After a month that saw 3 separate 4G LTE network outages, Verizon Wireless has issued a press release detailing some points as to why its network has been unstable and what the carrier is doing to shore it up for the future.
December has been a rough month for Verizon's LTE network, with no fewer than 3 outages affecting users across the country. Earlier this year, the network went down for multiple days, leaving many customers without any access to the 4G services. Adding to the issue, even when 4G device owners tried to use Verizon's 3G network, which was still operational, many found that they could not connect to that, either.
Verizon explains that each network outage was caused by a different technical issue, and engineers have addressed the problems as they have been discovered. A single problem has not caused the network to go down more than once, but each incident was caused by something new and unexpected. The carrier attributes this to the growing pains of being the first major carrier to deploy a nationwide LTE network, and notes that it has learned from each situation. Verizon points out that the 4G LTE network has seen 99 percent uptime since it was launched in late 2010.
Verizon says that one of the steps that it is taking to prevent future nationwide outages is to segment the network into geographic areas, limiting problems to a certain locale to prevent them from taking the whole network down. It is a bit surprising that this method wasn't already in use, considering the scale of Verizon's network. The carrier says that it has deployed numerous software fixes that will improve the reliability of the network, and that it is using techniques learned from its 3G and 1xRTT networks to maintain uptime.
So, there you have it. Verizon's network is new and runs into issues from time to time, but the carrier insists that it is constantly working to improve the network and limit downtime. It's just unfortunate that so many of the outages happened to rear their heads in the span of one month, leaving a tarnished mark on Verizon's stellar reputation. Hopefully 2012 will be a better year for 4G LTE reliability. As to whether or not other carriers will face the same problems with their new LTE networks, it is hard to say, but to be fair to Verizon, the switch to LTE from CDMA is a much bigger technical leap than the jump from HSPA+ to LTE, as is the case with AT&T's LTE network.
(mobileburn.com)
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Jumat, 30 Desember 2011
Minggu, 25 Desember 2011
Hackers target U.S. security think tank
LONDON (AP) – Hackers on Sunday claimed to have stolen 200 GB of e-mails and credit card data from United States security think tank Stratfor, promising a weeklong Christmas-inspired assault on a long list of targets.
Members of the loose hacking movement known as "Anonymous" posted a link on Twitter to what it said was Stratfor's secret client list — including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, Goldman Sachs and MF Global.
"Not so private and secret anymore?," the group taunted in a message on the microblogging site.
Anonymous said it was able to get credit details, in part, because Stratfor didn't bother encrypting them — an easy-to-avoid blunder which — if true — would be a major embarrassment for any security company.
Stratfor said in an e-mail to members that it had suspended its servers and e-mail after learning that its website had been hacked.
"We have reason to believe that the names of our corporate subscribers have been posted on other web sites," said the e-mail, passed on to The Associated Press. "We are diligently investigating the extent to which subscriber information may have been obtained."
The e-mail, signed by Stratfor Chief Executive George Friedman, said the company is "working closely with law enforcement to identify who is behind the breach."
"Stratfor's relationship with its members and, in particular, the confidentiality of their subscriber information, are very important to Stratfor and me," Friedman wrote.
Stratfor's website was down midday Sunday, with a banner saying "site is currently undergoing maintenance."
Wishing everyone a "Merry LulzXMas" — a reference to spinoff and fellow troublemakers Lulz Security — Anonymous also posted a link on Twitter to a site containing the e-mail, phone number and credit number of a U.S. Homeland Security employee.
The employee, Cody Sultenfuss, said he had no warning before his details were posted.
"They took money I did not have," he told The Associated Press in an e-mail. "I think why me? I am not rich."
Anonymous warned it has "enough targets lined up to extend the fun fun fun of LulzXmas through the entire next week."
The group has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on companies such as Visa, MasterCard and PayPal, as well as others in the music industry and the Church of Scientology.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Members of the loose hacking movement known as "Anonymous" posted a link on Twitter to what it said was Stratfor's secret client list — including the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, Goldman Sachs and MF Global.
"Not so private and secret anymore?," the group taunted in a message on the microblogging site.
Anonymous said it was able to get credit details, in part, because Stratfor didn't bother encrypting them — an easy-to-avoid blunder which — if true — would be a major embarrassment for any security company.
Stratfor said in an e-mail to members that it had suspended its servers and e-mail after learning that its website had been hacked.
