[Web] Flickr Users Against Microsoft

Flickr users are some of the most vocal ones on the planet. I suppose it's because of all the creativity involved with the people, I suppose so they have been known to resist change, especially change associated with bigger companies. Thus in the same way that they protested the forced migration of all Flickr users to Yahoo! accounts for logging in, now they're protesting Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo.

Yeah, I bet nobody saw this coming. =P

[Google] Google: Onward, world domination!

I think Google really has a world domination plan hidden somewhere in its Googleplex.

First, The Guardian reports that Google and Pop Idol's Simon Fuller are in secret talks. Now, no details are divulged, but conjectures are flying on the deal, like Google is about to take on TV broadcasters with original content shown on YouTube, with ads, of course. People watch TV shows online anyway, so I think this is a good idea for Google to invest in. Google to become a broadcaster? Well, if Google acquires a major TV network....

Second, to jumpstart the budding Google juggernaut called Android, Google has launched a US$10 million Android Developer Challenge. In time with the release of the Android SDK (which you can download here), the challenge calls for developers to build mobile apps based on Android. Google is hoping that when Android-powered phones roll out next year, there will be enough third-party mobile apps for users to choose from.

Hmm. I suggest antivirus vendors should begin developing solutions for Android. With such an open system, malware authors may want to target Android, specially when they can get money from such a venture. Symantec Security Response Weblog already has a cautionary look at Android's security.

And lastly, and the most ambitious (if true). There is a rumor of Google acquiring Sprint. In a certain standpoint, this action makes sense, when you factor in Android and the Open Handset Alliance. Too bad Sprint is a CDMA telco. Just the same, if this rumor is true and it has come to fruition, isn't that scary?

[World Domination] Open Handset Alliance takes on everyone else

And that includes the giants: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Microsoft, and Apple.

After much speculation, Google, together with other technology partners, made two major announcements today.

First, the Open Handset Alliance was introduced. The group was formed to "accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience." No, there is no gPhone, but there will be "gPhones". What the OHA wants is an open ecosystem for mobile development through an open platform.

The OHA also introduced Android^TM. Android is an open mobile software stack, which includes an operating system, a user interface, middleware, and applications. The ecosystem that the OHA envisions centers on Android as the platform for development. That means all partners comprising OHA are committed to develop hardware and software based on Android.

The opportunities are vast for all stakeholders, including end users:

1. For developers, it will be easier to develop and push applications for mobile phones, at a lesser cost and learning curve. The Alliance will also provide mechanisms for commercialization and distribution of applications.
2. For mobile operators, they will be able to offer cheaper phones and differentiated products. They can customize an Android-enabled device to their own specifications.
3. For device manufacturers, it is much tougher, since all of them will produce devices based on a single platform. This should spur manufacturers to innovate in order to differentiate their products. Using a single and open platform allows them the flexibility in developing devices.
4. In the end, this gives consumers a wider array of choices. And who knows, if someone from the Alliance releases a user-friendly toolkit, consumers can make their own applications even without programming knowledge.

Will the Alliance succeed? That remains to be seen, couple that with the way non-members react.

Google press release
Official Google Blog entry on OHA and Android

[Google] Page rank a-diving

While I was sleeping, the entire blogosphere (ok, most part of it) are buzzing with interest (and irritation) as they see their Google PageRanks dive by a notch (minimum). Most affected are blog networks who are dependent on page ranks for advertising purposes. Most of the bloggers see this as Google's attempt to control the advertising space, since most of those who are affected are selling link ads, too, in combination with Google's AdSense.

Not only is it time to rethink the metric tools used to determine advertising rates, I think it is time to de-monopolize the Web advertising market. What Google had shown from this episode is that it can control the Web advertising space, and that it will do anything to protect its dominance of the market. Most blog networks must be thinking now of how to counter this Google action. There must be another metric that they can use to entice advertisers. Or maybe advertisers should be finally convinced that page rank is not the only way to measure a site's popularity.

