Modern Media Mom » China

Headlines for April 15th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:00:48 +0000

Twitter Hits Its Stride, Plans New Features – “Twitter has more than 105 million users and is adding more than 300,000 new ones every day, the micro-blogging network said this week at its developer conference, Chirp, in San Francisco. Twitter also used the event to announce several new features, such as geolocation services, more official mobile clients, and its own URL shortening service.”
Google launches archive search for Twitter – “Trying to track down a single tweet from 2007? With the new Twitter archive search, Google is opening up access to years of Twitter activity.”
Caller ID Spoofing Ban is Bad for Business – “Caller ID is a great tool for managing business communications and improving productivity and efficiency. However, the way that some businesses employ caller ID may cross the line drawn by a new law–the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010.”
Microsoft Will Investigate ‘Prisoner’ Conditions at Chinese Factory – Government IT from eWeek – “Microsoft claims that it will investigate the alleged labor violations at the KYE factory in China’s Dongguan City, after an April 13 report by the National Labor Committee, a nonprofit NGO. That report suggests that workers producing Microsoft PC cameras and mice are subjected to excessive working hours, poor pay, restricted freedom of movement, harassment by guards, and substandard living conditions. Although Microsoft claims that it uses vigorous auditing to its vendors’ working conditions, the report suggests that these conditions at the KYE factory have endured for some time.”
Opera Mini for iPhone already over 1 million downloads strong – “Three days after its late Monday launch, Opera Software spread the news that its server-assisted Opera Mini browser for the iPhone capped over a million downloads the first day of widespread availability, which was Tuesday.”
iPad Is Banned In Israel – “The Israel government has barred importation of the iPad and is also seizing units from tourists who attempt to enter the country with one of Apple’s new tablet-style computers.
Israeli officials told the Associated Press that the ban was imposed because the iPad’s Wi-Fi connection uses a frequency that conflicts with Israeli standards for wireless networks.”
Apple-Adobe rancor to result in lawsuit? – “This whole Apple-Adobe spat is about to get a lot uglier, according to IT World. Their sources say Adobe Systems is prepping for a major lawsuit against Apple in the coming weeks.
The updated SDK that was released with the iPhone 4.0 dev kit seems to be the last straw, with its new rules banning apps converted from Flash (and Microsoft Silverlight).”
Google launches Twitter timeline search – “Almost everything you’ve ever said on Twitter is about to be discoverable through Google.
Google announced plans Tuesday to roll out a timeline of archived Twitter messages organized by topic, allowing searchers to see when Twitter activity spiked with tweets related to their search query. When the user clicks on a particular day that contained an outsized number of tweets related to that topic, they’ll be presented with a scrolling list of the individual tweets from that day.”

Headlines for February 8th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 19:00:32 +0000

Facebook Dumps Microsoft Ads, Keeps Sleazy Advertisers – "Facebook says it has dumped Microsoft banner ads, but what the social network really needs are fewer sleazy advertisers, not less Microsoft."
Nook back on sale – "Barnes & Noble's Nook e-reader, which sold out over the winter holidays, is available online once again, the company said Monday.
The Nook is also expected to show up in most B&N stores by midweek."
Macmillan books coming back to Amazon – "After a week-long absence, new copies of Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall and other books published by Macmillan are available for purchase on Amazon.com.
Since last Friday, Amazon had limited the availability of Macmillan releases in a dispute over e-books, with Macmillan calling for a new pricing system that would end the $9.99 rate Amazon had been setting for best-sellers on its Kindle e-reader. Macmillan and other publishers believe $9.99 is too low and threatens the value of books overall."
Consumers lose interest in iPad after Apple’s unveiling – survey – "Despite a highly publicized public debut, potential customers lost a great deal of interest in Apple's new touchscreen iPad after it was unveiled, a new study has found."
Google Ads Level the Playing Field – "While the annual Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet offers an enticing alternative to the Super Bowl for those who aren't football fans, almost everyone loves to watch the NFL championship game just for the $2 million per 30-second spot advertising spectacles. Super Bowl ads get as much, or more, attention and analysis as the game itself."
China Closes Hacker Training Site, Arrests Three Members – "Chinese police have shut down what they called the country's biggest hacker training Web site and arrested three people linked to the site, local media said Saturday."

