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Author, 'This Is Social Media' (Capstone Publishing 2009); freelance journalist in the UK for the Guardian, Times, Telegraph, Independent and others.
- Interests
- Mostly centre around the family these days
- PC Specs
- Intel Mac
291 Posted Topics
 | When I see an article starting with the sentence saying a company offering free software has urged people to start reaping the benefits of free software, I get this sinking feeling. I mean, they would, wouldn't they - it's a bit like Microsoft saying everyone should get the benefit of …  |
| | Social networking site [URL="http://www.friendster.com"]Friendster[/URL] is going to get an overhaul under its new owner [URL="http://www.molglobal.net"]MOL Global[/URL]. Commentators including the [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2010/aug/18/socialnetworking-facebook"]Guardian[/URL] in the UK have reported that the site will become a games portal, putting it on less of a head-to-head footing with its main rival, [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL]. You could predict that …  |
| | Sometimes you see a press release that's just company puff. Other times you find something you weren't expecting - like the revelation that 46% of the UK's smallest businesses don't have a website, according to [URL="http://press.1and1.co.uk/xml/article;hsessionid=ac170c23hPUPCtPdReCSi1kPQvlF3gQG?article_id=766"]1&1 Internet.[/URL] The initial reaction is to start making excuses. If they're very small then … |
| | Until very recently the idea that [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] might have to recall a product would have seemed ridiculous. It's one of the best manufacturers of stuff in the world, people would have responded; you can't make them do that, people love the products too much. Then the iPhone 4 came out. … |
 | You've missed the key point, though - the Beatles remasters are available for the first time anywhere at all today. Literally today, nobody's already got them. That wipes out points 4 and 7 comprehensively; also point 5 and 8; the reissues mean that point 3 is likely to be decided … |
| | It's very interesting to read that the Playstation 3 [URL="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8478764.stm"]might at last have been hacked[/URL] by the same man who 'jailbroke' the iPhone for the first time. Interesting but not all that much use. I mean, who wants a hacked PS3 anyway? The report to which I've linked says there … |
| | Sony has confirmed that it will stop manufacturing and supporting floppy disks from next year. That's it, there will be no more. This tells the technology community a number of things. First, if anyone actually cares about this then the end user community, and particulary the home worker, are further … |
| | Internet marketers using social networks beware - linking to stories on the Internet, much as news bloggers do here on Daniweb and elsewhere, may be about to become a high risk activity. The owner of website [URL="http://www.skyscrapercity.com"]skyscrapercity.com[/URL] is being sued by the Las Vegas Review-Journal for infringement over one of … |
| | iPhones, including the short-supplied iPhone 4, can now be jailbroken according to a new ruling by the [URL="http://www.copyright.gov/"]Library of Congress Copyright Office[/URL]. In other words never mind what Apple says you may and may not install on your phone, you help yourself. On the surface this makes absolute sense. If … |
| | Google is making it much simpler to work out which photos you're allowed to use for what, and which you aren't. The company is allowing people to search for pictures and you can filter by what's available for reuse, what's available for reuse without modification and so on. It's using … |
| | A marketing company in America has been rapped by the Federal Trade Commission for publishing reviews of its clients' games on iTunes. The organisation, Reverb Marketing, has issued a statement suggesting it regarded the matter as trivial and didn't want to spend ages fighting this sort of lawsuit. We haven't … |
| | A small story in the context of the rest of the world is the UK Government's call for the banning of forthcoming computer game, [URL="http://www.medalofhonor.com"]Medal of Honor[/URL]. British Defence Secretary [URL="http://http://www.liamfox.co.uk/text.aspx?id=1"]Liam Fox[/URL] has called for the ban because unlike its predecessors the game is set in Afghanistan, where of course … |
| | [URL="http://www.dell.com"]Dell[/URL] is going to launch its latest assault on the hand-held device market with the release of a handset called Aero. It's going to be available in the US only but that's a big enough market; it will cost $99 on contract. It's a move that will surprise many, for … |
| | [URL="http://www.google.com"]Google[/URL] has upgraded its mobile version of [URL="http://www.youtube.com"]YouTube[/URL] so that it shares more in common with the desktop version on HTML5 enabled phones. This anticipates the idea that more people will watch videos on the move than on the desktop, so you'll get a better browsing experience, the ability to … |
| | [URL="http://www.adobe.com"]Adobe[/URL] has nailed its Android-coloured flag even more firmly to the wall than it had done before. The company hosted its so-called Android Conference yesterday in which it put forward the ways in which its software will be closely tied to the Google-owned operating system. It's not all positive. Adobe … |
| | [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] has got in the way of [URL="http://www.google.com"]Google[/URL] and acquired [URL="http://www.friendfeed.com"]Friendfeed[/URL]. This is not great news for Google. The search giant has one major chink in its armour; you can't search social media in real time. Once entries have been around for a while you can find stuff; I've certainly … |
