s decline, more interesting to me is the lack of growth for Windows Phone usage. It suggests that Microsoft is still having a hard time finding a foothold for its handsets in the U.S. and Canada. Chitika’s report notes that iOS and Android are still doing well, accounting for 53.1 and 44.5 percent of North American smartphone web traffic, respectively."

Eric Schmidt: Europe struck wrong balance on right to be forgotten | Technology | theguardian.com: "Google's executive chairman says European court of justice ruling went too far in favour of privacy at cost of right to know...."

CDs, Fax Machines, Japan loves the "old stuff" - Japanese want "artifacts" - read more:   Why the Japanese still love music CDs | The Big Picture

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Google's Android blows past Apple's iOS in Mobile Ad Traffic

SMA|Q1|14: "Android is the top platform within the smart device market -- After taking over as the leading smartphone platform in Q4 of last year, Android is now the top smart device platform...."

For The First Time, Android Passes Apple's iOS Mobile Ad Traffic - Report: "...Now, for the first time, Google's Android has passed Apple’s iOS in mobile ad traffic, according to a quarterly mobile advertising report released today by mobile ad network Opera Mediaworks...."

Samsung hopes to make FaceTime a headache for Apple | The Verge: "After weeks of playing defense against five Apple patents, Samsung this week went after Apple with two of its own patents: one it says is infringed when people make FaceTime calls, and another that covers the photo gallery feature found on iPhones, iPads, and some iPods. In the case of the video patent, Samsung says it's being infringed every time iOS users begin a FaceTime call over cellular networks, or if they send video messages to one another through the Mail and messaging app...."

David Einhorn Just Cried Bubble And Let Slip The Shorts Of War | TechCrunch: "David Einhorn, a hedge fund manager worth north of a billion dollars, isn’t bullish on technology stocks. In a letter to his investors sent today, Einhorn described the current market environment as the “second tech bubble in 15 years.” Calling today an “echo of the previous tech bubble,” Einhorn notes that there are currently “fewer large capitalization stocks and much less public enthusiasm” this time around. This means that the current bubble, such as it is, is smaller, and when it does deflate — how rapidly we’ll have to see — there will be less carnage — blood, red ink, or otherwise...."

Google's new, highly targeted app ads react to how you use Android apps
PCWorld (blog)
But the new AdWords program allows advertisers access to a far more precisely targeted demographic of users. Facebook takes a similar approach to ...

Microsoft Bing Enters Prediction Business
InformationWeek
From Google's Flu Trends project to Nate Silver's election forecasts, ... queries and social media data from sources such as Facebook and Twitter.

Amazon adding HBO shows to Instant Video
USA TODAY
Add HBO to the growing selection of programming available on Amazon's streaming service Instant Video. The company announced a multi-year deal ...

Microsoft's new, new Windows cadence: Once a year is not enough
ZDNet
Just a year ago, Microsoft officials were crowing about Windows' much improved delivery cadence. Instead of rolling out a new version of Windows ...

Facebook, Apple Q1 lobbying hit new records Netflix goes on record against Comcast deal
Politico
For Facebook, the filing — which eclipses their first-quarter spend from a ... Other figures:Microsoft was down to $2.1 million from $2.7 million in the ...

Apple kicks off public OS X beta testing
Computerworld
Computerworld - Apple today followed Microsoft in opening up pre-release, or beta, versions of its personal computer operating system to all comers.

Apple's OS X beta testing is now open to the public - Engadget
By Jon Fingas
Apple has released public beta tests of individual Mac apps in recent years, but OS X itself has largely been off-limits unless you've registered as a.
Engadget RSS Feed

Apple iOS 7.1.1 update arrives with keyboard, TouchID improvements
The Next Digit
ios-7.1.1 From past rumors and speculations, it was clear that Apple developers were deeply working on iOS 7.1.1 software update and finally, the update in a 20MB package is now available for download, since this morning. This update doesn't comes with ...

