Posts tagged Top Stories
White House Throws Its Support Behind Google in China Standoff
Jan 14th
White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said today that President Obama is supportive of
“We support [Google's] action … in a decision to no longer censor searches that happen using the [Google] platform.” … “Our concern is with actions that threaten the universal rights of a free Internet.”
Today’s statements are an extension of the “serious concerns and questions” that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton alluded to
As we
This thing is far from over.
[via
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Mac and iPhone Devs Donate App Proceeds to Haiti
Jan 14th
This got Mac and iPhone developer
Indie Relief
The project is called Indie Relief and the website,
Here’s how it’s going to work: On January 20, 2010 (so that’s next Wednesday), all the participating companies are pledging to donate their sales for the day to a charity of their choice that benefits the Haitian relief effort. Doctors Without Borders and The Red Cross are two of the most common charities, but the developers can choose any organization they want.
Indie Relief is going to aggregate these efforts, listing the participating companies and what products they are offering (some are going to donate the sales from all their products, some might just do it for select titles) and their charities. The companies themselves will make the donation. This is kind of like the
If you’re a Mac or
Mac Community Gives Back
It’s stuff like this that makes me so proud to be part of the Mac community. Donate to the Haitian relief effort, get a Mac or iPhone app for free. Plus, who knows, you might even discover some new software you wouldn’t have tried otherwise.
I’d also like to draw special attention to the employees at
Do you know of any other software developers who will be donating sales proceeds to Haiti? Let us know!
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Kodak Cries Patent Infringement Against iPhone and BlackBerry
Jan 14th
Kodak has licensing deals with LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericson and Nokia. The Nokia bit is interesting, if only because of the
From Kodak’s announcement:
“‘Kodak has a long history of digital imaging innovation and we have invested hundreds of millions of dollars creating our industry-leading patent portfolio,’ said Laura G. Quatela, Chief Intellectual Property Officer, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. ‘In the case of Apple and RIM, we’ve had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement. In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology.
‘Our primary interest is not to disrupt the availability of any product but to obtain fair compensation for the use of our technology,’ Quatela said. ‘There’s a basic issue of fairness that needs to be addressed. Those devices use Kodak technology, and we are merely seeking compensation for the use of our technology in their products.’”
Of course, Kodak is seeking a limited exclusion order from the ITC preventing the importation of infringing devices (which would mean the
In the District Court cases, Kodak wants to permanently enjoin
More details on the two Apple District Court lawsuits from the announcement:
“In the first suit against Apple in U.S. District Court, Kodak alleges infringement of two patents generally covering image preview and the processing of images of different resolutions. In the second suit, Kodak alleges infringement of patents that describe a method by which a computer program can “ask for help” from another application to carry out certain computer-oriented functions. The allegations in the second suit apply to any Apple product that uses the processing method described above. The patents at issue in the second suit were previously the subject of litigation between Kodak and Sun Microsystems Inc., and in that case, a federal jury determined in a 2004 trial that Sun’s Java programming technology had infringed the patents. Kodak later settled the suit by agreeing to a payment from Sun in return for a license for the patents at issue.”
Kodak has had some recent luck in the patent lawsuit game. On December 17, an ITC Administrative Law Judge ruled that Kodak’s patent on color image preview was valid and enforceable and that Samsung (the defendant) was infringing on Kodak’s patent with its camera-enabled mobile devices.
(img credit:
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Nexus One Sales: Will They Be More Like Avatar or Gigli?
Jan 14th
Yet now we’ve learned that
From this point on, I suggest that Nexus One sales will mimic the sales of one of two movies: the James Cameron blockbuster Avatar or the Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez box office bomb Gigli.
The Gigli Scenario
Gigli had a budget of $54 million, much of which was used to pay for the salaries of Affleck, Lopez and Al Pacino. During its first weekend, though, the movie grossed less than $4 million, an utter bomb. It’s now considered by many as one of the biggest box office bombs of all time (as well as being a terrible, terrible movie).
In the Gigli scenario, the Nexus One would continue to sell badly, never really breaking 20,000 units sold per week. Sure, eventually there might be a few hundred thousand on the market, but Google’s phone wouldn’t come anywhere near the sales of the iPhone or the Droid. More importantly, Google wouldn’t recuperate its cost and its reputation would be tarnished.
At least
The Avatar Effect
Avatar started out with a bang on its
In the Avatar scenario, the Nexus One benefits from positive buzz, happy customers and word-of-mouth marketing. Its sales either stay consistent or rise as more and more people experience their friends’ Google phones. Another bump occurs when the device hits the Nexus One. The end result would eventually be a launch that beat the
Which Scenario Is More Likely?
I’ve presented two potential outcomes for Nexus One sales, but as with most things in life, the answer lies in the middle. The Nexus One won’t bomb; it’s too good of a phone for that to happen. What’s more likely is that people will slowly become more comfortable with the online sales model Google is pioneering with its self-branded phone and will eventually purchase it after playing around with a friend’s phone or hearing enough about it.