| | Is this the beginning of a backlash? It looks as though there's some research out there to suggest that the over-55s are starting to [URL="http://www.businessinsider.com/people-over-55-are-quitting-facebook-2009-5"]desert Facebook[/URL]. There could be a number of reasons for this. The best guesses I've seen mostly involve money. This time last year you might recall … |
| | It's not in the stores yet but in Europe at least the anticipation is hotting up for the [URL="http://ww.nokia.com"]Nokia[/URL] N8 smartphone. It's causing excited ripples for two reasons: first it's going to be seen as the first time Nokia has come out with something serious to combat the iPhone in … |
| | Nobody should have any reason to wish the fledgeling [URL="http://www.hmvdigital.com"]HMVDigital[/URL] music store, launching today, anything but the best of luck (unless you're an Apple shareholder). A bad business is in nobody's interests and a competitor to an obvious leader is a good thing. On the surface many of the omens …  |
| | [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] has decided to kill off its virtual gifts. According to a report from [URL="http://mashable.com/2010/07/08/facebook-gifts-rip/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29"]Mashable[/URL] nobody is saying why, they're just cutting it out. I'll tell you why. Because it was a rubbish idea, poorly executed. OK, rephrase: as a standalone idea, it sucked. As a component of something else … |
| | It's an odd thing to say about a business that spends so much of its time online and is so skilled at search, video (through YouTube) and all that stuff. But for me, [URL="http://www.google.com"]Google[/URL] has only half an idea of what it's sitting on and a number of sites out-do … |
| | Occasionally something crops up as a classic example of how not to build a social media network, and the BBC's decision to insult its [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] fans is a good example. The idea was to put a dummy site up as a test run for the London Olympics - they're a … |
| | The news - or rather unsubstantiated reports - that Apple is developing an online, cloud version of iTunes can be no surprise to anyone. The surprise, in the light of [URL="http://www.spotify.com"]Spotify[/URL], [URL="http://www.sky.com/songs"]Sky Songs[/URL] and other competitors is that Apple hasn't made a move before. You could actually argue that the … |
| | Today the news has come through - some would say it's a good thing, some will be appalled - that the XXX domain has had approval from ICANN, the authority that sets things up. Personally I'm delighted, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think a 45 year old … |
| | Back this morning from an excellent evening hosted by Toshiba listening to Bruno Beusch, managing director of [URL="http://www.gamehotel.net"]gamehotel[/URL]. He gave a talk about how games were becoming increasingly pervasive and was quite persuasive; the thing that really caught my attention, however, was the idea that game makers would be able … |
| | Interesting that the US Department of Defense has banned thumb drives. The problem is that they can carry viruses and infect computers - and if your nation's defense depends on these systems (and by extension in the case of the US so does the defense of the rest of the … |
| | Apple has apparently shipped 3 million iPads. You'll be aware of that because you read the papers, the blogs, the press releases - and Apple is brilliant at telling everyone when it has a hit (I don't remember getting so much information when it was pushing the Newton). No doubt … |
| | A few days ago I was reporting that people were [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story291008.html"]unable to buy an iPhone 4[/URL] even if they were an existing customer. It gets more complicated. The story now is that O2 and other UK carriers are accepting orders only from people who are existing customers. (Except me, as … |
| | Let me get one thing straight: the [URL="http://www.apple.com/iphone/"]iPhone 4[/URL] is undoubtedly a beautiful device. It's due out in the UK next week - stop giggling - and I would very much like one. The problem is that although ordering started on Tuesday, I've been unable to order one. This is … |
| | The web was awash with rumours yesterday and now there's confirmation - [URL="http://www.aol.com"]AOL[/URL] has sold [URL="http://www.bebo.com"]Bebo[/URL] to [URL="http://www.criterioncapital.co.uk"]Criterion Capital Partners[/URL]. The "why sell" question is too easy to answer to even bother with - it was dying on its backside. The early adopters of social media were fond of Bebo, …  |
| | Steve Jobs of [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL] has declared that [URL="http://www.microsoft.com"]Microsoft[/URL] Windows is in terminal decline. No really, that's what he's said at the [URL="http://allthingsd.com/d/"]All Things Digital[/URL] conference in LA. And he's had backing from people like Dreamworks, who now access the Internet through an iPad. OK, we'll take it as read that … |
| | A number of news sites, today of all days (week after the international launch of the [URL="http://www.apple.com/ipad"]iPad[/URL], expected day of the announcement of a new [URL="http://www.apple.com/iphone"]iPhone[/URL],are asking one thing: has Steve Jobs, or more precisely [URL="http://www.apple.com"]Apple[/URL], finally gotten too big? John Steward famously derided the company on TV, reminding them … |
| | The headline says it all - [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] has rearranged its privacy rules after massive bad feedback from users on multiple social networks. The issue spread as far as news sites including those of international broadcasters and newspapers. There had been plans for members to use 31 May as a mass … |
