Gawkwire: Web Hosting and Internet News Resource

Pre Faltering, Palm Laying Off Employees?

2009-09-29T18:34:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) When your smartphone drops from $249 to $79 over a summer, you have to wonder what’s going on. Two rumors are circulating this AM, one that Palm is laying off folks, perhaps in the Windows Mobile team.

The estimated sales for the Pre topped out at 375,000 at the end of August and they went from $249 ($199 after rebate) to about $79 in about eleven weeks. While this might be normal for a feature phone – the subsidy kicks in once they’re sure that the early adopters who simply must have the LG Chocolate have had their fix – this isn’t good for a smartphone that was supposed to be the lead invasion force for a new WebOS smartphone renaissance. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/pre_faltering_palm_laying_off_employees.html

Texas police take on blog commenters

2009-09-29T09:14:00-04:00

(cnet) Everyone in Austin, Texas always seems unusually charming to me.

The people in Starbucks always have time for a chat. And the staff at the wildly gothic Mansion at Judges Hill (which, I am told, used to be a very fine rehab facility) can induce a smile by merely looking at you.

However, it appears that when certain citizens of Austin get behind their computers, they turn into monstrous villains.

This, at least, appears to be the view of Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the chief is considering pursuing commenters on blogs who have either impersonated him or his officers or maligned them beyond the boundaries of legal tolerance.

Austin. A place of unusual civility. Allegedly.

Options under discussion appear to be not only libel suits, but also criminal charges if the police believe these are warranted. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/texas_police_take_on_blog_commenters.html

Get your new Windows 7 PC a few days early...maybe

2009-09-27T18:20:00-04:00

(cnet) Dying for a new desktop or laptop with a fresh, factory-installed copy of Windows 7 on it? We all know the official start date for the Win 7 era is October 22, but some small custom PC makers are claiming they'll start shipping systems with the new OS as early as October 13.

Puget Systems, a custom PC maker in Seattle, says the following on its Web site:

Customers who place orders for a full personal computer system, and who select Microsoft Windows 7 as their OS of choice, will be immediately placed in queue for shipment which will begin in earnest on October 13, 2009.

According to tech news site Ars Technica, Puget was told by Microsoft that "the earlier date only applies to system builders that buy the operating system through distribution channels," meaning small PC makers, and not the big OEMs like Dell and HP. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/get_your_new_windows_7_pc_a_few_days_early_maybe.html

Lenovo ThinkPad T400s (MultiTouch)

2009-09-22T06:15:00-04:00

(cnet) Lenovo's ThinkPad brand is virtually synonymous with business laptops, and the company (like IBM before it) has spent years perfecting the nondescript black-box system, with its iconic TrackPoint and double set of mouse buttons.

We liked the 14-inch T400s ("s" for "slim") when we first saw it earlier this year (see that review), as it shaved some thickness and weight off the older T400 model. Now Lenovo is offering an enhanced version of the T400s, adding a multitouch touch screen and some custom touch-screen software. This is also the first laptop we've reviewed with the final shipping version of Windows 7 preinstalled.

The touch screen and accompanying SimpleTap software add a new wrinkle--one that had its appeal--but without a tablet-style swiveling display, we can see the real-world usefulness of adding touch to a standard laptop being somewhat limited.

It can be argued that Lenovo's build quality and attention to detail are second to none, and the T400s feels like a solid, heavy-duty machine that will stand up to a lot of action. ThinkPad buyers (either small business individuals or corporate IT departments) know what they're looking for and don't mind paying premium for it. The touch-screen T400s starts at $1,999, and includes Lenovo's ThinkVantage suite of business and security-minded software and hardware. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/lenovo_thinkpad_t400s_multitouch.html

New Lawsuit Brings Clarity To Skype’s IP Problem (Prognosis: Screwed)

2009-09-21T06:26:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) When a group of investors pooled their resources a few weeks ago to put a bid in to buy Skype from eBay, I thought there was a good chance that Skype’s legal woes were behind them. Apparently, I was wrong, and a new lawsuit makes it clear just how bad the situation is for Skype.

Sure, Skype doesn’t own its core P2P technology, and founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom were trying to rip that IP out of the service. But that’s all old news from months ago. Surely those new investors wouldn’t have committed to paying $1.9 billion for 65% of a company that didn’t control its IP?

