Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Mobile: 05/18/10

2010년 5월 18일 화요일

Socialwok, a product that ads a social layer to Gmail and other Google products, is spreading its wings beyond the search giant to Microsoft land. Today, the startup, which launched its Google Apps-focused product at TechCrunch50 last year, is rolling out the Socialwok Social Connector for Microsoft Office Outlook 2010, 2007, 2003.

Similar to the layer that Socialwok creates for Google Apps and Gmail, the connector allows Outlook users to create a private social network within the application to share ideas, emails, files, Office documents from Microsoft Word, Google Docs and other rich media using status updates.

From inside Microsoft Outlook, users can see the latest activity of their co-workers in the office as well as view what files and emails have been previously shared. Microsoft Office users can also access the Socialwok user profiles of their co-workers from the Microsoft Outlook address book.

Of course, the timing of Socialwok’s connector fits with the roll out of the new version of Office 2010 this past week, which brings all of its applications, including Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint, to the PC, phone and browser. Outlook specifically has been revamped to become more social, with integration available for LinkedIn and MySpace

But Socialwok’s beauty is that it wraps a collaborative, social network around the most unsocial of email applications, allowing users to never have to leave their email clients. And as Microsoft moves its applications to the cloud and the idea of the social CRM takes off, Socialwok’s plugin could become appealing to business users.

Socialwok, which employs a freemium model, has steadily been adding features and improvements to its application, including adding support for Facebook, Twitter and Buzz within its applications and releasing a new version of its HTML 5 mobile version for Android and iPhone browsers.

Of course, it’s interesting to see Socialwok playing nice with Microsoft products considering the startup has mainly tied its application to Google products. Not only was Socialwok was chosen as one of the showcase companies for AppEngine technology at this year’s Google IO Developer Sandbox but Socialwok was just integrated as a pilot partner in Google’s recently launched Google Apps Marketplace.

The Microsoft integration certainly adds a twist to our theory that Google could buy the startup. It should be interesting to see if Socialwok will face the same fate as Google Docs killer and collaboration platform Etherpad or Microsoft Word collaboration plug-in Docverse.

Vision Solutions Agrees To Acquire Double-Take Software For $242 Million

Vision Solutions, a portfolio company of PE firm Thoma Bravo, has agreed to acquire Southborough, Massachusetts-based Double-Take Software, a provider of backup and recovery solutions.

Under the terms of the agreement, Double-Take stockholders will receive $10.55 in cash for each share of common stock they hold, a premium of approximately 39% and 21% to Double-Take’s enterprise value and closing share price of $8.71, respectively, on the last business day prior to Double-Take’s announcement that its BOD was considering indications of interest to be acquired.

The deal, which was announced today, values Double-Take Software at approximately $242 million.

The Double-Take Board of Directors unanimously approved the agreement and has recommended the approval of the transaction to Double-Take’s stockholders.

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and the approval of Double-Take stockholders. The transaction is not subject to a financing condition, and debt commitments for the merger consideration have been received by Vision Solutions.

Earlier this month, Double-Take reported financial results, with first-quarter net income and revenue falling short of Wall Street’s expectations.

The company reported a net loss of $200,000 on $18.9 million in revenue for the first quarter of the year. That compared with a loss of $45,000, nearly flat results per share, on $18.2 million in revenue a year earlier.

Double-Take expects the acquisition by Vision Solutions to close in the third quarter of 2010.

(Via press release)

http://www.techcrunchit.com/2010/05/17/vision-solutions-double-take-software/

Android’s daily shipment rate jumps up to 65,000 per day

Back in February of this year, Eric Schmidt used his keynote at Mobile World Congress to disclose an interesting tidbit: between Google and their hardware partners, they were then shipping a collective total of around 60,000 units per day. Not too bad, right?

Its gotten even better.

In a shareholders meeting yesterday, Eric took the time to update the number: three months later, they’ve climbed from 60,000 per day to 65,000 per day. By our math, that’s around 8% growth. If they keep steady at this rate, they should be pushing between 5.5 and 6 million Android handsets shipped per quarter.

As with the last time, unfortunately, it’s unclear what Schmidt’s definition of “shipped” is. “Shipped” and “sold” are generally two entirely different things, with “shipped” just implying that they had been built and sent out to distribution partners, whether or not it ends up getting sold to an end consumer. However, distributors don’t generally continue buying things if they’re not selling — and seeing as they’re buying more of these things than they were before, we can assume that most of these units are getting snatched up.

For good ol’ comparisons sake: In their last reported quarter, Apple sold 8.75 million iPhones. That’s roughly 2.9 million per month, or 96,000 per day.

