Legendary RPG creator Hironobu Sakaguchi is working on a new game for the iPhone. In case you don’t recognize the name, he helped create a few games you might of heard of: Chrono Trigger, Super Mario RPG, Xenogears, and Final Fantasy.
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating the privacy and security implications of cloud computing.
That could be quite an inquiry as the debate is still open about how to actually define cloud computing in the first place.
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The investigation should raise some concerns with the enterprise community. Such an investigation could cover aspects of Internet communications that have been in use for years.
How would the FTC distinguish between the rights of the consumer and businesses that also use cloud computing services? What regulations would drift into the enterprise sector?
Any service provider could be viewed as part of the investigation under such a broad umbrella. The obvious parties would include Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Rackspace and the other large cloud computing services.
SaaS is a form of cloud computing. That could mean a company like NetSuite, Zoho or Salesforce.com would have a stake in the outcome of such an investigation.
According toThe Hill, the investigation surfaced in a filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
In the filing, The FTC recognizes the cost savings of cloud computing but has concerns about information being stored remotely:
“However, the storage of data on remote computers may also raise privacy and security concerns for consumers,” wrote David Vladeck, who helms the FTC’s Consumer Protection Bureau.
This statement is puzzling. People have been storing their data remotely since the early 1990s on services that predate the social networks.
The intent of the inquiry is to protect consumer’s privacy. But the repercussions of such a broad investigation will also have reverberations throughout the enterprise community if the inquiry is not narrowed.
According to The Hill, the FTC is holding a roundtable Jan. 28 to focus on privacy protections. It will include specific discussions about cloud computing, identity management, mobile computing and social networking.
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Two years after finishing up version 1.0 WirelessHD (WiHD) is still trying to come out on top of the no-cables-necessary high definition streaming dogfight, and it’s going to get a boost in that effort now that the 2.0 standard is available. Backwards compatible with existing WiHD hardware, the bandwidth has been upped to 10 – 28 Gbps (up from initial specs of 4 Gbps with a theoretical 25 Gbps limit) – enough to handle 4K resolutions, Deep Color, a newly specified 3D over WirelessHD set of standards, HDCP 2.0 DRM and even 1 Gbps file transfers between devices. Out of this world specs are just a matter of course for new hardware, but our focus is still on the group’s ability to get the price down this time around if it ever plans on going mainstream. With an investment from Best Buy just announced and a spot in VIZIO’s LCD lineup already confirmed, existing cable manufacturers may want to start developing Monster Air (10x higher transmission speed due to special platinum ionized molecules, of course) to sell sooner rather than later.
WirelessHD 2.0 spec speeds up to 28 Gbps to make room for 4K, 3D, portable devices originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 01:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Remember when ioSafe unveiled its original Solo right around this time last year? Man, that thing’s looking mighty sluggish now. This year, the company is introducing the Solo SSD, which is hailed as the planet’s first solid state external drive built to protect data from a building collapsing on it. Yeah, a building collapsing on it. It’ll be available with capacities as large as 256GB and will get connected via eSATA or USB, and if you care to know, the ruggedness is due to the firm’s own proprietary ArmorPlate steel outer casing. As for specifics, said tech helps the drive survive 5,000 pound crush forces, 20 foot drops onto rubble and blazing infernos to boot. It’ll be available next month in the US for $499 (64GB), $749 (128GB) or $1,250 (256GB), with the full details / press release hosted up after the break. As soon as we catch some benchmarks on this thing, we’ll be sure to pass ‘em along.
