Daily Archives: 24/11/2011

Axing Google’s Gears may spark security concerns

Search giant Google has confirmed that some out-of-season spring cleaning is resulting in it killing off a number of developmental projects, including one that was supposed to convince IT chiefs to embrace its cloud-based services.

In a blog post, Urs Hölzle, senior vice president, operations at Google confirmed that it was mothballing seven of its products which hadn’t quite lived up to expectations.

These included Wikipedia ‘rival’ Knol, its baffling communications platform Wave, and Google Gears – a tool for accessing Google’s hosted email, calendar and documents offline.

The decision to can these projects would allow Google to focus its efforts elsewhere, said Hölzle. “Our aim is to build a simpler, more intuitive, truly beautiful Google user experience,” he wrote.

The demise of Gears comes as little surprise. In March, Google pulled its Gears browser extension for creating offline web applications and stopped supporting new browsers.

From 1 December, Gears-based Gmail and Calendar offline will stop working across all browsers. “This is part of our effort to help incorporate offline capabilities into HTML5,” said Hölzle.

Source: http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2127300/axing-googles-gears-spark-security-concerns?WT.rss_f=&WT.rss_a=Axing+Google%27s+Gears+may+spark+security+concerns

Did you like this? Share it:

Samsung skewers Apple fanatics in new ad

6

Samsung attempts to undermine Apple’s mystique and its hold on consumers with a Galaxy S II ad that presents hard core Apple fans as lemmings who are so blinded by marketing that they can’t acknowledge a superior phone.

It isn’t the first time Samsung has taken a shot at Apple. The company ambushed the launch of the iPhone 4S in Australia by offering $2 smartphones in a temporary shop just metres away from the official Sydney Apple store.

The ad, which was set to premiere on Facebook Tuesday evening and then hit TV on Thanksgiving in the US, doesn’t mention Apple or the iPhone 4S by name, however. Instead, fans are shown lining up outside an Apple Store-like location nine hours before it opens. “Someone just left,” says one woman. “Why would they be leaving when we’re only nine hours away?” asks her male companion. “Uh oh,” says another guy in line, reading off his phone. “The blogs are saying the battery looks sketchy.”

Just then, a cool group of young men and women come into the line’s view sporting a Samsung Galaxy S II. The crowd is drawn to the phone, although one guy haughtily dismisses it. “I could never get a Samsung,” he says. “I’m creative.” “Dude, you’re a barista,” his friend replies. The ad also makes much of the S II’s 4G compatibility available on US versions of the phone (iPhones are still on 3G), which leads to the kicker: “The next big thing is already here.”

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/samsung-skewers-apple-fanatics-in-new-ad-20111124-1nvmv.html

Did you like this? Share it:

HTC cuts Q4 revenue growth forecast

5

Taiwan’s HTC Corp cut its revenue forecast for the fourth quarter to no growth over the same period a year earlier from around 20 percent to 30 percent year on year growth previously, surprising the market and sending its shares tumbling 7 percent.

The world’s No.4 smartphone maker has been facing a slowdown in shipment growth in the second half of this year after growth more than doubled in the first half, as competition from bigger rival such as Apple Inc and Samsung intensifies and the global economy weakens.

"This new guidance takes us by complete surprise and is at odds with recent discussions we have had with distribution channels, especially in Europe," Sanford C. Bernstein senior analyst Pierre Ferragu said in a note to client.

HTC did not give a specific revenue forecast for the fourth quarter in a stock exchange statement on Wednesday. Revenue in the fourth quarter of 2010 was T$104 billion ($3.42 billion).

In October HTC had warned of slowing fourth quarter revenue, forecasting T$125 billion to T$135 billion, compared with T$135.8 billion in the third quarter.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/24/htc-idUSL4E7MO01W20111124

Did you like this? Share it: