Rabu, 08 Mei 2013

Syria 'cut off from the internet'

Syria 'cut off from the internet'

File image of Khaled al-Khatib the chief editor of Suria Al-Hurra newspaper in AleppoIt is not known what has caused the latest outage

Internet services have halted across Syria, in what appears to be the second shutdown in six months.

Web monitoring companies reported regular traffic on the internet plummeted to zero just before 19:00 GMT on Tuesday (22:00 local time).

Syria last experienced a shutdown for three days in November 2012.

The government blamed that incident on "terrorists", but internet experts said it was more likely that the government had deliberately shut down the web.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad has been fighting a bloody internal conflict for two years.

Activists suggested at the time of the last internet shutdown that the government might have been planning a major offensive, or that it might have been attempting to disrupt rebel communications.

However, neither theory was substantiated.

US web companies including Renesys and Akamai logged the latest blackout late on Tuesday.

Jim Cowie of Renesys told the BBC there was not enough information to tell what had caused the latest blackout.

"It seems to be very similar in terms of the dynamic to the event that took place last November in that the routes to the Syrian internet were withdrawn very suddenly and all together, almost like a switch being thrown," he said.

"One can always speculate about whether it is infrastructure damage, or power outage at a critical facility or simply someone deciding to turn off the internet."

Syrian residents confirmed the blackout, but said mobile phones and landlines were working normally.

Selasa, 07 Mei 2013

Google Glass Gets Smeared: 11 Improvement Ideas

Google Glass Gets Smeared: 11 Improvement Ideas

Google's 10 Best Gags, Pranks And Easter Eggs
(click image for larger view and for slideshow) Google Glass shows signs of being the next Apple Newton, a product that was ahead of its time and undone by relentless ridicule. But the fate of Glass in the market is not as clear as its name suggests.

In a post published on LinkedIn in March, blogger and entrepreneur Andrew Chen compared Glass to Newton. He characterized it as a visionary product that could succeed after several iterations, in the way the iPhone and iPad can be seen as improvements on the Newton.

What Chen didn't foresee is the breadth of public wariness and skepticism about Glass. Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live skewered Glass mercilessly in its Weekend Update sketch, expressing in parody what early mixed reviews of the device are saying in prose.

And dissing Glass isn't merely a pastime for late-night comedians. On Tuesday, the New York Times explored the nascent resistance to Glass. The Wall Street Journal has weighed in with an etiquette guide, which seems to be predicated on the notion that wearing Glass makes one forget civil behavior. Then there's the widely cited White Men Wearing Glass website, The Onion's take on Glass, and a Joy of Tech comic.

[ What's Google Glass really like? Read Google Glass: First Impressions. ]

There's even been critique of Glass for what it doesn't do, but presumably could: billboard ad blocking.

Google, as a major company, has no shortage of detractors, and bold bets invite punishments for hubris. When you build a Glass house, expect some stones.

Part of the issue is that the Internet lends itself to ridicule. Everyone's a critic. It's difficult to create anything new and it's simple to tear something down. Witness how Microsoft can be pilloried for a product it hasn't even attempted, its own version of Glass. But easy derision isn't easy to deal with.

Ridicule kills products, at least that's public perception. Here's what Computerworld writer David Haskin wrote about the demise of Apple's Newton in 2007: "So why did Newton flop? One reason was the ridicule heaped on it by talk show comedians and comic strips (most notably 'Doonesbury'), which focused on the supposed inaccuracy of the handwriting recognition. Also, Newton was expensive -- about $700 for the first model and as much as $1,000 for later, more advanced models. In addition, Newton was arguably ahead of its time."

Of course there was more to it than that, but disdain sways public opinion. Suddenly, the term "Glasshole" is rising in Google Trends. It spiked last year in a different context. Now it succinctly captures the way many see Glass wearers.

Google declined to comment. But the company has won big bets before. YouTube was once dismissed as a bad investment. Google+ was written off as a ghost town. Android for years was seen as something less than iOS. There have been failures, too, like Wave and the Nexus Q. But it's too early to tell how Glass will turn out.

If Glass does follow the trajectory of the Newton, that might not be as bad as it seems. Wearable computing is not a fad and Glass is an experiment; if Glass Explorer Edition never takes off, Google will do better the second time around. But first, Google will have to find a way to wipe the smears off Glass.

