The 404 398: Where in space, no one can hear you tweet
All hell has broken loose in the tech world with this morning's Twitter crash. The popular microblogging Web site suffered a denial-of-service attack earlier this morning around 6 a.m. PT, but has yet to give out details or an in-depth status update. The last update said it is "defending" itself from an ongoing attack, so good luck to all the frontline GIs fighting the good fight in the trenches so that Ashton Kutcher can continue telling us facts about technology that we already know.Earth will continue to rotate on its axis despite Twitter soiling the bed, so we bring you more stories from the Internet, including the awful news that Wal-Mart is now selling the new BlackBerry Curve for $48. So now, in addition to supporting an evil dictatorship conglomerate and taking food from the mouths of independent business owners for a 50-cent discount on a box of Tide, consumers can now pick up a cheap mobile phone so that the Walton children can put one more Benz in the garage. Cool! /rantBe sure to tune into the second half of the show to hear more rants from The 404, but we also lament the death of classic gaming magazines like GamePro, PSM, EGM, etc. While many of them are still available for print subscription, we can't help but reminisce about the old days when you had to subscribe to them in order to get the latest tips and tricks.So, all that, PLUS we discover the true identity of Motherboard's wily sidekick, LaserJet (thanks Hayato!) and reveal some serious (and some not-so-serious) submissions to the "Choose Justin's new glasses" competition!EPISODE 398PodcastYour browser does not support the audio element. Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang
McAfee- Our shortened URLs are safer (podcast)
McAfee: Our shortened URLs are safer (podcast)
Anyone who has used Twitter has seen those shortened URLs from TinyURL.com, Bitly, and other such services. The advantage of those shortened URLs is that they take up less space, which can be very important on Twitter, where messages are limited to no more than 140 characters, but the disadvantage is that you don't know where you're going until you're already there.Unlike regular URLs, which show the actual domain to which you're navigating, these are meaningless codes that give you no clue of the actual destination. As a result, there is the possibility that the links can take you places you might not want to visit, including sites that can install malicious software on your machine.McAfee Vice President and CTO Simon HuntSimon HuntTo help ease the minds of those who may be clicking on shortened URLs, computer security firm McAfee is offering its own URL-shortening service called McAf.ee.The service will shorten URLs right away--without scanning them to make sure that the linked-to site is secure--but when a user clicks on a McAf.ee link, the security firm will examine the destination to determine if it's likely safe. The company will use some of the same databases it uses for its SiteAdvisor service and other security products to help ensure that the destination isn't malicious or spammy.In an interview (scroll down for podcast), McAfee Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Simon Hunt said, "It seemed to us pretty obvious that we could offer this kindof service with a level of confidence beyond just, 'click here and hope.'" McAf.ee, he hopes, will be adopted by those who want to reassure users that their shortened links are safe to click on. Hunt, who on his blog refers to the URL-shortening service as "a pet project of mine," said that a few months ago, there was a whole plague of URLs appearing on Twitter and Facebook that enticed people to jump to sites that deployed malware, viruses, and bots."Hunt did acknowledge that some other services, including Bitly, offer some degree of security screening, but he emphasized McAfee's core competence in the area of helping users stay away from malicious sites, content, and applications.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Anyone who has used Twitter has seen those shortened URLs from TinyURL.com, Bitly, and other such services. The advantage of those shortened URLs is that they take up less space, which can be very important on Twitter, where messages are limited to no more than 140 characters, but the disadvantage is that you don't know where you're going until you're already there.Unlike regular URLs, which show the actual domain to which you're navigating, these are meaningless codes that give you no clue of the actual destination. As a result, there is the possibility that the links can take you places you might not want to visit, including sites that can install malicious software on your machine.McAfee Vice President and CTO Simon HuntSimon HuntTo help ease the minds of those who may be clicking on shortened URLs, computer security firm McAfee is offering its own URL-shortening service called McAf.ee.The service will shorten URLs right away--without scanning them to make sure that the linked-to site is secure--but when a user clicks on a McAf.ee link, the security firm will examine the destination to determine if it's likely safe. The company will use some of the same databases it uses for its SiteAdvisor service and other security products to help ensure that the destination isn't malicious or spammy.In an interview (scroll down for podcast), McAfee Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Simon Hunt said, "It seemed to us pretty obvious that we could offer this kindof service with a level of confidence beyond just, 'click here and hope.'" McAf.ee, he hopes, will be adopted by those who want to reassure users that their shortened links are safe to click on. Hunt, who on his blog refers to the URL-shortening service as "a pet project of mine," said that a few months ago, there was a whole plague of URLs appearing on Twitter and Facebook that enticed people to jump to sites that deployed malware, viruses, and bots."Hunt did acknowledge that some other services, including Bitly, offer some degree of security screening, but he emphasized McAfee's core competence in the area of helping users stay away from malicious sites, content, and applications.Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)
Did SanDisk just rain on tech's 2012 parade-
Did SanDisk just rain on tech's 2012 parade?
