InformationWeek Stories by Thomas Claburn

InformationWeek Stories by Thomas Claburnhttp://www.informationweek.comInformationWeeken-usCopyright 2012, UBM LLC.2013-01-03T09:28:00ZGoogle Pushes Paperless PledgeGive up paper, Google suggests, and live in the cloud.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-pushes-paperless-pledge/240145449?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/8-cloud-tools-for-road-warriors/240142591"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/914/01_Clouds_tn.jpg" alt="8 Cloud Tools For Road Warriors" title="8 Cloud Tools For Road Warriors" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">8 Cloud Tools For Road Warriors</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Google is encouraging users of its Google Drive online storage service to go paperless in 2013 as a way to save time, money and trees. "This year, Google Drive is part of the <a href="http://www.paperless2013.org/">Paperless Coalition</a>, a group of organizations and products that help you live completely in a paper-free world," declared Google product marketing manager Meredith Blackwell in <a href="http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2013/01/go-paperless-in-2013.html">a blog post</a>. "So whether you're an expense reporter, invoice tracker, file hoarder or note jotter, you can do it all without using paper." Joining Google in its coalition are several other online services: HelloFax, an online fax service; Manilla, an online bill management service; HelloSign, an e-signature service; Expensify, an online expense reporting service; Xero, an online business accounting service; and Fujitsu, which makes the ScanSnap scanner. [ Do Google's augmented reality glasses have a clear reason for being? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/internet/google/google-glass-vision-for-future-unclear/240145387?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Glass: Vision For Future Unclear</a>. ] Google isn't going so far as to discourage use of its <a href="http://www.google.com/cloudprint/learn/">Cloud Print</a> service or to add an "Are you sure?" popup when a Google Apps user selects the print command. Rather it wants more people to appreciate the benefits of cloud computing. The whole idea of going paperless is flawed if you accept claims that online services actually increase paper usage. A <a href="http://nature.berkeley.edu/classes/es196/projects/2001final/Riley.pdf">2001 research paper</a> suggested that printed email accounted for 10% of paper used by U.C. Berkeley students and 14% of the paper used by U.C. Berkeley campus employees. The 2003 book The Myth of the Paperless Office cited IDC's finding that, on average, the introduction of email to an organization increased its paper consumption by 40%. The book also cited a CAP Ventures study of 150 IT managers who reported that giving workers network access caused "a noticeable increase" in printing within their respective organizations. The proliferation of portable and tablet computers since then may have changed the equation somewhat. Nevertheless, paper isn't simply a vestigial medium in the digital age. It has its uses and its advantages. While Blackwell's suggestion that going paperless can save trees has some validity, trees at least can be managed as a renewable resource that protects forest land from potentially worse industrial uses. Data centers, meanwhile, still struggle to be green. Environmental groups like Greenpeace continue to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/data-centers/5-data-center-trends-for-2013/240145349">criticize the data centers</a> of large online companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and Google for over-reliance on energy derived from coal. What's more, the energy cost to produce and print a sheet of paper appears to be comparable to the cost of consuming a similar amount of digital media, at least when the calculation is made with energy-hungry desktop computers. In <a href="http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2010/ph240/pydipati1/">a 2010 paper</a>, Tejo Pydipati, then a Stanford graduate student, claimed that the approximately six-minute reading time for a two-page electronic document consumes from 153.3.kJ (desktop) to 16.4 kJ (laptop), roughly the same on the high end as the 146.5 kJ required to produce a sheet of paper printed on both sides. Pydipati concludes that electronic media consumption is preferable for email messages that will be read once, quickly. But for documents that need to be displayed many times, he argued that printing represents a valid alternative. Cloud computing is certainly becoming more compelling as a path toward environmental responsibility, but it isn't yet a paperless path. Rather than pledging to go paperless, businesses should consider how they use paper in less absolutist, more practical terms. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2013-01-02T16:12:00ZGoogle Glass: Vision For Future UnclearAugmented reality glasses from Google may appear in early 2013, but they remain a work-in-progress.http://www.informationweek.com/internet/google/google-glass-looks-cloudy/240145387?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/internet/google/240002872"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/824/03_2012-06-27-11_08_45_full.jpg" alt="Google I/O: 10 Awesome Visions" title="Google I/O: 10 Awesome Visions" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Google I/O: 10 Awesome Visions</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Google Glass, a project to develop augmented reality eyeglasses, doesn't yet have a clear reason for being and may degrade reality rather than augment it. In interviews in the January issue of IEEE Spectrum, <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/google-glass-features-and-apps-still-in-flux">Babak Parviz</a>, head of the Google Glass project, notes that the Google Glass feature set "is still in flux" and <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/why-smart-glasses-might-not-make-you-smarter">Steve Mann</a>, a computer scientist who has experimented extensively with wearable computers, warns that augmented reality glasses "can ruin your eyes." Asked about this in the IEEE Spectrum interview, Parviz insisted Google's device is safe. And in an email, Google reiterated this position. "We've studied design comfort and safety very closely, and we haven't found cause for concern," a Google spokesman said. [ Want more on Google Glass? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/google-demos-its-augmented-reality-glass/232800299?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Demos Its Augmented Reality Glasses</a>. ] But even if there's no biological health impact from wearing Google Glasses, there still may be injuries arising from imprudent usage. Mobile phones, for example, are generally considered to be safe, but many people have used them in ways that have contributed to automobile or pedestrian accidents. Google Glass is not shipping to developers "in the next few weeks," as IEEE Spectrum <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/google-gets-in-your-face">suggested</a>. Google's spokesperson said the "early 2013" timeline for delivery of Google Glass Explorer Edition, cited by Google co-founder Sergey Brin at the Google I/O developer conference last summer, is as specific as the company has been about a release date. A version of the product for the general public is not expected until 2014. What's more, Google Glass may not even augment reality. According to Parviz, augmented reality isn't Google's immediate goal for the project, though he believes it will be a part of future iterations of the product. Initially, Google Glass appears to be something more along the lines of a stylish take on a wearable wireless camera, with integrated image and video sharing capabilities and push notifications related to email and the wearer's location. Asked whether the devices will be addressable through the Android SDK, Parviz said only that Google plans to provide programmers with access to a cloud-based API that's currently being used to test email and calendaring services on the Google Glass prototypes. That suggests Google Glass hardware will be dependent on Google cloud services to operate and that developers will immediately begin looking for ways to extend the devices beyond Google's servers. Google Glasses are expected to allow the user to record and share audio and video, capabilities that are sure to raise privacy issues. They're also expected to respond to voice, touch and (maybe) head gestures. The Explorer Edition is expected to communicate with the Internet via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; a cellular radio is said to be under consideration for future iterations. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-21T11:06:00Z11 Amazing Apps Of 2012Here are 11 applications that mattered in 2012 -- and a hint at what's to come. Each underscores meaningful software trends.http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/11-amazing-apps-of-2012/240145055?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/12-best-apple-ios-apps-of-2012/240144053"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/921/best2012-1st-screen_tn.PNG" alt=" 12 Best iPhone, iPad Apps Of 2012" title=" 12 Best iPhone, iPad Apps Of 2012" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 12 Best iPhone, iPad Apps Of 2012</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Looking back over 2012, there was a lot of software released -- more than any one person could evaluate. So picking eleven applications -- including everything from mobile apps to complete operating systems -- and arguing that they're more important than any other applications this year is largely an exercise in vanity. Yet these eleven represent something significant, although there are justifications for other choices. Among the many important apps released in 2012, this group deserves attention. In some cases, they're a sign of things to come; in other cases, they're holdovers from the past. But they're all worthy bits of code that underscore meaningful trends. <a href="https://popcorn.webmaker.org/">1. Mozilla Popcorn Maker</a> Mozilla is best known for its Firefox Web browser, but its most compelling release of 2012 was Popcorn Maker, a tool for altering, enhancing and adding interactivity to Web video. It's important because it further democratizes video as a means of communication. It's open source. Services like YouTube, Vimeo, and the like have lowered the bar for video distribution, but editing and altering existing video has remained a somewhat demanding task. Popcorn Maker makes altering existing video, particularly as a means of comment and critique, much easier. It should help enrich the visual vocabulary of those who aren't yet video professionals. <a href="http://www.google.com/landing/now/">2. Google Now</a> Introduced as part of Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), Google Now represents a working example of the intelligent agents that computer scientists have been predicting for decades. The software surfaces relevant information to the user based on his or her activities and location. Think of it as a cross between search suggestions and Siri. It can, for example, tell you when to leave your current location based on known traffic and the distance to your destination. It's far from perfect, but it works well enough to make the notion of smart agent software a bit less laughable. And with Google having <a href="http://www.kurzweilai.net/kurzweil-joins-google-to-work-on-new-projects-involving-machine-learning-and-language-processing">just hired futurist Ray Kurzweil</a>, you can be sure there will be more machine learning and artificial intelligence in the company's upcoming software. [ Google's Nexus 10 tablet does not disappoint. For more, see <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/desktop/google-nexus-10-my-first-month/240144563?itc=edit_in_body_cross"> Google Nexus 10: My First Month</a>. ] <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/">3. Apple iTunes 11</a> An aesthetic improvement over previous versions, Apple's app for managing and selling content on its devices remains a source of contention. Some users hate it; others like it fine, but there's no doubt it's a holdover from the desktop era. It poses as an app that empowers users by helping them manage their content across Mac OS computers and connected iOS devices. But it's a gatekeeper that limits how many times you can burn music playlists to CDs and controls app installations. With iCloud, it has become redundant. Apple should either separate the e-commerce and file management functions of iTunes into two distinct apps -- the Mac App Store app doesn't duplicate Finder functions -- or it should provide an e-commerce API that allows any online store to create a plugin for in-app content purchasing (this applies to iPhoto too). <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/meet">4. Windows 8</a> Microsoft's future depends largely on the fate of Windows 8 and on how its operating system software fares on mobile devices. Initial adoption appears to be slower than anticipated, but Microsoft's business customers tend to wait before upgrading and consumers appear to be daunted by the estimated two-week learning curve. Sooner or later, they'll warm to Windows 8. Apple and Google will make small gains, but Microsoft can count on a long half-life as its desktop hegemony decays. Most computers still run Windows in some form or another and they will probably continue to do so in most cases. It will just take a while for Microsoft's Windows juggernaut to get up to speed. <a href="http://incredipede.com/index.html">5. Incredipede</a> More games are released every year than anyone could possibly play. But wonderful, thought-provoking games are few and far between. Incredipede is one such game. Like other noteworthy indie games such as Braid, Super Meat Boy, and the World of Goo, Incredipede exists at the intersection of entertainment and art. In contrast to the soulless commercialism of social games and websites, Incredipede is authentic, quirky fun. <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/kinectforwindows/">6. Kinect for Windows</a> Microsoft's motion-capture and control system for Windows computers consists of both hardware and software. It's intended for developers at the moment, but it provides a clue to where computing is headed. Along with soon-to-be released peripherals like the Leap Motion sensor, Kinect for Windows is helping to define device interaction beyond the mouse-dominated desktop. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-maps/id585027354?mt=8">7. Google Maps for iOS</a> Apple's PR boilerplate declares that the company "reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad." But its track record with software applications and cloud services has been less impressive lately. Its home-grown Maps app for iOS, which dropped Google as a data supplier, has been an embarrassment. When Google launched its own Maps app in December, some 10 million iOS users downloaded the app in only two days. Google Maps for iOS matters because it demonstrates that data quality trumps platform control. It offers hope that today's tech giants will continue to compete on the basis of product quality rather than platform advantage. <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefoxos/">8. Firefox OS</a> While Apple struggles to maintain its leadership in the smartphone market, Mozilla is planning to join the fray with a smartphone operating system of its own, Firefox OS. Through it won't have much of an impact in terms of U.S. sales in 2013 -- the target market is low-end phones outside the U.S. -- Firefox OS is hugely important to the smartphone market as a hedge against proprietary temptations. With Google and Microsoft pursuing vertical integration strategies in the mobile market similar to Apple's, there's a risk that the smartphone leaders will limit innovations from outsiders like Mozilla. So Mozilla needs a platform of its own, one that's based on open Web technologies. And Internet users need this platform too, if only to keep the established players honest. <a href="http://adblockplus.org/en/android-about">9. AdBlock Plus for Android</a> Advertising is wonderful because it pays for all manner of online content. Advertising is awful because it consumes bandwidth, presents a security risk, degrades performance, demands attention, and generally gets in the way. Advertising companies may not want you to block their ads, but they force users to defend themselves through their bad behavior and unethical data grabs. When marketers demand too much -- as Instagram did when it claimed the right to monetize user photos -- users have an obligation to assert their right to privacy and to not be fleeced for data. The availability of ad-blocking software for Android ensures that ad-supported business models are not the only option for mobile devices. It ensures that some mobile services will need to attract paying clients rather than relying on ads and data obtained without real user content. And paying customers can expect and demand more respect. <a href="http://brackets.io/">10. Brackets</a> Brackets is an open source code editor for the Web. It matters because it shows that Adobe can still produce relevant, innovative software -- the commercial version of Brackets is known as <a href="http://html.adobe.com/edge/code/">Adobe Edge Code</a> -- and because the Web as a platform needs better tools. Apple, Google, and Microsoft all express enthusiasm for the Web, but each has shown more interest recently in native code for their mobile platforms. Adobe, left without a chair when the Flash fanfare stopped, has had to reinvent itself as an enterprise marketing company and to transition its shrink-wrapped software business into the cloud. Its continued survival keeps the Web healthy too -- Mozilla may carry the torch for the open Web, but it needs all the allies it can find. <a href="https://silentcircle.com/">11. Silent Circle</a> Many governments, including the U.S. government, would prefer to be able to monitor all communications all the time, ostensibly as a matter of security. In practice, most governments have something close to this ability, but too often they abuse their powers. The ability to communicate securely is a matter of personal security, privacy and business necessity. Silent Circle provides technology to make secure communication possible, in the form of an iOS app. The security business runs on snake oil much of the time, but Silent Circle appears to be different. It's run by people with a proven commitment to secure communication, like PGP creator Phil Zimmermann, Mike Janke and John Callas. