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Google killing Social Graph API, Picnik, GMC Exchange backup

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 5:50pm MST by Tim Conneally

Friday afternoon, Google announced the future plans for six of its properties: Google Message Continuity (GMC), Sky Map, Needlebase, Picnik, Social Graph API, and Urchin. The company has determined that each of these products is either redundant, underperforming, or incongruent with Google's overall experience.

Like the retirement of Google Labs six months ago, some of these projects will be merged with others, some will be open sourced, and some will simply be wound down for good.

Sky Map - Sky Map was released for Android in May 2009 after a handful of Google employees built it in their "20 percent time." The unique augmented reality star map has been open sourced under the project name Stardroid, and is available for astronomy enthusiasts to tinker with right now. Google's Sky Map engineers are also collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University, and its development will now be driven by the students.

Picnik - Google bought Picnik from Yahoo in March 2010, and it will be retired on April 19, 2012. Anyone who subscribed to Picnik's premium tier will get a full refund, and from now until the product is shut down, premium services are free for all.

Social Graph API - This product could index the public Web using XHTML Friends Network (XFN), Friend of a Friend (FOAF) markup, and other publicly declared connections to trace connections between public sites. Google's VP of Product Management Dave Girouard says it "isn’t experiencing the kind of adoption we’d like," so it is being deprecated today and shut down for good on April 20, 2012.

Urchin - Google bought Urchin software seven years ago and by one year later it had turned into Google Analytics. "The Urchin Software product has now been completely overshadowed by its tremendously popular offspring," Paul Muret, Director of Engineering on the Google Analytics team said on Friday. "So it is time that we now complete the cycle by officially retiring the Urchin Software product and focus exclusively on online analytics."

Needlebase - When Google acquired Massachusetts-based airline software company ITA last April, it took on the still brand new Needlebase project for data acquisition, integration, and publishing. Needlebase today said, "We've been hard at work planning how to best integrate Needlebase's technology with Google's portfolio, which includes structured-data initiatives like Fusion Tables, Google Refine, Public Data Explorer, and Freebase. As we focus on our next steps, needlebase.com will be retired on June 1."

Google Message Continuity (GMC) - This product was for enterprise customers using Google's services as a cloud email backup to on-premise Microsoft Exchange deployments. Google is canceling this service and concentrating solely on Google Apps. "In the time since we launched, we've seen hundreds of businesses sign up for it," Girouard said on Friday. "By comparison, in that same time, we've seen millions of businesses move entirely to the cloud with Google Apps, benefitting from disaster recovery capabilities built directly into Apps." Google will continue to support the service until the end of all of its customers' contracts.
'We need an app store for root apps'

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 5:00pm MST by Ed Oswald

An Android developer is looking to provide a home for apps that are otherwise verboten on the Android Market. Independent software engineer Koushik Dutta is in the final stages of developing such an app repository, recent posts on Google+ indicate. He first detailed his plans earlier this month.

Dutta is one of the developers behind CyanogenMod, replacement firmware for Android devices based on the Gingerbread OS. Over one million Android users have already downloaded his firmware with about 8,000 new installs every day. Obviously he has a vested interest in these types of apps, and having an integrated app store will help attract consumers considering rooting their devices. The question now is: does Android need an app store for rooted apps?

The Apps Google bans are Legal

"We need an app store for root apps", Dutta says in a past post. "We also need an app store for apps that are getting shut down for no good reason, other than carrier, or some random corporation doesn't like it". While the apps he believes will fit in with his plans may not necessarily be "banned" in a sense, the subject matter may be unpalatable to carrier and manufacturer partners.

Rooting apps are frowned upon by Google as they may open up functionality within Android that carriers may have locked out, and the same goes for tethering and visual voicemail apps. Emulator apps have also been given the boot for copyright infringement claims by gaming manufactuers. But Dutta says that these apps need a home.