"We have reason to believe that the names of our corporate subscribers have been posted on other web sites," said the e-mail, passed on to The Associated Press. "We are diligently investigating the extent to which subscriber information may have been obtained."
The e-mail, signed by Stratfor Chief Executive George Friedman, said the company is "working closely with law enforcement to identify who is behind the breach."
"Stratfor's relationship with its members and, in particular, the confidentiality of their subscriber information, are very important to Stratfor and me," Friedman wrote.
Stratfor's website was down midday Sunday, with a banner saying "site is currently undergoing maintenance."
Wishing everyone a "Merry LulzXMas" — a reference to spinoff and fellow troublemakers Lulz Security — Anonymous also posted a link on Twitter to a site containing the e-mail, phone number and credit number of a U.S. Homeland Security employee.
The employee, Cody Sultenfuss, said he had no warning before his details were posted.
"They took money I did not have," he told The Associated Press in an e-mail. "I think why me? I am not rich."
Anonymous warned it has "enough targets lined up to extend the fun fun fun of LulzXmas through the entire next week."
The group has previously claimed responsibility for attacks on companies such as Visa, MasterCard and PayPal, as well as others in the music industry and the Church of Scientology.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Rabu, 21 Desember 2011
Verizon says it fixed network problem
Uh oh! It seems that it's not a good day to be a Verizon Wireless user. Based on an overwhelming number of reports in support forums, the cellular provider's customers are experiencing 3G and 4G data outages across the U.S. right now.
We've reached out to Verizon for more information about the issue and will update this story once we hear back, but in the meantime we're checking on the complaints in Verizon's own support forums.
Users are reporting trouble maintaining a steady data connection as well as misleading connectivity statuses (some devices are displaying icons which suggest connectivity, but no actual connection occurs). According to the folks at The Verge — who have been keeping track of the origins of the posts — the reports are coming in from "pretty much everywhere" including California, Rhode Island, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York.
Are you a Verizon customer and experiencing issues with your data connection? Please let us know in the comments below.
Update: Verizon Wireless responded to us with a brief note stating that things should be getting back to normal:
Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is returning to normal this morning after company engineers worked to resolve an issue with the 4G network during the early morning hours today. Throughout this time, 4G LTE customers were able to make voice calls and send and receive text messages. The 3G data network operated normally.
Wireless analyst Jeff Kagan chimed in to point out that it's not particularly surprising that an outage like this occurred in the first place. "As the wireless world becomes more about wireless data we can experience more of these outages," he says. He also offers some words of warning:
Expect wireless data traffic to explode during the holidays starting this week with Chanukah, then Christmas and the weeks following. We should brace for impact of all those users gobbling all that wireless data. Sounds like the right atmosphere for outages and slowdowns.
Updated at 6:45 p.m. ET: Verizon Wireless said it has fixed the data service problem, the second high-profile service problem this month for the company. The carrier said the problem with its 4G network was resolved by 2 p.m. ET, with data service restored for all customers of the 4G network late in the day. Verizon did not explain the cause of the problem. While some customers had complained online of problems with the older 3G service on Wednesday, company spokesman Tom Pica said 3G devices had not been affected. Verizon Wireless said that voice and text services had not stopped working — Reuters
We've reached out to Verizon for more information about the issue and will update this story once we hear back, but in the meantime we're checking on the complaints in Verizon's own support forums.
Users are reporting trouble maintaining a steady data connection as well as misleading connectivity statuses (some devices are displaying icons which suggest connectivity, but no actual connection occurs). According to the folks at The Verge — who have been keeping track of the origins of the posts — the reports are coming in from "pretty much everywhere" including California, Rhode Island, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York.
Are you a Verizon customer and experiencing issues with your data connection? Please let us know in the comments below.
Update: Verizon Wireless responded to us with a brief note stating that things should be getting back to normal:
Verizon Wireless 4G LTE service is returning to normal this morning after company engineers worked to resolve an issue with the 4G network during the early morning hours today. Throughout this time, 4G LTE customers were able to make voice calls and send and receive text messages. The 3G data network operated normally.
Wireless analyst Jeff Kagan chimed in to point out that it's not particularly surprising that an outage like this occurred in the first place. "As the wireless world becomes more about wireless data we can experience more of these outages," he says. He also offers some words of warning:
Expect wireless data traffic to explode during the holidays starting this week with Chanukah, then Christmas and the weeks following. We should brace for impact of all those users gobbling all that wireless data. Sounds like the right atmosphere for outages and slowdowns.
