Blog

»   Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) co-founder Steve Wozniak’s new favorite gadget is the Nexus One, but he’ll keep his iPhone for everyday use. [iPhone Alley]

»   Verizon says it will immediately send $2.1 million of text-messaged Haiti donations to the Red Cross. Usually, it takes up to three months for a charity to receive these donations. [Bits]

»   Though Twitter’s geolocation API was thought to be an instant hit, not many people are using it. [Mobile Entertainment]

»   The case of pirated apps on Apple’s App Store. [Gizmodo]

»   T-Mobile signs Eric Clapton as a myTouch 3G spokesperson. [Digits]

Kristin Chenoweth — Little Girl, Giant Personality — has fun at the expense of some of the biggest films of 2009 in a series of promos for tonight’s 15th Annual Critics Choice Awards. The ceremony, hosted by the Emmy winner, will air live on VH1 Friday, January 15, 2010 at 9:00 PM ET/PT.

Watch as Kristin auditions for Star Trek, This Is It, and Twilight New Moon.

John Varvatos will be releasing a collection of leather goods this coming Fall/Winter 2010 season. The design of the range will still keep its rock music influences but with a preppy twist. The line will feature unique detailing and quality leathers that will consist of bags, belts, wallets, and more. The canvas bags above are just a few examples coming from the line and it’ll be exciting to see what the rest of the collection has in store.

Source: Luxist

Oh lordie, you knew this was coming. AT&T’s just matched Verizon’s new unlimited talking plans, basically point by point. Unlimited talking for $70 a month, with unlimited talk + MMS for $90.

For iPhone users, there’s a new $100 all you can talk-and-download (but not text, which stays the same, running $20/month separately) plan. What’s better than Verizon, though, is that they’re apparently not bumping data rates. Because that would be f’n hilarious.

DALLAS, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — AT&T* today announced new unlimited plans across all devices —including its industry-leading lineup of smartphones — to provide more value and choice for customers who want to talk, text and surf on the nation’s fastest 3G network.

“With more than twice the number of smartphone customers as our nearest competitor, we are committed to offering great value and choice for customers who want to talk, text and surf on the nation’s fastest 3G network,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Our new plans reflect customers’ continuing desire to do more with their phones – including talking and browsing the Web at the same time. Plus these new plans make it even more attractive to choose AT&T which already offers customers the best 3G experience and the industry’s most popular and innovative devices.”

The new plans, which will be available beginning Monday, Jan. 18, can be ordered at AT&T’s 2,200 company-owned retail stores and kiosks, through convenient online service at www.att.com, or at one of the thousands of authorized AT&T retail locations.

* Feature Phone customers may choose unlimited talk for $69.99. Family Talk customers (prices assume two lines) may choose unlimited talk for $119.99 per month. Texting plans remain unchanged at $20 for unlimited plans for individuals and $30 for Family Talk plans.
* Quick Messaging Device customers may choose unlimited talk and text for $89.99 per month. Quick Messaging Device customers with Family Talk plans may choose unlimited talk and text for $149.99 per month (for two lines). These prices include a required minimum of $20 per month for individual plans and $30 per month for Family Talk plans in texting and/or Web browsing plans for new and upgrading customers.
* All smartphone customers, including iPhone customers, may now buy unlimited voice and data for $99.99. For smartphone customers with Family Talk plans (prices assume 2 smartphones), unlimited voice and data is now available for $179.99. Texting plans remain unchanged at $20 for unlimited plans for individuals, $30 for Family Talk Plans.

Beginning Monday, existing AT&T customers can change to any of the new plans without penalty or contract extension with the online account management tool at www.att.com/wireless.

AT&T customers enjoy the ability to talk and browse the Web at the same time on AT&T’s 3G network, the nation’s fastest, which covers more than 230 million people across the nation.

For customers who do not choose an unlimited voice plan, AT&T offers Rollover, which lets customers keep the minutes they don’t use. In addition, AT&T offers A-List, which offers unlimited calling to up to 10 domestic phone numbers.

For the complete array of AT&T offerings, visit www.att.com.

