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BetaNews.Com (5 non lus)

Adobe to launch Creative Suite 5 April 12

Publié: mars 23, 2010, 11:32pm CET par Scott M. Fulton, III

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

A spokesperson for Adobe told Betanews this afternoon that on the morning of April 12 at 11:00 a.m. EDT, the company will hold a global online launch event for all of the components of its Creative Suite 5.
Among the most anticipated new components -- or as Adobe tends to present them in its periodic table, "elements" -- is a vastly improved HD video rendering engine called Mercury. Unlike other manufacturers, Adobe tends to retain the cool names for its products and platforms even after public release. Mercury will utilize the graphics processing power of video cards to expedite the decoding and playback of HD-encoded formats, especially for the Premiere Pro editor.
But not just all video cards...specifically, Nvidia cards, by virtue of a development deal between Nvidia and Adobe. High-performance rendering will be made possible through the CUDA language developed by Nvidia, rather than the OpenCL language embraced by ATI and parent AMD. As former Tom's Hardware journalist Theo Valich speculated last December, the reasons for this decision could be practical and not just political: "While AMD will tell you that they're all for open standards and push OpenCL, the sad truth is that the company representatives will remain shut when you ask them about the real status of their OpenCL API," Valich wrote. This is true, he continued, even when lead developers for software projects complain to ATI about the availability of drivers.
Another anticipated element in the CS5 suite is the premiere of Flash Catalyst, an alternative development engine for Flash applications geared more to designers and graphic artists -- more of a competitor to Microsoft's Expression Studio.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Google.cn redirection sets the stage for long-term standoff with China

Publié: mars 23, 2010, 7:27pm CET par Scott M. Fulton, III

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

Searching for a defining principle in the war of words between Google and the Chinese government, even after Google's move yesterday to redirect search traffic from the .CN domain to its uncensored .HK address, may be about as fruitless as filtering high prose from a cable TV political pundit show. In a bizarre demonstration of what's being called "openness," China's state-run news service responded to Google's move yesterday first with a "nudity" slide show (news photos over the years with naughty bits included), cushioning some op-eds designed to characterize Google as out-of-step not only with China's progress, but with America's.
Conforming with state laws governing expression, argues a Xinhua op-ed late yesterday, is just one of the globalization trends that many enterprises and business ventures must embrace when entering new territories. Why can't Google, Xinhua asks, be more like KFC?
"All commodities come with some cultures and ideologies," reads one new op-ed, entitled, "Can China Live Without Google?" "China definitely is influenced by the West, but the influence is mutual. People of a certain culture learn to know a different new thing, but the new thing also has to learn to suit its new customers. That's why KFC serves Chinese porridge and McDonald's provides Chinese food menus here."
The Xinhua report casts suspicion on the notion, which it says was instigated by a March 20 article in the Washington Post, that without access to the most defining brand on the Internet -- a singularly American brand -- China will become an outcast nation. There's no reason a foreign company can't do business in China, it argues, but it cannot bring with it foreign influences that endanger the national security. That would run counter to the country's "Opening-up Policy," as it's called when translated into English, which depends on China's ability to foster a fair and competitive environment for foreign investment.
Part of the country's broader "opening up" involved the 1997 handover of Hong Kong (where Google's China search requests are now centralized) from British to Chinese authority. The agreement between China and the UK which made possible this handoff, triggered the creation of an exclusive Hong Kong Bill of Rights. Article 16 of that ordinance reads in part, "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice."
The key phrase in that above sentence is "regardless of frontiers," which seemed to mean at the time that the freedom for individuals to express opinions openly to the outside depends on their freedom to acquire information from the outside, beyond the borders or frontiers. (Hong Kong also maintains an independent judiciary authority from China.) Almost immediately after the handoff, however, China authorities made it clear they expected Hong Kong's press to apply "self-censorship."
The organization Reporters Without Borders periodically reports on the progress of Hong Kong's ability to maintain a free press, including a free Internet, in the midst of the mainland's oversight and expectations. A few years ago, those reports were looking somewhat bright and cheerful. But in recent years, they've turned more skeptical, especially in light of an incident during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. At that time, Hong Kong journalists were expected to be "carded" and regulated as foreign journalists, which meant their work might be subject to screening.
China still relies upon the fact that other countries -- specifically, other countries' investors -- rely on the freedom of Hong Kong's financial press, especially to trust reports of improved investment value in that country to be something other than state-run propaganda. Nonetheless, it's becoming clear that China is treating Hong Kong more and more like its own version of Las Vegas, where whatever happens on the island stays on the island.
By moving to the island, Google avoids a direct confrontation with China, and the danger of "politicalization" that Xinhua states would ensue. But should the company go forth with plans to do a "Radio Free China" act from the comfort and exile of the island, it could find its message somewhat muted. China has an interest in keeping Hong Kong as a "special" enclave, and so long as Google does business behind those walls, it may end up actually serving the government's interests anyway, serving as the demon of choice for anti-Western values when demonizing America or Europe would be untimely.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Nintendo wants to try its hand at 3D again

