Topics by Techwriter10

News [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/dec/14/mobilephones-google-nexus-one-gphone"]"leaked"[/URL] this weekend of an unlocked Google-branded phone. On the upside, an unlocked phone means you aren't tied to any particular carrier, nor are you required to sign a contract, but on the downside, you don't get the large provider subsidy on the phone cost in exchange for the …

Persistent rumors have Google scheduling an event for Tuesday to launch its new Nexus One mobile phone. Engadget was even fortunate enough [URL="http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/02/exclusive-google-nexus-one-hands-on-video-and-first-impressio/"]to procure one[/URL] ahead of the launch. Whenever Google makes it official, it's clearly an impressive looking device, but ever since I heard about Google manufacturing its own …

Last post of the year from me and I've decided to ask five questions that could have some bearing on the areas I cover in this space in the next year. If you read me regularly, you know I write a lot about Google, Apple and Microsoft. I'm also fond …

Last week I opened my [URL="http://www.feedburner.com/"]Feedburner[/URL] account to check the daily traffic statistics for my [URL="http://byronmiller.typepad.com"]by Ron Miller[/URL] blog. There was a link at the top of the page encouraging me to transfer my Feedburner account, which Google had purchased back in 2007, to my Google account. Seemed like a …

Yesterday, the [URL="http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/dec2009/tc20091222_416170.htm"]Federal Appeals Court ruled[/URL] in what appears at first blush to be a shocking decision, that Microsoft must stop selling Word 2007 by January 11, 2010. But a closer look at the decision suggests that this isn't as big a deal as it first seems. Sure, Microsoft has …

I write a lot of about the battle among large technology corporations in this space and the importance of competitive checks and balances. Yet Comcast seems to be growing into a super power with control over the very pipes that provide many of us with internet access, but without any …

[URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/17/google-acquire-buy-yelp/"]TechCrunch reports[/URL] that Google is in advanced stage negotiations to purchase [URL="http://www.yelp.com/boston"]Yelp[/URL], the online local business review service. This is a deal that makes so much sense for Google, it makes me wonder why they haven't done it already. As I [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story247150.html"]wrote yesterday[/URL], mobile is a big part of the …

I came across an [URL="http://dailyme.com/story/2009121300001020/technology-narrowing-broadening-experiences.html"]interesting post[/URL] today by the Kansas City Star's Eric Adler suggesting that technology is robbing us of serendipity, those playful moments of spontaneous discovery. For example, he wonders when the last time a young person went into a library or book store and just found a …

My son needs a new phone, so yesterday at my suggestion, we took a trip to the local AT&T retail store to get a look at the options up close and personal. Instead of eager sales people trying hard to sell us phones, we found they preferred to send us …

Google [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/07/google-goggles/"]announced Google Googles [/URL]yesterday, an application that uses the camera in your Android-powered phone to take a picture, conduct a visual search, then return results. Google admits that it's very early, but this is extremely intriguing technology and it has the potential to take visual search to a whole …

We've been hearing about an Apple Tablet for such a long time now, it feels like it should exist, yet it doesn't. With each Apple event, the rumors are so vivid, we actually believe them. Then the announcement comes, the shiny new ipods and Mac Books and other equipment are …

Mark Cuban, the eccentric owner of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, has a [URL="http://blogmaverick.com/2009/11/13/google-murdoch-madoff/"]post in his blog[/URL] this week suggesting a way to kill Google by paying the top one thousand most popular sites $1M each to leave the Google Index. He wonders if Rupert Murdoch's plan to leave the Google …

Mike Elgan, the veteran technology journalist, mused last week in a [URL="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9141437/Elgan_7_reasons_why_e_book_readers_make_lousy_gifts_this_year"]Computerworld article[/URL] that eBook readers would make lousy gifts. I don't necessarily agree with all of Elgan's points, but it got me thinking about how useful a one-trick device is for users. If you think about it, we began …

It's been almost a year since I[URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story220028.html"] last interviewed [/URL] Joe 'Zonker' [URL="http://www.dissociatedpress.net/"]Brockmeier[/URL], who is the community manager at [URL="http://en.opensuse.org/OpenSUSE_11.2"]openSUSE[/URL]. I sent him several questions to answer by email. I was curious about the new version of openSUSE, 11.2, along with his increasing use of social media to promote it. …

If the new [URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/searchengineland/4117327765/"]Google interface design[/URL] is any indication, it appears that Google might actually be feeling a little heat, or at least some influence, from Bing. [URL="http://searchengineland.com/staff"]Danny Sullivan[/URL], who has been covering search for years, had a [URL="http://searchengineland.com/google-streamlines-search-options-30143"]post in his Search Engine Land blog [/URL]last week about the new …

At a time when prices are being driven down across the spectrum of electronics, one company clearly has avoided this trap: Apple. While others struggle to squeeze profits from a market that is becoming increasingly commoditized (sub-$200 netbooks anyone?), Apple maintains its edge and its hefty profit margin. It got …

