Are We in a Tech Bubble? (video)

We Don’t Believe We’re in Bubble: Stanford: Video - Bloomberg:
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Sherpaventures Managing Directors and Co-Founders Shervin Pishevar and Scott Stanford discuss the company’s first fund on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg, July 22)

Microsoft's Profit Takes Hit on Nokia - WSJ: "An initial report card came in for Microsoft Corp.'s purchase of Nokia Corp.'s mobile phone business. As feared, the marks were poor. Nokia's former handset operation, which Microsoft bought for more than $7 billion in April, drained nearly $700 million from operating profit in the quarter, the company said on Tuesday. Cost-cutting to offset Nokia losses also represented the lion's share of 18,000 job cuts ordered last week by new Chief Executive Satya Nadella, the biggest workforce reduction in its history. The Nokia purchase could look smart in the long run if Microsoft is able to sell more of its smartphones and use them to lure customers to its software, Internet services and mobile apps. Initially, at least, that appears more hope than reality..."

For Apple, iPhone Roars and iPad Whimpers - WSJ: "Ahead of a refresh of the iPhone, Apple Inc. reported 12% profit growth and strong sales of its current handset, especially in markets far afield from its traditional customer base in the U.S. The iPhone results stood in contrast to iPad sales, which slid for the second consecutive quarter, raising questions about the future of Apple's tablet as the company gears up to launch bigger-screen iPhone models...."

U.K. Cabinet Office Adopts ODF as Exclusive Standard for Sharable Documents - ConsortiumInfo.org: "In making a decision that had been strongly opposed by Microsoft, the Cabinet Office’s decision reflects: …the government’s policy to create a level playing field for suppliers of all sizes, with its digital by default agenda on track to make cumulative savings of £1.2 billion in this Parliament for citizens, businesses and taxpayers."
more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDocument
and https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search/odf

FCC running on dial-up | TheHill: "...“Their website’s been a disaster for as long as I can remember,” said Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee that oversees the FCC and a former radio station owner who dealt often with the commission. “The search engine is horrible, the website stinks... When I was in the business you’d try to plug in your call letters or whatever; never could find anything,” he added. “It’s horrible.” The flaws burst into the open during the commission’s recent efforts to write new regulations for net neutrality, the idea that all Internet traffic should be treated equally regardless of which websites people are visiting...."

Apple Documents Undisclosed iOS Services
InformationWeek
"Each of these diagnostic capabilities requires the user to have unlocked their device and agreed to trust another computer," Apple's documentation ...


USA TODAY
Facebook revenue jumps 61% on mobile ad strength
USA TODAY
Facebook is still a distant second to Google, but Google's share is expected to slip to 40% this year from 50% in 2012. Analysts also see promise in a ...


SFGate
Amazon Fire phone merely lukewarm
Boston Globe
Only two companies, Apple Inc. and Samsung Corp., make much money selling smartphones. Every other player -- HTC, LG, Microsoft, BlackBerry -- is either in the red or ... So the smartphone business is ideal for Amazon.com. ... We're all locked in to Apple iOS devices, and those running Google Inc.'s ...


Wall Street Journal
Microsoft Strives For One OS To Rule Them All
Forbes
Speaking to analysts about the Q4 FY2014 earnings numbers, Microsoft ... Apple has already been working toward that goal by meshing features of ...


Inquirer
Microsoft again writes off Surface inventory, renews profitability doubts
Computerworld
Computerworld - Microsoft again took a hit on its Surface business, the company acknowledged Tuesday, although the extent of the damage was ...


Economic Times
Google tried to buy music giant Spotify
Computerworld
Google co-founder and CEO Larry Page also reportedly stymied the ... Apple, a major player in the music industry with the iPod and the ubiquitous ...


Forbes
Amazon Flexes Muscle Against Blogger Who Thought It 'Was Nicer Than Average Mega Corporation'
Forbes
Amazon has spent the last few months doing battle with a major U.S. ... and readying itself for mobile phone fisticuffs with Apple Apple and Samsung. ... delete his Facebookpage, which also had the same FireTVNews moniker. ... Amazon Lures Google Glass Creator Following Phone Launch · Ryan Mac ...