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/05/14/androids-daily-shipment-rate-jumps-up-to-65000-per-day/

Nissan Leaf to get iPhone integration

When I read in my little RSS reader that Nissan’s Leaf electric vehicle would be getting some iPhone love, I got kind of excited. I don’t even have an iPhone. But I have an imagination. Make the car magically come to the phone! Locate it in parking lots with a customized compass! I don’t know. As it turns out, it’ll ping you when it’s done charging and you can tweak the climate control. Seriously, that’s it?

Alas, it’s probably too much trouble to make a really comprehensive suite of apps for your car, allowing it to sync in all kinds of ways with all kinds of phones. It’s okay, I’m still holding out hope for a phone-driven car… like in that Bond movie. One of ‘em, I can’t remember.

http://www.mobilecrunch.com/2010/05/14/nissan-leaf-to-get-iphone-integration/

Samsung I9000 Galaxy S demo video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHXuPHztISQ&feature=player_embedded#!

Samsung Galaxy S I9000 Android Smartphone Features

It doesn’t have audio but the video below, posted to YouTube on May 10th

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTQVRCC8xiA&feature=player_embedded

How-To: Replace Your iMac’s Hard Drive

The iMac is a great machine that can last you a very long time. In its life, there are two things that you may find yourself wishing to upgrade, the memory and hard drive. Memory is easy enough to get to but the hard drive can seem a little daunting to some.

I’ll go through how to open the iMac up, just enough to replace the hard drive. There is risk involved with this but if you take your time, you should be just fine. If you want to transfer your data to the new drive before you begin, I recommend using a USB drive adapter such as this one by Apricorn and Carbon Copy Cloner.

Parts Needed

Suction cups: I am using suction cups from our server room floating floor but you can use any kind of suction cups you find at your local store.

Phillips Screwdriver: This is to remove the memory door on the bottom.

T8 Torx Screwdriver: The internal screws require this bit.

Canned Air: This is to remove any dust that may settle on the screen before you reassemble it.

Disassembly

The glass is held in by magnets so use your suction cups to pull the glass off the iMac.
Remove the memory door on the bottom of the iMac.
Remove the Torx screws that are holding the metal case on.
Pull the metal case off by starting at the top. You will see a connection by the iSight that you need to disconnect. After that, the case will slide right off.
Now the remove the screws on the sides of the actual LCD screen.
Gently rock the LCD screen forward from the top and you will see the hard drive behind it. You may need to disconnect the two wires running to the LCD.
Pull on the back plastic bar on the left side and it will swing out.
Remove the heat sensor by pulling off the foam and sensor carefully. Set the foam aside so we can use it to re-attach the sensor to the new drive.
The drive is ready to be come out by rocking the top out of the frame and then pulling it up.
Once out, we need to transfer the Torx screws to the new drive.

To reassemble, just follow the same steps in reverse. Go slowly and don’t force anything. All the pieces should slide back together without much effort. Some people like to take the LCD screen all the way off and that’s fine. You will need a T7 bit to disconnect the LCD screen from the board and just remember where each connector goes. Before you put the glass back on, use some canned air to blow off any dusk that may have settled on the LCD screen.

http://theappleblog.com/2010/05/17/how-to-replace-your-imacs-hard-drive/

MobileMe Mail Beta Walkthrough

http://theappleblog.com/2010/05/17/mobileme-mail-beta-walkthrough/

Apple recently started offering a new beta of the web Mail application portion of its MobileMe software suite. As a longtime MobileMe subscriber, I’d say it was high time it updated that particular app, which has been more or less broken since launch.

Maybe ‘broken’ is too harsh a word, but it definitely hasn’t made for a pleasant web-based email user experience. As someone who also maintains a Gmail account for back-up purposes, there really is no comparing the two experiences. One is pleasant and intuitive, and the other has been, till now, awkward and uncomfortable.

The new MobileMe Mail Beta makes a number of changes that, though small, completely change the look and feel of using the web app. Here’s a rundown of what’s new and different.

New Views

MobileMe Mail’s physical layout can now be switched among three different views, including Widescreen, Compact and Classic. Each offers unique advantages and suits different monitor setups or screen arrangements. For example, I generally keep my mail open on a secondary monitor that’s oriented in portrait mode. Either Compact or Classic represents a better look for this type of setup, because you can see more information in a narrower space. Widescreen is great for when I have my second display flipped in landscape mode, since it resembles Mail on the iPad.

New Interface

MobileMe Mail looks a lot different in the new beta. In fact, it no longer shares the design elements of its other MobileMe web apps, like the iPhone-inspired icon bar at the top and the black top bar. Instead the theme is blue and white, with a single button that sends you back out to your Contacts web app, which still has the old navigation bar.