Verizon made [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37NKnDRPFKU"]an ad[/URL] making fun of AT&T's 3G coverage (and it's manliness). AT&T wasn't happy because it suggested their 3G coverage was spotty. So [URL="http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/03/atandt-sues-verizon-over-theres-a-map-for-that-ads/"]they sued[/URL] saying the ads were misleading consumers, and anyway they had way more customers and their customers loved them, and Verizon just couldn't handle …

You can always count on Rupert Murdoch, the cantankerous News Corp. chairman, for a good laugh and he didn't disappoint this week during [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7GkJqRv3BI&feature=player_embedded#"]an interview on Sky News Australia[/URL] in which he boldly stated his sites would pull out of Google Search. In fact, he once again accused search engines …

One of the great things about the iPhone is of course the App Store, which is a growing eco system of interesting applications. I tend to stick to the free ones, and not long ago I went and downloaded a bunch of new freebies. These are my favorites from that …

[URL="http://www.media.mit.edu/people/bio_lip.html"]Andrew Lippman[/URL], who is the Founding Associate Director at the [URL="http://www.media.mit.edu/?page_id=13"]MIT Media Lab[/URL] suggested at a talk last week that we were on the edge of a new third cloud where assistance becomes as important as access. The first cloud was the internet itself. The second cloud provided the services …

[I]"If we went into an “evil room” and had an “evil light” shined on us, and we then behaved in an “evil” way we would be destroyed… there is a fundamental trust between Google and its users.” ~Eric Schmidt, Google CEO [/I] Google released an exciting new product today called …

[ATTACH=right]12439[/ATTACH] Leslie Stahl had a piece Sunday night on 60 minutes on the supposed impact of piracy on the movie industry. (You can watch it [URL="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/30/60minutes/main5464994_page2.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody"]here[/URL].) Her piece was so slanted toward the Motion Picture Association of America, it was almost laughable (if it weren't so maddening). At one point, …

There was a good analysis [URL="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/microsoft-google-and-the-bear/"]in the NYT yesterday[/URL] regarding the Google Android strategy, which according to author Saul Hansell, is intended not to make money for Google, but to block Microsoft from getting traction in the mobile space. Given that Google is giving Android away, it's a theory that …

It's supposed to be Windows 7's big week, but other news just seems to keep getting in the way. And it's not just competitors like the news coming out of Apple this week, it's big announcements coming from inside Microsoft too. You would think that Microsoft could at least keep …

[ATTACH]12206[/ATTACH] [I]I've lived long enough to have learned The closer you get to the fire the more you get burned But that won't happen to us 'Cause it's always been a matter of trust ~Billy Joel, Matter of Trust[/I] When word got out last week about the [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story229934.html"]Sidekick data loss …

I have to say that I really hate the term "fan boy." It's usually used as a dismissive term to put down someone who speaks favorably of a product. It suggests that if you like a particular brand, it must mean that you blindly support everything that company does, and …

Windows 7 is coming next month. That's hardly news to any of you, I'm sure, but have you considered that this major OS release could be the catalyst to end the recession? I'm guessing not many of you have come to that conclusion, but consider this: Many, many companies steered …

On the face of it, you would think eBook Readers would be perfect for an academic setting, but according to a [URL="http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/28/kindle-dx-called-poor-excuse-of-an-academic-tool-in-princeton/"]post on Engadget[/URL] this week, Princeton students participating in a pilot program were unhappy with the Kindle DX's feature set, particularly ones essential to students such as annotation and …

In [URL="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20091007/live-from-new-york-google-cofounder-sergey-brin-meets-the-press/"]wide ranging interview[/URL] with Peter Kafka of the [URL="http://allthingsd.com/"]Digital Memo Blog,[/URL] Google CEO Eric Schmidt and co-founder Sergey Brinn did their best to give people the impression that Google was run by a couple of arrogant SoBs. Whether it was purchasing Android or suggesting that Google could never be …

In a strange part of what was otherwise and interesting and insightful [URL="http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/09/24/microsoft-ballmer-interview-exclusive-techcrunch-bing-mobile-azur/"]interview with TechCrunch[/URL] this week, [URL="http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/exec/steve/"]Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer[/URL] went out of his way to avoid naming Google, instead referring to them repeatedly as "the incumbent." This seemed to be a deliberate strategy and left me shaking my …

I'm not a web developer by trade, but I visit web sites all the time, and as journalist I'm looking for a couple of key things. First of all, I want to find your press page and a press contact. Short of that I want to find an email address. …

[I]I have watched you on the shore Standing by the ocean's roar Do you love me, do you surfer girl ~Beach Boys, Surfer Girl [/I] [URL="http://wave.google.com/help/wave/closed.html"]Google Wave[/URL] invitations went out last week to 100,000 lucky people and I didn't get one. I'm stuck on the shore line while the fortunate …

[ATTACH=right]11664[/ATTACH]I confess I'm not always kind to Microsoft. They stumble and bumble and often make bad decisions, and as such make a great target for a blogger like me, but looking back at the announcements they've made over the last couple of weeks, when you add it all up, they …