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a> Attend Interop Las Vegas May 6-10, and be the first to create an action plan to incorporate the latest transformative technologies into your IT infrastructure. Use Priority Code DIPR01 by Jan. 13 to save up to $800 with Super Early Bird Savings. Join us in Las Vegas for access to 125+ workshops and conference classes, 350+ exhibiting companies and the latest technology solutions. Register for <a href="http://www.interop.com/lasvegas/?_mc=DIPR01">Interop</a> today!2012-12-20T11:06:00Z12 Gifts For The End Of The WorldSome believe the world will end on December 21, 2012; NASA insists it won't. We've assembled a list of a few useful tools for any outcome.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/12-gifts-for-the-end-of-the-world/240144247?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authorsThe world ends all the time, but only for specific individuals. Nonetheless, supposed seers, prophets, experts and fearmongers continue to predict the end is nigh. Their record of success is dismal. Wikipedia documents <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events">some 150 failed predictions</a> about end of the world. Perhaps being wrong is its own reward. But to borrow words from the standard financial industry disclaimer, past results do not predict future performance. Sooner or later, someone will get it right -- the sun will go out, an asteroid will collide with Earth or it will turn out that Steve Jobs was speaking literally when he threatened <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">to wage thermonuclear war</a> to destroy Android -- it may be more than mere coincidence that <a href="http://www.cupertino.org/index.aspx?page=1107">Apple's new headquarters</a> looks like an alien spacecraft designed for orbital bombardment. Though the world will not end this month, not everyone is convinced they'll be around long enough to file 2012 tax returns. The winter solstice this year, Friday, December 21, coincides with the end of a 5125-year cycle described by the Mayan Long Count calendar. This, to a few fringe believers, translates into a coming cataclysm, or at least a merchandising opportunity. (Others thought it would happen on 12-12-12.) NASA says it has received "thousands of letters concerned about the end of the world." Though mainstream scientists scoff at the idea, they nonetheless feel compelled to offer a rebuttal. "The world will not end on December 21, 2012, or any day in 2012," <a href="http://blog.usa.gov/post/37121041300/scary-rumors-about-the-world-ending-in-2012-are-just">NASA recently declared</a> on its website. That's helpful but NASA could have extended its declaration of continued existence a bit beyond this all-but spent year. At the same time, there's reason to be prepared. Not for global annihilation, because preparation would be pointless, but for some lesser catastrophe, like zombies -- no less an authority than the <a href="http://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101-zombie-apocalypse/">Centers for Disease Control</a> recognizes the zombie threat. So it is that we've assembled a list of twelve gifts that will probably be more useful than a partridge in a pear tree when Armageddon comes to call. Happy holidays to you too. The first is a <a href="http://www.mayan-calendar.com/">2013 Mayan Calendar</a>. Note what that implies: 2012 will not be the last year for which a calendar is required. The idea of a paper calendar may seem unbelievably quaint in today's digital age, but paper has its advantages. This calendar will work when the power is out and can be used to fuel a fire should the need arise.Save your end-of-the-world memories using this <a href="http://polaroidstore.com/products/instant-cameras/10-megapixel-instant-print-digital-camera-z2300w-white.htm">Polaroid Z2300W 10-Megapixel Instant Print Digital Camera</a>. Digital images are fine for a world with electric power, but hard copies are better. Make sure to keep a lot of film on-hand: Reordering from an e-commerce website won't be an option after the collapse of civilization. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>When the lights go out you'll want a good flashlight, particularly one that doubles as a weapon. The <a href="http://www.wickedlasers.com/torch">Wicked Lasers Torch</a> comes with a 100-watt halogen bulb that throws off 4100 lumens, enough to light paper on fire. Zombies gurgling "Brains!" will cry "Eyes!" when you take a shine to them. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>Consider a few <a href="http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f05f/">Zombie Blast Energy Shots</a>. They're thematically appropriate and, most importantly, full of caffeine. It can be hard to stay awake while on zombie vigil, even with the clawing at your door. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>When among those convinced that the world is coming to an end, rational argument may not be effective. But don't let this deter you from making a statement. A T-shirt proclaiming, <a href="http://store.xkcd.com/products/try-science">"Stand Back, I'm Going To Try Science"</a> is the next best thing to "I told you so." RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shepherd-Survival-Supply-Essentials-Blackout/dp/B0055S6D08">Essentials Blackout Survival Kit</a> can do more than sustain you amid the rubble. It may just prove useful on road trips. It includes a First Aid Kit, a hand-powered flashlight, mylar emergency blankets and assorted other helpful tools. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>You can find other hand-cranked charging devices, but only <a href="http://pur.store.sony.jp/Qnavi/Purchase/CP-A2LAKS/">Sony's CP-A2LAKS</a> is unpronounceable. In any event, you'll want one of these to keep your phone powered, to keep on top of tweets tagged #armageddon. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>The Swiss are known for their chocolates. You won't be getting any of that after society crumbles. But the Swiss also make fine water filters. The <a href="http://www.katadyn.com/en/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-wasserfilter-endurance-series-produkte/katadyn-pocket/">Katadyn Pocket</a> works "even under extreme circumstances," circumstances that sounds like it fits the sort of end-of-the-Earth scenarios everyone has been talking about. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>Whether you're fleeing zombies or merciless gangs in the badlands around Thunderdome, you don't want to get lost. That's where the <a href="http://sites.garmin.com/fenix/">Garmin Fenix</a> comes in. It's an altimeter; it's a barometer; it's a compass. It's a hands-free GPS device because you need your hands to defend yourself. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>Fleeing zombies takes a lot of energy. Why not track your movement and sleep data to better understand the cardio benefits of frantic flight and aerobic axe work? That's what the <a href="https://jawbone.com/up">Jawbone Up</a> was made for. It wraps comfortably around your wrist and collects data about your activities for display on your smartphone. It can also track your food consumption, if you have enough food in your post-disaster existence to warrant such consideration. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>Umbrellas can ward off scorching desert heat or torrential rains, but most aren't as useful closed. <a href="http://real-self-defense.com/unbreakable-umbrella/">The Unbreakable Umbrella</a> is an exception. It's really strong. It makes an awesome weapon to keep the zombies at bay. You'll be glad you have one when the sky starts falling. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>Having survived the end of the world in one piece, you'll probably want to rebuild. After you get the power grid back online, you'll want a 3-D printer to jump start prototyping and manufacturing. Try the <a href="http://www.makerbot.com/">MakerBot Replicator 2</a>. Just make sure you have enough polylactic acid (PLA) filament on hand to form the goods you envision. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/mobile/fema-launches-mobile-apps-for-disaster-p/231600292">FEMA Launches Mobile Apps For Disaster Preparedness </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/5-steps-toward-disaster-preparedness/201300430">5 Steps Toward Disaster Preparedness</a> <a href="http://reports.informationweek.com/abstract/2/33/business-continuity/research-disaster-preparedness-for-smbs.html">Research: Disaster Preparedness For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/disaster-preparedness-for-small-and-mids/215500022">Disaster Preparedness For Small And Midsize Companies</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/services/disaster-recovery/hurricane-sandy-disaster-recovery-improv/240012673">Hurricane Sandy: Disaster Recovery Improv Tales</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/smb/security/4-pre-hurricane-disaster-prep-tips-for-s/231600273">4 Pre-Hurricane Disaster Prep Tips For SMBs</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/in-case-of-emergency-check-twitter/231002905">In Case of Emergency, Check Twitter</a>2012-12-18T16:37:00ZInstagram Users Fume At Photos As AdsInstagram users cry foul loudly, but the proposed new terms of service now conform to what Facebook already does with user content.http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/instagram-users-fume-at-photos-as-ads/240144635?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors  <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240004375"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/841/slide-1_full.jpg" alt="5 Facebook Rivals Hot On Its Heels" title="5 Facebook Rivals Hot On Its Heels" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">5 Facebook Rivals Hot On Its Heels</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div>  In a variation on the assertion that <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/95152/Userdriven-discontent#3256046">if you're not paying for a product, you are the product being sold</a>, Facebook's Instagram image-sharing service plans to implement new terms of service next month that allow it to sell users' digital photographs for use in social ads. Through this change in legal jargon, Instagram appears to be transforming itself from an image-sharing service into an image-taking service, but the consequences of the altered terms remain unclear. Writing for <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2012/12/18/3780158/instagrams-new-terms-of-service-what-they-really-mean">The Verge</a>, Nilay Patel insists the new language represents an improvement in some ways because "the old Instagram terms allowed for modification, but the new ones don't." Instagram "does not claim ownership of any Content that you post," yet it claims rights almost equivalent to ownership, in the form of "a non-exclusive, fully paid and royalty-free, transferable, sub-licensable, worldwide license to use the Content that you post." [ What does the future hold for Google? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/google-in-2013-11-predictions/240143080?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google In 2013: 11 Predictions</a>. ] The terms that have users alarmed concern Instagram's right to sell to advertisers users' images for inclusion in their marketing: "To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you." The revised terms of service go into effect on Jan. 16, 2013. Instagram's terms of service now conform with that Facebook already does with user content. And they don't appear to be that different from the terms imposed on anyone posting content to an ad-supported online service. The Google+ terms of service, for example, state, "When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content." Google, however, insists there's a difference. "As our Terms of Service make clear, 'what belongs to you stays yours,'" a Google spokesperson said in an email. "You own your files and control their sharing, plain and simple. Some of our Services allow you to submit content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In addition, on Google+ you can export your photos and other data whenever you'd like." Yet Instagram also claims that users own their files. So whatever it is that users of online services own, they own less of it once files are shared online. Santa Clara University law professor Eric Goldman said in a phone interview that it's not obvious exactly what rights Instagram is claiming because its privacy policy comes into play, too. He said a lot will depend on how Facebook interprets its legal language and what it's trying to accomplish. "It seems like Facebook is floating trial balloons about language in its user agreement to stuff a lot of ads in our face," he said. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In any event, Instagram's terms of service change has outraged users. On Facebook's Instagram page, Instagram user <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=512051735495553&set=a.377385668962161.95303.162454007121996&type=1&comment_id=1530293&offset=0&total_comments=77">Nicolas Emery</a> commented, "Sorry to read Instagram's updated terms including the right to sell my photos with no compensation or credit. I enjoyed using Instagram but have no hesitation in deleting your app under these terms." Many users echoed that sentiment. Others proposed using Instagram henceforth only to capture inappropriate or offensive images, under the assumption such snapshots would be worthless to advertisers. In <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/12/instagrams-new-terms-service-sell-your-photos">a blog post</a>, Kurt Opsahl, an attorney with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, urged Instagram to reconsider its policy "because it conflicts with the three key principles we developed for social networking services: informed decision making, control and the right to leave." Users, he said, cannot make an informed decision about how their images might be commercialized, cannot opt out and cannot remove their images from Instagram after the new terms of service take effect. Opsahl suggests that Instagram consider image licensing and revenue sharing more along the lines of what Flickr has done. Flickr, a pioneering online image sharing service that many feared would dwindle into irrelevance until Marissa Mayer took the helm at Yahoo, might find new users among those disillusioned with Instagram. Flickr addressed the issue of photo ownership last year, <a href="http://blog.flickr.net/en/2011/05/13/at-flickr-your-photos-are-always-yours">noting</a>, "We feel very strongly that sharing online shouldn't mean giving up rights to your photos. Our Terms of Service clearly spell out that Flickr/Yahoo doesn't own the photos that you upload. You, as a member, maintain all ownership rights to the photos that you upload to Flickr." Whatever that means. Story update: Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom has acknowledged in <a href="http://blog.instagram.com/post/38252135408/thank-you-and-were-listening">a blog post</a> that users are upset and attempts to clarify some of the confusion about Instagram's new terms of service. "Our intention in updating the terms was to communicate that we'd like to experiment with innovative advertising that feels appropriate on Instagram," he wrote. "Instead it was interpreted by many that we were going to sell your photos to others without any compensation. This is not true and it is our mistake that this language is confusing. To be clear: it is not our intention to sell your photos. We are working on updated language in the terms to make sure this is clear." Systrom says Instagram plans "to modify specific parts of the terms to make it more clear what will happen with your photos." <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a> 2012-12-18T09:06:00ZGoogle Escapes Antitrust ShacklesFTC's antitrust case against Google appears to be winding down without Google being slapped with any penalties or restrictions. Be glad.http://www.informationweek.com/development/web/google-escapes-antitrust-shackles/240144574?