Updated at 6:45 p.m. ET: Verizon Wireless said it has fixed the data service problem, the second high-profile service problem this month for the company. The carrier said the problem with its 4G network was resolved by 2 p.m. ET, with data service restored for all customers of the 4G network late in the day. Verizon did not explain the cause of the problem. While some customers had complained online of problems with the older 3G service on Wednesday, company spokesman Tom Pica said 3G devices had not been affected. Verizon Wireless said that voice and text services had not stopped working — Reuters
Jumat, 16 Desember 2011
A Boggle of BlackBerrys
OTTAWA — Research in Motion’s chief executives, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, frightened its investors Thursday when they said the company would not have new BlackBerry phones until late in 2012. Until then, they said, RIM would heavily promote the existing lineup.
Some analysts argue that developing multiple BlackBerry models is spreading RIM too thin.
The reaction was swift and sharp. The stock fell to an eight-year low Friday. One reason for the worry, analysts say, is that no amount of advertising will help increase the sales of BlackBerrys in the United States because the current line is a jumble of models. There are BlackBerrys that flip, BlackBerrys that slide, BlackBerrys with touch screens, BlackBerrys with touch screens and keyboards, BlackBerrys with full keyboards, BlackBerrys with compact keyboards, high-end BlackBerrys and low-priced models.
Features have proliferated on BlackBerrys as part of RIM’s move to the broader consumer market, and so have the number of models. Since 2007, RIM has introduced 37 models. The company, in a statement, said it did not know how many models were on the market.
Adding to the shopping confusion are RIM’s product names, which generally rely on four-digit model numbers and sometimes have different products sharing a name. The BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 are touch-screen phones that are on some shelves next to the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and 9810, touch-screen phones with slide-out keyboards. (The model number differences reflect models adapted for different cellphone systems.)
By contrast, Apple has introduced only four iPhones since 2008 and all were basically the same phone with differences in the amount of storage, or upgrades from older models.
Shaw Wu, an analyst with Sterne Agee in San Francisco, said that even though he closely followed the company as part of his job, he was unable to keep the various BlackBerry models straight at times. “The company may not see this, but its product line is still too complicated,” Mr. Wu said. “They have all these different models, all these different model numbers and nobody knows what anything is. Apple’s a much bigger company, but they’ve made it simple for people.”
Model proliferation and fragmentation is nothing new in the wireless business. Nokia offered a wide range of cellphones tailored to appeal to specific, sometimes comparatively small, groups of buyers. And several companies, notably Samsung, also offer an array of phones.
But in the era of more sophisticated smartphones when many shoppers are already baffled by choices between operating systems and software features, some analysts and marketing experts say that RIM is only confusing consumers, rather than increasing sales, with its array of handsets.
The extensive product line has not reversed RIM’s declining market share in North America. Canalys, a market research firm based in London, estimates that BlackBerrys accounted for only 9 percent of the United States market in the third quarter of this year. At the end of 2009, it held almost half the market.
RIM’s variety of BlackBerry models present it with an additional problem that could also make a comeback less likely. The different keyboards, screen sizes and screen types used by RIM make it more time-consuming and difficult to create and test BlackBerry apps. Without a lot of apps, consumers see the phones as less useful than an Apple or Android phone.
“It can be hard,” said Al Hilwa, the director of the applications development software program at IDC, a technology research firm. On top of the current fragmentation, he added, apps developers often struggle to accommodate older BlackBerry models that lack features, like a GPS receiver, that are now common on other devices.
Some analysts also argue that developing and supporting a smorgasbord of models is spreading RIM too thin. Its entry into the tablet computer market, the PlayBook, arrived in April without key features like e-mail, and the release of software to fix those problems is not expected until February. As a result, considerable concern has risen about RIM’s ability to successfully introduce phones next year. Those phones would be based on a new operating system that the company hopes will rekindle interest in BlackBerrys.
It is not just some financial and technology analysts who find the BlackBerry lineup overwhelming. Even some enthusiasts would like to see the company consolidate its models. On Crackberry.com, a Web site that reports even the smallest BlackBerry product and software developments, Kevin Michaluk, the editor in chief, wrote last month that the most common requests he receives are about which BlackBerry model to choose.
