The Android Internet Revolution is in the Apps

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TEXAS, June 12th, 2012 — The iPhone started a trend that is still exploding today, however eight out of ten smartphones shipped in the second quarter of 2012 are powered by the Android operating system and not the iOS.  This Q2 increase gives Android 60% of the market as a whole and all indicators show that this will increase quickly.  This defines the concept of grabbing the ball (from iPhone) and running with it.  Kevin Restivo, a senior analyst for IDC's Mobile Phone Tracker program said, "In order for operating system challengers to gain share, their creators and hardware partners need to secure developer loyalty".  Restivo attributes much of Android's success to developer enthusiasm and the open source model.  This is supported by Google's claim that Android is climbing like a rocket due to its seamless user experience and a steady supply of apps.

So if the user experience is a given, what's with all these great apps?  Are users spending tons of money downloading tiny programs that tell them where the best hot dog stand is in their area?  Is Google Play raking in millions from rabid Android users?  The answer is yes big time, but there are so many high quality free apps for Android that a user can have a great smartphone experience without dropping a ton of cash outside of actually buying the phone.  Here are a few of the top user rated free apps currently available on the Android OS.  Read More
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OpenLogic Delivers CentOS Linux Support on Microsoft Windows Azure

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OpenLogic announced a partnership with Microsoft to provide CentOS Linux on Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud computing platform.

OpenLogic, provider of open-source scanners, open-source governance solutions and community-backed open-source support for the data center and the cloud, announced that it will provide CentOS Linux through the new Microsoft Windows Azure Image Gallery.

With the June 6 announcement, Web application developers can provision CentOS Linux virtual machines from the Windows Azure portal. CentOS is an enterprise-class Linux distribution derived from the publicly available source code for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. OpenLogic has been providing commercial-grade developer and production support for CentOS since 2009.

“In line with Windows Azure’s commitment to support Web and application developers, we welcome OpenLogic on Windows Azure,” Helene Love Snell, director of the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft, said in a statement. “OpenLogic has supported CentOS for several years, and we look forward to making their expertise and SLA support available to customers through the Windows Azure Marketplace.” Read More

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Internet widens its reach

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The Internet world today moved to a new addressing system, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), which will allow creation of trillions of new web addresses. This would prevent the Internet running out of available addresses for new devices like tablets and smartphones.

Every device on the computer network is assigned an internet protocol (IP) address, a numerical address which forms the basis of Internet communication. At present, the websites run on IPv4. IPv6 offers a larger address space than the current IPv4. IPv4 is made up of a sequence of four sets of numbers. IPv6 has a set of six numbers to allocate new addresses to users

Most organisations and companies moved to IPv6 today. In India, state-run telecom firms Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd (MTNL), and corporations including Reliance Communications, Sify Technologies, Tata Communications, Tata Teleservices are some of the organisations which are IPV6-ready. Read More

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Consumer Software That's Good for Business

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You’ve probably seen the phrase “the consumerization of IT” bandied about. What does it mean? According to Microsoft, it’s a blurring of the lines between people’s personal and professional lives, driven by their desire to use the same technology at work as they use at home.
For IT managers, the phrase conjures up images of consumer smartphones and tablets--and the growing BYOD (bring your own device) movement--but it’s apropos for software, too. In this article I’ll examine four consumer-grade applications and show you how they can improve your professional life. Read More

contact list | email tracking | email communication | auto responder | multi channel marketing
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Rupee fall to help IT sector post impressive quarterly results

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The fall in rupee will result in a windfall for the Indian IT firms with a majority of them expected to post better-than-expected first quarter results-that too at a time when companies across sectors are bracing up for a negative impact.

However, the euphoria could be shortlived when new contracts will be signed under the existing dollar-rupee exchange rate.

"In the short-term, the slide in rupee will be good for IT companies as it will bring in additional revenues to them, and the first quarter results would be slightly better than their guidance. However, this might not help in a rally of stock prices of these companies," Ankita Somani, sector analyst, Angel Broking, said. "The revenues, we expect, will be slightly better than the guidance…," Somani added. Read More

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Microsoft urges govt to focus on IT industry's issues

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Software giant Microsoft has urged the government to focus on the issues faced by the Indian information technology (IT) industry, which despite its tremendous potential is suffering.