Publié: mars 23, 2010, 5:17pm CET par Tim Conneally

By Tim Conneally, Betanews

Today, a very dodgy looking PDF file appeared on Nintendo's Japanese investor relations site with the title "Launch of New Portable Game Machine" (PDF available here).
In the document, Nintendo quietly announced that it will be launching "Nintendo 3Ds" during the fiscal year ending in March 2011. The new handheld gaming console will support 3D effects without the need for special viewing glasses, and Nintendo will talk more about it at the E3 conference in June.
This comes as a rather big surprise today, as Nintendo only just recently launched the super-sized DSi LL (a.k.a., DSi XL) in Japan, and that device hasn't even been released in the United States yet.
Nintendo is no stranger to attempting to bring 3D gaming to the masses, but the company has never quite achieved any degree of success in its endeavors. In fact, it could be the area where the company has failed the most. Nintendo's Virtual Boy console, which achieved full stereoscopic monochrome 3D via a spinning mirror inside a large visor, is considered by American gamers to be Nintendo's biggest flop.

Our experience with 3D Nintendo games has been somewhat limited in the United States. The Nintendo Entertainment System only had three 3D games, 3-D Worldrunner and Rad Racer by Square and Orb 3D. These games required the use of cardboard red and blue 3D Glasses for the anaglyphic 3D effect to work. But Nintendo was actually more daring in the 3D space in other markets, and released an active shutter 3D system to coincide with the Famicom disk system for 3D effects closer to what we experience in modern 3D systems.
In terms of software support, this was actually far worse of a flop than the Virtual Boy. Virtual Boy had a total of 22 games released worldwide, the Famicom 3D system had less than ten, and none of them were made by Nintendo itself. Some of the titles include Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally, Falsion, and Attack Animal Gakuken.
Right now, very little is known about the 3DS other than its tentative name and its intended purpose. We'll follow up with more information as it becomes available.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Without native apps for Windows Phone 7, Mozilla cancels Fennec for WM6 also