“Sometimes less is more,” he wrote. “In comparison over the years, RIM has taken the opposite strategy, giving customers almost too many options.”
Simona Botti, a professor of marketing at the London Business School who studies consumer decision-making, said that while people would always say that more choice was better, they were often mistaken.
“Too many options can be frightening, can be overwhelming,” she said. Her research found that people who buy complex products like smartphones in those circumstances are less satisfied than shoppers who lack choice.
Much of RIM’s decline in the United States is the result of consumers choosing Android phones. While some Android makers, notably Samsung Electronics, also make a wide array of models, Adnaan Ahmad, an analyst with Berenberg Bank in London, said that it was a mistake for RIM to emulate them. He noted that Samsung produces many of the key components for its phones in-house which, when combined with its high-volume production, gives it an insurmountable cost advantage over the Canadian company, even on niche products.
RIM’s success with low-end phones in developing countries, Mr. Ahmad said, has more to do with the popularity of BlackBerry Messenger service than its phones. All multiple models do for RIM, he said, is give it more shelf space in some stores. “But if you go to a big retailer virtually anywhere in the world, Apple’s there,” he said.
RIM declined to make anyone available for an interview about its product strategy.
In an e-mailed statement, the company said that it “continuously assesses its mix of handsets with our carrier partners to determine the best approach to serve various market segments.” The statement continued: “The smartphone market is not a ‘one size fits all’ market and RIM’s strategy of ranging its products to address high, mid and entry-levels has been important, particularly in parts of the world where smartphones are not subsidized.”
While announcing more bad financial news on Thursday, Mr. Balsillie and Mr. Lazaridis, the co-chief executives of RIM, indirectly acknowledged that the company might have too many models. They announced a major review of the company’s operations, which will include assessing its product lines.
(nytimes.com)
Some analysts argue that developing multiple BlackBerry models is spreading RIM too thin.
The reaction was swift and sharp. The stock fell to an eight-year low Friday. One reason for the worry, analysts say, is that no amount of advertising will help increase the sales of BlackBerrys in the United States because the current line is a jumble of models. There are BlackBerrys that flip, BlackBerrys that slide, BlackBerrys with touch screens, BlackBerrys with touch screens and keyboards, BlackBerrys with full keyboards, BlackBerrys with compact keyboards, high-end BlackBerrys and low-priced models.
Features have proliferated on BlackBerrys as part of RIM’s move to the broader consumer market, and so have the number of models. Since 2007, RIM has introduced 37 models. The company, in a statement, said it did not know how many models were on the market.
Adding to the shopping confusion are RIM’s product names, which generally rely on four-digit model numbers and sometimes have different products sharing a name. The BlackBerry Torch 9850 and 9860 are touch-screen phones that are on some shelves next to the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and 9810, touch-screen phones with slide-out keyboards. (The model number differences reflect models adapted for different cellphone systems.)
By contrast, Apple has introduced only four iPhones since 2008 and all were basically the same phone with differences in the amount of storage, or upgrades from older models.
Shaw Wu, an analyst with Sterne Agee in San Francisco, said that even though he closely followed the company as part of his job, he was unable to keep the various BlackBerry models straight at times. “The company may not see this, but its product line is still too complicated,” Mr. Wu said. “They have all these different models, all these different model numbers and nobody knows what anything is. Apple’s a much bigger company, but they’ve made it simple for people.”
Model proliferation and fragmentation is nothing new in the wireless business. Nokia offered a wide range of cellphones tailored to appeal to specific, sometimes comparatively small, groups of buyers. And several companies, notably Samsung, also offer an array of phones.
But in the era of more sophisticated smartphones when many shoppers are already baffled by choices between operating systems and software features, some analysts and marketing experts say that RIM is only confusing consumers, rather than increasing sales, with its array of handsets.
The extensive product line has not reversed RIM’s declining market share in North America. Canalys, a market research firm based in London, estimates that BlackBerrys accounted for only 9 percent of the United States market in the third quarter of this year. At the end of 2009, it held almost half the market.
RIM’s variety of BlackBerry models present it with an additional problem that could also make a comeback less likely. The different keyboards, screen sizes and screen types used by RIM make it more time-consuming and difficult to create and test BlackBerry apps. Without a lot of apps, consumers see the phones as less useful than an Apple or Android phone.
