Gregarius » BetaNews.Com » septembre 21, 2011

BetaNews.Com (14 non lus)

Microsoft isn't (necessarily) going to take 30% of Windows Store 8 sales

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 11:36pm CEST par Larry Seltzer

Microsoft contacted me about yesterday's story on Metro-style apps only being available at the Windows store. One of the prominent facts in the story, which I got from Microsoft presentations, was that they would be taking a 30 percent cut of app proceeds from the store.

Turns out it was all a big mistake. The reference to a 70/30 split "...was actually a placeholder we neglected to remove (realize it was a mistake). We will have more to share about economics when the Windows Store goes live", according to a Microsoft spokesperson. Can you believe that? Editor: No.

Straight off, it's tempting to think that this wasn't so much a mistake as a trial balloon. It was, after all, entirely believable because, as I said yesterday, it's the Apple-set industry standard now. But not taking Microsoft at their word here would be cynical and ungentlemanly, and that's just not us here at Betanews! Editor: Yes, but we've been lied to before.

And in fairness, Microsoft was clear at Build (see Ted Dworkin's presentation above) that they would not be talking about specific store policies or business terms. Near the end of the presentation he demonstrates the "Developer Dashboard," which is the site where developers submit apps and monitor their progress. There is a prominent "Finance" link in it which Dworkin ignores. Editor: We're just saying what you might want to but are too much the gentleman, Larry: Perhaps developers screamed about the 30-percent cut, and Microsoft backed off because it needs them writing those Metro apps.

Dworkin does say that Microsoft will be a lot less restrictive about apps than Apple is. For instance, you can use your own transaction models and servers. There will be a Microsoft check for "content appropriateness". Dworkin also makes clear that the Windows Store is the only place to buy Metro Style apps, and that this will allow them to enforce standards for such apps.

This will likely be my last article for Betanews. Next week I will be working full-time elsewhere. I thank Betanews, especially Joe Wilcox, and I thank you readers for being so involved and passionate about technology. Keep up the good work.

Editor: We'll miss you, Larry. It has been a pleasure working with you. Where are we going to get balanced Microsoft stories now, without you? We're surrounded by iPhone idolaters and the Android army. Can't you write just one more?

Larry Seltzer is a freelance writer and consultant, dealing mostly with security matters. He has written recently for Infoworld, eWEEK, Dr. Dobb's Journal, and is a Contributing Editor at PC Magazine and author of their Security Watch blog. He has also written for Symantec Authentication (formerly VeriSign) and Lumension's Intelligent Whitelisting site.
Eric Schmidt's testimony to the Senate in Google antitrust hearing [document]

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 11:15pm CEST par BetaNews Staff

Google's Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt on Wednesday testified before the U.S. Senate in a hearing called "The Power of Google: Serving Consumers or Threatening Competition?". The Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights sought to determine the impact Google's dominance (considered by some to be a natural monopoly) is having on competition.

Schmidt's oral testimony is embedded here.

ES Oral Testimony - As Prepared for Delivery - Google Docs
LightSquared reveals its own device for fixing GPS interference issues

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 9:21pm CEST par Tim Conneally

LightSquared is a still-under-construction wholesale 4G network that utilizes the "L band" for part of its communications infrastructure. This block of frequencies was formerly used in satellite communications, and was re-banded for mobile broadband use in the FCC's project to add 300MHz of spectrum to wireless data communications by 2015.

Due to the L-band's close proximity to frequencies used in satellite communications, about half of the frequencies LightSquared planned to use in its network were shown to cause interference on some GPS receivers.

The "Coalition to Save our GPS" called the interference issue one of "life or death", so LightSquared reduced its proposed base station power, which the company said would reduce its interference to about 200,000 devices. It said a simple five-cent filter could be installed to prevent issues with the rest.

The GPS industry did not accept these changes, and continued to pressure the company to come up with a solution.