"The country has some major issues and challenges. I am hoping that the government will start focusing on some of the issues very seriously. There are lot of issues regarding taxation and policy. I think the latest Finance Act is trying to rectify some of those. Let's see what happens," said Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik.

"The industry wants a stable and predictable policy and regime. We want less ambiguity, clear guidelines, clear policies and an environment where everybody can do business successfully and legally," he said.

Pramanik on the occasion launched "To the Cloud", a book written by fellow employees Raj Biyani, Salil Dave and Pankaj Arora on cloud computing, the latest phenomena on the use of internet. Read More

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Apple TV Will Change the Way People Consume TV Content: Report

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An Apple TV is no longer a matter of if, but when, Piper Jaffray analysts Gene Munster and Douglas J. Clinton wrote in a June 1 research note, pointing to recent comments by Apple CEO Tim Cook, the biography of Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs and the firm’s checks with component suppliers.

“We stand by our previously stated timeline of unveiling the TV late this year with a launch in the first half of 2013, six months following the unveiling,” they wrote.

The pair additionally forecast a retail price between $1,500 and $2,000 for a TV with a display between 42 and 55 inches; for the new device to add between 4 and 8 percent to Apple’s 2013 revenue; and for it to accomplish nothing short of revolutionizing how people consume content in their living rooms.

While physically an Apple television will be a “stand-out centerpiece” in a living room, with classic Apple styling cues like aluminum casing and minimal wires—as well as an LCD, given the high cost of organic LED (OLED) panels—it’s the change to how consumers interact with their living room that will be the device’s main selling point, say Munster and Clinton. Read More


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Can Tim Cook Escape the Ghost of Steve Jobs?

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At every public appearance by Tim Cook - say, Wednesday's on-stage interview at AllThingsD's annual D10 conference, or the upcoming WWDC keynote - commentators see the specter of Steve Jobs looming behind Apple's new CEO. It's no wonder. Jobs was larger than life, and the force of his personality can still be felt nine months after his death. The soft-spoken Cook is far less charismatic. Is he doomed to labor forever in his predecessor's shadow? What could Cook do to escape the ghost of Jobs?

The answer is simple: He's already well on his way. The idea that Tim Cook is a haunted man, trying to live up to the legacy of Jobs, is absurd. He's his own man, his own CEO, and Apple today is doing better than it ever was under Jobs's leadership.

This proposition isn't subjective. Look at Apple's stock value, which is up 55% since Steve Jobs' death on October 5th, 2011. That stock has been buoyed by Apple's two strongest and best-selling products ever, the iPhone 4S and the new iPad - products that were launched under Cook's watch, not Jobs'. Wall Street has a lot more confidence in Apple under Cook than under Jobs. Read More

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Apple CEO: Microsoft might have too much baggage for new era

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RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — Did Tim Cook really say that?

I couldn't believe my ears at the All Things D conference, the annual powwow of tech and media tycoons.

Maybe I had too much sparkling water and shaved prosciutto at the oceanfront reception.

But sure enough, last Tuesday, Apple's new chief executive came right out and said the iPad isn't a personal computer.

"In my view, the tablet and the PC are different," Cook said to hosts Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.

Nobody paid much attention to that line. It was the backswing for a slam aimed at Microsoft's upcoming Windows 8 tablets.

It may seem obvious tablets and PCs are different, but I'd argue that most people aren't so sure. For many, it's been an open question since Apple introduced the iPad in 2010. This ambiguity helped Apple straddle the markets for mobile devices and PCs, broadening the reach of its wildly successful tablet. Read More


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Hexaware wins five year contract worth USD 250 million

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Hexaware Technologies Limited has announced today that the Company has signed a contract estimated at USD 250 million, with an existing client headquartered in United Kingdom for an additional 5 years starting January 2012. The value of the contract, projected at a quarter of a billion, is the single largest agreement signed by Hexaware till date.

Hexaware has been associated with this leading multi-billion enterprise for over seven years, and this contract further increases its share of wallet with the client. Through this contract, the Company will have an estimated USD 60 million worth incremental business. This engagement has been structured to enable Hexaware to offer its services to newer geographies spanning across Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The additional revenues from this engagement will begin to accrue from the first quarter of 2012. This contract is expected to improve offshore ratio over the term of the contract.