“It can be hard,” said Al Hilwa, the director of the applications development software program at IDC, a technology research firm. On top of the current fragmentation, he added, apps developers often struggle to accommodate older BlackBerry models that lack features, like a GPS receiver, that are now common on other devices.
Some analysts also argue that developing and supporting a smorgasbord of models is spreading RIM too thin. Its entry into the tablet computer market, the PlayBook, arrived in April without key features like e-mail, and the release of software to fix those problems is not expected until February. As a result, considerable concern has risen about RIM’s ability to successfully introduce phones next year. Those phones would be based on a new operating system that the company hopes will rekindle interest in BlackBerrys.
It is not just some financial and technology analysts who find the BlackBerry lineup overwhelming. Even some enthusiasts would like to see the company consolidate its models. On Crackberry.com, a Web site that reports even the smallest BlackBerry product and software developments, Kevin Michaluk, the editor in chief, wrote last month that the most common requests he receives are about which BlackBerry model to choose.
“Sometimes less is more,” he wrote. “In comparison over the years, RIM has taken the opposite strategy, giving customers almost too many options.”
Simona Botti, a professor of marketing at the London Business School who studies consumer decision-making, said that while people would always say that more choice was better, they were often mistaken.
“Too many options can be frightening, can be overwhelming,” she said. Her research found that people who buy complex products like smartphones in those circumstances are less satisfied than shoppers who lack choice.
Much of RIM’s decline in the United States is the result of consumers choosing Android phones. While some Android makers, notably Samsung Electronics, also make a wide array of models, Adnaan Ahmad, an analyst with Berenberg Bank in London, said that it was a mistake for RIM to emulate them. He noted that Samsung produces many of the key components for its phones in-house which, when combined with its high-volume production, gives it an insurmountable cost advantage over the Canadian company, even on niche products.
RIM’s success with low-end phones in developing countries, Mr. Ahmad said, has more to do with the popularity of BlackBerry Messenger service than its phones. All multiple models do for RIM, he said, is give it more shelf space in some stores. “But if you go to a big retailer virtually anywhere in the world, Apple’s there,” he said.
RIM declined to make anyone available for an interview about its product strategy.
In an e-mailed statement, the company said that it “continuously assesses its mix of handsets with our carrier partners to determine the best approach to serve various market segments.” The statement continued: “The smartphone market is not a ‘one size fits all’ market and RIM’s strategy of ranging its products to address high, mid and entry-levels has been important, particularly in parts of the world where smartphones are not subsidized.”
While announcing more bad financial news on Thursday, Mr. Balsillie and Mr. Lazaridis, the co-chief executives of RIM, indirectly acknowledged that the company might have too many models. They announced a major review of the company’s operations, which will include assessing its product lines.
(nytimes.com)
Senin, 12 Desember 2011
Amazon set to roll out update to Kindle Fire
The honeymoon period for the Kindle Fire appears to be drawing to a close as reports of customer complaints about the device’s Web browsing, touchscreen and other features have surfaced after the initial excitement about the tablet’s low, low price.
To address some of those concerns, Amazon is planning to push out an update to its Kindle Fire user interface in the next two weeks, the New York Times reported. The company has already updated the software for its tablet a couple of times, promising improvements to the tablet’s performance — and getting rid of root access to the device.
The new update will reportedly improve overall performance (again) and make some improvements to multitouch navigation, the report said. The update will also reportedly give customers a little more privacy by allowing them to edit their recent activity.
The report also hinted that Amazon will be rolling out a new device in the coming months, likely in the spring.
The Kindle Fire is, essentially, a tablet enclosure for Amazon to push out its ecosystem of content, from books to movies to cloud music and storage services. It’s never been a serious competitor to Apple's iPad, instead offering a different avenue for the tablet market — a cheap device for books, movies and consumption, and not for content creation.
(washingtonpost.com)
To address some of those concerns, Amazon is planning to push out an update to its Kindle Fire user interface in the next two weeks, the New York Times reported. The company has already updated the software for its tablet a couple of times, promising improvements to the tablet’s performance — and getting rid of root access to the device.
The new update will reportedly improve overall performance (again) and make some improvements to multitouch navigation, the report said. The update will also reportedly give customers a little more privacy by allowing them to edit their recent activity.
The report also hinted that Amazon will be rolling out a new device in the coming months, likely in the spring.