Just yesterday, the coalition said, "LightSquared has always been prohibited from interfering with GPS, and it should have done its homework on this critical issue before spending its investors’ money. It is not the fault of government GPS users or the GPS industry that LightSquared has failed to offer proposals that actually solve the problem. LightSquared must accept the responsibility to provide technical proposals that do resolve the problem, as well as its financial responsibility to address any interference issues that it cannot resolve by technical proposals.”

Today, to prove that it had been doing its homework, LightSquared unveiled a prototype GPS device that it had been developing with Javad GNSS that eliminates interference for high-precision GPS devices.

"This interference problem is not a difficult one to solve, once you decide to solve it," Javad GNSS founder Javad Ashjaee. "We’ve begun manufacturing preproduction models and expect to have 25 available within two weeks – we are not talking in hypotheticals here."

Javad GNSS took existing receivers and reconfigured their filters and linear amplifiers to make them completely compatible with LightSquared’s bottom 10 MHz of spectrum, the area found to cause interference. The company today said it is simple, inexpensive, and only took days to develop.

"The tests conducted so far by the GPS industry did not take into account the GPS modernization plan that is in place,” said Dr. Ashjaee. "Since we have demonstrated that LightSquared can certainly coexist with the current GPS satellite signals, the coexistence will be even stronger when the new GPS satellites with modern L1C, L2C and L5 un-encrypted codes are launched."

The Coalition responded by saying "LightSquared…ignores that fact that availability of new products, even if confirmed, does not address this very large existing base of equipment. If and when solutions are available, LightSquared must accept responsibility for paying to replace the existing base of existing equipment with new products."

Photo: Neo Edmund/Shutterstock
Eric Schmidt to US Senate: 'We get it'

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 9:03pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Google's executive chairman began his testimony before the US Senate by citing, unnamed, Microsoft and its dominance in the PC industry and how trustbusters stepped in to correct a company that had lost its way. "We get it", Eric Schmidt said. "We get the lessons of our predecessor". Schmidt testified before the Senate's antitrust subcommittee.

Before Schmidt spoke, Sen. Mike Lee, R-UT, put forth that Google had become kind of a gatekeeper to the Internet, holding the fate of other companies by how they rank in searches. "The open Internet is the ultimate playing field", Schmidt answered during his opening remarks. "We don't trap our users".

Not surprisingly, Schmidt claimed there is plenty of competition, referring to companies Apple and Facebook among others. "We welcome that competition", said Schmidt, who emphasized competition makes better products and benefits consumers.

In questioning that followed, Sen. Herb Kohl, D-WI, quoted Google Marissa Mayer's 2007 statement about favoring Google Finance in search rankings. Kohl repeatedly pressed, asking if the statement contradicts what Schmidt had said about using more than 200 metrics when evaluating search rankings. Schmidt said that Google makes a choice to provide information quickly. He used the example of a stock quote, which Google displays immediately.

In a second round of follow-up questions, Kohl pressed on the point of monopoly, whether or not Google had one. In pressing questioning, he got Schmidt all but to admit that Google is a monopoly. To be clear, monopolies aren't illegal in the United States. Abuse of monopoly power, such as foreclosing competition or fixing prices is illegal.

Lee quite explicitly asked if Google uses a separate algorithm for its products and services. He showed a study of shopping searches. "You're always third...how do you explain that?" Lee and Schmidt bantered back and forth, with Google's executive Chairman saying there is a difference between shopping for products and shopping comparison sites. It's an "apples and oranges" comparison, he said.

"You've cooked it so you're always third", Lee accused. "Senator, I can assure you we haven't cooked anything", Schmidt answered. In follow-up questions, Lee pressed harder. "I am troubled", Lee told Schmidt about what had been revealed during the hearing. Lee concluded that Google has "extraordinary advantage" over others by giving preference to its own services preference in search queries. Related to the advertising tie-in benefits, Lee alleged there is a "clear and inherent conflict of interest".

Sen. Schiumer, D-NY, offered supportive words about Google. He said that in asking small businesses about the search giant, "four-fifths of them said that Google is a positive force".