Publié: mars 23, 2010, 5:06pm CET par Scott M. Fulton, III

By Scott M. Fulton, III, Betanews

Microsoft's choice not to provide a migration path for mobile apps developers to move their native code from Windows Mobile 6.5 to Windows Phone 7 (with one notable exception), has claimed its biggest casualty to date: Mozilla, whose Firefox Mobile project, codenamed "Fennec," appeared to be the most promising alternative browser to IE Mobile, will discontinue development for all Microsoft handset platforms including Windows Mobile 6.5. This announcement was made yesterday by Mozilla mobile project leader Stuart Parmenter.
It wasn't so much a decision on Mozilla's part, Parmenter noted yesterday, as a reluctant acceptance of the fact that it can't be done.
"While we think Windows Phone 7 looks interesting and has the potential to do well in the market, Microsoft has unfortunately decided to close off development to native applications," he wrote. "Because of this, we won't be able to provide Firefox for Windows Phone 7 at this time. Given that Microsoft is staking their future in mobile on Windows Mobile 7 (not 6.5) and because we don't know if or when Microsoft will release a native development kit, we are putting our Windows Mobile development on hold."
That may be good news for Opera, perhaps the leading cross-platform mobile browser maker now. Opera's latest Mini and Mobile versions, for Windows Mobile 6.5 among others, was released just last week.
For the last few years, Microsoft's concept of an ecosystem with respect to Windows Mobile has centered around its participating mobile operators, the various phone manufacturers, and the handset distribution channel. This actually has not changed with the redirection toward Windows Phone 7 Series, although there now appears to be some reinforcement to the wall protecting the sandbox for apps developers. Silverlight is the mobile apps development platform of choice, thus blocking off the access to native functionality required for building something as central to core functionality as a Web browser.
But, as I mentioned, there's one notable exception: As Adobe developer relations chief Mike Chambers confirmed prior to Microsoft's MIX conference in Las Vegas, Flash is being treated as a third-party native application. In a quick blog post on March 9, Chambers wrote (in all italics so no one would miss it), "Adobe and Microsoft are working together to bring Flash Player 10.1 to Internet Explorer Mobile on Windows Phone 7 Series."
That announcement came one week prior to Microsoft's confirmation to journalist Tim Anderson (who, unlike others...asked) that native access to the WP7S core would otherwise be sealed off. As Anderson wrote on his own blog, "I suspect that Microsoft is chasing the Flash checkbox to one-up Apple; but if Adobe gets native access, others will no doubt follow." Maybe, but following takes time, and not everyone has that in abundance -- nor do they have executives who can negotiate for time on their behalf.
The absence of Firefox on WP7S will also very likely mean the absence of Opera on that platform as well. Thus, unlike the case with BlackBerry (whose internal Web browser to date is more reminiscent of IE3) where alternatives abound, the capabilities of the browser in WP7S will be critical for 3G users comparing overall performance -- the kind that they can see.
Early disassembly of the Windows Phone virtual machine now being distributed free for developers revealed a native Web browser whose core was based on Internet Explorer 7. Product managers at MIX last week told reporters, including Network World's John Cox, that although IE7 was the core that WP7S engineers are using as their base, they would expand upon that base using elements of IE8.
They also deflected Cox's attention toward IE9, leading to a report that was misinterpreted by bloggers as having said Microsoft would fold IE9 elements into the browser code base as well. This was inaccurate, as a clear read of Cox's report clearly states that the Microsoft managers with whom he spoke could not even say for certain whether the final IE browser for WP7S would run apps for Silverlight (the operating system's own native apps platform) or Flash, despite Adobe's Chambers' pre-emptive strike the week before.
Closing off third-party native apps (other than Flash) will also result in fewer opportunities for browsers that are also platforms in themselves, to create mini-ecosystems of their own, in lieu of real ones from the OS maker. One of the last status reports from the Fennec development team included video showing Firefox and Firefox Mobile add-ins successfully operating on the Fennec alpha platform in Windows Mobile. One such add-in would have synchronized active Firefox desktop sessions, including bookmarks and open tabs, with Fennec sessions.
The Mozilla team is already prohibited by Apple for developing a Fennec browser for the iPhone, since it violates Apple's developers' terms. Those terms state that iPhone apps cannot be platforms in themselves. That little fact, however, won't stop Opera from trying.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010
Palm's not dead, so why write its epitaph?

