The Brooks Review

Category: Links

  • An Inside Look At Facebook Questions, The Next “Killer App” Of Facebook

    MG Siegler:

    Sid Yadav, a Facebook users in New Zealand, has been using Facebook Questions within his Facebook social circle for the past month or so. His take-away? It could be “the next killer app of Facebook,” he says.

    He also confirms that it feels different from Quora because it “seems to be more intimate/fun/terse than intellectual/useful/detailed.” Here’s his full run-down in his own words — complete with pictures of what it looks like. Notably, you’ll see that “Questions” has been added to left-column of Facebook, where many of Facebook’s main functions lay. Yes, this is going to be a big product.

    (I am just on a Facebook rampage today – and I don’t even like Facebook)

  • Tim O’Reilly’s Contrarian Stance on Facebook and Privacy

    Tim O’Reilly:

    What we’re really trying to figure out are the right tradeoffs. And there’s no question that there will be tradeoffs. The question is whether, in the end, Facebook is creating more value than they capture. I’m finding Facebook increasingly useful. And I think a lot of other people are too

    This is a valid point, I guess I just am not getting much of nay value from Facebook these days. I highly recommend reading this entire post, it is the best summation to date that I have read. I would also add that there is a trust factor with these types of networks, and Facebook is slowing losing that. Trust once lost is almost impossible to regain on the web.

  • Amazon.com’s Kindle fails first college test

    Amy Martinez:

    At the University of Virginia, as many as 80 percent of MBA students who participated in Amazon’s pilot program said they would not recommend the Kindle DX as a classroom study aid (though more than 90 percent liked it for pleasure reading).

    Ouch, I certainly think I would be in the minority (I would probably like the Kindle as a text-book) but I am in the minority a lot when it comes to technology and early adoption.

  • The Unanswered Questions About Google TV

    Janko Roettgers:

    There are also some open questions how Google’s will incorporate advertising into its TV platform. Google CEO Eric Schmidt dodged a question about new advertising formats through Google TV, simply stating that ads on Google TV devices will either be delivered through websites or traditional TV programming. Of course, there’s also a third option, which would be to deliver ads through Android apps optimized for Google TV, which could potentially compete with broadcast ads running on the same screen. Chandra clarified later that there is no immediate plans to roll out such formats when the devices launch this fall.

    It will be very interesting to see how this Google TV adventure plays out, it is going to be a very tough market for Google to crack, very tough.

  • Encrypted Search Comes to Google

    Ed Oswald:

    Scared of snoops finding out what you’re searching for on Google? Have no fear: the company has introduced encrypted search which gives the user the option to use SSL (Secure Socket Layer) to prevent packet sniffing which in turn could reveal user’s searches on the site.

  • iPad Sales so Far

    Joe Wilcox:

    RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky released a report indicating that Apple is now selling about 200,000 iPads a week, compared to 246,000 iPhone 3GSes and 110,000 Macs. Data is for United States. That puts iPad’s sales rate nearly double the Mac, and that’s with constrained tablet supplies. How much greater could they be if Apple met demand.

    I would be surprised if the iPad ever sold less than Macs, and I am surprised that it is fairing so well against the cheaper iPhone.

  • Regulators Are Watching Google Over Antitrust Concerns

    Brad Stone:

    Though he did not name the search engine, the implication was clear: the F.T.C. was worried that Google could show prejudice against competitors — exactly the complaint that has been levied by some comparison shopping sites, including Foundem.

    But increasingly, above and mixed throughout those search listings, Google presents links to its own services, like maps, YouTube videos, local business results and product search listings. Executives argue that providing these easily accessible results clearly benefits users. Rivals claim that this is self-serving, and that Google promotes its content even though there may be better material elsewhere.

    Google needs to make it’s algorithm neutral, which it used to be, or they are going to have problems. If not in the US then certainly in the EU.

  • Post-I/O Thoughts: Death of Windows Mobile

    John Gruber

    Microsoft can’t undercut Android on price, and it seems increasingly unlikely that they can beat Android in terms of features or experience. They didn’t warrant even a passing reference from Google at I/O. No chance, indeed.

  • Android 2.2 Goes Live On The Nexus One

    MG Siegler:

    Yes, apparently Google is starting to roll out the Android 2.2 Froyo update to Nexus One devices right now. I just tried the EVO 4G (the newest Android phone which Google gave out at Google I/O this week) but 2.2 isn’t available for that device yet. I guess being the “Google Phone” has its advantages. Nexus One owners, if you’re up, check for an update right now.

  • AT&T Bumps ETF for iPhone to $325

    Adam Ostrow:

    AT&T is set to nearly double its early termination fees on smartphones from $175 to $325. The most notable smartphone in AT&T’s lineup is, of course, the iPhone, for which it remains the exclusive carrier in the U.S.

    Most compelling evidence of pending Verizon iPhones that I have seen to date.

  • FTC Closes its Investigation of Google AdMob Deal

    FTC:

    The Federal Trade Commission has closed its investigation of Google’s proposed acquisition of mobile advertising network company AdMob after thoroughly reviewing the deal and concluding that it is unlikely to harm competition in the emerging market for mobile advertising networks.

  • Annoyed by cellphones? Scientists explain why | Reuters

    Walker Simon:

    Whether it is the office, on a train or in a car, only half of the conversation is overheard which drains more attention and concentration than when overhearing two people talking, according to scientists at Cornell University.

    I don’t know about anybody else but I hate hearing half conversations, and whole conversations.

  • Sort of Private URL Shortener

    Seth Godin:

    So, for example, you could tweet, “Here’s the source for my world-class chili: http://trick.ly/2L5”. Anyone can go there, but only people who can figure out the clue can discover the site you were pointing to.