Sen. Al Franken, D-MI, is another supporter. "I love Google". But he went on to express concern about how Google might affect future innovation and wondered if it is playing fair. Franken expressed surprise that when asked earlier in the proceeding about Google's algorithm treating the company's products and services equally to others, Schmidt had answered: "I believe so".

"If you don't know, who doesn't?" Franken said, probably meaning "does" instead. "That really bothers me. That's the crux of it, and you don't know".

Franken moved on to Yelp, and accusations that Google was taking its smaller rival's content. He concluded by specifically asking if Google was using Yelp data with its own location services. "As far as I know -- not", Schmidt answered.

In follow-up questions, Franken probed about Android, and how search works there and if handset OEMs could install there own apps -- to which Schmidt answered yes.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., offered Schmidt a chance to suggest voluntary changes that could avoid government intervention. "Making the Internet win guarantees strong competition", Schmidt responded. That didn't satisfy Blumenthal, who gave specific example of Google displaying information from its own services, like Finance and Maps, and asked how that might be changed. Schmidt answered that changing it would prevent consumers from getting the information they're looking for quickly.

However, Schmidt's response contradicted the "We get it" that opened his testimony. Blumenthal was one of the main attorneys general supporting the US government's antitrust case against Microsoft, and he alluded to two things: Questions about the effectiveness of the antitrust intervention and the company's unwillingness to voluntarily make changes to avoid it. He again pressed Schmidt to suggest changes. The response: Google is already doing as much it should.
Take control of Startup programs with Microsoft Autoruns 11

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 7:49pm CEST par Nick Peers

The art of streamlining your PC’s startup to reclaim system resources and speed up boot times is an ancient one. Windows even comes with its own built-in tool, msconfig, for tweaking the system startup, but it’s limited and awkward to use.

Novices who want a quick-and-easy speed boost without having to think too hard about it should consider free products like Soluto and Startup Delayer, but if you want full control over what starts with your PC, and aren’t afraid to delve deep into your system, then take a look at Microsoft’s free Autoruns tool instead, which has recently been updated by its authors, Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell, to version 11.0.

Autoruns makes it possible to do more than just disable or delete unwanted startup programs, it allows you to go even deeper into your system, too. New to version 11, just released, is the “Jump to folder” option in the Entry menu -- selecting this opens the folder containing the file being executed by the currently highlighted startup entry. This complements the “Jump to entry” option, which either selects the parent folder or Registry entry that references the entry.

Once downloaded, extract the contents of autorun.zip to a suitable folder, then either double-click autoruns.exe (XP) or right-click it and choose “Run as administrator” (Vista or Windows 7). Once launched, switch to the Logon tab to view all the startup entries.

Autoruns will display an admirable amount of information about each one, helping you to identify it. If you still can’t work out what an entry is, right-click it and choose Search Online to Google the startup program name.

Entries can be disabled -- just untick them -- or deleted completely (right-click and choose Delete). Never delete an entry before disabling it and then rebooting to see what, if any effect, it has on your PC.

You’ll notice Autoruns boasts a massive number of tabs, 18 no less, that allow you to peek into other parts of your system, so long as you know what you’re doing. From here you can examine, disable and delete scheduled tasks, drivers, Services, audio and video codecs, Explorer extensions, IE plug-ins, Sidebar gadgets and more.

It’s an undeniably powerful program, and Autoruns should be used with care, but if you’re an experienced user who wants to delve deep into parts of your system untouched by other start-up managers, then this is the tool for you.

Autoruns 11.0 is a free download for PCs running Windows. In addition to adding the new “Jump to folder” option, version 11 adds several new auto-start locations to its monitored list. The command-line tool also gains a new switch showing file hashes alongside an option to show auto-start entries for all users of the PC.
Facebook, stop it, just stop it

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 7:39pm CEST par Ed Oswald

On the same day that Google+ opened itself up to the masses, Facebook launched its latest redesign. The change seems almost ironic considering the opposite trajectories these two social networks are on: Google+ on the way up, Facebook on the way down.