Google Lat Long: Go back in time with Street View
By Emily Wood
If you've ever dreamt of being a time traveler like Doc Brown, now's your chance. Starting today, you can travel ...
Google LatLong

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Why Android is Winning the Smartphone Market Over iPhone

Steve Jobs knew Apple was going to be beaten by Google's Android smartphone OS -- he saw it coming because he had seen this before when Microsoft took the personal computer market away from Apple --

"For example, if ridiculously long battery life is what you crave, there's the Motorola Droid Maxx. Looking for an excellent unlocked bargain? Well then, consider the Moto G, Moto X, or Nexus 5. Additionally, phablet lovers have the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and LG G Pro 2 to tickle their fancy, while design aficionados will certainly enjoy the oohs and aahs they'll receive from the lovely HTC One M8. There's simply no contest here, since the singular iPhone can't hope to stand against a legion of very impressive (or more impressive, I'll wager) handsets from numerous companies." (source infra)

Why I’m glad I never abandoned Android for an iPhone - CNET: "....The future belongs to Android not Apple. Google is making inroads into virtually every area of modern life where technology plays a significant role, and I think that bodes well for Android's future. If we're soon to enter a brave new world of self-driving cars and smart home appliances, not to mention gadgets we will strap to our bodies that will track our movements, chances are good Android will be there in force...."

Xiaomi's Hugo Barra: True world phones in 2 years, Android all the way - CNET: "...."In a year or two, we will have completely shifted towards building inherently global products. Whenever we think about a new feature, we try to think about it from a Chinese perspective and a global perspective." The numbers show how precipitously Xiaomi is growing. The 4-year-old company is making phones as fast as it can sell them, and it's selling a lot of phones. In 2012, the company sold 7.2 million smartphones. In 2013, Xiaomi doubled that number, selling 18.7 million handsets...."

Moto G Forte rugged edition in pipeline
Phones Review
The affordable Moto G smartphone has been a big hit since its release late last year and now it appears another version of it is on the way. A device called the Motorola Moto G Forte has now been the subject of an image leak, and it looks as though it's a ...

Smartphone kill-switch could save consumers $2.6B per year, says report
CFOworld
Technology that remotely makes a stolen smartphone useless could save American consumers up to US$2.6 billion per year if it is implemented widely and leads to a reduction in theft of phones, according to a new report. Law enforcement officials and ...

Vudu Gets Updated to Work With Chromecast
Android Headlines - Android News
Google's Chromecast was announced in July of 2013. Since then, it has become a staple in many households. If you have a Chromecast, then you know just how convenient it is to have around. For $35, you can “cast” your media from your phone, tablet or ...

Apple's War on Samsung Has Google in Crossfire
New York Times
That means that if Apple wins, Google could have to make changes to ... In 1988, the company sued Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, claiming that ...

Microsoft's Word for iPad cracks top 10 in gross revenue
Computerworld
Computerworld - Microsoft's new Word for iPad app has cracked the top 10 on Apple'sApp Store "Top Grossing" chart. The app, which was released ...

Why Facebook was smart to buy Oculus
MarketWatch
Yes, I think Facebook Inc. probably overpaid in its $19 billion acquisition of Whatsapp . And yes, I think it ... Heck, even the not-so-sexy Microsoft Corp.

Amazon Picks Six Original Series, Dumps Two
Businessweek
Chris Carter fans, rejoice: Amazon (AMZN) has ordered a full season of The X-Files creator's new series The After for its original programming lineup, ...

Amazon workers in Germany strike again in protracted pay dispute
Reuters
An Amazon spokeswoman said fewer than 340 workers took part and ... Amazonemploys a total of 9,000 warehouse staff at nine distribution centers ...

Microsoft to highlight its 'One Windows' progress at Build 2014
ZDNet
While Microsoft execs have made substantial progress in the past couple of years toward breaking down silos inside the company, there's still a long ...

Microsoft taps Scott Guthrie to head cloud business
CNET
In advance of this week's big developer confab, Microsoft also appoints Nokia chief Stephen Elop, who figured as a possible CEO candidate, as head ...