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Google's gift this holiday season appears to be a pass from the government. The Federal Trade Commission is expected this week to conclude its two-year old antitrust investigation of Google's search business without imposing any significant restrictions on the company, the Wall Street Journal <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324677204578183850928687548.html">reports</a>. The deal is said to include some voluntary changes in the way Google handles search, but no formal consent decree. It's a slap on the wrist and it's the right decision. Google's handling of its search business and the way in which it applies its market power should be scrutinized, but the fundamental premise of the FTC's inquiry -- that Google is abusing its search monopoly to harm consumers -- just doesn't ring true. [ What's next for the search giant? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/google-in-2013-11-predictions/240143080?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google In 2013: 11 Predictions</a>. ] That's not to say Google isn't an aggressive competitor that sometimes crosses the line. It is and it has been punished for its most egregious missteps. For example, it was fined $500 million for advertising illegal prescription drugs in 2011. However, Google's version of business hardball is no worse than the way Apple, Facebook, Microsoft or other large companies behave. Apple's security restrictions on its Nitro JavaScript engine, for example, are arguably anticompetitive -- they make Chrome for iOS slower than mobile Safari -- but that doesn't mean antitrust enforcers are the answer. Google isn't out of the woods yet: The European Union might come down harder on Google. And if it does, that's likely to be a function of protectionism more than real consumer harm. Remember the French effort to create a rival search engine, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaero">Quaero</a>? Germany was involved in the effort briefly but later abandoned the project in part because German software engineers <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/02/business/worldbusiness/02iht-search.4081237.html">"did not want to be associated with an anti-Google project."</a> Sorry, but resentment of Google's success is not part of antitrust law. Search turns out to be hard -- really hard, in fact. Google was not always the leader in search but it got there with a particularly good relevance algorithm and a way to support its business with ads. There's no reason other companies can't compete, if they have the resources. Microsoft has a very competitive search engine, Bing, the product of no small amount of investment. But Bing has had a hard time winning customers away from Google. Perhaps Internet users remember life under Microsoft, the monopolist of its day, a company that still has an undue influence on business IT due to its Office and Windows products. Or perhaps Bing just needs to be significantly better than Google before it can surpass Google in popularity. If Microsoft were Mozilla, a non-profit entity dedicated to open standards and improving the Web for everyone, Google might see a lot more disillusioned users abandoning its search engine. But it isn't. Were Google forced to close tomorrow, it's hard to see how a search engine run by any other company would represent an improvement. Businesses such as Yelp have complained that Google takes their content and displays it to its own advantage. That's a fair complaint, assuming you ignore Yelp's exploitation of its users -- those writing for Yelp or any online site ought to be compensated for their work. Yelp should be able to keep Google from using Yelp content to improve Google products. But if you accept that Yelp gets to monetize unpaid writers while preventing Google from doing the same, Google should be afforded the same privilege: It should not be forced to promote Yelp by including it in its search index. In <a href="http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/65727557">written testimony</a> to Congress last year, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman posed the question, "Is a consumer (or a small business, for that matter) well served when Google artificially promotes its own properties regardless of merit?" Perhaps not, but plenty of businesses promote their own properties regardless of merit. Consider the promotional effort behind Apple Maps, Microsoft Zune and the Google Nexus Q. If merit were a prerequisite for marketing, the airwaves would be all but ad free. The fact is it's very difficult to establish merit for most products. Thankfully, free market capitalism puts decisions about merit into the hands of consumers. Google can define relevance as it sees fit and consumers can turn to another search engine if they're unsatisfied. The assumption that Google is obligated to represent everyone fairly in its search results might be convenient for a lot of Internet businesses, but it's inconsistent with the freedom that businesses and citizens supposedly have. Search is not a utility that's subject to regulation. Perhaps it should be, but it isn't at the moment. There's no right to be included in Google's search index. If Google wants to have Google Search return only links to Google-owned websites, the company really ought to be able to do so, just as other companies can decline to allow Google to index their content. And if Google fails to serve the public with its biases, then the public has other options. If the standard of antitrust enforcement is business harm, then Google is guilty. But antitrust law concerns consumer harm, and there Google has been mainly beneficial. It offers products and services for free that other companies would have consumers pay for. Google's products might not be as good in all cases -- many people still prefer Microsoft Office to Google Apps -- but choice is pro-consumer. Be glad the FTC looks like it won't try to constrain that choice with heavy-handed regulation. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-17T09:12:00ZGoogle Shuts Down 11 ServicesGoogle continues to weed out less popular products in order to "put more wood behind fewer arrows."http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-shuts-down-11-services/240144494?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>As 2012 winds down, Google is shutting down more of its services, this time calling the closures "winter cleaning" rather than the usual "spring cleaning." Venkat Panchapakesan, VP of engineering, <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/winter-cleaning.html">said</a> in a blog post that difficult decisions are necessary for Google to maximize its impact. Eleven services are being discontinued, although few are likely to be widely missed -- none of these offerings have a particularly high profile. Five affect Google Calendar. On Jan. 4, 2013, Google plans to: -- shut down the ability to create new time reservations through Calendar Appointment slots; -- discontinue Calendar Labs experiments Smart Rescheduler and Add gadget by URL; and -- terminate two U.S.-only features: Check your calendar via SMS, and Create Event via SMS. [ One area Google intends not to neglect is its tablet line. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/google-nexus-4-ships-in-4-to-9-weeks/240142694?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Nexus 4 Ships In 4 To 9 Weeks</a>. ] Google also is putting Google Sync out to pasture as of Jan. 30, 2013, because it has been superseded by other open protocols, specifically IMAP, CalDAV and CardDAV. However, this applies only to users of Google's free services. Google Sync will remain in place for Google Apps for business, government and education customers. <a href="http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?&answer=2716936">Google Calendar Sync</a> availability ended Friday, Dec. 14. Google Sync for Nokia S60 gets the boot on Jan. 30, 2013, along with a little-used contact sync service for older devices, known as SyncML. A mechanism for viewing and updating Project Hosting issues in Google Code, the Issue Tracker API, will be mothballed on June 14, 2013. <a href="http://getpunchd.com/">Punchd</a>, a loyalty rewards app for Android and iOS, is being shut down on June 7, 2013. Those with Punchd rewards can redeem them until that date. Google's product purge began when company co-founder Larry Page became CEO in 2011. He subsequently described the goal of the initiative as an effort to "put more wood behind fewer arrows." The last such shutdown was <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-spring-cleaning.html">announced in September</a>. Since the closures began, Google has shut down around 70 services. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-17T09:06:00ZGoogle In 2013: 11 PredictionsGoogle Glass won't shine, but the company as a whole will thrive in 2013. See if you agree with our predictions.http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/google-in-2013-11-predictions/240143080?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/10-must-have-apps-for-byod-android-devic/240142920"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/915/01_Android_tn.gif" alt="10 Essential Android Apps For Work, Home" title="10 Essential Android Apps For Work, Home" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Essential Android Apps For Work, Home</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Google in 2013 will travel two steps forward and one step back. Through the merciless culling of its product portfolio at the hands of CEO Larry Page, and the growing synergy between its cloud services, operating systems and Google-friendly hardware, the company is well-positioned to consolidate its power and to keep growing. The company has survived a copyright and patent infringement claim from Oracle that threatened to undo Android. Its hardware partners have fared less well, with <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/samsung-we-will-not-negotiate-with-apple/240134932">Samsung on the defensive</a> as it tries to reverse the billion-dollar judgment Apple won over the summer and with other Android hardware makers paying patent protection money to <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/windows/microsoft-news/microsofts-new-cash-cows-linux-and-andro/231601809">Microsoft</a> and <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/htc-settles-apple-lawsuit/240115341">Apple</a>. Google's backward motion will be the result of a push by regulators and corporate litigants around the world to tame the company's ability to disrupt established markets and to extract tolls for daring to subsidize what was once expensive with ad revenue. Only a handful of companies are competing effectively against Google, and those that are doing well, like Baidu in China, tend to benefit from a regulatory advantage or, like Microsoft and its Office suite, from force of habit. [ Freedom of online expression may be at risk. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/policy/google-mozilla-warn-of-threats-to-intern/240143052?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google, Mozilla Warn Of Threats To Internet Freedom</a>. ] Google's greatest challenge in 2013 will come not from competitors but from the difficulties of monetizing mobile ads. Adblock Plus is now available for Android devices. Your move, Google. My 2012 Predictions Scorecard But before we get to Google's future, let's look at its past, specifically as it relates to my <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/google-in-2012-10-predictions/232300700">2012 predictions</a>. 1. Google Stars In "Regulatory Theater" True. And the show continues. As this story was being written, the Wall Street Journal was reporting that U.S. and European Union antitrust officials plan to meet next week to discuss <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324020804578149621424956526.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">what to do about Google</a>. They will struggle to come up with an effective remedy because search is subjective and Google's argument that it can bias its rankings as it sees fit is largely unassailable if you subscribe to free market capitalism. 2. Google Loses 5% Market Share To Bing False. Microsoft's Bing search engine has gained market share in the U.S. but only about 1% as of October 2012. It presently receives about 16% of U.S. searches. Google meanwhile accounted for 66.9% of U.S. searches in October, according to ComScore, a record for the company. "Competition is only a click away," as Google puts it, turns out to be another way of saying "You can't get there from here." 3. GM Goes Google False. Following the departure of CIO Terry Kline earlier this year, GM opted not to follow-through with <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203804204577016130714523066.html">the plan to switch to Google Apps</a>, according to a person familiar with the matter. I asked GM's current CIO, Randy Mott, whether he'd be willing to be interviewed about the decision not to go Google. I haven't heard back. 4. Android's Share Of Smartphone Sales Reaches 60% True, and then some. According to Gartner, Android accounted for 72% of smartphone sales in Q3 2012. 5. Google Chrome Ends 2012 With 35% Market Share True enough. Chrome had 34.77% of the global browser market share in October 2012, according to <a href="http://gs.statcounter.com/">StatCounter</a>. 6. Google TV's Second Act Stronger Than Its First Debatable. It would be hard to have a weaker second act, given Google TV's unimpressive debut, but second-generation Google TV devices haven't exactly been making waves. My prediction that Google would launch an ARM-based Google TV set-top box remains unfulfilled, but Sony has done so, the Sony NSZ-GS7. 7. Google Will Take A Shot At Siri, As Apple Promotes Its Replacement For Google Maps <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/internet/google/google-search-app-vs-apple-siri-8-questi/240012715">True</a>, even if Apple Maps has underwhelmed. 8. Google Will Release Chrome For Android <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/open-source/google-releases-chrome-for-android/232600414">True</a>. 9. Google+ Survives True. Google+ may not be an immediate threat to Facebook, but it's hanging in there. All told, that's either six or seven right out of nine, depending on whether or not I get credit for prediction #6 about Google TV. Now on to 2013. Keep in mind that past performance does not guarantee future results.In 2013, Google will be well on its way to becoming Apple, or the ad-supported younger brother of Apple. It will have digested Motorola, spit out the grisly bits and developed the skills to be a competent hardware maker. The lessons of the Nexus Q flop have been learned, but Google will still have to reconcile technology that engineers love with what consumers really want. 1. Google Glass Delayed After Developers Puzzle Over Its Reason For Being When Google releases its initial round of Google Glass prototypes to developers next year, developers will be excited and Google+ will fill with images taken by early adopters. But Google's augmented reality glasses won't gain traction beyond those who love code and those who have cash to burn on cutting-edge gadgets. They'll be useful mainly as a hands-free audiovisual phone interface, like a Bluetooth headset that also feeds the eyes. Most consumers won't have any need for Google Glass, and those that might will be able to access augmented reality through mobile phone apps, which won't cost $1,500 or entail any further data fees. Google will push the date for general release back to 2014 after realizing that the software infrastructure needed to do anything useful with Google Glass just isn't ready yet. In the interim, people will gripe that Google really ought to work on projects that have a chance of making life better for people, like self-driving cars and Google Fiber. 2. Google Becomes A Force In Content Production Google has been pouring money into content production. It recently <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-youtube-studio-20121125,0,7337753.story">opened a studio called YouTube Space</a> in an aircraft hangar in Playa Vista, Calif. Just as it has been shifting from a loosely controlled Android partner ecosystem to something more coordinated and orderly, Google's initiatives to support content producers have become more formalized and directed. The company has also proven that it can release compelling mobile games, like Ingress. Expect more along these lines. Google is the next Pixar and 2013 is the year its content will start to be taken seriously. 