Yahoo, Facebook in intellectual property dispute
Yahoo is threatening action unless Facebook licenses some of its technologies, as other web and technology companies are said to have done.
The move by Yahoo puts it in conflict with Facebook with which the company has a beneficial relationship, particularly in the area of integration of Yahoo News with Facebook.
Traffic to the mobile Yahoo News web app from Facebook Mobile has increased three-and-a-half times since Feb. 14 to 1.6 million visitors a day, according to a post last week on Facebook's developer blog.
In an e-mailed statement, Yahoo said, "Yahoo! has a responsibility to its shareholders, employees and other stakeholders to protect its intellectual property. We have invested substantial resources into these innovations. Recognizing that, other major web and technology companies have already licensed some of these technologies. We must insist that Facebook either enter into a licensing agreement or we will be compelled to move forward unilaterally to protect our rights." Read more...
Google exec hints of Android 5.0 release this fall
Google isn't offering much information about the forthcoming Android 5.0, even though there are rumors saying that the new version of the operating system will be available on a smartphone by early summer.
It's more likely that it will be rolled out in the fall, based on comments made by Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice president of engineering for mobile at Google. He spoke with Computerworld at Mobile World Congress here on Monday.
"After Android 4 comes 5, and we haven't announced the timing yet, which we're still sorting out," Lockheimer said. "There's a lot of engineering work behind it still, and there's also just the question of how to time it." Read more...
EC: ‘Friends-only’ natter not subject to ‘right to be forgotten’
The operators of social networking sites, such as Facebook, would not be obliged to delete every piece of information about individuals that they host under proposed new EU 'right to be forgotten' laws, the European Commission has said.
The Commission said that the platforms would not have to delete information that users elect only to enable their 'friends' on the sites to access. The processing of that data would be outside the scope of the draft new data protection laws, it said, according to ZDNet.
Under the draft General Data Protection Regulation, published by the Commission in January, individuals will be given a qualified 'right to be forgotten' that will generally enable them to force organisations to delete personal data stored about them "without delay". Organisations that have made the data public will be liable for the data published by third parties and will be required to "take all reasonable steps, including technical measures" to inform them to delete the information. Read more...
Apple tells Siri rival Evi: Get a facelift and you can stay
A British voice-recognition app that works like Siri may be allowed to stay in Apple's App Store, if it makes some changes, says a report in The Verge.
Information app Evi was approved and launched in the iTunes store on 23 January 2012. But on Friday it seemed that Apple's App Store arbitrators had changed their minds and were going to pull the app, complaining it was too similar to Siri. Replicating the functions of native iOS apps contravenes the rules of the App Store.
But looks like the axe has been stayed: several reports today suggested that Apple might make an exception to its rules and work with Evi's developers to differentiate Evi from Siri while allowing the application to remain on sale. The app was still available on iTunes at time of writing. It would be a surprising volte-face for Apple, which isn't known for making compromises, especially not with small British start-ups like the Cambridge-based Evi-makers True Knowledge. Read more...
Mercedes Benz working Apple’s Siri into its cars
Apple has found a lot of success in adding the voice-activated personal assistant software Siri to its iPhone 4S. Apparently, other companies are taking notice.
At the Mobile World Congress this weekend in Barcelona, Spain, Mercedes Benz rolled out plans to integrate Siri into its “Drive Kit Plus” program. This will essentially allow drivers to access their iPhone apps using only their voices while driving.
The story comes from the International Business Times. Mercedes Benz, the publication reports, already has a software program that projects the iPhone screen onto an in-car system to allow users to make use of their smartphones without having to divert their attention from driving. Drive Kit Plus interacts with the existing systems to allow a hands-free method of accessing lots of different iPhone systems while driving, like music, text messaging and email. Drivers can even send updates to Facebook and Twitter with Siri’s help.
On the iPhone 4S, Siri also is capable of handling navigation commands, bringing up directions to specific places when asked questions as well as when given instructions. It’s not hard to see how well the technology behind Siri can translate into being used in a car, and it sounds like hands-free navigation will be one of the biggest selling points for Siri and Drive Kit Plus. Read more...
New Mac malware exploits Java bugs, steals passwords
A new version of a well-known family of Mac malware exploits vulnerabilities in Java to steal usernames and passwords for online payment, banking, and credit card websites.
Flashback.G is the first variant of the Trojan horse to use an attack vector that doesn't require any user interaction, said Intego Security, a French firm that specializes in Mac antivirus software. Most Mac malware needs help from users to get on a machine, if only to okay an installation by entering the system password.