Senin, 06 Mei 2013

B&N to add Google Play app store to its Nook HD

B&N to add Google Play app store to its Nook HD

Barnes Noble is teaming up with Google to vastly increase the number of apps available on its Nook HD tablets.

The bookstore chain says it will add Google's Play app store to its 7-inch Nook HD and 9-inch HD+ products in the U.S. and U.K. via a software update Friday. The move expands the number of apps available from the roughly 10,000 the Nook already offered in its own store _ such as Angry Birds and Netflix _ to 700,000-plus apps and games offered on Google Play. And it comes after a weak holiday sales season for the Nook, which is struggling to gain market share in the rapidly expanding tablet market.

CEO William Lynch said research and sales during the holidays show that consumer preference is shifting toward all-purpose tablets rather than simple e-readers.

"We saw coming off holiday the market moved to multifunction tablets," he said. "Consumer research showed us the breadth of applications available is really critical."

Lynch said the company had been in discussions with Google "on and off" for the past several years.

"This addresses the one perceived gap that we had with other tablets virtually overnight," he said. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

The update is automatic and will occur over-the-air to all devices connected to Wi-Fi. It will also include other Google Inc. services like the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps. Google Play Music includes millions of songs as well.

The prices and styles of the Nooks that Barnes Noble offers are not changing. The 7-inch Nook HD starts at $199 and the 9-inch Nook HD+ tablet starts at $269. Barnes Noble also sells non-tablet e-book readers, the Nook Simple Touch and Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, which will not offer Google Play.

Barnes Noble Inc., based in New York, has invested heavily in its Nook e-book readers and a digital library as more readers shift to electronic books and competition has grown from discount stores and online rivals.

The retailer launched high-definition versions of its Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets in September in an effort to better compete against Amazon.com's Kindle Fire as well as other tablets like the iPad, iPad Mini and Google's own Nexus 7.

The company's Nook unit has attracted investors _ Microsoft Corp. owns 16.8 percent, while U.K. publisher and education company Pearson PLC has a 5 percent stake. But aside from investor funding, it has not been profitable. In its most recent quarter, which included the holiday season, Nook revenue fell 26 percent to $316 million. Barnes Noble recorded $21 million in returns due to weak demand during the holiday season, and $15 million in allowances for promotions.

Meanwhile market share has slid. Barnes Noble had a 1.9 percent share of the worldwide tablet market in the fourth quarter, making it the No. 5 Tablet player behind Apple, Samsung, Amazon and Asus, according to data from IDC. But by the first quarter it had slipped out of the top 5, replaced by Microsoft.

At the same time, competition is proliferating, with the global tablet market growing quickly. It more than doubled to 49.2 million units during the first quarter, according to IDC's estimate.

Sabtu, 04 Mei 2013

Google Glass 'will soon support iPhone texts and navigation'

Google Glass 'will soon support iPhone texts and navigation'

Google Glass users will reportedly soon be able to connect to text and navigation services using their iPhone.

A source within Google told TechCrunch that the device could also work independent of a phone in the future.

Google Project GlassAR glasses

© Google

Google Glass



At present, several features on Google Glass rely on the Android Glass Companion app, which allows connection to texts and navigation features from the Android device.

Glass is not able to connect to the internet independently, requiring a tethering pla n on a phone or local WiFi to reach its full potential. This is already possible for iPhone users but it does not allow Glass to tap into the non-web related features.

The report also suggests that Glass could get its own GPS receiver once it moves out of beta and into the general public, enabling it to be fully independent and functional with any internet source.

See a selection of the first images captured on Google Glass in our gallery below:

  • < /ul>

Jumat, 03 Mei 2013

Google Glass: Williamsburg hipsters pass their own minority report

Google Glass: Williamsburg hipsters pass their own minority report

Willliamsburg hipsters pronounce on Google Glass.

Google Glass has captured the hearts of the tech elite, with its promise of the gadget of the future. Evoking sci-fi epics such as Minority Report, Google's vision of a fully-wireless, fully-immersive, tech-enabled existence has proven irresistible to those who have been allowed access. By Google's own account, the glasses seem to offer super powers.

Sightings of the the wealthy, well-connected (and usually white) men who have early access to Google Glass are increasing but are this group the ideal early-adopter sample for wearable technology? Early reports are suggesting that these first users are killing Glass's image.

