FLUD. Grand iOS news reader launching flood of new features
One category of apps for iOS devices not in short supply are�news readers. �There are too many to list, with a scant few that truly stand out as great from those that are garbage.
FLUD (free), a news reader for the iPad and iPhone, is one such app which can be described as great, and in the coming weeks is set to get even better.
FLUD was mentioned by apple as the top 3 news apps of 2010 along with Flipboard and Pulse, in addition to winning UI Design of the year by Fast Company.
Nice, but what is FLUD and why should you use it?
FLUD describes itself as:
?a modern, beautiful and personalized news ecosystem that empowers it?s users to engage and broadcast relevant content to their social networks.?
Some of the super features which set FLUD apart from other news readers include:
Access as many feeds as you want, at any given time, with FLUD?s grand user-interface.
Search for any RSS feeds of interest from within the application and add them with a single touch.
Mark the articles you ?love? and influence what other FLUD users will read on a minute-to-minute basis
View all articles you have ?loved? in it?s own bookmarks view.
Browse the web within the app, view a text only version, and play video with ease.
Share articles of interest on Facebook with your friends.� Email articles to your friends from within the application.
With background on the super features of FLUD and what the app offers now, here?s �where it stands at present and where this tremendous news reading option is headed.
Speaking with Bobby Ghoshal,�Founder of FLUD,
?FLUD has seen a 600% increase in users since December.. I think this is particularly interesting considering we really haven?t pursued a whole lot of press. Word of mouth is powerful!?
?We have a very engaged user base, in fact I?d say we have a pretty strong brand presence considering that we have users who create their own FLUD tshirts? one created a FLUD cake and another a FLUD cookie? we get a lot of fan art sent to our e-mails as well.?
Impressive numbers, and FLUD has some excellent, new, features in the offing. �FLUD is set to launch an Android soon. � Even more exciting is a the desktop app FLUD is going to launch. �Here?s an exclusive sneak peek of the desktop version, something users have requested in droves:
FLUD is tremendous as is, with many other, similar news readers using features pioneered by FLUD such as, social feeds, categories, bookmarking, video in-app, branded streams and more.
If you?ve yet to try FLUD, you?re missing out. �The features, the wonderful design and the creator?s constant strive for innovation and improvements make FLUD an app you?ll definitely want to pick up, and use time and again.
Have you tried FLUD? �If so, what do you enjoy most about the app, and if you haven?t which feature(s) listed above will drive you to download the app?
Download FLUD�here.
About the Author
Jeff Cormier, a graduate of SMU and the TW School of Law, is the co-founder of C4 Universe, LLC. Desire to know more? http://about.me/jffcrmr/bio...
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Silicon Prairie News gives its start-up community a voice
Silicon Prairie News gives its start-up community a voice
You?ve heard of Silicon Valley, and likely Silicon Alley, but have you heard of Silicon Prarie?
Silicon Prarie is geographically hard to define but it?s there? somewhere between Chicago and Colorado, Dallas and the Dakotas?and it?s getting noticed because of one local news source�The Silicon Prairie News.
And the Prairie?s entrepreneurs can thank one man, a native Nebraskan named Jeff Slobotski, who decided he wanted to write about the tech sector. After a few days of writing about California?s burgeoning scene, he decided to refocus his efforts on his own community. Recalling the words of my college professor, if you?re going to be a writer, write about what you know.
Slobotski�decided to give his community a voice and that voice goes by the name of�The Silicon Prairie News. He called on the skills of his then friend, now CTO and co-founder�Dusty Davidson,�who runs BrightMix, a small, local software company.��In July 2008, Slobotski�started blogging as a hobby, interviewing local entrepreneurs on his lunch breaks and publishing stories at night.
In early 2009, Slobotski took on Danny Schreiber full time as SPN?s Managing Editor. Striber?s favorite players in the SP scene? Dwolla, a mobile payments service that is giving PayPal a run for its money and RockDex, a start up that is capturing the social metrics of plays on YouTube, LastFM and MySpace for musicians.
The boys had a lot to write about, they just needed people to listen. Slobotski, Davidson and Schreiber decided to throw an event to grab the world?s attention; they called it Big Omaha.
The first Big Omaha was a success with over 550 people from 20 states including Foursquare?s Dennis Crowley, Charity: Water?s Scott Harrison and Zappo?s Tony Shea.�SPN was suddenly profitable, making money off of sponsorships and ticket sales from the event. Soon they had local businesses and Omaha?s Chamber of Commerce knocking on their door, asking if they could advertise on SPN. The readers came.
SPN currently has 4 full-time employees, 12 freelance writers and 3600 RSS feed email subscribers.�At the end of November, the site averaged 25,000 unique visitors, 45,000 page views, and was growing at 10% a month.
?If it weren?t for Silicon Prairie News, there wouldn?t be a start-up scene in the mid-west. They are our voice. Their existence reinforces our culture.? says Ben Milne, the CEO of Dwolla.
Monday through Friday, expect fresh, daily content focusing on Silicon Prairie entrepreneurs like Dwolla and Agile Sports, an online coaching application, recently named by Inc. magazine?s 30 under 30.�On the weekends, to keep traffic flowing, they?ll repurpose TED Talks or big interviews from other more well-known tech blogs.
?Our first goal is to highlight the story, the angel investors and the entrepreneurs. Our second goal is to tighten, build and connect the community and ecosystem here,? says Slobotski. ?There?s value in what we?re doing by reporting on it but our events build communities that get people talking and brainstorming ideas together.?
The overall scene in Silicon Prairie is comprised of a lot of consumer�related�tech starts up. With the large amount of capital potentially available (read: Berkshire Hathaway and everyone else who is connected to Warren Buffet by one string or another), the scene could be well funded with the right connections.
This coming week, they will launch Silicon Prairie News? Kansas City bureau, to be led by Royce Haynes. Haynes, like many SPN readers found the site through hearing about Big Omaha on Twitter. ?I didn?t expect something of this caliber to take place in Omaha, Nebraska,? he says, ?It?s going to be great to now be a part of it and to able to highlight all of the entrepreneurial activity going on in Kansas City.?
Interested in getting in on the Silicon Prairie fun? Save the date for a sweet SPN party Sunday night at SXSWi in March and a Big Omaha style event in Des Moines, Iowa this fall.
About the Author
Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC.
She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle.
You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.
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You?ve heard of Silicon Valley, and likely Silicon Alley, but have you heard of Silicon Prarie?
Silicon Prarie is geographically hard to define but it?s there? somewhere between Chicago and Colorado, Dallas and the Dakotas?and it?s getting noticed because of one local news source�The Silicon Prairie News.
And the Prairie?s entrepreneurs can thank one man, a native Nebraskan named Jeff Slobotski, who decided he wanted to write about the tech sector. After a few days of writing about California?s burgeoning scene, he decided to refocus his efforts on his own community. Recalling the words of my college professor, if you?re going to be a writer, write about what you know.
Slobotski�decided to give his community a voice and that voice goes by the name of�The Silicon Prairie News. He called on the skills of his then friend, now CTO and co-founder�Dusty Davidson,�who runs BrightMix, a small, local software company.��In July 2008, Slobotski�started blogging as a hobby, interviewing local entrepreneurs on his lunch breaks and publishing stories at night.
In early 2009, Slobotski took on Danny Schreiber full time as SPN?s Managing Editor. Striber?s favorite players in the SP scene? Dwolla, a mobile payments service that is giving PayPal a run for its money and RockDex, a start up that is capturing the social metrics of plays on YouTube, LastFM and MySpace for musicians.
The boys had a lot to write about, they just needed people to listen. Slobotski, Davidson and Schreiber decided to throw an event to grab the world?s attention; they called it Big Omaha.
The first Big Omaha was a success with over 550 people from 20 states including Foursquare?s Dennis Crowley, Charity: Water?s Scott Harrison and Zappo?s Tony Shea.�SPN was suddenly profitable, making money off of sponsorships and ticket sales from the event. Soon they had local businesses and Omaha?s Chamber of Commerce knocking on their door, asking if they could advertise on SPN. The readers came.
SPN currently has 4 full-time employees, 12 freelance writers and 3600 RSS feed email subscribers.�At the end of November, the site averaged 25,000 unique visitors, 45,000 page views, and was growing at 10% a month.
?If it weren?t for Silicon Prairie News, there wouldn?t be a start-up scene in the mid-west. They are our voice. Their existence reinforces our culture.? says Ben Milne, the CEO of Dwolla.
Monday through Friday, expect fresh, daily content focusing on Silicon Prairie entrepreneurs like Dwolla and Agile Sports, an online coaching application, recently named by Inc. magazine?s 30 under 30.�On the weekends, to keep traffic flowing, they?ll repurpose TED Talks or big interviews from other more well-known tech blogs.
?Our first goal is to highlight the story, the angel investors and the entrepreneurs. Our second goal is to tighten, build and connect the community and ecosystem here,? says Slobotski. ?There?s value in what we?re doing by reporting on it but our events build communities that get people talking and brainstorming ideas together.?
The overall scene in Silicon Prairie is comprised of a lot of consumer�related�tech starts up. With the large amount of capital potentially available (read: Berkshire Hathaway and everyone else who is connected to Warren Buffet by one string or another), the scene could be well funded with the right connections.
This coming week, they will launch Silicon Prairie News? Kansas City bureau, to be led by Royce Haynes. Haynes, like many SPN readers found the site through hearing about Big Omaha on Twitter. ?I didn?t expect something of this caliber to take place in Omaha, Nebraska,? he says, ?It?s going to be great to now be a part of it and to able to highlight all of the entrepreneurial activity going on in Kansas City.?
Interested in getting in on the Silicon Prairie fun? Save the date for a sweet SPN party Sunday night at SXSWi in March and a Big Omaha style event in Des Moines, Iowa this fall.
About the Author
Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC.
She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle.
You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.
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Review: Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic
Affordable and factory overclocked, Palit's GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic could be the ideal iteration of Nvidia's latest mid-range Fermi.The GeForce GTX 560 Ti caused a bit of a stir last month when it first hit our test benches. We were, and still are, fans of the GTX 460 and were hoping for more of the same graphical goodness in this next generation. Unfortunately though it doesn't hold as special a place in our heart as the GTX 460 though, but that's actually nothing to do with the card itself. It's still a speedy little daemon, and it's still coming in at the price/performance sweetspot of �200.The issue here is that the market has moved onwards since the inception of the GTX 460, or more specifically the competition has moved on.There was nothing to touch the original mid-range Fermi when it came out, only Nvidia cards were competing. Now the spectre of the Radeon HD 6950, with its dual-BIOS, almost risk-free, unlocking, looms large over the field.One thing the GF 114 GPU can do though is overclock, and is another factory-assured overclocked card to give that chip a shot in the arm.As you can tell from the benchmark results the Palit GTX 560 Ti Sonic is faster than its reference-designed brethren, but lacks the raw power of the Zotac GTX 560 Ti AMP! edition's extra 50MHz clock speed.The Zotac card represents the same boost over the Palit card as that Sonic edition does over the reference design.What isn't shown here though is the performance of the competing Radeon cards, especially at the high-end, tessellation-heavy DirectX 11 benchmarks. The Nvidia and AMD cards trade blows across most of the suite, but the dual-tessellation engines of the Cayman GPU gives it the edge in the likes of Heaven 2.0 and with Metro 2033's tessellated character models.DirectX 11 tessellation performanceDirectX 11 gaming performanceOne of the things that Palit brings to the overclocking market is the ability to not only drop superior cooling onto their cards, thanks to the scale of its operation it can redesign the reference PCB and produce its own versions of the cards rather than relying on rebadged, bin-sorted reference cards.The first thing you'll notice about the Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic is the fact that it is so very teeny-tiny. Compared to the increased scale of Zotac's GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! card's redesigned PCB it looks for all the world like a low-end card with an unnecessary cooler strapped to it.It's still a dual-slot card, but is significantly shorter than even the reference design. Still though Palit has managed to fit a dual-fan cooler onto it to give that stressed GPU some much-needed chilling.It does come with a pretty healthy overclock on it too. Compared to the 822MHz core clock of the reference design you're looking at 900MHz straight out of the box. That's not as crazy as the 128MHz boost you get on the Zotac GeForce GTX 560 Ti AMP! but it's still a pretty hefty performance hike.That's born out by the increased performance in the benchmark tests. You're looking at around a 10% increase on average across the suite, and considering the GTX 560 Ti Sonic is less than a tenner more expensive than the �199 MSRP of the reference designed cards that's pretty good.We were hoping that the redesigned PCB and improved cooling solution might enable us to reach the sort of speeds the Zotac AMP! edition is capable of out of the box, unfortunately though the GTX 560 Ti Sonic while operates at 950MHz it is a trifle flaky.That's a shame for Palit, but it does mean the Zotac card still rules the roost as the best example of the GTX 560 Ti, and almost justifies the price premium it is charging for the privilege.The Radeon HD 6950 is still a fly in the GTX 560 Ti's overclocked ointment, and it's all down to the BIOS flash that gives the reference Radeon's a transformation into fully fledged HD 6970s. I've got a feeling AMD might be starting to phase out the dual-BIOS on the Cayman cards to call a halt to the BIOS flashing, but for the moment it's still very much a possibility.And one hell of a selling point.We likedThe size of the Palit GeForce GTX 560 Ti Sonic is also a selling point. For those with a paucity of space in their chassis this reduced footprint could be a godsend, and should make a good base for a portable LAN rig too.It's also a very competitive price for an overclocked version. If you can't afford to stretch for the HD 6950 this Sonic edition is a good bet.We dislikedIt was a bit of a disappointment that we couldn't push it to what seems to be the GTX 560 Ti's maximum of 950MHz, but realistically that's not a huge issue considering the relative price.Final wordFor just a little more than the price of the vanilla GTX 560 Ti the Palit Sonic edition represents good value and excellent performance. That said for another tenner you can pick up a Radeon HD 6950 that's ripe for a good ol' flashing.Related LinksTechRadar's Reviews GuaranteeRead more graphics card reviewsRelated StoriesReview: MSI GeForce GTX 470 Twin Frozr IIReview: PNY GeForce GTS 450 1GBReview: Sapphire Radeon HD 5750Review: XFX Radeon HD 5770Buying Guide: Best cheap DX11 graphics card: 10 testedBurglar alarm
Interview with the eFlirt expert: Why you should be online dating
Interview with the eFlirt expert: Why you should be online dating
We work online, we order food online at SeamlessWeb, we tell people when we?re sleeping online in Skype mood messages, we get jobs online on Linkedin, we invite friends to parties online on Facebook and we meet�interesting�people who can turn into friends online on Twitter. So why are some of us still hesitant to start meeting people to date online?