The Kindle Fire is, essentially, a tablet enclosure for Amazon to push out its ecosystem of content, from books to movies to cloud music and storage services. It’s never been a serious competitor to Apple's iPad, instead offering a different avenue for the tablet market — a cheap device for books, movies and consumption, and not for content creation.
(washingtonpost.com)
Sabtu, 10 Desember 2011
Google's Opt-in Facial Recognition Avoids Facebook's Missteps
Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) quiet introduction of facial recognition for its photos application on Google+ is drawing praise from analysts and security researchers alike because it stands in stark contrast to the way Facebook employed similar technology earlier this year.
That is, it's opt-in. Google's Find My Face feature lets its Google+ social network users opt-in to photo tagging. When users opt-in to Find My Face, the next time one of their Google+ contacts adds a photo they're in, they'll see their name as a suggested tag. Users will receive a tag prompt can accept or reject any instance where someone wants to tag them.
"Despite the fact that I am not comfortable with my information being gathered in this manner, providing people with a choice is never a bad thing," wrote Chester Wisniewski, a senior security advisor at security software provider Sophos Canada
. "It is up to every individual to make an *informed* choice about how their personal information is shared and asking their permission is the right approach."
If Find My Face sounds familiar it's because Facebook already beat Google to such a feature called Tag Suggestions, which automatically detects users in photos and links them with their names so that users don't have to manually tag friends.
The tool was actually announced a year ago, but some of Facebook's 800 million-plus users forgot about it. As Facebook gradually rolled Tag Suggestions out in 2011, it drew the ire of enough users for not advising them the feature had been turned on. People can be quite self-conscious about tagged photos because they can provide contextual information that users may want to keep private.
Privacy and U.S. Congressmen took notice. Last June, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Connecticut state Attorney General George Jepsen complained that Facebook should have provided more notice and should instead make the feature opt-in. Facebook then made the tool easier to opt out of
, but it's still an opt-out feature.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment about whether Google looked at Facebook's photo-tagging folly for guidance with the way it implemented Find My Face. However, sources familiar with Google's thinking say the company has learned a lot from Facebook's privacy foibles, which is why it's being careful with Find My Face.
Google also learned a lot from its own social software privacy gaffe. Nearly two years ago, it launched Google Buzz, a social service that exposed its users Gmail contacts to other people. The company quickly altered the service but took a major hit to its reputation for preserving user data and trust.
Altimeter Group analyst Rebecca Lieb called Google's implementation of Find My Face a very smart move at a time when the company is trying to challenge Facebook for the hearts, minds and eyeballs of social network users.
"Google is not interested in making the same mistakes Facebook made," Lieb told eWEEK, adding that even creating the perception that they care about user privacy can go along with consumers. "They are ensuring users they have their privacy interests in mind."
The launch of Find My Face as an opt-in facial recognition tool conveniently came the same day the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a privacy workshop
where it said it would take a hard line against companies that violate consumer privacy using facial recognition technology.(eweek.com)
That is, it's opt-in. Google's Find My Face feature lets its Google+ social network users opt-in to photo tagging. When users opt-in to Find My Face, the next time one of their Google+ contacts adds a photo they're in, they'll see their name as a suggested tag. Users will receive a tag prompt can accept or reject any instance where someone wants to tag them.
"Despite the fact that I am not comfortable with my information being gathered in this manner, providing people with a choice is never a bad thing," wrote Chester Wisniewski, a senior security advisor at security software provider Sophos Canada
. "It is up to every individual to make an *informed* choice about how their personal information is shared and asking their permission is the right approach."
If Find My Face sounds familiar it's because Facebook already beat Google to such a feature called Tag Suggestions, which automatically detects users in photos and links them with their names so that users don't have to manually tag friends.
The tool was actually announced a year ago, but some of Facebook's 800 million-plus users forgot about it. As Facebook gradually rolled Tag Suggestions out in 2011, it drew the ire of enough users for not advising them the feature had been turned on. People can be quite self-conscious about tagged photos because they can provide contextual information that users may want to keep private.
Privacy and U.S. Congressmen took notice. Last June, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Connecticut state Attorney General George Jepsen complained that Facebook should have provided more notice and should instead make the feature opt-in. Facebook then made the tool easier to opt out of
, but it's still an opt-out feature.
A Google spokesperson declined to comment about whether Google looked at Facebook's photo-tagging folly for guidance with the way it implemented Find My Face. However, sources familiar with Google's thinking say the company has learned a lot from Facebook's privacy foibles, which is why it's being careful with Find My Face.