"These are all completely legal", he argues. "Nintendo emulators are fine, ROMs are NOT, there is a distinction".

CyanogenMod users hailed Dutta's work. "I'd love this and I'm sure so would many other users, Android should be open, apps should be available to all android users, carries should not be able to remove apps for no reason", commenter Aaron Reider opined. Others were more cautious. "I support the idea, so long as it's well executed", Burkan Mustafa added. "I'm just worried about it becoming a breeding-ground for malicious apps".

A Security Issue in the Making?

Mustafa will not need to worry as Dutta and the team are adding additional levels to prevent this from occurring. "We are adding more security to Superuser, and apps that use Superuser permissions need to have developers whitelisted/approved by us", Dutta tells BetaNews.

For those not familiar with Android and rooting, the Superuser is essentially the same as the Administrator on a desktop computer OS. When a user gains this access -- to the root of the phone's OS -- they are given access to all features available to the operating system. Dutta's comments suggest that any application needing such access will be vetted first. While the Cyanogen App Store will certainly give more freedom to developers, it by no means will become a free-for-all.

Of course just like jailbreaking and unlocking an iPhone, the user understands they're on their own if anything goes wrong. Buyer beware as they say.

Google did not respond to requests for comment as of press time. Its Android Market Developer Distribution Agreement does seem to suggest however that it is the carriers that are calling the shots. Among the apps prohibited are those "that interfere with, disrupt, damage, or access in an unauthorized manner the devices, servers, networks, or other properties or services of any third party including, but not limited to, Android users, Google or any mobile network operator".
'We just got Samsunged'

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 12:45pm MST by Joe Wilcox

Since buying Galaxy Nexus last month, I haven't paid as much attention to Samsung's stunningly clever "The Next Big Thing is Already Here" advertising campaign that slaps around the iPhone hipster set. There's a new TV commercial that begins with a group of iPhone want-to-haves camped out, literally, by an Apple Store.

"Ah that looks like last year's phone" is the killer line, says a guy rising from his sleeping bag to look at an unboxing video of, presumably, iPhone 4S. Samsung snark already has soured perceptions of iPhone and boosted those of Samsung brands, according to YouGov BrandIndex. The attack ads, which never specifically mention iPhone, marks one of the most iconic marketing campaigns since Apple's "Get a Mac".

The evocative moment: When the Apple hipster rises from his sleeping bag, looks up at another guy holding Samsung Galaxy S II and grabs the bars of the street barrier. The subliminal message: Prison bars. He's imprisoned by his iPhone obsession, while the S2 owner is a free man.

It's helluva entertaining marketing campaign, and I wish most movies were edited as well or communicated so much story (in so little time) as do these TV spots.

Not that iPhone is hurting for sales. As measured in smartphone operating systems among new US purchasers, Android plummeted from 61.6 percent share in October to 46.9 percent in December, according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, iPhone rose from 25.1 percent share to 44.5 percent. Earlier in the week I asserted that broadened distribution, such as offering low-cost iPhone 4 and 3GS for free, as major factors driving iPhone's sales surge. According to Nielsen, these older handsets accounted 43 percent share among new purchasers.

Another reason I've resisted raising, because of the over-sensitivity of the Apple mob crowd: Steve Jobs' death, which brought lots of attention to Apple just as iPhone 4S launched. If there is an afterglow from the publicity, it will show up within just a few months as the sales surge resides.

For now, Samsung should keep the TV commercials coming. Whatever their sales value might or might not be, the ads are priceless cultural commentaries about stereotypical Apple hipsters.
Don't look now, but 5G may be right around the corner

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 11:24am MST by Ed Oswald

Even with a majority of wireless consumers not even using 4G technology yet, the wireless industry is already looking to next-generation technologies. The International Telecommunications Union this week awarded both LTE-Advanced and WiMAX-Advanced the "official" designation of IMT-Advanced.