Maybe you?re not, maybe you have profiles on Match, eHarmony, JDate and OKCupid, but I know a fair share of you think online dating is cheap, or you don?t need it and that it somehow kills the romance. Allow me to introduce you to Laurie Davis, the Founder of �?e-Flirt expert,? who is currently the NY Tech Dating Examiner, co-host of the weekly web show LoveNation and the moderator of a dating forum on Divorce Candy.
Davis offers a wide-range of services such as revamping your online dating profile, date-coaching and wing-womaning. She also offers VIP services where she will online date for executives who are too busy to check their messages but still want to meet people and go out on dates. ?I get to live vicariously through many different types of people,? Davis says smiling.
Davis? clients are 60% male, 40% female and from all different walks of life; they have different personalities and ages, her youngest is 20 and her oldest�is 70! As you might expect, a lot of her clients are divorcees, but there are also a lot of kids right out of�college, who have a hard time adjusting to a new form of social life.
Davis launched the site a year and a half ago but has been personally online dating for 10 years. I had the pleasure of chatting with Davis just before the Valentine?s Day season.
CBM: So why should someone start dating online?
You ever know who you?re going to meet or where you?re going to meet them. Today you might meet them at a coffee shop or you might meet them on Facebok, Twitter or Match.com.
(Davis happens to have met her boyfriend, The Professional Wingman, on Twitter.)
CBM: What tips do you have for online dating newbies?
1)�The site you choose is really important, so check out different services. Make sure you actually see women or men on there that you want to date.
2) For your profile, you want to avoid and cliches or any adjectives like ?adventurous?, ?fun?, ?cool?. Tell a story and be specific. Write about the time when you flew on a whim to Costa Rica. Be unique.
3) You need to reach out to people; women especially do not want to do this. You dont want technology to get in your way. You want it to enhance your dating life. If you see someone you like, you need to say hi.
CBM: What are the dangers of online dating?
The biggest danger is that you?re going to get really let down by the process. If you let the process take over and you focus too much on how many emails you?re sending or receiving you will be discouraged. As singles age, we feel the pressure to be in a relationship and we get caught up in the emotional aspects of dating.
CBM: What are good messaging and profile tips?
Be specific. Fill out the entire profile. Dont skip questions. Anytime you can make something a list, do it, because that means its going to be easy to skim and easy for people?s eyes to pick up on something. Lists are very good. Talk about who you are looking for but make the profile about you.
CBM: What are your favorite dating websites?
HowAboutWe is a completely different way to date, it?s great. There are also lots of fantastic apps right now. Apps are�something�everyone should have on their phone right now. I love Urban Daddy?s The Next Move and location based dating apps like�MeetMoi, UrbanSingles, Grindrr or Scout.
To be clear, I?m not affiliated with any sites and recommend different sites to singles based on their region and individual preferences. I frequently say that ?Every site is good for someone, but no one site is best for everyone.?
CBM: How do you use social media to build your brand?
I started my business on a complete whim. I?ve helped many of my friends get into many different relationships. I took $50, a Twitter account, a Facebook fan page and a blog and I started. 48 hours later and I was in business.
I mostly used Twitter. My background professionally is in marketing so I knew I needed to differentiate myself from different dating personalities. I decided to do a tip of the day on Twitter, something that wasn?t a no brainrer, something that makes you go, ?huh, I never thought about it that way.?
No matter how big the company gets, I?ll always give free advice if I can do it in two DMs.
While the eFlirt Expert brand is currently Davis, one full-time team member, part-time interns, an advisory board and a PR and marketing consultant, she?ll be hiring certified e-Flirters around the�country in the next year. This is a huge growing industry. After all, everybody wants love, and if using technology is naturally happening in the rest of our lives, why not in love?
About the Author
Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC.
She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle.
You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.
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We work online, we order food online at SeamlessWeb, we tell people when we?re sleeping online in Skype mood messages, we get jobs online on Linkedin, we invite friends to parties online on Facebook and we meet�interesting�people who can turn into friends online on Twitter. So why are some of us still hesitant to start meeting people to date online?
Maybe you?re not, maybe you have profiles on Match, eHarmony, JDate and OKCupid, but I know a fair share of you think online dating is cheap, or you don?t need it and that it somehow kills the romance. Allow me to introduce you to Laurie Davis, the Founder of �?e-Flirt expert,? who is currently the NY Tech Dating Examiner, co-host of the weekly web show LoveNation and the moderator of a dating forum on Divorce Candy.
Davis offers a wide-range of services such as revamping your online dating profile, date-coaching and wing-womaning. She also offers VIP services where she will online date for executives who are too busy to check their messages but still want to meet people and go out on dates. ?I get to live vicariously through many different types of people,? Davis says smiling.
Davis? clients are 60% male, 40% female and from all different walks of life; they have different personalities and ages, her youngest is 20 and her oldest�is 70! As you might expect, a lot of her clients are divorcees, but there are also a lot of kids right out of�college, who have a hard time adjusting to a new form of social life.
Davis launched the site a year and a half ago but has been personally online dating for 10 years. I had the pleasure of chatting with Davis just before the Valentine?s Day season.
CBM: So why should someone start dating online?
You ever know who you?re going to meet or where you?re going to meet them. Today you might meet them at a coffee shop or you might meet them on Facebok, Twitter or Match.com.
(Davis happens to have met her boyfriend, The Professional Wingman, on Twitter.)
CBM: What tips do you have for online dating newbies?
1)�The site you choose is really important, so check out different services. Make sure you actually see women or men on there that you want to date.
2) For your profile, you want to avoid and cliches or any adjectives like ?adventurous?, ?fun?, ?cool?. Tell a story and be specific. Write about the time when you flew on a whim to Costa Rica. Be unique.
3) You need to reach out to people; women especially do not want to do this. You dont want technology to get in your way. You want it to enhance your dating life. If you see someone you like, you need to say hi.
CBM: What are the dangers of online dating?
The biggest danger is that you?re going to get really let down by the process. If you let the process take over and you focus too much on how many emails you?re sending or receiving you will be discouraged. As singles age, we feel the pressure to be in a relationship and we get caught up in the emotional aspects of dating.
CBM: What are good messaging and profile tips?
Be specific. Fill out the entire profile. Dont skip questions. Anytime you can make something a list, do it, because that means its going to be easy to skim and easy for people?s eyes to pick up on something. Lists are very good. Talk about who you are looking for but make the profile about you.
CBM: What are your favorite dating websites?
HowAboutWe is a completely different way to date, it?s great. There are also lots of fantastic apps right now. Apps are�something�everyone should have on their phone right now. I love Urban Daddy?s The Next Move and location based dating apps like�MeetMoi, UrbanSingles, Grindrr or Scout.
To be clear, I?m not affiliated with any sites and recommend different sites to singles based on their region and individual preferences. I frequently say that ?Every site is good for someone, but no one site is best for everyone.?
CBM: How do you use social media to build your brand?
I started my business on a complete whim. I?ve helped many of my friends get into many different relationships. I took $50, a Twitter account, a Facebook fan page and a blog and I started. 48 hours later and I was in business.
I mostly used Twitter. My background professionally is in marketing so I knew I needed to differentiate myself from different dating personalities. I decided to do a tip of the day on Twitter, something that wasn?t a no brainrer, something that makes you go, ?huh, I never thought about it that way.?
No matter how big the company gets, I?ll always give free advice if I can do it in two DMs.
While the eFlirt Expert brand is currently Davis, one full-time team member, part-time interns, an advisory board and a PR and marketing consultant, she?ll be hiring certified e-Flirters around the�country in the next year. This is a huge growing industry. After all, everybody wants love, and if using technology is naturally happening in the rest of our lives, why not in love?
About the Author
Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC.
She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle.
You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.
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Friday Happy Hour: Burnt Sugar Old Fashioned
It?s time for Friday Happy Hour, highlighting a drink we?ve recently enjoyed, every Friday at 4pm! Please share your favorites as well.
Tuesday was my rad friend Julie’s birthday. Julie does really important work at a really important non-profit and is always surrounded by super cool activist types, musicians, and the like. I showed up to [...]After school activities
Tuesday was my rad friend Julie’s birthday. Julie does really important work at a really important non-profit and is always surrounded by super cool activist types, musicians, and the like. I showed up to [...]After school activities
Exclusive: Facebook Exploring Permitting a Tender Offer for $1 Billion of Employee Shares at $60 Billion Valuation
Facebook is exploring permitting a tender offer up to $1 billion of its employee shares, after being approached by a number of big institutional investors about investing in the company, according to sources close to the situation.
The new approximate valuation? An eye-popping $60 billion, sources said, which is a significant increase to a recent $1.5 billion investment round by Goldman Sachs and its international clients that had pegged the social networking behemoth at a $50 billion valuation.
And the reason? Liquidity, allowing Facebook employees to monetize their privately held shares, since the company is not likely to have an IPO for at least a year.
That?s been a big issue for Facebook as it seeks to walk the ever dicier line between being a private company and becoming a public company.
And managing how its shares are dispersed is critical, especially with regulatory concerns about these private secondary markets increasing.
All the machinating is because Facebook has tried hard?via ever bigger funding rounds and ever larger valuations?to delay its IPO, in order to grow its massive 600-million user base away from scrutiny.
The move is not dissimilar to one that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company did in mid-2009, when one of its major investors, DST, forked over $100 million for employee shares in a transaction that was in addition to a $200 million investment.
At that time, current and former employees of Facebook were able to sell up to 20 percent of their common shares at $14.77 per share at a $6.5 billion valuation.
If completed, the new tender offer would be at a share price almost 10 times that. But sources said interest is high among big institutional investors who want a piece of Facebook before its inevitable initial public offering.
It?s likely the deal will be split between two or more investors, sources added.
A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.
The latest wrinkle is part of a massive race to invest in the winners of Web 2.0, often via secondary market sales.
Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, for example, confirmed it had bought $80 million in shares of Twitter, in a story first reported here.
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Tagged: BoomTown, Facebook, Internet, Kara Swisher, Silicon Valley, Twitter, digital, financial, social networking, Andreessen Horowitz, California, DST, employee, funding, Goldman Sachs, initial public offering, institutional, international, investment, investor, IPO, liquidity, market, monetize, offering, Palo Alto, price, private, public, regulatory, round, sales, secondary, shares, tender offer, transaction, valuation, venture, venture capital, Web 2.0 | permalink
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The new approximate valuation? An eye-popping $60 billion, sources said, which is a significant increase to a recent $1.5 billion investment round by Goldman Sachs and its international clients that had pegged the social networking behemoth at a $50 billion valuation.
And the reason? Liquidity, allowing Facebook employees to monetize their privately held shares, since the company is not likely to have an IPO for at least a year.
That?s been a big issue for Facebook as it seeks to walk the ever dicier line between being a private company and becoming a public company.
And managing how its shares are dispersed is critical, especially with regulatory concerns about these private secondary markets increasing.
All the machinating is because Facebook has tried hard?via ever bigger funding rounds and ever larger valuations?to delay its IPO, in order to grow its massive 600-million user base away from scrutiny.
The move is not dissimilar to one that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company did in mid-2009, when one of its major investors, DST, forked over $100 million for employee shares in a transaction that was in addition to a $200 million investment.
At that time, current and former employees of Facebook were able to sell up to 20 percent of their common shares at $14.77 per share at a $6.5 billion valuation.
If completed, the new tender offer would be at a share price almost 10 times that. But sources said interest is high among big institutional investors who want a piece of Facebook before its inevitable initial public offering.
It?s likely the deal will be split between two or more investors, sources added.
A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.
The latest wrinkle is part of a massive race to invest in the winners of Web 2.0, often via secondary market sales.
Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, for example, confirmed it had bought $80 million in shares of Twitter, in a story first reported here.
View Comments
Tagged: BoomTown, Facebook, Internet, Kara Swisher, Silicon Valley, Twitter, digital, financial, social networking, Andreessen Horowitz, California, DST, employee, funding, Goldman Sachs, initial public offering, institutional, international, investment, investor, IPO, liquidity, market, monetize, offering, Palo Alto, price, private, public, regulatory, round, sales, secondary, shares, tender offer, transaction, valuation, venture, venture capital, Web 2.0 | permalink
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Looking Back: The Arlington Nationals?
From StadiumPage.com Concepts
There is a small – yet fascinating – history�of professional baseball stadiums that never made it past the concept stage. This came to light yesterday again when a�link started flying around the Sports blogosphere (initiated by Jonah Keri, I picked up the bandwagon at SB Nation), documenting the great history of could-have-beesn for [...]business
There is a small – yet fascinating – history�of professional baseball stadiums that never made it past the concept stage. This came to light yesterday again when a�link started flying around the Sports blogosphere (initiated by Jonah Keri, I picked up the bandwagon at SB Nation), documenting the great history of could-have-beesn for [...]business
Exclusive: Facebook Exploring Permitting a Tender Offer for $1 Billion of Employee Shares at $60 Billion Valuation
Facebook is exploring permitting a tender offer up to $1 billion of its employee shares, after being approached by a number of big institutional investors about investing in the company, according to sources close to the situation.
The new approximate valuation? An eye-popping $60 billion, sources said, which is a significant increase to a recent $1.5 billion investment round by Goldman Sachs and its international clients that had pegged the social networking behemoth at a $50 billion valuation.
And the reason? Liquidity, allowing Facebook employees to monetize their privately held shares, since the company is not likely to have an IPO for at least a year.
That?s been a big issue for Facebook as it seeks to walk the ever dicier line between being a private company and becoming a public company.
And managing how its shares are dispersed is critical, especially with regulatory concerns about these private secondary markets increasing.