[Yahoo]

I don’t know what to make of the way Microsoft handles Windows Mobile. You can’t look anywhere on the web without finding some information pointing to how far Windows Mobile is slipping behind the competition. Even enthusiasts, who regularly try to make sense of the direction that WinMo is headed, keep getting beat back by the gang in Redmond.

I watched Steve Ballmer’s keynote address at the CES last week, and I kept waiting to hear him say something, anything, about Windows Mobile 7. That’s the next major version of WinMo after all, and all indications are it should be released this year. All I can recall from Ballmer’s keynote is how happy he was to show the HTC HD2, and how proud he was that it is coming to the U. S. Um, Steve, that phone’s been out in Europe for months. It runs Windows Mobile 6.5. There’s nothing new here.

How far out of touch is Microsoft with how to get WinMo 7 on track? This story on Betanews sums it up. It seems they interviewed Windows Phone Senior Marketing Manager Greg Sullivan at the CES, and they assumed the discussion concerned Windows Mobile 7. After all, what else would Microsoft be talking about that would get announced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC)?

Today Betanews was contacted by a spokesperson for Microsoft who “asked us to reiterate that, while we were given an overview of the direction of Windows Phone, we were not speaking specifically of Windows Mobile 7.

The spokesperson did not go into further detail as to which product the interview did concern.”

So on the surface it seems that Microsoft not only doesn’t want anyone to think that Windows Mobile 7 will be discussed at the MWC next month, they in effect are issuing “takedowns” to those who say they will be discussing WM7. Is it any wonder that Windows Mobile is floundering so badly?

David Hill is the VP of Lenovo brand management and design and was also instrumental in the design of the original ThinkPad. Here, he shares the creative process in designing Lenovo’s Skylight, a smartbook which wowed us at CES.

Back in November of 2008, I first learned of the Lenovo super secret project that would eventually become the Skylight smartbook . It sounded fascinating to me that we would attempt to create an entirely new offering category in the computer space. I could only imagine a device that would behave similar to a smart phone, but be of a size and scale that would make it more suitable for viewing or typing data. The design goal was also to create something that would turn heads. It could not look like just another miniature notebook computer.

I thought it would be a great project to get Richard Sapper, our long time design guru, involved with. After all, Richard has specialized in turning the ordinary into the extraordinary for decades. I’ve seen him do it over and over again with things as seemingly mundane as a desk lamp, cheese grater, tea kettle, kitchen timer, transistor radio, television set, and of course our own ThinkPad classic. When I first proposed the idea to the executive team I was asked by several if Sapper had ever designed a consumer product. Not such a surprising question if your view to Sapper and his work has been through the restricted lens of business computers, but I knew better. I quickly made a Powerpoint slide show of Sapper’s work, to make it clear what he was capable of. It worked. Everyone was intrigued enough to brief him on the project immediately.

Sapper and team discussing design details

On November 12th of 2008 Sapper was in town for a design work session where we took the opportunity to brief him on the super secret project. Sorry I can’t share the code name with you. He had many questions about user scenarios, screen sizes, technologies, and other such design-related details. Sapper was clearly interested in breaking the mold with us. His enthusiasm dimmed, however, when he was informed of the deadline for completing the design concept. The design had to be locked before the Christmas holiday in order to maintain the very aggressive schedule. I think the words Sapper used were “you must be joking, I need time to design such a thing” . The worst part was that it had not been formally decided if Sapper would be retained to create the design. That wouldn’t happen for yet another two weeks at the next Lenovo senior leadership meeting. The timeline issue would only become worse if he had to wait two additional weeks before he had the approval to start working.

The meeting adjourned as promises were passed around the room to speed the process and get more technical details. Of course, Sapper was asked to hang in there with Lenovo and wait for the next decision point. It was later in the day that Sapper, with a gleam in his eye, proposed to me that he would begin designing it immediately, on speculation that he might be retained to do so. For Sapper, there was no time to waste for the final Lenovo decision. How could anyone argue with that? If Lenovo liked his idea, we would compensate him for the work. If they didn’t like it, nothing was lost for Lenovo. The risk was all on Richard’s back. He was confident that he could create something revolutionary, and was willing to bet his own time and expense on doing it. The Sapper plan was quickly agreed to by Lenovo. Now it was up to Richard to deliver his idea by December 18th.