“Over the last six quarters, Hexaware has won 6 large deals each in excess of USD 25 million out of which 3 are over USD 100 million. Cumulatively these 6 deals are worth over USD 600 million. This proves our ability to win complex engagements in a highly competitive environment. This further reflects our focus on strategic account management and our ability to provide value to our clients.” said, Atul Nishar, Chairman, Hexaware Technologies. Read More


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Happiest Minds on a growth trail, adds seven clients

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In a short span of its operations and despite the macro-economic challenges, Bangalore-based startup Happiest Minds Technologies has gained significant momentum with seven customers in its kitty till date and a strong pipeline. The clients which are from the U.S., U.K. and India, are spread across its three lines of businesses namely IT services, infrastructure & security and software product engineering.                 

“Of the seven customers, two of the deals are advisory-led, some of them are projects and some are long-term relationships,” Puneet Jetli, co-CEO of IT services, Happiest Minds told InformationWeek. He did not comment on the financials of the deals but said they are from a mix of industry verticals such as high-tech companies, consumer-oriented companies like leisure & entertainment, media, BFSI and services.          

The mid-sized company believes the global slowdown in the market does not impact its specific targets. “The fundamental value we plan to offer to the enterprise remains unaltered,” said Jetli. “First, we are a startup with an objective of achieving few millions of dollars in a specific time period, which is an insignificant share of the trillions of dollars in the global market pie. Second, we are convinced about our value proposition of disruptive technologies, which by default allows the end customers to be more disruptive and do more with less. And slowdown is the best time to test the waters,”  Read More


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Enterprise Networking: Cisco: The Internet in 2016, by the Numbers

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 By 2016, traffic on the Internet will have quadrupled, hitting 1.3 zettabytes, according to Cisco Systems in its annual Visual Networking Index. What does a zettabyte look like? It’s 1 followed by 21 zeros—or 1 trillion gigabytes—a massive amount of data coursing through the world’s private and public networks. Driving all this growth are the usual suspects: the rapidly increasing number of connected devices that are getting on the networks, and the growing number of people who are using these devices—everything from desktop PCs and notebooks to tablets and smartphones—to get onto the Internet. And these people are sending and receiving more video over networks that have gotten increasingly fast. Overall, the numbers from Cisco illustrate the world’s growing reliance on the Internet, the demand for fast, persistent connections and the ability to connect from any device at any time and from anywhere. “We want to stay connected, need to be connected, both consumers and businesses,” Thomas Barnett, manager of service provider market at Cisco, told eWEEK. Here is a look at some of the numbers from Cisco’s report, released May 30. Read More

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The Second Coming Of Facebook

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Beyond the post-IPO gloom lurks unchanged potential for greatness.

Facebook's eye-watering IPO has raised some awkward questions for the future of social networking. The record breaking $100 billion valuation was greeted with skepticism from some quarters, which will only have heightened in the wake of a less than stellar trading performance.

Investors and analysts are nervous. Facebook may have almost 900 million users, but the company only makes an average of $5 profit from each of them per year. Finding ways to increase that figure without alienating people is an urgent task.

Cynics might even suggest that Mark Zuckerberg and company are cashing in now precisely because future growth is uncertain, but let's not forget we're talking about a man on a publicly stated mission to change the world, for whom wealth seems to be only a secondary concern. Read More

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AutoCAD 2011 for Mac a Good First Effort

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Although it’s taken Autodesk more than 18 years to bring the gold standard of CAD software back to Apple’s Macintosh platform, there’s something to be said for the company’s strategy of waiting until it can be done properly. AutoCAD 2011 for Mac takes the market-leading tool for which Autodesk is famous, and couples it with an interface that remains true to the Mac environment while satisfying most of the demands of experienced AutoCAD users.

Perhaps the most significant difference between AutoCAD for Windows and the Mac version is that Autodesk chose to discard the ribbon interface featured in recent Windows releases of AutoCAD, in favor of putting the tools where Mac users expect them: on the Mac OS X menu bar. A rather substantial number of features from the Windows version simply didn’t make it into this “initial” release for Mac, as described in document TS15833488 on the Autodesk Website, especially in the area of layering and other tools. Likewise, many enterprise workflow features for which AutoCAD is famous are missing from the Mac release.  Read More

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Macromedia Contribute Gains Enterprise Skills

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With the release of Contribute 2, Macromedia Inc. has made attractive, if not exactly compelling, improvements to its user-friendly Web authoring tool. Current users will find it a worthwhile upgrade, and those interested in a controllable but simple Web site authoring tool for novice content contributors should take a look at Contribute 2.