Will the Nexus One beat the Droid? Probably not. The Droid just has a lot more marketing muscle behind it. Yet it’s not the Nexus One that will likely be Google’s star device, but the Nexus Two and whatever phones it releases in the product line.
Google is making a long-term investment in Android and in changing the business model of choosing a carrier first and a business model second. As it hones in on the perfect phone and more people get comfortable with
Eventually, the Nexus line will reach Avatar levels, only second to the iPhone. We’re not worried about the long-term prospects of the Google Phone.
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China Censors Google’s Threat to Pull Out of China
Jan 13th
A quick recap: Yesterday, in a lengthy blog post,
The targets were the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. As a result of these attacks — along with Google’s discovery of already compromised Google accounts — the company has decided to not censor its search engine, even if it means being kicked out of China.
The Fallout Has Begun
Here’s what she had to say in a brief statement:
“We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. I will be giving an address next week on the centrality of internet freedom in the 21st century, and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear.”
As with most statements, it doesn’t reveal all that much. However, we now know for sure that the government has been aware of the situation and will be specifically addressing the issue next week, allowing for the government to gather more information and likely talk to the Chinese in private.
In China, the Google News Is Being Censored
How the news is being interpreted within China is a tricky subject, because it’s getting suppressed in the communist nation. According to a
One quote from the article really caught my attention. It’s from an 18-year-old Chinese law student:
“The government should give people the right to see what they want online,” said the woman, Bing, who withheld her full name for fear that it might cause her problems at school. “The government can’t always tell lies to the people.”
At the same time, China’s Internet industry has been shaken to its core, according to
It’s probably safe to say that no Chinese Internet company can match Google’s technology or innovations, and losing access to that is an issue. It also has a lot of investments and partnerships that could be affected by a pullout.
This news will continue to leak to the Chinese people, despite the censors. How much information they got, or what explanation the government would give if Google.cn were to simply disappear, is still unknown.
The pressure has begun to build on China, and it’s not going to go away anytime soon.
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Haiti Earthquake: Twitter Pictures Sweep Across the Web [PHOTOS]
Jan 13th
Photos taken by journalist
There are also thousands of
Our best wishes go out to the victims of this devastating natural disaster, as well as their families. Below is a collection of the most retweeted pictures coming out of Haiti, courtesy of TwitPic.
Haiti Earthquake in Pictures
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The Global Implications of Google’s Stand Against Chinese Censorship
Jan 13th
What It Means for China: Not Much
Let me make it clear: China has a
Google isn’t the U.S. Government; it doesn’t have the political or technological leverage to make the Chinese government to do anything. Even the U.S. Government has limited influence, due to the economic ties between the two nations and our large debt to the Asian nation.
To think that China would change its rules and allow its citizens unfiltered access to what it believes is objectionable content (e.g. porn), as well as information and images on its greatest atrocities, is absurd. China backing off would weaken its iron-grip hold and open it up to more calls for the abolition of censorship inside its borders.
The end result is that Google will likely be gone from China and censorship will continue, at least in the short term. Only if Google agrees to some less-restricted censorship rules will the search engine be allowed to stay.
China’s about to feel some heat from the rest of the world, though.
The Global Censorship Debate Has Been Reignited
Now lawmakers and governments worldwide have another reason to speak out if China kicks Google out. The criticism will mount from institutions, organizations and governments worldwide over China’s decision.
Google’s positioning it so that this is China’s decision, not Google’s, over whether the search engine stays operational within the nation’s borders. This is a smart move on Google’s part and places China in an uncomfortable position.
The world will also begin to focus on the specifics of the attack on Google’s infrastructure. Who was targeted? How deep of a role did China play? What information do they have? What actions can be taken against China?
In the end, though, China is a sovereign nation with one of the world’s largest economies. There will be a lot of head-butting over the next few weeks, but we doubt that anything more severe than condemnations will be issued.
The posturing and criticism will, however, return the spotlight to China and its questionable practices. That is a good thing. The debate has been reignited, which will make us question once again what China is doing on the web and beyond.
The State of Censorship
The world’s focus on major issues comes and goes. It was red-hot on Iran during the
Today’s move places the spotlight back on China and the state of censorship, at least for the next few weeks. The 24/7 news cycle will analyze all angles, especially if China does end up kicking Google out. The more information that comes out, the more pressure that will be placed on China.
Even though Google will likely be a casualty of the censorship war, it will not have been taken down in vain. Activists will be reinvigorated, new information will be revealed, and the fight against oppression will continue.
How the war will turn out or when it will end is anybody’s guess. We haven’t even come close to seeing the full implications of Google’s decision. You can bet, though, that the effect will be felt for years to come in political, social and technological circles worldwide.
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