The search bar is located above your inbox instead of on the far right side, which is a much more intuitive place for it to be, and in keeping with how message search works on both the iPhone and iPad platform. Things like that and the icon choices for your common mail actions (Delete, Archive, Move, etc.) seem to indicate that Apple is trying to tie the MobileMe web-based product to the iPhone platform.

The changes really do bring a sense of uniformity across Apple’s platforms. All we need now is a new version of desktop Mail on the Mac that also borrows design cues from the iPhone and we’ll have true product continuity.

New Message Editor

Hitting the compose button now results in a completely different experience compared to that of the original Mail web app. The interface is clean and sparse, but still presents you with a much larger selection of composition options via the new formatting toolbar.

The 14 font options, color picker, list formatting button, link insertion and tab control mean that using webmail is now a lot more like using Mail via a desktop client. You can now personalize your email completely, and drafts are autosaved with considerable frequency to prevent losing messages, something which happened often in my previous experience with MobileMe on the web.

Persistent Rules

You can now create rules in MobileMe web mail that will apply across your inboxes, on all devices associated with your MobileMe account. What makes this so great is that doing so using the web-based interface is far simpler than creating rules using desktop Mail.app. Just click the settings icon, then in the ‘Rules’ tab add and edit any rule you want. On the desktop it takes a bit more hunting around to find these features.

Little Things

The little things really make MobileMe better. It feels snappier and more responsive, and seems to function much better in terms of composing and reading email, both areas which always seemed buggy in the old version. And little touches like the one-click archiving button, inbox refresh button and quick folder addition intuitively located next to the “Folder” menu item instead of tucked away at the bottom of the interface all combine to make this beta a winner.

How to avoid mobile phone radiation with tawkon on BlackBerry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-uRyjsLbkw&feature=player_embedded

Tawkon Releases BlackBerry Radiation App, Visits Apple To Discuss Rejection

by Roi Carthy on May 17, 2010

Tawkon, whose cellular radiation measurement iPhone app was initially rejected by Apple, is today announcing availability of an app with identical functionality for BlackBerry.

From our initial review of Tawkon:

The purpose of Tawkon’s app is to provide the user with an indication—or “prediction” as they call it—of the radiation level being emitted by the iPhone. This level changes based on environmental conditions, distance from cell towers, and even the manner in which the device is held. To illustrate: the iPhone’s antenna is located at the bottom of the device. If the user cradles the phone too tightly in the palm, the antenna has to work harder, thereby increasing radiation.

The 3GS models have improved chipsets, so radiation would be lower on them compared to previous versions, and Tawkon takes this into considering when calculating its prediction.

Tawkon for BlackBerry is available for download today, at a cost of $9.99. The biggest difference between the iPhone version and the Blackberry version, is that the latter is able to run in the background. All calls are automatically monitored without the user needing to proactively engage Tawkon (as was the case for the iPhone app we reviewed).

Once running, a small icon on the main screen provides constant indication of the current radiation level. A green icon means all is fine and a yellow indicates a moderate radiation level. A red icon means there’s a high level of radiation, in which case the Tawkon app will prompt to use precautionary measures such as to distance the phone from your body while making a call.

TechCrunch’s initial review of Tawkon created a wave of interest for the iPhone app, along with additional frustration at Apple’s rejection of it. It seems this did not go unnoticed by the good folks at 1 Infinite Loop, who reached out to the Tawkon team and invited them in to the HQ. Gil Friedlander, Tawkon’s CEO, gave us his impressions:

“Apple definitely saw the media and user interest in tawkon. They’ve been very positive about working together with us to open undocumented APIs to get tawkon on the App Store. It’s been quite a ride – through a series of exploratory phone calls and a very productive meeting with Philip Shoemaker [Director of Application Technology] and his team at their Cupertino headquarters.

The iPhone team complimented our app, and we’re now optimistic that we’ll get onto the App Store. Now we just really need to show Apple that people want the opportunity to use their phone responsibly with minimal exposure to radiation when necessary.”

Google Refreshes Android Market Website – It Inexplicably Still Lacks Search

We’re not 100% sure when it popped up first, but Google has seemingly updated the Android Market website. Don’t pee your pants just yet – they’ve apparently merely shuffled some things around along with other layout changes. Still no search, still no way to download apps OTA, still no statistics of any kind.

On the bright side, the interface is more straightforward than it used to be. You can see a screenshot of the ‘old’ UI in this post, in which Jason Kincaid rightly calls for an Android Market desktop client – as you can tell the new website makes it a tad easier to browse different categories for both free and paid apps.