One of the biggest new features in Contribute 2 is that, unlike Version 1, it runs on Mac OS X, joining the rest of Macromedias tools, which run on both Windows and Macintosh platforms.

Although Contribute isnt likely to displace a full Web content management system at any corporation, it can be a good fit for businesses looking for a way to offer simple, intuitive authoring capabilities for users with little or no Web development expertise, without surrendering control over where and how users can add content to sites. Thats because on top of providing a simple word-processor-like interface for creating content, Contribute 2 provides common Web content management controls such as check-in/check-out, versioning and content rollbacks, as well as site templates that can be created in Macromedias Dreamweaver MX. Read More
  
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Midmarket: New iPad, Nokia Lumia 900: 10 Gadgets to Boost Your Summer Productivity

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It seems as if many of us didn’t really have much of a winter in 2012, but suffice it to say we’re all a lot happier that the longer days and warmer weather are on the schedule for the next few months. Unfortunately for you, you’ll also be working through most of the dog days of summer waiting for that vacation to start in earnest. Now that Memorial Day is almost here, and with it the unofficial start of the summer, eWEEK has put together a list of must-have gadgets that can keep you mobile and fully functional, whether you’re on the road, on-site or trying to sneak out early to grab some sun at the beach. From tablets, such as the new iPad, to portable speakers, to the latest in smartphones and ultraportable laptops, and even mobile photo printers, we’ve got you covered so you can at least enjoy a little summer sun and maybe even get some work done, too.  Read More

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Microsoft Claims Windows Server 2012, Hyper-V Will Win Converts From VMware

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Microsoft touts enhancements in Hyper-V and Windows Server 2012 with more secure multi-tenancy, higher performance and flexibility. A migration software vendor says this could move VMware users to Hyper-V.

Enhancements to Microsoft’s Windows Server 2012 beta, including to Hyper-V, are a match for VMware’s capability and could give data center operators reason to switch from market leader VMware, experts said at a Microsoft IT workshop in Silicon Valley.

Hyper-V in Server 2012 improves security and isolation in multi-tenant cloud environments, allows the migration of virtual machines from one physical server to another without any downtime, enables network virtualization and boosts performance on several metrics, said Chris Avis, senior IT evangelist at Microsoft, who led a daylong IT Camp on Server 2012 May 17 at the Microsoft campus in Mountain View, Calif. Read More
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Real Networks will refund $2m to grumpy punters

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Real Networks has agreed to hand over US$2.0m to satisfy disgruntled customers, who were railroaded into buying content thanks to pre-clicked boxes in web forms or “free” offers that nonetheless requested credit card details and did not make recurring costs plain.

Consumers who, upon realising their error, requested refunds, found it hard to squeeze any cash from the company. Complaints eventually mounted and Washington State’s Better Business Bureau and State Attorney General took it off to court, resulting in the $2.0m payment order announced yesterday.

“Deceptive pre-checked boxes and fine print obligated consumers to not-so-free trials for subscription services they didn’t want in the first place,” said Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna. “People were charged for months — sometimes years — paying hundreds of dollars for subscriptions they knew nothing about.” Read More
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Might As Well Face It, You're Addicted To Facebook

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Robert Palmer famously sang, "You can't sleep, you can't eat. There's no doubt, you're in deep." The song, of course, is "Addicted to Love". But the same symptoms could apply if you're addicted to Facebook.

That's right--researchers at the University of Norway say Facebook addiction is real, and they have developed a tool for measuring whether you are among those with a social media monkey on your back.

In a study published in the April 12, 2012, Psychological Reports journal, the researchers describe the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), which they administered to 423 college students. The scale is based on six criteria; those who were tested reported whether the criteria applied to them very rarely, rarely, sometimes, often, or very often. Read More
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Social Business in 30 Days?

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With Try Jive, Jive Software is flirting with the freemium model used by competitors like Yammer. But is 30 days long enough to see results?
When Jive Software announced a 30-day free trial promotion as part of its revamped cloud service, I expected ridicule from the founders of Yammer, who would inevitably try to paint it as a sham. Instead, the criticism came first from another social software maker, Moxie.