Forget the hit piece that journalism professor Dan Reimold wrote earlier this week for PBS calling Google+ a "ghost town." Even if Reimold's premise was even remotely correct (he needs to remember that up until now, Google was invite-only so of course usage is sparse), that's about to be blown out of the water.

Why? The new Facebook layout sucks, period. While the last redesign split the news feed into a Facebook-decided "top news" feed and the live feed, the two have now been combined. There's a problem though: I've yet to figure out how the new system's supposed to work and now there appears no easy way to get back to the way things were.

Instead, that live feed has been replaced with an all-but seizure inducing ticker on the upper right hand corner of the page. If you're like me and getting close to having many hundreds if not thousands of friends, this thing can move so fast that it's useless.

But back to this new news feed. Like I said, I have no clue how it works. Facebook claims it places your top stories at the top, with chronological statuses below that. Uhh, at least for me this is not working: all I saw were top stories, now denoted by a blue triangle at the upper left of the status itself, and no recent statuses, at least on the first pageful.

I have been able to figure out how to get to what seems to be close to the old live feed, but I had to click away from the home page first and then come back. That's a pain in the rear.

The events list, which I always liked, is now condensed into your most recent event and pushed further down the column to make way for the new ticker, making that nearly useless, too. Ads are untouched though; isn't that a shocker?

I'm not Alone

Can you tell I am not a fan of the new Facebook? You don't have to take my word for it.

Harry McCracken of Technologizer is confused by the change. "Didn't understand how Facebook used to order things in my feed. Don't understand how it orders things in my feed now," he wrote in a recent status.

Over on Google+, the change may cause blogger Daniel Ionescu to use that service more: "I guess I should start using this more, since it's open for everyone and the new FB design is annoying to say at least."

Bloggers and journalists aren't the only haters. Among my own personal friends, finding fans of the new layout were very difficult to come by. "New facebook is freakin creepy," one said. "And you wonder why I was tellin everyone to get on Google+...enjoy your 'new and improved' Facebook lol," another mused.

It doesn't get much better from there: "I definitely prefer being able to toggle from most recent to top stories," complained a friend. I may have found a fan of the new system though: "I don't mind these changes. I like the activity feed. (I don't like the chat becoming archived as messages and continued conversation, that's broken). But it seems the biggest change is that every story in my feed has to do with Google+. Bet they didn't see that coming."

Google+ Benefits

Not entirely good news for Facebook after all.

See, the biggest winner here is indeed Google+. Facebook has a long and sordid history of making changes to its product that a majority of its users either are at best nonplussed by, and at worst downright angry about.

But there was a huge difference in the past. People had nowhere to go, so essentially Facebook could tell you to shut up and take it. With Google+ now becoming a viable option, and now available to anyone, that's no longer the case.

Facebook, you need to stop. Based on the reaction I'm seeing on my own news feed and across the web, there aren't many that care for this latest redesign. You can't tell me that this didn't come up in testing. There's just no way.

If Facebook continues to take advantage of its users like this, it will end up like MySpace. Customer satisfaction is now job #1 for Mark Zuckerberg and the Facebook leadership team -- now with Google+ in the rear-view mirror, and they're doing an awfully crappy job of it.
Microsoft WebMatrix 2 beta available -- get it now!

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 6:37pm CEST par Mike Williams

Microsoft has released the first beta of WebMatrix 2, a powerful development tool that makes it easier than ever to build web applications; and as with the previous version, the program packs a raft of essential features into a simple and straightforward interface.

The installation process equips your PC with several core development components, for instance, including SQL Server Compact 4.0 and IIS 7.5 Express. And then you can build sites from an improved set of templates (“Bakery”, “Photo Gallery”, “Calendar”, “Personal Site”, and so on) or a lengthy list of popular web applications: DotNetNuke, WordPress, Drupal, SugarCRM, phpBB, Tiki Wiki, Joomla! and more (there’s support for 59 in total). Just choose your preferred application and WebMatrix 2 will download and install it for you.