At the time of the deal, people close to the transaction told me that the new investors had a much better relationship with Niklas and Janus than eBay, and the situation would soon be worked out. Our best guess was the two would be given a piece of Skype, and possibly a board seat, and the litigation would be dropped. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/new_lawsuit_brings_clarity_to_skype_s_ip_problem_prognosis_screw.html

Kanye West Disrespects Our Website

2009-09-17T06:18:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) This is pretty awesome. You’ve probably heard about hip hop artist Kanye West’s antics on Sunday night during MTV’s VMA awards. If not, watch this. Basically, West interrupted country singer Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech to say that Beyonce deserved the award. It seems like no one will shut up about it. While West later apologized, his name has been a top trending topic on Twitter ever since the incident. And now any website can suffer the same disrespect at the hands of West. ...Go to source http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/kanye_west_disrespects_our_website.html

A word on Customer Support

2009-09-16T06:11:00-04:00

(WebHost Blog) I was looking through the articles I have written through the years and I have devoted very little on customer support. Which is surprising considering customer support is a cornerstone of a good business.

In fact, even if your product or service is not the best, customer support can be a major factor in customer retention.

Today I am only going to whet the appetite. Recent events have colored my views on support namely on wondering how customers can put up with bad support when they get it. This little story involves my own dealing with financial institutions. I have replaced the company names since there are unimportant for this story.

I have long wondered how people can deal with poor customer support. How many times will it take for support questions to go unanswered or to have things that you need taken care of fall by the wayside as the support staff says we can get that done and then as soon as you are done talking to them they throw your request into the trash can. I found it odd that people put up with that. And then Friday happened.

Thanks to yet another act of incompetence by my bank, my bank account was charged with a series of erroneous fees. The charges continued plunging my account into the negatives setting off another string of charges (overdraft). The original charges began from a bank error (this would be my second of the year). I called up my bank and was asked to provide a string of information I was not comfortable with to include my social, drivers license, pin number, account number, atm number, and lastly my tax ID (I am not kidding, they actually asked these to identify me). So instead of answering their automated questions I banged away on the phone. I eventually gave them enough incorrect answers that they sent me to straight to a customer service rep.

I yelled. I screamed. I felt my blood pressure rise, and for a moment thought that I might even get a heart attack. Finally the rep managed to cancel and credit my account the money they stole. However, a few bills were taken out during this time and I got charged overdraft for those. I spent another hour fuming over that little tidbit, talked to numerous reps to no avail. I had another bill coming up and since the money would not be credited to the account until after a review, I had to through some cash in my account fast.

I tried cross account transfers but found that my bank does not allow them (for security reasons, whatever the heck that means on a deposit lol ). Only one thing I could do was get some cash and deposit it directly. However, I am not in California at the moment (my bank is located in the bay area), so I had to use their “co-op network”.” Basically I can go to any financial institution on the list and use them as if I was at my own bank. Its actually kinda nifty.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, I head out to the bank, money in my wallet and ZZ top on my radio. I headed to a credit union that’s on the list. Was greeted by several very nice staff members one of them offered me coffee (huge plus) and asked how could they help. I gave them my information and they tried to deposit the money in my account. The computer gave them several errors so they decided to call up my bank. For the next two hours they tried to get a hold of a number to my bank that did not send them through a series of odd security questions and finally found one (my bank is opened on Saturday as well if you were wondering). The phone was never answered and finally the staff said, cheerily, well it will probably be sorted out by Monday when their repair people can look at the servers (she tried a series of connections to other branches all working, thus eliminating the questions of it being on our end or the network on this side of the nation).

On Monday I drove back out to the bank and the same problems and phone calls ensued. Finally, the teller got a hold of a competent individual who said it would take about a week to fix. I had days to get that money in the account. Short of flying back there was nothing I could do. I called up my bank when I got home (after having a pleasant conversation with the teller) spent a few hours or more yelling after starting the conversation civilly. Got money orders made up and sent them off.

Now after all of this, I have yet to switch banks. This is also the second major problem of the year from these guys and yet I haven’t even thought about switching banks.

Why?

I would have to find a bank that will travel with me, give me the sort of ATM benefits I have with mine (I never get charged ATM fees regardless if its the $20 surcharge in a Vegas Casino, or a $1 charge from a local grocery store; comes in handy when you travel a lot), I would have to get my bills and paycheck switched, and I would have to redo a few of my investments. Now these are the reasons I give but they are in fact excuses. I could probably have all of these done in one day (probably a week with how bad my bank is).