Moxie Software, really? You won't find pricing plainly listed on Moxie's website, let alone a free trial or freemium offer. Instead, even though they sell cloud services, they offer a relatively old school "request a quote" contact form. Still, it was the Moxie people who reached out to me to ask, is 30 days really enough? Read More
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How Facebook Ignores Its Users

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Facebook consulted with users on Timeline more than on any previous product change. Users hated it, but Facebook gave it to them anyway.

Why do we love Facebook when we hate what it does to us?

At the moment, the thing Facebook users most hate about Facebook is Timeline, according to a study by Attensity based on sentiment analysis of publicly accessible posts on Facebook. In a converse of the maxim, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all," it seems everyone who is talking about Timeline at all on Facebook is talking trash about it. By Attensity's rating, the conversation about Facebook Timeline is about 96% negative with the word "hate" as a big part of the discussion. Read More
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How iCloud Help To Identify An iPhone Thief

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Do you ever wonder what happens to stolen iPhones? A month after having her iPhone stolen, Katy McCaffrey uploaded an album to Facebook called Stolen iPhone Adventures, after her photos started appearing in her iCloud account.

"It was stolen on board the Disney Wonder cruiseline back in April. His photos are just making it into my photo stream," McCaffrey wrote in one comment.

McCaffrey also wrote that: "I have alerted the officials of the Disney Cruise Line and forwarded them the photos. Hopefully I'll get my phone back and maybe some free passes to Disneyland." Read More
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Microsoft Windows RT: An Unfortunate Name for Windows on ARM

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Microsoft has finally taken the wraps off of its naming scheme for Windows 8. And while Microsoft deserves kudos for keeping things simple and giving us just two editions for x86-based systems--Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro--the company takes a step backward with its plan for Windows 8 running on ARM-based processors.

That version of Windows, now referred to by the arcane "Windows RT," clearly represents an attempt to distinguish between ARM-based Windows 8 and standard x86-based Windows—both of which will appear in tablets and laptop-style clamshell PCs. At first glance, however, the new name stumbles over itself, even before the fledgling Windows on ARM can take flight. Read More
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Windows 8 Update: Windows 8 Wows AT&T Mobility

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The chief of AT&T Mobility can't wait for Windows 8 tablets to hit the market because they'll fuel demand for Windows phones.

"When they come out with Windows 8 in the fourth quarter, I think it will actually add to the value that [Windows Phone] OS brings to the marketplace in that that'll be the first time that you can truly have a similar experience on your PC, on your tablet, on your smartphone from Microsoft," says Ralph de la Vega, speaking at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference. "From what I've seen from the previews that I've been given, I think it's going to be exceptionally good." Read More
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Partygoers boycott bars using SceneTap app that scans faces

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PARTYGOERS in San Francisco are boycotting bars using a new app that scans the faces of patrons to determine their ages and genders.

SceneTap allows would-be customers to check their smartphones for real-time updates on the crowd size, average age and male-to-female mix to decide whether the scene is to their liking.

The Austin, Texas-based makers of SceneTap say the app doesn't identify specific individuals or save personal information. But in a city known for its love of both libations and civil liberties, a backlash erupted even before the first cameras were switched on from bar-goers who said they would boycott any venue with SceneTap installed. Read More
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Facebook Flops: Look Out Below!

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Facebook (ticker: FB) sold 421 million shares Thursday at $38 after bumping up the price range from the original $28 to $35 per share. The stock began trading above $42 Friday morning and came under pressure in the afternoon, spending much of the final half hour just above $38 before finishing at $38.23. (The stock traded as high as $44 in the private market in March.) Without reported support from the deal underwriters, the shares might have fallen below $38 in what would have been a big embarrassment for Facebook and Wall Street.  Read More
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Verizon Unlimited Data Plans: FAQ

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Good news, Verizon customers: You can keep your $30 per month unlimited data plan after all, but it'll cost you in another way. Longtime Verizon fans got a shock Thursday when a Verizon executive reportedly said customers must give up their unlimited data plans for a tiered data option when switching to 4G LTE phones. But that's not entirely accurate, Verizon spokesperson Brenda Raney confirms to PCWorld.

Truth be told, however, chances are most of you will end up surrendering your unlimited plans the next time you pick up a new Verizon smartphone. Unless you have at least $400 handy to spend on a new phone, that is.