Google also learned a lot from its own social software privacy gaffe. Nearly two years ago, it launched Google Buzz, a social service that exposed its users Gmail contacts to other people. The company quickly altered the service but took a major hit to its reputation for preserving user data and trust.
Altimeter Group analyst Rebecca Lieb called Google's implementation of Find My Face a very smart move at a time when the company is trying to challenge Facebook for the hearts, minds and eyeballs of social network users.
"Google is not interested in making the same mistakes Facebook made," Lieb told eWEEK, adding that even creating the perception that they care about user privacy can go along with consumers. "They are ensuring users they have their privacy interests in mind."
The launch of Find My Face as an opt-in facial recognition tool conveniently came the same day the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a privacy workshop
where it said it would take a hard line against companies that violate consumer privacy using facial recognition technology.(eweek.com)
Jumat, 09 Desember 2011
Twitter Redesign Courts Businesses, Catches Up With Facebook, Google+
Social networking company Twitter announced a slew of changes to the online and mobile versions of the microblogging site Dec. 8, including a simplified design to make it easier to connect with others.
The company also updated the TweetDeck desktop application to be consistent with the new version. As more businesses—large enterprises, as well as small and midsize firms—delve into the world of social media to help market their products and sell their services, the Twitter redesign can help companies reach their potential audience more quickly, as the site now offers greater simplicity, thanks to four menu tabs, which are the same across mobile and desktop devices.
Twitter is not the only social media company looking for ways to offer more functionality for business users. Both Facebook and Google+, Google’s recently released social networking site, offer companies different ways to brand and advertise themselves online, while connecting to like-minded social networking users.
On the homepage tab, photos, videos and conversations are embedded directly in tweets, allowing businesses to offer visual details of products and special offers and to spread viral marketing campaigns. The new Connect section is where businesses can get in on the conversation by seeing who has followed or mentioned the company, or who retweeted or favorited one of the tweets, giving businesses insight into potentially untapped customers or enabling them to respond to compliments (or criticisms).
The Discover tab lets users tap into a stream of information that can be customized just for a business based on current location, what you follow and what’s happening in the world. As Twitter use increases, Discover gets even better at serving up more content that applies directly to the company’s market and interests through tracking people, organizations or brands. The Discover tab also lets users search for contacts by name and import contacts from an email account.
The updated profile section, the Me tab, puts businesses’ interests front and center. Direct messages allow users to send personal messages to followers and receive personal messages from those being followed, which can help with personal customer service issues or product questions. Customers can also see a gallery of product images or marketing videos the company has recently shared.
Finally, Twitter has updated the Tweet tab to help send business messages out into the world, and link to videos and news stories and more directly in tweets. Users can tag their locations to send out information from trade shows or different store locations to promote certain products or sales events, and businesses can associate their tweets with trends and ideas by adding the hashtag symbol (#) before a relevant phrase—for example, #appdevelopment. This way, when anyone searches for that trend or phrase, the tweet—and the sender's business—is more likely to appear in the results.
Small businesses are becoming more comfortable with social media marketing and are using it more when engaging with customers, while also allocating more time to social media marketing to engage their targets, according to a November report from marketing specialist Constant Contact. A full 81 percent reported using social media to market their businesses, up from 73 percent in the spring of 2011.
Twitter is quickly gaining ground as usage surged in the last six months, from 60 percent in spring 2011 to 76 percent in November. Effectiveness scores also improved across certain key social media marketing channels in just six months, with 60 percent of those using Twitter finding it effective for marketing their business, up from 47 percent in spring 2011.(eweek.com)
The company also updated the TweetDeck desktop application to be consistent with the new version. As more businesses—large enterprises, as well as small and midsize firms—delve into the world of social media to help market their products and sell their services, the Twitter redesign can help companies reach their potential audience more quickly, as the site now offers greater simplicity, thanks to four menu tabs, which are the same across mobile and desktop devices.
Twitter is not the only social media company looking for ways to offer more functionality for business users. Both Facebook and Google+, Google’s recently released social networking site, offer companies different ways to brand and advertise themselves online, while connecting to like-minded social networking users.
On the homepage tab, photos, videos and conversations are embedded directly in tweets, allowing businesses to offer visual details of products and special offers and to spread viral marketing campaigns. The new Connect section is where businesses can get in on the conversation by seeing who has followed or mentioned the company, or who retweeted or favorited one of the tweets, giving businesses insight into potentially untapped customers or enabling them to respond to compliments (or criticisms).