Richard flew to New York City late that evening. The following morning he would travel to Gloucester Massachusetts to visit with close friends. Immediately after the Gloucester visit, he was off to Los Angeles to be with his wife and son for Thanksgiving. How would he ever design anything if he was in hotel rooms, friend’s houses, carving turkeys, and riding airplanes? Designers need tools and time to create design. Sapper clearly understood the dilemma he was faced with. The next day he called me from New York City to describe the sleepless night he had endured as he imagined the design solution. His news was that he had been “kissed by Aphrodite” the night before. For Sapper, that means having the genesis of an idea. How poetic. He had spent the night drawing simple sketches in the hotel to refine his initial idea. He later described the concept verbally as a very thin and sculpted flowing form but not a “glob of pudding”. It had direction and clarity. He also talked about an articulated “stick” that would swing into view for various functions such as storage or a possible telephone handset. For me, that was the icing on the cake. Now all Richard needed was a model to validate his idea in 3 dimensions. Tall order if you are not in your normal work environment.

The infamous “hotel sketch” that defined Skylight

Two days later, I received yet another call from Richard. Now he was in Los Angeles. There was very little chit chat, he went straight to work. “Do you know what I have in my hand?” he questioned. I really had no idea how to respond to that one. “A model!” he declared, instantly answering his own question. How could that be possible I thought? He must have just arrived in California. He told me of being at a cocktail party while in Gloucester, where he mentioned to a friend that he was working on a secret design project. He described how interesting the project was, but that he was frustrated by not being able to get a model built of the idea he had conceived the night before. He was in desperate need of a model. What followed is one of the most incredible strokes of luck ever. His friend suggested that he discuss his need with one of the guests at the party who amazingly enough makes violins and other such instruments. It was reported that he had an elaborate woodworking shop and the skills to match. Surely he could make such a model. After a brief introduction, Richard met him at his shop the next day where he masterfully directed the shaping of a raw block of olive wood into what would become the first model of Skylight.

Stradivarius would be envious

Using the kitchen table at his son’s house and old-school drawing tools, Sapper then created a series of cross sections that were sent back to his studio assistant in Milan. His goal was to create computer generated 3D data and a highly accurate stereo lithography model for his immediate review when he returned to his studio. His plan worked. Once in Milan, he made several revisions to the form and interior leaving just enough time to create a more detailed model for the final review that was now scheduled for December 19th. There was little margin for error.

Early interior study model showing placeholder keyboard and speaker location

On December 15th Sapper again called to say that the model would be finished as promised but that he had no idea how to get it to Raleigh in time for the meeting. There was even some concern expressed about having adequate time for the paint to cure. More on that later. We immediately exercised all various options to get the model from Milan to the meeting but none were very promising. The final solution was to send Robert Enochs to Milan on the 18th to hand carry it back the following morning. Robert, who actually wrote the original marketing requirements document, eagerly agreed to the plan as though he had a choice. After landing in Malpensa, Robert took a taxi to his hotel in Milan, freshened up, and then headed to Sapper’s studio a few blocks away. Richard met him on the street in front of his studio, where he suggested they head to La Torre di Pisa for a nice Risotto dinner before visiting the model maker’s shop. It was nearly 9:00 PM Milan time.

Once at the model shop Robert saw the models, yes there were two, one a beautiful shade of red and the other black. Black was eventually replaced by a nice rich blue. We had enough black computers. Enochs was immediately impressed by how unique the design appeared and equally by how sticky the paint was. It seems there was a paint compatibility issue that never allowed the paint to fully dry. Sapper’s normal painter was already out on holiday. Richard had to scramble to find someone to paint the model. He ended up hiring a rather inexperienced painter that he had never used before. I seem to recall that Richard even had to buy him the paint gun at a local hardware store. I guess that should have been a warning sign. The models were placed into a clever box of Sapper’s design and Robert headed back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep before catching the morning flight to the states. I called Robert when he returned to the hotel to get his impression of what he saw. He was at a loss for words but groggily described it as “well…VERY unique”. It was well after midnight when Robert called it a day.