This initial configuration process has been streamlined in WebMatrix 2, with the program now able to generate database passwords, users and other key details entirely automatically: all you have to do is keep clicking “Next”.

The WebMatrix 2 code editor is now smarter, supporting intellisense for .NET, PHP, HTML, CSS and JScript. If you’re still confused about something then the new integrated help links may clear things up. And you’re now able to use WebMatrix to remotely edit files on your web server, so there’s no need to republish; any tweaks you make are visible right away.

And other steps forward in this version include improved database management, easy access to a raft of WebMatrix extensions, and an integrated NuGet Package Manager for more streamlined ASP.NET WebPages 2 development.

This is a beta, and so of course not everything works quite as it should: the program had problems installing some web applications on our test PC, for example. And there are plenty of other known issues, so be sure to check these out before installing WebMatrix 2, just to get a feel for how you might be affected.

Considering the complexity of what it’s trying to do, though, WebMatrix 2 is already fairly solid, and if you’re a web developer then it could greatly simplify the process of setting up a site on a new platform. The beta is available now.
The world's average download speed: 580KBps [data]

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 5:43pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Pando Networks, the content delivery network company that opened up its traffic data to show that Idaho has the United States' slowest Internet connections has released a "State of the World" tally of Internet speeds across most of the globe, revealing how 224 countries stack up in terms of network speeds.

Based on 27 million downloads by 20 million different computers between January and June 2011, Pando has come up with its own official average world download speed: 580KBps.

via chartsbin.com

What is somewhat surprising is that the U.S. is only just slightly above average with 616KBps. Unsurprisingly, however, is the fact that long-running data infrastructure leader South Korea was far ahead of the pack with 2,202KBps and developing nations in Southeast Asia, Central America, and Africa were at the bottom of the list.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo officially has the slowest Internet in the world, creeping in at just 13KBps.

"The disparities we found were striking. While, in general, developed economies outpaced the developing world in average download speeds, big names such as the US, UK, France, China and Canada were not even close to being the fastest. Instead, we saw high speeds in markets such as Eastern Europe where focus on infrastructural development and favorable geography promote a higher level of connectivity,” said Robert Levitan, CEO of Pando Networks.

The speeds in Eastern Europe were generally quite high, as Romania (1,909KBps) and Bulgaria (1,611KBps) took the number two and three spots behind South Korea in the fastest nation category.
jAlbum 10 drops freeware license, adds features

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 5:15pm CEST par Nick Peers

Swedish web album creation tool jAlbum has reached a landmark release. jAlbum 10.0, which runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, sees a number of new features and expanded image format support alongside a change in licensing terms. Previous versions of the software were available as a freeware license; the new version switches to free for non-commercial use.

Commercial users, and those who wish to remove ads and jAlbum branding from their web albums, will now need to purchase the Pro version for $55. Anyone with a Premium or Power subscription to jAlbum’s online storage service will get a complementary Pro license while their sub lasts.

Version 10 introduces a number of new and improved features to jAlbum’s arsenal. A new “Embed album” feature makes it easy to incorporate photo albums into existing websites and blogs. Skin developers will be able to manually tweak the appearance of the album to the existing site’s design via a new embed.htt template file.

Another major addition is the ability to move album elements, specifically folders and images, between different album projects. Version 10 also expands the program’s support for specific image formats, most notably TIF and partial support for Photoshop’s native PSD format.

jAlbum now offers full XMP metadata support, allowing users to view and edit photo’s metadata (including caption, title and keywords) within jAlbum itself. This information can then be exchanged with other XMP-aware applications like Photoshop. This new feature comes with a tool -- accessible from Tools > External Tools -- that allows you to inject file metadata into old album projects.