    Pretty neat.

  • Dan Lyons (aka Fake Steve Jobs) Is Switching to Android

    Dan Lyons has been around a while, and by all accounts is a well respected journalist. He made his fame with Mac users when he started the Fake Steve Jobs blog. I read this article hoping to get a well balanced viewpoint from a respected writer. Instead I had to listen to a toddler crying because he wanted ice cream no broccoli.

    A couple of examples:

    It also will support Flash, something Apple refuses to do, mostly out of spite.

    That is just dead wrong, Steve Jobs posted an open letter explaining in detail why they won’t allow it. Flash on the iPhone has nothing to do with spite and unless you are a flash developer is the single dumbest reason to switch phones.

    Froyo also will let you buy songs over the air and download them directly to your phone. It will also stream songs from your music library to your phone. I don’t really use my phone as a music player that much, but still, it’s impressive that Google has this feature and Apple still doesn’t.

    Again he is switching because of a feature he will never use.

    I’m assuming that Apple could have done this already, but chose not to. Who knows why? Maybe they want to keep people locked into their old way of doing things. Or maybe because they were a market leader with no real competition and just got lazy.

    Where is the basis for this comment? This is pathetic.

    We’ve seen this movie before. In the 1980s, Apple jumped out to an early lead in personal computers, but then got selfish. Steve Jobs, a notorious control freak, just could not play well with others.

    Along came Microsoft, with Windows, which was a knockoff of Apple’s operating system. Microsoft partnered with everyone and today has 90 percent market share, while Apple’s share lingers in the single digits.

    Now I get it, you want to use Windows from day one, only to realize later that you hitched your wagon to a shitty platform? (no offense to Google here and the Android team, who probably use Macs, I am just saying that comparing Android to Windows is a shit-tastic reason to switch)

    He’s created his own advertising platform, and stacked the deck in his favor by refusing to share user data with other platforms. On that one he’ll take a 40 percent slice, thank you very much.

    So has Google.

    As sick as I am of my iPhone’s dropped calls, I’m even more sick of Apple treating us all like a bunch of idiots, stonewalling and bullying and feeding us ridiculous explanations for the shortcomings of its products—expecting us to believe, basically, that its flaws are not flaws, but strengths.

    This paragraph made me hopeful that just maybe he was going to point to the real issue of dropped calls which piss me off too, but no just more whining.

    I have lost all respect for Dan Lyons, this is another cheap move to maintain his relevance. He keeps writing the Fake Steve Jobs blog even though everyone knows who he is, just like Griffey keeps playing baseball this season with the Mariners while only batting .191 – I say to you both Lyons & Griffey: Time to retire.

  • VP8/WebM May Not Be So Free

    John Paczkowski:

    Google certainly has the market muscle to guarantee broad acceptance of WebM and the VP8 codec–if it’s a royalty-free standard. But what if it’s not truly royalty free? Who’ll foot the bill? And is the company willing to indemnify its partners from patent litigation to push WebM?

  • Facebook, MySpace Confront Privacy Loophole

    The WSJ:

    Advertising companies are receiving information that could be used to look up individual profiles, which, depending on the site and the information a user has made public, include such things as a person’s real name, age, hometown and occupation.

    Not a good month for Zuckerberg.

    [Updated: 5/21/10 at 6:52 AM]

    Marshall Kirkpatrick for ReadWriteWeb.com:

    Facebook used to, in some cases, send referring URLs with logged-in user IDs inside the URL when a user clicked on an ad. The Journal alerted them to that situation and they now obfuscate those URLs. That’s good. Potential privacy situation dealt with. Unfortunately, this is something that is hard to explain to non-technical readers and in its attempt to do so, I believe the Journal’s coverage left more technical readers confused and concerned that all referring URLs were being criticized unfairly.

  • The Honeymoon is Over (or: Why I went back to the iPhone from the HTC Desire) |

    Shane Lord:

    Android just isn’t there yet. Sorry fans of the OS, but it’s like the best intentions of the open source community have produced an OS that has not learnt any lessons from the failings of the dated Windows Mobile OS, and along with the snazzy HTC Sense UI have actually made a number of brand new mistakes on the way.

    and:

    There are multiple version of the Android OS, running on various different hardware platforms with infinite variety. Some may claim this is of benefit. I claim differently. Ask older Android handset owners if they enjoy being stuck on Android 1.5 as their handset manufacturer releases new phones with 2.1 with no intention of upgrading their 6 month old handsets that are now out of date.

  • Everything You Need to Know About Android 2.2 (Froyo)

    James Kendrick:

    Version 2.2 bakes tethering right into the OS. An Android 2.2 phone can supply the data connectivity for any device over Wi-Fi with just a few simple steps. Laptops can also be tethered via a USB cable. It is important to note that even though this is now integrated into Android, the carriers will have final say on whether a given phone will have this activated, and how much it will cost to use.

  • Dear Google: Even If There Is No Harm, You Fouled Up on Privacy

    Mathew Ingram:

    That said, however, the company maintains that the issue was a simple oversight, and nothing worth getting concerned about. And this isn’t the first time Google has played down complaints about its behavior on privacy. After Buzz was launched and a number of users criticized the company for connecting them with all their email contacts whether they wanted to be connected or not — subsequently publicizing those connections without making it clear they would be public — Google CEO Eric Schmidt told attendees of one conference that the issue was blown out of proportion, that there was no harm caused and that the situation was primarily a result of users misunderstanding the service.

    Privacy is an issue that will not go away, better square away your companies privacy policy.

  • ‘A Draconian Future’

    This is hilarious, a must read.