Sapper designed the box for the trip home

On Friday evening in Raleigh the executive team anxiously awaited the arrival of Robert Enochs and the model. His plane was about an hour late due to weather issues and people were getting rather anxious. Once Robert landed, he called us on his cell phone to give us a turn by turn status of his continued progress towards Lenovo headquarters. At about 7:30 PM his car was spotted from the design center windows pulling into the parking lot. We were more than ready to see it. Sapper was standing by on the phone to discuss any of the details concerning his work. It was well past midnight Milan time. The cleverly designed Baltic birch box was carefully opened and the models were revealed. Immediately, the reaction was extremely positive, people loved what they saw. Sapper had delivered on the challenge beyond any of our expectations. The most immediate issue was how we were going to remove the bubble wrap texture that had now become impregnated into the forever-sticky paint. The finish looked a lot like a well worn alligator. It was pretty clear that the only alternative was to photograph the models and remove the alligator pattern in Photoshop. Since this all had to take place before Monday we needed a photographer and Photoshop expert the next morning. Not easy to get that done unless your son is a photographer home for the weekend. Who else do you call at midnight to do a photo shoot the next morning? He was more than willing to help and did an expert job of saving the paint disaster. Thanks Eric.

Worn alligator texture or just bad paint?

Photo of the concept models after extensive retouching by my son Eric</em

Final design is extraordinarily close to the original vision

There was far more to do following this pivotal meeting, but the most important hurdle had been crossed. We had a really marvelous design concept. We still needed to design a keyboard, make everything fit in the envelope, move the speakers around, finalize the touchpad, meet all the schedule commitments, and of course, design a totally new user interface. It makes me dizzy just thinking about it. For me, it’s incredible to see the real thing and compare it to the original Sapper concept model. I’m not sure anything we have ever made has ended up this true to the original idea. In the end, this was a great achievement for all of Lenovo. We had a fantastic team of people from Beijing, Raleigh, Yamato, and of course Milan. I think we truly delivered on the promise of our corporate tagline… New World. New Thinking.

– Originally appeared on Design Matters, at Lenovo Blogs

Perhaps you’ve been wary about Project Needlemouse, Sega new 2D Sonic game. If so, this might give you some peace of mind. According to Sega, the game will focus “solely on one blue hedgehog” and no one

The Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics blog reports that a bi-partisan deal may have been struck in the Senate regarding a non-bank resolution authority. I’ve argued hard for the creation of such a regulator, to insure that all firms can, in fact, fail — no matter their size. Unfortunately, the report’s description of the Senate’s new vision for the resolution authority has me very worried.

Here’s what it says:

It would create a “presumption” that large, failing financial companies would have to go through a new bankruptcy process. This is different than what the White House proposed, which would give the government immediate control to put large, failing firms through a government-controlled resolution. The Warner/Corker deal would give the government the option to still put failing firms through a government-structured resolution, but they would have to clear hurdles first and it would be a bit more complicated.

This new bankruptcy process is clearly being driven by Republicans. Back in July I was probably the only journalist around who actually took the time to read the Republicans’ dead-on-arrival financial regulation proposal. Obviously, they never had the votes for it to have a chance.

But, in fact, the Republican version’s very first section would create something it calls “Chapter 14” bankruptcy for non-bank financial institutions. In other words, what you’re seeing is the melding of this concept with the House and Treasury’s non-bank resolution authority.

Back in July, I criticized this aspect of the Republican plan, because it’s absurd. I won’t reiterate that argument here, so see that entry for details. But here’s the problem that I see in this new suggestion explained in the block quote above — it makes resolution slower and more cumbersome.

That’s exactly what you don’t want. In the complex world of finance, minutes and seconds matter. If you’ve got a robust, powerful non-bank resolution authority in place, then it will have the power and capability of resolving a large firm very quickly and efficiently. What you don’t want is a lot of barriers mucking that up. Do you really want courts involved? Do you really want to create “hurdles” and make it “more complicated” for the firm to be wound down? That would result in a less stable financial system.