Other changes include new filter bar options -- color/flag and XMP label -- and the ability to flag images by color during slideshows using the [6]-[9] keys. Albums are now created more quickly, the upload button now defaults to the advanced upload window for those albums hosted outside of jAlbum’s servers.

jAlbum 10.0 is available now as a free download for Windows, Mac (OS X 10.4 or later) and Linux. It requires Java 1.5 or later to be installed.
Amazon launches Kindle Library Lending program

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 5:00pm CEST par Tim Conneally

Last April, Amazon announced the Kindle Library Lending program would let Kindle users borrow books from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries. Today, the program officially launched at all participating libraries.

Users can search their local library's website, and when they find a book, they can choose "Send to Kindle," which then redirects them through Amazon.com and syncs their book down to their e-reader or Kindle app for Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, BlackBerry or Windows Phone, or to the browser-based Kindle Cloud Reader.

Like Sony's Reader Library Program, this lending program is powered by solutions from Ohio-based digital distribution company OverDrive, but Amazon's program is more squarely aimed at its strongest competitor in the e-book space, Barnes and Noble. The Nook e-reader has been able to download public library books through OverDrive and Adobe Digital Editions for well over a year already.

Now, both Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Noble's Nook allow public library borrowing, user-to-user book lending and textbook rentals.

The only problem is that Barnes and Noble's e-book prices remain much higher than Amazon's.

Despite Amazon's announcement today, all of the libraries we checked at random today for the Kindle Library Lending Program (Baltimore County Public Libraries, Kentucky Libraries Unbound, Suffolk County (NY) Live-brary, and Marin County (CA) Free Library's MARINet) all still had "coming soon" banners for the service.

Photo:Songquan Deng / Shutterstock.com
Apple will unveil iPhone 5 on October 4?

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 4:41pm CEST par Joe Wilcox

Let the iPhone 5 rumors begin in earnest now. All Things Digital, which has a pretty good track record reporting rumors right, says that Apple will hold a big media event on October 4, presumably to announce iPhone 5. Uh-oh, AT&T's unexpected and unexplained Samsung Galaxy S II delay could get ugly now.

Predicting what the event means, assuming it's happening as rumored, is trickier than you might think. Apple has been holding October media events for years, usually to announce new Macs. This year is different. Apple didn't announced new iPods in September or iPhone in June, as is typical. So this event could be much bigger than iPhone 5 -- or not, if Apple chooses to announce iMacs and iPods as is seasonally typical -- and iPhone 5 later. Then there is Tim Cook's role as new CEO. This will be a big day for him, and, therefore, big for Apple.

If launched October 4, then many people will ask when iPhone 5 will be available in stores? Apple 2.0 blogger Philip Elmer-DeWitt has prepared a chart comparing launch dates to sale dates (now I don't have to). There have been rumors of October 15, which I discounted because it's a Saturday. Apple typically starts selling iPhone in stores on a Friday. My guess: Friday October 14 in stores, with preorders starting no later than October 7; if Cook is smart, sooner.

That's the other challenge with this launch and why sooner is more likely than later, unless Cook wants some criticism for muffing it up. Holidays are approaching fast, and Apple needs to get this phone out the door globally as quickly as possible. That's nearly 230 carriers worldwide, which is a potential logistical nightmare as Christmas approaches. Well, perhaps Apple can scare up broad distribution for Halloween.

LOL, maybe new CEO Cook has stage fright, and that's the reason for delaying everything. He does have big shoes to fill in Apple Chairman Steve Jobs, whose so-called "reality distortion field" spellbounds people listening to his product launches. Jobs has a unique way of highlighting products' benefits, mixed with charisma. I've often said that when Jobs is having an off day, people leaving his speech feel like their lives will be better if they buy product X, Y or Z. If Jobs is in the zone, people leave feeling that if they don't buy product X, Y or Z their lives will be worse.