3. Google Fights Taxes As authorities in France, Germany, and Italy look for ways to expand their tax coffers while protecting locally based businesses, Google will have to fend off regulations that could hobble its interests. In at least one of these countries, Google will have to threaten to stop indexing local content. And it will probably spend 2014 appealing these heavy-handed rules to higher authorities in the EU while lobbying representatives in the U.S. for diplomatic assistance. 4. Google Expands Voice Technology Lead Apple's Siri can do some neat tricks, but it's still not smart enough to decipher ambiguous or poorly worded queries. It doesn't yet have enough data behind it, something Google has in abundance. Google Voice Search is at least as competent as Siri, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/internet/google/google-search-app-vs-apple-siri-8-questi/240012715">and in some ways is better</a>. Others <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/11/siri_vs_google_the_search_company_s_voice_recognition_program_gets_closer.html">share that view</a>. While Apple no doubt will continue to push Siri forward, Google's data advantage and its decision not to limit availability of its voice search service to recent hardware means Google Voice Search will evolve and spread faster. If Apple doesn't raise its voice search game, asking Siri a question will become as quaint as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask.com">Ask Jeeves</a>. 5. The Google+ Jokes Will Stop Google+ was launched last year amid an air of desperation. Google's other social projects like Buzz failed and there was a sense the future of computing would take place in a walled garden, away from Google's ability to monetize anything. It didn't help that Google+ was easy <a href="http://xkcd.com/918/">to make fun of</a>. Facebook had 750 million active users at the time and Google+ was starting from zero. Nowadays, Google says Google+ has 400 million registered users. Okay, so many of those are compulsory members, but Google insists it has 100 million active monthly users. Even if only a subset of those are truly enthusiastic about Google+, Google has integrated Google Places/Local into Google+, making the social network useful for businesses. This in turn provides an incentive for businesses to direct their customers to their Google+ pages. Like it or not, Google+ is here to say, and is likely to grow as Google integrates it into its more popular services. 6. Android First Not long after Apple initiated the mobile app gold rush by opening iOS to developers in early 2008, creators of smartphone applications began to make iOS development a priority over other platforms. For the past few years, surveys have indicated that mobile developers have been more focused on iOS than Android, because iOS apps have been easier to monetize. However, some of those surveys <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/blog/burnette/flurry-report-on-ios-vs-android-allegiance-called-into-question/2571">have been called into question</a>. And in 2013, it will become clear that developers are starting to target Android first. 7. Chromebooks Go High End Google, Samsung and Acer have already pushed the Chromebook price boundary down below budget Windows laptops. The strategy has paid off: The Samsung Chromebook is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-XE303C12-A01US-Chromebook-Wi-Fi-11-6-Inch/dp/B009LL9VDG/">sold out</a>. In 2013, Google and Samsung will aim upmarket with a prestige model, a $799 Chrome OS laptop that competes with the MacBook Air. 8. Google Prepares For 2014 Retail Push Google already has experimental retail outlets at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. In 2011, Google opened a popup Chromebook store inside U.K. computer vendor PC World, and this year, Google set up hundreds of "Chromezone" kiosks at Best Buy outlets. In 2013, it will get serious about a permanent retail presence, but the company will wait until the following year, when it has a more substantial product pipeline, to open retail stores. There's another scenario, however: Google's recently acquired BufferBox, a startup that operates parcel pickup kiosks. Maybe tomorrow's Google retail store is just a storage locker at the end of an e-commerce transaction. 9. The Google Cloud Platform Picks Up Steam Google has been experimenting with platform-as-a-service for several years with App Engine. It got serious about positioning App Engine as a service for businesses last year and this year the company entered the infrastructure-as-a-service market with Google Compute Engine. Amazon Web Services will remain the leader in the computing utility space in 2013, but Google is now competing energetically. Both companies have been dropping prices and the coming year will bring novel IT options for businesses from both Amazon and Google. 10. Google Buys Pinterest Imagine a Facebook for products. It's called <a href="http://pinterest.com">Pinterest</a>, the surprisingly popular, image-heavy content-sharing startup. It would look even lovelier surrounded by Google's e-commerce and social infrastructure. Another way to play this would be to buy <a href="http://www.etsy.com">Etsy</a>, an online market for handmade goods. Think eBay, but with a soul. Either way, Google should be ready to make a significant e-commerce acquisition in 2012 -- the company has made only about half as many <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mergers_and_acquisitions_by_Google">acquisitions</a> in 2012 as it made in 2011. 11. Google Graduates To ISP O3b, the satellite venture backed in part by Google, will launch several satellites in 2013 to provide backhaul connectivity to mobile operators in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Google will likely negotiate to ensure its services are available through regional mobile companies. In conjunction with its Google Fiber venture, Google is becoming a more important player in the provision of Internet infrastructure, in addition to its longstanding role as a provider of online ads, online content, software and hardware. In 2013, Google will expand its Internet connectivity offerings and become a major ISP <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/telecom/business/google-fiber-hooks-up-first-customers/240134933">outside of Kansas City</a>. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-15T09:06:00ZGoogle+ Gains 24 Fresh FeaturesMobile Google+ apps for Android and iOS get updated, along with Events and Hangouts.http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/google-gains-24-fresh-features/240144478?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>In a storm of activity before the holiday calm, Google on Friday introduced updated Android and iOS mobile apps for Google+ that bring with them <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/103541694080221120019/posts/Xt7YWmufvMW">two dozen new features</a>. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.plus&hl=en">Google+ for Android</a> has been upgraded to version 3.3. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google+/id447119634?mt=8">Google+ for iOS</a> has reached version 4.0. The most significant of the features added to these two mobile apps is support for <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/google-communities-and-photos.html">Google+ Communities</a>. Introduced earlier this month, Google+ Communities is similar to Google Groups, although with more sophisticated media sharing capabilities. Communities allows participants in Google's social network to maintain a private or public online gathering place for specific interests. [ Is Google+ the best social network? <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/commentary/social_networking_consumer/240006998/guy-kawasaki-google-is-the-mac-of-social-networks?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Guy Kawasaki thinks so</a>. ] For Android users, Google+ now supports full-resolution photo uploads via Instant Upload. Using this feature eventually will cost users, however. Google provides just up to 5 GB of free storage for full-resolution images backed up with Instant Upload, whereas the standard option provides unlimited storage for images resized to 2048 pixels on the longest edge. If you want more than 5 GB of storage for full-size photos, you will need to <a href="http://support.google.com/plus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=156348">purchase more space on Google Drive</a>. Google+ for Android version 3.3 also adds integration with Google Now to send birthday greetings to friends; a menu of mood icons to convey how you feel to others; and support for animated GIF images. App users with Android 4.2+ devices gain the ability to create Photo Sphere panoramic images -- users of Android 2.2+ can view them -- and to add a Google+ widget to their device's lock screen. Both apps gain the ability to: -- make basic profile edits; -- subscribe to any Google+ Circle for notifications; -- specify how many guests you intend to bring to a <a href="http://www.google.com/+/learnmore/events/">Google+ Event</a>; -- duplicate an event; -- send messages to individual Event guests; -- see who opened an event you created; -- invite people to an event by passing a URL in an email; and -- use different time zones in Events. In addition to support for Communities, Google+ for iOS 4.0 adds the ability to swipe through photo albums inline and to view images with a tap. There's some aesthetic renovation, too: Pictures in the stream now get a pan-zoom-scale effect; the iOS message composition UI has been improved; and new conversation cards allow longer snippets, larger photos, and comments that slide under posts. Google+ Hangouts also has been enhanced so it requires less bandwidth and provides more screen space when there's only a single participant. Since Google launched Google+ in June 2011, it has grown to <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/107117483540235115863/posts/1QQiFFadA1i">500 million accounts</a>, with about half that number counted as active users. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-14T09:02:00ZCorona Labs Corrals A CloudCorona acquires Game Minion to help gaming app developers connect to backend services.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/platform/corona-labs-corrals-a-cloud/240144400?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<a href="http://www.coronalabs.com">Corona Labs</a>, maker of the cross-platform mobile development framework Corona SDK, has acquired backend cloud service provider <a href="http://gameminion.com/">Game Minion</a> to help game developers more easily create apps that integrate with server code. No price was disclosed. Game Minion is a Dubai-based company that relies on Amazon Web Services infrastructure, with funding from Draper Investment Company. Game Minion, which will be renamed Corona Cloud, is presently in closed beta testing and is expected to be made available in the first quarter of 2013. Corona Cloud relies on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representational_state_transfer">RESTful API</a>, meaning that communication between a developer's app and the remote server can be coded in a way that's standardized and portable. This makes it easy to reconfigure a cloud-connected app to communicate with a different backend host if necessary. Mohamed Hamedi, co-founder of Game Minion, said in a statement that his company is focused on offering simple backend services to developers. "Through this acquisition, we will provide the most complete end-to-end mobile development platform on the market," he said. "Features that would normally require the integration of half a dozen SDKs will be offered by Corona Labs in just one, neatly packaged API." [ Apple users rejoice: after a three-month absence, the popular <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/google-maps-returns-to-iphone/240144321?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Maps Returns To iPhone</a>. ] Simplicity, however, isn't necessarily the best option in all cases. Some developers using Corona SDK -- Corona Labs says there are over 200,000 of them -- have been asking for a way to include only specific services in their apps, rather than the current all-or-nothing approach. One downside to building apps with a variety of services, such as game networks, analytics, advertising and social networks, is that apps end up being larger than necessary. For Android builds of Corona apps at least, excluding libraries for external services doesn't save that much space, at least compared to the gains made by decompiling an app built in Corona and rebuilding it using Android's <a href="http://code.google.com/p/android-apktool/">apktool</a>. A more meaningful drawback is that external service libraries require developers to specify permissions they may not actually require, a practice that can discourage privacy-aware users from installing the app. Corona Labs is aware that choice is paramount. In an email, COO David Rangel explained that developers are under no obligation to use Corona cloud if it doesn't suit their needs. "[A]ny APIs we add to Corona SDK for Corona Cloud will not have a 'bloating' effect on the engine," he explained. "Part of this is because of <a href="http://www.coronalabs.com/blog/2012/12/11/what-is-project-gluon/">Project Gluon</a> -- our coming plug-in framework that is making the engine much more modular (and allowing us to increase the number of third-party services available to Corona developers)." In any event, the backend services made available through Corona Cloud -- leaderboards, push notifications, analytics, turn-based gaming and the like -- will surely be appreciated by those seeking a way to add functionality to their apps without much coding. Rangel says the combination of Corona SDK and Corona Cloud is powerful because of the potential for efficiency. "For starters, you won't have to manage separate third-party accounts and SDKs -- but that is just the beginning," he said. "There are many very compelling scenarios where a line of code in Corona would automatically provision certain cloud services and get things working with no additional work." The extent to which this is true may determine how well Corona Cloud fares against the competition. Game-oriented cloud services have been proliferating, in part because billing for cloud services is more predictable than software license renewals and upgrades. Some of the more notable players in this market include Parse, StackMob, Kinvey and Roar Engine. In addition, developers often build their own backends -- to have more control or to save money -- using Google App Engine, Amazon EC2, Amazon SimpleDB, Heroku or on servers at some Web hosting company. So the Corona Cloud value proposition will have to be fairly compelling to keep Corona users focused on in-house services. One advantage of using Corona Cloud is likely to be simpler regulatory compliance. The Federal Trade Commission recently scolded makers of apps for children, saying the apps failed to provide adequate privacy disclosures. New rules are being considered and many developers are reviewing how their apps collect data and how much disclosure is necessary. Corona's integration with Game Minion should make formulating a privacy policy fairly easy, at least compared to looking into several different cloud services to understand their data practices. In November, Corona Labs announced that it had received a $2 million round of funding from Merus Capital and Western Technology Investment. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-13T09:54:00ZGlide Apps Coming To Windows, Android, iOSTransMedia's Glide media sharing service has reinvented itself for the app world.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/glide-apps-coming-to-windows-android-ios/240144354?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/7-cheap-cloud-storage-options/240134947"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/905/01_Cloud_tn.jpg" alt="7 Cheap Cloud Storage Options" title="7 Cheap Cloud Storage Options" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">7 Cheap Cloud Storage Options</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Being ahead of the curve can be as much of a problem as being behind it. New York-based TransMedia introduced its Glide Effortless service <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/transmedia-plots-death-of-the-desktop/173402944">in late 2005</a>. The cloud-based app, storage and collaboration service was one of the early efforts to recreate the desktop experience in a suite of Web applications. Since then, Apple, Google and Microsoft have all introduced their own cloud storage, sharing and productivity services, leaving TransMedia to reposition its offerings in an effort to survive amid the giants. Glide Effortless became Glide OS and its focus has shifted from providing branded and white-label Web applications for cable operators, to social networking, to content sharing, and online storage. TransMedia's latest pivot may finally put it in the position it has been trying to reach -- between users and their files. That's a place every Internet service business wants to be, but few offer enough value to attract and retain customers over time. Apple, Google and Microsoft are doing it through online storage, augmented by other services like email and their powerful brands. Online consumers dislike paying for anything, but they will pay to keep their files safe. TransMedia offers online storage too, but it's approaching the market using technology that keeps it out of the storage business as much as possible. Storage may be something people will pay for, but it also represents a significant infrastructure cost. [ What were the hot topics this year? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/googles-top-searches-in-2012/240144289?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google's Top Searches In 2012</a>. ] TransMedia's <a href="http://glidesociety.com/">Glide</a> service is based on transcoding technology, which allows users to share files across devices and operating systems through streaming. It developed this technology to enable users to better control how their files get disseminated. Downloaded files are easily copied, whereas streamed files can be protected more effectively with a rights management scheme. TransMedia has been <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lJ8CiCv6_w">pitching Glide's value proposition</a> -- to make your files accessible across multiple systems and services -- well enough to have attracted almost three million users to date. But the company is about to try a new approach: apps. Glide will be released as a Windows 8 app later this month, then as an Android app, and in several weeks as an iOS app, Apple permitting. Apps hardly seem like a way to challenge the status quo: They're subject to approval and hobbled in certain ways, at least on iOS. But this time out, TransMedia isn't challenging the incumbents with replacement services. It's aiming to improve their businesses by making life better for their customers. "The basic value proposition of Glide is you can log into your Windows PC, your Android phone, your Dropbox, and access everything," said CEO Donald Leka in a phone interview. "It's a single search box to search across all of your devices and services." He insists the new Glide will make people use their existing online services more. Glide Connect, as the file sync and streaming service is now called, will transcode a Windows Media Video (WMV) file stored in Dropbox, for example, into a Flash video for playback on an Android device or a MPEG4 video for playback on an iPad. While the company is also offering traditional cloud storage through a service called Glide Vault -- 250 GB for $50/year -- its Glide Connect service appears to hold the most promise because it's free and because it incurs only minor storage costs. Transcoded files are stored only briefly. The source files continue to be stored in the originating service or device, unless replicated during sync through Glide Vault. "This temporary storage model is really amazing because it cuts our storage costs 70% compared to a company like Dropbox," said Leka. To monetize Glide Connect, TransMedia is relying on advertising, something it previously avoided. The company is placing ads in its Glide Connect file browsing interface, so that the ads and the files are interspersed with one another. The approach is visually less obtrusive than the ads on many websites, though it remains to be seen how users will react. Glide Vault customers, because they have paid, will not see ads. In the case of the Windows 8 Glide app, TransMedia is handing 30% of its ad revenue over to Microsoft. TransMedia will be paying Microsoft even more in a few months when it migrates the updated version of Glide from Amazon Web Services to Microsoft Azure. The Windows 8 Glide app is expected to be available on December 20 or shortly thereafter. The Android version should hit Google Play about the same time. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-13T09:05:00ZGoogle Maps Returns To iPhoneAfter a three-month absence, Google Maps has learned a few new tricks, like turn-by-turn navigation.http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/google-maps-returns-to-iphone/240144321?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/12-best-apple-ios-apps-of-2012/240144053"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/921/best2012-1st-screen_tn.PNG" alt=" 12 Best iPhone, iPad Apps Of 2012" title=" 12 Best iPhone, iPad Apps Of 2012" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle"> 12 Best iPhone, iPad Apps Of 2012</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Google Maps has found its way back to the iPhone. As of Thursday evening, a new <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/id585027354?mt=8">Google Maps app for iOS</a> was made available in Apple's iTunes App Store as a free download. Within hours, the Google Maps app jumped into first place in the ranking of most popular free iPhone apps. Google had previously provided the map data for the Apple Maps app that came preinstalled on the iPhone and on the iPad. But the two companies could not agree to terms as it came time to renew their contract. So Apple, having prepared since 2009 for a possible parting of the ways with several geo-oriented acquisitions, introduced a revised Google-free Maps app when it launched iOS 6 in September. Whether Apple was forced to get into the business of running a map data backend, or if it sought to do so for strategic reasons, the company's Maps app was a failure. Two Apple executives lost their jobs in the fallout. CEO Tim Cook published an apology. [ Learn more about how the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/apple-ios-6-maps-app-flops/240007656?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Apple iOS 6 Maps App Flopped</a>. ] But the embarrassment has continued. Early this week, police in Victoria, Australia, <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/australian-police-steer-drivers-away-fro/240144122">warned travelers</a> not to rely on Apple Maps after several travelers using the app got lost. Nokia tried to fill the void in November <a href="http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/09/20/benchmarking-mobile-maps/">with its own Here maps app</a>, but the app hasn't been widely embraced. In its blog post announcing the <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/google-maps-is-now-available-for-iphone.html">return of a Google Maps app</a>, Google opens with a reminder of how long the last three months have been for past users of its maps. "People around the world have been asking for Google Maps on iPhone," said Daniel Graf, director of Google Maps for Mobile. The Google Maps for iOS welcome screen begins with a plea for data. "Help us improve Google, including traffic and other services," the app asks. Google wants users to provide anonymous location data. Data is the new dollar, for Google, Apple and many other Internet companies. And to keep the data flowing, Google is releasing the <a href="https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/ios/intro">Google Maps for iOS SDK</a> to help developers create apps that integrate Google maps technology or that interoperate with the Google Maps app. The SDK provides a way for apps to pass data to Google Maps via what's known as a URL scheme. A developer could thus create an overlay layer in Google Maps that could be invoked from his or her app. The app presents more map area than its last iteration. As Graf observed, the new vector-based map is exceedingly responsive on mobile devices. A subtle tab in the lower right-hand corner allows access to extra data layers like traffic, public transit, satellite views and Google Earth (if installed). The app also supports Street View, interior Business Photos and voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation. The Google Maps app is available for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, (4th generation or later), but not the iPad, in over 40 countries and 29 languages. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-12T15:32:00ZGoogle's Top Searches In 2012Search giant's Zeitgeist list documents our interests. http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/googles-top-searches-in-2012/240144289?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Google has published its <a href="http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#the-world">Zeitgeist list for 2012</a>, revealing a nation hungry for information about celebrities, politics, disasters and mobile devices. Google Zeitgeist documents trending searches for 2012 as well as the most popular searches. "Trending" means search queries that had the most traffic over a sustained period in 2012 compared to the year before. "Most popular" is simply a measure of search query volume in 2012. The <a href="http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#united-states/overall">top trending searches overall in the U.S.</a> reflected current events and popular culture. The top five were: Whitney Houston, who died unexpectedly; Hurricane Sandy, which inflicted significant damage along the Mid-Atlantic coast; Election 2012, because the presidency was at stake; Hunger Games, the hit film version of the book series; and Jeremy Lin, a rising basketball star. [ Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/antivirus/mcafee-founder-sells-rights-to-life-stor/240144207?itc=edit_in_body_cross">McAfee Founder Sells Rights To Life Story</a>. ] The sixth through tenth top trending queries were: Olympics 2012, held in London; Amanda Todd, the bullied teen whose tragic video went viral; Gangnam Style, the South Korean dance hit; Michael Clark Duncan, a well-liked actor who died; and KONY 2012, a widely viewed video protesting Joseph Kony's use of child soldiers in Uganda. The <a href="http://www.google.com/zeitgeist/2012/#united-states/tech-gadgets">top trending queries for tech gadgets</a> in the U.S. were mostly concerned with tablets. The top five were: iPad 3, iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy S3, Kindle Fire and Nexus 7. And number six was Microsoft Surface. Among U.S. searches for phones, Apple and Samsung dominated. The top five trending searches were: iPhone 5, iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2. But Microsoft, Nokia and RIM haven't been forgotten, despite being overshadowed by Apple, Google, and Samsung. Their products found places in the top 10: Blackberry Bold and Blackberry Curve ranked sixth and seventh while the Nokia Lumia 900 and Windows 8 Phone ranked eighth and ninth. But Google's 2012 Zeitgeist is global rather than national in scope, as its moving <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=xY_MUB8adEQ">video recap of the year</a> demonstrates. The company's exhortation to "never stop searching" makes its business into a metaphor for how one should live, even as it suggests the kind of lifelong customer relationship that antitrust authorities just can't sunder. Google first released its Zeitgeist list in December 2001. Back then, the top 10 fastest-rising ("trending" had not yet become a trendy term) searches were: Nostradamus, CNN, World Trade Center, Harry Potter, Anthrax, Windows XP, Osama bin Laden, Audiogalaxy, Taliban and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loft_Story_(France)">Loft Story</a>. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-11T14:14:00ZTwitter Remakes Itself In Instagram's ImageBy adding its own photo editing tools, Twitter looks less like a microblog and more like a social network.http://www.informationweek.com/internet/social-network/twitter-remakes-itself-in-instagrams-ima/240144186?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authorsTwitter on Tuesday began its transformation from a microblogging service into a full-fledged social network when it added native photo editing capabilities, including the ability to alter images with predefined filters. "Starting today, you’ll be able to edit and refine your photos, right from Twitter," explained Twitter senior designer Coleen Baik in <a href="http://blog.twitter.com/2012/12/twitter-photos-put-filter-on-it.html">a blog post</a>. "The latest versions of Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android introduce a few new ways to enhance the images you tweet." Twitter added the ability to post photos with text-based tweets back in June 2011. A year later, it added the ability to expand tweets containing links to partner websites, so linked images can be viewed. Image sharing is a major focus among social networks because users tend to want to preserve their images and doing so entails an ongoing business relationship and potential storage fees. Maintaining a record of tweeted text doesn't seem to have the same appeal. [ Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/government/leadership/white-houses-newest-social-tool-pinteres/240144174?itc=edit_in_body_cross">White House's Newest Social Tool: Pinterest</a>. ] The addition of native photo filters and editing follows a falling-out between Twitter and Instagram, the popular image sharing service acquired by Facebook earlier this year. Instagram last week disabled its Twitter cards integration, making Instagram pictures posted to Twitter appear improperly cropped. The company <a href="http://status.twitter.com/post/37258637900/instagram-photo-rendering-issue">subsequently eliminated</a> the ability to view Instagram pictures on Twitter at all. Having evidently lost its appetite for unfettered social sharing under its new owner, Instagram has taken steps to keep its users and images to itself. And Twitter is pursuing a similar strategy. Earlier this year, it <a href="https://dev.twitter.com/blog/changes-coming-to-twitter-api">changed its APIs</a> to limit how third-party services can interact with the Twitter platform, <a href="http://www.novaspivack.com/uncategorized/ten-questions-for-twitter">to the dismay of developers</a>. It removed the "Find Twitter Friends" feature -- through which users of other services could import Twitter contacts -- from Instagram in July and from Tumblr in August. The major consumer-oriented Internet platform companies are all following in the footsteps of Apple toward vertical integration. They appear to want to own or control every service available on their platform. Anything less could offer a gap through which user loyalty and data might escape. Twitter hasn't gone completely vertical yet: It is relying on online photo editing service Aviary for its filters and effects. That's the sort of partnership that might just turn into an acquisition as Twitter prepares to go public, if only to keep a competitor from buying Aviary first. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a> Join Cloud Connect for a free webcast with "Cloudnomics" author Joe Weinman. Cloudnomics is a new way to discuss the benefits of private clouds. Many have focused on the cost reduction possibilities while others have focused on business agility. However, private clouds can play a strategic role, as well. The <a href="http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=543922&s=1&k=03050B993D09D35972131EDAF5030AD5&partnerref=jdpl">Cloudnomics</a> webcast happens Dec. 12. (Free registration required.)2012-12-10T15:11:00ZGoogle's Android Malware Detection Falls ShortGoogle's app verification service, introduced in Android 4.2, catches only a fifth of malware samples at best, a recent study reports.http://www.informationweek.com/security/mobile/googles-android-malware-detection-falls/240144112?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors  <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div>   Android appears to be on a trajectory to become the Windows of mobile operating systems, but there's a downside to ubiquity. Rising market share means increasing attention from malware authors. Sophos, a computer security company, asserts that there is a <a href="http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2012/12/06/microsoft-android-malware-problems/">growing malware problem for Android devices</a> and that Android devices are less safe than iOS or Windows Phone devices. The FBI has noticed too, <a href="http://www.ic3.gov/media/2012/121012.aspx">issuing a warning</a> in October about risks facing Android users. Google appears to be aware that Android needs better security. In September, it <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/security/management/google-snaps-up-virustotal-malware-scann/240007028">bought VirusTotal.com</a>, a company that measures the effectiveness of malware detection engines. And Android 4.2 "Jelly Bean" includes <a href="http://support.google.com/nexus/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2812636&topic=2812015&ctx=topic">a new app verification service</a> to help identify potentially malicious apps. [ Will Apple products be more secure if they are made in the United States? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-mac-to-be-made-in-usa/240144009?