AWBHoldings.com managed to retain its low page rank (I am not sure about the Geeky Guide). I wonder what will happen soon.

Were you affected by the page rank downturn? Do you think Google's action is fair?

[Apple] Apple announces SDK for iPhone/touch; sorry, homebrewers

In an apparent attempt to appease geek Apple fanboys and to stem the tide that is iPhone hacking, Steve Jobs announced that a software development kit (SDK) for the Apple iPhone and iPod touch will be released in February 2008. An SDK is a set of programming tools and application programming interfaces (APIs) that allows a developer to create applications for a certain platform.

By releasing an SDK, developers who want to create applications for the two products do not have to hack the innards of the device. The device becomes semi-open. Semi, because the device is still not fully open. Consider the SDK or API as a window - you are allowed to take a look but not get in.

Jobs also noted that Apple is going to implement an idea similar to what Nokia did with regards to applications - allow signed apps to be installed. His worry is that by allowing the iPhone to be open, the platform is going to be barraged by malware; by using digital signatures, any wayward app can be traced back to the creator. Engadget Mobile prick Jobs' balloon, since you can disable digital certificate verification in s60 Nokia phones.

(In a not-so-related note, in UIQ 3, you can still install apps even if the phone tells you that the signature is untrusted.)

Also, most mobile malware are spread via Bluetooth. Another vector of attack would be sending a WAP/Web link via SMS (and going on that link, a malware is downloaded). What does this mean?

Unless Apple implements a strict, signed-only apps policy, digital signature is useless. If implemented, how sure is a user that a signed app is trustworthy?

With these two caveats, the only way you can get an app for your iPhone and iPod touch is via iTunes. Plain and simple. You can almost hear the cash registers ringing now at Apple HQ. Yes, sorry homebrew developers.

Hackers, you may now continue with your work.

[Mobile] Motorola buys into UIQ

This is not a surprise. Motorola will buy 50% of UIQ, which is currently 100% owned by Sony Ericsson. UIQ develops an alternative user interface for Symbian operating system, and is the UI for all Symbian-powered SE phones.

Motorola Z8 is a Symbian phone with UIQ as the interface, so the buy-in should not be a surprise at all. Both companies should complement each other, as Motorola is a relative newcomer to the UIQ space, while SE is getting ready to enter the Windows Mobile market.

Well, Nokia shares the s60 UI with Samsung (among others). Hmmm.....

[iPhone] Why I am not getting an iPhone

Some people are speculating if iPhone will officially grace our shores. (Let me speculate that if ever it does, Apple will select Globe; but if the criterion is bucks, Apple will select Smart, a money-generating monster.) To be honest, even if I have the means (which I have none at the moment), I will not get an iPhone.


First, it has no mobile broadband features. Sure it has WiFi, but for me who lives in the boondocks masquerading as a city (read: Caloocan) with no broadband connection options to speak of, mobile broadband is essential to me.

Second, Apple is acting as if it is a telco when it is not. Other phone manufacturers release open line products, but Apple does not. I don't like the almost-dictatorial stance that it is exuding. It should not dictate what telco to choose if I want to use its phone.

Third, and the most crucial: when you buy a product, you own it, and you should be able to do anything you like on it, since you own it. Apple should not dictate to iPhone users what they can and cannot do with the product that consumers bought.

Whoever says that consumers control the market, think again. Companies will try their best to control the market, push people to buy their products, earn big bucks.

So there, plain and simple, the reasons why I will not get an iPhone (assuming that I can afford it).

Will you get an iPhone? (Assume that you can afford it.)

Related readings:
Gizmodo: iPhone Revisited (Verdict: Don't Buy)
Saunderslog.com: The backlash over iPhone
Machinist: If you care about your rights, don't buy an iPhone

[World Domination] Ringle all the way... to the toilet

Anyone up for a ringle?

Not Alec Saunders, Engadget, and TechCrunch. Like them, I agree - it is a stupid move.