What I find most striking about this development is the power that Republicans wield in the Senate when it comes to banking. I mean, the health care debacle already taught us that the Republicans can have an effect on politics in the Senate. Yet, when it came to health care reform, Republicans weren’t allowed at the table. But from this report, it looks like the Republicans might have far more influence in the financial reform debate than they did in the health care reform process. This news indicates that they’re shaping the Senate bill’s direction. I’m not sure why that would be, other than the possibility that the financial industry lobbyists have a great deal more power over Senate Democrats than even the health insurance lobby.

At any rate, this is very disappointing news. One of the aspects of the House bill I was most pleased with was its non-bank resolution authority. It looks like the Senate is on the verge of screwing that up. Instead, they would create a slow, clunky process that could possibly make things worse.

by Tom Laskawy

The FDA finally released its report on Bisphenol A. The good news is that the FDA now admits that BPA—the endocrine-disrupting, heart disease–causing ingredient in plastic food packaging and can linings—isn’t entirely safe (contradicting the agency’s statement from 2008 that it was), particularly for infants and children. The bad news? There’s not much the agency can do about it. Here are the immediate, limited steps the FDA feels it can take “to reduce human exposure to BPA in the food supply”:

support the industry’s actions to stop producing BPA-containing baby bottles and infant feeding cups for the U.S. market;
facilitate the development of alternatives to BPA for the linings of infant formula cans;
and support efforts to replace BPA or minimize BPA levels in other food can linings.

In short, BPA can continue to be legally used until further notice, even in baby bottles, and certainly in food and drink can linings. Not exactly the outcome some of us were hoping for. Oh, but don’t worry, the FDA assures us that more studies are forthcoming—as if we don’t have enough data already.

And buried in the report summary is an excuse admission from the FDA that, in essence, its hands are tied:

Current BPA food contact uses were approved under food additive
regulations issued more than 40 years ago.  This regulatory structure
limits the oversight and flexibility of FDA.  Once a food additive is
approved, any manufacturer of food or food packaging may use the food
additive in accordance with the regulation.  There is no requirement to
notify FDA of that use. For example, today there exist hundreds of
different formulations for BPA-containing epoxy linings, which have
varying characteristics.  As currently regulated, manufacturers are not
required to disclose to FDA the existence or nature of these
formulations.  Furthermore, if FDA were to decide to revoke one or more
approved uses, FDA would need to undertake what could be a lengthy
process of rulemaking to accomplish this goal.

Rulemaking, remember, can take years to complete—even a ban wouldn’t be immediate, the agency claims. There’s a different, more appropriate, law with different requirements—the Food Contact Notification Program of 2000—that the FDA would like to use to regulate BPA. But to do so, companies would need to re-submit BPA for approval. The FDA “will encourage manufacturers to voluntarily submit a food contact notification” for BPA which would then give the agency more leeway to regulate it. Industry has been so helpful to this point what with their authoring of the 2008 safety statement and their attempt to recruit a pregnant woman as a spokesperson for their endocrine-disrupting product that I’m sure they’ll oblige. Further, the agency is concerned that a rush to replace BPA with another chemical might have unintended consequences. And if the history of BPA is any guide, the FDA is probably right that industry can’t exactly be trusted to get it right the second time.

Read a certain way, this report is a bureaucratic cry for help—Congress, after all, can solve this problem with a wave of the President’s pen by passing the Senate’s Feinstein-Schumer bill that would set a strict timeline for ending the use of BPA in food packaging. Alternately, someone could attach a rider to an unrelated bill requiring all companies using BPA to submit it for review under the 2000 food contact notification law.

The takeaway here is that the FDA doesn’t think they really have the authority to ban BPA or even to meaningfully restrict its use. This is another symptom of the attenuated, outdated legal regime that the government must use to protect us from the witch’s brew of industrial chemicals in which we bubble. It seems that only Congress can provide the antidote.