Verizon Said What?
On Thursday, Fierce Wireless reported that Verizon CFO Fran Shammo told the audience at an investor conference that Verizon was getting rid of its unlimited plan for 3G users. “A lot of our 3G base is unlimited," Shammo said, according to Fierce Wireless. "As they start to migrate into 4G, they will have to come off of unlimited and go into the data share plan.” Read More
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Yahoo Launches Big Data Analytics Tool for Online Advertisers

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Yahoo today launched a new tool for online advertisers designed to take advantage of the company's extensive experience with big data analytics.

The tool, called Genome, is designed to help companies deliver more targeted online advertising and marketing campaigns. Genome is scheduled to become available in July and will let online advertisers sift through and analyze massive amounts of behavioral and advertising-related data gathered from Yahoo's networks as well as those of interclick, a company Yahoo acquired in December.

The tool will also let advertisers bring in their own data, mash it up with Yahoo's data sets and run analytics on the combination, Yahoo said in a statement. Read More
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Google+: No Comments?

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Google+ now has more than 100 million users, but data shows that once we’re signed up for Google's social networking site, we lose interest in it quickly.

The average post has less than one +1, less than one comment, and is re-shared less than once, says Business metrics firm RJMetrics. That means a majority of us post information that doesn’t get noticed, and that lack of notice likely is the reason why many of us don’t come back, or that we come back very rarely.

RJMetrics found the average Google+ user posts once every 12 days, and 30 percent of all users who make one post never make a second one. Even after five posts, there’s still a 15 percent chance the user will not post again. Read More
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General Motors Un-Friending of Facebook Ads Spells Trouble for Users

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Brace yourselves Facebook fans for more paid status updates, sponsored stories, App Center, and mobile ads, as the social network tries to prove its worth after getting a black eye from General Motors, one of the largest advertisers in the U.S.

If you haven't heard the news, GM will stop advertising on Facebook after discovering that people don't shop for cars between status updates, pokes, likes, and virtual crop harvests. Given that Facebook's initial public offering is set to take place Friday, the timing for this news couldn't get much worse.

Facebook Users Should Brace for Fallout After GM Ad DecisionGM will still have a presence on the social network through its Facebook pages, but that activity doesn't contribute to Facebook's bottom line, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We remain committed to an aggressive Facebook content strategy through all of our products and brands moving forward,” GM said on its Facebook page.

Facebook's direct financial hit from GM's ad break-up doesn't appear to be that big. The car company contributed about $10 million to Facebook's $3.7 billion in revenue for 2011, according to the Journal. But GM is more than just a blank check for advertising dollars; it's the company responsible for the Corvette, Camaro, Pontiac GTO, and Trans Am. It's an iconic company that makes iconic products and some critics are wondering whether GM's decision might inspire other companies to reassess their Facebook ad spending.

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T-Mobile Confirms 900 Job Cuts

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T-Mobile on Tuesday confirmed that it will cut 900 jobs as part of a restructuring that it said will help fund the rollout of its 4G LTE network as well as its re-branding effort, among other things.

The move comes after the carrier announced 1,000 job cuts in March.

"We are restructuring the organization and optimizing operations so that we can make critical decisions better and faster in response to market and customer demands," T-Mobile said in a statement. "Further, by reducing our cost structure and streamlining operations, T-Mobile will be able to invest in areas where we anticipate the strongest return: modernizing our 4G network; aggressively pursuing the B2B segment; and re-launching our brand." Read More
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AMD Rolls Out 'Trinity' APUs for Mainstream, Ultrathin Laptops

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Advanced Micro Devices on Tuesday introduced its second generation of accelerated processing units (APUs) for mainstream and ultrathin laptops, mainstream desktops, all-in-one PCs, home theater systems, and embedded designs code. Dubbed Trinity, the new parts deliver up to 12 hours of battery life and provide double the performance-per-watt of the previous generation of A-Series APUs known as Llano, AMD said.

"The latest OEM notebooks, ultrathins, all-in-ones, and desktops based on the new AMD A-Series APU enable the best video and gaming experiences, highly responsive performance with AMD Turbo CORE, and accelerate an ever-increasing range of productivity and multimedia applications in sleek, stylish designs at price points that make sense," Chris Cloran, general manager of AMD's Client Business Unit, said in a statement.  Read More
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Apple Said to Plan Thinner Mac Laptops With Intel Chips (Update 2)

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Apple Inc. (AAPL) is preparing a new lineup of thinner MacBook laptops running on more powerful chips made by Intel Corp. (INTC), people with knowledge of the plans said.

