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European networks want Google, Yahoo! and others to pay them
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Internet,
Following some of the network neutrality buzz from the US, now it's the turn of some European mobile networks who are coming out complaining about the increased use of video and other heavy data over their networks. Unlike previous comments made by US carriers however, Stephane Richards, CEO of France Telecom, was pretty direct as to what he thinks should happen at the Le Web conference yesterday: “Service providers are flooding networks with no incentive.” He then added “It’s necessary to put in place a system of payments by service providers as a function of their use.”
From the view of the mobile network operators, large companies like Google, Yahoo!, Netflix and so on, use a large amount of data, which goes over their networks, and these service providers should pay the networks, so that they can double dip from both their own customers, and the online companies. Richards also said that these measures would go along with other changes he can see coming, such as the end of unlimited access, and slower speeds at peak hours.
Read More 
| Le Web
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Panic sets in as soon as I walk into a mall. I realize I parked a mile from the one store I wanted to visit, and that I'll have to part the sweaty seas of tweens to get there. With its new mall directory maps, however, Bing Maps just made my mall shopping—and maybe yours—a little less excruciating.
Here's how it works: supported malls will show up in the "Mall Map" link in the Bing Local results, and show you where each store in located. Today's release is still limited, so unless you live in the Boston, New York, or the Seattle metro area, your mall probably hasn't been mapped yet. Over the coming weeks, though, Microsoft intends to continue rolling out maps, beginning with the largest malls and adding support for major cities.
Each mall map features clickable stores from which you may access phone numbers, Web sites, and addresses (not that they'll do you much good in a mall). You can send store information to your phone or e-mail address. One curiously absent feature is store hours; here's hoping they bundle that in with future releases.
For those of you who use Bing or enjoy fraternizing with festering adolescents and bling-your-cell phone stands, take a look below for a complete list of Binged malls.
Click to continue reading Bing Maps now provides mall directories
Today Google had a presentation event all about Chrome and Chrome OS. After going through a history lesson of their web browser where they talked about how their update model and sandboxing gives them great security, all the new features they've introduced lately (like Google Instant,) as well as their speed improvements, they went to the meat of the day, and showed off the Chrome Web Store. This is essentially their app store for the web. Bringing executives from well known companies like Electronics Art, the New York Times, and Amazon, they went over several web apps that are now available, or will be available soon. Overall, these are all purely web apps, including several using Adobe Flash, so nothing that couldn't have been done on simple web sites in the first place. The selection will include everything from news apps, games, and everything that one could expect to find in another app store. Many of the apps will also include some offline features, such as being able to read a magazine online or offline, since it caches the information on your system, very similar to what Google Gears offered. Google is now rolling their new store out, starting today in the US, and spreading worldwide in the coming months.
Read More | Chrome Web Store
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One day after the release of Google eBooks, Amazon has answered with their Kindle for the Web application. Very similar to the Google way, this web application allows people to view samples, or read full books, directly in their web browsers. According to an email sent to Computerworld, an Amazon spokesperson said the new platform will "enable users to read full books in the browser and [enable] any Website to become a bookstore offering Kindle books." While the sampling feature has been available in beta since September, the new web app will allow actual purchase of Kindle books directly from the platform, or from affiliate sites, as well as full reading capabilities. It seems like Amazon is determined to keep its lead in the ebooks market, and now that independent publishers will have the choice between using Google or Amazon's platform for selling on their own sites, it's clear a race will happen for who gets the greater choice. Amazon certainly has the initial advantage, with the research firm Gartner estimating the Kindle accounts for about half of the black-and-white e-readers on the market.
Read More | Computerworld
Today the rumored Google Editions, the new ebooks service from the search giant, was revealed as Google eBooks, along with their eBookstore. The basic idea is to provide everyone books they can purchase that are available in a format that allows them to be read on the web, on devices, anywhere they are, as a simple web page. As of now they have around 4,000 publishing partners and are offering the service in the US only, although they also offer their free ebooks worldwide as part of the greater Google Books project. They are said to be working on around 35,000 publishing partners worldwide for their launch in other markets. Major publishers will get 70% of the list price, while others will keep 52%. Many of the bought books use DRM, or copy protection, and can be viewed on devices supporting ACS4, which includes the Nook but not the Amazon Kindle. If you use their online web reader platform, all your ebooks will be stored on the cloud, and remember your current page wherever you go, as explained in the colorful video above.