What with sky-is-the-limit predictions very much in vogue -- Apple's shares hitting $1,000 is now the stuff of research reports from serious analysts -- who can't see that these are boom times for tech? Everyone knows that the party won't last forever. That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out when to pack up and head out of Dodge.SanDisk's surprise earnings warning on Tuesday afternoon may be that troubling harbinger for which the worrywarts were all waiting. In advance of the company's official April 19 earnings call, SanDisk said today that "pricing and demand" both were weaker than expected in the just-finished quarter. Given that we're talking about the top manufacturer of purely flash memory, a company whose products wind up in cameras, smartphones and, yes, Apple components, that doesn't bode well. The company also reduced its revenue guidance to $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion for the quarter that ended April 1. This was an across-the-board horror show, with the company warning that gross margins would drop below "the previously guided range of 39 percent to 42 percent."Since the earnings season doesn't really get going for another week, it's hard to gauge whether this disaster is a one-off or a signpost of trouble filtering through the tech supply chain. For what it's worth, SanDisk rival Micron Technology didn't have appreciably better news, when it reported a $0.23 per-share loss for its fiscal quarter last week. And that performance was about 21 percent worse than its previous quarter.
What with sky-is-the-limit predictions very much in vogue -- Apple's shares hitting $1,000 is now the stuff of research reports from serious analysts -- who can't see that these are boom times for tech? Everyone knows that the party won't last forever. That's the easy part. The hard part is figuring out when to pack up and head out of Dodge.SanDisk's surprise earnings warning on Tuesday afternoon may be that troubling harbinger for which the worrywarts were all waiting. In advance of the company's official April 19 earnings call, SanDisk said today that "pricing and demand" both were weaker than expected in the just-finished quarter. Given that we're talking about the top manufacturer of purely flash memory, a company whose products wind up in cameras, smartphones and, yes, Apple components, that doesn't bode well. The company also reduced its revenue guidance to $1.2 billion from $1.3 billion for the quarter that ended April 1. This was an across-the-board horror show, with the company warning that gross margins would drop below "the previously guided range of 39 percent to 42 percent."Since the earnings season doesn't really get going for another week, it's hard to gauge whether this disaster is a one-off or a signpost of trouble filtering through the tech supply chain. For what it's worth, SanDisk rival Micron Technology didn't have appreciably better news, when it reported a $0.23 per-share loss for its fiscal quarter last week. And that performance was about 21 percent worse than its previous quarter.
Did Google pull app for in-app purchase violation-
Did Google pull app for in-app purchase violation?
Earlier this week, Google notified one of its developers that the developers' free app, Visual VoiceMail, was being pulled from the Android Market. The reason given was that the app violated a section of Google's developer agreement that covers pricing and payments, according to a report on GigaOM.While Google hasn't been clear about the exact violation, Jonathan Hollander of PhoneFusion, makers of Visual VoiceMail, believes the problem is that the app doesn't use Google Checkout for in-app purchases. Instead, PhoneFusion runs in-app purchases through its Web site.Google's developer agreement states that "all fees received by Developers for Products distributed via the Market must be processed by the Market's Payment Processor." In other words, developers must use Google Checkout."It looks like they're pulling an Apple but just for us," GigaOM quoted Hollander as saying. "There was no warning that they're going to enforce this, which makes it worse than Apple. Even if you disagree with Apple, they gave until June to remove their apps. Here, there's no choice."Google responded to GigaOM but would say only that it removes apps that violate its terms of service.Apple's new subscription service drew the ire of magazine and newspaper publishers when it was announced on February 15. Publishers don't like the fact that Apple is taking a 30 percent cut of revenue on customers it brings to publishers and that the company is not sharing customer information with them. Apple is giving consumers the option to share information with publishers, instead of forcing the issue.Just days after Apple's service was announced, rumors of an FTC investigation into the service began popping up, but a probe may have to be expanded if Google is found to be doing something similar.