It seems that Microsoft is now so threatened by Google that they have allegedly hired a high powered Washington lobbying firm to smear Google to government regulators. What's so interesting isn't that this approach is so petty and childish--although it is that--it's that Microsoft, rather than relying on the quality …

Yesterday Microsoft launched the long-awaited [URL="http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/zunehd/default.htm"]Zune HD[/URL]. By all reports, this is a pretty nice device with a large 3.3 inch OLED screen with HD video and HD radio playback. As a media player, it offers access to a limited App Store and a very nice $15 all-you-can-eat monthly music …

Microsoft announced a new organization this week called [URL="http://www.codeplex.org/index.aspx"]CodePlex[/URL], which according to its web site, is "a non-profit foundation formed with the mission of enabling the exchange of code and understanding among software companies and open source communities." Now, you don't normally see Microsoft and Open Source in the same …

When interface guru Jakob Nieslen reported on the [URL="http://www.useit.com/alertbox/kindle-usability-review.html"]Kindle 2 [/URL]usability last March, he pointed out it was great for books, but not much other content. Why is this significant? Two recent reports suggest that the eBook Reader could move beyond a simple device for reading books, and could become …

With the[URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qquCcT6O8cs&feature=player_embedded"] September 9th Keynote[/URL] in our rear view mirror, we can begin to look back at it with a more unbiased eye, and explore some of the new features more clearly. It's obvious by now that this wasn't in any way a major announcement. This was exacerbated by the …

[I]I'm special, so special. I got to have some of your attention, give it to me! ~Pretenders, Brass in Pocket [/I] Ah the games companies play trying so hard to get our attention. For the last 6 weeks or so Microsoft has done a fine job of turning the media …

Apple introduced a new feature today that lets you buy an album from iTunes complete with extra material like bonus recordings, video footage, lyrics and more. This is the kind of package I was suggesting the record companies need to bring to CDs a couple of weeks ago in my …

Yesterday was [URL="http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2009/09/09/apple-rock-roll-keynote-podcast-itunes/"]Apple's Keynote[/URL], and you would think we would have learned by now that Apple rumors are meaningless. As the buzz grows louder before each of these events, there are rumors so convincing we think they must be a fait accompli. I mean how many of you thought you …

[URL="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/08/31/apple_expected_to_offer_iphone_on_new_u_s_carriers_within_a_year.html"]Apple Insider[/URL] reports this morning that Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster is predicting that Apple will end its exclusive agreement with AT&T by next summer. This rumor has been out there for some time (as I wrote back in June in [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4428.html"]Is Apple Getting Ready to Dump AT&T?[/URL]). The exclusivity …

Years ago [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message"]Marshall McLuhan[/URL] uttered the famous phrase, "The medium is the message." He said this long before the World Wide Web. If he were alive today, he might have said something else: "He who controls the distribution method, controls the money." When you look at the Web's influence on …

It certainly has been a roller coast ride of a month for Apple, and it continued this week with news they had allowed an iTunes competitor, [URL="http://spotify.com/"]Spotify[/URL], to place an app in the App Store surprising many industry pundits who believed they would reject it. Meanwhile, earlier this week Apple …

You have to give Sony credit, they are really trying new strategies to wrestle eBook marketshare from the Amazon Kindle. This month [URL="http://news.sel.sony.com/en/press_room/consumer/computer_peripheral/e_book/release/41492.html"]they announced several new editions [/URL]of the Sony Reader, including the brand new Reader Daily Edition, which should be in stores in time for the holiday shopping season. …

In a wide-ranging [URL="http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/0,1518,644229,00.html"]interview with the German Magazine Der Spiegel [/URL]recently, the Head of Google Europe, Philipp Schindler, defended his company against the latest round of attacks from publishers who claim that Google is siphoning profits without creating content. Truth be told, this argument is getting old and it suggests …

For years now, Apple has been on a heck of a ride creating pleasing products with a loyal customer base, but suddenly this month the tide seems to have turned, at least in the press. As my [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/blogs/entry4636.html"]DaniWeb colleague, Davey Winder[/URL] pointed out last week, the press jumped on numbers …

In a move that could only be characterized as surprising, Sony announced last week that it was going to be using the open [URL="http://www.idpf.org/"]ePub eBook standard[/URL], which in theory should enable [URL="http://ebookstore.sony.com/reader/"]Sony Reader[/URL] users to access and use any books created around the standard. Sony Readers will also be able …

Today Dynamite Records, a fixture in Northampton, MA for more than 27 years shut its doors. Probably doesn't matter to most of my readers, but consider this news against the backdrop of [URL="http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_090818.html"]figures released this week by the NPD Group[/URL] indicating that iTunes controls 25 percent of all US music …

You have to give Steve Ballmer and Microsoft credit. After years of sitting on the sidelines playing defense and catch-up, this year they have definitely been on offense. Whether it's the ad wars, releasing Bing, the deal with Yahoo!, the retail strategy or its latest move, a deal with Nokia …