The last major update to the standard was in 2000, when the ITU adopted the umbrella standards for 3G. In order to be designated 3G, a service had to provide peak data rates of at least 200Kbps. With IMT-Advanced speeds increase at least one hundred times, says the governing body.

"IMT-Advanced marks a huge leap forward in state-of-the-art technologies, which will make the present day smart phone feel like an old dial up Internet connection", Secretary-General Hamadoun Touré says. "Access to the Internet, streaming videos and data transfers anytime, anywhere will be better than most desktop connections today".

In order to win the designation, at a minimum it must deliver speeds of 100Kbps at high rates of speed. In a fixed position, the network should be able to support speeds of 1Gbps. IMT-Advanced also calls for more efficient use of spectrum, absolutely necessary in these times where data usage is increasing faster than the carriers can supply additional bandwidth.

What remains to be seen is whether or not the ITU refers to this as "5G". Under its current specifications, HSPA and LTE are still technically considered 3G standards. However, since December of last year the ITU has considered them 4G given they provide "a substantial level of improvement in performance and capabilities with respect to the initial third generation systems now deployed".

Whatever it's called, one thing is for sure: it's going to be pretty damn fast.

Photo Credit: cartoon11/Shutterstock
Now you can get GIMP's power with Photoshop's look and feel

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:52am MST by Nick Peers

You’re after a free image editor. You want a powerful one, something that gets compared favorably to the likes of Photoshop. You find Paint.NET and PixBuilder Studio intriguing, but just that little bit lacking. Ultimately, though, when you ask about a powerful, free image editor, you’re going to be pointed towards GIMP.

And that’s where the trouble begins, because while GIMP is undoubtedly the most powerful free image-editing tool there is, it’s also one that puts newcomers off because of its multi-paned floating user interface. But what if you could marry the interface of Photoshop with the power (and free price tag) of GIMP? The good news is, you can, thanks to an open-source, cross-platform program called GIMPshop.

GIMPshop, as its name implies, is built on the open-source code behind GIMP. What the authors have cleverly done is apply some design tweaks to the user interface to give it a more familiar feel to other image editors out there, in particular Photoshop.

This has been achieved in three different ways: first, GIMPshop alters GIMP’s menu structure to closely resemble Photoshop’s. Second, it’s substituted various terminology with that used by Adobe’s flagship product. And finally, it utilises a plug-in called “Deweirdifier” to combine GIMP’s many floating windows into just three: the Toolbox on the left, main window in the middle and all other key windows -- brushes, layers and so on – merged into one pane on the right.

The end result is that you get to enjoy GIMP’s raw power wrapped up in an interface that will feel familiar if you’ve ever used Photoshop or the myriad of other image-editing tools that have been inspired by its design.

There’s just one hurdle you need to jump if you’re a Windows user: unlike the Mac and Linux builds, the Windows version of GIMPshop is distributed via the InstallIQ wrapper. This rather annoying tool will try to persuade you to install up to five other apps alongside GIMPshop -- once you’ve clicked the first Accept button to install GIMPshop, just keep clicking Decline until InstallIQ gets the hint and lets you install the app you came for in the first place.

GIMPshop is a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux.
What is this mysterious site doing scanning mine?

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:10am MST by Chris Boss

For you Sherlock Holmes types out there, how would you like a case to crack?

As a software developer I have my own website, and l regularly track my web traffic. I check my web site stats daily. I do analysis of that data to glean everything I possibly can about those who visit my site. So to my surprise, one day recently while checking my web stats I was shocked to see the day's traffic shoot through the roof!

Either a lot of people were all of a sudden interested in my website or something was afoot (as Sherlock would say). The latter it was, pointing to one particular source that has me asking: Who is elusive swebot.net? I had to block the IP address associated with swebot.net, which was scanning my website like something out of a science fiction novel, apparently looking for all life signs. It scanned an online forum (an old tech support forum I left simply as an archive) of mine on the site and it was actually doing searches in the forum sending CGI requests for posts of any user names it found. As Sherlock would likely say, "something is definitely afoot".