Wall Street Journal
Apple faces class-action lawsuit over work breaks
San Jose Mercury News
A San Diego judge's ruling raises the stakes in a lawsuit against Apple that accuses the tech giant of failing to provide its hourly workers with timely ...


Reuters
Apple posts biggest earnings gain in two years
Boston Globe
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple's growth prospects are brightening as ... Earnings rose at the highest rate in nearly two years as Apple Inc. sold 35.2 million iPhones during the period. ... screens on a variety of smartphones running on Google Inc.'s Android operating system. ... Facebook · Twitter · Google+ ...

Google is rolling out a new Material Design-inspired version of Google Play for Android
Jon Russell
Google's 'Little Box Challenge' to shrink a power inverter is now open for submissions ... Material Design homescreens have already landed for Google's Docs, ... Apple releases information about iOS in response to claims of a 'backdoor' for data ... Microsoft launches $114 Lumia 530 with 4-inch display.

Apple Working With Swatch For iWatch With Multiple Designs, Price Points?
Juli Clover
Apple may be working with manufacturing partners like Swatch to create ... Paparazzi, a 2004 smart watch created in collaboration with Microsoft .... Facebook Debuts New Read-It-Later 'Save' Feature for iOS and Desktop (14).

Amazon's Fire Phone Serves A Prime Strategic Purpose
Michael Comeau
And, arriving seven years after the debut of the first modern smartphone, Amazon's new entry lacks some key functions both Apple and Samsung ...

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Alibaba Valuation Fair (video); Cogent Blasts Comcast

Alibaba's Valuation Is Very Fair: Oberweis' Papp: Video - Bloomberg:
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Oberweis Asset Management's Jeff Papp and Bloomberg's Cory Johnson discuss Alibaba's landmark IPO with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television's "Street Smart." (Source: Bloomberg May 7)

Cogent Blasts Comcast--
Comcast is the one who should pay for network connections, Cogent claims | Ars Technica: "... Internet backbone operator Cogent has long expressed its displeasure with Comcast's demands for payment in exchange for accepting Netflix video and other traffic... Today, Cogent CEO Dave Schaeffer made a different argument, saying that Comcast is the one who should be paying for connectivity. He did so while testifying in front of a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Comcast's planned acquisition of Time Warner Cable. Schaeffer pointed to the fact that Comcast is not considered to be a so-called "Tier 1" network. There are a dozen or so Tier 1 networks that make up the closest thing the Internet has to a backbone. Tier 1 networks can reach every part of the Internet simply by peering with one another. Other networks buy "transit" in order to access the rest of the Internet. Peering is a point-to-point connection only, which doesn't necessarily guarantee passage of traffic to any networks beyond the two involved in the connection. "Comcast does not operate a global network. In fact, it should be buying connectivity to the global Internet but has used its market scale and scope to extract an unusual concession," Schaeffer told members of Congress. "It wanted free connectivity, peering to the Internet, even though it didn't operate a global network... A larger Comcast will be able to demand even greater payments...." [apparently with the help of former Comcast lobbyist, now FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler - see below]

"Net neutrality advocates...are still underwhelmed by Wheeler's reported plan for creating an "open Internet" that they said falls far short of true net neutrality. And they likely won't be pleased until Wheeler takes a tough political step opposed by those same broadband executives. "A lot of politicians want their cake and to eat it, too," said Marvin Ammori, a lawyer who has been vocal in his support of net neutrality. "He's still trying to back off and trying to explain that he's trying to do the right thing. He fooled some people... broadband companies like Comcast have marshaled intensive lobbying efforts, hiring numerous former FCC employees. "Folks in D.C. are surrounded by their own bubble," Ammori said. "A bubble where there are lots of telecom lobbyists walking around who describe net neutrality as politically toxic."..."

Objections from inside, outside FCC shake net-neutrality proposal
Washington Post
The government's plan to let Internet providers charge Netflix, Google and others for faster access to customers has been thrown into turmoil, as the agency responsible for the rule has been riven by internal dissent and faces mounting opposition from the ...

House intel surprises on NSA surveillance - POLITICO.com: "....The Intelligence committee passage of the USA Freedom Act indicates that it will be the legislative vehicle for further activity in the House on surveillance reform. However, it does not rule out that members, including those on the Intelligence committee, may seek to amend the bill later in the legislative process. In addition, there are no signs at the moment that the Senate has broken a legislative logjam on the issue...."