These situations happen all the time. I give my own as an example, but people will make excuses for mechanics, family doctors, grocery stores (heck look at Walmart people hate the place but still buy from it), self-check out lanes, and the like.

So when someone sticks with a bad Web Host, its not that they are crazed, stupid, etc. Its just par for the course.

About David Dunlap:
Over the past ten years David has been a prolific author of hundreds of blogs, commentaries and reviews found here on WebHostBlog.com, as well as WebHostMagazine.com and other sites around the Internet. David manages the daily operations at both WebHostBlog and Web Host Magazine & Buyer's Guide, and as the head editor, David uses his unique analytical skills to ensure that both sites maintain their integrity and tough, but fair minded, reputations. Prior to his active career analyzing the Web Host industry, David specialized in networking and communications for the U.S. government. David's expertise in traditional and search engine marketing has helped boost companies both inside and outside of the Web Host industry.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/a_word_on_customer_support.html

Apple's next big thing is Steve Jobs

2009-09-14T06:20:00-04:00

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/apple_s_next_big_thing_is_steve_jobs.html

Skype Says Next Generation Platform Will Embrace Developers

2009-09-14T06:18:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) I’ve had a couple of conversations with Skype exec Jonathan Christensen over the last few days to get a better understanding of just what directions the company plans to go with regard to third party developers. The recent announcement of the closing of the Skype Extras program seems to suggest Skype is heading exactly in the wrong direction.

As an aside, one of those conversations was extraordinary from a technical perspective. Jonathan called me via Skype, which forwarded via Skype Out to my mobile phone when I didn’t pick up. Since Google now controls my mobile number, it rang my cell and my home Vonage line per my rules. I picked up the vonage line and I had a crystal clear connection with no lag.

Christensen says that the Extras announcement is not about Skype backing away from a robust developer platform. Rather, he says, Skype is focusing on a next generation platform that will hopefully address the deficiencies of the old program and open many more opportunities for developers to build on Skype services.

Vague? Somewhat. But it’s a heck of a lot more information than we’ve ever gotten out of Skype before. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/skype_says_next_generation_platform_will_embrace_developers.html

Microsoft Sale Of Linux Patents Roils Open Sourcers

2009-09-11T06:33:00-04:00

(Informationweek) Microsoft put 22 patents up for sale in July, listing them all as in the "open source" category, with some of them, "Linux-focused." The ultimate buyer was the Open Invention Network, a consortium of Linux backers that wanted to take them off the market.

But in between Microsoft marketing and OIN ownership there was a bit of behind the scenes maneuvering. OIN was never approached by Microsoft to buy the patents, even though it was an obvious, interested party.

And the actual bidder, Allied Security Trust, was acting as a front man for OIN as well as its own 11 members. OIN was approached by AST "early in the process and invited to be a surrogate bidder," unbeknownst to Microsoft, says OIN CEO Keith Bergelt.

When AST's bid won the auction, AST and OIN signed a deal that made OIN the ultimate holder of the patents. The irony of the maneuver is that it was an unlikely outcome.

AST normally bids for patents on the open market, licenses its members to protect themselves from them, then quickly resells the patents. By using this "catch and release" policy, it leverages its members investments and gets income that allows it to protect its small membership from more patents. One result is that many AST acquired patents end up on the open market and in the hands of patent trollers, who claim royalties from companies whose products might be covered by their patents.

Linux Foundation Executive Director Jim Zemlin charges that Microsoft's goal in selling the patents was to get them into the hands of patent trolls, via AST. It takes a minimum of $5 million for a company to defend itself from a patent claim, even if the claim is later found to be without merit, he said. Many companies settle rather than fight it out in court.

Furthermore, he said in an interview conducted as he traveled in Korea, Microsoft knew all about AST's "catch and release" policy. AST is made up of a group of reputable companies, including HP, a Linux reseller, that buy patents together for their own protection.

AST offered cover for Microsoft, if it wanted to raise questions about whether Linux was subject to patent litigation, without launching patent battles itself. Even if a court ruled ultimately that a patent didn't cover Linux, news of a legal battle over Linux would prompt some companies to avoid adopting more use of Linux until the patent disputes disappeared, Zemlin said.