Publié: mars 23, 2010, 2:11am CET par Joe Wilcox

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews

Wall Street's vultures are circling over Palm, screeching for its death. Tech pundits are joining the death watch, in one of the more morbid displays of graveyard tech journalism ever. As I've asserted repeatedly, in business perception is everything. The Palm death watch creates negative perceptions about the company and its future that will drive away customers and investors. Palm doesn't have to die, but death may be its future as pundits' self-fulfilling prophecies.
Tech blogs simply exploded with Palm is dead predictions over the weekend following a news story that two Wall Street analysts had cut Palm's target price to $0. Zero? ArsTechnica asserted that "RIP Palm: it's over, and here's why." All Things Digital: "Exercise in Futility? Palm Pre Plus, Pixi Plus Headed to AT&T." OS News: "Is Palm dying?" Monday Note: "Who will buy Palm?" That's a simple sampling.
Palm's most recent misfortunes started with fiscal third quarter 2010 earnings results, announced on February 18. Surely there is concern when the earning's press release quotes the CEO as saying "Our recent underperformance has been very disappointing," and adding that "the potential for Palm remains strong." But the all-a-tither reaction is about inventory and sell-through. Palm shipped 960,000 smartphones during the quarter, but only 408,000 sold through to customers. Well, so much for the benefits of transparency.
Apple doesn't report sell-through. The company ships XX units but uses "sold" to describe them. There was no whining, for example, when during third calendar quarter 2008, Apple claimed 6.9 iPhones sold, which really meant shipped, and Gartner later calculated 4.7 units sold. That was the iPhone 3GS launch quarter, which ended, therefore, with 2.2 million units unsold. There were no scolding analyst reports or doom-and-gloom blogs or news stories about inventory or the data discrepancy. Positive perception is one reason.
Palm's perception problem is one of survival -- that by pundit predictions death is inevitable. Wall Street punished Palm with a March 19 sell-off that sent shares plunging by nearly 25 percent. Palm closed at $3.98 a share today, following a roller coaster $3.65 to $4.24 ride. Perhaps some investors are unsure about Palm's death forecast -- and they should be. Nothing is certain yet.
There could be more positive perceptions about Palm, if anyone really looked. WebOS is simply one of the best smartphone operating systems ever developed. Palm marketing is aggressive and compelling. Then there are the carrier deals, which keep coming with the bad news. Today, Palm announced that AT&T will distribute Palm Pre and Pixi. That puts three of the four major US carriers in Palm's palm.
But who is going to buy a Palm smartphone with all the negative crap being said about the company's future? Who wants to buy a product today from a company that might not be around tomorrow? Two weeks ago, I met with the accountant who does my taxes. He also manages investments (but not mine, as I have none for conflict-of-interest reasons). This guy recently switched from a BlackBerry to Palm Pre. He loves the Pre but expressed nervousness about owning it because of Palm's stock performance. He's uncertain that Palm has a future, so much that he would consider another smartphone if buying today. Surely, he's not alone in this thinking.
'I'm Not Dead'
Palm's situation reminds of the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," where an old man brought out as dead isn't. The transcript -- from Internet Movie Database:
The Dead Collector: 'Bring out yer dead.'
[a man puts a body on the cart]
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Here's one.'
The Dead Collector: 'That'll be ninepence.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I'm not dead.'
The Dead Collector: 'What?'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Nothing. There's your ninepence.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I'm not dead.'
The Dead Collector: 'Ere, he says he's not dead.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Yes he is.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I'm not.'
The Dead Collector: 'He isn't.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Well, he will be soon, he's very ill.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I'm getting better.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'No you're not, you'll be stone dead in a moment.'
The Dead Collector: 'Well, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I don't want to go on the cart.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Oh, don't be such a baby.'
The Dead Collector: 'I can't take him.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I feel fine.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Oh, do me a favor.'
The Dead Collector: 'I can't.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Well, can you hang around for a couple of minutes He won't be long.'
The Dead Collector: 'I promised I'd be at the Robinsons. They've lost nine today.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Well, when's your next round?'
The Dead Collector: 'Thursday.'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I think I'll go for a walk.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'You're not fooling anyone, you know. Isn't there anything you could do?'
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn't: 'I feel happy. I feel happy.'
[the Dead Collector glances up and down the street furtively, then silences the Body with his a whack of his club]
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Ah, thank you very much.'
The Dead Collector: 'Not at all. See you on Thursday.'
Large Man with Dead Body: 'Right.'
Palm's "not dead," and last week CEO Jon Rubinstein expressed "I feel happy" enthusiasm, despite the disappointing quarter. In a way, the reporting about Palm reflects the sorry state of news reporting that I griped about yesterday. Wall Street is rife with conflict-of-interest. There are plenty of analysts making forecasts for companies in which their clients have invested. Where exactly in the $0 share-price prediction news stories is there disclosure about the analysts' holdings?
Elsewhere today, I caution that news reporters -- be they amateur or professional -- should always ask the question Who benefits?" So I ask right now: Who benefits from Palm death prattling?
Morgan Joseph's Ilya Grozovsky and Canaccord Adams' Peter Misek are the two analysts reportedly lowering Palm to $0. I couldn't easily find disclosure information at the Morgan Joseph Website. But Canaccord Adams had two disclosures pertaining to Palm: "Canaccord Adams or any of its affiliated companies is a market maker or liquidity provider in the securities of the relevant issuer or in any related derivatives," and "Canaccord Adams intends to seek or expects to receive compensation for Corporate Finance/Investment Banking services from the relevant issuer in the next six months."
That kind of information should appear in any blog post or news story making such an apocalyptic claim about any public company. Other than predictions the world will end in 2012, what could be more apocalyptic than a $0 share prediction?
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010