When you go to this website, it tells you that it is a: "Search Web Engine" and "experimental search bot".

The swebot.net domain was registered on December 24, 2011 -- not even a month ago.

That's enough to make anyone nervous!

So for you Sherlock Holmes types out there, what can you dig up about this elusive website?

Photo Credit: rayuken/Shutterstock

Chris Boss is an advanced Windows API programmer and developer of 10 year-old EZGUI, which is now version 5. He owns The Computer Workshop, which opened for businesses in the late 1980s. He originally developed custom software for local businesses. Now he develops programming tools for use with the PowerBasic compiler.
Revolver Office: Small business project management

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 8:30am MST by Mark Wilson

Managing any sort of business takes times, effort and dedication. In order to ensure that things run as smoothly as possible, whatever your line of work, it is important that you turn to the right tools to help you to keep on top of things. Revolver Office is a powerful project management suite that includes everything you need to keep track of jobs, employees, clients, and everything else that it is involved in the day to day management of your business. The latest preview version includes a raft of powerful features that place you firmly in control of your empire, but more importantly it enables people to work together.

Revolver Office is such a varied and all-encompassing tool that its list of features is a lengthy one. Available for both Mac and Windows, the software allows for very easy collaboration on a project and ensures that everyone involved has access to the tools and information they need. For some projects the built-in address book can be used to store details of every one working on the project as well as the contact information for contractors and suppliers. A team calendar is available so you can easily check to see when everyone is free for a meeting and you can ensure that no one employee is being given too heavy a workload.

The advanced project manager allows for easy resource management and allocation, and you can use the software to keep track of not only your progress through a particular job, but also monitor costs, track employee working hours, manage invoices and generate reports. Centralized email makes it easy for a team to collaborate on a project, and you should find that Revolver Office can be customized to suit all manner of businesses.

Pricing is structured so the price you see is the overall cost -- this is not a per user cost, it is the cost of your monthly plan. Prices range from $19 per month for a single user license version of the software, all the way up to $199 per month for a version that allow for up to twenty users at any one time and comes complete with personal support whenever it is needed.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the Revolver Office review page.

Photo Credit: STILLFX/Shutterstock
Investors punish Google for weak ad revenues

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 8:17am MST by Joe Wilcox

Google shares took a beating overnight, following fourth-quarter's earnings report. The information and search giant was down 7.7 percent in pre-market trading -- $49.25 to $590.32. Still, that's an improvement. Yesterday, Google closed at $639.57, and shares fell more than 10 percent during after-market trading. Google opened at $590.90 this morning and fell to $588.03 within the first 30 minutes of trading -- that's $51.54 off yesterday's close. By 10:17 am ET, Google shares closed on their pre-market decrease -- 7.78 percent, or down $49.77 per share.

Google's problem is one more of expectation than performance. Wall Street expected strong ad revenues for the holiday quarter, particularly with increase in online sales and therefore supporting search-related advertising. But ad prices fell instead, overshadowing other metrics. While paid clicks rose 34 percent, the amount paid for them fell by 8 percent, contributing to Google missing Wall Street consensus -- that despite solid revenue and earnings growth.

During fourth quarter, Google revenue rose 25 percent year over year, to $10.58 billion, while net income climbed 6 percent to $2.71 billion, or $8.22 share. Net revenue, meaning without network acquisition costs, was $8.13 billion and adjusted, non-GAAP earnings $9.50 a share. However, Wall Street expected more, with net revenue consensus $8.41 billion and non-GAAP earnings of $10.49 per share. Google delivered good growth, just not as much as analysts anticipated.

Fifty-three percent of Google revenue comes from international markets, where the debt crisis in Europe greatly contributed to ad rates -- that and search technology changes, which boosted clicks but not amount paid for them.

Fourth quarter was a rare miss for Google.