Continue reading ioSafe’s Solo SSD ditches platters, isn’t worried about buildings collapsing on it
ioSafe’s Solo SSD ditches platters, isn’t worried about buildings collapsing on it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Apple Corporate
According to Kara Swisher at AllThingsD, Apple may announce the purchase of Quattro for the relative bargain price of $275 million. I say bargain because, as Kara points out, Google paid three times that for AdMob, another mobile ad company. So what? This bit of news, when taken with the ad patent filed by Apple, could suggest they are going to implement some sort of ad system on something. But what? AdMob could be used on Android-powered devices…
How about ads on a tablet device? Ads could help lower the cost of the mythical tablet, especially when those ads are sold by, say, content creators like a newspaper or four. I realize those are a lot of threads to pull together, but all the speculation seems to be swirling around this tablet, the cost and the content that’ll go inside. Traditionally cost has been the Achilles’ heel for an Apple product, but with ad-supported price breaks you could theoretically lower the cost of the product to the consumer while keeping some margins.
Then again, Apple may simply be planning to integrate Quattro into the developers’ toolkits, and provide them with an in-house solution for ad-supported apps. Or maybe they are going to sell an ad-supported OS X for Dell machines. Who knows? As I write this neither company had any comment on the sale or announcement.
TUAWWill Apple buy mobile ad company Quattro Wireless? originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Eco Factor: Software processes decades’ worth of images to track and monitor global deforestation.
After unveiling software tools for ocean mapping and home energy consumption details, Google will now help researchers track and monitor global deforestation using satellite imagery. The tool will help reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change.
Just when you thought everyone was all talked out about the Apple Tablet, there comes more news. But today’s news is both odd and interesting for a few reasons.
The big news today comes from a Wall Street Journal article which definitively states in the title: Apple to Ship Tablet Device in March. You’d think WSJ would be opposed to using such a title unless they were sure that it is accurate. But early in their own story, the two authors note that “the device’s ship date hasn’t been finalized and could still change.” Still, I guess that’s forgivable if the company’s current plan is to ship in March. Regardless, this would seem to be yet more fuel to the fire that the device is actually real, and is coming soon. But things get a bit stranger as the article goes on.
The article as it appears now has been rewritten from when it first appeared earlier. I know this because I read both versions, and a simple Google search turns up a number of sentences and phrases that are no longer in the story, but are being quoted by multiple other sites and blogs. It’s not uncommon for blogs to write something quickly if there is a breaking story, and then flesh it out and perhaps even alter it a bit later, but again, this is the WSJ, and not their blog — this presumably is an article that will run in the paper tomorrow morning. Still, they had one version, and then changed it.
So what changed? Mostly it has been fleshed out more, but the wording of a few passages have been altered as well. For example, originally the article had this line in it:
Analysts currently believe an Apple tablet will be priced at about $1,000, possibly including a subscription to a nationwide Wi-Fi wireless service.
That line, which originally was featured prominently (high up) in the story, no longer exists. Instead, farther down we get this new wording:
A key factor for the tablet’s success will be price. Yair Reiner, an analyst for Oppenheimer & Co., said in a research note last month that the tablet would be priced at about $1,000, citing sources. One challenge: Apple’s MacBook laptops start at $999.
And below that, we get:
Richard Doherty, director of technology consulting firm Envisioneering Group, said such a price could include a subscription to a nationwide Wi-Fi wireless service such as those run by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, which provide Internet access at thousands of hot-spots such as airports, hotels and restaurants.
It would seem that the WSJ wanted to make it more clear that it was specific analysts, and not them, suggesting the $1,000 price tag and the nationwide Wi-Fi idea. And that’s understandable since literally dozens of blogs and traditional media outlets are reporting right now that the WSJ is stating the price is “about $1,000″ with some also noting the WiFi idea as coming from WSJ. And it’s hard to blame any of these sites, since that’s exactly how I read it originally. And tweets like this, from the main WSJ account, didn’t help:
Exclusive: Apple to unveil a 10- to 11-inch tablet later this month for about $1,000. Shipping in March.
Nor did the one from their community Twitter account:
Word is out – Apple to Ship Tablet Device in March, priced around $1,000
You’ll notice the main WSJ Twitter feed tweeted the story again, presumably after it was altered.
