Inder's Internet Blog: 08/01/2011

Sunday, August 28, 2011

‘Bond’ may hit operations at Maruti’s Manesar unit

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

How Facebook’s New Privacy Settings Will Affect Your Business

Facebook announced Tuesday that it will be introducing a handful of privacy changes to their 750 million users. AllthingsD reports that the new privacy features will go into effect on August 25, initially to only one percent of all Facebook users.

xactly how much the new settings are a response to longstanding user criticism or new competition in the form of Google+ is hard to discern. It does seem clear however, that without the new threat to Facebook, the company would have had little incentive to change its historically lax approach to user privacy.

The implications for businesses trying to connect on the platform are huge, as users now have a slew of new tools to control who sees what. Here is a breakdown of the changes:

1. You’ll have a drop-down menu on the upper right hand side of your Facebook page where you can choose to display things like your hometown or latest photo album. All of these options had been accessible previously on your Settings page, but this makes it much easier and clearer to control.

2. You'll be able to tag non-friends or pages in pictures and statuses. This is one of the few potentially advantageous new features for businesses. For example, your company can be tagged by users who want to mention it but who haven’t taken the time to officially “Like” it. Plus, tags now must be approved by users (see below).

3. Facebook will give you the option to verify or deny tagged photos of yourself. When you deny a tag, you'll have a several options. You can automatically remove the tag, request the photo be taken down, or block the user who tagged you.

4. Before you post a status update or picture, you'll be able to adjust exactly who sees it by selecting from Public, Friends or Custom options. Facebook is shifting to the term “public” instead of “everyone.”

5. You'll be able to easily access the “View Profile As” button directly on your profile, whereas before it was hidden in Settings. This lets you see which parts of your profile are public or visible to your friends with just one click.

6. You'll be able to tag your location in any post. By contrast, before you only had the option to check into locations via Facebook mobile.

7. You'll be able to change who sees status updates directly when you post them.

Overall, some of these features have always been available under the Settings tab, but by localizing them next to the information in question, Facebook has shown it’s ready to take privacy a little more seriously.

The hard reality for businesses looking to connect with people via social media is that it’s only getting harder. That is, when users are given more controls over what they share and who they share it with, companies will have a harder time attracting attention. Of course, as Facebook shifts the way users protect and share their information, we may see changes on how they manage business profiles, as well.

Despite crowds of users flocking away from Facebook with the release of Google+, ComScore just reported that the company saw 162 million unique visitors in July, an 11 percent jump from the same period a year ago, when it had about 146 million such visits. Facebook is going strong but understands that it must react to Google+’s much more progressive privacy policies.

The entrance of Google+ signaled the first real competition to Facebook since the MySpace era. Previously, Facebook was more concerned with attracting business than scaring off users, because those users had nowhere to go. Facebook now understands that if they don’t offer the privacy options users have come to expect from the likes of Google+, it doesn’t matter how business-friendly it might be, because there will be no users left.

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Sunday, August 21, 2011

New Android tablet launches for $99

A small private company has announced the launch of a new Android-based tablet for India and it is priced at a mere $99. Well, the pricing does seem quite shocking, but the company, Lakshmi Access Communication Systems (LACS) are planning to bring in not just one, but a few low-cost versions of tablets, which they claim will rival Apple’s iPad 2 and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The $99 base model tablet, named Magnum Pepper Tablet PC, works on Google’s Android 2.2 OS and comes with an 800 MHz processor and 256MB RAM. It has a 7-inch LCD sensitive touch display, but the display type hasn’t been divulged. Whether it’s capacitive or resistive might make a big impact in the tablet’s sales. We’re pinning our hopes on a capacitive touch screen. However, it’s more likely to be a resistive one. Furthermore, the base model will have Wi-Fi, RJ45 LAN port, USB 2.0, MicroSD card support up to 32GB, 3G compatible dongle, 3.5mm jack, G-sensors, front camera and built-in 2GB of memory. With all these features and at that price this tablet is definitely a steal!

We’ve drawn a comparison between four of the major tablets currently and you can gauge the price difference between the Magnum Pepper and the rest. The price is definitely impressive and may directly compete with the Reliance 3G tablet and Beetel Teletech’s Magiq tablet. However, it’s the specs and the performance that will eventually decide the fate of the tablet. But, it seems that local competition has increased and that is nothing but good news for consumers.

