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Full-page ads attack Google’s privacy policy; el Goog responds

Phil Nickinson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:41:42 +0000

Google, having already explained to the boys and girls inside the Beltway that they don't need to go all Chicken Little over its upcoming new consolidated privacy policy, today took aim at Redmond, Wash., for (if you can believe it) acting even more childish. More specifically, Google responded to claims from Microsoft (among others) that it's evil, it's only out to sell your information and that if you're not careful, Google will loosen your teeth while you sleep. (We might be confused over that last point.)

For those of you who don't ready words printed on dried pulp, the full-page ads Microsoft has taken out are "Putting people first" and go on to say the following about Google:

Google is in the process of making some unpopular changes to some of their most popular products. Those changes, cloaked in language like "transparency," "simplicity" and "consistency," are really about one thing: making it easier for Google to connect the dots between anything you search, sen, say or stream while using one of their services.

But, the way they're doing it is making it harder for you to maintain control of your personal information. Why are they so interested in doing this that they would risk this kind of backlash? One logical reason: Every data point they collect and connect to you increases how valuable you are to an advertiser.

To be clear, there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to improve the quality of an advertising product. But, that effort needs to be balanced with continuing to meet the needs and interests of users. Every business finds its own balance and attracts users who share those priorities. Google's new changes have upset that balance, with users' priorities being de-prioritized. That's why people are concerned and looking for alternatives.

If these changes rub you the wrong way, please consider using our portfolio of award-winning products and services.

This is straight up political theater, folks. Never mind that if Microsoft was in the search/advertising business, it'd be doing (if it was smart) exactly the same thing. But it's not. It's in the software licensing (and/or litigating, depending on who you ask) business. And Google continues to repeat that it's not collecting any new data with this new privacy policy, nor is it selling your data.

We're really not going to tell you what to think here. Read Google's responses from today. Go back and read its responses to Congress. And then read Google's new privacy policy, which is only a month away from taking effect. Then decide just how worried you are.

Report: Windows Phone Tango to support 120 languages, C++ development

Amar Toor — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:29:00 +0000

When Microsoft confirmed Windows Phone "Tango" back in August, it emphasized its focus on developing country markets that other heavyweight manufacturers tend to neglect. Today, new details have emerged to corroborate these claims about Redmond's forthcoming update, which will reportedly support a wider range of languages than its Mango-flavored predecessor. As WP Sauce reports, a Microsoft representative confirmed the news at a developer event in India today, telling attendees that Tango will support a full 120 languages, compared to the 35 tongues that Mango currently support. (iOS, by comparison, supports 34 languages, while Android boasts 55.) One of the speakers also reportedly confirmed that Windows Phone would add support for C++ native coding, though it remains unclear whether that will apply to Tango, or Windows Phone 8 (codenamed "Apollo"). We'll have to wait and see whether or not any of this actually comes to fruition, though it's worth noting that WP Sauce has since pulled its report on today's news, apparently at the request of Microsoft.

Report: Windows Phone Tango to support 120 languages, C++ development originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jailbreaking exemption to DMCA is about to expire, EFF would rather it didn’t

Amar Toor — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Back in 2010, the US Copyright Office added a set of anti-circumvention exemptions to the DMCA, effectively making it legal for smartphone users to jailbreak and/or root their devices. These exemptions, however, were never made permanent and now, they're about to expire. The EFF doesn't want this to happen, which is why it's decided to launch a campaign dedicated to the jailbreaking cause. With this initiative, the EFF is hoping to convince the Copyright Office to renew its exemptions and expand them to a wider range of devices, including tablets and video game consoles. To achieve this, the organization is calling upon programmers and other jailbreaking enthusiasts to contact the Copyright Office directly, explaining why the ability to freely modify software is so vital to their lives or livelihoods. As the EFF argues, "Concrete examples will help show the Copyright Office why they should renew and expand the exemptions for jailbreaking." If you're interested in getting involved, you can contact the Copyright Office at the coverage link below, though all comments are due by February 5th. Hit up the source link for more details on the EFF's involvement.

Jailbreaking exemption to DMCA is about to expire, EFF would rather it didn't originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HP: Open webOS 1.0 arriving in September, Enyo 2.0 framework free to developers today

Dana Wollman — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

When HP announced last month that it would open-source webOS, the outfit seemed mighty pleased (and relieved) to have finally made a definitive decision regarding the fate of its $1.2 billion software experiment. In fact, though, the company's initial announcement was light on detail, other than the fact that webOS will live on with the help of developers both inside and outside HP. Now, the company's ready to talk specifics: HP says it expects the software will be fully open-sourced by September, at which point its official name will be Open webOS 1.0. The first piece of the puzzle is arriving today in the form of the second-gen Enyo framework, a free tool that lets developers write webOS apps for tablets, phones and desktop browsers. Like the original framework, it supports WebKit, but version 2.0 also expands compatibility to modern desktop browsers such as Firefox, Chrome and Safari. The company also revealed that it's moving to a standard Linux kernel -- a clear attempt to sweeten the pot for hardware manufacturers that have never experimented with webOS, but at least know how to build systems running Linux / Android. For now, that Enyo framework is available for free (more details at the source links), and we've got the PR below, which details HP's plans between now and the OS' September release.