Read More | Google ebookstore
2010 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Alpaca from the Oxfam Collection
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Features, Internet, Family, Women, Men, Under $100, Under $250, Under $500,
We've been listing a bunch of gadgets and toys in our 2010 Holiday Gift Guide, but we've heard it said many times that the holidays have become, like, "so commercial." Hey, we aren't ones to turn a shiny new gadget away, but we also understand that sometimes it's better to help those who are in serious need. That said, we wanted to point you to Oxfam America. The company allows you to gift a tangible charitable gift to a family in need, as their goal is to help put an end to poverty and injustice. We're talking about real animals here. You can donate a dozen baby chicks, a goat (or a full tribe of goats!), sheep, cows, honey bees, and more. Heck, you can even donate manure. We wanted to help get the word out, and to do so, we're gonna give away an alpaca.
Alpacas are doe-eyed with cashmere-soft fur and flourish at altitudes well over 10,000 feet. Because few other animals are as hardy, these camelids are vital to Andean communities. Your gift of an alpaca meadow ensures plenty of nutrient-rich grass to help herds weather tough winters. And that means a lot to families who rely on these critters.
Yeah, we also like them because they look absolutely ridiculous...and seriously, who gives away an alpaca? We do. The winner will receive a code that they can redeem on the Oxfam website, allowing them to donate an alpaca for free to a family in need. If you win, you can even gift that code to someone else, we just want it to be put to good use.
Here’s how to enter:
- Follow the Gear Live Twitter account
- On Twitter, post this tweet about our contest: “Hey @gearlive hook me up with that ridiculous alpaca! http://gear.lv/e-alpaca” (Click here to tweet this now)
That’s it! Remember, you’ve gotta have a Twitter account (they're free), and you’ve gotta be following the Gear Live Twitter account so that we can send you a DM if you’re the winner. This one is only open to residents of the US. We will be announcing a winner on December 10, so you’ve got the rest of this week to qualify.
Click to continue reading 2010 Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway: Alpaca from the Oxfam Collection
Google Editions ebook service set to launch this year
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Google, Internet,
Google Editions is an initiative Google has been working on for a while now, their own e-book venture that aims to compete with Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, and others. Word is now making the rounds that t's set to launch by the end of the year in the US. As Google describes it, one of the main features that sets it apart from competitors is the fact that the books sold through this service will be open, available through a web browser, and thus readable on any device that can connect to the Internet. They also plan to have native applications so people can access the e-books offline. Finally, referrals will be available, in order to create an ecosystem between Google and publishers of all types. The company will obviously need to create deals with those various publishers, but that is said to be well on its way. Prices are not known yet, but they should be equivalent to other stores.
Read More | WSJ
eBay releases Cyber Monday mobile shopping data
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Corporate News, Internet,
A couple of days ago was the infamous Cyber Monday, where online stores see massive surges in sales, and eBay is one of the prime destinations people go to buy goods. Today they reported that their mobile sales for the Monday after Thanksgiving were up 146%. Also, eBay released a visualization tool that shows mobile shopping trends across 6 countries. The company reported that the use of its mobile platforms went up 3 times since 2009, with its iPhone app leading the way, followed by Android and Blackberry. In the US, cars and trucks were the biggest mobile trends, with cell phones, PDAs, women's clothing and other accessories leading the number of transactions done. It's clear that eBay is pushing its mobile apps, having recently released an updated version for the iPhone which includes a bar code reader, to bridge the in-store and online shopping experience.
Read More | eBay
Famous characters done up in 16 pixels
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Design, Internet, Video Games,
Have you ever wondered what your favorite video game heroes, cartoon characters, or washed-up TV stars would look like if they were composed entirely of 16 pixels? If you have, then you're either a part of the aptly title blog "4x4 Pixels", or you did a little too much peyote your last time in Vegas.
4x4 Pixels is an experimental pixel art project by David Stoll that reduces popular characters into pixelated versions of their former selves.
Can you guess who the above character is?
Here's a little hint: "Screw you guys...I'm going home!"
Read More | 4x4 Pixels
Acer reveals Iconia dual-screen laptop, Clear.fi cloud sharing service
Posted by Patrick Lambert Categories: Corporate News, Internet, PC / Laptop,
Acer had a media event in New York where they introduced some new items and services. First, they showed their latest laptop / tablet duo, the Iconia, which boosts two screens, and no keyboard. The touch screen takes the place of the keyboard and can display a variety of touch interfaces, including a virtual keyboard, similar to what Toshiba already did in the past. Inside you'll find an Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB of memory and an Intel HD graphics card. The new laptop also comes with a fairly interesting media system that's gesture based.
Most of the news event however was Acer joining the large number of companies embracing the cloud, and showing off their Clear.fi content sharing system which they originally introduced earlier this year. The platform, which the company claims is "more than an App Store" will be pre-loaded on all their future systems. Both free and paid content will be available and it wiill apparently focus on audio and video content, as well as apps from partners, since there's no word of an SDK for developers. The new Clear.fi platform will debut next month in Europe.
Read More | Engadget
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