All the machinating is because Facebook has tried hard?via ever bigger funding rounds and ever larger valuations?to delay its IPO, in order to grow its massive 600-million user base away from scrutiny.
The move is not dissimilar to one that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company did in mid-2009, when one of its major investors, DST, forked over $100 million for employee shares in a transaction that was in addition to a $200 million investment.
At that time, current and former employees of Facebook were able to sell up to 20 percent of their common shares at $14.77 per share at a $6.5 billion valuation.
If completed, the new tender offer would be at a share price almost 10 times that. But sources said interest is high among big institutional investors who want a piece of Facebook before its inevitable initial public offering.
It?s likely the deal will be split between two or more investors, sources added.
A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.
The latest wrinkle is part of a massive race to invest in the winners of Web 2.0, often via secondary market sales.
Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, for example, confirmed it had bought $80 million in shares of Twitter, in a story first reported here.
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Tagged: BoomTown, Facebook, Internet, Kara Swisher, Silicon Valley, Twitter, digital, financial, social networking, Andreessen Horowitz, California, DST, employee, funding, Goldman Sachs, initial public offering, institutional, international, investment, investor, IPO, liquidity, market, monetize, offering, Palo Alto, price, private, public, regulatory, round, sales, secondary, shares, tender offer, transaction, valuation, venture, venture capital, Web 2.0 | permalink
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The new approximate valuation? An eye-popping $60 billion, sources said, which is a significant increase to a recent $1.5 billion investment round by Goldman Sachs and its international clients that had pegged the social networking behemoth at a $50 billion valuation.
And the reason? Liquidity, allowing Facebook employees to monetize their privately held shares, since the company is not likely to have an IPO for at least a year.
That?s been a big issue for Facebook as it seeks to walk the ever dicier line between being a private company and becoming a public company.
And managing how its shares are dispersed is critical, especially with regulatory concerns about these private secondary markets increasing.
All the machinating is because Facebook has tried hard?via ever bigger funding rounds and ever larger valuations?to delay its IPO, in order to grow its massive 600-million user base away from scrutiny.
The move is not dissimilar to one that the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company did in mid-2009, when one of its major investors, DST, forked over $100 million for employee shares in a transaction that was in addition to a $200 million investment.
At that time, current and former employees of Facebook were able to sell up to 20 percent of their common shares at $14.77 per share at a $6.5 billion valuation.
If completed, the new tender offer would be at a share price almost 10 times that. But sources said interest is high among big institutional investors who want a piece of Facebook before its inevitable initial public offering.
It?s likely the deal will be split between two or more investors, sources added.
A Facebook spokesman declined to comment.
The latest wrinkle is part of a massive race to invest in the winners of Web 2.0, often via secondary market sales.
Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, for example, confirmed it had bought $80 million in shares of Twitter, in a story first reported here.
View Comments
Tagged: BoomTown, Facebook, Internet, Kara Swisher, Silicon Valley, Twitter, digital, financial, social networking, Andreessen Horowitz, California, DST, employee, funding, Goldman Sachs, initial public offering, institutional, international, investment, investor, IPO, liquidity, market, monetize, offering, Palo Alto, price, private, public, regulatory, round, sales, secondary, shares, tender offer, transaction, valuation, venture, venture capital, Web 2.0 | permalink
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Lamb: The Other Red Meat
‘Rack of lamb’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
My dinner routine at home can get a little boring every now and then as I rotate between steak and chicken with the occasional pork chop thrown into the mix. So last week I expanded my palate a little and went to a lamb dinner at Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, where I learned [...]Digital Cameras 2
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
My dinner routine at home can get a little boring every now and then as I rotate between steak and chicken with the occasional pork chop thrown into the mix. So last week I expanded my palate a little and went to a lamb dinner at Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca, where I learned [...]Digital Cameras 2
2010: Yelp By The Numbers
2010 has been an especially exciting year for Yelp. We opened our 3rd Yelp office in Scottsdale, Arizona; introduced Yelp to 4 new countries: France, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands and 25 cities worldwide and launched a whole slew of...Dogs
Pamela will record your Skype calls and voicemail
By Nick Peers
Skype is a great tool for making free and low-cost calls using your computer, but there are two major features missing: voicemail and the ability to record your calls for whatever reason. Sure, you can purchase a call plan for access to voicemail, but why do that when you can get both features for free?Pamela Basic is a cut-down version of Skype recording software, but it still allows you to record up to 15 minutes of a Skype conversation plus add voicemail functionality to�Skype for free. There's also a custom voice-recording tool that can be used outside of Skype to record whatever it is you're saying or listening too.As with all third-party Skype extensions, install and launch the program, then wait for�Skype to pop up an alert asking if you wish to grant Pamela access to it -- click "Allow" to do so. Once in place, the next time you make a voice call a window will pop up asking if you wish to record the conversation. Click "Yes" to do so -- unfortunately another restriction of the Basic version is that it can't be configured to record automatically. You can then record up to 15 minutes at a time; to get around this restriction, just make sure you stop recording before the 15 minutes are up, and then immediately start a new recording from the main Pamela window.The program's voicemail feature is set to kick in 15 seconds after the phone rings when you're in any mode other than online; this can be tweaked when you come to create your customized voicemail answer message from Pamela's Tools > Options screen. It's also worth ticking the "Bring to front on call accepted" option to make sure the prompt for recording appears the moment your call is answered.Pamela can also be used to record video from your webcam, plus act as a scheduling tool reminding you when to make a call as well as set up automatic conference calls and transfer calls from one source to another (Skype credit required for this feature).Pamela is supposed to record in MP3 format by default, but on our test machine it reverted to WAV, so it's worth taking a trip to Tools > Options > Advanced > Sound to set it to WMA or OGG instead if drive space is an issue. You can see what format each recording has been made in by right-clicking it and choosing "Open recording folder."Pamela Basic is freeware, and runs on Windows 2000 or later. For unlimited recording, plus other exclusive features such as the ability to record video chats plus download Skype Voice Mail calls to your computer, look at�Pamela Professional Edition instead.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Cats
Skype is a great tool for making free and low-cost calls using your computer, but there are two major features missing: voicemail and the ability to record your calls for whatever reason. Sure, you can purchase a call plan for access to voicemail, but why do that when you can get both features for free?Pamela Basic is a cut-down version of Skype recording software, but it still allows you to record up to 15 minutes of a Skype conversation plus add voicemail functionality to�Skype for free. There's also a custom voice-recording tool that can be used outside of Skype to record whatever it is you're saying or listening too.As with all third-party Skype extensions, install and launch the program, then wait for�Skype to pop up an alert asking if you wish to grant Pamela access to it -- click "Allow" to do so. Once in place, the next time you make a voice call a window will pop up asking if you wish to record the conversation. Click "Yes" to do so -- unfortunately another restriction of the Basic version is that it can't be configured to record automatically. You can then record up to 15 minutes at a time; to get around this restriction, just make sure you stop recording before the 15 minutes are up, and then immediately start a new recording from the main Pamela window.The program's voicemail feature is set to kick in 15 seconds after the phone rings when you're in any mode other than online; this can be tweaked when you come to create your customized voicemail answer message from Pamela's Tools > Options screen. It's also worth ticking the "Bring to front on call accepted" option to make sure the prompt for recording appears the moment your call is answered.Pamela can also be used to record video from your webcam, plus act as a scheduling tool reminding you when to make a call as well as set up automatic conference calls and transfer calls from one source to another (Skype credit required for this feature).Pamela is supposed to record in MP3 format by default, but on our test machine it reverted to WAV, so it's worth taking a trip to Tools > Options > Advanced > Sound to set it to WMA or OGG instead if drive space is an issue. You can see what format each recording has been made in by right-clicking it and choosing "Open recording folder."Pamela Basic is freeware, and runs on Windows 2000 or later. For unlimited recording, plus other exclusive features such as the ability to record video chats plus download Skype Voice Mail calls to your computer, look at�Pamela Professional Edition instead.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Cats
We Love Music: Monotonix @ Comet Ping-Pong, 2/4/11
All photos by author
So this is what anarchy feels like.
Even with over 700 shows under their belt, Monotonix’s show on Friday night at Comet might?ve been the best chance to catch them on this tour. For reference, their show earlier this week in L.A. attracted 600 fans to a tiny venue – the cops ended [...]Beauty
So this is what anarchy feels like.
Even with over 700 shows under their belt, Monotonix’s show on Friday night at Comet might?ve been the best chance to catch them on this tour. For reference, their show earlier this week in L.A. attracted 600 fans to a tiny venue – the cops ended [...]Beauty
We Love Music: Monotonix @ Comet Ping-Pong, 2/4/11
All photos by author
So this is what anarchy feels like.
Even with over 700 shows under their belt, Monotonix’s show on Friday night at Comet might?ve been the best chance to catch them on this tour. For reference, their show earlier this week in Chicago attracted 600 fans to a tiny venue – the cops ended [...]Ebay
So this is what anarchy feels like.
Even with over 700 shows under their belt, Monotonix’s show on Friday night at Comet might?ve been the best chance to catch them on this tour. For reference, their show earlier this week in Chicago attracted 600 fans to a tiny venue – the cops ended [...]Ebay
Hacking Chrome? Google Bets $20,000 you can't
By Ed Oswald, Betanews
Google has donated $20,000 to a yearly hacking competition to be awarded to the first researcher able to crack its Chrome browser. The Mountain View, Calif. company's move marks the first time a browser developer has contributed money to the contest.The Pwn2Own competition is in its fifth year and is held at the CanSecWest security conference. Participants are tasked with cracking a variety of other browsers too (Apple's Safari, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Mozilla's Firefox) on computers supplied by the contest creators running Windows 7. Those that perform a successful crack win the computer it was done on as well as a $15,000 cash prize.Cracking Chrome will be hard. The browser uses what is called a "sandbox," which isolates system processes. In order for a crack to be successful, first the sandbox must be cracked, and then the exploit code itself executed.Google is offering a CR-48 netbook as a prize itself in addition to the cash award. The netbook would only be offered as a prize -- the exploit would need to be performed on the other computers offered."Kudos to the Google security team for taking the initiative to approach us on this; we're always in favor of rewarding security researchers for the work they too-often do for free," HP TippingPoint security research team manager Aaron Portnoy said. Portnoy's firm runs the Pwn2Own competition.Another portion of the contest will include hacks to popular mobile OS platforms including BlackBerry OS, iOS, and Android. Like the browser competition, a $15,000 prize and the device itself would be awarded.Registration for the contest is open until February 15. Instructions and more information can be found from HP TippingPoint's website.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Blogs
Google has donated $20,000 to a yearly hacking competition to be awarded to the first researcher able to crack its Chrome browser. The Mountain View, Calif. company's move marks the first time a browser developer has contributed money to the contest.The Pwn2Own competition is in its fifth year and is held at the CanSecWest security conference. Participants are tasked with cracking a variety of other browsers too (Apple's Safari, Microsoft's Internet Explorer, and Mozilla's Firefox) on computers supplied by the contest creators running Windows 7. Those that perform a successful crack win the computer it was done on as well as a $15,000 cash prize.Cracking Chrome will be hard. The browser uses what is called a "sandbox," which isolates system processes. In order for a crack to be successful, first the sandbox must be cracked, and then the exploit code itself executed.Google is offering a CR-48 netbook as a prize itself in addition to the cash award. The netbook would only be offered as a prize -- the exploit would need to be performed on the other computers offered."Kudos to the Google security team for taking the initiative to approach us on this; we're always in favor of rewarding security researchers for the work they too-often do for free," HP TippingPoint security research team manager Aaron Portnoy said. Portnoy's firm runs the Pwn2Own competition.Another portion of the contest will include hacks to popular mobile OS platforms including BlackBerry OS, iOS, and Android. Like the browser competition, a $15,000 prize and the device itself would be awarded.Registration for the contest is open until February 15. Instructions and more information can be found from HP TippingPoint's website.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Blogs
Buying Guide: Best anti-virus: 10 programs on test