Is the potential of the technology so transformative that it will transcend such petty considerations? There's only one way to find out. The Guardian's Amanda Holpuch travelled to the global capital of hipsterdom â€" Williamsburg, Brooklyn â€" to ask the arbiters of cool.

Tell us, hipsters, will Google Glass will be a success or will it go the way of the Segway?

Reading on mobile? Watch the video here

Kamis, 02 Mei 2013

HTC Q1 profit plunges 98 per cent, despite HTC One launch

HTC Q1 profit plunges 98 per cent, despite HTC One launch

The HTC One launched too late to save the Taiwanese company's first quarter results, with net profit tumbling to NT$85 million ($2.85 million) from NT$4.5 billion ($152 million) a year ago, a drop of 98 per cent. It's the company's lowest quarterly profit since 2004. Revenue plunged too, to NT$42.8 billion ($1.45 billion) from NT$67.8 billion ($2.3 billion), the company confirmed in today's audited earnings call.

The company did not reveal how many units of the HTC One it has so far sold, but said it expected revenues to jump in the second quarter to NT$70 billion ($2.4 billion).

"Last year we thought we needed to inject some new excitement in HTC's products, and there was an opportunity for us... because everybody looks the same," HTC CEO Peter Chou said on the call. "I think that we have successfully launched the HTC One. We believe people are really getting our concept.

"Our goal is really to develop the HTC brand as a trustable, premier and excellent smartphone brand. That kind of brand awareness and preference is so important to us, as different suppliers are coming from everywhere and there's no differentiation," Chou said, referring to the plethora of Android phones available.

CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets analyst CK Cheng estimates HTC sold 750,000 HTC Ones in April, Barrons reports, and will ship 3.5 million in the second quarter in total. It will sell as many as 10 million before the end of 2013, Cheng believes. That compares to a predicted 60 million units of the Samsung Galaxy S4.

In January Chou said he believed the "worst for HTC has probably passed," a sentiment borne out by the company's stock rising steadily since the announcement of the HTC One.

Analysts including HSBC and Daiwa last week upgraded their ratings of the Taiwanese company, citing the One's strong reviews.

The phone recently received a coveted CNET.com Editors' Choice award, with Brian Bennett praising its "stunning metal design, powerful quad-core processor, and beautiful 4.7-inch 1080p screen."

Nevertheless, it faced supply shortages at launch in March, with HTC blaming a lack of available components for the handset's 'Ultrapixel' camera. That caused a shortfall for the company's revenue compared to guidance it provided the market in January.

"I think our supply has greatly improved and in May we'll be supplying a lot more," Chou said. "We're also seeing pretty good demand, we just need to work hard to meet demand."

"HTC is still profit-making, but these results don't bode well for the Taiwanese manufacturer," said Ernest Doku, mobile analyst at uSwitch.com. "The One's delayed journey to market was the most recent of its woes, while an array of handsets lacking in real market differentiation has seen the manufacturer struggle as Samsung's Galaxy range has flourished.

"Aligning with Facebook for the HTC First is a great step in terms of garnering media attention and drawing focus to its forthcoming mid-range effort, but it will need more than a strong handset and shrewd PR moves to reverse recent fortunes."

The company also declined to share any sales figures for the HTC First.

Sabtu, 23 Maret 2013

Two-step verification added to Apple IDs

Two-step verification added to Apple IDs

Apple has introduced two-step verification for Apple IDs, an option for users seeking to add extra layer of security when perusing the App Store or iTunes.

Two-step verification requires users to type in a special code, often sent via text message, to verify an account before making purchases or accessing services.

In the case of Apple ID, users start by registering a trusted device to receive the c ode. Whenever a purchase is made from a new device -- computer, smartphone or tablet -- using your Apple ID, the company sends a random four-digit code users must add to complete the transaction.

The codes are sent through the Find My iPhone app or text message.

Users also get a 14-digit recovery key in case their device is lost or they forget their password. Apple suggests printing multiple copies of the recovery key and keeping them in a safe place.

Apple joins several tech companies with two-step verification, including Google, Facebook and Dropbox. Whenever users log in from unknown browsers or devices, users can have a code sent to their phones to confirm their identity.