Related Links:

To address obesity, the First Lady will need to cast a wide net

Scientists confirm link between BPA and heart disease in humans

Food giants pile on salt to tart up flavorless dreck

Filed under: Europe, Hatchback, Renault, UK

Renault Clio S – Click above for high-res image gallery

Every so often, Renault impresses and teases us with the launch of a new hot hatch. Impresses because they’re widely rated as some of the most dynamically competent micro-machines on the road today. Teases because, well…they don’t offer them in North America. So all we can do is admire from abroad such offerings as the Twingo 133 Cup, Clio 200 and Megane R26.R, to name just a few.

The range is set to expand both upwards (with the likes of the new Gordini line-up) and downwards (with the adoption of the GT range), but every once in a while, Renault fakes us out with something that when it comes down to it, really only looks the part. The World Series editions were one recent example, and now the French automaker has launched the Clio S for the British market.

Sure, the Clio S looks the part. It’s got 16-inch wheels, a spoiler on the trailing edge of its roof, a front lip spoiler below the grille and racing stripes galore, all done up in contrasting white. But the Clio S lacks the go to back up the show. Engines are limited to 75- and 100-horsepower fours and an 86-hp diesel. Not exactly Renaultsport figures, but then neither are their prices, ranging from £11,209 to £13,458 all-in (that’s around $18k-22k USD, not accounting for the UK market’s inflated pricing). So for the moment, we can rest easy this time around, neither impressed nor enticed. Details in the release after the jump and photos in the gallery below.

[Source: Renault]

Continue reading Clio S: Renault offers the hot-hatch look… sans the “hot”

Clio S: Renault offers the hot-hatch look… sans the “hot” originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The strengthening dollar and forecasts for warmer weather sent oil prices down for the fifth straight day Friday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Forecasts for warmer weather, a stronger dollar and further signs the U.S. consumer is still hurting sent oil prices lower for the fifth straight day.

Add in that people drive less in the winter months and it’s no surprise oil fell ahead of the three-day weekend in the U.S.

Benchmark crude for February delivery slid $1.39 cents to settle at $78 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The price was down $4.75 for the week.

early year optimism has been tempered by “prospects for pretty miserable demand” in January and February, said Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service.

Government data raised more concerns about consumer spending power. The Labor Department reported that inflation-adjusted wages fell 1.6 percent last year, the sharpest drop since 1990. Energy costs shot up 18.2 percent last year, the biggest jump since 1979, led by higher gasoline costs, which rose 53.5 percent.

And even as prospects remain bleak for jobs and income in 2010, energy prices are expected to rise. On Tuesday, the government said gasoline should average $2.84 per gallon this year, up from $2.35 last year. For average motorists using about 50 gallons per month of gasoline, that means spending an extra $294 at the pump this year, or about $25 per month. That translates to fewer lattes or fast food runs, and less money for other parts of the economy. The average is seen topping $3 in spring and summer.

Kloza noted that seasonal factors hit oil prices as well.

“Folks don’t tend to drive that much or spend too much in January and February,” he said.

Meanwhile, temperatures are expected to be above average across nearly all regions of the U.S. for the next 10 days, which should slow demand for heating oil.

In addition, a stronger dollar makes it more expensive for holders of foreign currencies to purchase oil, which is priced in U.S. dollars.

Gasoline prices rose almost 3.2 cents to $2.757 per gallon to end the work week, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. Prices are about 16.3 cents higher than a month ago and about 96 cents higher than last year.

Kloza predicts gas will peak at around $3 in May as more drivers hit the road in the spring and other economic activities, like construction, pick up.

“$3 is a psychological number,” Kloza said. “When prices go above $3 per gallon, people cut back not just on fuel. They tend to have a real sour view of the economy.”

“From a consumer perspective, there’s no real reason for them to spend more,” said William Baker, professor of marketing at San Diego State University. “When you look at the hit consumers have taken, the stagnant salaries and rising energy costs, it’s difficult…to see any kind of sharp recovery real soon.”

In other Nymex trading in February contracts, heating oil fell 3.69 cents to settle at $2.046 a gallon and gasoline slid 2.84 cents to close at $2.0454. Natural gas futures gained 10.3 cents to settle at $5.691 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude for February delivery fell 71 cents to $77.11 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Reminder: Here’s Where The US Gets Its Oil
• For Just $8.50 A Barrel, Exxon Made New American Oil Appear Out Of Thin Air
• John Kilduff: Oil To $100 In The Next Six Months

On Wednesday, January 13, 2010, Chief Charlie Beck, LAPD Sworn personnel, Councilwoman Jan Perry and other city dignitaries held a press conference at 6th Street and Central Avenue to name the intersection “Charles P. Williams Square” in honor of the first African American LAPD Officer killed in the line of duty.

