Archive for the ‘Telecommunication Press’ Category
“The online classified website Craigslist has removed its controversial Adult Services portion of its website. Technology blog TechCrunch was the first to report the section had been blacked out with the word ‘Censored.’”
“Small victory,” was all it said on the subject line of Karen Meredith’s e-mail.
But for the Silicon Valley military mom, who lost her son in the Iraq war, the decision this week by U.S. military base exchanges not to carry the controversial “Medal of Honor” video game was still great news.
“I’m thrilled,” said Meredith, whose son, Lt. Ken Ballard, perished in 2004. She has set off a storm of protest against Redwood City-based Electronic Arts and its “first-person shooter” game, which allows players to pretend they’re Taliban fighters killing American soldiers in Afghanistan. She applauded Maj. Gen. Bruce Casella, commander of the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES, for the decision to keep the game out of its stores worldwide.
“I’ve heard from people all over the world, many of them upset about this game, so at least this has started a conversation,” she said. “And this country needs to have a conversation about the place of violent video games in our society, especially a game based on an ongoing war.”
Due out Oct. 12, “Medal of Honor” has drawn accolades from gamers and has been defended even by some U.S. soldiers. But it has unleashed howls of protest from families who have lost loved ones and even from Great Britain’s Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox, who urged retailers to “ban this tasteless product.”
Electronic Arts spokesman Jeff Brown on Friday issued a statement that said in part: “The criticism
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of ‘Medal of Honor’ is disappointing because I can’t think of another interactive game that has gone to such lengths to convey respect for soldiers. From the very first day of development, the ‘Medal of Honor’ development team has been dedicated to creating an homage to the soldiers who fight the Taliban in Afghanistan.”
Saying EA feels “a deep sympathy and respect for the soldiers and people with family members killed or wounded in Afghanistan,” Brown wrote that “we don’t see a distinction between a film like ‘Hurt Locker’ and a game like ‘Medal of Honor.’ We don’t agree that it’s OK to depict the war in films and books, but not in games. We don’t see a moral difference.”
Meredith and her fellow military moms don’t buy it, saying that by allowing participants to assume the role of Taliban and kill American soldiers like her son, EA has crossed the line. And while she’s heartened by the AAFES decision, she’s still not satisfied.
“The fact that the Army has responded this way tells me that I’m not the only one upset about this,” she said Friday. “Now I want EA to pull the game on their own because t’s the right thing to do.”
This week’s decision by AAFES, which many bloggers, gamers and even American soldiers criticized as censorship, impacts all Army and Air Force Exchange operations worldwide, including AAFES’ website and GameStop locations on military bases. An AAFES spokesman said all pre-orders and reservations placed online would be canceled and any pre-orders placed through GameStop locations on Army and Air Force installations would be transferred to off-base ones.
“We regret any inconvenience this may cause authorized shoppers, but are optimistic that they will understand the sensitivity to the life-and-death scenarios this product presents as entertainment,” Casella said in a statement. “As a military command with a retail mission, we serve a very unique customer base that has, or possibly will, witness combat in real life.”
But Army Pvt. Mitchell Blackburn in Bamberg, Germany, complained to Stars and Stripes newspaper that those who banished the game “are not giving people the credit to distinguish fiction from reality. People know it is a video game. “… Just because you are playing as [the Taliban] does not mean you really want to kill Americans or coalition forces.”
It was not immediately clear how the move might affect EA’s bottom line. AAFES said its base/post exchanges did $176 million in video-games sales in 2009.
Contact Patrick May at 408-920-5689.
The days of the boss dictating which smartphone you’ll use are rapidly drawing to a close. A younger, tech-savvy generation of information workers is calling the shots, and it’s increasingly requesting consumer-friendly Android and iOS (iPhone) devices, according to a new report from market researcher Forrester.
As a result, IT and telecom managers over the next 12 to 18 months will have to revise their client computing strategies to incorporate smartphones from multiple vendors.
“IT managers are shifting away from a one size-fits-all, corporate-liable smartphone model to one that: 1) includes support for at least BlackBerry, iOS, and Android, and 2) is much more open to individually liable devices connecting to corporate resources,” write Forrester analysts Benjamin Gray and Christian Kane.