The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple’s annual developers conference starting June 11, also will feature high- definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven’t been made public.  Read More

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Nvidia shows cloud graphics chips, GPU virtualisation

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Nvidia Corp Chief Executive Jen-Hsun Huang wants his graphics chips to be adopted in data centers to help stream better graphics to smartphones and tablets, his company’s newest bid to diversify beyond personal computers.

Huang showed programmers and engineers at an industry event new technology adapting Nvidia’s Kepler graphics processors, or GPUs, for cloud computing. “For the first time we have virtualized the GPU,” Huang said. “One GPU can now be shared with countless users.” Read More

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Poll: Half of Americans call Facebook a fad

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Half of Americans think Facebook is a passing fad, according to the results of a new Associated Press-CNBC poll. And, in the run-up to the social network's initial public offering of stock, half of Americans also say the social network's expected asking price is too high.

The company Mark Zuckerberg created as a Harvard student eight years ago is preparing for what looks to be the biggest Internet IPO ever. Expected later this week, Facebook's Wall Street debut could value the company at $100 billion, making it worth more than Disney, Ford and Kraft Foods.

That's testament to the impressive numbers Facebook has posted in its relatively brief history. More than 40 percent of American adults log in to the site —to share news, personal observations, photos and more— at least once a week. In all, some 900 million people around the world are users. Facebook's revenue grew from $777 million in 2009 to $3.7 billion last year. And in the first quarter of 2012 it was more than $1 billion. Read More
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Windows 8 Tablet OS Draws Antitrust Attention

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The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to investigate charges that a version of Windows designed to run on tablets violates antitrust laws by limiting access for browsers that compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, a published report said.

An aide to Antitrust subcommittee chairman Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) told The Hill that committee staffers will review complaints by third-party browser developers, including Mozilla, that Windows 8 RT will run only Internet Explorer in the desktop mode.

News of the investigation comes shortly after Mozilla officials publicly slammed Microsoft for its tablet architecture.

"Unfortunately, the upcoming release of Windows 8 for the ARM processor architecture and Microsoft's browser practices regarding Windows 8 Metro signal an unwelcome return to the digital dark ages where users and developers didn't have browser choices," said Mozilla general counsel Harvey Anderson, in a blog post last week. Mozilla develops the rival Firefox browser. Read More
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Slimmer, retina MacBook to debut at WWDC, report says

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Apple's next generation of MacBook Pros will be unveiled at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, according to a new report.
Adding to claims made by 9to5mac earlier today, Bloomberg now says Apple will take the wraps off thinner Mac notebooks that feature Retina Displays and Flash memory at its developer-centric show next month.
Citing multiple unnamed sources, Bloomberg says the new MacBook Pros will be less than 0.95 inch thick and sport Intel's third-generation Core series chips, code-named Ivy Bridge.
The report is the latest to suggest Apple is on the verge of updating its Mac portable line with a thinner design. Earlier today Apple blog 9to5mac said Apple was "putting the finishing touches" on a revamped version of its 15-inch MacBook Pro with a higher-resolution display and USB 3.0, all with the removal of the optical drive to shrink it down in size. Bloomberg's report makes no such mention of that feature disappearing. Read More
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Apple says Samsung is destroying evidence

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Apple has accused Samsung of intentionally destroying the evidence it was supposed to hand over to the Cupertino-based company, following a court order.

Apple has filed a motion in the Northern District of California which refers to Samsung’s action as “spoliation” of evidence. It wants the Judge to inform the jury that Samsung acted in bad faith and failed to meet its legal duty.

Apple also said that Samsung’s action were “intentional, wilful, [and] without regard to Apple’s rights.”

A hearing on the motion is scheduled for 7 June, with Samsung’s reply to the accusations due on 15 May. Meanwhile, Samsung is seeking an extension until 29 May, and would like the hearing to be pushed back to 10 July.  Read More
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Intel CEO Otellini calls out ARM on Windows 8 tablets

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IDG News Service - Intel CEO Paul Otellini on Thursday said that the company has an advantage over its rival ARM on Windows 8 for tablets because of decades of developing x86 chips that support the Windows operating system.

"We think it's a differentiator," said Otellini at the company's investor meeting in Santa Clara, California. "We have the advantage of the incumbency, the legacy support."