Microsoft and Ooyala Team to Deliver Best-of-Breed Multi-Screen Digital TV Services for ...
MarketWatch
Ooyala also formed a global sales and marketing alliance with Microsoft, ... "Through this alliance, Microsoft and Ooyala are in a position to seize a ...

Microsoft Has Big Plans For Bing's Entity Engine | TechCrunch
By Frederic Lardinois
Both Microsoft and Google have long worked on getting users answers without having to click through a number of websites. At Google, the current ...
TechCrunch

Microsoft loses another Windows executive as Sinofsky shakeup concludes | The Verge: [more housecleaning at Microsoft]

Journalists, media under attack from hackers: Google researchers | Reuters: ""If you're a journalist or a journalistic organization we will see state-sponsored targeting and we see it happening regardless of region, we see it from all over the world both from where the targets are and where the targets are from," Huntley told Reuters. Both researchers declined to go into detail about how Google monitors such attacks, but said it "tracks the state actors that attack our users." Recipients of such emails in Google's Gmail service typically receive a warning message." - Security researcher Ashkan Soltani said in an earlier Twitter post that nine of the top-25 news websites use Google for hosted email services.

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Facebook Fraud? (video)

Facebook Fraud
"Evidence Facebook's revenue is based on fake likes.
My first vid on the problem with Facebook: http://bit.ly/1dXudqY
I know first-hand that Facebook's advertising model is deeply flawed. When I paid to promote my page I gained 80,000 followers in developing countries who didn't care about Veritasium (but I wasn't aware of this at the time). They drove my reach and engagement numbers down, basically rendering the page useless. I am not the only one who has experienced this...." (go to link above for more)

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis: Facebook Fraud - How Much of Facebook's Ad Revenue is Legitimate?: " . . . . From my experience, Google is very meticulous about weeding out fraud. If you pay money to generate clicks or impressions on your site, Google will drop you from its ad program. If the above video is even in the ballpark, there are serious issues at Facebook. In general there are serious problems if you pay someone to "like" you or drive traffic to you. Addendum: Just moments after I made the above post,  I received an email from Lenny Teytelman regarding his company's experiences with fake "likes": What do Facebook “likes” of companies mean? The moral of this story is don't pay for "likes", don't pay to have someone drive traffic to your site either."

Silk Road 2.0 'Hack' Blamed On Bitcoin Bug, All Funds Stolen - Forbes: " . . . On Thursday, one of the recently-reincarnated drug-selling black market site’s administrators posted a long announcement to the Silk Road 2.0 forums admitting that the site had been hacked by one of its sellers, and its reserve of Bitcoins belonging to both the users and the site itself stolen. The admin, who goes by the name “Defcon,” blamed the same “transaction malleability” bug in the Bitcoin protocol that led to several of the cryptocurrency’s exchanges halting withdrawals in the previous week . . .."

Developer survey: HTML5 gaining, Windows slipping | HTML5 - InfoWorld: "HTML5 developers queried recently by tools vendor Sencha remain dedicated to building apps via Web technologies, even as doubts have been cast on how effective HTML5 is vis à vis native development. Many of those same developers, however, have dropped support for the classic Microsoft Windows platform...."

HTML5 trumping iOS among app developers in emerging mobile markets | ZDNet: "Mobile app developers in many regions outside the US and Europe are choosing to develop apps in HTML5 rather than iOS but it's iOS that's earning devs the biggest bucks."

Now running on a Chromebook near you: Windows | Business Tech - CNET News: " . . . Up until now, Chrome OS has been unable to run anything besides Web sites and the HTML5-based Chrome Web Apps. That's left many businesses in the lurch, perhaps attracted to Chromebook's affordability, centralized management console, and lower security risks but unwilling to lose access to core business applications. Combine those positives with Microsoft's Windows 8 stumbles and the impending end-of-life of the decade-old Windows XP, and Google hopes that it has an opening to attract businesses looking for a new approach to workplace computers. Businesses can purchase access to VMWare's Horizon Desktop-as-a-Service to run on Chrome OS. At first, it'll be available only as an on-site service, although a Chrome Web Store app is in the works...."