Here’s what I’m wondering about all of this: Is Apple itself behind some of this information?
Of course, there’s no real evidence to prove this, so this is all speculation, but hear me out for a minute. Back in June, you may recall that the WSJ broke the story about Steve Jobs’ liver transplant. The news sent shockwaves around the tech community because Apple had done such a good job of keeping it a secret despite the fact that Jobs had to go live in Tennessee for a few months to get it done. And the timing of that story was suspicious, to say the least. The news broke on June 19, a Friday, at night no less, after the stock market had closed for the weekend (leaving the whole weekend for investors to settle down and realize that Jobs was now okay). It also broke two months after the actual transplant had occurred. Oh, did I mention it also broke on the day of a huge and hugely successful new launch for Apple: The iPhone 3GS? Yep. Curious.
And guess who was the lead author on that article? None other than Yukari Iwatani Kane, the lead author of this latest article as well.
So, why would Apple leak some information now? Well, there are a few possibilities. First, Google is holding a big event tomorrow that is presumably for its new Nexus One Android device. The device is widely considered to be the best Android phone yet, and brings the platform closer in terms of hardware to Apple’s own iPhone. The rivalry between those two camps continues to grow, and undoubtedly Apple would have no problem stealing some headlines and buzz away from its frenemy.
Second, CES starts this week. Normally, Apple would be attending the Macworld Expo around now and holding a keynote event to unveil some new products which in recent years have almost completely overshadowed CES. This year, Apple will not be participating in Macworld for the first time, and the event has actually been moved to a later date. Apple is also expected to hold its own event later this month (to presumably show off the tablet), but leaking some of this news now continues the tradition of overshadowing what its rivals are doing at CES.
Third, and most importantly, Apple leaking any information about the tablet in the weeks leading up to the event helps to set expectations — and if they’re doing that, they’re meaning to set them realistically, or maybe more likely, low. The amount of hype surrounding the tablet right now is incredible. About the only thing you can compare it to is the hype leading up to the iPhone three years ago. And this may be getting even bigger. If it gets too big, and Apple underwhelms with what is announced, it will obviously look bad for them.
While it’s certainly possible that the WSJ decided “about $1,000″ was a good price to quote from analysts, there are at least as many people out there suggesting the device would be more like $600 – $800 — a price that would be much more attractive to consumers. With that in mind, and going along with my little thinking-out-loud-speculation here, I don’t think it’s impossible that Apple could have nudged WSJ towards the $1,000 predictors to temper expectations a bit.
The fact that the wording was odd, and it seemed like the WSJ itself was saying the thing would be “about $1,000″ is even better. It’s in people’s minds now that this is how much it will be, and they can ponder that for a few weeks leading up to the event. That way, if the device actually is around that price, people will have been prepared for it when it’s officially announced. It will put the product’s features back into the spotlight, rather than the price, which will have been already known.
Let’s remember, above all, Apple loves its high margins. If this tablet device is really as great as many of us are expecting, it has got to be expensive to build. Apple is not going to sell a device at low margins, they’re just not going to do it. So I certainly would not rule out a $1,000 price tag depending on what it costs to make.
These next few weeks, analysts and pundits will go on and on about how a $1,000 tablet will be a total failure. Of course, they’ve been saying that about iMacs in a time of cheap PCs, MacBooks in a time of cheap netbooks, iPhones in a time of cheap cellphones, etc, for a long time now. Apple has a great track record of defying those rules. Even at $1,000, I would not bet against this device. And if there is any truth to this WiFi subscription service idea (which, again, is a bit odd that WSJ would randomly mention), the thought is that it would be baked into the price of the device — something which Apple would undoubtedly play up. This is similar to how Amazon bakes the cost of wireless service into the Kindle (which has been selling very well despite what many to believe a price tag that is too high).