Continue reading HP: Open webOS 1.0 arriving in September, Enyo 2.0 framework free to developers today

HP: Open webOS 1.0 arriving in September, Enyo 2.0 framework free to developers today originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung’s Bada – Tizen merger still looking pretty likely

Amar Toor — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:04:00 +0000

Last week, rumors began circulating around Samsung's Bada OS, with Forbes reporting that the platform would soon be merged with Intel's Tizen project. If finalized, the move would reportedly allow Bada apps to run on Tizen, though it remains unclear whether or not a decision has been made yet. On Monday, a company spokesman apparently confirmed these rumors to Reuters, though Samsung later denied these claims, in a statement provided to All Things D:

Samsung and other members of Tizen Association have not made a firm decision regarding the merge of bada and Tizen. We are carefully looking at it as an option to make the platforms serve better for customers. As Samsung's essential part of multi-platform portfolio, bada will continue to play an important role in democratizing smartphone experience in all markets. Samsung will also support open source based development and continue to work together with other industry stakeholders.

So, um, is it happening? We'll let you know.

Samsung's Bada - Tizen merger still looking pretty likely originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Editorial: Steve Wozniak Isn’t Afraid To Criticize iOS’s Shortcomings, And We Shouldn’t Be Afraid To Call Out Android’s

David Ruddock — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:45:00 +0000

When I read the comments of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in an interview with The Daily Beast, my first thought was "this sounds like an eminently reasonable man making some well-reasoned points." Of course, being an Android site, we took interest in Wozniak's comments on Android's superior (in some respects) voice commands, as well as his praise of its workable built-in navigation solution (something iOS currently lacks outright).

I've used Siri. It's pretty fun (and funny) at times. But in my opinion, it doesn't do many things better than Android's voice commands (word recognition is, perhaps, a little better ...

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Editorial: Steve Wozniak Isn't Afraid To Criticize iOS's Shortcomings, And We Shouldn't Be Afraid To Call Out Android's was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

[Weekend Poll] If Android Ceased To Exist, What OS Would Your Next Device Be?

Aaron Gingrich — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:35:07 +0000

This is the latest in our Weekend Poll series. For last week's, see Ice Cream Sandwich Takes Android To A Whole New Level Of Usability And Polish - But Is It Good Enough For Your Parents To Use?

A few days ago, redditor fernandizzel posted a hypothetical poll: "If MS & Apple had their way and Android ceased to exist one year from today, what OS would you use?" The choices were fairly obvious: Blackberry, Windows Phone, iOS, or Other. A second question was also posed: "If Google supported one platform in particular by providing better apps such as ...

Official Android Police t-shirts are now on sale, with over 25 designs to call yours.

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[Weekend Poll] If Android Ceased To Exist, What OS Would Your Next Device Be? was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Samsung to merge Bada with Tizen: the OS party just got a little freaky

James Trew — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:13:00 +0000

While everyone was watching Windows Phone parting the iOS / Android curtains, no one noticed Bada and Tizen making cheeky eyes at each other. It was rumored Samsung might open-source its featurephone OS, but according to Forbes, it'll now fuse it with the Intel-backed Tizen project. Once the nuptials are complete, it's reported Bada apps will play nice with Tizen -- including full backwards compatibility -- with developers getting a new integrated SDK and API. We're guessing then, that it's the Bada brand getting the chop when the two linux-based systems tie the knot. The spirit of MeeGo, of course, also lives on in Tizen making this one big concept cocktail. One we should see being poured into "at least one or two" Samsung handsets, and eventually other products, sometime this year -- failing any last-minute cold feet.

Samsung to merge Bada with Tizen: the OS party just got a little freaky originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 14 Jan 2012 14:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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webOS gets OTA update, delivers performance improvements and bug fixes

Terrence O'Brien — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:48:00 +0000

With so many of us performing funeral dirges in honor of webOS it's easy to forget that the tablet and smartphone platform is still officially supported HP. In fact, just today, the company issued yet another incremental update -- pushing TouchPads to version 3.0.5, while Pre 2 and Pre 3 handsets are moving on up to 2.2.4. Both form factors will be getting improvements in calendar and messaging, while the Pre2 gets better Skype support and MAP for Bluetooth. TouchPads are also adding support for HTTP live streaming and bringing the time-saving "double space equals period" typing shortcut to the table. For a complete change log and to download the SDK check out the source link.

webOS gets OTA update, delivers performance improvements and bug fixes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leaked screenshots reveal new details on Nokia N9 MeeGo update

Amar Toor — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:56:00 +0000

New details on the forthcoming MeeGo update for Nokia N9 users have just emerged this morning, courtesy of a batch of leaked screenshots and firmware information. Originally posted by a user on talk.maemo.org, the shots point to many upcoming functions with which Android and iOS users are already familiar, including copy-paste browser support and a notably iOS-like folder layout. Also included in the screenshots are support for video calls and tweaks to the OS' camera and gallery apps, though details remain unclear. Equally unclear is the release date for PR1.2, though the screenshots cite a build date of January 30th, so it may very well be nearing.

Leaked screenshots reveal new details on Nokia N9 MeeGo update originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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