Microsoft Plunges Into Handset Battle as Google Withdraws
New York Times
And the second-biggest is Apple. Then, way behind, is Microsoft. What's in this game for Microsoft?” From Microsoft's perspective, the answer may be that it is in a different war — one that isn't over handsets or even the operating systems embedded in ...

Google publishes commitments it made to settle EU antitrust case
PCWorld
Google has done what the European Commission declined to do: publish the details of the latest commitments Google made in a bid to settle a long-running antitrust case involving its treatment of rival specialist search services, among other matters ...

Google gets more guarded about acquisition numbers
Washington Post
The circumspection makes Google more like one of its fiercest rivals, Apple Inc., which has never disclosed how many deals it closed in its regulatory filings. Apple just lists the total amount of money and stock that it paid for acquisitions, just as ...

What Google really means when it calls Android 'open'
CNET
Every once in a while, Android terminology discussions flare up like a stomach ulcer forGoogle. They center on Android's nature as a development platform, which in turn affects the variety and breadth of Android apps -- from Minecraft to Pandora to ...

Microsoft Tweaking Xbox One Controller For 'Titanfall'
Forbes
Microsoft Microsoft, it would seem, is all in on Titanfall. Respawn entertainment's upcoming mech-shooter is, arguably, the centerpiece of the Xbox One's first few months, and the company is making sure that the console is good and ready for it when it ...

Apple Says War Zones Don't Ship Its Supplies
New York Times
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple released on Thursday its supplier responsibility report, and the company said its hardware factories did not use any tantalum, a metal commonly used in electronics, from areas engaged in warfare. Some warlords, particularly in ...

Apple to Sell IPhone at Costliest $1174 in Brazilian Debut
Bloomberg
Apple's 16-gigabyte, contract-free iPhone 5s will sell for 2,799 reais ($1,174) in Brazil. That compares with $649 in the U.S. and 5,288 renminbi ($872) in China. The price of the iPhone 5s in Brazil, offered by authorized resellers, has jumped 17 ...

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Firefox gives up on Apple iOS

Apple prevents its users from choosing the default browser--

Mozilla says no plans to return to iOS | SXSW - CNET News: " . . . The nonprofit Mozilla, which pulled Mozilla Firefox Home from Apple's App Store in September 2012, is not currently building a version of its Firefox browser for iOS, nor does the company plan to, said Sullivan, speaking on a mobile browser wars panel at South by Southwest Interactive moderated by CNET Senior Reporter Seth Rosenblatt. . . .  Apple, meanwhile, commands more than 55 percent of the mobile browser market with Safari. Of course, Apple's environment isn't all that welcoming a place for third-party browsers. The company prevents its users from making any other application the default browser, which makes moving beyond Safari for all of one's browsing needs nearly impossible. . . . Sullivan and Opera Software's Mike Taylor, also on the panel, shared the same viewpoint. They all argued that giving consumers browser choice was essential to making browsers, and the Web in general, great. And, Sullivan argued, Apple's closed environment means users suffer. . . "

Crime Software: Still Awaiting a Verdict | MIT Technology Review: "It’s not hard to imagine that software might do better than humans, especially over longer timescales. But let’s face it—police brass want their initiatives to succeed. And if you give an officer a map with red boxes on it—most of them naturally in sketchier areas—and order him to go there, it’s not unreasonable to think he’ll spend more time there than he otherwise might. (Police officers are people, too.) And officers report feeling a heightened state of awareness when in these zones. That psychological effect surely makes them do their jobs better, regardless of prediction accuracy. Finally, if you let software spit out the patrol orders—and abolish any planning meetings at the precinct house—cops will be on the road for that much more time. "