Yes, we're in a tech bubble. Here's how I know it - Fortune Tech: "... I can also gauge the tech bubble by the flow of dinner, drinks, and other social invitations in my inbox. The PTA at my daughter's school is hosting a really neat fundraiser this week in San Francisco, the kind of event that appeals to an audience far beyond our school community. I personally know of no fewer than four other significant functions happening that night elsewhere in San Francisco, and that's not counting straight-ahead business functions. I could easily dine out four nights a week on the dime of some public relations firm that is hosting a dinner in an attempt to drum up publicity for its client. And I'm not invited to nearly the number of swanky gatherings that my younger, more receptive colleagues are...."

State Senate OKs cellphone 'kill switch' legislation to deter theft
Los Angeles Times
The California Senate passed a bill this week requiring cellphones sold in the state to be equipped with anti-theft technology. The California Senate passed a bill this week requiring cellphones sold in the state to be equipped with anti-theft technology.

Google Talking to Auto Makers About Self-Driving Car
Wall Street Journal (blog)
He and others said Google hasn't decided whether to design its own car, or make its software and operating system available to auto makers. “We're ...

Yahoo buys mobile 'self-destruct' messaging app Blink
Reuters
Blink is a product of Meh Labs, a company founded by ex-Google employees Kevin Stephens and Michelle Norgan. Meh Labs is best known for its ...

Apple to introduce iPad app split-screen feature in iOS 8, report says
Los Angeles Times
A mock image of what the Apple iPad split-screen feature could look like. (9to5Mac) ... IsApple copying Microsoft, Samsung? Maker of the iPad is ...

Microsoft Had No Choice but to Yank Kinect From Xbox One
Wired
This would seem to confirm the widely held assumption that the reason that Microsoft'sconsole cost $500, compared to PlayStation 4 at $400, was the ...

Google gets tougher on suspicious Google Apps logins
CNET
 ... In an effort to block unauthorized use of its Google Apps services, Google plans to ... security significantly, it's arriving at sites including Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Twitter, ... Google Apps is a $50-per-person-per-year service under which ...

Google Search 4.0.0 for iOS adds conversations, embarrasses Siri
ZDNet (blog)
What's astounding is how far the Google Search app has come and how woefully inadequate Apple's built-in Siri has become. I've had the Google ...

Google Search for iOS updated with conversational voice input — Tech News and Analysis - Gigaom
By Kif Leswing
Google pushed out an update to its iOS Google Search app on Tuesday, bringing the version number up to 4.0. The update improves Google's voice ...
Gigaom

iPhone Won't Deliver iMessage Texts To Android - Business Insider: "....Now an Apple customer support employee has admitted to Lifehacker's Adam Pash that, in fact, "a lot" of users have this problem: If you switch from an iPhone to an Android, iMessage won't deliver texts from iPhone users to your new Android phone. There is no fix in sight, Pash says he was told...."

September Apple Retail holiday restrictions make August launch of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 even ...
By Ben Lovejoy
German site ifun is reporting that local Apple Store staff have been banned from taking any leave in September, the usual month for the launch of a ...
9to5Mac

Google Lat Long: Hop on board—and go almost anywhere—with public transit on GoogleMaps
By Lat Long
Millions of people rely on public transit to get around. That's why, since 2007, we've worked to include public transit routes and schedules in Google ...
Google LatLong

Chrome Releases: Stable Channel Update - Google Chrome Releases - Blogger
By Daniel xie
Security Fixes and Rewards This update includes 3 security fixes. Below, we highlight fixes that were either contributed by external researchers or ...
Google Chrome Releases

Real Estate Developer Sues Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg | AOL Real Estate
By The Associated Press
A Northern California real estate developer is suing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg over a deal involving property behind Zuckerberg's home.
ExcitingAds! AOL Real Estate

Facebook, Google, Yahoo — How Hackers Can Use Everyday Sites for Reflection & Amplification ...
By David Hobbs
Reflection and amplification attacks are used to extend DDoS harm. Recently, I discussed how the most recent unwelcome arrival of HTTP-based ...
Radware Blog

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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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