Music companies came up with the ringle format - a CD single with 3 tracks and a ringtone - in a bid to control the music download business. The primary question: who would buy it?

Why it won't work? First, know why music downloads are kings. Instant gratification - you can immediately get the music you want, you just have to know how and where to look. So if I want my music, why should I go to a store and buy a ringle, when I can download it legally?

Second, is there a need for a separate ring tone? Most of the mobile handsets available nowadays can use most digital music formats (MP3 and AAC, for example) as ring tones, alarm tones, message tones. Right? Besides, you can get ringtones for free from several sources. You can even create your own. In the Philippine context, telcos provide ringtone downloads. Heck, in Japan, ringtone download is a big business.

Lastly, no one buys CD singles here in the Philippines. You'd rarely see one in music stores. Filipinos are practical: why buy a single containing at least 2 songs, when you can get more from a pirated source value from an album?

What can you say about the ringle? Discuss at the comments.

[Gaming] There's still hope, PS3 fanboys

PS3 fanboys, take heart.

In the August figures for consoles sold in Japan, the Nintendo Wii outsold the Sony PS3 - 245,653 to 81,541. Yes, the Wii still outsold the PS3, but this time, it is just 3-to-1. To put things in perspective, the ratio was 4-to-1 in July and 6-to-1 in June.

See, there's still hope. Sony's world domination plans are still on track. Now, if only quality games finally appear for PS3...

And, oh, Microsoft's Xbox 360 sold 11,288 units, if that's enough consolation to PS3 fanboys. Xbox 360 fanboys, well.... at least you'll have Halo 3. And the Red Ring of Death.

[World Domination] Adobe doesn't heart open source

Well, it seems that Adobe doesn't heart open source.

In a blog post, a senior Adobe executive has hinted on most Adobe products staying proprietary and at the same time hitting on open-source alternatives on the company's products.

Money quote:

And obviously, I have thought about whether open source has a place in Adobe's creative products strategy. But what designers need is tightly-integrated workflows and high reliability right out of the box so the really important question to ask is what's the impact to the user. Yes, clearly it's cheaper, but does it really save money in the end?
xxx
Don't get me wrong, open source software can be a perfect solution. It's just not right for everything. Or for everyone - like many creative professionals who are on deadline and prefer to innovate vs. integrate.

And yes, the blog post smacks of marketing, using a customer as case study.

So open-source and free software users should stick with Gimp. But don't tell the Adobe executive he has not warned you.

(Via CNet)

[World Domination] Two rivals. Two different fortunes.

Two companies aiming at world domination. Two companies facing lawsuits. Two companies having different turns in fortune.

Google's acquisition of YouTube (for US$1.65 billion in stocks) seems to be causing more headaches than revenues. Giant media companies like Viacom has sued Google over copyright infringements at YouTube. And to compound things, several other entities followed suit.

Knowing that Google is a cash cow (with US$4 billion in cash for that 750mHz auction alone), suits like these are expected. Them Americans can be sharks, you know.

In a complete reversal of fortune, Microsoft is faring better. Last February, a federal jury found Microsoft had violated patents owned by Alcatel-Lucent that are related to the MP3 format. The same jury also ordered Microsoft to pay Alcatel-Lucent a whopping US$1.5 billion. While it is just small change for a company awash with cash and lording over a vast computer empire, a US federal judge has overturned the jury decision.

Bill Gates and company must be heaving sighs of relief now.

Two companies. Two rivals. Two different fortunes.

(Crossposted from here.)

[Google] Google Acquires Security Company

After Google announced the existence of an Anti-Malware Team inside Googleplex (and launched an online security blog), speculations that Google is entering the complex security market swamped the internets.

The speculations are being proven to be true. Google has announced the acquisition of Postini, "the global leader in on-demand communications security, compliance, and productivity solutions for email, instant messaging, and the web." From the press release:

Google Inc. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Postini, a global leader in on-demand communications security and compliance solutions serving more than 35,000 businesses and 10 million users worldwide. Postini's services -- which include message security, archiving, encryption, and policy enforcement -- can be used to protect a company's email, instant messaging, and other web-based communications. Under the terms of the agreement, Google will acquire Postini for $625 million in cash, subject to working capital and other adjustments, and Postini will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Google. The agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close by the end of the third quarter 2007.

