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New Media News Every Morning

Political Unrest in Egypt and Social Media’s Role

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It looks like Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will be looking for a new job soon.  But first he’ll have to repair his image.  He might want to look into an SEO campaign from the guys at Banc Media to put a positive scene on his presidency. Though we’re not sure that’s possible.

As political unrest grows in Egypt, I think it’s fair to say the tipping point was the government’s concerted effort to block citizens from using the Internet and disrupting cell phone service.  People will tolerate a lot of abuse, but take away their ability to surf freely, and watch them lash out.  Mubarak, who has survived six assassination attempts, will likely be taken down – not by sniper – but by social media.  The 82-year-old former Lieutenant General for the Egyptian Air Force probably never saw it coming. [Read more…]

Originally posted on February 1, 2011 @ 6:44 am

Android Fail: Evidence That Google Copied Oracle’s Code?

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It looks like Oracles accusation that Google illegally copied their code has some merit after all!

Florian Mueller (who blogs about software patents) was able to to an in depth comparison between Oracle’s original Java and the code used by Google’s Android with results that would make every Android lover cry geek tears.

In addition, I have identified 37 files marked as “PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL” by Sun and a copyright notice file that says: “DO NOT DISTRIBUTE!” Those files appear to relate to the Mobile Media API of the Sun Java Wireless Toolkit. Unless Google obtained a license to that code (which is unlikely given the content and tone of those warnings), this constitutes another breach. […]

In version 6.0 the file has a GPL 2 header. Google said in its formal response that Oracle had omitted “copyright headers”. That is correct, but now that I have seen two versions of the original file, I don’t think that the missing parts are favorable to Google. Actually, the opposite is true. Whether under a proprietary license or the GPL, the related code could not be legally relicensed under the Apache license by anyone other than the right holder (Oracle/Sun). (FOSS Patents)

Note: Emphasis theirs.

This could not come at a worse time for Google who is currently in the midst of a leadership reshuffling (which means that Larry Page will have to answer the press regarding this debacle).

If Mueller’s analysis is correct, Google’s poaching of Oracle’s code will come at a hefty cost, as the company will probably seek licensing fees from not only Google, but from every manufacturer using the software as well.

While this news will probably not kill off Android (as Oracle would gain more from its survival than the mobile OS’s demise), it could help push manufacturers into the hands of Android’s upcoming nemesis (hint: Windows Phone 7).

Image Credit: Engadget

Originally posted on January 21, 2011 @ 1:02 pm

A New Google CEO: Good Idea Or Great Idea?

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Truth be told I’m still stunned by the news, but the CEO of Google has announced that he is stepping down as CEO of the search engine giant and instead picking up a new role within the Googleplex.

For the last 10 years, we have all been equally involved in making decisions. This triumvirate approach has real benefits in terms of shared wisdom, and we will continue to discuss the big decisions among the three of us. But we have also agreed to clarify our individual roles so there’s clear responsibility and accountability at the top of the company.

Larry will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly. I am enormously proud of my last decade as CEO, and I am certain that the next 10 years under Larry will be even better! Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead. (Official Google Blog)

For those wondering, Sergey will retain his title as Co-Founder, and focus on helping new Google products thrive while Eric Schmidt will become Executive Chairman which should free him up from the day-to-day responsibilities of the company.

While not stated, this move is probably in response to Facebook’s massive growth, as the latter races to become the pulse of the planet and the center of all things tech (something Google obviously fears).

With Eric Schmidt out, we could see a greater emphasis on Google launching better products (especially in the social realm) as Larry’s engineering mind could help Google get its groove back (not to mention avoid another public failure via a grandiose product).

Originally posted on January 20, 2011 @ 8:40 pm

Verizon Gives DROID Lovers A Way To Buy iPhone 4

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It looks like Verizon users who recently picked up a smartphone over the holiday season will now have the option to exchange their phones for an iPhone 4 as noted by their FAQ page.

Current Verizon customers who purchased and activated new smartphones, feature phones or certified pre-owned phones between 11/26/2010, and 01/10/2011, are eligible to receive up to a $200 Visa debit card when they purchase an iPhone 4 at full retail price by 02/28/2011 and return their existing phone. Note: This offer is only available on consumer accounts with five lines or less, who are purchasing iPhone 4 through Verizon Wireless retail stores, telesales, or through verizonwireless.com. (Verizon Wireless FAQ)

Upon the surface this deal looks great, but as others have noted DROID lovers (and other smartphone geeks on Verizon) will have to pay full price for the iPhone 4 before receiving the $200 VISA debit card.

This means that you will be spending at least $650 for the 16 GB Verizon iPhone making this decision extemley pricey for those of you with buyers remorse.

Honestly DROID lovers (and other smartphone owners)  might be better off spending the extra money on iPad 2.0 instead, as paying that much for a brand new iPhone 4 (especially in light of the button-less iPhone 5 debuting in June).

Originally posted on January 18, 2011 @ 2:50 pm

Blackberry Embraces Leaner, Meaner Push Notifications

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Despite having fewer developers than Apple’s iOS ecosystem, RIM has been making drastic improvements to their SDK in order to catch up to their rival.

The latest involves RIM’s latest update to their push notification system which should give developers one less excuse for avoiding the Blackberry OS.

BlackBerry Push Service allows you to efficiently and reliably deliver information to your users through a BlackBerry Java® or BlackBerry® WebWorks™ Application. It provides an easy-to-use server side API based on the open WAP Push Access protocol v2.2 standard. BlackBerry Push Service is available to all developers and web content providers. By using this service, you can make your application more engaging and help turn it into a Super App. (Blackberry Developers Blog)

According to RIM, the latest update will allow developers to send push notifications to active users as well as help cut down on sending push notifications to unsubscribed users (who might consider these alerts as spam).

Blackberry still has a long ways to go before they can catch up to iOS or even Android (the latter which is surprisingly outselling everyone right now), but it’s good to see the company isn’t calling it quits in their attempt to win the hearts of mobile developers.

Originally posted on January 13, 2011 @ 6:00 pm