Headlines for January 15th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:00:03 +0000

Google and Microsoft dig deep for Haiti earthquake appeal – "The tech industry's major players have responded quickly to the crisis in earthquake-stricken Haiti, pledging millions of dollars in aid and services."
Nexus One Price Drops for Some T-Mobile Upgrades – "Google and T-Mobile have changed the Nexus One pricing policy, slashing $100 off the price of the handset for certain existing customers, T-Mobile has confirmed. Eligible upgraders should now be able to get the Nexus One for $279 instead of $379, and Google will give refunds to those who paid the old price."
Skype tells the fcc to require net neutrality – "VOICE OVER IP AND CHAT OUTFIT Skype has been pressing its case in favour of net neutrality to the US Federal Communications Commision (FCC).
Skype, which is based on its own proprietary technology, depends on net neutrality to survive. If the telcos and some ISPs get their way, Skype punters will probably be identified as filesharers and get throttled to within an inch of their lives."
Kodak sues Apple and RIM over iPhone and Blackberry – "Camera maker Kodak has said it will sue Apple and Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of the iPhone and Blackberry, over technology used in their handsets."
Microsoft admits Explorer used in Google China hack – "Microsoft has admitted that its Internet Explorer was a weak link in the recent attacks on Google's systems that originated in China."

Headlines for January 14th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:01:03 +0000

Three Reasons McAfee Not A Magic Facebook Bullet – "Facebook announced a partnership with McAfee that offers users of the social networking site a bit of security — six months free use of McAfee's security software. But users still ought to be wary. Here are three reasons why people shouldn't put all their eggs in McAfee's basket."
L.A. Law Firm Reports Cyber Attacks – "A Los Angeles-based law firm representing a U.S. company in a $2.2 billion suit against the Chinese government and several global computer makers said Wednesday it has suffered cyber attacks originating in China."
Google Earth Reveals the Devastation in Haiti – "Google responded to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti earlier this week by working with satellite imagery company GeoEye to quickly make images of the destruction available in Google Earth and Google Maps. The images were taken at approximately 10:27 AM Eastern time on Wednesday, and could prove to be a helpful tool for aid organizations attempting to survey and assess the damage to Haiti's infrastructure."
Scientists Push "Doomsday Clock" Back a Minute – "Scientists pushed back the hands on the symbolic Doomsday Clock by one minute citing hopeful developments in nuclear weapons and climate change.
The symbolic clock that shows how close mankind is to self-annihilation was moved back to six minutes before midnight from five minutes on Thursday."
Nexus One: Too Much Hype, Not Enough Marketing? – "Poor Nexus One. Despite earning mostly positive reviews and becoming an obsession in the tech blogosphere, the Google phone reportedly sold just 20,000 units in its first week. That's just 10 percent of the Motorola Droid's debut sales."

Headlines for January 13th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:01:42 +0000

Facebook & Privacy: Trying to be everything to everyone is a minefield – "CEO Mark Zuckerberg tried to explain his vision for the future of privacy last Friday at the Crunchies. He basically said that norms had evolved in favor of more sharing and the company had retooled its defaults with these changes in mind."
Infected PCs Won’t Be Allowed on Facebook – "Facebook has joined forces with McAfee to provide discounted security services to all of its 350 million members.
Facebook users will be eligible for a free, six-month trial of McAfee Internet Security Suite software and a discounted price thereafter.

