Archive for: November 12, 2009
November 12, 2009
Google has set out to make the Web SPDYer. Google disclosed a Web research effort, code-named "SPDY", in a blog post on Thursday. The technology is an application-layer protocol for accelerating content over the Web. In a test environment, the top 25 Web pages loaded 55 percent more quickly using the SPDY technology. "It is designed specifically for minimizing
latency through features such as multiplexed streams, request
prioritization and HTTP header compression," Mike Belshe and Roberto Peon, both software engineers for Google, wrote in a blog post. SPDY is designed as an evolution beyond HTTP, the fundamental application protocol of the Web. "We
want to continue building on the web's tradition of experimentation and
optimization, to further support the evolution of websites and
browsers," Belshe and Peon wrote. "So over the last few months, a few of us here at Google have
been experimenting with new ways for web browsers and servers to speak
to each other, resulting in a prototype web server and Google Chrome
client with SPDY support." Interested developers can view the early SPDY documentation and browse code for ideas.
    
Want hard copy prints of those masterful photos you've posted to Flickr? You're in luck. The Yahoo-owned site announced Thursday that HP's Snapfish is now Flickr's preferred photo and gift printing partner.
Flickr will now display an "order prints" button above your photos and sets that will transfer you to Snapfish for purchase. Flickr also added a "Print & Create" tab to its "Organizr" section, which will also transfer you to Snapfish.
At this point, the function will be enabled only for your own photos—you cannot print photos taken by other users.
"There were some issues with allowing people to print other people's photos when using Snapfish that we weren't able to solve technically before launch," Flickr said in its FAQ. "Since we want to make sure photo permissions are carried over to Snapfish properly, we've disabled the ability to print other members' photos for the moment."
In addition to photos, users can also create gifts such as books, calendars, cards, mouse pads, mugs, ornaments, stationary, and more.
The Snapfish deal means that Target is no longer an option for in-store pickup, as HP does not have a deal with the store. But in-store pickup for Snapfish is currently available at Wal-Mart, Walgreens, and Meijer grocery stores. Pickup at Duane Reade drugstores will begin November 14.
Since HP has local printing facilities in 22 countries, Snapfish printing will extend to international customers as well, the first time Flickr has had this option.
"At Flickr, it's important that all our members across the globe have the ability to bring their images to life through printing and sharing," Douglas Alexander, general manager at Flickr, said in a statement.
"Flickr is an ideal partner for us in our goal to ...
Microsoft on Thursday unveiled a PC-based version of its Windows Mobile Marketplace.
"While we've heard great feedback on the Marketplace experience on Windows phones, sometimes people just want the benefits of a shopping on a PC," Microsoft spokesman Todd Brix wrote in a blog post.
As a result, users can now browse, buy, and download applications from their computers and the Windows Mobile Marketplace for Mobile Web site.
"The selected applications are delivered wirelessly to the customer's Windows phone and install the next time the Windows Marketplace client runs on the device," Brix wrote. "This creates another way for customers to easily find and purchase applications and gives developers a whole new level of exposure."
The Windows Mobile Marketplace debuted on Oct. 6, and was only accessible to phones with Windows Mobile 6.5. Brix said Thursday that Microsoft will extend the marketplace to phones with versions 6.0 and 6.1 later this month.
 
Mozilla on Thursday released a Jetpack Gallery where developers can host and promote their Jetpack add-ons, and peruse those added by fellow developers.
Jetpack is an API that lets developers create add-ons using well-known technologies like HTML, CSS, and Javascript, which can then be added without restarting the browser.
"The Jetpack gallery, while still a beta, makes it easy to find new functionality that extends your Firefox experience with new abilities," Mozilla wrote in a blog post. "You can browse Jetpacks by tag, author, and popularity, as well as vote on and review the ones you try. Jetpacks in the gallery have screenshots and video introductions, making it easy to get to know what you are getting before installing."
In July, Mozilla added a 0.4 Jetpack update that includes support for the open-source Ogg Vorbis codec and the ability to record audio directly into the browser. That came several weeks after version 0.3 added selections and clipboard.
 