That said, Kane’s statements in her video follow-up to the article are interesting as well. She notes that “the price could come down really quickly if Apple decided that that’s what they wanted to do.” This is of course what happened with the original iPhone in 2007. Apple launched it at $600 but shaved a few hundred dollars off the price just a few months later to spur sales. And that seems to suggest that Kane, for whatever reason, really believes the device will be around $1,000. Are we really to believe she’s that confident in one analysts’ guesswork?
And there is a flip-side to all of this: Again, going along with my scenario, maybe Apple pointed towards the $1,000 price to set expectations very low in the weeks leading up to the event. That way, if they announce the device at $800, the public will erupt in applause, overjoyed that it’s not $1,000. Classic under promise, over deliver.
This is of course all just speculation, but I’m not so sure it’s that far out there. Certainly, I wouldn’t put any of the scenarios I laid out past Apple, which has a masterful hand when it comes to manipulating the media.
One more thing: A lot of sites are also re-reporting the WSJ saying the tablet will be 10 or 11 inches, with some even saying it could come in both sizes. What they actually said was that it would be 10 to 11 inches. Again, in the video, Kane makes this more clear. That presumably means the tablet will come in one size that is between 10 and 11 inches. Though who knows what they’re talking about with the two different possible finishes. Maybe one aluminum and one plastic, like the various stages of the iPhone and Macs? Hopefully, all of these things will be answered at the end of this month.
[photos: flickr/tombothetominator and myuibe]
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The idea of paying $9 for a pint of gelato seems absolutely
ridiculous to me, but I saw this Organics Nectars brand cashew nut milk raw agave gelato and
bought one because I was dying of curiosity. This isn’t some regular
icy treat as it is:
All I kept thinking was that it had better be that good
because with $9 I could buy two pints of rice or soy ice cream.
Fortunately, I was surprised how good this ice cream was. In fact, it
exceeded my expectation so yeah it was worth the $9 especially for
those of us who can’t have regular ice cream due to a cow milk allergy
or intolerance.
The nutritional perks compared to cow milk based gelato
I was surprised to see too that with this cashew nut milk gelato you get a nice break on the calories and fat. As a quick example for a 1/2 cup serving, compared to Ciao Bella Mint Chip Gelato which has 230 caories, 22g of sugar and 13g of fat, the Organic Nectars Mint Chip has 160 calories, 14g of sugars and 9g of fat.
Trying not one but two flavors
In the picture above is the Mint Chip with some walnuts I threw in,
as I love nuts in ice cream. I also tried the Chocolate Hazelnut and
wow both flavors are fantastic. In fact, unless you’re an ice cream connoisseur, you might not even be able to tell the difference between
this cashew nut milk based gelato from your typical cow milk based gelato.
Having tried coconut, hemp, rice, and soy milk based ice creams, I have to say that I like the cashew nut milk the best mainly because of two things: texture and taste. The frozen cashew milk is heavy almost exactly like frozen cow milk, and the slight nutty taste blends in better with ice cream flavors as opposed to the other non-dairy milks where you can taste the coconut, the hemp, and so forth.
I’m definitely going to try the other Organic Nectars raw agave gelatos like Pistachio and Vanilla Fudge because I thought it was that good.
Congratulations to Peggie Parhas (Guard, Sophomore – Lake Zurich High School) of Harper’s women’s basketball team who received Division III/Region IV Player of the Week honors for January 4th, 2010.
Peggie was recognized for scoring 49 points in games against Waubonsee and Oakton. In the game with Waubonsee, Peggy had 10 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks, 13 rebounds and was 4 of 4 from the free throw line.
The mobile industry is clearly salivating at the prospect of deep-pocket players, like Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), buying startups, especially after Google dropped $750 million for AdMob.
After early morning rumors, Apple is now expected to announce that it has acquired Quattro Wireless, a mobile ad network that also has a heavy concentration in publishing mobile web sites for existing web properties. After the report, one source reached out to us to say that they heard Apple was paying $270 million for the company. Another source, who also had heard the deal closed, said they hoped that was the correct number. But Kara Swisher’s AllThingsD isn’t hesitating in reporting the acquisition as fact, and wrote in a late post today that “several sources” had confirmed that Apple was set to acquire Quattro for $275 million. The announcement was coming as soon as tomorrow, she added.