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Apple Mac To Be Made In USA</a>. ] But <a href="http://www.cs.ncsu.edu/faculty/jiang/appverify/">a study</a> published recently by <a href="http://www.csc.ncsu.edu/faculty/jiang">Xuxian Jiang</a>, associate professor of computer science at North Carolina State University, finds that Google's app verification service can identify only 15% to 20% of known Android malware. The study also found that existing third-party security software for Android -- from Avast, AVG, TrendMicro, Symantec, BitDefender, ClamAV, F-Secure, Fortinet, Kaspersky and Kingsoft -- performed significantly better at detecting malware, with accuracy ranging from 51% to 100%. In his study, Jiang says that the app verification service's reliance on SHA1 cryptographic hashes to identify malware files "is fragile and can be easily bypassed." Malware authors can simply repackage or alter their files to create different hash values, a fact that had forced the creators of computer security products to look beyond signature-based solutions. Jiang suggests that Google's cloud-based approach to security could be augmented by more on-device security capabilities. In an email, he said the app verification service can be considered a move toward enhancing client-side security, but the "signature-based approach (adopted in most of current AV systems) can never keep up with the speed at which malware is created and evolved." He recommends that Google look into collecting more information about apps, inasmuch as privacy considerations allow. He also says Google should "beef up the app verification service or integrate with more advanced server support," through integration with <a href="http://googlemobile.blogspot.com/2012/02/android-and-security.html">Bouncer</a>, an app scanning mechanism that Google introduced in February, or Google's newly acquired VirusTotal.com. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-08T09:06:00ZGoogle Apps No Longer Free For BusinessesPaid version of Google Apps suits businesses better, Google insists.http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/google-apps-no-longer-free-for-businesse/240144076?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors  <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div>   When Google <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/08/get-your-people-talking.html">launched Google Apps</a> in August 2006, it was "a service available at no cost to organizations of all shapes and sizes." "Free" was a fearsome price point and it helped companies, small ones at first, start thinking the unthinkable: Maybe there's an alternative to paying for Microsoft Office. "Free" opened doors, even if it became clear in 2007 that Google hoped businesses would prefer paying $50 per user per year for Google Apps Premier Edition, which subsequently was rebranded <a href="http://www.google.com/intl/en/enterprise/apps/business/">Google Apps for Business</a>. As of Thursday, Google Apps is no longer available at no cost. The free lunch has ended: You get what you pay for because you can't get what you didn't pay for. That is, unless you already have it: Companies currently using the free version of Google Apps can continue to do so under the same terms. [ Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-mac-to-be-made-in-usa/240144009?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Apple Mac To Be Made In USA</a>. ] "When we launched the premium business version we kept our free, basic version as well," explained Clay Bavor, director of product management for Google Apps, in <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.com/2012/12/changes-to-google-apps-for-businesses.html">a blog post</a>. "Both businesses and individuals signed up for this version, but time has shown that in practice, the experience isn't quite right for either group." Bavor says businesses quickly run up against the limitations of the free version and usually want premium features like 24/7 customer support. Individuals will be able to continue using Google's Web apps, like Drive, Gmail and Docs at no cost through their Google Accounts. Businesses will be expected to pay for Google Apps for Business. Google will continue to offer Google Apps for Education to schools at no charge, while Google Apps for Government will continue to be available at the same price as Google's business-oriented offering, $50 per user per year. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-07T10:15:00ZApple Mac To Be Made In USAApple shareholders may not be thrilled, but Apple's decision to make some Mac computers in the U.S. will bring more jobs, training to domestic workers.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-mac-to-be-made-in-usa/240144009?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-itunes-11-visual-tour/240142961 "><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/916/sshot000_tn.png" alt="Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour" title="Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Apple plans to shift production of one of its Mac computers from China to the United States in 2013, a move that may mute criticism of labor practices at its contract manufacturers in China, please customers who have expressed a preference for American-made goods and hearten business leaders who have decried the decline in American industry. "We've been working for years on doing more and more in the United States," Apple CEO Tim Cook said to NBC's Brian Williams in <a href="http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/06/15708290-apple-ceo-tim-cook-announces-plans-to-manufacture-mac-computers-in-usa">a TV interview</a>. "Next year, we will do one of our existing Mac lines in the United States." That's a relatively insignificant portion of the products Apple makes. In the quarter that ended September 29, 2012, Apple sold 4.9 million Macs, far fewer than the 26.9 million iPhones sold. Even so, Cook noted that certain iPhone components, like its glass screen, are already made in the U.S. and shipped abroad for assembly. Williams asked what a shift to U.S.-based manufacturing would do to the price of an iPhone, a question based on the assumption that goods can be manufactured for less abroad than in the U.S. [ Do you control your own content? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/social-networks-continue-push-for-contro/240143884?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Social Networks Continue Push For Control</a>. ] Cook responded that the issue isn't price so much as it is skills. "Over time there are skills associated with manufacturing that have left the U.S.," he said, noting that the education system in the U.S. has stopped producing workers with the necessary manufacturing skills and suggesting that Apple's move would help revive manufacturing education programs. While Apple's reliance on Asian manufacturing over the past decade has contributed to its unprecedented financial success, some organizations have been critical of the cost. Beyond the concerns raised by labor-rights advocates about labor practices at Apple's suppliers in China, the Asian Development Bank Institute, a think tank based in Japan, published a paper two years ago arguing that the <a href="http://www.adbi.org/files/2010.12.14.wp257.iphone.widens.us.trade.deficit.prc.pdf">iPhone contributes to the U.S. trade deficit with China</a>, and that moving iPhone manufacturing to the U.S. would better fulfill Apple's corporate responsibility obligations. "Giving up a small portion of profits and sharing them with low-skilled U.S. workers by Apple would be a more effective way to reduce the U.S. trade deficit and create jobs in the U.S.," the paper stated. The cost to Apple would be lower (but still healthy) margins, which might not please shareholders but would benefit the U.S. economy. Researchers from the University of Manchester's Center for Research on Socio-Cultural Change (CRESC) <a href="http://www.cresc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/WP111%20Apple%20Business%20Model%20(April%202012).pdf">made a similar argument</a> in a paper published in April. "In an earlier generation, 'what was good for GM in Detroit was good for America' but now Apple's success from California is mostly good for the stock price in a sterile way because (like other insecure tech giants) Apple hoards cash and does little for U.S. economy and society because its products add to the U.S. payments deficit and the company does not employ well paid blue collar workers in the U.S.," the CRESC paper said. The researchers estimated that an iPhone 4 assembled in the U.S. would raise the approximately eight-hour labor cost for assembly from $7.10 in China to $165.67, based on a $21/hour wage in the U.S., increasing the iPhone's manufacturing cost from $178.45 to $337.01. This would reduce Apple's gross margin from $451.55 (71.7%) to $292.98 (46.5%), based on a $630 list price. The paper argued that were Apple to pursue domestic manufacturing of the iPhone, the company would still have respectable gross margins and the U.S. economy would benefit from job creation. "U.S. assembly would be worse for Apple shareholders, but more beneficial for the U.S. economy instead of higher corporate profits with few sharing in this outcome," the paper said. <a href="http://www.mbs.ac.uk/research/people/profiles/aleaver">Adam Leaver</a>, senior lecturer in business analysis at the University of Manchester School of Business and co-author of the CRESC paper, said in a email that on the surface, Apple's announcement appears to be a positive development, though the devil is in the details, such as how the $100 million the company is reportedly committing to ramp up U.S. manufacturing will be spent. Leaver doesn't see Apple's exploration of U.S.-based manufacturing as a trend. He sees the company as a unique brand that thrives as a result of its customers' passionate commitment to the company, the way fans become emotionally invested in a pop band or sports team. "This was always Apple's seductive appeal, but also a source of fragility because buyers don't want to see the suicides, explosions and deaths when they gaze at the glass-front of their device," Leaver said, referring to the <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/compensation/apple-foxconn-labor-promises-questioned/240062677">labor problems</a> that have been reported at Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn. "They don't want their lifestyle to be associated with such things. So for Apple there is perhaps greater pressure than other firms to resolve this emerging tension between their operating model and the marketing model; between the unpleasant reality of cost control and the imagined associations around the brand. Apple is trying to resolve this tension (or at least allay consumer fears about this tension) with this latest strategic announcement." Even if Apple's move doesn't herald a broader rival of U.S. manufacturing, Leaver sees the move as broadly beneficial because it will create jobs."One of the absurdities of Apple's model in the past is that it uses extraordinary control over its supply chain and input costs to generate <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/big-data/news/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-announces-dividend-stock-buyback/232602815">piles of cash</a> which just sit idly on its balance sheet," he said. "It isn't used to hire U.S. workers, nor is it distributed to shareholders as dividends. If Apple sits on less cash and employs more U.S. workers, then that has to be better for the U.S. economy. Are the shareholders interested in that? Probably not, because theirs is a fairly instrumental relation to the firm. But even Apple's shareholders should see the reputational damage related to its Chinese sub-assemblers, and so might look favorably on a strategy to move some assembly back to the U.S. as a means of allaying these fears and adding value to the product. This might also pressure other competitors to follow suit, which would again mark Apple out as a leader not a follower." <a href="http://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6470">Janice Hammond</a>, Jesse Philips professor of manufacturing at Harvard Business School, said in a phone interview that while it's not clear how much manufacturing volume will return to the U.S. in a single Mac product line, what excites her about Apple's decision is that there seems to be a growing understanding of how to make decisions about what do and not do offshore. For a long time, she said, companies have been primarily focused on taking advantage of lower labor costs offshore, with a few also considering the benefits of work rule differences in other countries. "One of the very interesting things about people bringing manufacturing back into this country is the speed to market and flexibility they will have compared to importing goods from some distant place like China," she said. "I don't think the U.S. can compete with China on labor costs and I don't think the U.S. wants to compete with China on labor costs," Hammond said. "Then the question becomes, 'What is the competitive advantage of sourcing domestically?' ... The advantage of manufacturing domestically is that as demand swings, one can quickly adapt." Hammond pointed to the series of market disrupting events over the past few years, such as the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan and Hurricane Sandy in 2012. "The further your manufacturing is from your market, the more those disruptions will cost you," she said. It's also advantageous to have your manufacturing close to your research and development facilities, Hammond said. Hammond stressed that the ability to react quickly to market changes is particularly important for goods that are fashion-oriented, which she argues electronics have become, in the sense that consumer electronics are produced with short lead times and demand prediction is difficult. Domestic manufacturing also has benefits in terms of intellectual property protection, transportation lead times and tariffs, Hammond observed. And she noted that the "news coming out of Foxconn for the last few years has been problematic" for Apple's image. So domestic manufacturing may help Apple from a marketing perspective, as well as logistically. Hammond said she recently visited New Balance's manufacturing facility in the U.S., noting that 25% of the shoes that the privately held company sells in the U.S. are made here. The company's U.S. workers are several times more productive than the company's workers overseas, she said, and they've developed some very flexible manufacturing processes to allow them to meet demand for specific sizes. "You can be very agile if you have domestic manufacturing and if you structure and manage it correctly," she said. Hammond said that while it may be welcomed when companies act altruistically, public companies can't be expected to accept lower profits to create domestic jobs. "What I would like to do is get companies to really think about the advantages of domestic manufacturing," she said. "So it's not simply altruism but it makes good business sense." <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-06T09:06:00ZSocial Networks Continue Push For ControlThe Internet was supposed to facilitate direct connections between individuals and disempower gatekeepers. Instead, it has become a massive man-in-the-middle attack.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/social-networks-continue-push-for-contro/240143884?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240004375"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/841/slide-1_full.jpg" alt="5 Facebook Rivals Hot On Its Heels" title="5 Facebook Rivals Hot On Its Heels" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">5 Facebook Rivals Hot On Its Heels</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Social networking shouldn't be compulsory, and yet it's becoming an obligation. The hunger among Internet companies for data about who you are, what you do, where you go, and who you know keeps growing. They want you to share so they can earn. So they have violated Communication Neutrality: They have made mechanisms for expression into vehicles for marketing, forcing those who participate in online life to promote. Social networking has become inescapable. Startups often require a Facebook or Twitter login. Google now requires a Google+ account to post app reviews on Google Play. And in many lines of knowledge work, including journalism, participation in these networks has become a job requirement. The latest entry in the field comes from Microsoft, which has <a href="http://blog.fuselabs.org/post/37196309164/good-morning-its-a-big-day-for-us">just opened a social network of its own</a>, the aptly named <a href="http://www.so.cl/">so.cl</a>. Evidently, the world needs more sharing. Or it would, if social networks were actually about sharing. The irony of the constant cajoling to share more, of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's self-serving predictions that <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57536659-93/zuckerberg-in-10-years-folks-will-share-1000-times-what-they-do-now/">everyone will share more in the future</a>, is that social networks themselves limit how they share the data they've collected. They don't so much share as restrict, through contractual API limitations, through incomplete export capabilities, through burdensome processes, under the pretense of user protection, or to spite the competition. [ Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/social_networking_consumer/240009692/facebook-overload-just-getting-worse?