Google being Google, I’m really surprised the new website still lacks search functionality.

I mean, it’s fine that you can look up apps from your Android phone, but what if you don’t happen to have it on you? There’s no way to check if there’s a Skype or Facebook client for Android by browsing the Market website, unless you happen to stumble upon them in the listings of featured, top free or top paid apps.

Granted, they are clear about the Android Market website serving as a showcase of apps only right at the top of the new website, but that doesn’t explain why they choose not to make it more useful.

Good thing there are sites like Cyrket and AndroLib (update: and AppBrain) to do what Google apparently can’t or won’t: make a decent website for people who’d like to peruse the Android marketplace.

Ustream Asia Debuts, New iPhone Apps For Japan

Just four months after a major investment from Japan’s SoftBank, Ustream has officially launched its Asian arm. The live broadcasting site unveiled Ustream Asia this Monday, a joint venture with TV Bank Corporation (a unit of SoftBank). Ustream is also rolling out two new Japanese apps for the iPhone, a viewer and a broadcaster, specifically made for the market. The roots of Ustream Asia will be based in Japan but the company plans to expand to the greater Asia Pacific region.

Under the deal, Tomoraka Nakagawa will serve as CEO of Ustream Asia. Ustream will own 32% of the venture, TV Bank takes the majority with 60%, and venture firm DCM holds 8%.

“The number of Internet users in Asian countries is growing dramatically, and Ustream Asia will be a live video distribution platform for this huge market,” Softbank’s CEO Masayoshi Son said in press release. “In Japan, the number of Ustream users is growing rapidly, so I am excited for this business opportunity in Asian countries including Japan.”

Since early 2010, Ustream has been preparing for a major Asian expansion. The company has frequently reiterated its commitment to the region, especially Japan, and China, Korea and India. In January, Softbank agreed to invest up to $75 million in Ustream by 2011. The Japanese telecom and media giant has completed the initial investment of roughly $20 million (a 13.7% stake). According to Monday’s press release, SoftBank will inject $10 million in June and is on track to complete its full $75 million investment by July 2011. That investment will make SoftBank the company’s largest shareholder, with over 30% of outstanding shares. Ustream has been a magnet for capital, the company has so far raised $87.8 million (assuming Softbank completes its investment), putting its valuation at roughly $230 million.

As a prelude to Ustream Asia, the company also launched a Japanese site last month. By creating a tailored experience for its Japanese consumers, Ustream has enjoyed a major surge in traffic: in January, the company logged 1.8 million visits from Japan, in April that soared to 5.2 million.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/05/17/ustream-asia-debuts-new-iphone-apps-for-japan/

Adobe Flash-Enabled Sites Are Highlighted Upon Updating To Android 2.2

Apple hates Flash. Adobe “loves” Apple. Apple hates Android. And now, yes, Android loves Flash.

It’s widely expected that Google will unveil the latest version of Android, 2.2 (codenamed “Froyo“), at Google I/O which starts on Wednesday. The update is promising big things including huge performance improvements, tethering, and the ability to create your own WiFi hotspots with your phone. Another huge feature is expected to be the integration of Flash 10.1, a version finally optimized to run on mobile devices. And Google is apparently going to be highlighting the feature the moment you update to 2.2.

From what we hear, Android users with phones eligible for the 2.2 upgrade (Nexus One, Droid, and soon, HTC Evo) will be greeted with a link to an Adobe Mobile website after the upgrade. This page will give you the option to “View Flash enabled websites” or “Get Adobe products.” If you click on the first link, you’ll get a full list of sites Adobe is featuring that take advantage of Flash 10.1. These sites include Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, BBC, Google Finance, and a whole range of others.

In fact, the list of sites is already live for both the Nexus One and the Droid. What’s odd is that the list is different depending on what device you’re using (Droid shows many fewer sites). I have no idea why that is, but maybe that will change before the launch.

Adobe’s Mobile page also lists sites enabled for Flash on the Palm Pre. And, humorously, has a page for the iPhone which has a “Get apps” link rather than a “View Flash enabled websites” link.

This list seems to be a direct response to Apple’s list of sites that are optimized to run on the iPad — meaning, they don’t use Flash. It’s an obvious thing for Adobe to do, but the most interesting aspect is that Google will apparently promote it. Clearly, they believe Flash support will be a big selling point of Android phones versus iPhones. And Google is also working with Adobe to bake Flash into its Chrome browser (and yet, soon Chrome OS too).

In case it wasn’t clear, the war between Google and Apple is on. And Google is moving fast to ensure that Adobe is one of its soldiers.