BlackBerry Still on Top
Forrester interviewed 200 companies for its “Market Overview: Smartphone Management” report, and found that half of the firms have already adopted a multi-platform mobile philosophy. The challenge for IT managers is how to best embrace multiple phones, some of which have lackluster security and management tools.
Not surprisingly, Research In Motion’s BlackBerry devices and BlackBerry Enterprise Server remain the “gold standard” when it comes to management and security. RIM tops its smartphone competitors by providing more than 500 wireless configuration and enforcement policies.
A recent Forrester survey shows that 70 percent of North American and European companies support BlackBerry today. Here’s the breakdown for the rest of the mobile OS pack:
Windows Mobile: 41 percent
iOS (iPhone and iPad): 29 percent
Android: 13 percent
Windows Embedded CE: 13 percent
Palm OS: 12 percent
webOS: 8 percent
Symbian: 7 percent
Despite RIM’s charms, however, enterprises are under pressure to loosen their mobile policies and embrace phones from other vendors.
In fact, nearly 60 percent of firms surveyed by Forrester provide some support of personally-owned smartphones. Why? One reason is that the multi-platform strategy helps businesses attract and retain top talent. In other words, if a top recruit want to use her iPhone for work, well, IT had better make it so.
The challenge for businesses is how to maintain a high level of security while incorporating non-BlackBerry devices. One option is to find “device agnostic” third-party management tools that work with–or ultimately replace–BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
Of course, another challenge is finding talented IT staffers who keep up with the latest security threats on multiple mobile OS platforms, including Android and iOS.
Contact Jeff Bertolucci via Twitter http://twitter.com/jbertoluccior at jbertolucci.blogspot.com.
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Today: HP wins the bidding for 3Par. Google will provide search results to AOL for five more years.
(Credit: Bonnie Cha/CNET)
Windows Phone 7 is one step closer to launch, as Microsoft released its revamped mobile operating system for manufacturing on Wednesday.
With most of the internal engineering done, Windows Phone 7 OS RTM is now available to its OEM (original equipment manufacturers) and service provider partners, so they can complete their work on customizations and hardware in preparation for a holiday release.
Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of Windows Phone Engineering, wrote on the Windows Phone 7 Team Blog that Windows Phone 7 is the company’s most thoroughly tested mobile platform, noting that it has run daily automated tests on nearly 10,000 devices with more than 3.5 million hours of stress test passes and 8.5 million hours of fully automated test passes.
Though Microsoft is just releasing the RTM now, OEMs and carriers have had builds in testing for some time and a technical preview was released to developers back in mid-July. Since then, Microsoft has received much response from the testers and has made some additional tweaks to Windows Phone 7 based on the feedback, with most of the enhancements centered on the People Hub.
For example, there is now a Contact Filtering option, so you can exclude Facebook contacts that don’t exist in your other synced accounts (e.g., Outlook, Windows Live, Gmail). You also now get the ability to comment and post directly to someone’s Facebook wall or like someone’s status. To improve the user experience and discovery process, the company added a software/onscreen search button in the People Hub so you can more easily search for contacts.
With Windows Phone 7, Microsoft is taking more responsibility for the end-to-end experience, and thus you won’t see the kind of skinning or deep customization as we’ve seen on past Windows Mobile devices from OEMs. However, Greg Sullivan, senior product manager for Microsoft, told CNET that people will still have the opportunity to personalize the phones in a number of ways, such as prepopulating the Start screen with their own hubs, preconfiguring default themes, and having their own branded store in the Windows Marketplace.
Announced back at Mobile World Congress 2010, Microsoft’s OEM and carrier partners include Dell, HTC, Garmin-Asus, LG, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Toshiba, AT&T, T-Mobile USA, Sprint, Verizon, Deutsch Telecom, Orange, Telecom Italia, SFR, Telefonica, Telstra, and Vodafone. It’s not clear when or if these companies will launch Windows Phone 7 devices; however, LG, Samsung, and HTC have all received FCC approval on Windows handsets. Also, HP was originally on the list of partners, but has since said that it will solely focus on WebOS phones.
At CNET, we’ve been spending a lot of time looking at Microsoft’s huge bet to get back in the phone game. CNET’s Ina Fried has been traveling to Redmond to monitor its development. Part 1 of that series is available now, with more to come. She’s also been living with the device full time for the last month and posted her likes and dislikes, and you’ll find our technical preview of Windows Phone 7 here.