"Microsoft thought it was undermining Linux in a way where they could keep their hands off" the actual litigation, he charged. He commented more extensively on the deal in a blog titled, Protecting Linux From Microsoft (Yes, Microsoft Got Caught).

Red Hat, which has been a target of Microsoft's patent claims in the past, went even further. Microsoft used "marketing materials that highlighted offensive uses of the patents against open source software, including a number of the most popular open source packages," the company said in a blog posted to its site Wednesday. Red Hat's Enterprise Linux is one of those packages. The auction was Microsoft's "latest attempt to encourage patent aggression by trolls against free and open source software," the Red Hat blog stated.

Microsoft, asked to comment, said in a prepared statement: "We are constantly evaluating our patent portfolio--which recently received top ranking in the software industry--to ensure its makeup fits into the business goals of our organization. These patents were deemed to be non-core to our business and non-essential to our IP portfolio." The statement was attributed to David Kaefer, general manager for IP licensing.

Microsoft did not respond to a specific question about whether it had labeled some of the patents as "Linux-focused." It didn't respond by press time to a follow up question on whether its marketing material included suggested targets for patent claims.

"When an interested buyer for this technology was identified, after discussing it both internally and with the potential buyer, we felt this was the right direction to go in relating to these specific patents," Kaefer's statement concluded. The terms of the deal were confidential, he added.

In February 2007, Microsoft President Steven Ballmer and General Counsel Brad Smith claimed that it held 235 patents that were violated by open source code; the Linux kernel and graphical user interface accounted for 107 of them. Companies with Linux products needed to reach a pact with Microsoft that would give them the right to continue to distribute Linux without danger of being sued by Microsoft, both executives said at the time.

Ballmer said during that period he wanted Red Hat to reach such a deal with his firm. Red Hat spokesman said it had refused.

Microsoft acquired the 22 patents several years ago in a larger deal with SGI, the former Silicon Graphics Inc., and the patents have been labeled by some sources as only concerning 3D graphics. OIN CEO Bergelt said that's not correct. The patents are more valuable than that. Some of them affect core Linux operations, he said.

InformationWeek Analytics has published an independent analysis of the current state of open source adoption. Download the report here (registration required).

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/2516.html

Turn Vista into Windows 7 for free

2009-09-11T06:25:00-04:00

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/turn_vista_into_windows_7_for_free.html

Gov 2.0: FBI Official Fills In As Acting Cybersecurity Chief

2009-09-10T06:35:00-04:00

(Information Week) A Department of Justice official has stepped in as acting White House senior director for cybersecurity, federal CTO Aneesh Chopra said today during a meeting with reporters at the Gov 2.0 Summit.

Chris Painter joins the White House on detail from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he has served as deputy assistant director of the cyber division since last year and has worked for years on cybercrime and cybersecurity issues.

Last month, then-acting White House senior director for cybersecurity, Melissa Hathaway -- who had led the 60-day cybersecurity policy review that recommended the creation of a federal cybersecurity coordinator position -- stepped down amid speculation that she was being passed over for that position. She also told the Washington Post that she felt she wasn't empowered to drive change in federal cybersecurity policy.

It is unclear how long Painter will remain at the White House, but Chopra says the White House is "on track" to name a federal cybersecurity coordinator, a position President Obama announced in a widely covered speech in May, in the "not too distant future."

Chopra said he has been actively involved in the hiring process, and has interviewed a number of "top notch" candidates. However, he declined to name any of the top contenders for the job.

It has been more than 90 days since President Obama outlined his cybersecurity strategy and announced the imminent creation of a cybersecurity coordinator position, and no appointee has been named. That delay, and reports that some of the government's top choices have turned down the job, have dampened expectations for the post by some observers.

Others, however, remain convinced that the cybersecurity coordinator will play an important lead role in cybersecurity. Phil Reitinger, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security for the National Protection and Programs Directorate and director of the National Cyber Security Center, said late last month that he expects the cybersecurity coordinator to be the central locus for cybersecurity the President had in mind when he announced the position.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/gov_2_0_fbi_official_fills_in_as_acting_cybersecurity_chief.html

Dell Offers Peek At Notebook Thinner Than Apple Air

2009-09-10T06:34:00-04:00

(Information Week) Dell on Wednesday offered a peek at a "design concept" for a stylish, high-end laptop that could become the computer maker's next challenge to Apple's MacBook Air.

