TECHNOLOGY

Facebook: Reports of branded phone 'overblown'

By Ed Oswald, BetanewsFacebook has denied reports that it had partnered with Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC to release its own phones, calling the reports "overblown" in comments to Reuters. Reports of a possible partnership first surfaced in London-based business website City A.M. on Wednesday. The site claimed that the phones would be launched at an event at the Mobile World Congress, to be held February 14-17 in Barcelona.While not saying that HTC was not developing some type of Facebook-enhanced phone, it would not be branded as such, the site's business development chief Dan Rose said. "This is really just another example of a manufacturer who has taken our public APIs and integrated them into their device in an interesting way," he said. Regardless, mobile is an ever bigger portion of the social networking site's business, a quarter-billion users visit its mobile site every month.Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

Google begins censoring torrent queries in searches

By Ed Oswald, BetanewsGoogle took steps Thursday to honor a previous commitment to root out piracy in its searches, beginning to censor torrent searches from its Autocomplete and Instant functionality. The Mountain View, Calif. company's efforts don't seem perfect: several torrent searches still seemed to be available.Among the terms apparently filtered out include popular clients BitTorrent and Rapidshare according to reports. On some built-in search functions in browsers such as Internet Explorer and Safari, the terms appear to have disappeared. Betanews was still able to search for specific torrents such as "windows xp torrent," however, and Google was still returning torrent links through Instant at least for our testers.Standard searching appears not to be affected, thus these changes could be quite superficial without any real change to Google's search algorithms itself.Regardless, the move will prove to be controversial. A BitTorrent spokesperson told TorrentFreak that its company name was unique, and "we're pretty confident that anyone typing the first six or seven letters deserves the same easy access to results as with any other company search," it said.The company added that torrent search results do return "a variety" of legitimate results, and that it believes Google does not realize that our technology is used for many purposes that provide significant value to the technology industry, companies, artists and consumers at large."Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

UK police arrest five in connection with WikiLeaks attacks

London police have detained five individuals ages 15 to 26 in connection with an investigation into Anoymous, a "hacktivist" group responsible for attacks on companies that suspended accounts associated with leak site WikiLeaks. The investigation is a global effort, and includes law enforcement agencies in both the US and Europe.The Metropolitan Police Service did not indentify the accused, nor did they directly link them to the group. In the US, efforts have been stepped up to identify an...

Tip: Watch internet TV through Windows Media Center

By Nick PeersLet's be honest: watching TV on your computer can be a painful experience. If you have a TV tuner you still need access to an aerial point, and if you opt to watch over the Internet you can find yourself having to move between multiple websites when looking for something to watch.The solution is obvious: watch internet television through Windows Media Center -- after all, it's perfect for live TV, so why not catch-up TV too? Some services -- like Sky Player in the UK -- are even available through WMC, but what if yours isn't covered?Fret not: instead, take a look at
More news

Apple announce App store downloads reaches 10 billion

Apple has announced that download from its iconic App store breached 10 billion apps by the more than 160 million iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users across the globe. The 10 billionth app downloaded, Paper Glider, was purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 10 Billion Apps, Gail Davis will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

Media and telcos embrace new digital economy

Media and telecommunication companies are embracing the new digital technologies and giving consumers wider data allowances, mobile caps and pricing, together with internet and VoIP bundling and "smart phone" features on their home handsets. The competition has indeed benefited consumers.

Boxed software isn't going away any time soon, says Smith Micro

By Tim Conneally, BetanewsWeb retailer Amazon.com has released a few end of the year lists that show what people were buying in 2010. Among its "holiday hot sellers" list, Amazon said Smith Micro's Anime Studio Debut 7 and Manga Studio Debut 4 were two pieces of software that were given the most as gifts, along with Adobe Photoshop Elements 9. When looking at the rising tide of app store-based software distribution, the popularity of netbooks and ultra slim PCs with no optical drives, and the hype surrounding smartphones, tablets, and Web terminals like Google's Chrome OS, boxed software like these would appear to be under serious threat of extinction. But good old fashioned boxed software serves a major purpose and has a specific group of consumers to whom it appeals. "Many Customers see value in something tangible. Something that [they] can touch and feel," said Steve Yatson, Senior Director of Productivity & Graphics in Smith Micro's Consumer Division. "I don't see that going away anytime soon." Though Amazon was a major driver of sales of Smith Micro's Debut versions of Anime Studio 7 and Manga Studio 4, the company's software is selling just as well in physical outlets like Target and Best Buy."I would hesistate to say that one or the other is the best," Yatson continued. "Both brick and mortar and Online have their merits." For one thing, that famous quality of "shelf appeal" is actually a powerful sales tool. A 2009 study from Ohio State and Illinois State University showed that consumers are far more likely to buy products they've pulled down from a store shelf and handled."The 'display factor' as I call it is something that requires a box," Yatson said. "We take a great deal of time with our packaging. The images we use to represent the power and versatility of our graphics applications on that packaging are critical."This helps reach a broader range of consumers. After all, the methods of discovery online do not work for everyone, and users who are likely to download a piece of software may not be the same people who would buy it in a retail store."We reach a different customer in a retail location as opposed to online. There's a great deal of visibility for both the product and the Smith Micro brand in retail," Yatson told Betanews today. "Having an attractive package on a retail shelf presents the opportunity to make an impression on a customer that may just be browsing and may not be familiar with our products or Smith Micro as a company." Finally, there's the Christmas factor. You can wrap a boxed piece of software for a gift; and as anyone who grew up in the era when all consumer software was distributed on floppy disks will tell you, certain kids are thrilled to get software as a gift. "We're seeing more parents and grandparents gifting our Debut products than ever before," Yatson concluded. "Anime Studio Debut, for example, is less expensive than the average video game. There's something satisfying about giving a child something educational, something that helps them grow or learn a skill such as animation."Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010

NBN's Doug Campbell steps down

Doug Campbell has advised that he will be leaving the National Broadband Network team for personal reasons and retiring at the end of the year.

Authorities caution consumers about online shopping safety

Australian authorities are reminding consumers that online safety should never take a holiday while Internet shopping during the festive season. The warning comes as shopping online, especially for products from the US, has never been more attractive in the lead up to Christmas while consumers seek out bargains due to the strong Australian dollar.

Westpac extends IBM contract for another 5 years

Westpac Banking Corporation (ASX: WBC) has extended its infrastructure outsourcing relationship with IBM for another five years. The bank's initial contract with IBM was signed 10 years ago for an initial total value of $2.3 billion.

Pages

  • Promoted in Technology