Quattro has raised $28 million from two main venture investors–Highland Capital Partners and Globespan Capital Partners. Quattro has secured a number of high-profile partnerships, including ones with Blackberry’s Research In Motion and T-Mobile USA. Quattro’s emphasis has been on working with publishers to bring their online content to mobile, thereby driving the mobile advertising industry by creating more inventory. Based on numbers released last year, Quattro ranked as the 8th largest U.S. mobile ad network with about 23 million unique visitors.
Quattro last raised money in March when it was expanding internationally, including to Western Europe, Australia, South Africa, Asia and India. Although Quattro’s international network had only been live for a few weeks at that time, it was already accounting for 10 percent of the company’s business. Clients included Goal.com, hi5 and MySpace.
An international presence will be important to Apple since it sells the iPhone in many countries around the globe. Apple was previously rumored to be interested in buying AdMob, and likely doesn’t want to be viewed as falling behind in the growing market, especially in light of Google’s big-ticket purchase. Right now, Apple makes 30 percent off the sale of all mobile applications distributed on the iPhone and iPod Touch. But with free, ad-supported applications, Apple does not make anything. It may be looking to change that paradigm, especially as it launches new devices, like the well-rumored tablet.
Eco Factor: Concept battery with a built-in electricity generator.
Designed by Song Teaho and Hyejin Lee, the finger-powered battery is what will keep your talks going for those extra minutes before you have access to a wall socket. The concept isn’t built on a green theme, but does keep your chats lasting a wee bit longer by harnessing renewable energy.
You want to know how big VidZone is on the PS3? If you have any doubt as to how big this client download is, the two million times it’s been downloaded should erase any doubt you may
There is an empty plot (sand) in Dubai Marina, near the Marina Walk, on the water
It has a construction fence around it that says Emaar, but there is no mention of a building or project as of yet, and I can’t find any information on it online
It is currently being used as a car parking lot
The link below is a map of Dubai Marina, I have circled the plot
It is between Marina Hotel Apartments, and Marinascape Oceanic (Trident), and is in front of Marina Diamond 3 (the building that has the Bagel Shop :banana: )
I was wondering if anyone here knew if there were any plans for a building on that land, and provide us with details?
Best Regards
Today we release an update to our Search & Information Access subscription service. (You can download a free sample here.)
After spending the past two months looking at the latest search offerings from twenty-three vendors, we see a distinct move towards more specialized search services. Sometimes search vendors are focused on particular environments (Microsoft, SAP, Oracle) whereas others are vertically-focused (such as Recommind in the legal sector). These orientations have always been there, but in 2009 they grew ever more distinct as vendors struggled (or simply chose not to) break out of their historical niches. We believe that will continue into 2010.
As we also point out in the accompanying press release, search is proving more challenging than ever. While many content managers get pushed to deploy a search offering from a large vendor that’s specialized for a particular environment (like SharePoint or SAP), they’ve learned those tools don’t necessarily extend well to other environments or repositories.
In the latest edition of our research, we explore each vendor’s specializations more deeply, and also assess which vendors have more rapidly developed tools to connect to diverse document types and repositories.
As always, our subscribers will automatically receive their updates. You can purchase this research immediately via our storefront, or inquire with our customer support team about alternate payment options.
While you got a Panasonic D-Snap SD-card video cameras with hard drive build in and it shots all video files in the format of MOD, but these MOD files can not recognized by Windows Movie Maker on your Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows Vista. Is there an easy way to make it? How to convert the MOD files to the formats acceptable for Windows Movie Maker?
Okay, the following tutorial will demonstrate you the easiest and fastest solution to realize it with a reliable program called Moyea MOD Converter which is designed to convert MOD to any other popular video or audio formats with ease.