Chinese Physicists Measure Speed of "Spooky Action At a Distance" | MIT Technology Review: " . . . One of the strangest concepts in quantum mechanics is the notion of entanglement. This is the idea that two quantum particles can be so deeply linked that they share the same existence. When that happens, a measurement on one immediately influences the other, regardless of the distance between them. This “spooky action at a distance”, as Einstein called it, has puzzled and fascinated physicists since it was first discussed in the 1930s. Einstein initially used it as evidence of the failure of quantum mechanics since this instantaneous action clearly seemed to violate relativity. Later, physicists realised there was no conflict because the “spooky action” cannot be used to send information faster than the speed of light. However, important questions remain about the nature of entanglement and spooky action. “If the spooky action does exist, what is its speed?” ask Juan Yin and pals at the University of Science and Technology of China in Shanghai.  Today, they reveal the answer. They say spooky action travels at least four orders of magnitude faster than light. . . ."

Google Glass: Expect widespread usage bans over privacy concerns
ZDNet
Summary: Google is about to unleash a rash of concerns generated by Google Glasses' ability to take clandestine photos and videos. James Kendrick. By James Kendrick for Mobile News | March 11, 2013 -- 13:21 GMT (06:21 PDT). Follow @jkendrick ...

ZDNet

China fishes over 2000 dead pigs from Shanghai river
BBC News
Workers in China are continuing to collect dead pigs from a river near Shanghai, with more than 2,000 carcasses reportedly recovered so far. Officials say they have to act quickly to remove the pigs, as the Huangpu River is a major source of drinking water for...

BBC News

Tweaked Apple TV features smaller custom A5 chip
Apple Insider
Speculation that Apple would add a more powerful A5X chip to its tweaked Apple TV proved false, as a look inside the new hardware has discovered it's simply a smaller version of the previous A5 chip. A5. The new, smaller A5 chip in the Apple TV.

Apple Insider

Amazon tries to shut .book in face of authors, publishers
Register
Amazon's recent moves to gain ownership of certain new generic top-level domain names have caused anger among writers and publishers. The company wants to take control of addresses including ".book," ".author" and ".read". The move has upset the ...

Israel fighting off locust invasion
USA TODAY
Huge swarms of locusts are invading Israel. The country is fighting the bugs off with pesticides. The locust invasion comes just two weeks before the Jewish holiday of Passover, which includes a recounting of an ancient 'plague of locusts.' (March 1 ...

Ancient revellers came to party... and build Stonehenge - boffins
Register
Stonehenge was actually an ancient rave spot for Brits from all over the country, new research has suggested. Stonehenge from the north east. There are more theories about the origins and reasons for Stonehenge than there are stones in the monument ...

Apple may be close to resolving Brazilian iPhone trademark fight
CNET
Apple and Brazil's IGB Eletronica have apparently agreed to settle their legal battle over the iPhone name, says a Brazilian news site. Lance Whitney. by Lance Whitney. An iPhone trademark ...

First Evidence of Viking-Like 'Sunstone' Found
Discovery News
Researchers say this crystal found at the Alderney shipwreck near the Channel Islands could prove fabled Viking sunstones really did exist. Alderney Museum. Gallery. World'sRarestGemstones.  Black Opal. All gemstones are rare; some ...

Early SimCity adopters to receive free game for their troubles
TechSpot
The SimCity fiasco is closing in on a full week now as the game has been plagued with server issues since the moment it became available. According to EA, they are doing everything possible to rectify the issue but if you're the game's publisher, you know by...

TechSpot

Why Samsung prez hates Windows 8: Poor PC profits?
Computerworld (blog)
A Samsung division president, Jun Dong-Soo, was widely quoted as saying Windows 8 was no better than Vista. But why? Could it simply be because PCs aren't selling well in the (ahem) post-PC world? In IT Blogwatch, bloggers point fingers. Your humble ...

