InformationWeek Daily Archives
05/24/2013 11:12:16 Daily, March 07Google's Slip-pery Slope
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In This Issue:
1. Editor's Note: Google's Slip-pery Slope
2. Today's Top Story: Intel Directions
- Intel 'Core' Focuses On Power Consumption As It Aims To Overtake AMD
- Intel Tips New, Revamped Microarchitecture
3. Breaking News
- Spam Rates Rebound
- Firefox Whips Internet Explorer In Vulnerability Tally
- New IM Worms Delete Files, Hijack PCs
- Microsoft's Fingerprint Reader Hacked
- Google Lets Slip Talk Of Online Storage Service
- Cisco Invests In Converged IT And Video Surveillance Security
- Sun To Add Blade Servers To Galaxy Line
- IBM Updates Data Warehouse Line
- HP Sued Over Ex-CEO Fiorina's $42 Million Severance Payout
- Cingular Wireless Launches Video Service
- Yahoo Expands API For Developers
- Blinkx Brings Tiny Search Tools To Windows Apps
- Service To Remotely Wipe Data From Lost Laptops
4. Grab Bag: Smart Music Phone, AIM Opens Up
- Samsung Unveils 8 Gbyte Smart Music Phone (TechNewsWorld)
- AIM Now (Mostly) Open To Developers (Slashdot)
5. In Depth: RFID
- RFID-Embedded Police Badges Debut In August
- Bill Pushes RFID To Curb Drug Counterfeiting
- Podcast: RFID Is The Newest Four-Letter Word
6. Voice Of Authority: The Altamont Of The Internet Culture?
- IT Confidential: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Software
7. White Papers: Web App Performance
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
9. Manage Your Newsletter Subscription
Quote of the day:
"The brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you
get up in the morning, and does not stop until you get into the
office." -- Robert Frost
Google in many ways has positioned itself as the industry's
anti-Microsoft. Since its inception, it hasn't been given to
preannouncing products or features years in advance, then
watching as the starstruck masses hung on every move related to
those (oft-delayed) products. Its corporate credo of "Don't Be
Evil" comes off as the antithesis to the evil empire in Redmond
(though recent events in China raise questions on how closely
Google is hewing to its self-imposed mandate).
In the recent push to be all things to all users and gain massive scale, Google may be relaxing some of these
principles.
Yesterday it was reported that the company had mistakenly released online documents about a
potential online storage service referred to as GDrive. "With
infinite storage, we can house all user files, including emails,
web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from
anywhere (any device, any platform, etc.)," said the notes from a
presentation that was removed from the company Web site after the
usual pack of bloggers circulated them.
A Microsoft-like explanation was offered by a Google spokeswoman
who declined to comment on any specific service, but confirmed
that a presentation containing the notes had been mistakenly
released on the Web, adding "We have nothing to announce at this
time."
In reality, the announcement--or, more likely, trial balloon--has
already been launched. It was strikingly similar to a "slip" in February, when Microsoft mistakenly posted a
Web page listing a variety of Vista versions, then later
explained: "This page has since been removed as it was posted
prematurely and was for testing purposes only."
These incidents seem less a case of mistaken Web posting and more
an orchestrated effort to gauge user and customer feedback. In
Google's case, perhaps it wanted to find out if GDrive--and the
specter of the company having access to more of individuals'
data--would create anything like the privacy debate that accompanied the recent Google
Desktop announcement.
For years, Microsoft has gotten loads of mileage and visibility
from these types of tactics. But Google was supposed to be
different. Perhaps it's just poor public relations and marketing
management--following closely on the CFO's disastrous comments about an expected slowdown in the
company's growth rate--or perhaps Google is finding that to
compete against the likes of Microsoft, it must adopt some of the
business practices it has found so distasteful in the past.
What's your view? Was this indeed a slip, or was Google trying to
weigh public interest and reaction to this potential service? You
can weigh in at my blog entry.
Separately, I read with interest this item from The Wall Street
Journal [subscription required] on how Wal-Mart is enlisting
bloggers to combat negative publicity, giving these Internet
scribes even greater stature. It seems one more step in the
elimination of distinctions--at least from a perception
standpoint--between traditional journalism with its built-in
checks and balances and the free-form world of blogging. What's
your view? Should bloggers be viewed as doing the same work as
news reporters, or are the two clearly separate activities that
should be viewed--and trusted--on different levels? Take our poll.