"With this transaction, we're reinforcing our commitment to delivering compelling hosted applications to businesses of all sizes. With the addition of Postini, our apps are not just simple and appealing to users -- they can also streamline the complex information security mandates within these organizations," said Eric Schmidt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Google.

Hosted enterprise security, anyone? Kidding aside, how does this acquisition play up to Google's business? We go to Google's mission for some clues: "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."

Aside from probably securing Google's online apps (and the information that Google collects and indexes), Google will probably leverage on Postini's technology to provide hosted security apps and services, acting as a firewall of sorts between the Internet and an enterprise's network.

This solution is cost effective because a company does not have to bother with acquiring hardware and deploying solutions. Revenue for this solution is via subscription.

By this acquisition, Google becomes a serious contender in the security market, and a step towards world domination. Now, if Google releases an OS, world domination is all set.

(Crossposted from here.)

PS: My posting schedule at The Geeky Guide is Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday post is crossposted from my tech blog; Thursday post is exclusive to The Geeky Guide.

[Apple] iPhone Conquers the US; is the world next?

How much is Apple earning on every iPhone sold?

Around US$379 for the 8GB model, US$299 for the 4GB model. Steve Jobs must be proud; Apple shareholders must be happy. (Unless, of course, Cisco gets some piece of the profit pie; it owns the iPhone name, after all.)

Because Apple is not known for disclosing companies that supplied parts for its products (so you can't speculate on stocks and earn), Portelligent has opened an iPhone and scrutinized its parts.

And with around 500,000 units sold in the weekend (Goldman Sachs thinks the number is 700,000), the Apple cash register must have turned hoarse from ringing. Now the question remains: can Apple keep up with the demand?

People outside the US are asking: will we get iPhones, too? The answer is yes. World, get ready - iPhone is set to conquer you. Soon.

As for me, I'm not excited about it; I feel that HTC phones are better. Unless it get 3G radio, that is.

(Crossposted from here.)

[World Domination] Don't try this at all

This is not the way to advance your company's way to world domination:

During a presentation to announce Symantec's latest product, a spokesman for the company delivered an enthusiastic pitch to a roomful of big name clients. Indeed, such was the emphasis on the "uniqueness" of his company's offering that attendees could have been forgiven for thinking that no one else made anti-virus software.
...
During the wrap-up to his presentation, the spokesman was forced to query collective laughs, and quite possibly shouts of "it's behind you", by turning to face his presentation screen.

He found the source of their amusement in the form of a prominent pop-up box, obscuring his Powerpoint presentation, stating that the rival Kaspersky anti-virus software loaded on the machine he was using to present had updated its definitions.

Oops.

Lesson 1: use your own product.

Lesson 2: if you don't trust and use your own product, it's time to quit.

Lesson 3: do not use a test machine/competitor testing machine for presentation use.

Lesson 4: 99% of salesmen are liars. Yes, I made that figure up. Go figure.

(Crossposted from here.)

[World Domination] German telco invests in VoIP company

VoIP and telcos do not see eye to eye. Telcos see VoIP as enemy and threat. From blocking VoIP calls to patent infringement cases, the battle between the two seems endless. So I am surprised by the news that German telco Deutsche Telekom is investing in Jajah, a VoIP company that offers Web calling service.

Hmmm. Embracing what is inevitable? Or hedging for world domination? DT's T-Online service now integrates Jajah Web interface. Is that a sign of things to come?

This investment is good for Jajah. If DT wants to enter the VoIP market with minimum cost, this investment is probably the most prudent way to do it.

(Crossposted from here.)

[Microsoft] Microsoft Rattles Saber, Threatens Free Software

In what appears to be saber rattling (onward to world domination), Microsoft claims that free, open source software (FOSS) violates several of its software patents, and is now starting to take these patent violators to task.