Computerworld (blog)

Douglas Adams is still the king of comic science fiction
The Guardian (blog)
Today's Google Doodle celebrating the 61st birthday of Douglas Adams is testament to the undisputed king of comic science fiction: it makes you wonder why, 12 years after his death, no one has been able to supplant him from that throne. Let's face it, the ...

The Guardian (blog)

Samsung's Galaxy S4 might copy Sony with 'floating touch' display
Inquirer
That's not the only rumour that has emerged over the weekend. The Samsung Galaxy S4 is also rumoured to showcase a new kind of display, dubbed 'green PHOLED'. Apparently this along with Samsung's AMOLED screen technology will make the screen ...

Inquirer

Google to settle Wi-Fi data collection US case for $7M: Report
ZDNet (blog)
Summary: The search giant will reportedly settle its Street View Wi-Fi data collection case in the U.S. for a mere $7 million, which will take the firm just over two hours to recover from. Zack Whittaker. By Zack Whittaker for Between the Lines | March 11, 2013 ...

Global Warming Brings Trees to Arctic Tundra
Discovery News
Trees and shrubs are taking hold on what was once tundra, like this young pine and surrounding shrubs in Norway's Arctic Finnmark. Hans Tommervik of NINA, Norway. As the planet warms, the Arctic is feeling the heat. Trees and shrubs are taking hold on ...

Former Sony CEO Howard Stringer will retire this summer
Gamasutra
Former Sony president and CEO Howard Stringer will fully retire from the company this summer, to pursue other opportunities. Kazuo Hirai took over the role of president and CEO of Sony from Stringer just over a year ago, while Stringer was named Chairman ...

Gamasutra

Xi3 Starts to Take Pre-Orders on Piston “Steam Box” Systems.
X-bit Labs
Xi3 Corp. has begun accepting pre-orders on its Piston small form-factor personal computers. The systems are optimized for Valve Software's Steam video game distribution system and will be among the first so-called Steam Box console designed to bring PC ...

X-bit Labs

NASA launches suborbital rocket
USA TODAY
NASA, rocket, suborbital, Department of Defense, Virginia. NASA. The NASA logo on a protective box for a camera near the space shuttle Endeavour April 2011 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  ...

Release This: StarCraft II: HotS, God of War: Ascension ship worldwide
Gamasutra
Gamasutra's regular round-up of worldwide video game releases, "Release This!", takes a look at every game title we know to be shipping to stores this week, in a custom compiled list. This week brings God of War: Ascension, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, ...

Gamasutra

Robots get their own internet
TG Daily
Scientists have turned on a web-based database specifically for robots, designed to let them share information about their behavior and environment. Rapyuta has been developed by the European RoboEarth Project as a way of improving the learning ability ...

Multimillionaire Brit games dev wants your cash for Shroud of the Avatar
Register
Multimillionaire games developer, moon rover owner and space tourist Richard Garriott has taken to Kickstarter to try to get funding for his new video game. Shroud of the Avatar game on Kickstarter. Garriott, aka Lord British, is looking for $1m to make Shroud ...

Killer whales spotted off the coast of Newport Beach
89.3 KPCC
Killer whales were spotted off the coast of Newport Beach on Saturday, the first sighting in Orange County this year. Captain Tom Southern said he had planned to show his tour group fin whales, only to provide them with an even bigger adventure. After he ...

Google PT Raised to $980.00 at Pacific Crest (GOOG)
Daily Political
Google logo Equities research analysts at Pacific Crest boosted their price target on shares of Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) to $980.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday. Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock.

Tired of 'likes' on social media? Hater app unveiled at SXSW available for iPhone
NewsNet5.com
That's thanks to a new app unveiled at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas Friday. The Hater app describes itself as “an app that allows you to share the things you Hate.” Click the thumbs down button and users can spread the hate from celebrities to traffic to ...

The Russian Scientists that Discovered New Life in Antarctica Actually Didn't
Motherboard (blog)
A team of very durable Russian scientists have been drilling miles deep into Antarctica's icy surface for about a year. And last week, they thought it had finally paid off. Nearly two and a half miles down lies the ancient subglacial Lake Vostok, which has been a ...