Sorry, but Cook simply doesn't have that kind of charisma. He's more soft-spoken, analytical. He is Spock to Jobs' James T. Kirk. So it will be interesting to see how Cook and company pull off what will be a massive product launch, whether measured by iPhone 5's introduction or launch of new products in three categories -- Macs, media players and smartphones. Five really, because of iOS 5 and Apple's further push into connected online services with iCloud.

So those shoes aren't just big because of Jobs, but how much Cook must deliver, even if only iOS 5, iPhone 5 and iCloud. Isn't stage fright a bitch?
WireframeSketcher: user interface mock-ups made fast and easy

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 2:07pm CEST par Mark Wilson

The days of using a drawing board are not quite behind use, and when it comes to sketching out a quick idea for a website, or even a program interface, it is quite common to reach for a pen and paper rather than a computer. But this may change if WireframeSketcher has anything to do with it. This is a design application that makes it easy to create rough mockups for websites and applications.

Whether you are designing for the Internet, Windows, Mac or mobile platforms, WireframeSketcher can be used to quickly knock up an interface. The program can be used on solo projects, but there are also tools for collaborative work. There is an extensive library of page and interface elements that can be dragged and dropped onto your workspace to create an interface design in moments.

The app is something of a dream for designers. One of the problems with working with pen and paper is that it can look somewhat unprofessional when the time comes to present ideas to prospective clients, while creating fully-fledged mockups in a graphics package can be extremely time-consuming. The semi-hand-drawn look of WireframeSketcher is cute and appealing, but means that it is easier to focus on layout and basic ideas rather than the finished look of a product.

Basic behaviors can be added to interfaces so it is possible to try them out rather than just look at a theoretical layout. The free download is a trial version of the program which allows for use of all features. Any files you export from the application with be watermarked and a reminder dialog will be displayed each week.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the app, pay a visit to the WireframeSketcher review page.
Enterprise cloud email and collaboration has reached the 'tipping point', or will in 2012, maybe 2014 -- well, someday

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 6:01am CEST par Joe Wilcox

The new math that analysts use to make predictions is sometimes amazing to comprehend. Gartner predicts that so-called cloud email and collaboration services (CECS) have reached a "tipping point" based on projected 10 percent enterprise adoption by 2014. So it's not even 10 percent yet, but, hey, that's okay, enterprises are rushing to the cloud. Or are they?

I'm a big proponent of cloud computing, and have predicted the big push to cloud-connected devices for years. But even I have to gape in wonder at the concept of 10 percent in three years being a "tipping point".

"Ultimately, we expect CECS to become the dominant provisioning model for the next generation of communication and collaboration technologies used in enterprises", Tom Austin, Gartner fellow, says in a statement. "However, it is not dominant today, it will not be the only model, and it will take a decade or more for the transition to play out. Right now, the list of reasons to move to CECS is long, as is the list of reasons to avoid it".

So Gartner is doing some long math here, looking at investments made over the next couple years that will lead to a long transition to the cloud. But, hell, could Austin use enough qualifiers?

But wait! This whole "tipping point" thing gets more other universe-like. Gartner previously predicted that 10 percent number would be reached by end of 2012. The analyst firm pushed out the forecast by two years. Is this "tipping point" more wishful thinking on Gartner's part?

Austin acknowledges problems:

The first is asset inertia. Organizations seek to extract maximum value from their investments in email, and switching early can be like trading in a 2-year-old, low-mileage automobile. Secondly, senior IT managers are much more focused on strategic initiatives that help them to grow or transform their enterprise's business, and moving to cloud-based or SaaS email services is generally viewed as a cost-saving move rather than a strategic initiative. Finally, the practical realities of the vendors' CECS offerings, when examined up close, are sometimes less compelling than the glossy stories they tell.

Perception is another problem. Enterprises are used to paying an "early adopter premium" when adopting new technologies "ahead of the curve", Austin says. "However, cloud-based collaboration services appear to be forward priced and, while we do expect the cost of CECS to follow a cost-learning curve, the motive for much of the investment in CECS appears to be cost reduction. Thus, if CECS otherwise makes sense for an enterprise, it would be far better off proceeding now, while requiring that the CECS supplier guarantees to continue to reduce prices as prices in general fall in the market".