Since it cannot afford to take on FOSS head on (via lawsuits), Microsoft is taking another tack: licensing. You know, we-own-the-patent-to-that-but-we-will-not-sue-you-if-you-pay-us$$$$$$$$$.

Of course, FOSS (specially the Free Software Foundation) isn't going to take thing sitting down. The GPL license has undergone a new revision to counter Microsoft's moves; it will be in force this July.

Now, all we have to do is to wait for the legal fireworks (read: lawsuits) to begin.

(Crossposted from here.)

[Web] MySpace to Acquire Photobucket; News Corp on Path to World Domination

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and subsidiaries are flexing their financial muscle in their quest for world domination.

MySpace, the popular social networking site acquired by News Corp. (via Fox Interactive media) aeons ago, is setting its sights on Photobucket, one of the popular image hosting sites on the Web, for US$250 million. This comes after MySpace blocks Photobucket's services from MySpace profiles.

I can hear MySpace telling Photobucket: We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. (Quote from Star Trek: First Contact.)

I have an account at MySpace, but it is not active, so I am not sure what is the impact of this move. I do have a Photobucket account, and most of the images here in this blog are hosted there. I wonder if I need to move to another host.

In a related news, News Corp. sets its sight on Dow Jones, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal. World domination, indeed.

(Crossposted from here.)

[Microsoft] Microsoft Introduces Silverlight, Plans to PWN Flash

The de-facto standard for Web animation and interactive Web is Adobe Flash. That may change, though.

On April 16, Microsoft has unveiled Silverlight, its answer to Flash, at National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show.

On its way to world domination, Microsoft has upped the ante when it has announced at Mix 07 the Silverlight extensibility by adding support to .Net and dynamic scripting languages.

Aside from allowing .Net developers to create applications for Silverlight, Microsoft has developed a Dynamic Language Runtime to support creation of .Net applications using scripting languages.

These languages include IronRuby, the .Net flavor of Ruby, and IronPython for Python.

Anyway, what does this extensibility means? Microsoft intends to conquer interactive Web beyond Windows. When will Microsoft say "All your interactive Web are belong to us?"

NOTE: In the Microsoft Silverlight page, you need to install Silverlight first before you can view the main animation. Here's another site for Silverlight.

(Crossposted from here.)

[Microsoft] Microsoft to Release Client Security Software

Microsoft is now ready to take on software security giants like Symantec and McAfee on its way to world domination.

Steve Ballmer has announced that its Forefront Client Security software is ready for final release in a few weeks.

Money quote from CNet News.com report:

Microsoft is ramping up its efforts to convince businesses that it's the solution to, and not the source of, their security woes.

There was a joke, circulating when Microsoft announced OneCare, that comes to mind. Microsoft will earn money from security software; after all, its operating system is the source of majority of security woes in the world. With monthly patches to Windows (with the latest vulnerability being exploited in the wild), the joke is not that unfounded.

Sure, most security software have their own problems. But with Windows installed on loads of machines everywhere, the holes in the OS are security headaches. Microsoft's entry in the security business was met with raised eyebrows.

As for me, as long as WGA remains (which is a spyware in my opinion), Microsoft is a nobody at the security business.

(Crossposted from here.)

[Google] Google Hunts for Talent at Hackers Conf, World Domination on Track

In its quest for world domination, Google is looking for talent (read: employees) at a highly-unlikely place: a hackers conference.

CNet's Tech News blog reports about Google looking for talent at CanSecWest, a conference concentrating on applied digital security.

Google was also present at Shmoocon last month. Shmoocon is "an annual East coast hacker convention hell-bent on offering three days of an interesting atmosphere for demonstrating technology exploitation, inventive software and hardware solutions, and open discussions of critical infosec issues."

Google looking for haxors?

PS: I am using Trend Micro's Trend Protect, and it seems that the SchmooCon Web site is marked as unsafe.