March 2013 Patch Tuesday: 7 security fixes, 4 'critical'
CSO (blog)
Microsoft says you can expect seven security updates tomorrow -- four of which will address critical vulnerabilities in Windows, IE, Silverlight and Office. Here's a more in-depth preview from some of the industry's better-known patch management experts: ...

Decision Looms on Trade Status of 5 Shark Species
New York Times
HONG KONG — Delegates at a major international meeting on wildlife trade voted on Monday to add several shark species to a list of plants and animals whose international trade is regulated – a move that was welcomed by conservationists but that remains ...

Apple left App Store open to attack: Google researcher
ZDNet
Summary: Apple failed to use HTTPS on its App Store for at least six months, leaving it open to man-in-the-middle attacks that could trick users into installing paid apps or steal their passwords. Michael Lee....

Can Facebook Put Video Ads in News Feed Without Angering Users?
Mashable
Facebook video ads are coming to your News Feed — it's just a matter of when. AdAge reported in mid-December that Facebook was planning to introduce a new ad product "by April at the latest" that would let marketers target video ads in users' News Feeds ...

Speed cameras are a scam, Ohio judge rules
CNET
A judge in Ohio says what so many have been thinking, but never expected to hear from a judge. He described them as "nothing more than a high-tech game of 3-card Monty." Chris Matyszczyk. by Chris Matyszczyk. March 10, 2013 1:37 PM PDT. The wise ...

Iran cuts off 'illegal' VPN workaround to Internet filters
CNET
Government blocks use of popular tool used by many Iranians to circumvent Internet restrictions and mask their activities. Steven Musil. by Steven Musil. March 10, 2013 11:48 AM PDT Follow @stevenmusil. Iran has stepped up its efforts to deny its citizens ...

In Wake of Cyberattacks, China Seeks New Rules
New York Times
SHANGHAI — China has issued a new call for international “rules and cooperation” on Internet espionage issues, while insisting that accusations of Chinese government involvement in recent hacking attacks were part of an international smear campaign.

Judge to allow Samsung, Apple patent case to continue
Dallas Business Journal (blog)
A patent infringement lawsuit between Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Samsung Electronics will go forward after all. After indicating last week that the case would be put on hold pending an appeal in another case between the two in her court, U.S. District ...

SXSW: A 'Leap' in PC control, more weekend highlights
USA TODAY
This weekend, Austin, Texas, transformed into a hotbed of activity in the tech world. The South by Southwest festival is in full swing, merging the worlds of music, movies and technology (and if you're lucky, BBQ). Here's a look back at some of the highlights of ...

Google shows off a talking shoe
CNET
At SXSW, you're there to show your very best, most creative side. So Google does just that. Chris Matyszczyk. by Chris Matyszczyk. March 10, 2013 9:26 AM PDT. Perfect for a higher definition of footsee. (Credit: Engadget Screesnhot by Chris ...

Indian Motorcycle Honors the Past and Powers the Future with the Thunder ...
Financial Post
Indian Motorcycle, the first American motorcycle company, announced the details of the all new Thunder Stroke 111™ engine that will power the model year 2014 Indian Motorcycle. The new engine was publicly unveiled to a gathering of press and ...

Are there software differences between the Windows Phone 8 devices?
CNET
Since Microsoft does not allow manufacturers to modify the Windows Phone 8 operating system UI, the difference between both handsets lie in the apps that come bundled. Nokia's Lumia 920 has Cinemagraph, Nokia City Lens, Nokia Drive+ and Nokia Music ...

CNET

Forget Typing, Google Says Search Is Going to Be Like 'Star Trek'
ABC News (blog)
AUSTIN, Texas — In the future, the experience of searching the web is going to be like something out of “Star Trek.” Or at least, that's what Google's vision is. “The destiny of search is to become that 'Star Trek' computer and that's what we are building,” ...

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