Google on Thursday added another reason for you to never leave the confines of its Internet walls. The search engine giant has beefed up its movie pages, providing more detailed information on showtimes, theater locations, and reviews.
If you search for a movie title when signed into your Google account, the top search results will be movie times and locations based on your location. Click the link and Google will now take you to a detailed movie page, which provides more showtimes, reviews, trailers, and photos.
Not sure what you want to see? Google added genre filters, so you can search for romantic comedies, science-fiction films, or whatever you're in the mood for. Finally, Google also added "map view," which will show you a map with nearby theaters playing that movie.
"You no longer need to do a separate search to find out where you're going," Google said in a blog post.
 
Rodney Bradford wasn't committing a robbery in Brooklyn on the morning of Saturday, October 17th--he was in Harlem at his father's apartment, updating his Facebook status about pancakes. At least that's what his lawyers contend. The DA subpoenaed Facebook to confirm that Bradford's status update was, in fact, entered in Harlem. After receiving confirmation from the site, charges were dropped.
"This is the first case that I'm aware of in which a Facebook update has been used as alibi evidence," social networking law expert John Browning told The New York Times.
Not everyone is so sure of the strength of such an alibi, of course. "With a username and password, anyone can input data in a Facebook page," law professor Joseph Pollini told the paper, adding, "[teenagers] watch television, the movies, there is a multitude of reasons why someone of that age would have the knowledge to do a crime like that."
And the status update that got Bradford off the hook? Simple, "where's my pancakes?"
 
Facebook's iPhone app developer has left the project over continued issue with Apple's App Store vetting process. Developer Joe Hewitt announced his resignation of Twitter, writing, "Time for me to try something new. I've handed the Facebook iPhone app off to another engineer, and I'm onto a new project."
Reached for comment, Hewitt said his decision was simple--Apple's review process sucks.
My decision to stop iPhone development has had everything to do with Apple's policies. I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.
Maybe he would have had an easier time had he just opted to work on a baby-shaking app instead.
 
Microsoft has apparently been taking offense to a recent employee quote stating that the company was "borrowed" from Apple's OS X while working on Windows 7. Brandon LeBlanc, who runs the Windows 7 blog, was quick to respond to the quote, which has been rapidly spreading through the blogosphere.
"Unfortunately this came from a Microsoft employee who was not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7," wrote LeBlanc. "I hate to say this about one of our own, but his comments were inaccurate and uninformed."
The original quote comes from an interview with Microsof's partner group manager, Simon Aldous, who stated,
What we've tried to do with Windows 7 - whether it's traditional format or in a touch format - is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics. We've significantly improved the graphical user interface, but it's built on that very stable core Vista technology, which is far more stable than the current Mac platform, for instance.
We assume he'll soon be receiving 40 lashes with a Zune HD.
 
 Perhaps you'd like a little Facebook with your Bing; or some YouTube with your Google. How many times have you queried your favorite search engine for a specific video, to find the engine's video results pointing to YouTube? Perhaps you remember reading about a cool Web site but don't remember if someone posted it to Twitter or you saw a blog entry about it, and want to find it again. Enter Kikin, a free plug-in for Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer that adds search results from sites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Amazon in-line with your preferred search engine. With Kikin, one Web search at Google turns up not just your traditional Google search results, but also video results from YouTube that you can play right there on the results page and search results from your Twitter friends on the same page.
The beauty of Kikin is that it works on both Mac and Windows, and the only major browser that isn't supported by the application is Google's Chrome. The add-on works well in Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, and adds tabbed views to your search engine's results page to display the additional results from the searches that Kikin does behind the scenes.  To use the service to its full potential, you'll have to log in to your Facebook and Twitter accounts and allow the app access to those streams. This way, when you perform a search at your favorite search engine, the app can search those services for the same term and ...
 Clearly, Microsoft's not going to take this whole iPhone-as-a-gaming-platform-thing sitting down. The company's latest update to the Zune HD has added 3D gaming capability, Engadget reports. Combined with the Zune HD's accelerometer, that should help make quick work of new games in Zune Marketplace. Those include PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers, and Audiosurf: Tilt. All of the above games are free, so you have no excuse whatsoever--get over there and start downloading.
 
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