Malware, hackers, spam, identity thieves and more ? which anti-virus package should you invest in to prevent them playing havoc with your life? We test 10 of the best anti-virus apps available Anti-virus isn't something you can get away without any more, and if you think you can't be infected, chances are there's a virus writer somewhere ready and willing to prove you wrong. You probably won't even know about it when it happens. In the old days, malware tended to make a big song and dance about its presence, but the rules have changed. Now written with an eye towards online crime and cold hard cash, the average virus has learned to stay low and spread via almost any vector. The wrong website. A lost USB stick. A Facebook message. You never know where they could strike, and even if you're up to speed on what they're doing now, sooner or later they'll find a new trick. For these anti-virus reviews, we've taken 10 of the best programs around and put them through their paces, not just to see how good they are at stomping viruses, but how much of your valuable resources they soak up. We've all banished an anti-virus tool for slowing things down or getting too obnoxious at some point ? a modern tool should be expected to keep quiet until it has something important to say, and definitely not get in the way of the applications you're using or the games you want to play. Finally, while most of these versions are available as suites, it's primarily their anti-virus capabilities that we're looking at here. Each offers multiple versions at different price points, typically a pure antivirus tool and an Internet Security Suite edition that bolts on a firewall and often parental controls. There's frequently a third edition too, focusing on features like backup and data security. The core engines are always the same, however, so don't feel you're missing out on anything if you don't need them. Microsoft Security EssentialsPrice: Free (Unlimited PCs)Info: www.microsoft.comYou need antivirus, but do you need to pay for antivirus? There are plenty of free tools out there to choose from, including variants of many packages reviewed here (although we're looking at the commercial editions in the interests of fairness, the actual scanning engines are usually similar, if not identical), but Microsoft's is one of the few that's entirely free. There are no upgrades on offer, no souped-up edition to try and upsell you to, and no irritating pop-ups to remind you that it's there. This makes it something of a stripped-down package ? there's no firewall, not many options, no web filtering and no gaming mode. It has all the basics though, including scheduled scans and real-time threat detection, the ability to mark certain files as safe and automatic scanning of all files you download from the internet. On our test PC, it was by far the slowest antivirus package, taking 25 minutes for its first scan and 12 on a subsequent run, but clawed some time back when it came to reboots, barely affecting how long it took Windows to start up in the morning. It also had one of the lowest CPU utilisation scores on test, making it a good one to have running in the background. As far as actual scanning goes, we had no complaints. Like most of the tools on test, it was a clean sweep, picking up all the malware on the PC and not falling for any of the false positives. It may be a free tool, but Microsoft has a vested interest in keeping Windows virus-free. If all you want is a scanner and not any fancy features, it's more than up to the job of sitting in the background and protecting your PC, out of sight and out of mind. Rating: 4/5Webroot Internet Security CompletePrice: �50 (three PCs) Info: www.webroot.com Webroot performed reasonably well across the board. It missed one virus from our loadout, but that's only noticeable because the majority caught them all. Every package will have its blind spots ? viruses that it didn't quite update in time to catch and the one that gets away ? so a single miss is nothing to be ashamed of. It earned a perfect score on false positives however, and proved one of the least system-intensive programs of the lot ? it adds barely 20 seconds extra on bootup, has a tiny average memory footprint, and a very respectable scan time and average CPU load. It was one of the slower programs in the test during the initial scan, but the time drops considerably on subsequent checks. There's a dedicated gaming mode, with the handy option to choose how long it stays on. Beyond that, there aren't many options to play with, and not much stood out. The Internet Security Complete Pack takes the standard set of antivirus and firewall features and bolts on some handy extras, including protecting your passwords, providing secure form-filling and hanging onto your credit card details. You also get some free web space, the amount depending on the version ? 10GB in the Complete Edition, 2GB in Security Essentials ? for file-sharing and backup, which is a handy throw-in, especially because it allows for automatic syncing. Put any files you need to keep into a special Magic Briefcase folder, and they'll be accessible on any PC that has Internet Security Complete on it. This should really be a free downloadable app though to beat DropBox and friends. Rating: 3/5McAfee Internet Security 2011 Price: �40 (one PC) Info: www.mcafee.comThe antivirus world's other heavy hitter doesn't put in quite as good a performance as this year's Norton, but still serves up a very respectable performance across the board. It suffered from the one of the longest boot-up times and the absolute highest CPU load during scans, but compensated by being by far the least memory-hungry program on test. You might not want to play games while it's running ? and there's no gaming mode provided ? but for most apps it'll be just fine. In other areas, Internet Security proved a mid-level package. Its initial scan took a lengthy 17 minutes, which dropped down to just four minutes on a subsequent runthrough ? roughly the same as Norton. It caught 100 per cent of the malware on our test system without falling prey to any false positives, and on a purely aesthetic level, it features a much better interface that makes it easy to access exactly the features you want. As with all major internet security suites, a capable software firewall is built in, and can be activated and then generally ignored until it spots something you should know about. Bonus features on offer here include parental controls, file shredding, antispam and a gigabyte of free space (the Norton equivalent is only available in the 360 edition). The upgraded version, Total Protection, offers all these features, plus an encrypted vault to store files, home network defense and a more advanced version of McAfee's SiteAdvisor for spotting bad links. For most however, Internet Security will be all you need, and while it may not have come out the winner this year, it remains a strong performer.AVG Internet Security 2011 Price: �38 (one PC) Info: www.avg.com AVG is best known for its free antivirus, but this commercial version offers more than a few reasons to upgrade, including identity protection and a built-in firewall. Still, install it and you could be forgiven for thinking it's still trying to upsell you on a later version, because it's more than a little eager to make sure you know everything it's doing. It adds a Gadget to the Windows Sidebar, its firewall is very noticeable, and it can feel like the smart kid at the front of the class going "Sir! Sir! I know, sir!" Still, it performs well enough for a pat on the head. In tests, it was easily the fastest of the tools here on first scan, and an excellent performer on subsequent scans. It demands fairly high CPU usage, but barely affected rebooting times at all. On the all-important virus test, it was a clean sweep for both actual malware and false-positives. The only real weaknesses are the Link Scanner, which protects you from malicious sites and sending out dodgy links via Facebook, but only in internet Explorer and Firefox, and it's not always clear exactly what its options will do for you ? the Identity Protection component being particularly vague. AVG is a strong contender, although for personal use, it must be noted that if it's only the antivirus side of the package that you're interested in, you can still download it for free. (For professional/corporate use, you need to pay up for the full package.) The main things you miss out on if you opt for the free version are the firewall, anti-spam (which you probably won't use since it's clientside only), IM conversation scanning, and the Identity Protection component. Rating: 4/5Norton Internet Security 2011Price: �50 (three PCs) Info: www.symantec.comLike McAfee, Norton is one of the kings of the antivirus world and this latest version of its Internet Security suite doesn't let the side down at all. Where previous versions could be annoyingly 'in your face', the 2011 suite feels more quietly confident, from its new interface showing current trouble hotspots around the world to the easy-to-use tools it provides for scanning and cleaning. In tests, Norton's antivirus put on one of the best performances. It had no difficulty with the viruses we sent it to find and didn't fall for any of the false positives we set up for it. Norton has long had a reputation for being a heavy package, but this time out, it's a good lodger. A very long initial scan soon gave way to one of the fastest second scans, with a solid CPU and memory footprint. Bonus features on top of the core antivirus scanning in the Internet Security 2011 edition include parental controls, firewalling and tools for identity theft protection. The next level up, Norton 360, adds online backup/PC tuning, although nothing extra that you really need for online security. One complaint we do have, however, is that while Symantec offers a 30-day trial of Norton products, there's a bit of a catch ? they're what the company calls 'opt-out demos'. In short, you have to give it your credit card number and if you don't actively cancel before the end of your trial period, you'll automatically be billed for a whole year's worth of protection. Hopefully this doesn't catch on with other companies, because it's not the friendliest way of road-testing alternative suites. Rating: 4/5VIPRE Antivirus Premium Price: �50 (unlimited PCs) Info: www.vipre.comVIPRE offers a few interesting features, one of which is its 'lifetime' subscription option. Unfortunately this costs �60, and isn't a great deal considering the all-home licence you get in the regular edition. Also, the 'lifetime' is that of your PC, not yourself. Since you're going to upgrade and almost certainly have more than one machine around, in most cases you're going to be better off with the regular yearly subscription, spread out between your computers. In tests, it proved to be a mid-range performer. It was one of the worst tools for slowing down boot-times, although not quite the slowest, and one of the slowest at actually scanning the drive after its first look around. Its CPU utilisation is reasonable though, and while there's no dedicated gaming mode, it never got in the way of actually playing games. It may take time to do its job, but you probably won't be inconvenienced while it does it in the background. Its performance against our test system was a clean sweep, catching all of the viruses put in front of it, and not falling for any of the false positives hiding among them. In testing, no major problems reared their heads at all, save that it can be very chatty ? always keeping you in the loop, whether you have a reason to care or not. VIPRE Antivirus is available in two versions ? Premium and regular. The main differences are that only the Premium edition features a firewall and intrusion prevention, with a few other features thrown in ? notably ad blocking, web filtering. The antivirus component itself appear to be the same decent performer.Rating: 3/5PC Tools Internet Security 2011 Price: �50 (three PCs) Info: www.pctools.comThe first thing that stood out about PC Tools was that it had by far the biggest effect on our test machine's boot times, increasing them by a good half a minute. In three different tests, it spiked a 38-second boot time to a whopping 2:10, 1:49 and 1:40 ? quite a difference. Luckily, that was the only major negative we encountered while using it. Its memory usage and CPU load were average, and its actual scanning was surprisingly fast. The first long initial scan took around half an hour, but dropped down to a mere 46 seconds for its follow-up run. As with most tools here, it caught everything that was waiting for it on the drive, and didn't clock up any false positives against its record while doing so. Its feature set is a strong one, with one of the more reactive firewalls we saw in these products immediately kicking in. Unlike many, there are a few handy shortcuts you can use, including telling it what kind of network you're on, and having the firewall settings auto-configured to match ? very handy if you just want to get started. In a similar vein, a gaming mode is both present and automated, kicking in whenever you go into full-screen mode. Additional web security filters include spam filtering for Outlook and Thunderbird via toolbars, and plenty of online protection tools to watch out for any potentially dodgy websites and dangerous downloads. It's one of the cheaper antivirus solutions out there as well, at only �40 for a three-user license per year. It's a pity about that initial sloth, but there's little to complain about elsewhere in this strong internet security suite.Rating: 3/5Kaspersky Pure Price: �50 (one PC) Info: www.kaspersky.comKaspersky currently offers three different security products, in escalating level of price: regular Kaspersky Antivirus, Kaspersky Internet Security and this one, Kaspersky Pure. Both Antivirus and Pure are excellent performers, and caught all the malware in our test sweep without falling prey to any traps. The regular Antivirus proved marginally faster, while soaking up equally marginal extra system resources, and is a little cheaper, but Pure offers a few extra toys to play with. Whichever version you look at, it's going to be an excellent product. Internet Security bolts on extra parental controls and tune-up utilities. Pure adds backup to the mix and beefs up the firewall component, with more emphasis on the security of your home network. The most interesting feature Kaspersky Internet Security/ Pure includes is the ability to run applications in a sandbox, without you having to go to the trouble of setting up dedicated virtual machines. Any app you have installed can be locked away in one, identified by a radioactive green glow around its window. A shared folder handles any data-swapping. You still shouldn't use this to test programs you know are dodgy ? or run them at all ? but it's a good extra to have when browsing the web or trying out new applications.Kaspersky's protection is a strong offering across the board, with a more informative control panel than most, but one that provides easy configuration options. It's a little more power for only small amount extra, but you won't be disappointed with the other editions if you don't need the extras.Rating: 4/5BitDefender Total Security 2011 Price: �50 (one PC) Info: www.bitdefender.comBitDefender Total Security is another very solid product, with no particular specialities that push it above the herd, but no major weaknesses either. It caught all the malware, it didn't fall for any traps, and it did it very effectively indeed, with quick scans and reasonable CPU and memory loads. It has a dedicated gaming mode for keeping resources under control, and is one of the few products that does a proper scan of your PC before even installing, just to make sure it's safe. The interface is somewhat unusual, initially looking like there aren't many features, before revealing that they're tucked away to help prioritise the ones that you actually use. Don't need laptop mode? Flick a switch and it'll never be shown again. Not a gamer? Say goodbye to the gaming mode. Alternatively, if you want everything up front, you can just as easily switch into a more advanced user mode mode with all the options. One excellent touch is that before you use the software, it offers to actually guide you through, with one tutorial for existing BitDefender users and another for complete newcomers. In terms of features, it's the standard loadout: firewall, parental controls, and a few extras for tuning up your PC and backing up files. The slightly cut down Internet Security 2011 edition loses the last couple of features, which is fine if you already have space to store your things, and costs slightly less. There's also a pure antivirus edition, which is one of the cheaper on the market. This misses out on the firewall and parental controls, but otherwise still offers everything you could need to stop malware in its tracks.Rating: 3/5Titanium Internet Security 2011 Price: �40 (one PC) Info: http://uk.trendmicro.comTrend Micro's offering was by far the worst at picking up viruses in this year's test, failing to fix a dismal 23 per cent of the viruses planted on our test PC compared to most of the others' 100 per cent scores and Webroot's only slightly shaky 97.1. In its favour, it didn't throw up any false positives, but nor did any of the other tools. We might just have caught it on a bad day, but we can't say it was a great start for this package. It's a cloud-based virus scanner however, so new emerging threats should be protected against very quickly. In terms of raw performance, there's little to praise except for the fact that boot-up time after installing Trend was almost identical to before it, with a variance of just six seconds ? the only other package even close to that was Microsoft itself, at 10 seconds. In scanning, it used fewer resources than most, but not dramatically so. It took over 10 minutes to complete its secondary scan, where most ? although not all ? of its competitors ripped right through our test rig. Still, it wasn't the slowest performer by any means, beating both VIPRE and Microsoft by a good couple of minutes.As far as extra features go, you get the standard firewall, a client-side spam blocker, plus some very handy extras: built in parental controls that both block kids from naughty sites and serve up reports, and a Data Theft Prevention tool that takes in your most important passwords and personal details and watches out for them slipping into the wrong hands. All good stuff, let down by its initial performance. Hopefully next year it'll be better prepared. Rating: 2/5Best anti-virus: verdictThe most surprising thing about this anti-virus test is how little difference there is between most security suites at the moment. If you buy antivirus, you'll get that. Anything with 'Security' in the name is going to double that up with a firewall. All are incredibly easy to use, and the majority scored a clean sweep in our tests. That makes it harder to recommend individual packages, but the good news is that as long as you stick with the known names, you're unlikely to buy a dud. Whether it's a bonus feature you like, or simply added performance you crave, you can purchase in confidence. Just make sure you invest in one of them, because the criminals writing viruses will always have another trick up their sleeves? Editor's choice: Norton Internet Security 2011It's a close fight, but Norton's excellent performance and revamped interface make it our pick of this year's crop. It's easy enough for anyone to use, but with lots of excellent bonus features to dip into if you need a bit more power. Unsurprisingly catching everything we threw at it, it's a security suite you can be completely comfortable using as your digital guard-dog. Performance award: Kaspersky PureWith excellent scanning and a grab bag of genuinely useful security extras, it's hard to fault Kaspersky's high-end suite. You can get slightly faster and more system-friendly tools if you want everything more automated, although Pure won't give you trouble, but this is the one to go with if you want to squeeze as much power out of your choice of protection as possible. Value award: Microsoft Security EssentialsYou can't get better value than free, and Microsoft Security Essentials is more than good enough - as long as you know what you're doing. You may miss a few of the extra features, and have to sort out your firewall separately, but it'll keep you safe from most of the threats you're likely to download without the obnoxious extras. No licenses, no adverts, just free protection. Related StoriesBuying Guide: Best antivirus: 10 programs on testBuying Guide: Best antivirus 2011: 10 programs on testCruise Ships