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Facebook Overload: Just Getting Worse</a>. ] Consider the latest dustup between Instagram and Twitter. According to the <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/twitter-loses-ability-to-properly-display-instagram-photos/">New York Times</a>, Instagram's CEO Kevin Systrom acknowledged that his Facebook-owned company has eliminated the ability to embed pictures in Twitter and intends to make posts to Twitter redirect users to Instagram to view images. Share and share alike? Hardly. You promote, we monetize. Social networking isn't about sharing. It's about marketing. Perhaps the most obvious proof of that is <a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/2012/11/is-facebook-broken-on-purpose-to-sell-promoted-posts/">Facebook's promoted posts</a>, through which advertisers can pay to have their marketing distributed more widely in Facebook users' news feeds. Sharing at its best is private, personal and genuine. It's direct. It doesn't involve intermediaries. It doesn't have terms of service or privacy policies that describe how you will not be getting privacy. But public sharing is something else entirely. It's publishing, or something like it, paid for by free online services worth far less than the data surrendered and the labor required to produce it. But that's capitalism, isn't it? Buy low, sell high. Publishing used to imply a separation between editorial and advertising. But these days, editorial and advertising are often blurred in a suspicious slurry. Our reflexive distrust of advertising has been disarmed because the norms of social networking make everything potentially commercial. If you're not promoting someone else's brand, you're promoting the brand that is you. To condemn marketing on the Internet is to be a hypocrite, because everyone's doing it or benefiting from it. The problem with commercial communication is that it's something less than honest. It's antisocial because it calls trust into question. Social networking undermines the social contract. Marketing might be necessary but it shouldn't pervade every online interaction. It might be easier to surrender social interaction to intermediaries, but there's no reason it has to be that way. The Internet was supposed to be the great disintermediator. It was supposed to facilitate direct connections between individuals and to disempower middlemen and gatekeepers. Instead, it has become a massive man-in-the-middle attack. A criminal man-in-the-middle attack is covert and aims to steal important data. A social man-in-the-middle attack is merely obscure and aims to use important data, lawfully though seldom with informed consent and adequate disclosure. In the years ahead, perhaps it will be different. Despite the underwhelming adoption of social network alternatives such as <a href="https://www.joindiaspora.com/">Diaspora</a> and <a href="https://tent.io/">Tent.io</a>, social networking could become more like WordPress, a service that users could run for themselves through a cloud computing service provider. You shouldn't need Facebook, Google, or Microsoft to share. That's what the Internet is for. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a> 2012-12-05T09:06:00ZGoogle Play Opens Private App Store For BusinessesBusiness users of Google Apps can now distribute their own custom Android apps through a Google Play Private Channel.http://www.informationweek.com/software/application-optimization/google-play-opens-private-app-store-for/240143790?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors<div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/smb/mobile/232700514"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/773/01_Android_tn.jpg" alt="10 Essential Android Apps For SMBs" title="10 Essential Android Apps For SMBs" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Essential Android Apps For SMBs</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>Google finally has introduced a way for companies to distribute Android apps internally, a capability <a href="https://developer.apple.com/programs/ios/enterprise/">available to Apple iOS developers</a> for several years. Google on Tuesday said it has expanded the Google Play Store to include a service called <a href="http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2494992">Google Play Private Channel.</a> To use the service, organizations need to have a Google Apps for Business, Education or Government domain. A Google Apps administrator must enable the Google Play Developer Console for employees already registered as Google Play apps publishers who will be publishing apps internally. The ability to download internal apps through the Google Play Private Channel also is controlled by Google Apps administrators for a given domain. "Whether you've built a custom expense reporting app for employees or a conference room finder, the Google Play Private Channel is designed to make your organization's internal apps quick and easy for employees to find," said Google Play product manager Ellie Powers in a <a href="http://googleenterprise.blogspot.ca/2012/12/a-new-way-to-distribute-your-internal.html">blog post</a>. [ Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/google-releases-gmail-20-for-ios/240143781?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Releases Gmail 2.0 For iOS</a>. ] After apps have been uploaded using the Google Play Developer's Console, employees can access them through the Google Play Private Channel by logging in via their Google Apps accounts and Android devices. Logging in to Google Play through a Web browser won't work — at present, Private Channels are only visible on Android hardware. Google advises IT administrators to be sure to create dedicated role accounts for publishing apps through the Private Channel, so that internal apps remain accessible in the event the app publisher ends up leaving the organization. Companies can have just one channel. It must be named with the organization name entered into the Google Apps domain settings. Although Google does not presently provide a way to publish to specific corporate groups, the Google Play Developer Console does allow app availability to be limited by country or device model. Al Hilwa, program director for applications development software at research firm IDC, characterized Google Play Private Channels as a welcome mechanism for enterprise app distribution. "Other platforms have put [out] various mechanisms to handle this and there are vendors who handle this in a cross-platform way," he said in an email. "Enterprises need a private, efficient and scalable way to roll out enterprise apps on mobile app stores as the mobile app model begins to take hold. Private Channels appears to be focused on this problem." <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a> 2012-12-04T15:30:00ZGoogle Releases Gmail 2.0 For iOSNew version of Google's Gmail app for iOS features multiple account support and a more refined look.http://www.informationweek.com/software/productivity-applications/google-releases-gmail-20-for-ios/240143781?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-itunes-11-visual-tour/240142961 "><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/916/sshot000_tn.png" alt="Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour" title="Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Google's Gmail app for iOS received its 2.0 facelift on Tuesday and is now available through Apple's iTunes App Store. Google's announcement of the app's availability preceded its actual availability, prompting the company to respond to those who sought to download the app, but found they could not, by telling them <a href="https://twitter.com/gmail/status/276023586265919489">to try again later</a>. <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/app/gmail/id422689480?mt=8">Gmail for iOS version 2.0</a> features "a totally new look and feel," says Google product manager Matthew Izatt in <a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-gmail-app-for-iphone-and-ipad.html">a blog post</a>. That's a bit of an exaggeration: There are some useful changes and aesthetic refinements, but the app remains at its core a list of email messages, regardless of its "new, cleaner look." The most noteworthy addition is multi-account support. The app will let you log into up to five separate Gmail accounts from the menu page and then tab among open accounts. That's very helpful on shared devices, like the family iPad. [ Google released a Chrome browser for Apple devices in June. See <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/mobility/smart-phones/chrome-for-ios-a-failure/240143761?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Chrome For iOS: A Failure?</a> ] There are some new interface animations, which don't really change the way the app functions but add to the sense that many engineers toiled over this app to make it just so. Somehow that's reassuring. More meaningful are the profile pictures in messages, so you can see who's asking you to send funds to Nigeria to recover that unclaimed bank account from a distant relative you never knew existed. And for those with an all-but infinite hoard of email, the Gmail app for iOS now supports infinite scrolling through message lists, the perfect entertainment experience for seemingly infinite meetings. Searching in Gmail 2.0 for iOS now triggers autocomplete predictions as you type, saving time and deterring any thought of rebellion against the machines by underscoring the fact that Google is way ahead of you. The app now also supports the ability to RSVP to Google Calendar invitations and to endorse Google+ posts with a +1 or comment without the need to switch to the Google+ app. The iOS update for Gmail follows Monday's update to the Gmail app for Android. <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.gm">Version 4.2.1</a> of Gmail for Android introduced an auto-fit Settings option that resizes email messages to fit the screen of the device on which they're viewed. It also added swipe-to-archive and swipe-to-delete options to facilitate rapid message processing, the ability to attach photos and videos within Gmail and larger photo previews for attachments. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-12-03T15:14:00ZGoogle, Mozilla Warn Of Threats To Internet FreedomThe International Telecommunications Union's effort to update a telecom treaty could hinder Internet freedom, the two companies claim.http://www.informationweek.com/government/policy/google-mozilla-warn-of-threats-to-intern/240143052?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authorsGoogle and Mozilla have warned that proposed changes to international telecommunications rules, currently being discussed in Dubai under the auspices of the U.N.'s International Telecommunications Union, present a threat to Internet freedom. "The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is convening a conference from December 3-14 to revise a decades-old <a href="http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/itrs.aspx">treaty</a>, in which only governments have a vote," <a href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/12/keep-internet-free-and-open.html">said Vint Cerf</a>, VP and chief Internet evangelist at Google and co-creator of the Internet's TCP/IP protocol, in a blog post on Sunday. "Some proposals could allow governments to justify the censorship of legitimate speech, or even cut off Internet access in their countries." The lack of input from non-governmental organizations and Internet users is a widely cited concern among those critical of the ITU's process. In a blog post on Sunday, Mozilla's chief counsel, <a href="https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2012/12/02/why-is-itu-governance-of-the-internet-a-bad-idea/">Harvey Anderson</a>, condemned the closed-door nature of the ITU discussions. "Obscurity has cloaked the upcoming meeting, much of the process leading up to it, and most of the preparatory documents," he said. "The process appears to cater to only the most powerful interests." [ What's the latest from Apple? View <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-itunes-11-visual-tour/240142961?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Apple iTunes 11: Visual Tour</a>. ] Anderson argues that closed, government-directed treaty discussions are inconsistent with the Internet's tradition of multi-stakeholder governance. Sounding exasperated with what he suggested was unwarranted demonization of the ITU, Gary Fowlie, head of ITU liaison Office to the United Nations, insisted in a phone interview that his organization's effort to revise outdated telecom rules is not an attempt to change the way the Internet is governed. "This whole idea there would be some kind of restriction on freedom of expression, it just doesn't fly with what the ITU has stood for," he said, stressing that as a U.N. entity, the ITU is bound to uphold <a href="http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a19">Article 19</a> of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to free expression through any media. The ITU's concerns, Fowlie said, have to do with issues like affordable Internet access, high roaming fees and the security of telecommunications systems. Asked whether security could co-exist with the ability to express oneself freely without fear of government retaliation, he said, "That's a very challenging balance for many but it's not something that hasn't been accomplished in the past. "For us, at the highest level, the Internet is the most powerful tool for economic growth, social inclusion and environmental sustainability," he said. "Nobody wants to compromise that." But according to the <a href="https://www.cdt.org">Center for Democracy and Technology</a>, some of the ITU proposals would compromise expectations like privacy. A proposed network data inspection standard, the group says, fails to adequately address possible privacy implications. A proposal from the European Telecommunications Network Operators, the group says, would undermine network neutrality with a "pay for priority" model and replace the largely settlement-free network peering model with a sender-pays model. In comments posted to the ITU website, CDT policy analyst <a href="http://www.itu.int/en/wcit-12/Pages/public.aspx">Ellery Roberts Biddle</a> condemns the proposed changes. "Through extending the regulatory framework of the ITRs to the Internet, the ITU Member States will mitigate the Internet's growth and inhibit the Internet's impact on economies and societies around the globe," she asserts. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-11-30T11:36:00ZApple iTunes 11: Visual TourTake a closer look at Apple iTunes 11 and see how the venerable music application and e-commerce interface has been redesigned for the better.http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apple-itunes-11-visual-tour/240142961?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authorsOriginally scheduled for release last month, Apple's iTunes 11 is now available to OS X and Windows users through the OS X App Store or as a download from the company's website. The venerable music app has lost its luster somewhat as cloud-based file synchronization has taken off. Now that Apple has iCloud, the synchronization component of iTunes seems unnecessary. But of course iTunes has become a source of revenue for Apple, so the company wants customers to be exposed to the iTunes Store whenever they feel the need to manage their iTunes content on their various devices. Recent versions of iTunes have performed poorly, which <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/258620/declare_independence_from_itunes_with_spotify_premium.html" target="_blank">some attribute</a> to <a href="http://tidbits.com/article/11615" target="_blank">bloated code</a>. If you've experienced the <a href="http://www.thexlab.com/faqs/sbbod.html" target="_blank">spinning beachball of death</a> on a Mac, chances are iTunes was involved, particularly in the context of iOS device syncing. Polling by social media analytics service Amplicate indicates that <a href="http://amplicate.com/hate/itunes" target="_blank">59% of more than 115,000 social media voters</a> expressed hate for iTunes. That's an almost worthless figure. It says nothing about how many of those iTunes haters have actually used iTunes. But let it suffice to confirm that more than <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/message/19094037#19094037" target="_blank">a few</a> Apple customers <a href="https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3952492?start=0&tstart=0" target="_blank">are dissatisfied</a> with the software. Beyond performance issues, iTunes is a pain because it's all but essential -- it's now integrated into OS X and it's hard to remove -- and because it too often limits what you can do with files -- it's a digital rights management (DRM) application, after all. Though Apple <a href="http://www.apple.com/fr/hotnews/thoughtsonmusic/" target="_blank">disavowed DRM for music/a> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/technology/companies/07apple.html?