The point: In the future, prices may rise as more enterprises adopt and become dependent on cloud email and collaboration services. Right now, service providers are aggressively pricing to woo enterprises into adopting.

Of course, at the speed this "tipping point" is coming, higher pricing might be years -- who knows, even a decade -- away.

Photo Credit: Alexander Kirch/Shutterstock
Google+ opens to all

Publié: septembre 21, 2011, 1:38am CEST par Joe Wilcox
It's two days before Facebook's developer conference and one before Google Chairman Eric Schmidt gives his testimony on Capitol Hill. So it's good timing for a big Google+ announcement before there's competing big news. Yes, there's the new Hangout features that my colleague Tim Conneally wrote about earlier today. But this is better: Now most anyone can join Google+. Well, damn, there goes the neighborhood. :)

Google+ has moved from field trial to public beta, whatever the hell that means. It's a big change for a social network just three months old and already 20-million-plus subscribers strong. The real test of Google's infrastructure comes now -- then there's the question about how the service will demographically change. Looking at my Circles, they're all geek to me. I don't know if there's a normal person on the service. Here they come!

Earlier today, Vic Gundotra, Google senior veep of Engineering, blogged about the now 100 enhancements made since field trials began in late June.

"For the past 12 weeks we’ve been in field trial, and during that time we’ve listened and learned a great deal", he writes. "We’re nowhere near done, but with the improvements we’ve made so far we’re ready to move from field trial to beta, and introduce our 100th feature: open signups. This way anyone can visit google.com/+, join the project and connect with the people they care about".

Shameless Misinformation

Public beta comes just as negative Google+ buzz intensifies. Five days ago, TechCrunch stirred up a hornet's nest in a stinging story about how no one is really using Google+ anymore. The stingers are still striking, as other blogs spread the buzz. Yesterday, the pests buzzed that Google's very own CEO doesn't use Google+. Bwahahaha. What idjuts.

TechCrunch reported stats collected by 89n, using its ManageFlitter service. Analytics derived from one vendor's product shouldn't be measure of anything, but it's common for TechCrunch (and other blogs) to report them anyway. Based on a measurement of an average .40 public posts a day (between August 19-September 19), down from .68 posts a day (between July 19-August 19), 89n concluded that Google+ public posts declined 41 percent during the measurement period. Oh, the problems this simple analysis presents. Let me count the ways:
- It's too small a measurement to draw real-world conclusions. Less than one-half posts a day!
- The data only reflects the small number (compared to larger number of Google+) subscribers using ManageFlitter. How many: 7,280.
- The data looks at public posts, which should decline over time. The whole point of Google+ is filtering -- using Circles to communicate with select groups of people.
Cloud enabler 89n draws some big conclusions from a sample of 7,280 people using its service to connect Google+ and Twitter. Robin Wauters bought into it in TechCrunch post: "Raise your hand if you're still using Google+". I just put mine down so I could continue typing. "It’s now been a while since I’ve last visited or posted anything on Google+, but I figured that was just me. Turns out I might not be the only one after all", writes Wauters, who updated acknowledging -- er, defending -- the post. "Relax a little".

Considering how widely the story was re-reported and peoples' ability to remember headlines -- or nuggets like Google+ posts are down by 41 percent -- "relax a little" should be a corrected, more accurate story. Next up came reports that Google CEO Larry Page hasn't posted publicly on G+ for a month. Which means what? There's very good chance he uses Google+ everyday, but to post privately to select Circles. That's the big benefit of Google+, compared to Facebook.

So, welcome you newcomers to Google+. Ignore all the InterWeb's misinformation about this service. If it was doing so badly, why would Google invest so much in it -- the 100 enhancements in 90 days? I wouldn't be shocked to eventually learn when sound numbers are crunched that public posts declined 60 percent or more since the social network launched -- while private posts increased by a corresponding amount.

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