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Friday, August 19, 2011

Microsoft's Android patent claims get tested Monday

The first test of Microsoft's claims that device makers running Google's Android mobile operating system have infringed on its patents comes Monday.

That's when Administrative Law Judge Theodore R. Essex of the U.S. International Trade Commission will hear Microsoft's claims against Motorola, in one of the most closely watched patent disputes in techdom. Microsoft filed claims last October that Motorola's Android-based smartphones infringe on nine patents related to syncing e-mail, calendar, and contacts, and notifying applications about changes in signal strength and battery power. Microsoft brought the dispute before the ITC in order to block shipments of Motorola devices from manufacturing facilities abroad before they hit U.S. soil. Both Microsoft and Motorola declined to comment on the hearing.

Microsoft has filed similar claims with the ITC against other mobile-device makers, including Barnes & Noble for its Nook electronic reading tablet. Apple has similarly sued Taiwanese handset maker HTC over claims that its handsets infringe on iPhone patents.

The hearing that begins Monday at the ITC's headquarters in Washington, D.C., will focus on the validity of Microsoft's patents and on whether Motorola infringed on them. In addition to Microsoft and Motorola making their cases, lawyers from the ITC may also chime in to guide Judge Essex. The hearing is scheduled to last about 10 days.

But don't expect an instant verdict. The judge will make an initial determination later this year, followed by a final judgement in 2012. If he rules that Motorola did infringe on Microsoft's patents, he could then issue an injunction blocking shipments of devices in dispute.

While Google is not a party to the litigation, it will loom large in the case. Earlier this month, Google sought to bar one of Microsoft's expert witnesses from testifying, arguing that Microsoft improperly disclosed Android source code with him. Last week, Essex denied that request, ruling that Google didn't appear to make an attempt to resolve the matter within the rules he has set for the case.

Microsoft also has a separate lawsuit in federal court in Washington state alleging the same patent infringement claims. And, as is typical in patent disputes, Motorola has filed a countersuit, accusing Microsoft of infringing 16 patents in its Xbox gaming console and in Windows for servers, PCs, and mobile devices.

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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Google is flexing muscles as the company has announced the acquisition of Motorola Mobility. How will it affect the digital future?

The rise of Android as a smartphone platform has been crucial to get the mobile world moving forward faster. With yesterday's news of Google and Motorola having entered into a definitive agreement under which Google will acquire Motorola Mobility for a total of about $12.5 billion, it has finally become clear that Google will do whatever it takes for mobile innovation to continue.

During the next decade, the mobile world will become more intertwined with for instance the digital home world. Mobile innovation will no longer be just about what you can pull off on your smartphone, but how the smartphone can seamlessly interact with the environment you're finding yourself in at any given time.

Apple, Oracle and Microsoft are the companies that for the most part have controlled how mobile devices and computers should be used by mainstream users around the world to date. Their respective legal departments have been, and currently are, working hard to ensure that Android will not undermine their power.

It became clear earlier this year that Larry Page and Sergey Brin have been determined to challenge the establishment in the computing world since the early days of Google. While we often hear Apple and Microsoft talking about disruption, the Google founders ultimately represent the biggest disruption in computing over the last decade.

With the acquisition of Motorola, Google flexes its muscles and yet again reminds us all that taking on Apple, Oracle and Microsoft isn't an easy task. However, Motorola Mobility could prove to be a crucial acquisition when it comes to entering the upcoming 4G LTE Advanced era.

Motorola holds patents across a range of aspects of the computing world, not just the mobile world. And as Google CEO Larry Page pointed out in a blog post yesterday, Motorola is a market leader in the home devices and video solutions business. Google is already well-known for loving fiber, and Motorola knows how to take advantage of that fiber.

If there's one thing we should pay attention to when it comes to what Larry Page said in his blog post, it's got to be this sentence:

"With the transition to Internet Protocol, we are excited to work together with Motorola and the industry to support our partners and cooperate with them to accelerate innovation in this space."

In other words, Google will do whatever it takes to ensure that not just the mobile future, but the digital future as a whole, will be built on a foundation of openness. Key bandwidth players are already members of the Open Handset Alliance through their respective wireless arms, and we assume they are all interested in ensuring that the digital future will not be held back by walled gardens.

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Inder's Internet Blog