_r=0" target="_blank">in 2009</a>, it continues to support it for apps, ebooks, and iTunes video. But the majority of iTunes users -- the silent, satisfied majority -- should find <a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/whats-new/" target="_blank">many welcome improvements</a> in iTunes 11. The app looks more elegant and is laid out more sensibly. The simplified left-hand navigation panel is significantly more intuitive than old-style version, which housed links to the library, store, home sharing, genius recommendations and playlists. Better still, iTunes 11 feels faster, even if the new version takes up more space (292 MB) than the old one (270 MB). Perhaps this has something to do with the excision of Apple's poorly received social music service Ping earlier this year. Take a tour of iTunes 11 and see if it meets your approval.Here's the iTunes Store, as seen in iTunes 10.7, the previous version. It's not bad, really, but it could be better. For example, version 11 adds the ability to use your computer's camera to scan gift card redemption codes. It's not that much of chore to type a long string of characters to redeem an iTunes gift card, but Apple's attention to detail here is noteworthy. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> Version 11 gets rid of the left-hand navigation panel, to gain more screen space for store content. It retains a revised version of the right-hand panel, full of links that are relevant to the store experience. The Cover Flow-inspired slideshow at the top of the store window is much easier to interact with than the old mosaic marquee with scroll arrows that appeared in response to a mouse cursor. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> iTunes' new library view is sharper, literally. The old album view displayed icons with rounded corners. The new album view features square icons with sharp right angles. It dispenses with the left-hand navigation panel to provide a less cluttered view of album art. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a>In iTunes 10.7, the left-hand navigation panel was sort of a dumping ground for viewing options. In iTunes 11, selecting specific media types to view in one's iTunes library is handled by a new menu toward the top left of the app. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> The device sync window for iPhones, iPods and iPads isn't all that different but it looks better. The storage usage bar on the bottom now has a nice reflective finish and provides genre-specific file counts and space usage when you hold your mouse cursor over the bar graph. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> When you update to iTunes 11, Apple will ask you <a href="http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/sharing/en/" target="_blank">to share information</a> about the songs in your iTunes library. Though you're probably already doing this if you opted to receive Genius recommendations, agreeing will allow Apple to scan for missing album art, provide promotional photography from artists' performances and offer related recommendations. Apple insists your privacy will not be compromised in the process. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> iTunes 11 has added an expanded view of library content. Clicking on the image of an album or a video loads a rectangular menu below the item with specific details about the content -- song lists or cast members, for example. An "In the Store" link provides additional information about the title and about other projects by the same artist, unless the title isn't available in iTunes. If your taste in media runs outside the mainstream, iTunes' limitations quickly become apparent. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a>The familiar iTunes list view is available still, in a more refined design. Songs purchased from the iTunes Store will be stored on Apple's iCloud servers, where they can be streamed directly or downloaded via the iCloud icon. The ability to download past purchases from iCloud can make file recovery much easier in the event of a crash that damages a local iTunes library. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a>Assuming you haven't switched over to Apple's dedicated Podcasts app, you may find iTunes 11 presents information about podcasts more effectively. The ability to toggle between unplayed podcasts and all episodes is particularly useful. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> If you've ever wanted to alter an iTunes playlist on the fly, there's now a way to do so. "Up Next," a new menu in iTunes 11, allows you to see the songs slated to be played next and to insert or remove songs from that queue without altering the stored playlist. In all, iTunes 11 is a significant improvement over its predecessors. It might even win over some iTunes haters. RECOMMENDED READING <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054">Apple's War Against Google: Time For New Tactics </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/iphone-5-map-flap-doesnt-stop-consumers/240008997">iPhone 5 Map Flap Doesn't Stop Consumers</a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/apple-after-steve-jobs-10-hits-and-misse/240008271">Apple After Steve Jobs: 10 Hits And Misses </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/apple-macintosh/apples-top-20-public-apologies/240008177">Apple's Top 20 Public Apologies </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/ios-6-10-things-worth-knowing/240005139">iOS 6: 10 Things Worth Knowing </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/handheld/ipad-mini-hands-on-first-impressions/240044409">iPad Mini: Hands-On First Impressions </a> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/global-cio/outsourcing/samsung-slammed-over-labor-abuses/240142600">Samsung Slammed Over Labor Abuses </a> 2012-11-29T09:26:00ZResearchers Steal Cloud Computing Power Via BrowsersSecurity researchers demonstrate that cloud computing can be taken at no cost, if you know where to find the processing cycles.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/researchers-steal-cloud-computing-power/240142722?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors  <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/infrastructure/7-cheap-cloud-storage-options/240134947"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/905/01_Cloud_tn.jpg" alt="7 Cheap Cloud Storage Options" title="7 Cheap Cloud Storage Options" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">7 Cheap Cloud Storage Options</div>(click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div> While Amazon and Google compete in a cloud computing price war, neither company can beat the price proposed by academic computer researchers: free. Computer scientists at North Carolina State University and the University of Oregon have demonstrated that it is possible to conduct large-scale cloud computing tasks anonymously at no cost by abusing cloud-based browsers, such as Amazon Silk, Cloud Browse, Opera Mini and Puffin. Their paper, "Abusing Cloud-Based Browsers for Fun and Profit," is scheduled to be presented on December 6 at the <a href="http://www.acsac.org/">2012 Annual Computer Security Applications Conference</a> in Orlando, Fla. Other security researchers have demonstrated ways in which cloud computing can be used to break weak security. For example, Moxie Marlinspike's <a href="https://www.cloudcracker.com/">CloudCracker</a> service leverages the power of cloud-based servers to crack network passwords. But such number crunching costs money. [ Learn how to get 10 times faster query performance at one-tenth the price. Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/information-management/amazon-debuts-low-cost-big-data-warehous/240142712?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Amazon Debuts Low-Cost, Big Data Warehousing</a>. ] What William Enck, an assistant professor of computer science at N.C. State, and his five co-authors describe in their paper is a technique they call a Browser MapReduce (BMR). MapReduce, developed by Google, is a way to handle the parallel processing of large data sets. Browser MapReduce involves the aggregation of free JavaScript processing offered by cloud-based browsers, in conjunction with a scheduling scheme to work around the computational limitations imposed by cloud-browser providers, to perform MapReduce jobs. With careful coordination, BMR demonstrates "a new way of performing parasitic computing," the paper states. For free storage, the BMR experiments conducted relied on the bit.ly URL shortening service, through which data encoded in URLs could be preserved and accessed via the bit.ly API. The paper's authors liken cloud browsers to insecure mail servers. "By rendering Web pages in the cloud, the providers of cloud browsers can become open computation centers, much in the same way that poorly configured mail servers become open relays," they say. BMR outperformed Amazon's Elastic MapReduce and Hadoop running on Amazon EC2 for a <a href="http://code.google.com/edu/parallel/mapreduce-tutorial.html#MRExamples">distributed grep</a> job. It performed less well when processing word count and distributed sort experiments, but the researchers note that BMR was not designed to outpace MapReduce and that the meager savings in the experiments -- the Amazon jobs cost three or four cents, while BMR cost nothing -- could be much more significant for a large job over a long period of time, like distributed password cracking. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-11-29T09:06:00ZGoogle Street View Hits The SlopesGoogle Street View captures a variety of images and locations and distances itself from privacy concerns.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-street-view-hits-the-slopes/240142719?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"><a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/galleries/internet/google/240002872"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/824/03_2012-06-27-11_08_45_full.jpg" alt="Google I/O: 10 Awesome Visions" title="Google I/O: 10 Awesome Visions" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">Google I/O: 10 Awesome Visions</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow)</div>  Not all Google Street View image acquisition runs are easy. Panoramic photography in the Antarctic or underwater is physically demanding. And capturing scenes of the Amazon basin on a Street View tricycle amid tropical heat, pedaling heavy gear on unpaved roads, isn't a picnic either. If you had to pick a Street View assignment, you might be tempted to volunteer to map Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, or Solden, a ski resort in Austria. A few lucky Street View photographers have done just that. Google's Street View <a href="http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2012/11/get-ready-for-winter-mapping-canadian.html">now includes</a> the slopes at more than 90 <a href="http://maps.google.com/intl/en/help/maps/streetview/gallery.html#ski-resorts-and-slopes"> ski resorts</a> in the U.S., Canada and Europe. What better way to spend a ski weekend traffic jam on California's Highway 80 than vicariously traversing the slopes you're trying to reach on a network-connected iPad? But Google hasn't limited itself to documenting the haunts of the ski-and-be-seen crowd. It has also added scenes from the Canadian arctic to its Street View image set. With Google's help and its Map Maker software, Nunavut Tunngavik, a non-profit group, and the people of <a href="http://goo.gl/maps/cLyh8">Cambridge Bay, Canada</a>, have put their own community on the Street View map. It's further proof that mapping is as much about community as it is about geography and politics. [ What else can you see? Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/internet/google/google-maps-shows-underwater-sights/240008022?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Maps Shows Underwater Sights</a>. ] Street View wasn't always something people wanted. Initially, it was often thought of as Street Violation, a prying corporate eye that pierced lingering illusions of privacy in public spaces. And Google in many ways was to blame: Its Street View drivers drove onto a military base uninvited, captured images of people in compromising positions and of ostensibly private backyards, and even managed to prompt a blockade in one town in England. Worse still, Google was violating people's privacy in a more substantive way than taking pictures in public -- its Street View cars were equipped with software that <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/privacy/227900752">vacuumed up unprotected Wi-Fi network data</a>, "inadvertently" the company insisted. But many lawsuits, government demands and privacy promises later, Street View has evolved into something less threatening. It now includes imagery of areas of Japan affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, underwater imagery, pictures of the Arctic and Antarctica, and more than 50 museums around the world. By going off-road, Street View has left privacy privacy concerns behind and moved into the landscape of civic and cultural reflection. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>2012-11-28T09:08:00ZGoogle Links Gmail To Drive For Huge AttachmentsGmail users can now attach files as large as 10 GB, in a manner of speaking.http://www.informationweek.com/cloud-computing/software/google-links-gmail-to-drive-for-huge-att/240142664?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_authors  <div class="inlineStoryImage inlineStoryImageRight"> <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/thebrainyard/news/galleries/social_networking_consumer/240007253"><img src="http://twimgs.com/informationweek/galleries/automated/867/Google-Plus,-1st-screen_full.PNG" alt="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" title="10 Best Business Tools In Google+" class="img175" /></a> <div class="storyImageTitle">10 Best Business Tools In Google+</div> (click image for larger view and for slideshow) </div>   The first automatically encoded email attachment was sent over 20 years ago, on March 11, 1992, by then Bellcore researcher <a href="http://www.guppylake.com/nsb/mime.html">Nathaniel Borenstein</a>, using what would become the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) protocol. It was 406 KB, or thereabouts, assuming the .wav file posted on Borenstein's website is unaltered. Since then, files have put on weight. Graphics files, music files and video files today are routinely measured in tens or hundreds of megabytes, even gigabytes. Internet users, however, still want to send files via email. ISPs, in an effort to prevent overloaded networks, tend to impose limits on email attachments. These limits vary, but tend to be in the 10-25 MB range, with <a href="http://help.sizablesend.com/what-are-the-attachment-size-limits-of-major-email-providers/">a few services allowing larger files</a>. Google however wants to appear more generous still: It is offering Gmail users a way to email files of up to 10 GB. "Have you ever tried to attach a file to an email only to find out it's too large to send?" wrote Google product manager Phil Sharp in <a href="http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/gmail-and-drive-new-way-to-send-files.html">a blog post</a>. "Now with Drive, you can insert files up to 10 GB -- 400 times larger than what you can send as a traditional attachment." [ Google intends to clean up the Google Play "cesspool." Read <a href="http://www.informationweek.com/software/enterprise-applications/google-play-ends-anonymous-app-reviews/240142643?itc=edit_in_body_cross">Google Play Ends Anonymous App Reviews</a>. ] However, Google isn't actually changing the mechanics of email attachments. It is integrating Gmail and Google Drive so that the process of attaching a file using Gmail saves the file in the user's Drive storage space. So when the user sends the attached file, he or she ends up sending a pointer to where the file resides in Google's cloud, a URL. Message recipients can then access the file, using the emailed URL to download it from Google Drive or simply to view it in a browser. For Gmail users, the distinction between MIME attachments and Drive attachments isn't likely to matter. It would only come into play if, for example, if the recipient of an email with an attachment immediately went offline. A traditional attachment, within allowed size parameters, would be downloaded automatically by an appropriately configured mail client and would thereafter be available without an Internet connection. A Drive attachment, being just a link until accessed, would be inaccessible if the message recipient was offline. Google isn't doing anything particularly new here: Cloud storage services like Dropbox and Box handle file sharing in a similar way. But Google has made Gmail more useful as a business tool, given that email remains the preferred collaboration application for many people. It has made Gmail into an alternative interface for Drive. In so doing, Google may gain a competitive advantage over standalone cloud storage services -- the popularity of Gmail is likely to encourage more use of Drive, potentially at the expense of other cloud storage competitors. <a rel="author" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/102021281784660899725/about"> <img src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/images/icons/gplus-16.png" width="16" height="16" align="right"> </a>