Tom Smith
Intel 'Core' Focuses On Power Consumption As It Aims To Overtake AMD
Related Story:
Intel Tips New, Revamped Microarchitecture
Spam Rates Rebound
Firefox Whips Internet Explorer In Vulnerability Tally
New IM Worms Delete Files, Hijack PCs
Microsoft's Fingerprint Reader Hacked
Google Lets Slip Talk Of Online Storage Service
Cisco Invests In Converged IT And Video Surveillance Security
Sun To Add Blade Servers To Galaxy Line
IBM Updates Data Warehouse Line
HP Sued Over Ex-CEO Fiorina's $42 Million Severance Payout
Cingular Wireless Launches Video Service
Yahoo Expands API For Developers
Blinkx Brings Tiny Search Tools To Windows Apps
Service To Remotely Wipe Data From Lost Laptops
In the current episode:
John Soat With 'Microsoft Clarified'
Bruce Boardman With 'VoIP Jitters'
Eric Chabrow With 'The Networking Guy'
Samsung Unveils 8 Gbyte Smart Music Phone (TechNewsWorld)
AIM Now (Mostly) Open To Developers (Slashdot)
New From InformationWeek: Get Your News In A Flash--Literally
Do You Access Our Content From A BlackBerry Or Treo?
-----------------------------------------
RFID-Embedded Police Badges Debut In August
Bill Pushes RFID To Curb Drug Counterfeiting
Podcast: RFID Is The Newest Four-Letter Word
IT Confidential: (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, And Software
Improving Web Application Performance To Lower Costs And Increase ROI
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InformationWeek Daily Newsletter
1. Editor's Note: Google's Slip-pery Slope
tsmith@cmp.com
www.informationweek.com
Intel says a new measure of power use--energy per instruction--is
the "new Holy Grail" in computing.
Intel moves to renew its x86-based chip line by disclosing
details of its long-awaited microarchitecture.
After several months of slipping spam rates, junk mail rebounded
during February, message-filtering company Postini said Tuesday.
Symantec changes the way it tallies potential security gaps in
browsers and concludes that Mozilla Firefox has fewer vulnerabilities.
Two new worms spreading on Microsoft's and America Online's instant
messaging networks delete files and leave systems open to hijacking.
But the biometric device wasn't designed to provide massive
security. Even the company calls it a tool of "convenience."
A presentation, now off Google's site, acknowledged that one
potential roadblock could be bandwidth constraints among users
with slower Internet connections.
Cisco's SyPixx Networks acquisition will provide the networking
vendor with technology for integrating surveillance video into an
IP-based network.
The new blade server will let Sun re-enter a market that's
currently dominated by Dell, Egenera, Hewlett-Packard, and IBM.
Vendor also expands relationship with Cognos to strengthen its
business intelligence hand.
The suit alleges that Fiorina's payout exceeded 2.99 times the
sum of her base salary plus target bonuses, and that company
policy requires shareholder approval for a payment that large.
Cingular Wireless on Tuesday launched a video service that offers
clips from the Cartoon Network, Fox TV, HBO, and other
entertainment providers, as well as news, weather, and sports.
Yahoo is giving developers tools to build applications that
interact with Yahoo Photos, Calendar, MyWeb, and Shopping.
The software adds buttons to a variety of applications, such as
E-mail clients, Web browsers, and word processors. When clicked,
the buttons display search results based on the contents of the
document being viewed.
Pre-installed software will automatically locate and alert the
machine to delete sensitive data the next time the laptop
connects to Everdream's desktop management hosting service
through the Internet.
Microsoft clarifies its position on its search business and
denies the inclusion of its "back door" in the Vista OS.
AppCritical from Apparent Networks improves the quality of VoIP calls
and eliminates those jitters you might hear during your conversation.
Jay Allen's CXO helps connect CIOs and CTOs across the country.
4. Grab Bag: News You Need From The Web
Samsung is the first to adopt a hard disk drive into mobile
phones and has launched three models equipped with a hard disk
drive, including a 1.5 Gbyte HDD-embedded phone, a 3 Gbyte
HDD-embedded phone, and a 3 Gbyte HDD music smart phone.
Open AIM will empower you, as the developer, to write custom
clients and plug-ins, AOL says.
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There's another crime-fighting weapon being added to law
enforcement's arsenal, and it's not what you'd expect. Along with
handcuffs, guns, and nightsticks, cops' uniforms will soon
include badges with RFID chips.
The bill is designed to secure drug distribution through the
supply chain from manufacturers to patients.
Have you heard the latest buzz on the newest four-letter word,
RFID, also known as radio frequency identification technology?
John Soat explains why last week's Google warning to investors
that its growth was slowing may be the Altamont of the Internet
culture, which, he notes, would be, like, a major bummer, man.
7. White Papers: Web App Performance
This paper outlines the challenges of comprehensively monitoring,
managing, and improving end-to-end Web application performance
and the benefits of and best practices for doing so.
8. Get More Out Of InformationWeek
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