When users come across the new malware -- it's being served from an unknown number of malicious websites -- Flashback.G first tries to exploit a pair of Java bugs, one harking back to 2008, the other discovered last year.
Apple has patched both vulnerabilities in its Java updates, fixing the 2011 bug in the most recent Java security update, issued last November. Read more...
Intel announces Cloud SSO beta program
Intel today announced the availability of a cloud-based SSO (single sign-on) authentication and authorization service under a beta program that is expected to become a generally available offering later this spring.
Vikas Jain, Intel's director of product management in the software and services group, says the service has evolved out of a product called the ExpressWay CloudAccess 360 that was part of the McAfee cloud-security platform that Intel gained with its acquisition of McAfee a year ago. Read more...
Study: Enterprise social networks failing to meet expectations
ESN (enterprise social networking) software can improve communication and collaboration among employees, but most companies aren't implementing and using these products properly, leading to unmet goals, according to a new study.
ESN software can help organizations by boosting information-sharing among employees and improving cross-departmental collaboration, among other benefits, but missteps in planning and execution abound, according to the Altimeter Group study "Making the Business Case for Enterprise Social Networking."
The main mistake organizations make is not defining clearly the reasons for adopting ESN software, which offers features and capabilities like profiles, status updates and microblogging popularized by consumer social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, but adapted for workplace use. Read more...
Cyberlocker To Shut Down After PayPal Ban
RapidGator, one of the file-hosting sites that grew exponentially following the Megaupload shutdown last month, has been banned by PayPal. As a result, the Russian-based site says it will close the service in a month. According to PayPal, the RapidGator account was closed due to the “high risks” associated with processing payments to file-sharing services.
During the wake of the Megaupload raids in January, TorrentFreak kept a close eye on the cyberlocker world.
While many file-hosters panicked, former Megaupload users hopped from site to site trying to find a suitable alternative. Read more...
Pope to debut personal Twitter account
Pope Benedict XVI will once again make Holy See history with the imminent launch of his own Twitter account, and will also be sending a tweet a day during the 40 days of Lent through another account, according to reports from the Vatican.
Through Father Claudio Maria Celli, the head of the Vatican's pontifical council for social communications, The Guardian reports that the 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI will have his own Twitter account. Though he may not always write the tweets, he will approve each one.
The report quoted Father Celli saying, "The tweet can be reformulated, redistributed, relaunched and disseminated ... In this sense it is like the gospel, a small mustard seed that once scattered grows into bushes where birds can rest." Read more...
Thoughts on IP Reforms and Best Practices for Creators
Filmmaker Kirby Ferguson recently finished Everything is a Remix, a four-part video series illustrating the interconnectedness of our creations and how current laws and norms miss this essential truth. Some viewers protested that the series ended without offering much in the way of prescriptive ideas. Here, he takes up that challenge, offering his thoughts on intellectual property reforms and best practices with the interests of remixers and creators in mind.
I recently completed a four-part videos series called Everything is a Remix and some of the series’ fans were disappointed that it closed without giving specific directions on what we can all do. It’s a common final act in documentaries and expecting that kind of closure is understandable, but there’s a couple reasons I didn’t go there. Read more...
Opera Mobile 12 for Android gets a massive update, Intel and MIPs versions debut
Opera has made some major improvements to its Mobile and Mini browsers in recent versions, and today at MWC 2012 they’ve announced a new spate of enhancements to their smartphone and tablet versions.
First up is a new channel for Opera Mini, Opera Mini Next. Just like it is on the desktop, Opera Mini Next is aimed at beta enthusiasts that don’t mind trading the occasional bug or application crash for cutting-edge functionality. For this go-round, Next is offering up a glimpse at the new Opera Mini Smart Page, a social networking complement to the company’s trademark Speed Dial page. The Speed Dial itself has been improved and now supports an unlimited number of shortcuts. Read more...
No webcast for Wednesday’s Windows 8 launch event, Microsoft confirms
Microsoft confirmed last week that it won't webcast Wednesday's launch event for Windows 8 Consumer Preview.
The event, which is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. local time in Barcelona, Spain (9 a.m. ET, 6 a.m. PT), will introduce the next milestone in Windows 8's development. Most experts expect the company to make the Consumer Preview available for download during or immediately after the launch event.
Microsoft has said little in the line of specifics about Windows 8 Consumer Preview other than what it has disclosed on its "Building Windows 8" blog. Several leaks of the preview code, however, have been dissected by blogs which have, among other things, reported that the operating system's 17-year-old iconic Start button will be scrubbed from the new edition. Read more...