Motorola Atrix 4G notebook: a $500 conundrum
By Tim Conneally, Betanews
Thursday, AT&T and Motorola announced pricing and availability of the Motorola Atrix 4G convertible smartphone. The public first recoiled at the pricetag --$199 for the phone and $500 for its notebook dock-- but the Atrix is an extremely enticing new type of gadget that could be a good solution for specific users. The main idea behind the Atrix 4G is that the smartphone acts as a "brain" that can power a notebook computer, a set top box, or stand alone as a phone. It features a dual gigaherz core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1 GB of RAM, up to 32 GB of storage, and features the Android 2.2 operating system with special dedicated interfaces for the notebook and multimedia set top box. The notebook dock is extremely thin, light, and sturdy, with a bright and clear 11.6" display. Unfortunately, without the Atrix 4G, it's also useless, and charging $500 for an accessory that has no standalone value is unprecedented in the mobile phone business. Furthermore, for the cost that the notebook dock adds, you could get all but one of the broadband-connected netbooks that AT&T offers unsubsidized. The Atrix and its unique dockability have piqued a lot of people's interest, and the unfortunate truth of the matter is: there is no other Android solution that does what Motorola's Atrix does.BlackBerry and Windows Mobile both have the REDFLY by Celio Corp, a $199 Bluetooth "netbook" that does something similar to the Atrix and the old, unreleased Palm Foleo, but without the need for a physical dock. Back in 2009, Celio demonstrated REDFLY working with the Google G1, but unfortunately it has shown no progress since the video embedded below. In December 2009, the company tweeted that Android REDFLY was "neither fail nor scam...we are making progress and hope to have something new to demo soon," but even the company's Twitter account has only posted a couple of updates in the time since that message. We've reached out to Celio to see what happened to the prototype and if development has ceased, but they haven't yet gotten back to us.Still, short of building one yourself*, if you want a portable notebook-like solution for an Android phone, the Atrix is currently your only solution. It goes up for pre-order on February 13 and will be available at AT&T's retail stores on March 6 or earlier.*I'm in the process of trying to assemble something portable and cheap that at least duplicates the functionality of REDFLY, which I'll post a story about as soon as I can.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Facebook
Thursday, AT&T and Motorola announced pricing and availability of the Motorola Atrix 4G convertible smartphone. The public first recoiled at the pricetag --$199 for the phone and $500 for its notebook dock-- but the Atrix is an extremely enticing new type of gadget that could be a good solution for specific users. The main idea behind the Atrix 4G is that the smartphone acts as a "brain" that can power a notebook computer, a set top box, or stand alone as a phone. It features a dual gigaherz core Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, 1 GB of RAM, up to 32 GB of storage, and features the Android 2.2 operating system with special dedicated interfaces for the notebook and multimedia set top box. The notebook dock is extremely thin, light, and sturdy, with a bright and clear 11.6" display. Unfortunately, without the Atrix 4G, it's also useless, and charging $500 for an accessory that has no standalone value is unprecedented in the mobile phone business. Furthermore, for the cost that the notebook dock adds, you could get all but one of the broadband-connected netbooks that AT&T offers unsubsidized. The Atrix and its unique dockability have piqued a lot of people's interest, and the unfortunate truth of the matter is: there is no other Android solution that does what Motorola's Atrix does.BlackBerry and Windows Mobile both have the REDFLY by Celio Corp, a $199 Bluetooth "netbook" that does something similar to the Atrix and the old, unreleased Palm Foleo, but without the need for a physical dock. Back in 2009, Celio demonstrated REDFLY working with the Google G1, but unfortunately it has shown no progress since the video embedded below. In December 2009, the company tweeted that Android REDFLY was "neither fail nor scam...we are making progress and hope to have something new to demo soon," but even the company's Twitter account has only posted a couple of updates in the time since that message. We've reached out to Celio to see what happened to the prototype and if development has ceased, but they haven't yet gotten back to us.Still, short of building one yourself*, if you want a portable notebook-like solution for an Android phone, the Atrix is currently your only solution. It goes up for pre-order on February 13 and will be available at AT&T's retail stores on March 6 or earlier.*I'm in the process of trying to assemble something portable and cheap that at least duplicates the functionality of REDFLY, which I'll post a story about as soon as I can.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Redskins Shenanigans Not Related to Dan Snyder
‘00207256′
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
As if this week wasn’t enough of a PR nightmare for the ’skins, let’s add another problem child to the mix, shall we? Mister Irrelevant passes along the report: professional breakdancer (have you ever seen his worm?) and at-one-point-this-season Washington Redskin Albert Haynesworth has been charged with minor assault after an incident [...]Diamonds
courtesy of ‘Keith Allison’
As if this week wasn’t enough of a PR nightmare for the ’skins, let’s add another problem child to the mix, shall we? Mister Irrelevant passes along the report: professional breakdancer (have you ever seen his worm?) and at-one-point-this-season Washington Redskin Albert Haynesworth has been charged with minor assault after an incident [...]Diamonds
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Inside Facebook extends a big thank you to our�sponsors for supporting the continued growth of Inside Facebook. Check them out below! Frima Studio develops social games for big brands. Shoutlet helps companies manage and monetize their social media communication. Kontagent is a developer of analytics solutions for social application developers. The�Buddy Media Platform enables�brands to [...]Attic Renovation
Capital Chefs: Tom Marr of Pete?s Apizza (Part 2)
’squash’
courtesy of ‘ekelly80′
So I didn’t manage to obtain the secrets behind making New Haven style pizza (besides, would it even compare to the real thing�if you made it at home?) But, I did get a great recipe for one of Pete’s Apizza’s antipasti: carmelized winter squash, sundried cherries and apple crisps with a cider vinaigrette. [...]Chinchilla
courtesy of ‘ekelly80′
So I didn’t manage to obtain the secrets behind making New Haven style pizza (besides, would it even compare to the real thing�if you made it at home?) But, I did get a great recipe for one of Pete’s Apizza’s antipasti: carmelized winter squash, sundried cherries and apple crisps with a cider vinaigrette. [...]Chinchilla
Flyers Play of the Game: Leino Wins It With Another Spin-o-Rama
The Flyers survived a hard-fought yet mostly sluggish first 40 minutes and ratcheted things up in the final 20, ultimately beating the Nashville Predators with two goals by Ville Leino in the third period. Back in early December, we put together a post on Leino's proficiency with the spin-o-rama, and tonight he broke a 2-2 third period tie with this beauty: Gatdamn! Great feed from Giroux, who you can hear yell "Carts!" in the replay above. More highlights from the Flyers' 3-2 win below. Peter Laviolette has taken notice of Leino's spinners as well.�?I definitely think that when you?re set one way and spin and throw a backhand, it?s hard to read, much harder than just a shot that comes off the stick," Lavvy said. "But he?s good at that. He?s really good at protecting the puck and circling in small areas and strong on it. He was like that most of the game.? Jeff Carter earned the game's second star with a goal and two assists, factoring into every Flyers' goal. Credit Peter Laviolette for joining the hot hands, putting Leino out there with Carter and Claude Giroux. After the game, CSN's John Boruk said Leino's third period ice time was second only to that of Chris Pronger.� Ville the Kid with a beast of a night for the Flyers, tryna earn that extension. Interestingly enough, it was just the first two-goal game of his career. Meanwhile, Carter's three-point game was his seventh of the season Full highlights: Probably Ville's favorite band... The Spinners!� Ya know because both came from Detroit.
movies
movies
DeSean Jackson and Todd Herremans Appear on 'The View' to Fight Bullying
The story of Nadin Khoury, a 13-year-old Delco boy, who was bullied by seven classmates dubbed a "wolf pack" that videotaped the incident and uploaded it to YouTube is despicable. But the courage the youngster has shown in the aftermath has been nothing short of impressive.
Nadin appeared on ABC's The View this morning to speak out against bullying and did so in a brave and incredibly well-spoken manner. Being from the Philadelphia area, Nadin is a huge Eagles fan, so The View went out and surprised the youngster by bringing out DeSean Jackson, Jamal Jackson, and Todd Herremans.
Upon seeing the Eagles players, Nadin started to tear up. About as cool of a moment a professional athlete can provide for a 13-year-old.
DeSean also tweeted out a number of messages in support of anti-bullying.
take steps2 prevent bullying-report it-be assertive-be a friend tune into The View for more..being a bully isn't cool spread the word
And:
www.ichoose2live.com shoutout to @toddherremans and Rodney-Stand up 2 bullying 2day! Parents You can help! Don't Just Walk Away
Not only did DJacc give the youngster the No. 10 jersey off of his back, but DeSean and Todd also informed Nadin that he and his family would get to go to an Eagles game of their choice next season. Enjoy it, little man.
>>The View
Video uploaded by BGN.
DeSean posted this photo Twitter with the message, "Show was hands down one of the best.. I felt this young Boi.. Keep ya head HIGH NADIN!!"
And here's one of him with Whoopi and Barbara.
Article Directory Generator
Nadin appeared on ABC's The View this morning to speak out against bullying and did so in a brave and incredibly well-spoken manner. Being from the Philadelphia area, Nadin is a huge Eagles fan, so The View went out and surprised the youngster by bringing out DeSean Jackson, Jamal Jackson, and Todd Herremans.
Upon seeing the Eagles players, Nadin started to tear up. About as cool of a moment a professional athlete can provide for a 13-year-old.
DeSean also tweeted out a number of messages in support of anti-bullying.
take steps2 prevent bullying-report it-be assertive-be a friend tune into The View for more..being a bully isn't cool spread the word
And:
www.ichoose2live.com shoutout to @toddherremans and Rodney-Stand up 2 bullying 2day! Parents You can help! Don't Just Walk Away
Not only did DJacc give the youngster the No. 10 jersey off of his back, but DeSean and Todd also informed Nadin that he and his family would get to go to an Eagles game of their choice next season. Enjoy it, little man.
>>The View
Video uploaded by BGN.
DeSean posted this photo Twitter with the message, "Show was hands down one of the best.. I felt this young Boi.. Keep ya head HIGH NADIN!!"
And here's one of him with Whoopi and Barbara.
Article Directory Generator
Via Yelp Mobile, Yelpers Call a Local Business Every Other Second
Who you gonna call when you need a local business? We think we have some idea. In December 2010 alone, yelpers called a local businesses every other second -- and that was just via a Yelp mobile app! Not only...net
It's a photo finish: Android, BlackBerry and iOS are tied in US smartphone share
By Joe Wilcox, Betanews
Which smartphone operating system truly leads the US market. According to Nielsen, none of them. Says Don Kellogg, Nielsen's Telecom Practice Research and Insights senior manager, it's a "three-way tie" between Apple's iOS, Google Android and Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS. Oh, man, it is going to be a bad day for fanboy jockeying for position.Nielsen strips back any potential contention about unit shipments and focuses on install base. By that measure, among US smartphone owners, 28 percent have devices with iOS and 27 percent each for Android and BlackBerry OS (data is from December 2010). But as the chart above shows, the long-term trend is revealing. Since February 2010, iOS has remained largely flat, with sine-wave like fluctuations between 26 percent and 29 percent install base share, that despite the June 2010 launch of iPhone 4. During the same time period, Android's install base steadily rose from 8 percent share. Meanwhile, BlackBerry OS has steadily declined -- from 39 percent share measured by install base. The longer-term trend syncs with another Nielsen observed last month -- in December, 43 percent of recent smartphone purchasers bought an Android phone compared to 26 percent for iPhone. For some perspective on why Android is gaining now, please refer to my October 2009 post: "Apple cannot win the smartphone wars." However, BlackBerry nosed down after iPhone 4 launched, with percentage among new purchasers dropping from 35 percent in June 2010 to 20 percent in December.Nielen also did some, ah, ethnic profiling of smartphone buyers. Thirty-one percent of all Americans owned a smartphone in December 2010. Asian Pacific/Islanders and Hispanics were most likely to own smartphones (45 percent for each). African-Americans: 33 percent. Whites were least likely to own smartphones: 27 percent. Among new purchasers, Asian Pacific/Islanders were the most likely to buy a smartphone (60 percent), followed by Hispanics (56 percent), African Americans (44 percent) and Whites (42 percent).By measure of install base, iPhone leads among Asian Pacific/Islanders (36 percent). Hispanics: iPhone (29 percent) African Americans: BlackBerry (31 percent). Whites: iPhone (29 percent). But among Hispanics and Whites, BlackBerry closely follows (27 percent).The demographic data is by far the most interesting and useful, particularly for cellular carriers planning their marketing programs. But Nielsen doesn't provide other demographic measures. Which ethnic group is more likely to have data or choose 4G over 3G?But news of the day will be the three-way tie. Android is sure to nudge ahead of iPhone when Nielsen updates the data, thanks to the surge among new smartphone purchasers. But iPhone is coming to Verizon on February 10. This horse race isn't over yet.[Editor's Note: Install base trends for BlackBerry OS and iOS corrected; figures swapped.]
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Ebay
Which smartphone operating system truly leads the US market. According to Nielsen, none of them. Says Don Kellogg, Nielsen's Telecom Practice Research and Insights senior manager, it's a "three-way tie" between Apple's iOS, Google Android and Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS. Oh, man, it is going to be a bad day for fanboy jockeying for position.Nielsen strips back any potential contention about unit shipments and focuses on install base. By that measure, among US smartphone owners, 28 percent have devices with iOS and 27 percent each for Android and BlackBerry OS (data is from December 2010). But as the chart above shows, the long-term trend is revealing. Since February 2010, iOS has remained largely flat, with sine-wave like fluctuations between 26 percent and 29 percent install base share, that despite the June 2010 launch of iPhone 4. During the same time period, Android's install base steadily rose from 8 percent share. Meanwhile, BlackBerry OS has steadily declined -- from 39 percent share measured by install base. The longer-term trend syncs with another Nielsen observed last month -- in December, 43 percent of recent smartphone purchasers bought an Android phone compared to 26 percent for iPhone. For some perspective on why Android is gaining now, please refer to my October 2009 post: "Apple cannot win the smartphone wars." However, BlackBerry nosed down after iPhone 4 launched, with percentage among new purchasers dropping from 35 percent in June 2010 to 20 percent in December.Nielen also did some, ah, ethnic profiling of smartphone buyers. Thirty-one percent of all Americans owned a smartphone in December 2010. Asian Pacific/Islanders and Hispanics were most likely to own smartphones (45 percent for each). African-Americans: 33 percent. Whites were least likely to own smartphones: 27 percent. Among new purchasers, Asian Pacific/Islanders were the most likely to buy a smartphone (60 percent), followed by Hispanics (56 percent), African Americans (44 percent) and Whites (42 percent).By measure of install base, iPhone leads among Asian Pacific/Islanders (36 percent). Hispanics: iPhone (29 percent) African Americans: BlackBerry (31 percent). Whites: iPhone (29 percent). But among Hispanics and Whites, BlackBerry closely follows (27 percent).The demographic data is by far the most interesting and useful, particularly for cellular carriers planning their marketing programs. But Nielsen doesn't provide other demographic measures. Which ethnic group is more likely to have data or choose 4G over 3G?But news of the day will be the three-way tie. Android is sure to nudge ahead of iPhone when Nielsen updates the data, thanks to the surge among new smartphone purchasers. But iPhone is coming to Verizon on February 10. This horse race isn't over yet.[Editor's Note: Install base trends for BlackBerry OS and iOS corrected; figures swapped.]