Earlier this week, Google notified one of its developers that the developers' free app, Visual VoiceMail, was being pulled from the Android Market. The reason given was that the app violated a section of Google's developer agreement that covers pricing and payments, according to a report on GigaOM.While Google hasn't been clear about the exact violation, Jonathan Hollander of PhoneFusion, makers of Visual VoiceMail, believes the problem is that the app doesn't use Google Checkout for in-app purchases. Instead, PhoneFusion runs in-app purchases through its Web site.Google's developer agreement states that "all fees received by Developers for Products distributed via the Market must be processed by the Market's Payment Processor." In other words, developers must use Google Checkout."It looks like they're pulling an Apple but just for us," GigaOM quoted Hollander as saying. "There was no warning that they're going to enforce this, which makes it worse than Apple. Even if you disagree with Apple, they gave until June to remove their apps. Here, there's no choice."Google responded to GigaOM but would say only that it removes apps that violate its terms of service.Apple's new subscription service drew the ire of magazine and newspaper publishers when it was announced on February 15. Publishers don't like the fact that Apple is taking a 30 percent cut of revenue on customers it brings to publishers and that the company is not sharing customer information with them. Apple is giving consumers the option to share information with publishers, instead of forcing the issue.Just days after Apple's service was announced, rumors of an FTC investigation into the service began popping up, but a probe may have to be expanded if Google is found to be doing something similar.
Did Apple blow $100 million in its legal fight against HTC-
Did Apple blow $100 million in its legal fight against HTC?
Apple may have spent $100 million in its legal assault against HTC over what it believes is ripped-off technology used in Android mobile devices. That's according to Dan Lyons, who posted on his blog today about the rumored $100 million price tag for legal expenses for Apple's first set of claims against the company. A representative for Apple wasn't immediately available to comment to CNET on the figure. If true, that represents a significant cost--even for a company as cash-rich as Apple--for little gain. After more than a year of legal wrangling, the U.S. International Trade Commission came down in Apple's favor for only one of 10 patents, which HTC says it is readying a workaround for. The ITC also gave HTC several months to implement the workaround. Apple is pursuing legal action against a number of Android players because it wants to halt the growing momentum of Google's mobile platform. Ultimately, however, it will likely have to settle with some sort of resolution and cross-licensing agreement, although the companies are far apart in agreeing who would pay for what. Apple has another claim pending with the ITC, and is fighting off claims of infringement from HTC. Apple is also embroiled in an even more complicated and wide-ranging lawsuit with Samsung Electronics. While $100 million may seem like much, it's mere spare change for a company that earned a profit of $6.62 billion in the third quarter alone. Apple is expected to report a blowout fourth quarter tomorrow. As such, neither Apple nor its Android opponents look ready to settle anytime soon.
Apple may have spent $100 million in its legal assault against HTC over what it believes is ripped-off technology used in Android mobile devices. That's according to Dan Lyons, who posted on his blog today about the rumored $100 million price tag for legal expenses for Apple's first set of claims against the company. A representative for Apple wasn't immediately available to comment to CNET on the figure. If true, that represents a significant cost--even for a company as cash-rich as Apple--for little gain. After more than a year of legal wrangling, the U.S. International Trade Commission came down in Apple's favor for only one of 10 patents, which HTC says it is readying a workaround for. The ITC also gave HTC several months to implement the workaround. Apple is pursuing legal action against a number of Android players because it wants to halt the growing momentum of Google's mobile platform. Ultimately, however, it will likely have to settle with some sort of resolution and cross-licensing agreement, although the companies are far apart in agreeing who would pay for what. Apple has another claim pending with the ITC, and is fighting off claims of infringement from HTC. Apple is also embroiled in an even more complicated and wide-ranging lawsuit with Samsung Electronics. While $100 million may seem like much, it's mere spare change for a company that earned a profit of $6.62 billion in the third quarter alone. Apple is expected to report a blowout fourth quarter tomorrow. As such, neither Apple nor its Android opponents look ready to settle anytime soon.
Developers like iPhone, but here comes Android
Developers like iPhone, but here comes Android
The study also examined the number of developers looking to adopt new platforms next year--that is, smartphones for which they're not already creating apps. Looking specifically at those developers, 29 percent of them expect to add Android to their mix in 2011. The iPad, which debuted earlier this year, will tie for second place with Microsoft's newly launched Windows Phone 7, each drumming up new interest among 20 percent of developers. Only 8 percent of those polled said they plan to add Apple's phone to their development plates--perhaps, in part at least, because the iPhone has already established a strong footing among developers.Overall, mobile app developers and publishers are looking at a surge in business next year. A full 31 percent expect sales of their apps to rise by 100 percent or more in 2011, 17 percent are eyeing an increase of 50 percent or more, while only 10 percent say their sales are likely to be flat.To compile its study, mobile ad company Millennial Media teamed up with digital media outlet Digiday and an analyst from financial services firm Stifel Nicolaus. The group surveyed more than 500 app developers, publishers, and advertisers about their mobile platform plans.The survey results echo those from a similar study conducted in September by IDC and Appcelerator, which found that developers favor the iPhone for the near term but are eyeing strong long-term potential from Android.