A profile of the laptop, which would be the newest addition to Dell's ultra-thin Adamo line of notebooks, is shown on a Web site specially created to show off the PC. The system is slightly less than four-tenths of an inch thick. That's almost half the thickness of the first Adamo Dell released in March. That system is 0.65 of an inch thick, which is the same as the Air.

Dell is clearly going after Apple's Air with its Adamo line. In sending an email announcing the new Adamo site, Dell called the latest system a "design concept" and gave no other details.

The Air and current Adamo have starting prices of $1,499. The Air has a faster Core 2 Duo processor, 1.86 GHz versus 1.2 GHz, but the Adamo comes with a solid-state drive instead of a hard drive. Both systems have 13-inch displays, but the Air weighs three pounds and the Adam four pounds.

Dell used the same marketing scheme in trying to generate buzz for the first Adamo. The company launched a teaser site in December 2008, the month before Dell showed the system briefly at the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas.

Ultra-thin laptops under an inch thick are alternatives to less-expensive netbooks. The thin systems typically have more power, full-size keyboards and larger displays than the mini-notebooks--as well as bigger profit margins, making them more attractive to vendors.

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/dell_offers_peek_at_notebook_thinner_than_apple_air.html

Outlook 2010: Worth the upgrade?

2009-09-08T06:21:00-04:00

A first look at Microsoft Office 2010 Preview

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/outlook_2010_worth_the_upgrade.html

Google Loses Kai-Fu Lee, Trouble Translating!

2009-09-03T15:18:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) Lee joined Google four years ago from Microsoft, where he was a corporate vice president, and the Redmond software giant subsequently sued Google over the hire, contending that Lee’s duties at Google would violate the terms of a non-compete agreement he signed as part of his Microsoft employment contract. The three parties later reached a settlement.

Google said Kai-Fu Lee is leaving to work on his own venture, but not content with knowing so little about the man’s plans for the future, I turned to Google’s Translate service to learn more.

The goal: translate Lee’s blog post and tweets in English for more clarity on the matter. The result: hilarity. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/google_loses_china_president_has_trouble_translating_the_reason.html

Gmail outage blamed on capacity miscalculation

2009-09-03T09:08:00-04:00

(cnet) Gmail may be out of beta, but it wasn't ready for prime time Tuesday.

Gmail was down from about 12:30 p.m. PDT Tuesday to about 2:30 p.m. PDT, affecting millions of Gmail customers who depend on the service for everything from fantasy football roster updates to business-critical information. The problem was caused by a classic cascade in which servers became overwhelmed with traffic in rapid succession.

According to Google, the problem began when it took several Gmail servers offline for maintenance, a routine procedure that normally is transparent to users. However, the twist this time around was that Google had made some changes to the routers that direct Gmail traffic to servers in hopes of improving reliability, and those changes backfired.

"As we now know, we had slightly underestimated the load which some recent changes (ironically, some designed to improve service availability) placed on the request routers--servers which direct web queries to the appropriate Gmail server for response," Google said in a post to its Gmail blog late Tuesday. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/gmail_outage_blamed_on_capacity_miscalculation.html

Who Broke The Internet? Dell.com Also Knocked Out

2009-09-02T00:34:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) At least for the past half hour (since 5 PM EST), Dell.com has been suffering from a serious outage. Just for your reference, the company saw sales of $12.76 billion last quarter, and that was down 22% from $16.43 billion a year ago. Rest assured every minute of downtime is costing the computer manufacturer serious money.

For the latest updates, click here

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/alright_who_broke_the_internet_dell_com_also_knocked_out.html

Gmail Hitting Some Turbulence

2009-09-01T09:21:00-04:00

(TechCrunch) Judging from the response on Twitter and a general search, it appears there are indeed some problems with Gmail throwing server errors (503 and 500) left and right, but it doesn’t seem to be as widespread as the February outage was (yet). But at least I’m not the only one noticing and the Google Apps Status dashboard also acknowledges the Google Mail service has been spotty for a while now.

Either way, if you rely on Gmail for work as much as I do, this is very annoying. I realize it’s a free service and all, but it’s troubling nonetheless. Gmail is one service that’s growing quickly but it’s very un-Google to run into scalability issues so I suspect it’s something else.

Hopefully they’ll acknowledge the problem on the support pages soon - which isn’t the case yet - and the undoubtedly ’small subset of users’ gets access again soon enough.

For updates, click here

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/gmail_hitting_some_turbulence.html