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Ebay
Government picks another 95 MHz of wireless spectrum for broadband use
By Tim Conneally, Betanews
This week, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it will analyze the 1755-1850 MHz band for commercial broadband licensing. This would be part of the 500 MHz of additional spectrum planned to be re-claimed over the next ten years for mobile broadband, as detailed in the National Broadband Plan."NTIA is conducting this evaluation as directed by President Obama to reach his goal of nearly doubling the amount of commercial spectrum available over the next decade, an initiative that will spur investment, economic growth, and job creation while supporting the growing demand by consumers and businesses for wireless broadband services. We look forward to our continued work with the FCC and other federal agencies as we work to free up additional spectrum while protecting vital government spectrum uses," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling on Monday.Of course, NTIA has been eyeing this band of spectrum for more than a decade. In 2000, the administration put out a report (.PDF) that examined the band's viability as a potential vehicle for 3G mobile services. Currently, that block of spectrum is used by the Department of Defense, Federal law enforcement, and other government groups for satellite, surveillance, aeronautical operations, and fixed microwave communications, among other things.The most common uses of this range of spectrum are in military environments. It has been used for a system called Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) with the US Army and Marines for tactical radio relay systems at military bases all over the country. They link the various military nodes into a single radio network, and the band experiences heavy congestion near military bases and training areas. Likewise, the Navy uses the band for DWTS, or the Digital Wideband Transmission System for point-to-point surface-based communications at Naval facilities, and the Air Force has used it for Air Combat Training Systems.NTIA says a quick turnaround is necessary, and calls for the analysis of this band to be completed by the end of this September 2011. Given the band's prior analysis more than a decade ago, and its overall readiness for use -- The Department of Commerce said it is "harmonized internationally for mobile operations, wireless equipment already exists and the band provides signal characteristics advantageous to mobile operations" -- this looks to be a transition that will be kept on schedule.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Corporate gifts
This week, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) announced that it will analyze the 1755-1850 MHz band for commercial broadband licensing. This would be part of the 500 MHz of additional spectrum planned to be re-claimed over the next ten years for mobile broadband, as detailed in the National Broadband Plan."NTIA is conducting this evaluation as directed by President Obama to reach his goal of nearly doubling the amount of commercial spectrum available over the next decade, an initiative that will spur investment, economic growth, and job creation while supporting the growing demand by consumers and businesses for wireless broadband services. We look forward to our continued work with the FCC and other federal agencies as we work to free up additional spectrum while protecting vital government spectrum uses," said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling on Monday.Of course, NTIA has been eyeing this band of spectrum for more than a decade. In 2000, the administration put out a report (.PDF) that examined the band's viability as a potential vehicle for 3G mobile services. Currently, that block of spectrum is used by the Department of Defense, Federal law enforcement, and other government groups for satellite, surveillance, aeronautical operations, and fixed microwave communications, among other things.The most common uses of this range of spectrum are in military environments. It has been used for a system called Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) with the US Army and Marines for tactical radio relay systems at military bases all over the country. They link the various military nodes into a single radio network, and the band experiences heavy congestion near military bases and training areas. Likewise, the Navy uses the band for DWTS, or the Digital Wideband Transmission System for point-to-point surface-based communications at Naval facilities, and the Air Force has used it for Air Combat Training Systems.NTIA says a quick turnaround is necessary, and calls for the analysis of this band to be completed by the end of this September 2011. Given the band's prior analysis more than a decade ago, and its overall readiness for use -- The Department of Commerce said it is "harmonized internationally for mobile operations, wireless equipment already exists and the band provides signal characteristics advantageous to mobile operations" -- this looks to be a transition that will be kept on schedule.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Corporate gifts
Intel allies with ARM in new Mobile Communications business
By Tim Conneally, Betanews
On Monday, Intel Corp announced it had completed the $1.4 Billion acquisition of Infineon AG's Wireless Solution business (WLS), to finally tie baseband processors into the company's CPU solutions. The WLS unit will be part of the new Intel Mobile Communications group, a standalone business unit within Intel's Architecture Group.With the new portfolio of 2G, 3G and LTE baseband products acquired from WLS, Intel is going to move forward with a business to "serve a broader array of customers and market segments." Intel has thus far remained outside of the radpidly growing mobile- and smartphone business, and continued to concentrate on improvements within the realm of personal computers. As it has done this, mobile applications processors based on the 32-bit ARM architecture have grown dramatically, and chipmakers such as Samsung, Texas Instruments, and Qualcomm have become strong competitors. At CES 2011, the momentum behind ARM chips was solidified when Microsoft announced the next version of Windows will support ARM, and when graphics company Nvidia announced it is making its first GPU/CPU hybrid chip based on ARM Cortex A15 processors. For Intel to grow in the mobile sector, it must broaden its purview. "As we enter an era of multi-communication solutions, IMC's products and technologies will be integral to connecting a breadth of Intel and ARM-based mobile devices. We are truly excited to be a part of this growth," said Dr. Hermann Eul, President of Intel Mobile Communications in a statement Monday.IMC will continue WLS' business of wireless and cellular platforms, and also add support for Intel Core and Atom-based application processor platforms, as well as ARM-based products.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Colic
On Monday, Intel Corp announced it had completed the $1.4 Billion acquisition of Infineon AG's Wireless Solution business (WLS), to finally tie baseband processors into the company's CPU solutions. The WLS unit will be part of the new Intel Mobile Communications group, a standalone business unit within Intel's Architecture Group.With the new portfolio of 2G, 3G and LTE baseband products acquired from WLS, Intel is going to move forward with a business to "serve a broader array of customers and market segments." Intel has thus far remained outside of the radpidly growing mobile- and smartphone business, and continued to concentrate on improvements within the realm of personal computers. As it has done this, mobile applications processors based on the 32-bit ARM architecture have grown dramatically, and chipmakers such as Samsung, Texas Instruments, and Qualcomm have become strong competitors. At CES 2011, the momentum behind ARM chips was solidified when Microsoft announced the next version of Windows will support ARM, and when graphics company Nvidia announced it is making its first GPU/CPU hybrid chip based on ARM Cortex A15 processors. For Intel to grow in the mobile sector, it must broaden its purview. "As we enter an era of multi-communication solutions, IMC's products and technologies will be integral to connecting a breadth of Intel and ARM-based mobile devices. We are truly excited to be a part of this growth," said Dr. Hermann Eul, President of Intel Mobile Communications in a statement Monday.IMC will continue WLS' business of wireless and cellular platforms, and also add support for Intel Core and Atom-based application processor platforms, as well as ARM-based products.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Colic
Samsung Wave 2 now available in the UK
The Samsung Wave 2 ? aka the Samsung GT-S8530 ? has arrived in the UK stories, giving us all to get our hands on the latest flagship Bada 1.2 phone. Although the Bada based OS has not set the world alight ? if you are looking for an alternative to the usual suspects then the Wave II brings Samsung's operating system. That's along with a 5MP autofocus camera and more social networking widgets than you can shake your poke stick at. Super Clear - a distant relation to SupermanThe Smartphone has a 3.7 inch 'Super Clear' LCD display, a front facing camera and ? until 31 March ? a free entertainment package. "Designed for gamers and app-lovers, the bundle includes five of the most recognisable and highest ranking apps in the paid for charts from Gameloft and EA Games, which are available from Samsung Apps," says Samsung That bundles consists of Need for Speed: Shift; FIFA 10; Monopoly; Tetris and Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles. Wave hello, againSimon Stanford, Managing Director, Mobile, Samsung UK and Ireland said: "Following the phenomenal success of our first high-end Wave handset last year, we wanted to take the smartphone experience we offer our customers a step further. "With our Social Hub, it's now even easier for people to share content such as photos and videos with their social networks. "And they'll also benefit from the growing popularity of our App store via the new gaming bundle we are offering."The Samsung Wave II is available in the UK to buy now from O2 and Phones4u.Related StoriesBuying Guide: Best BlackBerry phone - which should you buy?Samsung Wave 2 now available in the UKGoogle planning expansion to Art ProjectTutorial: 20 iPhone tips for iPhone 4sTutorial: 20 iPhone tips for iPhone 4sCalifornia tan
AnybodyOutThere? is the smarter, PG version of Chatroulette
AnybodyOutThere? is the smarter, PG version of Chatroulette
There are a lot of people on the Internet. There are so many that we felt compelled to make an infographic of Internet Penetration a couple of weeks ago. In total, 420 million people in China are online, followed 337 million in the EU and 239 million in the U.S.
We have plenty of social networks to say hi to people that we have established connections with like on Facebook and Twitter, and we have websites to say hi to people we don?t even know like on Chatroulette. But what if we want to say hi to people that we don?t know, in a less random way; to connect with strangers over common aspirations and topics? Now we have AnybodyOutThere, a free service that ?helps you find the right people to talk with about whatever?s on your mind.?
It?s an easy site to use, just connect via Facebook and post a thought, topic or question in the post box, click Talk and the site will link you up with other like-minded people to discuss it with.
I typed in ?What?s it like to travel in Nicaragua?? And it suggested several semi-relevant posts from other people who said, ?I gonna travel, wich countries are cool? Tell me about it!?.
The site will likely get better as its user base, and therefore number of topics grows. The site, which officially launched just days ago on January 19th, 2011, has 6,000 daily unique visitors and a total of 40,000 registered users. However, it?s valid to note that you don?t have to sign up to use the site. 70% of their users are based in the U.S and Canada, while 14% are based in the UK.
?More than anything else we are connecting people online. People have a never-ending need to discuss whatever may be on their minds with other like-minded people, but not necessarily within their circle of friends. And, often they don?t have the time or patience for someone to reply to a comment or post. We?re making it easier for them do just that.? -Daniel Sagis, CEO of AnybodyOutThere.
Sagis created the site to alleviate the frustration people have when they want to find someone appropriate to discuss things online, but instead end up wasting time searching through forums just trying to find that person.
The site?s instant messenger integration is pretty cool; conversation is much more knowledge based and less slutty way than Chatroutlette. Instead of skipping channels, users can choose to accept or reject a member. The ability to ?rate? users is interesting too; it?s a nice way to screen out potential penises.� The chat notification beep is different than any other sound my computer makes, for better or for worse.
So far the company has raised $250,000 in seed money and are currently in a funding round with American and Israeli VCs. The Tel Aviv based startup plans to monetize through advertising, although they have not yet implemented ads on the site.
If you?re in the market for random conversations and advice from random people then the site is worth a look around.
About the Author
Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC.
She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle.
You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.
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There are a lot of people on the Internet. There are so many that we felt compelled to make an infographic of Internet Penetration a couple of weeks ago. In total, 420 million people in China are online, followed 337 million in the EU and 239 million in the U.S.
We have plenty of social networks to say hi to people that we have established connections with like on Facebook and Twitter, and we have websites to say hi to people we don?t even know like on Chatroulette. But what if we want to say hi to people that we don?t know, in a less random way; to connect with strangers over common aspirations and topics? Now we have AnybodyOutThere, a free service that ?helps you find the right people to talk with about whatever?s on your mind.?
It?s an easy site to use, just connect via Facebook and post a thought, topic or question in the post box, click Talk and the site will link you up with other like-minded people to discuss it with.
I typed in ?What?s it like to travel in Nicaragua?? And it suggested several semi-relevant posts from other people who said, ?I gonna travel, wich countries are cool? Tell me about it!?.
The site will likely get better as its user base, and therefore number of topics grows. The site, which officially launched just days ago on January 19th, 2011, has 6,000 daily unique visitors and a total of 40,000 registered users. However, it?s valid to note that you don?t have to sign up to use the site. 70% of their users are based in the U.S and Canada, while 14% are based in the UK.
?More than anything else we are connecting people online. People have a never-ending need to discuss whatever may be on their minds with other like-minded people, but not necessarily within their circle of friends. And, often they don?t have the time or patience for someone to reply to a comment or post. We?re making it easier for them do just that.? -Daniel Sagis, CEO of AnybodyOutThere.
Sagis created the site to alleviate the frustration people have when they want to find someone appropriate to discuss things online, but instead end up wasting time searching through forums just trying to find that person.
The site?s instant messenger integration is pretty cool; conversation is much more knowledge based and less slutty way than Chatroutlette. Instead of skipping channels, users can choose to accept or reject a member. The ability to ?rate? users is interesting too; it?s a nice way to screen out potential penises.� The chat notification beep is different than any other sound my computer makes, for better or for worse.
So far the company has raised $250,000 in seed money and are currently in a funding round with American and Israeli VCs. The Tel Aviv based startup plans to monetize through advertising, although they have not yet implemented ads on the site.
If you?re in the market for random conversations and advice from random people then the site is worth a look around.
About the Author
Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC.
She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle.
You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.