The study also examined the number of developers looking to adopt new platforms next year--that is, smartphones for which they're not already creating apps. Looking specifically at those developers, 29 percent of them expect to add Android to their mix in 2011. The iPad, which debuted earlier this year, will tie for second place with Microsoft's newly launched Windows Phone 7, each drumming up new interest among 20 percent of developers. Only 8 percent of those polled said they plan to add Apple's phone to their development plates--perhaps, in part at least, because the iPhone has already established a strong footing among developers.Overall, mobile app developers and publishers are looking at a surge in business next year. A full 31 percent expect sales of their apps to rise by 100 percent or more in 2011, 17 percent are eyeing an increase of 50 percent or more, while only 10 percent say their sales are likely to be flat.To compile its study, mobile ad company Millennial Media teamed up with digital media outlet Digiday and an analyst from financial services firm Stifel Nicolaus. The group surveyed more than 500 app developers, publishers, and advertisers about their mobile platform plans.The survey results echo those from a similar study conducted in September by IDC and Appcelerator, which found that developers favor the iPhone for the near term but are eyeing strong long-term potential from Android.
Developer- Game consoles aren't the future
Developer: Game consoles aren't the future
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk had some rather interesting things to say this week about the future of the gaming business.Zeschuk, whose company has created major console hits like Mass Effect 2, said that going forward, the video game industry won't rely so heavily on the console market. In fact, he believes consoles could be a relic of the past as more players turn to portable devices to get their game on."The future isn't necessarily on console," Zeschuk said at the Develop Conference, an event for European game developers. "That's the past. It's going to be a strong thing going forward, but the future is in all of these new businesses that are starting up."Zeschuk went on to say that kids, the next generation of gamers, are playing titles "on iPhones and iPads." He also said that Nintendo's upcoming portable-gaming product, the 3DS, "looks pretty amazing," and a device that BioWare will be focusing on in the future. Interestingly, Zeschuk even said the company had a DS game in development, and stopped building it to "look at the iPhone instead."Zeschuk's comments, while undoubtedly a little annoying to hard-core gamers, might make some sense when applied to the latest gaming data. According to Flurry Analytics, which calculated portable gaming market share recently, the iPhone is growing at a rapid rate as a desired gaming platform.In fact, from 2008 to 2009, the smartphone's market share jumped 14 percent from 5 percent market share in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009. Over the same period, Nintendo's DS market share slipped by 5 percent. Granted, the iPhone leans more to the "casual" side than the DS, but given how limited the average gamer's entertainment time is, Nintendo might want to worry.(Via Eurogamer)
BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk had some rather interesting things to say this week about the future of the gaming business.Zeschuk, whose company has created major console hits like Mass Effect 2, said that going forward, the video game industry won't rely so heavily on the console market. In fact, he believes consoles could be a relic of the past as more players turn to portable devices to get their game on."The future isn't necessarily on console," Zeschuk said at the Develop Conference, an event for European game developers. "That's the past. It's going to be a strong thing going forward, but the future is in all of these new businesses that are starting up."Zeschuk went on to say that kids, the next generation of gamers, are playing titles "on iPhones and iPads." He also said that Nintendo's upcoming portable-gaming product, the 3DS, "looks pretty amazing," and a device that BioWare will be focusing on in the future. Interestingly, Zeschuk even said the company had a DS game in development, and stopped building it to "look at the iPhone instead."Zeschuk's comments, while undoubtedly a little annoying to hard-core gamers, might make some sense when applied to the latest gaming data. According to Flurry Analytics, which calculated portable gaming market share recently, the iPhone is growing at a rapid rate as a desired gaming platform.In fact, from 2008 to 2009, the smartphone's market share jumped 14 percent from 5 percent market share in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009. Over the same period, Nintendo's DS market share slipped by 5 percent. Granted, the iPhone leans more to the "casual" side than the DS, but given how limited the average gamer's entertainment time is, Nintendo might want to worry.(Via Eurogamer)
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