Ready? Now, free download Moyea MOD Converter here, instill and run it.
Step 1: Add MOD files from your Sony/Panasonic/Cannon/JVC camcorders into this MOD Converter
Step 2: Select output format as WMV from the drop-down list Format as well as set the destination folder from the Output.
Step 3: start video conversion by clicking the Convert button
Tips:
One: If you want to merge or join several video files into one, just tick the checkbox Merge into one file.
Two: If you want to get better output quality, just click the Settings button to open a profile window and then you can set the video resolution, the aspect ration, bit rate, frame rate, codec, etc. Besides, if you want to keep the settings for next use, just hit the Save as button to save the settings.
Three: If you want to capture the picture or image of the video you like, just click the Snapshot button to capture the image on the preview panel. And you can view the image you captured by opening the file icon beside the Snapshot button.
Four: This MOD Converter supports batch conversion if you want to convert several MOD files to WMV at the same time.
Once all the video conversion is finished, you could get it from the destination folder. Now you can import them to Windows Movie Maker as below:
Click the File Import to select the converted files after launching Windows Movie Maker, and then youll see the WMV file in your Windows Movie Maker Collections. You can freely edit your MOD files on Windows Movie Maker for your reference.
PS: If you dont know how to use Window Movie Maker to edit videos, you can find the answers from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/u…r/default.mspx
Thats all. Hopefully this article can greatly help you enjoy or play your MOD files.
Australia’s openers capitalised on a flattening pitch and a Pakistani reprieve to advance to 0 for 86 in their second innings, reducing to 120 the tourists’ overall lead.
Shane Watson raised his 1000th Test run with a lofted pull stroke that Danish Kaneria, fielding at fine leg, dropped over the boundary rope on a morning that saw the hosts restore a degree of parity to proceedings.
Pakistan added just two runs to their overnight first-innings total as Doug Bollinger (4 for 72) snuffed out Kaneria with his fifth ball of the morning.
That took Pakistan’s lead to 206 – their second-highest first-innings advantage over the Australians in 54 years of competition between the two countries – although with the SCG pitch nowhere near as threatening as the opening day, the Australians would not have entirely counted themselves out of the contest.
Pakistan team: S. Butt, I. Farhat, F. Iqbal, M. Yousuf (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, U. Akmal, K. Akmal (wicket keeper), M. Sami, U. Gul, M. Asif, D. Kaneria
Australia Team: S. Watson, S. Katich, R. Ponting (captain), M. Hussey, M. Clarke, M. North, B. Haddin (wicket keeper), M. Johnson, N. Hauritz, P. Siddle, D. Bollinger.
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Australia’s openers capitalised on a flattening pitch and a Pakistani reprieve to advance to 0 for 86 in their second innings, reducing to 120 the tourists’ overall lead.
Shane Watson raised his 1000th Test run with a lofted pull stroke that Danish Kaneria, fielding at fine leg, dropped over the boundary rope on a morning that saw the hosts restore a degree of parity to proceedings.
Pakistan added just two runs to their overnight first-innings total as Doug Bollinger (4 for 72) snuffed out Kaneria with his fifth ball of the morning.
That took Pakistan’s lead to 206 – their second-highest first-innings advantage over the Australians in 54 years of competition between the two countries – although with the SCG pitch nowhere near as threatening as the opening day, the Australians would not have entirely counted themselves out of the contest.
Pakistan team: S. Butt, I. Farhat, F. Iqbal, M. Yousuf (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, U. Akmal, K. Akmal (wicket keeper), M. Sami, U. Gul, M. Asif, D. Kaneria
Australia Team: S. Watson, S. Katich, R. Ponting (captain), M. Hussey, M. Clarke, M. North, B. Haddin (wicket keeper), M. Johnson, N. Hauritz, P. Siddle, D. Bollinger.
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