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Review: Furutech GT40
The Furutech GT40 DAC is something a bit different. Have a close look at the front panel and you'll see mention of 'phono'. That's right, this DAC is also an ADC and a phono stage. Even as a DAC, it's still something of a rarity in offering 24-bit/96kHz support. But, at least, we can expect to see more of this, as the chipsets become available. The headphone socket and volume control (which also affects the line outputs, by the way) are nice additions. But including an analogue-to-digital converter is a much less common step. It makes a good deal of sense, given that USB is intrinsically a bi-directional interface and plenty of folks will have analogue recordings they may want to digitise for longevity and ease of access.Computer-handyBut including a phono stage is a touch of genius. All one needs to do is to plug in a record deck (moving magnet and moving coil cartridges are supported, selection between those and line level input being via a tiny switch at the rear), connect the GT40 to a handy computer, make at most a couple of minor adjustments to the computer settings and you're off ? recording with whatever software one favours at a full 96kHz. We took a little while to latch on to how best to use the GT40, and the instructions could be more helpful. There's no analogue adjustment of input level, but the sensitivity and headroom seem well judged (headroom is quoted plain wrongly in the instructions) and using the computer's input level control can optimise things. The phono inputs will handle pretty much any cartridge and the line input is good for at least 3V input. You do need to check level on the recording software's display, though: monitoring via the GT40's analogue outputs suggests there is overload long before it actually happens at the record stage. This also means you can't really use the GT40 as a phono preamp for your line-only integrated.Digital filterJudged as a DAC, the GT40 struck us as good but not, perhaps, great. At either 44 or 96kHz sampling rate, it gives a basically clean sound with decent detail, but we've heard more precise imaging and also a more neutral balance. The upper bass seems a little more present than it ought to be. Still, timing is good and the sound is always enjoyable. High treble is a touch cleaner with 96kHz recordings and we wonder how much of this is due to the use of a very slow roll-off digital filter, when the sampling rate is 44kHz.Good detailAs an ADC, performance is broadly similar, though it's harder to compare things to the status quo, because we are really looking at a field of one. Line level inputs are captured well (again with good detail) and we felt that imaging is, if anything, a little better than on the replay side. Deep bass is excellent, a touch better in our opinion than that of the semi-pro (Firewire) ADC we used for comparison and the treble is nicely open and clear.On the phonoThe phono stage is very good with moving magnet cartridges: with moving coil models it struggles a little on the noise front and, as with many integrated amp phono stages, we'd tend to recommend using an external step-up of some sort. But MMs give clear sound with plenty of excitement and attack and an admirable lack of fuss and bother, especially with slightly worn records. Overall, we feel this is a very successful device and excellent value.It gives hi-res replay for an already decent price, with the recording and phono abilities thrown in for mere pence. Nice one! Related LinksRead more hi-fi and audio reviewsTechRadar's Reviews GuaranteeRelated StoriesReview: Michell Gyro SEductionReview: Dynavector DV-20X2LReview: Resolution Audio Cantata 50 AmplifierReview: Advance Acoustic MCD-204Review: Edwards Audio TT1Articles 250
Steve Jobs' health is not a private matter
By Joe Wilcox, Betanews
Sadly, I must reaffirm my position stated during Apple CEO Steve Jobs' last medical leave, in January 2009: His health situation isn't a private matter, and, frankly, it's even less so now. The seeming suddenness of Jobs' more recent medical leave, which this time is open-ended, raises reasonably disconcerting questions about how long he can continue as chief executive and whether Apple has in place an appropriate succession plan. I didn't expect to return to this topic again, and surely Macheads will beat me aside the head with snide and accusing comments or rebuttal blog posts. So be it.As leader of a public company, Jobs has no inherent right to privacy where his ability to act as CEO is concerned. Jobs' share in Apple was, last time I checked, well below 5 percent. He isn't principal owner of Apple, tens of thousands of shareholders are. If not Jobs, then at least Apple's board of directors has a responsibility to appraise shareholders about such an iconic CEO's realistic ability to continue in the role. Right now, Jobs has essentially abdicated the responsibility for undetermined amount of time. In a January 17 letter, Jobs explained that he had "asked [COO] Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations." Not some responsibility but all.The Securities and Exchange Commission doesn't explicitly require disclosure of executives' health-related issues, but it does encourage companies to disclose succession plans. From Stanford School of Business paper "CEO Health Disclosure at Apple: A Public or Private Matter?" published last week: "The SEC has encouraged companies to disclose information on their succession plans so that shareholders can assess whether the company might be 'adversely affected due to vacancy in leadership.'"From that perspective, Jobs' health is not a private matter but one of public company responsibility. On January 17, Jobs didn't give a time period for the medical leave or even assert that he would return to his responsibilities. "I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can," he wrote. Hope expresses desire to resume duties, not expression of confidence that will be the outcome. By comparison, in Jobs' letter for the last medical leave, he gave a finite period (six months) and referred to Cook taking responsibility "for Apple's day to day operations" without using "all." As later was revealed, Jobs was quite ill during the last medical leave, when he received a liver transplant. Could he be sicker this time -- something that could be insinuated by the seemingly sudden and open-ended medical leave?Rules of SuccessionIn a January 18 interview with Bloomberg, Charles Elson, director of the University of Delaware's Center for Corporate Governance, said that Apple hasn't met its responsibility to shareholders: "Much more disclosure is in order. I think the board really should come forward and let--give--investors know more of what they know. Transparency in this situation is really valuable." He added: "The problem is that in this company, investors place a lot of stock in Jobs' presence, and in the past his presence or absence has caused some real gyrations in the stock price." Elson emphasized that when investors bought Apple shares they "expected full and fair disclosure of the company's fortunes. I think this would include something like this" -- the "this" referring to Job's medical leave.In a January 18�post at Seeking Alpha, private investor and writer Ravi Nagarajan took a similar position about Apple's responsibility to disclose but went further -- contending that Apple's board of directors "lost significant credibility due to inadequate disclosure of the succession issue in 2009." I took similar position two years ago, arguing on the now defunct Apple Watch blog that "there are no private matters at public companies" -- that the board failed its responsibility to shareholders.Nagarajan and I weren't alone taking what some Apple defenders viewed as a hard and insensitive position. In January 2009, Business Insider editor-in-chief Henry Blodget wrote: "At best, Apple's board has failed to be forthright about its chief executive's declining health for at least six months and probably longer. At worst, it has been lying to the market and Apple's customers for the better part of a year." Blodgett is a former Wall Street analyst who learned some hard lessons through experience about the importance of proper disclosure. "Whatever credibility Apple's board had left evaporated" when Jobs announced his medical leave in January 2009. More searing, and setting the title for the post you're reading:Steve Jobs' health is not a "private matter" -- it's a matter of legitimate and serious concern to everyone who owns or does business with Apple. And these folks deserve to be given enough respect and information that they can make their own decisions about whether Steve really is likely to return in six months -- and, if not, what the company's ongoing management structure will look like.Right to Know or Right to Privacy?But Apple defenders argue that Jobs deserves his privacy, particularly because of illness. In a January 21 post at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism-sponsored Neon Tommy, staff writer Dan Watson writes about Jobs' illness:During this entire time, he kept control of his company, whether it was away from the offices or physically at work. All the while, he pleaded for privacy. The arguments against granting him that privacy are pathetic. For years, he's stood in front of audiences a shadow of his former physical self: gaunt, frail and malnourished. Still, he spoke with zeal and energy. He's been in love with his work despite the fact it was slowly killing him. What more do you need to know, stockholders?Shareholders need to know how sick Jobs really is, how likely he is to return and what is Apple's succession plan should he not return. Their investing in Apple and, in 2010, driving up shares to all-time highs and market capitalization over $300 million -- second only to Exxon -- gives them the right to know. And if investors respect or care about Jobs, they should want to know.Nagarajan writes:It is understandable that Mr. Jobs and his family would like some degree of privacy in the midst of health issues. Most of us would have the same desire to be left alone under similar circumstances. However, as a high profile CEO who is widely considered to be irreplaceable, Mr. Jobs and Apple's board have a duty to shareholders to be more forthcoming regarding succession issues. Giving the board the benefit of the doubt seems like a stretch given the lack of disclosure in 2009.Other CEOs have chosen transparency. In 2000, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett disclosed his colon surgery. In a June 2009 CNBC interview, after Jobs' liver transplant was revealed and soon before he returned from the last medical leave, Buffett affirmed the importance of full disclosure: "If I have any serious illness or something coming up of an important nature, operation or anything like that, I think the thing to do is to just tell...the Berkshire shareholders about it. I work for them."That's right, the CEO works for shareholders. Regarding Apple's failure to disclose about just how sick was Jobs, Buffett said: "It's a material fact. Whether he is facing serious surgery or not is a material fact." Berkshire's CEO said that if he was facing surgery "that's important to get out...they're going to find out about it anyway, and so I don't see a big privacy issue or anything of the sort."Buffett made no small accusation by using term "material fact," which is covered by SEC Rule 10b-5 regarding the disclosure of information about public companies. The Securities and Exchange Commission did open an investigation into Apple's fiduciary responsibility regarding Jobs' health during the last medical leave, which hasn't led to charges. But in context, Buffett is really making an ethical, rather than legal, distinction -- a public company's fundamental fiduciary responsibilities to its shareholders.From that perspective, as long as Steve Jobs is chief executive of a public company his health situation is not a private matter. If he wants privacy, then he should return to private life and take the time necessary to recover his health or to spend with his family whatever time is left to him. I wish Jobs a speedy recovery. He's a luminary whose light deserves to shine longer. But illness, even cancer, doesn't absolve him or Apple's board of directors of their responsibility to the company's real owners, its shareholders.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Cake Decorating
Sadly, I must reaffirm my position stated during Apple CEO Steve Jobs' last medical leave, in January 2009: His health situation isn't a private matter, and, frankly, it's even less so now. The seeming suddenness of Jobs' more recent medical leave, which this time is open-ended, raises reasonably disconcerting questions about how long he can continue as chief executive and whether Apple has in place an appropriate succession plan. I didn't expect to return to this topic again, and surely Macheads will beat me aside the head with snide and accusing comments or rebuttal blog posts. So be it.As leader of a public company, Jobs has no inherent right to privacy where his ability to act as CEO is concerned. Jobs' share in Apple was, last time I checked, well below 5 percent. He isn't principal owner of Apple, tens of thousands of shareholders are. If not Jobs, then at least Apple's board of directors has a responsibility to appraise shareholders about such an iconic CEO's realistic ability to continue in the role. Right now, Jobs has essentially abdicated the responsibility for undetermined amount of time. In a January 17 letter, Jobs explained that he had "asked [COO] Tim Cook to be responsible for all of Apple's day to day operations." Not some responsibility but all.The Securities and Exchange Commission doesn't explicitly require disclosure of executives' health-related issues, but it does encourage companies to disclose succession plans. From Stanford School of Business paper "CEO Health Disclosure at Apple: A Public or Private Matter?" published last week: "The SEC has encouraged companies to disclose information on their succession plans so that shareholders can assess whether the company might be 'adversely affected due to vacancy in leadership.'"From that perspective, Jobs' health is not a private matter but one of public company responsibility. On January 17, Jobs didn't give a time period for the medical leave or even assert that he would return to his responsibilities. "I love Apple so much and hope to be back as soon as I can," he wrote. Hope expresses desire to resume duties, not expression of confidence that will be the outcome. By comparison, in Jobs' letter for the last medical leave, he gave a finite period (six months) and referred to Cook taking responsibility "for Apple's day to day operations" without using "all." As later was revealed, Jobs was quite ill during the last medical leave, when he received a liver transplant. Could he be sicker this time -- something that could be insinuated by the seemingly sudden and open-ended medical leave?Rules of SuccessionIn a January 18 interview with Bloomberg, Charles Elson, director of the University of Delaware's Center for Corporate Governance, said that Apple hasn't met its responsibility to shareholders: "Much more disclosure is in order. I think the board really should come forward and let--give--investors know more of what they know. Transparency in this situation is really valuable." He added: "The problem is that in this company, investors place a lot of stock in Jobs' presence, and in the past his presence or absence has caused some real gyrations in the stock price." Elson emphasized that when investors bought Apple shares they "expected full and fair disclosure of the company's fortunes. I think this would include something like this" -- the "this" referring to Job's medical leave.In a January 18�post at Seeking Alpha, private investor and writer Ravi Nagarajan took a similar position about Apple's responsibility to disclose but went further -- contending that Apple's board of directors "lost significant credibility due to inadequate disclosure of the succession issue in 2009." I took similar position two years ago, arguing on the now defunct Apple Watch blog that "there are no private matters at public companies" -- that the board failed its responsibility to shareholders.Nagarajan and I weren't alone taking what some Apple defenders viewed as a hard and insensitive position. In January 2009, Business Insider editor-in-chief Henry Blodget wrote: "At best, Apple's board has failed to be forthright about its chief executive's declining health for at least six months and probably longer. At worst, it has been lying to the market and Apple's customers for the better part of a year." Blodgett is a former Wall Street analyst who learned some hard lessons through experience about the importance of proper disclosure. "Whatever credibility Apple's board had left evaporated" when Jobs announced his medical leave in January 2009. More searing, and setting the title for the post you're reading:Steve Jobs' health is not a "private matter" -- it's a matter of legitimate and serious concern to everyone who owns or does business with Apple. And these folks deserve to be given enough respect and information that they can make their own decisions about whether Steve really is likely to return in six months -- and, if not, what the company's ongoing management structure will look like.Right to Know or Right to Privacy?But Apple defenders argue that Jobs deserves his privacy, particularly because of illness. In a January 21 post at Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism-sponsored Neon Tommy, staff writer Dan Watson writes about Jobs' illness:During this entire time, he kept control of his company, whether it was away from the offices or physically at work. All the while, he pleaded for privacy. The arguments against granting him that privacy are pathetic. For years, he's stood in front of audiences a shadow of his former physical self: gaunt, frail and malnourished. Still, he spoke with zeal and energy. He's been in love with his work despite the fact it was slowly killing him. What more do you need to know, stockholders?Shareholders need to know how sick Jobs really is, how likely he is to return and what is Apple's succession plan should he not return. Their investing in Apple and, in 2010, driving up shares to all-time highs and market capitalization over $300 million -- second only to Exxon -- gives them the right to know. And if investors respect or care about Jobs, they should want to know.Nagarajan writes:It is understandable that Mr. Jobs and his family would like some degree of privacy in the midst of health issues. Most of us would have the same desire to be left alone under similar circumstances. However, as a high profile CEO who is widely considered to be irreplaceable, Mr. Jobs and Apple's board have a duty to shareholders to be more forthcoming regarding succession issues. Giving the board the benefit of the doubt seems like a stretch given the lack of disclosure in 2009.Other CEOs have chosen transparency. In 2000, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett disclosed his colon surgery. In a June 2009 CNBC interview, after Jobs' liver transplant was revealed and soon before he returned from the last medical leave, Buffett affirmed the importance of full disclosure: "If I have any serious illness or something coming up of an important nature, operation or anything like that, I think the thing to do is to just tell...the Berkshire shareholders about it. I work for them."That's right, the CEO works for shareholders. Regarding Apple's failure to disclose about just how sick was Jobs, Buffett said: "It's a material fact. Whether he is facing serious surgery or not is a material fact." Berkshire's CEO said that if he was facing surgery "that's important to get out...they're going to find out about it anyway, and so I don't see a big privacy issue or anything of the sort."Buffett made no small accusation by using term "material fact," which is covered by SEC Rule 10b-5 regarding the disclosure of information about public companies. The Securities and Exchange Commission did open an investigation into Apple's fiduciary responsibility regarding Jobs' health during the last medical leave, which hasn't led to charges. But in context, Buffett is really making an ethical, rather than legal, distinction -- a public company's fundamental fiduciary responsibilities to its shareholders.From that perspective, as long as Steve Jobs is chief executive of a public company his health situation is not a private matter. If he wants privacy, then he should return to private life and take the time necessary to recover his health or to spend with his family whatever time is left to him. I wish Jobs a speedy recovery. He's a luminary whose light deserves to shine longer. But illness, even cancer, doesn't absolve him or Apple's board of directors of their responsibility to the company's real owners, its shareholders.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Cake Decorating