With a 17-14 victory over the San Diego Chargers on Thursday night, the 49ers’ exhibition season came to a close. Coach Mike Singletary, speaking on behalf of everyone, said, “I’m very thankful that the preseason is over.”
Here’s how it ended: Rookie running back Anthony Dixon added another clip to his highlight reel, delivering a tackle-breaking, 46-yard touchdown run. And cornerback Tramaine Brock sealed the 49ers’ 4-0 record in the preseason by intercepting a fourth-down pass from Jonathan Crompton with 38 seconds left.
Now, the more important game begins: The 49ers have until 1 p.m. Saturday to whittle their roster to the 53-player limit. That means 22 of the players on hand against the Chargers will be looking for work by Labor Day.
Players in jeopardy include quarterback Nate Davis, who went 11 for 22 for 103 yards in his final audition. Davis threw the go-ahead touchdown pass, a 2-yarder to Jehuu Caulcrick in the fourth quarter, but he was also sacked twice and threw two interceptions.
Singletary declined to say Davis was a sure thing for the final roster saying, “That’s a question mark. “… Nate Davis is going to be a conversation. How much of a conversation, I don’t know.”
This game was for players on the bubble, as the 49ers’ most recognizable offensive players sat this one out. Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Alex Smith were all spectators, and the first-string defense played briefly, including
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linebacker Patrick Willis. The game plan for him consisted of four words: Do. Not. Get. Hurt.
For a handful of players, though, the term “meaningless exhibition game” did not apply. This was the playoffs for them — an elimination game, no less.
Linebacker Bruce Davis, who started the night as a long shot to make the roster, delivered a sack and recovered a fumble to force his way back onto the radar. “Some of these cuts are going to be tougher,” Singletary said. “The Davis kid, I thought he did a nice job. He’s been pretty consistent.
“The young corner, Brock, I thought he did some things to help himself.”
Also trying to leave a lasting impression were players such as receiver Jason Hill, linebacker Matt Wilhelm and offensive lineman Alex Boone, who had one last chance to show they deserved a roster spot.
Hill, a third-round pick in 2007, might not have done enough to stick around for a fourth season. He was consistently outplayed during training camp by upstart Dominique Zeigler and, again, on Thursday night.
Zeigler had a 26-yard grab in the first quarter and nearly made a sensational one-handed catch in the end zone. (The play was overturned on a replay challenge, when officials ruled Zeigler didn’t get a second foot in bounds.)
Hill, meanwhile, was 0 for 2 on passes thrown his way before leaving the game late in the first half because of an injury. Chargers cornerback Brandon Hughes poked Hill in the eye.
Wilhelm, an eighth-year veteran and a strong contender for a backup linebacker job, underscored his value by sacking quarterback Billy Volek for an 11-yard loss in the first quarter. Wilhelm has an inside track for the job over youngsters such as Keaton Kristick and Mike Balogun because of his knowledge of the system.
Boone, trying to make the roster as a swing tackle who can back up on either side, mostly played well against the Chargers. But he also committed an illegal use-of-hands penalty on a third-and-9 play in the second quarter.
Unlike the offensive stars, the 49ers first-string defense reported for duty. That included linebacker Willis, who was eager to get back in stride with nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin. Franklin made his preseason debut a week after signing his franchise tag.
“It was really important. The coaches want us to go out there,” Willis said. “We got one of our key guys back, another piece of the puzzle back.
“We just wanted to go out there and get a little taste for him as a defense.”
The first-team defense stuck around for only six snaps — time enough for Willis to register two tackles. But the 49ers also surrendered a 32-yard run to Chargers backup running back Mike Tolbert.
Still, Willis said the 49ers’ performance marked an improvement over the Raiders game.
“We went back in and watched the film and saw some things we’ve got to do better,” he said. “We’ve just got to finish and start fast. I know today, we had one on third down, we’ve got to get off the field and we let them have a big run. We’re going to be all right.”
For more on the 49ers, see Daniel Brown’s Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers.
Just under one in five (19.8 percent) respondents to a PC Advisor (Macworld’s sister publication) poll stated that Apple Macs are “superior” to Windows PCs.
The survey asked the question ‘Mac versus PC: where do you stand?’.