If Facebook uncovers any sort of threat, the social networking site said it would take steps to secure a user's computer, a process that includes a sweep of the affected computer by McAfee technology."
Adobe Hole May Have Been Used in Google Attack – It's an eventful day. Just as Adobe released an important new version of Acrobat, the company has also revealed that "…a sophisticated, coordinated attack…" was mounted "…against corporate network systems managed by Adobe and other companies…" At the same time, Google has revealed that a coordinated attack was mounted against their systems.
Wii Netflix support a natural evolution, cure for sales woes – "Netflix streaming via the Nintendo Wii is finally coming this Spring. Nintendo has long painted itself as a gaming-only company, but with fans from the young to the old, and a price point that begins and ends at $200, Nintendo could quickly become a major player in content… if it chooses."
The Cost of Google Pulling Out of China – "If Google follows through on its threat to shut down operations in China in response to cyber attacks and spying efforts, it would be walking away from a fairly significant chunk of revenue. The resulting Internet advertising vacuum would lead to hundreds of millions of dollars flowing out of the United States and into Chinese coffers."

Headlines for January 12th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:03:27 +0000

About 1% Of Google Android Apps Bad – "Unlike Apple, which errs on the side of caution when reviewing apps for its App Store, Google considers the Android Market to be an "open distribution channel" and has said that there is no pre-approval process for Android apps and minimal automated scanning to ensure compliance with Google's security model."
Body scanners will transmit and store passenger images – "A document obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) using Freedom of Information Act laws, clearly demonstrates that scanners used at US airports will store and transmit passenger images."
Baidu: Hacking war breaks out between Iran and China – "Iranian hackers brought down Baidu, China's biggest search engine, this morning, and battle ensued – but nobody has any idea why.
The Iranian Cyber Army attacked Twitter – which has been used by Iranian opposition supporters – in December. But Baidu hasn't been known for sensitive content in the same way."
The New Necessities: Food, Clothing, And A Giant TV – "The recession has squeezed consumers into giving up a lot of things — but gadgets, TVs and smartphones have managed to remain essential, maybe more so than pants."
Complaints greet Google Nexus One phone – "Google is being inundated with complaints about its Nexus One phone.
The touchscreen smartphone was launched on 5 January and can be bought directly from Google and used on almost any phone network.

But confusion over who should answer customer queries has led many to file complaints on support forums."

Headlines for January 11th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:00:18 +0000

Zuckerberg: ‘I am a prophet’ – "Mark Zuckerberg has revealed that he is a prophet, declaring that he had foreseen that people will soon have no qualms about displaying every minute detail of their private lives on the internet.
Zuckerberg revealed his gift during a staged interview with Michael Arrington at the TechCrunch awards this weekend."
Google Agrees to Stop Scanning, Uploading China Authors’ Books – "Google Inc., trailing Baidu Inc. in China’s online search market, has agreed to meet demands from a local writers’ group that it stop scanning and uploading books to the company’s online library without authors’ permission."
Net Neutrality Faces Appeals Court " – The FCC and Comcast got their day in court Friday afternoon on the net neutrality issue. A three-judge federal appeals court followed a line of questioning that seemed to favor Comcast, but a decision may not come for months."
Writing iPhone apps using open-source software – "Simon Brock takes a real-world look at open-source software for writing iPhone applications, and explains how to use it"
10 cool new toys from CES – "As we hunted through thousands of tech displays at the show this year, these 10 products particularly grabbed our attention. It's hard to say which, if any, of the new technologies shown at CES this year will become a hit with consumers.
But these 10 new toys proved to be useful, unique or just plain strange."
AWOL SDK kicks off Nexus One backlash – "After the hype comes the backlash – and in the fast moving world of smartphones, the whole cycle only takes a day.
So on Thursday the new Google Nexus One smartphone was going to turn the mobile business model on its head, and some ardent Google fans even thought it was a groundbreaking handset design. By Friday, there was already mounting anger among programmers and target consumers, about delays in the software developers' kit (SDK), poor support and likely Android fragmentation."