Thought Update: Speaker Pelosi, while speaking to the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties, stated that "we have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it." Shouldn't all lawmakers AND the American people have the right to review all legislation at least 72 hours before voting on it, especially when it deals with 1/6th of our economy? I believe they should, especially when Americans overwhelmingly are rejecting the gov't takeover of healthcare
Google Tests TV Search Service
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Google Inc. is testing a new television-programming search service with Dish Network Corp., according to people familiar with the matter, the latest development in a fast-moving race to combine Internet content with conventional TV. |
The service, which runs on TV set-top boxes containing Google software, allows users to find shows on the satellite-TV service as well as video from Web sites like Google’s YouTube, according to these people. It also lets users to personalize a lineup of shows, these people said. |
With the test, Google moves deeper into a crowded field of companies, large and small, that have been trying for years to marry the Web and TV and their business models—from rivals Microsoft Corp. and Apple Inc. to the manufacturers of televisions and set-top boxes. Read more at online.wsj.com |
GPS capability gives Foursquare social-networking service an edge |
This free service (http://foursquare.com) turns going out into a collaborative sport: People use its mobile software to check in to bars, restaurants, shops and other venues, to share tips about those places and to see whether other friends on Foursquare are nearby. For their trouble, they get virtual points and badges, plus the more practical lure of discounts from their favorite spots.
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It’s both profoundly silly and oddly compelling. And the New York startup, almost a year old, has been drawing users — about 500,000, whom founder Dennis Crowley says check in 1.5 million times a week — as well as partners and competitors.
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| Foursquare couldn’t exist without Global Positioning System-enabled smartphones that can locate themselves (although you can also use the service’s mobile Web site or text-messaging system). That place-awareness sets it apart from social networks that assume most users log in from regular computersRead more at www.washingtonpost.com |
Very interesting article on how social media is no longer a fad or “just for techies”, rather it is ingrained into our daily life and culture. Social Media: The New Career Norm |
Last week, several signs came together to further underline the fact that social media is no longer an emerging trend or passing fad, and that it’s gone beyond the realm of the personal and become a fully-fledged part of our working lives. |
Consider the following pieces of evidence: |
Facebook surpassed Yahoo to become the second most visited Web site in the country. |
In January this year it drew some 133.62 million unique visitors, while Yahoo [YHOO
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Your Cell Phone Company’s Dirty Little Secret |
Mobile phone companies have been lauded for slashing the cost of unlimited voice plans, but many wireless customers’ monthly bills are actually going to get a bit more expensive. |
But as the wireless giants go around touting their lower voice prices, data plan costs have been quietly moving higher for some non-smartphone customers. |
“There’s a big shift going on among mobile companies, in which there is a price reduction on voice and an increased emphasis on selling and requiring data services,” said Dan Hays, partner at PRTM. “It is like a dirty little secret.” |
It’s not just about increasing revenue, say analysts. Carriers are banking on the consumer-friendly aspect: phones are more fun and useful with the Internet. Read more at customsites.yahoo.com |
| Google to enlist NSA to help it ward off cyberattacks |
The world’s largest Internet search company and the world’s most powerful electronic surveillance organization are teaming up in the name of cybersecurity.
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Under an agreement that is still being finalized, the National Security Agency would help Google analyze a major corporate espionage attack that the firm said originated in China and targeted its computer networks, according to cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter. The objective is to better defend Google — and its users — from future attack.
Read more at www.washingtonpost.com |
What Apple’s iPad Means for Your Wallet
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LONDON—Phew! Thank heavens the iPad is coming. Solving the economic crisis should be a breeze—it has an app for that. |
Apple’s new all-singing, all-dancing hand-held computer is the talk of the moment. Even thousands of miles away in London, when I staggered off the redeye Thursday morning, the front pages showed a gaunt but grinning Steve Jobs clasping his latest creation. |
But if we can hack our way through the hype, what are the financial implications of this latest techno marvel—for consumers and for investors? |
AT&T, Boosted And Stressed By iPhone, Lays Out Network Plans
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AT&T Inc. detailed its plans for beefing up its often-maligned network Thursday, just one day after being tapped to carry another closely watched Apple Inc. device that will likely add even more traffic to its airwaves. |
| The carrier’s attention to network issues reflects its deep reliance on the iPhone for growth. |
Apple gave AT&T an important vote of confidence Wednesday by making it the carrier for the new iPad, but the consumer electronics company made clear earlier in the week that it is carefully monitoring AT&T’s plans for improving its network. |
In 2009, AT&T put up about 1,900 new cell sites, opened new spectrum frequencies and upgraded their equipment to a faster wireless technology, he added. This year, the carrier plans to spend $18 billion to $19 billion on its networks, including spending twice as much on the wireless network as it did last year. Read more at online.wsj.com |
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Thought Update: Speaker Pelosi, while speaking to the 2010 Legislative Conference for the National Association of Counties, stated that "we have to pass the [health care] bill so that you can find out what is in it." Shouldn't all lawmakers AND the American people have the right to review all legislation at least 72 hours before voting on it, especially when it deals with 1/6th of our economy? I believe they should, especially when Americans overwhelmingly are rejecting the gov't takeover of healthcare
