Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Mobile

2010년 10월 19일 화요일

Google Now Gives You More Control Over Your Location Settings

Google's algorithms take your current location into account when choosing which results to display for searches where your location is relevant. Until now, though, it was rather hard to know where exactly Google thought you were and sometimes Google just doesn't get it right. Starting today, Google will make it easier to see where it thinks you are and to change your location settings manually.

A new setting will now appear in the sidebar when you perform local searches that shows where Google thinks you are and allows you to manually enter a new location. Google is currently rolling this feature out across 40 languages and should be available to all users soon. While this feature is useful when Google can't automatically place you in the right location, it should also be helpful if you are regularly searching for hotels, restaurants and sights while you are preparing for a trip, for example.

Until now, this setting was hidden behind a number of rather cryptic steps ("View customizations," "Change location"). Now, as Google's Mack Lu notes, Google has become so much better at displaying locally relevant information that "it felt like the right time to make this setting easier to find."

Apple Reports Q4 Earnings, and Guess What, It is Doing Really, Really Well

Apple announced its earnings and revenue for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year today, and in news that won't surprise those who either monitor the stock market or who own an iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Macbook (um, that would be me) revealed that the company's financial standing is strong - record-breaking strong, that is.

Apple posted a record-setting revenue of $20.34 billion and quarterly profit of $4.31 billion in the fourth quarter. In comparison, Apple posted revenue of $12.21 for the third quarter of 2010.

As we recently reported, the iPad is now the consumer electronic device with the fastest adoption rate ever, but iPad sales were only one part of the sales figures Apple touted today. Most notably the iPhone sales this quarter were up 91% year-over-year. Here's the breakdown for the sales of the major Apple devices this quarter: 3.89 million Macs, 14.1 million iPhones, 9.05 million iPods, and 4.19 million iPads.

2010년 10월 18일 월요일

Is EMC the Next Step in Oracle’s Journey to $100B?

Oracle bought Sun Microsystems, hired former HP CEO Mark Hurd and declared that as “Oracle continues to grow, we need people experienced in operating a $100 billion business,” and ever since, the technology world has waited to see what other acquisitions Larry Ellison might have up his sleeve. This past week, we saw strong reactions to the rumor that Oracle might make a bid to buy EMC, due to the acquisition’s outlandish nature and monetary mismatch. Oracle will need to more than triple its revenue to reach that $100 billion target, so anything is possible.

HomeArchivesFeaturesTagsBest of RWWFeatured: ReadWriteCloud Why Buy the Cow? Open Wi-Fi Networks Slow Broadband Adoption

We've all seen it and we've all done it - you're at a friends house with your laptop, and they don't have wireless, so you take a look and sign on to the nearest unsecured wireless network. No biggie, but certainly you wouldn't rely on this open network for all your Internet needs, right?

A report by analyst firm Mintel released this week claims that "Wi-Fi pirating" could be a main reason for the slow growth of broadband adoption over recent years.

According to Mintel, "home Internet services saw revenues increase by only 3% over the past five years", but surely Internet use itself has been on the rise. The firm found that 72% say that they have Internet access at home, but only 56% report subscribing to a service at home. Where does the discrepancy come from?

Weekly Poll: Does Android Have a "Dude" Problem?

According to a recent survey of 78,835 mobile phone customers in the U.K., less than 5% of women would select an Android device as their next smartphone. The problem, explains Belinda Parmar, Founder of marketing agency Lady Geek which conducted the survey with YouGov Sixth Sense, is that "Android provides a perfect example of how not to market a platform to women." Few women know or care about what Android is or how it can benefit their lives, she explains.

Parmar plans to detail the survey's findings in a presentation at Droidcon, a London-based Android conference occurring later this month.

Boys Love Droids

According to the survey, less than 5% of women 25-39 would choose Android, while 11.9% of men in the same age range would.

Of course, a survey from a women-centric marketing agency that talks of Android's lack of feminine appeal is a bit suspect, as many company-led surveys today are. But is it wrong?

Anecdotally, I can affirm that my (non-geek) girlfriends are buying iPhones, or feature phones if money is a concern, opting for the iPod Touch as their portal to the world of apps and pocket computing. However, my geek friends, both male and female, are experimenting with both Androids and iPhones and other mobile platforms, too.

How to Download Angry Birds for Free on Android

Mobile game maker Rovio released a free full version of their popular Angry Birds app for Android users today and the launch has subsequently taken down the company's website and, at times, has impacted the app's download page on the independent app store, GetJar, where the app is being exclusively launched. In fact, the app is proving so popular that GetJar is recommending users visit m.getjar.com from their mobile phone browser instead.

For now, the free app is ad-supported, but a version without ads will be available soon for those who would prefer a cleaner experience.

PHP Power Button: VMware vCloud SDK

Developers have access to a growing number of options for spinning up virtual machines. With each new software release from virtualization titans such as VMware there are also developer community efforts such as VI Java API with a wide base of contributors. Just as the contributors expand so do the options for developers familiar with other languages.

Let's take a look at how VMware is expanding options with a recent beta that targets the PHP developer community.

Here Comes Beta

The VMware vCloud SDK for PHP Beta is an example of expansion in available language support for the PHP developer community. The appending of beta speaks to the path and desire for inclusion longer term.

Indeed, sometimes the popularity within a developer community that includes paying customers can have an impact on a company roadmap. Perhaps this post regarding PHP and VMware reflects how continued pursuit of more options can benefit the PHP developer community.