The most popular answer, with 27.4 percent, was ‘I prefer PCs because Macs cost too much’, closely followed by ’100 percent Windows PC. I would never buy an Apple Mac’ (26.8 percent).
“I’ve noticed that anyone who owns a Mac immediately feels the need to justify this by extolling its virtues, and rubbishing Windows PCs,” commented forum member Pineman100. “I have yet to see any convincing evidence that Macs are any more reliable than PCs.”
AL47 added: “Same things as usual: Macs are more expensive and less tinkerable. That’s it for me to be honest. Won’t ever have a Mac.”
A further 16.1 percent admitted that they ‘prefer PCs because I’ve never used a Mac’.
But a surprisingly high 19.8 percent of respondents ticked the option ‘I prefer Macs – they’re superior to PCs’.
“I’ve used both systems and find my iMac to be more reliable, better built, a stranger to the BSOD [blue screen of death] and more user-friendly than a windows PC,” wrote Brumas. “What’s more, there is no cumbersome, bulky, space-hogging tower, as everything is contained in the monitor. I won’t go on!”
The voting was completed by 6.1 percent plumping for ‘Neither – I’m a Linux man (or woman)’, and 3.7 percent ticking ‘Don’t know/other’.
Based on 1372 votes, 1st September 2010. Have your say in the poll, or join the discussion in PC Advisor’s forums.
Nearly five months after the iPad’s launch, Apple has finally matched supply with demand.
Apple’s online store now shows iPad orders will be shipped within 24 hours , the first time the tablet has been available for next-day shipping since its early April debut.
Although Apple took pre-orders for most of a month before the April 3 launch, subsequent orders for the iPad were delayed 15 business days, a mark that fell to 7-10 days by mid-May. Earlier this month, shipping delays dropped again, first to 5-7 days, then to 1-3 days.
Last month, Apple’s executives acknowledged that they had underestimated demand for the tablet.
“We went into the iPad thinking that planning of one million from our capacity was a very bold move,” Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, said in a July earnings call with Wall Street analysts when he was asked whether there were supply issues with specific components.
“What we are doing is we’re increasing capacity as quickly as we can, and you know there are a number of things that we have to increase in order to do that,” Cook told analysts. “But I am fairly confident that we will be able to increase the capacity. It is not a situation where there is something profound that we can’t eventually increase.”
Apple said it sold 3.3 million iPads in the year’s second quarter, one million of them in the first 28 days of availability.
Before that, Apple gave hints of other signs of stress on iPad supply when it pushed back the international launch until the end of May.
Brian Marshall, an analyst with Gleacher & Co., has projected that Apple will sell 12 million iPads this year, with sales in the fourth quarter of 4.9 million units, a 51% increase over 2010′s second quarter number.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg’s RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com .
Read more about macintosh in Computerworld’s Macintosh Topic Center.
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Marc Andreessen, one of the Internet’s key early developers, and partner Ben Horowitz are looking to raise a new $650 million venture fund, Daniel Primack reports at Private Equity Hub.
The Andreessen Horowitz fund raised $300 million a year ago and has already invested most of that money, including the spinout of Internet phone service Skype from eBay.
“Moreover, Marc Andreessen has become even more influential in Silicon Valley, while Ben Horowitz has emerged from his famous partner’s shadow by penning one of the smartest VC blogs around,” Primack reported. “All of this adds up to AH becoming the hottest VC firm this side of Sequoia.”
Photographers have at least two more reasons to wake up Tuesday morning, as Adobe released Lightroom 3.2 and Camera Raw 6.2.
Previously available as a beta on Adobe Labs, Lightroom 3.2 got a little more social with the new ability to publish photos to both Facebook and photo-sharing site SmugMug. The update also brings a number of improvements to Lightroom’s Library, Develop, Slideshow, Print, and Web modules, as well as over 120 new lens profiles to help photographers correct distortion and other undesirables.
Camera Raw 6.2 is an update to the plug-in Adobe includes with Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Elements 8, and Premiere Elements 8. It improves various aspects of Adobe’s Camera Raw support and extends support to 16 new cameras, including the Canon EOS 60D and Sony Alpha NEX-5.
Both updates are available now for existing owners of Lightroom 3 and the other aforementioned apps at Adobe’s updates page.