Chief Beck recognized the relevance of Officer Williams’ sacrifice for the citizens of the community. He stated, “202 police officers have been killed in the line of duty but Charles P. Williams is more special because he died at a time when African American police officers were valued at a different level than the rest of their colleagues. It is fitting that on his anniversary we commemorate the ultimate sacrifice he paid in service to the people of Los Angeles. We must never forget the brave men and women of the LAPD, and we must never forget the contributions that African American’s have made to our city.”

Officer Williams was born on March 3, 1887, in Wharton Texas, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Police Department on August 13, 1920. He was first appointed to Central Division, and after completing probation he was assigned to the Division’s Vice Squad. On January 13, 1923, a citizen on Central Avenue flagged down Officer Williams and his partner. The citizen advised the officers a suspect was brandishing a revolver and threatening a citizen at a nearby location.  While enroute to the location the officer’s vehicle broke down. Officer Williams proceeded to walk to the location. When he reached the corner of 8th Street and Stanford Avenue, he encountered the suspect. Officer Williams ordered the suspect to place his hands up, instead the suspect fired two rounds from his revolver striking Officer Williams in the abdomen. Officer Williams returned fire striking the suspect in the leg.

A truck driver passing by the location shortly after the incident transported Officer Williams to a local hospital. Unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries. A manhunt for the suspect ensued and he was captured within seven hours after fatally shooting Officer Williams.

Google announced today that it will offer free calls to Haiti through Google Voice to help connect Haitians with their families in other locations. The company’s announcement follows on the heels of Skype’s announcement yesterday that it would be emailing vouchers for $2 of Skype credit to its users in Haiti.

However, a United Nations Foundation worker told us this afternoon that the communication systems in Haiti were essentially unusable. It appears that the two companies have just joined the category of “awfully nice, generous, but somewhat impractical” ideas.

Sponsor

Now this isn’t to say that Google is completely amiss on the subject of helping Haiti. The company has also set up a page to respond to the crisis in a number of ways, and has pledged to donate $1 million to relief organizations. But let’s take a look at what’s going on.

Skype’s blog post on the subject starts off by pointing out that “many people in Haiti are without landline or cell phone coverage since the earthquake.” If this is true, the same must be said for the Internet in Haiti.

Mozilla’s “Blog of Metrics” shared some statistics yesterday about Firefox usage in the country and the numbers don’t say good things for the state of the communications infrastructure.

The data is based on a once-daily ping from Firefox users in Haiti and is broken down on an hour-by-hour basis. The pings stopped at the time of the earthquake.

While both moves seem well-intentioned, we can only wonder how effective they might be.There are some reports of people using Skype to connect with family there, but from what we’ve seen of the satellite imagery on Google, this must be the exception more than the rule.

Update: The Word from the Ground

We spoke with Ingrid Madden from the U.N. Foundation this afternoon and she told us that communication systems in Haiti were essentially unusable.

“The only ones on our staff who have been able to make phone calls have satellite phones,” she said. “Even electricity is really hard to come by.”

She also told us that they have teams on the ground trying to set up satellite communications systems.

A first-hand account from an aid worker with the U.N. World Food Program in Haiti describes the technical difficulties they are facing in the region:

Some minutes later, we learned that Port-au-Prince was badly hit by an earthquake. We tried to contact the WFP country office by FoodSat phone, mobile phone and landlines without any success. Finally we got in touch with the HF radio on 3.xxx Mhz.

The account goes on to say that landline communications in the Port-au-Prince area are also completely down. Luckily, the worker found a satellite leftover from Hurricane Ike in 2008 in the back of a cybercafe.

For more information on how to help, the U.N. Foundation has issued a call for donations or you can visit their page directly.

Photo by WFP/ICT.

Discuss