UK police arrest five in connection with WikiLeaks attacks
By Ed Oswald, Betanews
London police have detained five individuals ages 15 to 26 in connection with an investigation into Anoymous, a "hacktivist" group responsible for attacks on companies that suspended accounts associated with leak site WikiLeaks. The investigation is a global effort, and includes law enforcement agencies in both the US and Europe.The Metropolitan Police Service did not indentify the accused, nor did they directly link them to the group. In the US, efforts have been stepped up to identify anyone who may have been involved in the efforts here, although so far no arrests have been made. The UK five are charged with offenses under the Computer Misuse Act, passed by Parliament in 1990.That act made it illegal to use a computer to access or modify unauthorized content, or access such content for the purpose of committing a criminal act. UK citizens convicted under that code could face jail terms of six months to five years depending on the crime, and fines of up to 5,000 British pounds ($7,900 USD).Anonymous lacks any true hierarchical structure, and has called its organization a "leaderless movement." Thus, it may be difficult for law enforcement to ever fully investigate the scope of these attacks. "All five have been taken to local police stations where they remain in custody," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Representatives for PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard -- all victims of Anonymous' attacks -- either declined or were unavailable to comment.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Copy writing
London police have detained five individuals ages 15 to 26 in connection with an investigation into Anoymous, a "hacktivist" group responsible for attacks on companies that suspended accounts associated with leak site WikiLeaks. The investigation is a global effort, and includes law enforcement agencies in both the US and Europe.The Metropolitan Police Service did not indentify the accused, nor did they directly link them to the group. In the US, efforts have been stepped up to identify anyone who may have been involved in the efforts here, although so far no arrests have been made. The UK five are charged with offenses under the Computer Misuse Act, passed by Parliament in 1990.That act made it illegal to use a computer to access or modify unauthorized content, or access such content for the purpose of committing a criminal act. UK citizens convicted under that code could face jail terms of six months to five years depending on the crime, and fines of up to 5,000 British pounds ($7,900 USD).Anonymous lacks any true hierarchical structure, and has called its organization a "leaderless movement." Thus, it may be difficult for law enforcement to ever fully investigate the scope of these attacks. "All five have been taken to local police stations where they remain in custody," the Metropolitan Police said in a statement. Representatives for PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard -- all victims of Anonymous' attacks -- either declined or were unavailable to comment.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Copy writing
Dating and Pictures Appear on This Week?s List of Emerging Facebook Apps
The latest dating app is on the rise on this week’s AppData list of emerging Facebook apps, defined as those still under a million monthly active users. Social Connect leads it off with over 600,000 new MAU: Top Gainers This Week Name MAU Gain Gain,% 1. Social Connect 901,832 +603,092 +202% 2. Profile Banner 816,826 [...]Auto Sound systems
Fly Vs Fly: Briere and Giroux Picked to Different Sides of the All-Star Game
We knew with the the revamped NHL All-Star Game format that things would be a little different this year. Captains picking their sides like on the pond or the playground isn't the most exciting twist, but it sparked more interest and discussion than there's been surrounding the game in years, and now there'll be a little more added intrigue for the Flyers. The club's two All-Stars, Danny Briere and Claude Giroux, who live together by the way, will skate for opposing teams in the game.� The sides were selected by captains Niklas Lidstrom and Eric Staal. In the sixth round, Lidstrom selected Briere. Giroux was picked by Staal in the 13th. Danny brings home the first-picked bragging rights, but we'll have to wait until the game itself to see if one of the two distinguishes himself among the elite of the league. Coach Peter Laviolette will coach Briere and the rest of Team Lidstrom. So uh... Who you rooting for, now that the Flyers have been pitted against each other? Here's a look at the round-by-round breakdown of the picks, and the rosters.
mobile
mobile
ISA 2011: Growth and Monetization on Facebook ? The Credits Panel [Video]
Facebook has publicly announced what many developers already knew to be the case: Credits, the company’s virtual currency for canvas applications, will be the only payment method that Facebook allows canvas applications to use for virtual goods. We explored this topic on Tuesday at our Inside Social Apps conference, on a panel featuring Facebook commerce [...]Auto Responders
Goal-line technology heads to meet Fifa next week
Goal-line technology could well be on its way to the Premier League, with 13 companies meeting up with Fifa next week to vie for their tech to be used.While the idea is still in the proposal stage, there is a lot of heat on Fifa at the moment to implement the technology and do away with controversial refereeing decisions.If one of the 13 companies ? Hawk-Eye and Cairos are two of the more famous ones attending ? can convince Fifa that goal-line technology can be used and not impact the flow of the game, then it is likely that it will be used for major football tournaments.Spot the ballThe current method of goal-line 'technology' being tested out by Uefa's president Michel Platini is to have to assistant referees stand behind the goals and make a decision as to whether the ball went over the line or not.These additional refs have been roundly criticised due to the fact that for the majority of a game they have absolutely no involvement.Companies such as Abatec, Tag Heuer and Longines will be running up against Hawk-Eye and Cairo but, according to the Guardian, it may well be a UK-based rival that pips the rest to the post.Goalminder is the brainchild of ex-footballer Harry Barnes and uses cameras to see if the ball goes over the line. Within seconds a high-def image can be shown on TV of the ball, which will please the likes of Sky - famous for using technology to spruce up its broadcasts of matches.Delayed decisionEven though this, albeit significant, meeting is taking place it is doesn't mean that any of the 13 companies will be chosen to develop their technology for football matches.Sepp Blatter has always been coy over the use of goal-line technology and it will be him who has the final say if the technology will be used. The International Football Board (IFAB) said back in October that it would look at the technology and make a decision in March, which means that Blatter and co will take its time to make its decision.Related StoriesWeird Tech: Yes, it's the invisible tank!Catch up: this week's most popular postsAndroid phone to be sent into spaceThe Social Network up for 8 OscarsWeird Tech: Doctors to predict how they will hurt patientsChristmas shopping
Tip: Watch internet TV through Windows Media Center
By Nick Peers
Let's be honest: watching TV on your computer can be a painful experience. If you have a TV tuner you still need access to an aerial point, and if you opt to watch over the Internet you can find yourself having to move between multiple websites when looking for something to watch.The solution is obvious: watch internet television through Windows Media Center -- after all, it's perfect for live TV, so why not catch-up TV too? Some services -- like Sky Player in the UK -- are even available through WMC, but what if yours isn't covered?Fret not: instead, take a look at�TunerFree MCE. This free add-on allows you to access, catch up and stream content through the more friendly Windows Media Center interface -- perfect if you've hooked up your computer to your TV for the evening and don't want to be faffing about with web browsers and the like.TunerFree MCE is British in origin, which means UK users get to choose between the four main providers (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five) from one easy to access interface. US users get to browse hulu.com for their content, while Australian, Irish and New Zealand residents can also get in on the act by installing the relevant plugin to add support for ABC, RTE and TVNZ, respectively.It's all so simple to use, but there is one downside: you have to be resident in the TV channel's country in order to gain access to the content. You could try hiding your true origins using a VPN -- the TunerFree MCE site has a�guide -- but many broadcasters are wising up to this, so don't expect success even if you're able to fake your actual location.The latest version (4.4.1) works with touchscreens for even faster navigation. It also allows you -- assuming you're connected to your aerial -- to set series record, so you don't find yourself relying on series catchup to stay up to date with your favourite programmes going forward. You can now also install plug-ins through TunerFree MCE itself: just Preferences > Plug-ins, tick the plug-ins you want, and click Save followed by Update Now -- job done.The only downside is that it's no longer compatible with Windows Vista, but don't fret: the older, and still perfectly functional,�version 3.8.2 is still available for download, ensuring Vista users aren't shut out in the cold.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Article Directory Generator
Let's be honest: watching TV on your computer can be a painful experience. If you have a TV tuner you still need access to an aerial point, and if you opt to watch over the Internet you can find yourself having to move between multiple websites when looking for something to watch.The solution is obvious: watch internet television through Windows Media Center -- after all, it's perfect for live TV, so why not catch-up TV too? Some services -- like Sky Player in the UK -- are even available through WMC, but what if yours isn't covered?Fret not: instead, take a look at�TunerFree MCE. This free add-on allows you to access, catch up and stream content through the more friendly Windows Media Center interface -- perfect if you've hooked up your computer to your TV for the evening and don't want to be faffing about with web browsers and the like.TunerFree MCE is British in origin, which means UK users get to choose between the four main providers (BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Five) from one easy to access interface. US users get to browse hulu.com for their content, while Australian, Irish and New Zealand residents can also get in on the act by installing the relevant plugin to add support for ABC, RTE and TVNZ, respectively.It's all so simple to use, but there is one downside: you have to be resident in the TV channel's country in order to gain access to the content. You could try hiding your true origins using a VPN -- the TunerFree MCE site has a�guide -- but many broadcasters are wising up to this, so don't expect success even if you're able to fake your actual location.The latest version (4.4.1) works with touchscreens for even faster navigation. It also allows you -- assuming you're connected to your aerial -- to set series record, so you don't find yourself relying on series catchup to stay up to date with your favourite programmes going forward. You can now also install plug-ins through TunerFree MCE itself: just Preferences > Plug-ins, tick the plug-ins you want, and click Save followed by Update Now -- job done.The only downside is that it's no longer compatible with Windows Vista, but don't fret: the older, and still perfectly functional,�version 3.8.2 is still available for download, ensuring Vista users aren't shut out in the cold.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Article Directory Generator
Sarles named Metro GM/CEO
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’
Richard Sarles, who has been the Interim General Manager of Metro since the departure of John Catoe, was officially named the permanent General Manager today by Metro’s board this afternoon. He was also given the title Chief Executive Officer, signaling the board’s desire for a shift in role for Metro’s chief.
In speaking [...]Birth control
courtesy of ‘erin m’
Richard Sarles, who has been the Interim General Manager of Metro since the departure of John Catoe, was officially named the permanent General Manager today by Metro’s board this afternoon. He was also given the title Chief Executive Officer, signaling the board’s desire for a shift in role for Metro’s chief.
In speaking [...]Birth control
Hot Drinks Cure All Blues
If you’re like me (and half the city, it seems) you may be struggling with a hacking cough caught just in time for the winter blues. It almost prevented me from attending the Hot Drinks event last night at Tabard Inn, but I rallied to see what Chantal Tseng and Adam Bernbach came up with [...]Computer Forensic
Lending a Yelping Hand
Yelp is all about connecting locals with the best of the best within their communities ? from great new restaurants to reliable dentists and even local charities ? but beyond helping people find great businesses, our community managers also do...Advertising
Obama Nominates RIAA Lawyer for Solicitor General
President Barack Obama nominated former Recording Industry Association of America lawyer Donald Verrilli Jr. on Monday to serve as the nation?s solicitor general.
If confirmed by the Senate, Verilli, now the White House deputy counsel, would assume the powerful position left vacant by Elena Kagan, who was elevated to the Supreme Court. Obama said he was ?confident? Verrilli, one of five former RIAA attorneys appointed to the administration, would ?serve ably.?
The solicitor general is charged with defending the government before the Supreme Court, and files friend-of-the court briefs in cases in which the government believes there is a significant legal issue. �The office also determines which cases it will bring to the Supreme Court for review.
Verrilli is best known for leading the recording industry?s legal charge against music- and movie-sharing site Grokster. That 2003 case ultimately led to Grokster?s demise, when the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a lower court?s pro-RIAA verdict.
Until recently, Verrilli also was leading Viacom?s ongoing and flailing $1 billion copyright-infringement fight against YouTube.
A court dismissed the case last year, a decison Viacom is appealing. Viacom claims YouTube committed copyright infringement because it did not police the video-sharing site for copyright works uploaded by its users.
And in 2008, Verrilli told a federal judge in Minnesota that merely making copyright works available on file sharing networks amounted to copyright infringement ? and that no proof of somebody else downloading those files was required.
That argument came in the first of three iterations of the infamous Jamie Thomas file sharing case brought by the RIAA. The judge eventual declared a mistrial of the first jury?s $220,000 civil judgment for sharing 24 songs on Kazaa.
Two more trials later, a third jury has rendered an almost $2 million verdict against Thomas for sharing the same two dozen tracks.
Photo: David Kravets/Wired.com
See Also:
High Court Asks Obama to Weigh In on Copyright Case
Obama Taps 5th RIAA Lawyer to Justice Dept.
Obama Sides With RIAA, Supports $150000 Fine per Music Track
Obama Urges Justices to Avoid Cablevision Copyright Case
File Sharing Lawsuits at a Crossroads, After 5 Years of RIAA
Judge Hints at Mistrial in RIAA v. Jammie Thomas
Obama Sides With RIAA, Supports $150000 Fine per Music Track
File Sharing Lawsuits at a Crossroads, After 5 Years of RIAA
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