The Discover tab lets users tap into a stream of information that can be customized just for a business based on current location, what you follow and what’s happening in the world. As Twitter use increases, Discover gets even better at serving up more content that applies directly to the company’s market and interests through tracking people, organizations or brands. The Discover tab also lets users search for contacts by name and import contacts from an email account.
The updated profile section, the Me tab, puts businesses’ interests front and center. Direct messages allow users to send personal messages to followers and receive personal messages from those being followed, which can help with personal customer service issues or product questions. Customers can also see a gallery of product images or marketing videos the company has recently shared.
Finally, Twitter has updated the Tweet tab to help send business messages out into the world, and link to videos and news stories and more directly in tweets. Users can tag their locations to send out information from trade shows or different store locations to promote certain products or sales events, and businesses can associate their tweets with trends and ideas by adding the hashtag symbol (#) before a relevant phrase—for example, #appdevelopment. This way, when anyone searches for that trend or phrase, the tweet—and the sender's business—is more likely to appear in the results.
Small businesses are becoming more comfortable with social media marketing and are using it more when engaging with customers, while also allocating more time to social media marketing to engage their targets, according to a November report from marketing specialist Constant Contact. A full 81 percent reported using social media to market their businesses, up from 73 percent in the spring of 2011.
Twitter is quickly gaining ground as usage surged in the last six months, from 60 percent in spring 2011 to 76 percent in November. Effectiveness scores also improved across certain key social media marketing channels in just six months, with 60 percent of those using Twitter finding it effective for marketing their business, up from 47 percent in spring 2011.(eweek.com)
Rabu, 07 Desember 2011
Yahoo building studio in New York
The Web pioneer is in the midst of transforming 5,000 square feet of midtown Manhattan office space into a studio that will feature two sets, seven edit rooms, a state-of-the-art control room, and a green room, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The facility is expected to be used as part of a pact announced in October with ABC News, in which the media giant's news division will distribute some of its content via Yahoo News. The news departments from each organization are working together on developing content for Yahoo as well as for ABC News sites.
Michael Manas, head of production supervision for Yahoo Studios New York, wouldn't reveal how much the company is spending on its Manhattan project, except to say "Just enough to win."
"This is showing Yahoo's commitment to premium video content," he said. "The studio will be a massive source of pride and enhance our ability to grow and innovate."
The news comes as the fate of Yahoo, one of the most storied companies of the Web's first phase, is in quite a state of flux. Reports of potential buyers have been rampant in recent months since a leaked memo from Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang indicated the company could be for sale.
Yang said at a conference in October that the company's board of directors was exploring a number of strategic options beyond selling the company, presumably selling off one or more of the company's three units: its core search and content business, as well as stakes in Yahoo Japan and Alibaba.
Despite its tepid stock price, high employee attrition rate, and sputtering product development efforts, Yahoo has been attracting a lot of attention from possible suitors, including venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz, fellow dot-com wunderkind AOL, and even Microsoft, which pursued Yahoo vigorously a few years back, to no avail.(CNET.com)
The facility is expected to be used as part of a pact announced in October with ABC News, in which the media giant's news division will distribute some of its content via Yahoo News. The news departments from each organization are working together on developing content for Yahoo as well as for ABC News sites.
Michael Manas, head of production supervision for Yahoo Studios New York, wouldn't reveal how much the company is spending on its Manhattan project, except to say "Just enough to win."
"This is showing Yahoo's commitment to premium video content," he said. "The studio will be a massive source of pride and enhance our ability to grow and innovate."
The news comes as the fate of Yahoo, one of the most storied companies of the Web's first phase, is in quite a state of flux. Reports of potential buyers have been rampant in recent months since a leaked memo from Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang indicated the company could be for sale.
Yang said at a conference in October that the company's board of directors was exploring a number of strategic options beyond selling the company, presumably selling off one or more of the company's three units: its core search and content business, as well as stakes in Yahoo Japan and Alibaba.
Despite its tepid stock price, high employee attrition rate, and sputtering product development efforts, Yahoo has been attracting a lot of attention from possible suitors, including venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz, fellow dot-com wunderkind AOL, and even Microsoft, which pursued Yahoo vigorously a few years back, to no avail.(CNET.com)
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