| | Today even in the UK we have seen the news about the American First Lady, Michelle Obama, and the scandal over [URL="http://www.google.com"]Google[/URL] searches throwing out a racist image. Let's leave aside the revulsion over this - it's a daft schoolkid prank and should be treated with that sort of contempt. …  |
| | [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] appears set to reconsider its privacy policy after colossal backlashes in the online world. The company confirmed to the BBC that it appears to have made things too complicated. Introduced this week was a new button on the privacy settings on a user's page, in which they share their … |
| | [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] has been involved in meetings this week talking to employees about their concerns over user privacy. The issue is that people searching the web can now see Facebook members' profiles, unless they have protected them, whether the person doing the search is a Facebook member or not. Previously the … |
| | [URL="http://twitter.com"]Twitter[/URL] founder Biz Stone has confirmed that the network might take advertising at some stage. More specifically he's refused to say it won't. The company has just revised its terms and conditions and as part of the overhaul Mr. Stone has said on a blog that he's keeping the door … |
| | Sometimes you see something and you really, really hope it's a hoax. Take this story on Slashdot, which confirms if true that [URL="http://apple.slashdot.org/story/09/10/23/1456221/Apple-Seeks-Patent-On-Operating-System-Advertising?from=rss"]Apple has applied for a patent to put advertising into its operating systems[/URL]. I really, really don't want adverts when I switch my computer on. Actually that's not … |
| | [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] is working to address a new privacy issue even as this story is being typed. Early today, mid-afternoon in the UK and while much of the rest of the world was asleep, a story got onto the TechCrunch blog about a new bug. It seems that the chat function, … |
| | Microsoft Internet Explorer is losing market share, says a new study from research organisation NetApplications. It's shrunk to 60% of the world market for browsers. This has a number of implications. First the financial. Browsers make money by selling links - you know that little box at the top right … |
| | Emails went around the world today confirming that the [URL="http://www.apple.com/iPad"]iPad[/URL] 3G is available to order either online or to buy in store. Admittedly they only went around the world to people who'd signed up to the American Apple website, and nobody outside that country can have one, but it's confirmation … |
| | The latest wrinkle in the lost iPhone story - in which someone left the prototype for the iPhone 4 in a bar and website [URL="http://www.gizmondo.com"]Gizmondo[/URL] got hold of it - has taken two unexpected turns. First, the police got involved. They have raided the editor's personal property and taken his … |
| | [URL="http://www.nokia.com"]Nokia[/URL]'s decision to back the [URL="http://www.symbian.org"]Symbian[/URL] operating system with its new [URL="http://europe.nokia.com/find-products/devices/nokia-n8"]N8[/URL] smartphone, which we can expect to see in Q3, could prove more important that you'd have thought initially. There are a number of reasons for this. First, it's the first phone based on the system since the code … |
| | [URL="http://www.palm.com"]Palm[/URL] has been eyed up by a number of predators - rumours that it's going to be acquired by [URL="http://www.htc.com"]HTC[/URL] and others have abounded lately and they're not about to stop. The persuasive evidence that such an acquisition might happen is that its last two phones have more or less … |
| | Interesting news - [URL="http://www.facebook.com"]Facebook[/URL] is expecting the Web to become more social and is issuing its developers with code to enable them to take part in this change. The owners - Zuckerberg et al - are saying that this will improve the way things are because people aren't using their … |
| | [URL="http://www.twitter.com"]Twitter[/URL] has gone on a charm offensive, after buying Tweetie and announcing it's going to make its own URL shortener and users won't get the choice about whether or not to use it. We are still nice guys, they're saying, and you'll still be able to work with us. I'm … |
| | Social networking site [URL="http://www.twitter.com"]Twitter[/URL] has found a new application - according to research from [URL="http://www.hp.com"]HP[/URL] the movies that get talked about the most are likely to be the biggest hits. That's not exactly what the HP release says, of course. It talks about measurement, it talks about accuracy and it … |
| | Legal firm [URL="http://www.tbilaw.co.uk/"]Tilly, Baker and Irvine (TBI)[/URL] has agreed to stop sending letters to Internet users when they believe they may be infringing copyright. The ironic thing is that this is the same week in which UK law changed to allow the Government to cut users off for precisely the … |
| | Apple's new golden gadget, the [URL="http://www.apple.com/ipad"]iPad[/URL], appears to have laid its first golden egg. There are reports abounding of it failing to connect to WiFi networks properly - and [URL="http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3304"]Apple appears to have confirmed them[/URL]. Clearly this is something that's hit only those territories in which the device is available, … |
| | It's starting in the UK - the London [URL="http://www.thetimes.co.uk"]Times[/URL] (we just call it the Times over here but I imagine that would have a different connotation for American readers) is going to have a paywall after May. Subscribers will be allowed in for nothing. Clearly the [URL="http://www.wsj.com"]Wall Street Journal[/URL] has … |
The End.