Intel's only competitor in the Windows 8 tablet market is ARM, whose processors ship in most tablets today. ARM may have an entry point to the Windows tablet market, but faces a tough road ahead considering Intel's history with Windows, Otellini said. Read More
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Twitter Debunks Reports of 55,000 Hacked Accounts

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Hackers claiming to be affiliated with the hacktivist group Anonymous claimed this week to have accessed and published the details of about 55,000 Twitter accounts.
But Twitter said Tuesday those claims are largely bogus, and that the group mostly posted duplicate information or username and password information for suspended spam accounts.
An anonymous Pastebin user posted five extremely long pages of alleged Twitter usernames and passwords to the text storage site on Monday. (Here are pages one, two, three, four and five.) The hacking news aggregator Airdemon.net reported the supposed breach on Tuesday, beginning to fuel speculation around the web of a massive successful attack on Twitter’s servers. Airdemon said celebrity accounts were among those compromised, and also claimed to have information from a “Twitter insider” confirming the attack  Read More
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ING First-Quarter Profit Drops After U.S. Settlement Charge

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ING Groep NV (INGA), the biggest Dutch financial-services company, reported a 51 percent drop in profit after setting aside funds for a potential settlement of a U.S. probe and booking a charge tied to its own debt.
First-quarter net income fell to 680 million euros ($882 million) from 1.38 billion euros a year earlier, the Amsterdam- based firm said in a statement today. That missed the average 1.11 billion-euro estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Earnings were hurt by a 370 million-euro charge for a potential settlement with U.S. authorities for transactions by its commercial banking unit until 2007 that are being probed.
ING booked a 489 million-euro gain on the sale of its U.S. online bank to Capital One Financial Corp. (COF) as part of a restructuring plan imposed by the European Union. ING still has to sell insurance units in Asia, Europe and the U.S. before the end of 2013 and repay state aid while at the same time preparing for tougher capital requirements.
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Adobe Creative Suite 6 goes on sale

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Following a debut filled with fanfare and a rollout designed to stoke anticipation, Adobe has released its Creative Suite 6 (CS6) software for sale on its website and via authorized dealers worldwide. This upgraded collection of professional applications, which targets artists, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, multimedia specialists, and Web designers, is available immediately. Read More
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California, US to bank millions in taxes on Facebook IPO

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SAN FRANCISCO – California has a friend who's about to write a hefty personal check that could help ease the state budget crunch.

Mark Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old founder and chief executive of Facebook Inc., may have to pay the state $189 million in taxes after the Menlo Park, Calif., social networking company's initial public offering of stock in two weeks, according to calculations from PrivCo, which researches private companies. The IPO could value Facebook at $96 billion.    Read More
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Nielsen finds Call of Duty’s social presence swells 4X after Black Ops II

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The media tracking firm Nielsen had an interesting idea – it decided to track the social reach of Activision’s Call of Duty franchise before and after the company announced its latest title, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. It found that in just the span of two days, the amount of tweets, Facebook messages, YouTube videos, blog postings, and message board postings related to Call of Duty increased four-fold.

Of course, in between those two days was the Black Ops 2 announcement. On April 30, the number of social messages about Call of Duty was 4,911. On May 2, that number was 21,454. The official launch trailer video on YouTube has already been viewed more than 7.1 million times. Retailers also began accepting pre-orders for the title yesterday, and it has already scored its first record – Activision claims it is the fastest-selling pre-order game ever.

When its predecessor launched, Blacks Ops quickly added a bunch of sales records to its resume, including the biggest launch in the history of video games and various marks (e.g., first-week sales) that placed it as the fastest-selling game as well. Interestingly enough, the previous record holders in these instances were earlier installments in the Call of Duty franchise. Activision continues to set new records and Black Ops 2 could very well be a new notch in that trend.

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Samsung Galaxy S III vs. HTC One X: Quad-core faceoff

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Now that Samsung has announced its Galaxy S III muscle phone, one big question is how its core technology stacks up against that of its main Android rival, the HTC One X. So let's take a look under the hood and see. The S III packs a 1.4GHz quad-core chip, as the company indicated last week. Samsung obviously believes that kind of horsepower is necessary to drive a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1,280 x 720 resolution, among other things.
The One X, with a 4.7-inch screen and an identical 1,280 x 720 resolution, also sports a quad-core chip in its European variant--but opts for dual-core in the US More on that in a moment.
Samsung has gone into some detail to explain why it has gone quad-core for the first time in the Galaxy S series.

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